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tt0071395 | The Dead Don't Die | THE DEAD DONT DIE-synopsis On a dark and stormy night in Illinois State Penitentiary in 1934 Ralph Drake (Jerry Douglas) is waiting to be executed. His brother Don (George Hamilton) visits him and apologizes for not being there during the trial where Ralph was convicted of killing his wife. Don promises his brother that he will try to find out who the real killer was. A sealed letter is given Don from Ralph, who tells him to open it after his death. At this point the guard (Russ Grieve) comes and tells Don to leave. Ralph is prepared for the electric chair and led to the execution chamber where he is strapped in. The prison chaplain (Brendan Dillon) recites the 23rd Psalm as a final prayer. Don sits as one of the witnesses. The switch is thrown (twice) and Don sheds a tear.At the graveside another priest (William OConnell) recites final rites and encourages Don to leave. A woman has come up during the ceremony and stands behind at some distance. The coffin is lowered into the grave as she watches.A few days later in Chicago at the Loveland Ballroom a dance marathon is going on where several couples (some appearing near death) are vying for the prize of $1500. Don watches until Jim Moss (Ray Milland) appears and introduces himself to Moss as Ralphs brother. They watch as a lady gasps and collapses on the dance floor and is carried out on a stretcher. Don produces the letter to give to Moss, who suggests they go to his office.The letter (telling Moss to give Ralphs saved money to his brother) is presented and Don receives $1500 in cash. It is discussed that an employee, Frankie Specht (James McEachin), found the body and Ralph unconscious. Although Moss (who was technically Ralphs employer) testified on his behalf, there were witnesses who claimed the couple was fighting on the dance floor. Don explains that he was on a carrier in the Indian Ocean serving in the navy when the death occurred. He asks about Specht and is told that he disappeared after discovering the body.Don enters his hotel and asks for any messages. He is told there are none by the hotel clerk (William Billy Benedict). He is referred to the grill for a meal. As he turns to go, the mysterious woman from the gravesite is seen sitting by the hotel desk.In the restaurant the woman, Vera LaValle (Linda Cristal), approaches Don and joins him. She tells him he is in danger and that he should leave Chicago before he finds out. When Don asks who he is, he is distracted to the window where Ralph is standing outside looking in. Don immediately rises to go to his brother, but Vera cautions him not to. He follows down the dark street to a door where Ralph appears to have entered. Knocking on the door, he demands entrance but is told they are closed by Levenia (Joan Blondell). Pushing his way inside, he is told that no one entered but he wants to see for himself. Perdido (Reggie Nalder) comes from the back room and informs him that no one else is here. A struggle leaves Perdido lying on the floor while Don sees that no one is in the back room. Levenia tells Don that he has killed Perdido. As he bows to examine the body, Don is struck over the head by a large object. From the door window we see Vera watching.Don wakes up with a bad headache, attended by Vera, who explains that she followed him to the antiques shop and found him unconscious. She was able to bring him back to the hotel with the help of a cab driver. He tries to get up and is unable.Meanwhile Specht arrives at the hotel desk and asks for Don. Told he hasnt been seen since the night before, Specht turns away. When the clerk asks for a message, he refuses. When asked who is calling, Specht replies no one .The next morning Vera is seen packing and hiding a small gun in her suitcase. Don comes in and demands answers. She pulls the gun on him and he takes it away. She explains that she only wanted to threaten him with it so she could get away. He asks about the events of the night before and she tells him he is in danger from Varek, the zombie master who is enslaving the dead. He demands she take him to Varek.They take a cab to a funeral home where Don gets out and speaks to Vera, who remains in the cab. She reminds him that this was his idea, then tells the driver to go. Don is left standing alone on the street.Inside, Don asks the funeral receptionist Frazier (Milton Parsons) to see Varek. He is told there is no one there by that name. As Frazier reads off the names of the deceased Don stops him on the name Perdido . He is directed to the chapel where he approaches an open casket. As he gazes upon the body of Perdido, a voice speaks and calls his name. Don asks who he is and is told Varek . Suddenly the corpse grabs Don by the throat but he slips away. He watches in horror as the corpse rises and pursues him to the door. Don fires all his bullets to no avail. Finally he is able to get the door open and escape.At the police station Lt. Reardon (Ralph Meeker) calls the funeral home to confirm Dons story but is told he was not seen there and neither is there any body there named Perdido. Don persuades Reardon to come with him.At the antiques shop Levenia tells Reardon she remembers Don coming in before. He is surprised when she calls Perdido from the back room. He comes out wearing dark sunglasses and identifies himself as Perdido. Don runs out the door and is followed by Reardon.Back at the ballroom, Don approaches as Moss announces on the p. a. system that it will be another twelve hours until the dance marathon ends. Coming offstage, Moss joins Don, who tells him that he saw his brother Ralph and is not sure if he is crazy. They go to Mosss apartment and talk. Moss suggests that Don sleep there in a pull-out bed. Saying Don will be safer there from the police and Varek, Moss promises to ask around and will be back in a few hours.Later in a dream, Don sees his dead brother and the walking corpse of Perdido, who gets into a deadly struggle with Don. Suddenly he wakes and sits up in bed. Vera speaks to him, telling him that Varek has sent her to kill him. He gets up and confronts her. She tells him she doesnt want to harm him but came to warn him. They kiss and embrace. When he begins unzipping her dress, she tells him no, that he cannot have her. Removing her necklace, she shows him a scar around her throat. She tells him she belongs to Varek and that she is dead.Vera tells him that although he saw Ralph, Varek has made him a zombie. She reveals that she was executed in Haiti by guillotine and revived as a zombie by voodoo. She shows him a mark on her hand of a snake which was given her by Varek. He asks her how she was able to disobey Varek and she says once she learned she was deceived by Varek the spell was broken. Don expresses his disbelief but Vera insists that he leave now while he can. Becoming excited, she tells him she feels that Varek knows she has betrayed him and will kill her. She explains that a doll baptized in her name will be burned by a candle. When we see this happening, she screams in pain, running into another room as she bursts into flames. Looking in the room, Don sees her body destroyed by fire.Don goes back to the police, who refuse to help him. Meanwhile a new woman, Miss Adrian (Yvette Vickers), is applying for a job with Moss. As she is leaving, Don enters and tries to tell Moss about Vera burning up. They go for a drive in Mosss car. Moss informs Don that after some checking there is nothing found about Vera, Varek and Specht. Moss reveals that Veras address turned out to be a vacant lot. When Don insists that what he saw is true and wishes he could prove it, Moss suggests going to the cemetery and digging his brother up. Meanwhile, a car follows them.After digging up the coffin, Moss steps out of the grave and tells Don to open it. When the coffin is revealed to be empty, Don sees that Moss has disappeared. Suddenly Perdido approaches and Don fights him off with the shovel. Specht appears and offers Don his hand to exit the grave. He introduces himself to Don, saying he had been following him for a few days and wanted to warn him about Moss, whom he says is Varek.Driving back to town, Specht tells Don that it was he who killed Frances under the control of Varek. He says he was prevented from saving Ralph by zombies. They drive to a storage place where Specht says he has proof. When Specht refuses to go inside, Don asks to see his hands. Seeing no snake mark, Don goes into the building. Specht gives him a tool to open the door, telling him to check the cold storage.Entering the storage office, Don picks up a flashlight from the desk and begins looking around. Outside, Specht is run down by a car driven by Perdido. Inside, Don opens some morgue drawers to find bodies, including that of Frances.Suddenly Moss appears, turning on the lights. He tells Don that his army of children is now complete to take over the city and that Don will be one of them. Moss summons Ralph to kill Don. Pulling out the drawer with Frances in it, Don tells Ralph that it was not he who killed her, but Moss who is Varek. When Ralph hears the truth, the spell is broken and he turns on Moss. They go into the meat locker but Don is unable to open the door. Looking through the glass window, he observes Ralph strangle Moss and hang him up on a meat hook. Ralph collapses on the sawdust floor.Outside, Don hears police sirens and finds a policeman at the body of Specht. Reardon arrives and inform Don that his brother was cleared by a full confession from Specht. Don tells him that Moss is inside with the others. They follow Don into the cold storage. At the door they are met by a night watchman who insists no one has been there all night. Reardon insists and they enter. Finding no bodies anywhere inside, Don is dumbstruck again. They exit and Reardon puts Don in the police car to take him back to the hotel. As they are leaving, the storage guard waves goodbye. Don notices as they drive away, the snake-mark symbol on the hand of the guard. | paranormal, revenge, neo noir, murder | train | imdb | null |
tt3498820 | Captain America: Civil War | In 1991, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), brainwashed to be the Winter Soldier, causes a car to crash and recovers bags of a serum that turns people into super soldiers.After the Avengers defeated Ultron, Thor and Hulk are nowhere to be found. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) has gone home to spend time with his family. Even Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) has apparently disengaged. Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are leading a new team of Avengers, consisting of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Vision (Paul Bettany), War Machine (Don Cheadle) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie). But the world hasn't forgotten the numerous civilian casualties that resulted from the Avengers' previous missions.In Lagos, Nigeria, the team is tracking the movements of Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo), a Hydra agent who had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. until Captain America exposed him. Brock was on one of the three ships that Cap had caused to fire on each other, and he managed to survive the resulting crash, but he was badly burned, and now he wears a skull mask and goes by the name Crossbones. In Lagos, Crossbones and his team of mercenaries ram a garbage truck into the Institute for Infectious Disease building and clear out the guards with smoke canisters. Crossbones uses hydraulic gauntlets to give him super strength, and pounds open the glass around the lab. He grabs a vial containing a deadly, highly contagious virus. Cap's team takes out some of the mercenaries, and Crossbones and the rest of the men make their escape in a truck. After a chase, the truck is taken out of action. Crossbones hands the vial to one of his men, and tells them all to scatter. He then engages Cap, repeatedly punching him with enhanced strength, while the rest of the team chases after the mercenaries. Falcon finds the one holding the vial and shoots him, with Black Widow grabbing the vial before it hits the ground. Cap gets the upper hand on Crossbones, pinning him against the wall. Crossbones tells him that Bucky Barnes remembers him. With Cap momentarily distracted, Crossbones pushes a button, triggering a bomb on his vest. Cap braces himself, but Scarlet Witch is able to contain the force of the explosion. She uses her powers to push it up into the air, but she's only able to elevate it a bit before she loses control, and the explosion rips into the seventh floor of a nearby hotel. Cap calls for fire and rescue, and then runs into the building to help evacuate. Wanda tearfully looks at the destruction.In a theater inside Tony Stark's old college, a video plays of him and his parents, Howard (John Slattery) and Maria. At the end, Tony tells the students that he is starting the Howard and Maria Stark Foundation, and each one of them has been approved for a research grant. In a corridor, a woman confronts him and shows him a picture of her son, who had been killed in Sokovia, crushed by a building that the Avengers had knocked down.At the Avengers' headquarters, the team is watching news footage of the Lagos mission. The reporter says that eleven people were killed in the hotel. Steve tells them that he let his guard down, and people died because of it. Vision tells Steve that Tony has arrived, and he brought the Secretary of State as a guest. General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) had been involved in the experiment that turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk, and then had spent years trying to hunt him down. Ross tells them that some people look up to them as heroes, but others think they're vigilantes. He shows pictures of the destruction that follows the team wherever they go. Then he sets a thick document down on the table and tells them it's the Sokovia Accords, ratified by 117 countries. The accords state that the Avengers will operate under a panel's supervision, only acting when the panel decides it's necessary. He says there will be a meeting in Vienna in three days, and if they don't sign on, they'll have to retire.The team spends hours debating whether to agree to the accords, and Tony pulls out the picture of the boy who was killed in Sokovia. Steve asks what will happen if there's somewhere they need to go, but the panel won't allow them. Tony replies that if they don't agree to this now, it will be forced on them later. Getting nowhere, Steve leaves in disgust. The next day, Natasha finds him in an old church. She tells him that she, Tony, James Rhodes and Vision had signed on, with Clint and Wanda holding out.In Vienna, several heads of state have gathered for the ratification of the accords. Natasha meets the prince of Wakanda, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), and his father, King T'Chaka (John Kani). Wakanda had become abundant in vibranium, the material that was used to make Captain America's shield, after a meteorite crashed there. Additionally, some of the Lagos victims were from Wakanda. King T'Chaka takes the podium for the keynote address, and Natasha notices security personnel surrounding a van parked outside. An explosion rips through the building, killing the king.Back in the U.S., Steve is sitting in a hotel room with Sam and his old friend, Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), when a news report comes in, showing the destruction in Vienna. Security footage shows the man who planted the bomb, and Steve realizes that it's Bucky. Sharon gets a text, and tells Steve that she has to go to work, and takes a military plane to Vienna. Natasha looks around and sees hundreds of injured people. Prince T'Challa picks up a printed photo showing Bucky leaving the van that had the bomb. Natasha calls Steve, and he tells her that he has to be the one to bring in Bucky. He hangs up and looks at the damaged building, having already arrived in Vienna. Sharon sees him, and she hands him a file so he can get a head start on the manhunt, ahead of a German military task force, GSG9, who have orders to shoot to kill.In Bucharest, Bucky picks up a newspaper and sees that he is being accused of the bombing in Vienna. He realizes that he'll have to leave quickly. Steve goes to Bucky's apartment and finds him there. The GSG9 storm in, and Bucky blocks their bullets with Cap's shield. He jumps down to the street, where he is confronted by the Black Panther, who scrapes his armor with metal claws on his hands. Cap jumps down and lands next to them, and all three take fire from the GSG9. Cap and Bucky run for cover, but the Black Panther stands still, letting the bullets hit him and bounce off harmlessly. Cap realizes his armor must be made of vibranium. Bucky runs through the streets with Black Panther coming after him, and Cap and Falcon following the Panther. Cap commandeers a GSG9 SUV, while the Panther leaps from the top of one car to the next, steadily gaining on Bucky. Bucky knocks a man off a motorcycle, then jumps on himself and guns the engine, driving into a tunnel. Black Panther is still tirelessly giving chase. Cap drives the SUV near Bucky's motorcycle, and the Panther jumps onto the SUV's roof, and then onto the back of the motorcycle. Bucky swings backward, knocking the Panther off, but he sticks his claws into the side of the SUV and clings to its side. Bucky looks ahead and sees Falcon flying straight toward him. He hits the brakes, and turns the motorcycle around and drives back past the SUV. Cap throws it into reverse, trying to keep up with Bucky. The Panther jumps into the air, and lands on Falcon's wings. Bucky takes a metal ball and throws it up to the roof of the tunnel. It explodes, blowing a hole in the concrete. Falcon uses his wings to shield himself, throwing off the Panther, who went straight through the explosion, unharmed. Bucky swerves to avoid a car, and falls off the bike. The Panther jumps on him, swinging his claws at him. Cap tackles the Panther, and they trade blows, with the Panther's claws leaving gashes in Cap's shield. War Machine flies in through the hole, and the GSG9 surrounds them all and tells them to put their hands up. They are all arrested, and the Black Panther's mask is removed. Cap recognizes him as Prince T'Challa of Wakanda.On the ride to the task force headquarters in Berlin, Cap tells the prince that he has the wrong man. Cap, Falcon and the prince get out, and in another truck, Bucky is taken out in a cage. They are met by Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), the leader of the headquarters. The men have their weapons removed, and they are led inside the building, where Black Widow is waiting for them. Everett takes Prince T'Challa into one room, and the others are led to another room, where Tony tells them that Secretary Ross wants to have them all prosecuted. Tony says that as a compromise, they won't get back the shield and wings, which are now government property.T'Challa uses his influence to have Bucky extradited to Wakanda, where he will face charges of terrorism. Bucky is given an evaluation to determine his mental state. Still in the room with Tony, Cap watches it unfold. Tony tells him that if he signs the accords now, Bucky will be transferred to an American psych facility instead of a Wakandan jail. Steve agrees, but only if safeguards are put into place. Tony brightens, telling Steve that this will get him and Wanda reinstated. Steve asks what he means about Wanda, and he tells Steve that she is being confined to the compound by Vision. Tony says it's the best he can do, since she's not a U.S. citizen and they won't give her a visa. Steve says that she's only a kid, and doesn't deserve to be imprisoned. He leaves without signing onto the accords.Hawkeye breaks into the facility where Vision is holding Scarlet Witch. He attacks Vision, but is unable to hurt him. Scarlet Witch uses her powers to make Vision fall through the floor, and she and Hawkeye escape.Colonel Zemo (Daniel Brühl), having already killed a Hydra agent and recovered a book containing a list of words that will trigger Bucky's reversion to his brainwashed state, infiltrates the compound and reads off the list. Bucky pounds his way out of his cell and fights Cap and Iron Man. Cap subdues him and takes him away. Regaining his senses, Bucky tells Steve that Zemo is going to Siberia, where there are several more super soldiers waiting for someone to wake them up and give them a mission.Cap assembles a team consisting of Bucky, Falcon, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) to stop Zemo. By operating outside of authority, they all become renegades. Iron Man forms his own team, made up of War Machine, Black Panther, Black Widow, Vision and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) to arrest the others. In the battle, Ant-Man turns into a giant, distracting Team Iron Man and buying time for Cap and Bucky to escape to an aircraft hangar. Black Widow appears intent on stopping them, but she turns on Black Panther, allowing Cap and Bucky to fly off. War Machine tries to stop them from escaping, but Falcon flies after him. Vision shoots an energy beam at Falcon, but he dodges and it hits War Machine instead, causing him to fall from the sky and nearly killing him.After seeing evidence that Bucky was framed for the Vienna explosion, Iron Man heads to Siberia to meet up with Cap and Bucky and make peace. They find that the super soldiers have already been killed, and Zemo, hidden behind indestructible glass, reveals that his real plan was to find footage of the Winter Soldier's first mission. Black Panther had been following, unseen, and he hears Zemo admit responsibility for the explosion. Zemo shows them a videotape of Bucky causing the car crash, and then murdering the occupants, Howard and Maria Stark, in cold blood.Incensed, Iron Man attacks both Cap and Bucky, and he demands to know if Steve knew what had happened. Steve tells him that he only knew that Hydra was behind his parents' murder. They fight, and Iron Man blasts off Bucky's metal arm. Cap disables Iron Man's suit, and Tony tells him that he doesn't deserve to carry his shield. Steve drops it and leaves with Bucky. Zemo is sitting outside, and Black Panther stands behind him. He tells Black Panther that his family was killed in Zokovia, and he wouldn't stop until he destroyed the Avengers from within. With his success, Zemo tries to commit suicide with a gun, but Black Panther places his hand over the barrel, stopping the bullet, and then apprehends Zemo for judgment.Tony is helping Rhodes with his recovery, giving him robotic legs to recover from paralysis. Steve breaks the heroes out of their island prison and they go to Wakanda, where T'Challa gives them asylum. Bucky elects to be put back into cryogenic sleep until they can find a way to cure his brainwashing, so that no one will be able to manipulate him again. Peter Parker is recovering from his injuries at home, and he tries out a new version of the web shooter that Tony gave him. It projects the Spidey signal onto the ceiling. | suspenseful, murder, violence, intrigue, flashback, humor, brainwashing, revenge | train | imdb | He is really become my favorite hero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Avengers films especially Age of Ultron, Captain America is still a guy who has a lot of screen time that it is the focus of a movie and he is still the guy I can take a side I agree with him, I can understand his choices.We have also almost everyone from Avengers films except Thor and Hulk actors Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo did not appear.
Chris Hemsworth thought that MCU fired him because he was not cast as Thor but he was later explained that MCU wants his own movie and his own stand alone path which I can't wait for Thor: Ragnarok.The cast beside Chris Evens includes Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, and Daniel Brühl.In Captain America: Civil War, disagreement over international oversight of the Avengers fractures them into opposing factions-one led by Steve Rogers and the other by Tony Stark.
I liked this movie more the story drew me in, the villain wasn't that good.Robert Downey Jr. does a good job, Paul Rudd he is fun in the flick, he has a great moment as Ant-Man he has a few moments but one predictable.
My father made that shield!" Captain America: Civil War is a 2016 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.I understand the hate, because Captain turn the law politics back to save his friend, but he actually try to safe an innocent man who was framed by Zemo.
Captain America Civil War WAS BETTER THAN X-MEN APOCALYPSE, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Man of Steel and Deadpool I don't like those movies they are peace of sh** and too way overrated.
Thankfully, it was all salvaged as the two parties brawl in a cleared airport, in an exhilarating action sequence that will surely make every audience member cheer.For all the makings of a summer blockbuster, "Captain America: Civil War" gets it all started right.
Besides being a loyal companion to the comic book storyline, it is a worthy setup to Marvel's other properties and one that truly can hold on its own, courtesy of its consistent superhero action scenes, the Russo brothers' tense direction, the excellent cast, its thought-provoking themes and its exciting story with its signature Marvel snappy dialogue.
Of paramount importance are, of course, the leaders of the warring teams - Captain America and Iron Man.The captain does not appear to us as an ideal hero, but a man who is compelled to go against all to protect his friend and the ideals in which he believes.Iron man is also shown somewhat differently, he believes that all heroes need control and are ready to obey a new law, which, he believes, will be able to protect the world from new dangers.Among the new heroes is worth mentioning the Black Panther, who plays one of the main roles in the film.
For him, the film is like a test before his own solo project and we get about him only an initial presentation.Of course, one can not help noticing the Spider-Man, who personally for me was one of the main reasons for going to the movies.
I thought that marvel will never do a very good movie like it was winter soldier, but i was wrong, i was totally wrong I don't like to compare, but i enjoy this film more than batman v superman.
It's obviously that it is not perfect, that's sure but for me this is the best marvel movie, and i cant wait for the infinity war, the MCU is in good hands with the Russo brothers.
Civil War is definitely one of the best Marvel movies to date, and absolutely on par with The Winter Soldier which was also great.
The third for titular Captain America, "Civil War" is essentially the third Avengers film, starting with events happening a year after "Age of Ultron".
Their deft maneuver results in a beautifully crafted cinematic piece, whose towering bravura, bestows the entire proceedings with striking depth and sentimentality, which may not be the first for the genre, but enough to make it Marvel's best film, to date.In "Civil War", the brewing enmity between Steve Rogers/ Captain America (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) inevitably arises and turns bitter in the wake of their relentless campaigns to save humanity.
Doctrinal contrasts force heroes to pick sides, and the resulting chaos ensues a much bigger damage than what came in the missions they've previously pulled off together.While Joss Whedon's "Age of Ultron" is as massive as a superhero movie could be, Russo's Civil War is colossal in its own right, maintaining the former's size as it shifts to a more character- driven narrative, with its emotional weight heaviest on Steve Rogers' shoulders.
Captain America: Civil War is one of the worst movies I have ever seen.This entire film is nothing but rabbit trails, it is leading up to a film that never happens, Baron Zemo is one of the worst villains in a comic book movie to date (Next to Dr. Doom.) This movie is a complete cashgrab, the fight scenes look so fake, it has absolutely no emotional weight.The fight scenes have no stakes or consequences whatsoever.
Marvel continues the trend of upping the stakes by pinning our favorite heroes against each other: Captain America and Iron Man. There are a lot of other characters, so much so that it feels more like an Avengers movie than a solo movie, but the story is told in such a way that the spotlight is always on Cap and Bucky.Civil War is tonally different from Winter Soldier in that it's more bombastic in its storytelling.
Seeing all of these superheros go against each other is exhilarating, and their interactions are hysterical, especially since a lot of them are meeting each other for the first time.The new characters are excellent - Black Panther makes a hell of an impression as a sophisticated Wakandan diplomat, and Spider-Man is easily the best live action interpretation of the character; major props to Tom Holland for sounding exactly how you'd expect Spider-Man to sound like.
Each actor's portrayal of his or her character was amazing, and each and every character was given the depth they deserved.Overall, Captain America: Civil War is my favorite Marvel movie to date, and my second favorite comic book movie, topped only by The Dark Knight (2008).
But it's without any surprise that i discovered Civil war.Don't misunderstand me, It's a great movie but the story is predictable (bad guy with a thirst of revenge, how original), the sequence of the story is interspersed and finally it's an other Marvel movie without surprise (same storyline has always).They should have follow the story of the comics and bring more character and depth (mostly for captain !
The story behind Tony Stark is touching and moving)fortunately, spidey, Black Panther and the Amazing Iron "Robert Downey Jr" man enhance the level of this movie.Special effects and battle scenes are amazing though.with all the hype, the media publicity etc I was expecting a stunning movie and I end up with a good action movie but banal.
Civil War is proof that the good guy vs good guy aspect of superhero films can be done right.The world wants to hold the Avengers accountable for all the death and destruction they've caused over the years, so the United Nations put together the Sokovia Accords, which means the Avengers would work for them.
The movie is boring, the storyline is very slow and the action scenes in general were not wow, it was great how each character was used in the main fight never the less, put the main fight aside, the rest is about Captain America and his best Bro!
There is actually only one truly good fight scene in the whole movie, but it is sadly dragged out past its expiration date as well.The plot is a run of the mill thing that could be fully explained in about 1 minute, yet they drag it out for hours without adding new layers to it.The camera work ranges from terrible like in most close combat scenes to average for a high budget movie.The sound track is completely forgettable to the point that I can't remember if there was one.Acting however is good throughout the whole movie and you get what you expect from the characters.Where the movie really shines is in the comedy.
The new Marvel blockbuster "Captain America - Civil War" is precisely the kind of movie that we've all NOT been waiting for, namely - stodgy, packed with every superhero that that the directors Anthony and Joe Russo could get their hands on.
But then there's the Captain America series of the MCU films which seem to venture away from the typical action-packed, over-the-top aesthetics of other superhero films and instead focus more on the drama, the plot, the characters, and instead form a thriller in the style of 'The Manchurian Candidate' or the 'Bourne' films.Personally I was a huge fan of 'The Winter Soldier', abandoning the action to instead create a political thriller was a fantastic idea, and it seems that the Russo's have yet again gone down a similar route in creating a more complex film (that does unfortunately contain plot holes here and there) that instead leaves the audience thinking rather than just presenting mindless action, however 'Civil War' is definitely more "actiony" than 'Winter Soldier' was, and unfortunately I dislike the overuse of CGI which this film does contain, but thankfully the interwoven smart plot allowed for some material that'll hopefully be an influence towards other superhero movies, to actually create clever content instead of dumbed-down footage.
Yet another unoriginal bland superhero movie packed full of clichés blah blah blah blah.I'll start off by saying that I'm aware that these movies are supposed to be fun and not taken all too seriously, but I'm sorry, that is not a sufficient excuse for such an effortless straight up boring script and narrative throughout many recent (and particularly this) Marvel films that have come about, aside from maybe Ant-Man and Deadpool it seems like these movies are just carbon copies of each other each more unoriginal and irrelevant than the last, and yet critics eat up this uninspired drivel over and over.There is almost nothing unique about this film, and this is coming from someone that is relatively familiar with the civil-war comic books, this film lacks any of the depth, complexities or tension that was contained in the source material.
I find it extremely difficult to care about any of these characters really especially given the comically black and white nonsensical positions that start this very anti-climactic "Civil War" to begin with.There isn't really more to say, if you like ultimately uninteresting mindless action films I suppose you might like this, but thats all that can really be said for it.
largely failed to please the general public with Batman and Superman's first big-screen debut together, audiences are going to question if with Civil War, (which is essentially "Captain America v Iron Man") will it really be worth investing time and money into another hero-on-hero mega-budget superhero flick.
Well, this is Marvel's answer to DC's failed attempt, and they know these characters, we've seen most of them around in a few movies now over the past 8 years or so, (some of them more recent and some of them for the first time in this film's cinematic universe).
Unlike the last Avengers film, there are not really any subplots that don't serve as an important piece to the overall story, directors Joe and Anthony Russo did a great job weaving action scene and character-driven scene together to drive the story forward in 2014's Captain America the Winter Soldier, and they do the same here.
Lots of other big players here, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, and Daniel Bruhl gives a strong performance as a villain character who isn't given the most fleshing out or devotion to, but he serves the story well enough and it will be interesting to see if he gets any future roles down the line.If you're a fan of Spiderman, well the studio finally worked a deal out with Sony that allows them to use Spiderman in their shared cinematic universe and he is a very well introduced character played by young actor Tom Holland who probably does the best job as this character we have seen on screen yet, he fits in very well and plays off the other actors very well and proves to be quite a visual spectacle in the film's second act.
Especially after the negative reviews for the far superior Dawn of Justice over this "Civil War".I thought this was supposed to be a Captain America movie, not Iron Man 4 or an Avengers flick.
I don't know, I can only assure, Marvel has lost the fear and perhaps in the next few years its projects could reach total perfection (Avengers: Infinity War Part:1 or 2).Based on the Comic of 2006-2007, movie serves as a sequel to "Age of Ultron" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".
The presentation of both sides, literally, made me cry, its class, its style, its elegance and its professionalism to mix and combine each of the specific abilities (physical and emotional) of the old and new heroes, to create a scene of entertainment, quality and long, long fight makes that truly the public continues to support to "Marvel" for continue, (Curious fact: Directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski ("John Wick") are part of the second unit of the film)."Spider-Man is the equivalent to Wonder Woman in Civil War"Special relevance has the presentation of Spider-man and Black Panther.
It is a good thing, because I usually like the humor in Marvel films, but sometimes they overcome a bit, and everyone knows Civil War is a movie that can be treated with more suspense.There is no doubt about that Spider Man was the most awaited character and yes, he is the best in the movie.
Iron Man is convinced that it is the right thing to do while Captain claims that they will be forced to do things they don't want to.I really liked Captain America Civil War and I would say that it is one of Marvel's and overall among the best superhero films ever made.
to simply put, it's a spectacular film overall.Captain America: Civil War has all the things that makes a comic- book movie an enjoyable blast.
After watching it though, all I got to say is that it surpassed almost every bit of expectation I had and gave each of our heroes their spotlight moments which allowed them to standout in the movie in their own way which the Russos did flawlessly especially the newly introduced character Black Panther which they also nailed perfectly and served as a strong introduction for those who don't read the comics and aren't familiar about his character at all.Maybe my only problem with this film is that it's vastly different from it's comic counterpart but I do understand that the MCU is trying something different so I won't bitch about it too much.
Now for my final thoughts about Captain America: Civil War. If you enjoy comic-book or superhero films as a whole with no bias, this movie is a must see and you'll probably enjoy the hell out of it.
These are the two superhero movies to recommend to people who don't like superhero movies, and given the chance to make the kind of "vastly different and much smaller film" that Markus & McFeely could have done so well, it's a pity that Captain America: Civil War, instead of letting the writers do what they wanted, warps and inflates the narrative in order to repeat the worst mistakes of the latest Avenger movie.
So, having engaged us with these characters in the first Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers films, Marvel now buries them in a mass of superhero overproduction, with a dangling story line that we know won't be continued until the next Avengers movie.
The screenplay is written with a lot of depth and perfection, making it the best MCU movie before Infinity War. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr deliver performances of a kind you'd have rarely seen before in a superhero film.
I also agree to some people who didn't like this version of Baron Zemo, but after watching the movie for second time, I think Zemo was a brilliant mastermind in creating the conflict between Avengers and I hope that he will appear in the future MCU films..
Then he backtracked and revealed the film's true title, as well as bringing out Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. to a deafening noise from the excited crowd.Taking elements from the popular Civil War comic and rearranging a few things to make it fit the continuity of the MCU, Marvel turned to the Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe, who did such a good job with The Winter Soldier, to bring this story to the big screen.
They have delivered a brilliant comic-book film in Captain America: Civil War and, with the stakes even higher and more characters to come for the next Avengers films, they are certainly the right men for the job..
CAPTAIN America: CIVIL WAR is the best Marvel movie yet. |
tt0159365 | Cold Mountain | When North Carolina secedes from the Union on May 20, 1861, the young men of a rural North Carolina town on Cold Mountain hurry to enlist in the Confederate States Army. Among them is W.P. Inman, a carpenter who has fallen in love with Ada, a preacher's daughter, and their whirlwind courtship is interrupted by the war.
Three years later, Inman finds himself at the Battle of the Crater. Union soldiers tunnel beneath Confederate fortifications and detonate kegs of gunpowder prior to an ill-fated attack against the rebels. Oakley, Inman's acquaintance from Cold Mountain, is seriously wounded. Inman gets him to a field hospital, where Oakley dies with Inman beside him and friend Stobrod Thewes playing him a song on his fiddle.
Inman and his Cherokee friend Swimmer are sent, with other Cold Mountain men, to flush out surviving Union troops behind their lines. During the raid, friendly fire kills Swimmer and seriously wounds Inman. As Inman lies in the hospital near death, he reads a letter from Ada in which she pleads with him to stop fighting, stop marching, and come back to her. Inman recovers, and–with the war drawing ever closer to an inevitable Confederate defeat–deserts to return to Cold Mountain.
Inman meets the corrupt preacher Reverend Veasey, who is about to drown his pregnant slave lover. Inman stops Veasey, and leaves him tied up to face the town's justice. Exiled from his parish, Veasey later joins Inman on his journey.
They help a young man named Junior butcher his cow, and join him and his family for dinner. When Junior goes out to his trapline, the women in his family seduce Veasey, and Junior's wife, Lila, tries to seduce Inman. It is a ploy, as Junior soon returns with the Confederate Home Guard, and both Inman and Veasey are led away with other deserters. During a skirmish with Union cavalry, Veasey is killed and Inman left for dead. An elderly hermit living in the woods finds him and nurses him back to health.
Inman meets a grieving young widow named Sara, who is raising her infant child Ethan alone; he stays the night at her cabin. The next morning, a party of Union foragers arrive demanding food. Sara orders Inman away for his protection, but he hides close by. The leader, Nym, and his lieutenant harass Sara, steal her livestock, and leave Ethan in the cold, though the third soldier attempts to keep the baby warm. Nym tries to rape Sara but both he and the lieutenant are killed by Inman. Inman forces the kind forager to surrender and lets him go, but an enraged Sara fatally shoots him.
Interspersed with Inman's adventures, we see Ada's wartime experiences. A proper city girl, she and her father only recently moved to a Cold Mountain farm named Black Cove. She met Inman on her first day at Cold Mountain and had a brief, chaste romance with him the night before he left for the army. Shortly after Inman leaves, her father dies, leaving her with no money, no farming skills and little prospect for help with most able-bodied men off at war.
Ada survives on the kindness of her neighbors, one of whom eventually sends Stobrod's daughter, Ruby Thewes, to help. Ruby is a young woman who has lived a hard-scrabble life and is adept at the tasks needed to run the farm. Ruby moves in and together they bring the farm to working order. Meanwhile, Ada writes constant letters to Inman in hopes of meeting him again and renewing their romance.
The two women become close friends and confidantes. They are also friends with the Swangers, who live down the road from Black Cove. It is at the Swangers' well that Ada has a vision of Inman coming back to her in the snow, surrounded by crows.
Ada and Ruby as well as other members of their community, have several tense encounters with men of the Home Guard. Their branch is led by Captain Teague, whose grandfather once owned much of Cold Mountain. He and his deputies hunt deserters, partially with the goal of Teague's seizing their land. Teague also lusts after Ada. Meant to protect the South and its citizen population from the North, the Home Guard have become violent vigilantes, killing deserters and terrorizing citizens for helping the deserters. Teague and his men torture Mrs. Swanger to coax her deserter sons out of hiding, killing both boys and Mr. Swanger when they appear.
Stobrod Thewes, having deserted, arrives back at Cold Mountain with traveling companions Pangle, an intellectually challenged banjo player, and Georgia, a mandolin player to whom Ruby is attracted.
While camping, Stobrod, Pangle, and Georgia are cornered by Teague and the Guard. Pangle unintentionally reveals the musicians are deserters, and the Home Guard shoot Pangle and Stobrod while Georgia watches from hiding. He escapes to Black Cove and returns with Ruby and Ada, who find Pangle dead and Stobrod badly wounded. Ada helps Ruby remove a bullet from Strobrod's back, and they decide to take shelter in some cabins in the woods to avoid Teague and his men.
At this point the two story lines come together. Inman, half-dead from starvation, finally reaches Cold Mountain and is almost killed by Ada before she recognizes him. They later consummate their love and spend the night together.
The Home Guard soon find them, having captured and tortured Georgia for information. In the ensuing gunfight Inman ambushes and kills Teague and most of his band, but Teague's violent young lieutenant Bosie escapes up the mountain. Cornering him near the top, Inman urges him to surrender peacefully, but Bosie draws, forcing Inman to fire; both men are mortally wounded. Ada reaches Inman, finding him just as she saw him in her vision at the well: coming back to her in the snow surrounded by crows. He dies in her arms.
A few years later, Ada and Ruby are celebrating Easter. Ruby has married Georgia, and the two have a young daughter and an infant child. It is revealed that Ada's night with Inman has produced a child, Grace Inman. | depressing, murder, dramatic, flashback, romantic, tragedy, revenge, historical | train | wikipedia | While it accurately depicts the brutality and inhumanity of that war, it also does something that many films related to this period do not handle effectively - Cold Mountain studies the southern context from the inside out, and portrays changes among the non-slave owning common people wrought by the war.
It is a romance, a war story, an action-adventure and historical fiction, all nicely woven into one.The story centers on Inman (Jude Law) and Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman), who are smitten with each other for very simple reasons.
Nobody he meets comes to his rescue as he begins the thousand mile walk back to Cold Mountain and Ada, and most of those he meets die.The bulk of the film takes place during Inman's long walk, following both of the protagonists as they live, learn, grow and change.
The Civil War-era "Cold Mountain," starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger is such a film.Then again, calling Cold Mountain" a war movie is not entirely accurate.
The story centers around disgruntled Confederate soldier Inman, played by Jude Law, who becomes disgusted with the gruesome war and homesick for the beautiful hamlet of Cold Mountain, North Carolina and the equally beautiful southern belle he left behind, Ada Monroe, played by Nicole Kidman.
Indeed, the earlier segments of the film are relatively unimpressive and even somewhat contrived."Cold Mountain" soon takes a drastic turn, though, as the intrepid hero Inman turns out to be a deserter (incidentally saving the audience from the potentially confusing scenario of wanting to root for the Confederates) and begins a long odyssey homeward.
Though the weapons and tactics of war itself have changed much in the past century, it's hellish effect on the land is timelessly relevant.Director Anthony Minghella manages to maintain this gloomy mood for most of the film, but the atmosphere is unfortunately denigrated by a rather tepid climax that does little justice to the wonderfully formed characters.
The love story between Inman and Ada is awkwardly tacked onto the beginning and end of the film, though the inherently distant, abstracted and even absurd nature of their relationship in a way fits the dismal nature of the rest of the plot.Make no mistake, "Cold Mountain" has neither the traits of a feel-good romance nor an inspiring war drama.
So amazingly and magnificently captured at different camera angles, from scene to scene against the cold, mountainous countryside!This film isn't throwing off longwinded dialogue and lengthy physical encounters between Jude Law's Inman and Nicole Kidman's Ada to reveal the meeting of two souls searching for a meaningful existence.
The acting mainly carried this film, with superb performances from Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger, as well as the supporting cast.
A Beautiful Romance in Times of War. In Cold Mountain, North Colorado, near to the period of the American Civil War, the Reverend Monroe (Donald Sutherland) arrives in the small town with his daughter, the shy Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman), due to health reasons.
With the beginning of the war, Inman becomes a soldier, and his great support to stay alive is the wish to see Ada in Cold Mountain again.
Having names such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman and Giovanni Ribisi in the supporting cast, a magnificent direction of Anthony Minghella and seven indications to the Oscar, this movie does not disappoint.
But all the action surrounding the romance is great, with some good-natured humorous touches, wonderful supporting characters and the perfect picture overall of life during the American Civil War. The cast is superb, with Zellweger in particular undergoing a superb transformation from her typical roles.
It stars Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Eileen Atkins, Kathy Baker, Brendan Gleeson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ray Winstone and Natalie Portman.Music is scored by Gabriel Yared and cinematography by John Seale.
This is Minghella's world and the American Civil War movie gets a double shot in the arm as Cold Mountain not only deals in the home front, but also in the perilous life of the soldier.
(And this sometimes meandering work was originally FIVE hours long!) The amount of footage left on the cutting room floor makes for some uncomfortable continuity (such as when a character is tortured and watches 3 family members slaughtered and is next seen smilingly dancing a Christmas jig!) Nevertheless, the romance and beauty of the film still delivers and there is no doubt that Kidman is a MOVIE STAR.
Unfortunately, it tends to take too long to tell a tale that lacks the power of holding interest once it gets past the midway point.Nevertheless, anyone interested in the Civil War period will find this a meticulous work as far as costumes, settings and use of folk music is concerned.
The movie deals about American Civil War (1861-1865) , the starring (Jude Law , though Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Eric Bana were all considered for this role) meets Ada (Nicole Kidman , though Julia Roberts and Cate Blanchett were both considered) in ¨Cold mountain¨ and they fall in love .
The motion picture is pretty strong with crude scenes : the bloody battles ,rampages , rape , murders...it has many violent shots , for that reason the film is rated ¨R¨ as the violence is extreme with cruel killings , besides some sex scenes.In United States attained a moderated success in spite of nomination to various Oscars , though only obtained one award to support cast for Renee Zellweger .
These are the characters Law meets as he does his Johnny Appleseed trek from the front lines, where he has deserted, to the hopefully loving embrace of Kidman back in Cold Mountain.
After Ms. Kidman and Mr. Law meet cute with zero screen chemistry in a small North Carolina town and steal a kiss before its off to war for Jude and his photo souvenir of the girl he left behind, it's a two hour test to the kidneys as to whether he will survive a myriad of near-death experiences to reunite with his soulmate.
I can't help but wonder if they didn't make his character less talkative on purpose so we would't have to hear that tortured accent so much.As far as the movie, it took a long time for it to get interesting (about 1 or 1.5 hours), and then fell flat in it's ending.
I could forgive Phillip Seymore Hoffman's British southern fusion accent (Not nearly as bad as Nichole Kidman's or Jude Law's sad attempts at southerners...sad and inconsistent), or Rene Zellweger's comic book interpretation of her comic relief character (she was occasionally amusing after all).
Cold Mountain alternates between the stories of Nicole Kidman, waiting at home for her sweetheart to return from the civil war, and Jude Law, her sweetheart trying to find his way back to her.
Superb cinematography, great performances from Jude Law, albeit iffy southern accents right the way through, and despite the fact that I did not like Kidman at all in this, I enjoyed it, but its flawed, to my mind, by the lack of a chemistry, and Nicole Kidman's unwelcoming, mannered persona..
I couldn't wait for him to get back to Ms. Kidman so that this darn movie could end.The civil war battle scenes can't match Atlanta in "Gone With the Wind."A real stinker..
Neither Nicole Kidman nor Jude Law make convincing Southerners and, though she won an Academy Award for her role, Renee Zellweger is less believable than either of them.
Loosely based on Homer's 'Odyssey', 'Cold Mountain' tells the story of the final days of the American Civil War, and one man's struggle to get home.
Perforce it can only be a hurried "scenes from" the engrossing novel which puts Penelope and Odysseus amidst the Civil War where author Charles Frazier added irony to Homer as Ada/Penelope first has to (metaphorically) learn to weave as she keeps suitors and other dangers at bay and Inman/Odysseus is not a hero but barely survives as a deserter to face parallel trials on the way home.
Even under dirt and mussed hair, Nicole Kidman and Jude Law are two of the mostly stunningly beautiful human beings on the planet --and it's a pretty safe bet that they'll be entered in MTV's "Best Film Kiss of 2003"--yet they almost don't stand out amidst an attractive cameo cast with the likes of Natalie Portman, Cillian Murphy, Giovanni Ribisi, Charlie Hunnam, with Ray Winstone as the villain, etc.
we've already been told she could have any man she wanted); Law, who overdoes his performance with too much emphasis on his haunted stare, is a really odd choice to play a Southern American left alienated by wartime; Oscar winner Renée Zellweger comes into the picture at just the right time and, though her accent doesn't completely convince, she gives the proceedings a little spirit.
Another tiresome bore from Anthony Minghella, who seems to thrive on these big bloated super-productions that take over two and a half hours to do what any reasonable filmmaker would do in about ninety minutes.The story centers on Inman (a somnambulent Jude Law), who goes off to the Civil War having just barely started a sort-of romance with Nicole Kidman, a Preacher's Daughter who has recently arrived in the prettily photographed backwater town.
If you like Civil War movies, there are better ones out there, and there are plenty of better love stories out there that actually have happy endings, unlike this awful film.
"Cold Mountain" (2003) tries to be The Odyssey told during the Civil War - the story of a man on his way home to his eternal love and all the obstacles and tribulations he faces.
I did not read the book, so I can not comment on what parts were left out but the love story between Inman (Law) and Ada (Kidman) did not touch me very much.
I've seen four Oscar nominated performances from last year and at least two were much better than Renee Zellweger.There is a very frank love scene between Law and Kidman in the end.
I wanted a Civil War movie and got a messed melodrama with very slow and poorly acting Nicole Kidman, very funny (the best there) Renee Z., and then, Jude Law. He was not good for his part.
There have been few film versions of a celebrated novel that have done better justice to their source material than Anthony Minghella's movie of Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain.
His wide-open shots show off the landscape at its finest (Romania often standing in for North Carolina, but this doesn't matter; it looks wonderful), showing off the changeless beauty which surrounds the misery and bloodshed.The cast of Cold Mountain gives us some fine examples of non-American actors playing Americans, not that you would know for how well Nicole Kidman and Jude Law master the dialect.
In this story, "Inman" (Jude Law) deserts the Confederate Army during the Civil War. His reason: his girlfriend misses him and wants him home.
The acting is of a high quality and will most likely come away with a trinity of oscar noms for Law, Kidman and Zellweger, even though Portman's few scenes may be the most powerful in the film.
We see how awkward fleeting moments between the quiet, reserved Inman (Jude Law) and the rich preacher's daughter Ada (Nicole Kidman) turn into something quite profound and layered when the former is called to fight against the yankees in the Civil War. Through narrative letters, Ada communicates her longing and love for the soldier who finally decides to desert and head home to Cold Mountain to see her, not really knowing her but being swept away in the idea of his lover.
Adapted from the Charles Frazier novel, and a poignant study of love prevailing over distance, time, and war, Cold Mountain (2003 Miramax Films) tears a romance asunder by means of the Civil War.Reverend Monroe (Donald Sutherland) and his beautiful and loving daughter Ada (Nicole Kidman) move from Charlotte to the community of Cold Mountain, North Carolina just before the War Between the States.
It's a love story cast in the classic 'epic love story' mold.The acting cast are impeccable and impressive: Kidman, Law, Zellwegger, Hoffman, Gammon, Gleeson, Ribisi, Sutherland, Winstone, Baker, Portman - and an assortment of mostly English to round things out.That gives reason to pause: this is a movie about the US civil war with a mostly non-US cast and filmed in Romania.
Based on the best-selling novel by Charles Frazier, Anthony Minghella's `Cold Mountain' is, like his earlier snooze-fest, `The English Patient,' one of those highbrow historical romances that only a Motion Picture Academy member could love.
Jude Law and Nicole Kidman play Inman and Ada, two Southerners whose budding romance is cut short when he goes off to fight in the Civil War.
Eventually joining her in that endeavor is a feisty young woman named Ruby, played with a whole host of annoying, self-conscious mannerisms by the usually reliable Renee Zellweger.In ambiance and plot, `Cold Mountain' feels an awful lot like a warmed over `Gone With the Wind,' right down to the Southern-belle-forced-to-demean-herself-to-survive scenario.
But, apart from a few effective moments, `Cold Mountain,' is little more than a boring, meandering, high-toned soap opera, just the kind of movie that makes Academy members sit up and take notice come nomination time (the film garnered seven nominations and one win for Zellweger's performance).
Sutherland is good and the support cast of characters met alone the road includes Winstone, Gleeson, Hoffman, Ribisi and Portman - each of who does more than simply make an `oh look it's ..' appearance.Overall this was not as strong as it could have been because the film can't manage to develop a convincing enough bond between Inman and Ada.
in a film fairly loaded with terrific performances by a bevy of great character actors, Nicole and Jude as the leads almost get lost in the mix...but not Ms. Zellweger, who channels equal parts Auntie Eller and Calamity Jane and pretty much walks off with this movie (and they owed her an oscar for "chicago" anyway)...great job of directing and cinematography, and i take issue with anyone who complains about this flick's length since Walter Murch's editing keeps this puppy zipping along at a nice clip...the whole issue of the "home guard" is a dirty little tidbit of civil war history not mentioned in most texts and provides an interesting center for the conflict in the moviewhile it may not quite be "Gone With The Wind", "Cold Mountain" is one of the better films to come down the pike in the last few years
It's a love story in the midst of the horrors of war where young men are sent off to fight, deserters are tracked and killed, and the women and children at home are left to fend for themselves while the men are gone.Anyway i thought Nicole Kidman and Rene Zelleweger were pretty decent and not knowing much about Jude Law, he was all right, also.
Cold mountain is a film that addresses big issues like romance, friendship and the harsh effects of war.
Nicole Kidman is an extremely talented actress and she turns in a great performance as Ada. Jude Law also stars as Ada's love interest, even though he rarely shares the screen with Kidman, the majority of the film focuses on them living apart longing to see one another again.
Law portrayed as Inman, a young man that was very considerate and shy that lived in Cold Mountain (NC) while Kidman was Ada that was forced to mature as her father died.
American civil war was not an exception of these calamities, and in my opinion, this is what the director Anthony Minghella wanted to emphasize in this drama starred by young Jude Law and backed by Nicole Kidman and always efficient Renée Zellweger.
Neither Ada (Nicole Kidman) nor Inman (Jude Law) came across to me as star-crossed lovers, although I suppose that the point of the movie was that it was their love for each other that gave them hope, and the strength to get through their trials.
The former is a Civil War melodrama about Inman (Jude Law), a Confederate soldier who deserts the army to return to Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman) a girl he barely knows.
Although Rene Zellweger won the most acclaim, I actually think Jude Law steals the acting with his portrayal of a thoroughly honourable 'southern boy' soldier torn between his desire to do his duty to his state and his love (Nicole Kidman).
It was this character that saved the movie.The movie focuses on the journey taken by Inman (Jude Law) on his way back from the Civil War to find his lover Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman).
Great cast, a powerful story, amazing cinematography, a director whose previous two films I enjoyed immensely - so why does this movie feel so underwhelming and hollow?Well, the biggest obstacle for me is the central relationship of Inman and Ada. I love Jude Law and Nicole Kidman, but their scenes together are the weakest link that ultimately undoes the chain.
There is a difference between a movie about a grueling journey and a grueling movie, but "Cold Mountain" didn't get that memo.Director Anthony Minghella is cut from the same cloth as Sam Mendes: both are non-American directors who try time and again to make the great American movie and fail."Cold Mountain" is about a man (Jude Law) who goes on a bizarre odyssey from the battlefields of the Civil War back into the arms of his true love (Nicole Kidman).
And "Cold Mountain" was no different.Consider; Law goes off to fight in the war while Kidman stays home.
Given I only understand this is based on Charles Frazier's novel about the final days of the Civil War and that is it.It's the final days of the Civil War. Inman (Jude Law), being wounded from the war, slowly made his way home to Cold Mountain to be together with his sweetheart Ada (Nicole Kidman) once more. |
tt0048750 | The Trouble with Harry | The film follows the quirky but down-to-earth residents of a small village in Vermont in the autumn, as they deal with the freshly dead body of a man, which has inconveniently appeared on the hillside above the town. The problem of what to do with the body, and more importantly how and why he was killed, is the eponymous "Trouble with Harry".Three of the main characters in the film imagine that they are the one who actually killed this person. Captain Albert Wiles (Edmund Gwenn) is sure that he must have killed the man with a stray shot from his rifle when rabbit hunting. Miss Ivy Gravely (Mildred Natwick) feels that the man died after a blow from her hiking boot, and so on. Sam Marlowe (John Forsythe), an attractive and free-spirited artist, is quite open-minded about the whole event, and is prepared to help his good-natured friends and neighbors in any way he can.It turns out that the dead man is in fact Harry, the estranged husband of an attractive and feisty young woman called Jennifer Rogers, (Shirley MacLaine), who lives in the village along with her small son Arnie (Jerry Mathers). Jennifer Rogers thinks that her husband may possibly have died after she hit him with a bottle. In any case, no-one is actually upset about what has happened.However, none of the principal characters want this death to come to the attention of the "authorities" in the form of cold, humorless, Deputy Sheriff Calvin Wiggs (Royal Dano). The main characters conceal the body by burying it, and then have to dig it up again. This happens several times. The body is also concealed at one point by hiding it in a bathtub.In the end we discover that Harry actually died of natural causes, and no foul play was involved. In the meantime, Sam and Jennifer have fallen in love, as have the Captain and Miss Gravely. Sam has been able to sell his paintings to a passing millionaire. The artist refuses to accept money, and instead requests a few simple gifts for his friends and himself.Overall, the film is a light-hearted meditation on death as an intrinsic part of the natural cycle of things, within the harmonious landscape of autumn, a time of year when nature is dying, only to be reborn in spring. The Vermont town seems to be a little Utopia or one kind of paradise, where sex and death are not shocking and dramatic, but simply the natural order of things. | comedy, murder | train | imdb | null |
tt0083624 | Basket Case | Dr Julius Liflander (Bill Freeman) tries to leave his home/laboratory, but he gets scared by the movement of the surrounding trees. Back home, he locks himself up and tries to call the police. A huge hand attacks him and kills him viciously.Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) arrives to New York from the northern small town of Glen Falls, to the ugly Hotel Broslin. Anthony (Robert Vogel), the hotel manager, mocks him and asks for twenty bucks a night. Duane is loaded, pays in cash and is given room 7. On her way up, Josephine (Dorothy Storngin) chit-chats about the old guest in his room. Once inside his room, Duane unlocks his basket and feeds it a huge quantity of hamburgers. Duane reads a thick volume of medical papers, where he appears as a patient. At night, Belial, the body in the basket, tries to talk to him, but Duane only wants to sleep. We know that Belial can leave the basket on his own. Josephine warns Duane that Bryan "Mickey" O'Donovan (Joe Clarke) was peeping through the keyhole because he saw the wad of bills which Duane had.Duane takes the basket to see Dr Harold Needleman MD (Lloyd Pace). Sharon (Terri Susan Smith) is the receptionist. She tries to make small conversation with Duane, who sees Dr Needleman under the name of Duane Smith. Duane rejects Sharon at first, but then he asks for her number and sets on a date. Needleman looks at the huge scars on the right side of Duane's body. When Needleman gets rid of Duane, he tries to contact Lifflander and when he can't, he phones Dr Judith Kutter (Diane Browne), who falsely denies of knowledge of Glen Falls. Meanwhile, Duane goes to the cinema to see a boring film, and he dozes off. A thief (Tom Robinson) steals the basket, and is attacked by Belial when he opens the basket. After Sharon has left, Duane leaves and opens the box. Belial is free to terrorize and kill Needleman, and also takes Needleman's address book.Duane buys a television set for Belial, so that he can go out with Sharon. They kiss, but as Belial has a telepathic link with Duane, he gets frantic and messes up room 7. All the guests and the receptionist run to see what happens and they enter the room. O'Donovan realises where the cash money is. Apart from the mess, nothing strange appears on the room. They all leave, but O'Donoval comes back to take the money. He is attacked and killed by Belial on room 8. Duane feels sick because of Belial's terror, so he comes back running to the Broslin Hotel. The police is already there. A detective (Kerry Buff) registers room 7, asking Duane about a dog, but finds nothing. Belial had hidden on the toilet.Duane takes the basket to a bar, where he gets drunk. Josephine keeps him company. Duane says all the truth to her, but she doesn't believe him. Duane talks about their mother, who died giving birth to them. Belial and him were brought up by their aunt (Ruth Neuman), as their father (Richard Pierce) would like to kill them both, especially Belial. A social worker (Ilze Balodis) visits them, as Aunt has asked for custody. She is terrified when he sees a younger Duane (Sean McCabe) with Belial at his right side of the body. Father thinks that Belial is not even a person. No doctor dares to try to separate both twin brothers, as it would mean the death of Belial, but finally, three doctors perform the surgery. At night, Duane is woken up. He picks Belial up from a rubbish bag put out with the rest of the rubbish. That night, when Belial recovers, kills Father by cutting him in half. Aunt will keep on taking care of the brothers. After this story, back at the Broslin Hotel, Josephine puts Duane to bed and leaves. Back on her room, Josephine realises that Belial is there, caressing her. She screams and wakes all the guests up. Belial is gone fast. He has stolen Josephine's sexy underwear, and takes it with him to his basket.Dr Kutter is a vet. A dog barks to the basket. With plenty of noise and blood, Belial kills her.Sharon visits Duane after she comes to know that Dr Needleman is dead. They try to make love but Belial doesn't want Duane to have or sex, or be in love, or be independent. Duane gets angry with Belial for the first time. Belial hesitates in killing Duane.Duane dreams of himself runnin naked through the city. Sharon is sleeping naked. Duane touches her on her dream and then he starts making love to her. Suddenly, he wakes up. He realises that it was not a dream: Belial is making love to her. By that, Belial is killing her with lots of blood spilled all over the place. Duane is so anry with him that he tries to kill him. Duane takes Belial back to the hotel. He and Belial die because they fall through the window because of the fight. Basket Case (1982) happens to be one of the greatest shoe string budget horror films ever made. A true cult classic and a tragic tale of brotherly love and jealousy. The sleazy surroundings and characters that the movie was shot in and around adds to it's charm. Duane and Belial are a pair of brothers you don't want to cross paths with. This film was such a success that it spawned two sequels and a funny cameo in another. Highly recommended.
Belial? | grindhouse film, murder, cult, violence, horror, flashback, psychedelic | train | imdb | Basket Case is no exception to this, as despite hokey effects, a rather silly story and some very suspect acting; Basket Case is a trash classic all the way, and it's a film that's guaranteed to delight fans of horror.
This leads the two brothers to seek out the doctors that separated them and brutally butcher them, and delivering us with a great camp horror movie!
Basket Case (1982) happens to be one of the greatest shoe string budget horror films ever made.
I went into Basket Case thinking "Oh God, this is going to be excruciating." The first five minutes totally shattered my expectations.This movie wasn't boring and horrible- it was hilarious, gory and great.
All the Roach Hotel's patrons were hilarious, especially the crazy woman who just shows up and tells random stories and then disappears quickly.Basket Case is great for Bad Movie Connoisseurs and gore lovers.
It's rare to see a horror film that is actually "good", featuring an original premise and decent acting/plot.
A flashback to Duane's and Belial's separation and events in the film actually made me feel sorry for both (Duane because Belial won't let him have any time or romance for himself, and Belial because everyone is deathly afraid of him but his brother).For a low budget '80s flick, Belial actually looks really good for the most part; though the first few deaths in the movie where he remains invisible are still more effective.
One interesting side effect of the DVD revolution is that I've been watching lots of movies I haven't seen for YEARS, and some aren't as great as I remember them to be, and others are better.
'Basket Case' was one of THE great late 70s/early 80s low (and I mean looooow!) budget horror movies, linked in my mind with such genre classics as 'Phantasm' and 'Evil Dead'.
Look, it isn't perfect, the animation sequences in particular are pretty poor, but considering the lack of funds, it's creepy, bizarre and doesn't take itself very seriously, and Kevin VanHentenryck (Duane) actually gives a very good performance.
He checks into a cheap hotel and inside the basket is his deformed and horrid Siamese twin brother, Belial separated forcefully by some doctors under their father's order when they were young.
He even split his own father in two.Basket Case is regarded as a low budget camp classic horror.
In fact once you realise there is a death coming, you gather that the screaming is just padding to extend the length of the movie.I liked the comical hotel manager trying to keep order in his dive but having endured this film you kind of wonder why it is held in such a high regard.
Basket Case was a funny, scary, and shocking low-budget horror film from Frank Henenlotter.
Written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, Basket Case is obviously low-budget and amateurish with cheesy moments to spare especially whenever Belial attacks someone.
After arriving in New York, a young man carrying around a large wicker basket begins a rampage of terror against the team of doctors who separated him from his Siamese twin brother, and upon realizing the contents of the large basket try to stop him from concluding his rampage.This ended up being a generally lame effort overall.
.....right up there with Evil Dead and The Re-Animator, however...With "Basket Case" what you have here is a low-budget horror film that has an utterly fantastic plot, but unfortunately was made with only a passably mediocre level of execution.
but regardless of that Basket Case certainly has it's moments of brilliance, be sure of that, a few of which are simply enthralling - in a corny, low-budget kind of way of course.The movies plot is one that circles around revenge, but it's really more than that as you'll see throughout it's twisted 90 minute duration, starting off with murder things are quite off-the-wall from the get go.
Being as specific about it as I can without giving away spoilers, I think most will agree that the movie is at it's best during the revenge killing sequences, where you get to see the basket case itself in it's full and gruesome glory.
Wait for that toilet seat to rise, now THAT'S quality schlock AND comedy gold!All in all Basket Case is a lot of fun (some scenes especially), just don't expect it to ever rise above anything other then what it is: a cheap and corny horror film from the early 80's.Lastly, if Basket Case doesn't tantalize you, then perhaps it's two sequels from the early 90's will..
Well, I just never had the chance to watch it, and just happened to come across all three movies this year.I had heard about "Basket Case" for sure, and was under the impression that it was sort of an important movie in a way to the horror genre back in 1982.
But Kevin Van Hentenryck did manage to leave an impression of sorts, with the odd portrayal of the Duane Bradley character.As for the special effects in the movie, well let's just say that I am sure it was fairly scary and impressive back in 1982.
The creature, Belial, while its concept design was quite interesting, it looked awfully fake and laughable on the screen.For a horror movie, then "Basket Case" wasn't really all that scary, perhaps because most of the movie was laced with a faint comedy aspect as well.
Though riddled with lotsa z-grade flaws and cheesy cheapness, Basket Case (surprisingly) still does manage to deliver a grotesque, little frenzy of grimy horror movie fun from the early 1980s.I don't think that I need to tell you that Basket Case is mighty far from being considered a great movie.
But, all the same, it is genuinely creepy and absurd and (at times) equally funny in a very twisted, tongue-in-cheek sort of way.(In other words - This Horror/Comedy is so bad that it's actually good)Basket Case tells a decidedly grim and grubby little tale about the small-town misfit nerd named Duane Bradley who travels to NYC in order to track down and kill the doctors who (under his father's raging demands) were responsible for surgically separating him from his beloved, Siamese-twin brother, Belial, some years earlier.Duane carries around his bad-natured, grotesquely malformed brother (who looks something like a squashed octopus) in a large, wicker picnic basket and feeds this ravenous, little runt bag-loads of hamburgers and hotdogs.After taking a crummy, little room at the Hotel Broslin (a real dive that is the ultimate epitome of Times Square sleaziness), the loyal Bradley Brothers embark on their revenge mission, spilling more blood and killing enough people to satisfy any gore film fanatic (even by today's standards).To prove that its story isn't completely heartless, right to the core, Basket Case does actually take some time out from all of the carnage to delight the viewer with a "romantic" interlude - As well, it gives us a brief glimpse of both male and female nudity.But, be warned, this trashy, over-the-top travesty of low-budget film-making also features some of the worst acting imaginable on the entire face of this planet, bar none..
I recommend it to all horror fans however, ONLY horror fans.It has its moments.The story goes a guy who was separated from his brother at birth seeks revenge on the doctors, while carrying his brother in a basket, but then he falls in love...
The good brother falls in love with a budget blonde, but the bad one doesn't like that, and so on, and so on, this way 90 minutes are still pretty long.
I can't hide that Frank Henelotter is one of my favorite directors, but this one is his very best!That's kind of a story of "racims" and, his way, brotherly love!Kevin Van Hentenryck offers a great performance as the "normal" brother, while Henenlotter proves himself a great director!You may love it or hate it, but it's much above the average horror movie!Low budget might have forced the choice to animate the "monster" in stop motion, as in the 2 sequels stop motion leave space to animatronic.
'Basket Case' was my first taste of a Henenlotter flick and what wild trip and a good starting point into his ambitiously, wacky film career.
Overall this film is worth seeing AT LEAST once, I bought it for $14, it came with Return of Swamp Thing (Piece O' Sh!t Film!) The acting in Basket Case is classic, listen to the dialog between the nurse (from the first doctors office) and the leading male, very amateur, but very funny.
BASKET CASE is a great, suspenseful horror film that happens to be bloody and violent, like the best operas.
A young man carrying a big basket, containing his deformed Siamese brother is seeking revenge on the doctors who separated them.Frank Henenlotter's "Basket case" is the most pitiful attempt at making a marketable film I've ever seen.
BASKET CASE tells the tale of Duane and his gruesomely deformed siamese brother belial.
I wasn't disapointed by one of the most warmly regarded cult films of all time.Director Frank Henenlotter (Frankenhooker, Brain Damage) makes good use of an INCREDIBLY low budget (apart from some really bad clay-mation scenes) and a brilliant storyline.The gore is nasty and plentyful and the whole atmosphere of the film is extremely dirty, especially the scenes in the motel, but that shouldn't discourage any serious horror/cult buff from seeking it out.All in all, I highly recommend 'Basket Case' and put it up there with films like 'The Evil Dead' and 'Return of the Living Dead' as the best of the 80s..
it isn't for hardcore gorehounds but is a treat for anyone who gets a kick out of b-movie classics like "the horror of party beach".this film is genuinely entertaining despite it's low budget and doesn't seem to take itself too seriously.
forget the plot holes and bad acting, this film is STILL worth watching.things to look for:the cheesy stop animation of the "monster" moving aroundthe silly sounding howls of rage it makesfeeding time LOLthe "scary eyes" scene LOL"bloody folder?
At many points in this film which you won't know whether to laugh, scream or upchuck as Duane Bradley travels to NYC to find the doctors who separated him against his will from his conjoined twin brother, Belial..
Good scene.A hick from the sticks named Duane checks into a seedy Times Square motel with his deformed twin brother named Belial, who he keeps hidden in a basket.
Evil characters, bad acting, laughable special effects and the most wicked ending on a movie i've seen since watching Eraserhead by David Lynch!
The film is significantly and rightfully dedicated to the godfather of gore', Herschell Gordon Lewis.Basket Case first emerged on the video scene simultaneously with another great low budget horror, Sam Raimi's phenomenal The Evil Dead (1982).
Sequels followed but looked, it seems impossible, more slapdash than their far superior predecessor.The Special Edition DVD has a great commentary by Henenlotter, who surprisingly doesn't sound as eccentric as you might expect, and the best quality version of this film you're likely to see.
the basket case was most enjoyable topped off with great special effects(!) I recommend this film to anybody who needs to watch a film.
Some of the effects are downright cheesy and the acting rather amateurish, but there's no denying the great concept and overall creepiness of Frank Henenlotter's seedy, no-budget horror classic.
Go check out Basket Case and enjoy one of the best horror films you will have ever seen..
I highly recommend "Basket Case" to horror fans, and to movie fans.
The story is A young man carrying a big basket, containing his deformed Siamese brother is seeking revenge on the doctors who separated them.
It's bad, not so bad it's good, not even so bad it's horrible, it's Star Wars Holiday Special bad.The story, if you haven't read the summary, is that Duane Bradley and his Siamese twin were separated by evil doctors against their will, and have now come to New York to take revenge.
If you can sit through trashy crap horror movies and love the idea of a deformed brother in a basket, then be my guest.
Basket Case starts out seeming like it might be kind of good (in a low-budget Evil Dead sort of way), but horrible acting across the board and a significant lack of formal style make this film a chore to sit through.
I am a huge fan of cult films - I even enjoy such obscure cult flicks like Head of the Family and Don't Look in the Basement, so I was anticipating an enjoyable ride with Basket Case, but it didn't deliver.
This bloody bizarre horror-comedy was made with zero budget and a lot of imagination."Basket Case" is definitely not for the squeamish or those who insist on professional production values,however it quickly became a cult classic due to its odd plot,outrageous gore and unusual take on sibling rivalry.The monster siamese twin Belial is oddly lovable(until an appalling,quite nasty rape scene)and young Kevin Van Hentenryck makes an appealing lead.The gore effects are crude,however the film features one of the most memorable 80's creatures-the toothy blob named Belial.Overall,"Basket Case" is still a delightfully unwholesome yarn,aptly dedicated in the end credits to gore-godfather Herschell Gordon Lewis.Followed in 1990 and 1992 by a pair of inferior sequels..
Shot in early 80s downtown New York, when the 'Big Apple' was blessed with a seedy atmosphere perfect for exploitation movie-making, Basket Case is a masterpiece of low-budget horror.
Written (and directed by) Frank Henenlotter, the film's delightfully demented plot combines twisted humour and gory horror to tell a tragic tale of love and revenge that is highly original and thoroughly deserving of its cult status.Kevin Van Hentenryck plays Duane Bradley, a naive young man (with huge hair) who checks into a sleazy Times Square hotel carrying nothing but a large wicker basket.
Their plans for revenge go awry, however, when Duane falls for pretty receptionist Sarah (Terri Susan Smith), driving his brother into a terrible jealous rage.Although Basket Case was shot on a very meagre budget with a cast of complete unknowns, the film is proof (if it was ever really needed) that enthusiasm and genuine creativity are far more important than A-list names and flashy, expensive effects: the cast aren't great actors by any stretch of the imagination, but they give memorably audacious performances perfectly in keeping with the film's dark, comic approach, whilst Belial, not exactly the most convincing of movie monsters (a mis-shapen lump of latex, with a gaping maw full of manky teeth and eyes that occasionally glow red) is imbued with a personality that makes him very real, thanks to careful character development from Hennenlotter.Sleazy, unpredictable, with a great downbeat ending, Basket Case is top notch entertainment for those who love their horror cheap, grimy, and totally deranged.
Pretty good shoestring budget horror film from the early 80s shows you don't need millions to make an enjoyable horror yarn.Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) has moved to New York City with a basket in tow.
When I saw this for the first time, I was like, "Wow, Dad, no joke, this movie is just filled with horrifying, bizarre, blood gushing, sleazy screaming fun until the end." It's one hell of an entertaining film.
Basket Case is an ultra low budget 80s horror film.
In the seediest part of New York City, a strange young man named Duane Bradley check into a hotel in times square with everything especially a basket that contains his small deformed brother.
"Basket Case" is a great, low-budget shlock horror/comedy from the early 80's.
Duane is actually half of a Siamese twin and he and his deformed brother (who he keeps in the basket) are seeking vengeance against the doctors who separated them.Frank Henenlotter's BASKET CASE was made for very little money and it quickly became a success and gathered a rather large cult following.
I cannot praise the director enough for creating something like Basket Case on such a low budget - it is pure commitment.I give this movie 10/10.
I think that Basket Case is a great and hilarious film.
Add to this the budget of $35,000, the small crew who worked on the film (the credits at the end of the movie contained a bunch of made up names so as to not have to repeat the same people over and over again) you must admit that given all of these factors they turned out the best product they actually could at the time.The cheesiness of it all actually makes the movie charming, with a story that at its roots has a real telling of the love of two brothers, wronged by their father and the doctors who didn't have any care to what Duane and Belial wanted, and so the duo set out on a mission to avenge themselves against those who hurt them the most.Bad acting, bad cinematography and bad music, all combine to make this movie a one of a kind.
The movie Basket Case is very small (budget), very twisted, and very good..
If you are looking for a low budget, fun, pointless, creepy horror movie, you are probably thinking of Basket Case and just don't know it.Basket Case is one of the cheapest made movies I have ever seen, but it is very good nonetheless.Duane Bradley checks into a sleazy Times Square motel called the Broslin Motel, carrying a huge clothes-bin style basket.
Though, despite one major flaw in this movie, I still enjoyed watching this great piece of horror film.To start off, the excessive amount of gore is here.
(To see what the club looks like now, you can see it on the DVD features.)I think this movie must set the record for most times the phrase "what's in the basket?" is used in a single film. |
tt0416449 | 300 | Spartan customs are harsh. The Spartans inspect each infant born to ensure it is whole - if it is deformed, the baby is abandoned to die. They raise their boys in the school of hard knocks, the agoge - in combat training, a small boy's loss of his weapon earns a bloody lip from the hand of his own father. At age 7, each young boy is torn from his mother and makes his own way in the wilderness, to return a man. Even the King endures this rite of passage. At age 15, young King-to-be Leonidas (Tyler Neitzel) lures a wolf into a narrow passage so that he can kill it. He returns home to be crowned King.Years later, messengers visit King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) requesting Sparta's submission to King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). Insulted by their attitude, King Leonidas kicks the messengers into a well. Acknowledging the threat of Xerxes's invasion force, he visits the Ephors (priests) to obtain their favour before sending the Spartan army in battle. He proposes to repel the numerically superior enemy by using the terrain of the Hot Gates of Thermopylae, funneling the Persians into a narrow pass between the rocks and the sea, where their immense numbers will "count for nothing." The Ephors, wary of the plan, consult the Oracle (Kelly Craig). In her drugged trance she decrees that Sparta must not go to war, lest they interrupt the sacred Carneian festival. Leonidas departs in anger, and the priests receive their bribe of Xerxes' gold from the Spartan traitor, Theron (Dominic West), for their negative response.Leonidas is reluctant to defy the corrupt clergy outright, but his wife (Lena Headey) encourages him to think outside the box. Leonidas elects to take 300 of his best soldiers as his "bodyguard" on a leisurely walk to the strategic Hot Gates location. His wife says goodbye, telling him to come back "with his shield or on it", and gives him a necklace.On the road they meet some allies, who are shocked that the Spartans are sending such a small force. Leonidas asks the professions of the allied army, who are craftsmen and artisans. He points out that he has brought more soldiers than they. Joined by Arcadians and other Greeks, they arrive at Thermopylae. In sight of the approaching Persian army, they construct a wall to contain the Persians' advance. Strong storms destroy some of Xerxes fleet, but it is only a small percentage of the massive army they will face.A horribly disfigured man, Ephialtes (Andrew Tiernan), comes to see Leonidas to warn him of a disused goat path at the rear of his position. Ephialtes claims that his parents fled Sparta at his birth to save his life. He hopes to redeem them by fighting for Leonidas. Leonidas explains that each Spartan warrior is a key part of the phalanx, and asks Ephialtes to show that he can lift his shield high enough to properly defend his fellow warriors. When it becomes evident that he cannot, Leonidas gently tells him to care for the fallen instead. Ephialtes' fondest hopes are crushed.A Persian emissary arrives, and finds that the corpses of the previous scouting party now make up part of the large rock wall. The Persian states that their arrows will blot out the sun, and the Spartans agree they will simply fight in the shade. The emissary's party is killed.Prior to the battle the Persians demand that the Spartans drop their arms and surrender. Leonidas refuses and challenges the Persians to come and take their weapons from them. With their tightly-knit phalanx formation, the Spartans funnel the Persians into the narrow terrain, repeatedly rebuffing them and inflicting heavy casualties.Xerxes, impressed with Spartan fighting skill, personally approaches Leonidas to persuade him to surrender. He promises Leonidas wealth and power in exchange for his loyalty. Leonidas declines, promising instead to make the "God King" bleed, and turns to rejoin his army.Dismayed at the refusal, Xerxes sends his masked personal guard, "The Immortals", which name the Spartans also prove false. The battles continue, with the Spartans prevailing over soldiers and animals drawn from the vast reaches of the Persian empire: from Mongolian barbarians and Eastern chemists to African rhinoceroses and Indian war elephants. However, some of the brave Spartan warriors are killed, and it becomes clear that more will follow.Ephialtes goes to Xerxes, and agrees to show the goat path to the Persians in exchange for a uniform, along with promises of women and wealth. Xerxes will grant Ephialtes his wish if he will kneel before the god king.Back in Sparta, Queen Gorgo has been trying to convince the council to send help to Leonidas. A friendly councilman arranges for her to speak, but explains that she will need Theron on her side. Theron agrees to help her if she will sleep with him - so she does.At the Hot Gates, the Spartans learn they have been betrayed, and know their fight is doomed. The Arcadians retreat in the face of certain death. The Spartans refuse to follow. Leonidas orders a reluctant Dilios to return to Sparta and tell of their inevitable deaths.In Sparta, Queen Gorgo makes her appeal to the council. Instead of supporting her as promised, Theron betrays her, accusing her of adultery. Enraged, Gorgo snatches a sword and stabs Theron, rupturing a bag of gold hidden in his robe. As the coins stamped with Persian markings spill onto the ground, the Council realizes Theron's treachery and agree to unite against Persia.At the Hot Gates, as the Persians surround the Spartans, who have created a dome out of their shields. Leonidas stands along in front of the dome. Xerxes's general demands their surrender, declaring that Leonidas may keep his title as King of Sparta and become Warlord of all Greece, answerable only to Xerxes. Ephialtes urges this as well, to which Leonidas remarks, "May you live forever," an insult from a culture valuing death and valor in battle. Leonidas drops his shield and removes his helmet, seemingly bowing in submission. Stelios then bursts out of the dome and leaps over his king and kills the general. A furious Xerxes orders his troops to attack. As Persian archers shoot the remaining Spartans, Leonidas rises and hurls his spear at Xerxes, ripping open his cheek, thus making "the God-King bleed." Xerxes, visibly shaken by this reminder of his own mortality, watches as the remaining Spartans perish beneath the combined might of his army. Leonidas himself marks his final moments by telling his wife aloud that he loves her. A rain of arrows falls upon him and the screen goes black. Back in Sparta, Dilios gives the necklace to Queen Gorgo and tells her of her husband's fate.Concluding his tale before an audience of attentive Spartans, Dilios declares that the 120,000-strong Persian army that narrowly defeated 300 Spartans now faces 10,000 Spartans commanding 30,000 Greeks. Praising Leonidas's sacrifice, Dilios leads the assembled Greek army into a fierce charge against the Persian army, igniting the Battle of Plataea. | cult, violence, atmospheric, historical fiction, action, humor, comic, historical, entertaining | train | imdb | What is more important, to portray a fictional setting for the sake of giving people a mind blowing visual experience or to amuse and amaze them with clever plot twists and intelligent dialogs?First lets analyze what exactly this film is made of.
There isn't a great amount of character development because this movie is about a battle, ONE battle, THE battle for the continuance of the Western world, and yes, IF the Spartans had been simply overwhelmed from the start, and if their Athenian allies hadn't completely CRUSHED the much larger Persian navy at sea, the West simply could not have existed in any similar manner as it has.
And yes, the Western world is guilty of arrogance, overextending it's boundaries to the point of imperialism, however, it has given our world a plethora of all-too-important philosophical ideals that are simply irreplaceable if we want to live in a free society.I realize I spent a great deal of my time being critical of other reviews, so I would like to take the time to apologize for perhaps wasting the time of someone who was simply searching for a detailed point of view on the film.
With the council unwilling to release soldiers until after the religious festival, Leonidas sets out with his 300 strong personal army to meet Xerxes' men at a narrow pass knowing they must hold off the approach for as long as they can until the army arrives even if it means their deaths.Although I am surprised to see this film so highly rated on IMDb, I can understand why it is so because it does deliver a powerful experience, almost powerful enough to carry it through its lack of real depth or substance.
Zack Snyder, inspired by the graphic novel, has brought a 2487 year-old news story to life with people you really care about who are faced with choices between compromise and war that are all too familiar today.The breath-taking CGI images are flawlessly integrated with the live action.
The score was recorded by the London Phil with a full chorus and is beautiful to listen to, but is very reminiscent of 'Gladiator' which detracts from the otherwise total originality of the film.This movie integrates the potentials of film-making and story-telling in a wonderful new way that is the best of both entertainment and artistic achievement..
The key of Zack Zinder's epic style of film was to take the action event and turn it into a mythology
He wanted to get to the essence of the Spartans, and to show us the story of a handful of soldiers willing to risk all for a larger western concept of freedom and liberty
"300" is an interpretation of a complex historical event, the collision of cultures that continues to this day
Spartan warriors and Persian soldiers were probably the most extreme cultures of that moment
They were interesting elements of truth in Zinder's movie: The Spartans were not like the Athenians
They lived under more barbaric rules
Every Spartan was a soldier
They fight as a specialized unit ("That's the source of our strength!").
They were raging soldiers ("Give them nothing but take from them everything!")
But at the same time they had an absolute code of honor on the essence of being a Spartan
And it's cruel, very cruel
When a boy was born, he was inspected
If he's been sick or deformed, the child is murdered
From the time he could stand, he was taught not to retreat, never to surrender
He was taught that death on the battlefield in service to Sparta was the greatest glory he could achieve in his life
At the age of seven, all the boys were taken away from their mothers and plunged into a world of violence, turning them into growing men, ultimate warriors the world has ever known
King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) was a legendary hero, somebody special
His name was the descendant of lions
He was very powerful, very thoughtful and perhaps in the film far more human than he is even in the graphic novel...
Leonidas was a practical man whose life is matched by a straight road to one gleaming moment in destiny and that day, he couldn't meekly swallow the insult of Sparta's submission to the world of Xerxes
"This is Sparta!," as he shouted to Xerxes' emissary, affirming that there is no softness, no place for weakness, and only the hard and strong may call themselves Spartans
What I loved about Leonidas was his needs, in his moment of indecision, of a back-up, maybe a second opinion, some assurance of his wife Queen Gorgo
So we see him, both times, looking to his wife
Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) was a great character not only in the film but in history
She was sexy and beautiful and above all tough and aggressive
There was intensity, elegance and ability in her
Also a kind of femininity in her nobility...
There's only one moment when she loses it at the end and it was not a breakdown
We know lot of Queen Gorgo thanks to Herodotus, the father of the history, who chooses to write about her which clearly demonstrate she was significant
Spartan women were special anyway, they were incredibly beautiful and Sparta was the land of beautiful women
They were beautiful because they were physically fit, because they were allowed to exercise
They were not repressed and were considered incredibly potent
Gorgo could speak among men because as she affirmed it before the Persian emissary: "Only Spartan women give birth to real men!" Gorgo's one love scene with Leonidas and the dialogue beforehand, was powerful: "It is not a question of what a Spartan citizen SHOULD do nor a husband, nor a king.
Hearing that 300 is based upon a " graphic novel " which is a pseudo intellectual phrase used to describe a comic book I didn't go out of my way to watch this because the present Hollywood movie making factory spends too much time and money bringing these type of stories to the screen .
Sometimes prejudice can get in the way of judging a film of its own merits because 300 is one of the more memorable movie moments from last year and one that seems unforgivably ignored at the more prestigious film award ceremonies Being based upon a comic book you could say in all honesty that the visuals mirror those of a graphic novel , but I would claim it goes far , far beyond that and say it's like watching a painting come to life .
Let's forget for a moment that the battle of Thermopylen has been used for centuries as a sign of European superiority over Asian "Barbarism".Let's keep aside the fact that the story is presented as the story of a single man (king) with a mission to defy the Asian hordes ignores his own laws (enforced by bribed bureaucrats in form of priests) and goes to war for what he considers a greater good.Let's concentrate on the way this pseudo-historical story is presented.We have the noble Spartan warriors with their perfect abs, their beautiful women, we have the more human looking Arkadians, the allies of Sparta, then we have the corrupt priests, all grossly disfigured and the Persian army with their freaks and monsters.This all resembles more fantasy movie than a historical one about ancient Greece.
In a word, it's ridiculous.You hardly see a "free man" (Spartan that is) die, they are cracking jokes while slaughtering their enemies.This fiesta of violence is underlined by a macho sounding narrator repeating words like "freedom", "bravery" etc.I'm certainly not opposed to violent movies, but this senseless display of violence probably for the purpose to dehumanize Asians appalls me.If the message of this movie weren't so dangerous, I would call it a "Baywath of violence" with all its slow-motion scenes of cut off arms, legs and heads.I have rarely seen such a huge piece of bullshit in a movie!.
I downloaded this film to my DVR recently knowing nothing about it except that it was claimed to be an adventure movie centering on the Greek's defeat at the hands of the Persians at the battle of Thermopylae.
There is really nothing impressive about the ultra super imposed grainy look given to battle sequences, the MTV fast-slow quick camera movement that has become cliché in the last few years of bad movies, and the horrible use of music throughout the film.
What I'm getting at is that this film is a poor man's 'Gladiator' with sped up camera changes, blaring guitar music that is supposed to 'elevate' the tension of the fight scenes (it doesn't) and actors supposed to look mighty and tough, but only look like homo-erotic male strippers.
The best way 300 can be described in a single sentence is 'The Lord of The Rings' filmed in the style of 'The Matrix.' It is a fantasy of epic proportions.Reading some of the comments other users have left, many cite the film as being "pretentious", "offensive" and "badly directed", though I believe these people are wildly mislead.The direction of the film is fantastic, capturing every essence of the brutally artistic vision of Frank Miller's comic.
Gerard Butler, the protagonist, has a particularly strong performance, belting out some quite fantastic one-liners, "We're in for one wild night." Some criticise the film for its portrayal of the Persians and the beasts used thereof, such as a Rhino and an Elephant, neither of which look anything like the real thing.
Wow. If ever their was a cinematic phenomena for how pathetic the human race has become (or perhaps always was) then the success of 300 is proof of just that.If you liked seeing Sylvester Stallone in Rambo, half-naked, covered in sweat and mud, and blowing away communists like a five year-old lost in his own fantasy world shooting invisible bad guys then imagine that, dumbed down and visually amped up a hundred times and you've got 300.The noble(sarcasm), admirable(sarcasm) and sympathetic(sarcasm) Greek nation of Sparta who enjoy murdering their physically imperfect babies so readily it would make Adolf Hitler green with envy, and yet who still worship and are under the rule of a group of old deformed leprous wise-men who live on top of a mountain molesting underage girls they have put into a stupor with some sort of primitive date-rape drug (it seems like its okay to be born a physically imperfect Spartan as long as you're a pervert), are put in the dubiously honorable disposition by their hot-headed king when (after getting permission from his queen to act all psycho like the little mama's boy man-b***h that he actually is) he kicks some Persian messenger into a bottomless well and thus declares war on Persia before anyone else - the nation that is relegated to a military footnote by this decision between King psycho man-b***h and the cowardly wife-Queen hiding behind him - or the corrupt senate that has somehow turned against its own nation (gee I wonder why) despite its collectively physically perfect attributes - can bat a lash, say a word against it or hose their warhorse-of-a-king down to stop him from slitting all their wrists.This movie has to be a joke.
And supposedly using a battle strategy attributed to the mindless panicking of cattle was not obvious enough for the Persians, an insurmountable army that was already sweeping through the land conquering everything it came across.If you want to know how dangerously gullible, stupid and pathetic people have become in the Microsoft age then the success of this moronic feat of CGI overkill made by one of the most glorified film-making hacks out there, Zack Snyder, possibly Uwe Boll's illegitimate brother, is overwhelming proof that if you make something shiny, polished and pretty enough it doesn't have to work at all in any other way to get sold on the open market to the idiot masses..
300 comes way of Frank Miller, the ultra-famed comic book artist and author (behind the neo-noir Sin City), and Zack Snyder, who brought us the remake of Dawn of the Dead (not a shame nor not a necessity from the original), and it's what movie audiences probably salivate for when it comes to action epics from a time period dozens of centuries ago.
Not that there aren't a good many memorable, bloody and exciting images that could only come from the f***ed up mind of Miller, but there is still the all-too basic qualities to the substance too.I know I shouldn't make too much of an issue with something like substance in a film that supposes right away what its audience is: men, more than women (although I wouldn't count them out as fans entirely) into seeing men be MEN, warriors out for the kind of glory that comes with legends.
There is even a scene in a rippling corn field borrowed from "Gladiator".At the end of the day, what makes the movie are the thrilling fight sequences with encounters in which the film is slowed down and then speeded up to give a video-game quality that is unlike anything you have previously seen on the big screen.
The Spartan level of defiance, commitment to the value of their lives over and above their lives themselves, Greek views of Xerxes and the Persians (source of much folklore) and the tremendous debt Sparta accrued from the rest of Greece.The excellent visuals - which include exaggerated deformities, African animals trussed up to appear as demonic monsters, and a variety of other bent truths - really bring home the mythic quality of the story (this is incidentally characteristic of Miller's art as well),and well suggest how many of the Greeks actually viewed the wonders of Xerxes vast host.The acting is good for what it is - a simple, very violent and graphic tale.
;)Although there was not much room for acting in this full of fighting movie, the convincing performance of Spartan king was probably the only thing that I liked about this film.I can see so much potential for this story to be successful but the director failed to put all the necessary ingredients together.I can understand that a lot of guys will be sucking for '300' because this is quite a macho story.
The inaccurate and derogatory depiction of ancient Persians that according to all historical data conducted warfare with mastery and dignity, and looked nothing like science-fictional monsters, is a depiction of how movie studios and authors sacrifice historical accuracy for would-be profits.The author Frank Miller and Warner Brothers Studios should understand that distorting historical data is unethical, and so is feeding ignorance to viewers and readers.
But I was wrong, because this movie has everything, an excellent story based on the comic 300,fantastic images that travels you in an other world in ancient times, very good cast and a very good music full of emotions.First of all I want to say that when you see the movie it is just like you read the comic, that means the director and the design art group tried to transfer every little detail of the comic to the big screen, and they did it successfully!
And at this point i totally disagree because if the most powerful nation of this planet wants to start a war it will do it without hesitating and without asking .Come on let's forget all about the conspiracy hidden behind the movie and just concern about the movie it's self.After all it is a combination of history and a myth but the result is marvelous.For example why should i criticize god of war (or god of war II) which is an excellent game and is inspired from the Greek mythology but it isn't based in true historical facts?
The story was non-existent, the characters had no dimension and I couldn't care less if the wanna-be heroic Spartans would be slaughtered by the bad bad weird looking bad guys that should have portrayed the Persians.The only good thing about this movie was the huge mass of well-toned, half-naked male bodies.
This film is the adaptation of a graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, and also the story of Leonidas and three hundred Spartan soldiers who fought at the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC).
To: Warner Brothers Studios, 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91522 Your new movie called "300" opening on March 9th in theatres all over the United States and based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller portrays the battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fight against Xerxes and his Persian army.
There is nothing positive I can say about it but if you like porn action super hero cartoons, you MAY like this movie (300).The real historical story of this battle is nice but what I saw had nothing to do with that history!The animations and special effects seems so unreal so don't try to compare it to Gladiator or even Alexander but you can just consider it as a draft animation done as a practice.The battle scenes were poorly created, no details, no real sense and all you see is just blood pouring everywhere.BESIDES AND MOST IMPORTANT,it's shameful to show a nation, a great empire and civilization as beasts, monsters and strange creatures!
This scene, coupled with the corny narration, really stirs a generous chuckle from the audience.Also exaggerated are the battle sequences and the way the Spartans not only fight against Persians, but giants, men with giant blades for arms, and mutant men who look and sound more like the Urak-hai from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
This affects the film because, the audience gets so detached that you don't care for any character, or for the outcome of the scene.The film makes the terrible mistake of trying too much to impress with it's visuals, but they become so over done, that you don't feel like you are watching a movie, or getting a story, you feel like seeing a video game, and a bad one play out in front of you.It has been argued that the filmmakers wanted to make a faithful adaptation of the graphic novel. |
tt1051910 | The Murder of Princess Diana | It is three weeks away from the Oslo convention and Bill Clinton is on the verge of signing a treaty to ban the production of landmines, a dream many thought impossible, a dream brought about by the help of one woman, Princess Diana.Rachel Visco, a Red Cross worker and tireless anti-landmine campaigner, knows that Diana has achieved more for this cause in a matter of weeks than others have in years. . When she hears that Diana is heading to Paris, amidst a flurry of negative press, Rachel travels there herselfIn Paris Rachel contacts Thomas Silvestre, her ex-lover and a Lieutenant in the French Police. Charged with the protection of Dodi and Diana whilst in Paris, he has a formidable task just to keep up with the whereabouts of the secretive couple, let alone offer them any protection. Run ragged by the couples constant change of plans, Silvestre finally gives into Rachels offer of help and allows her past the swarming paparazzi at The Ritz hotel as an extra pair of eyes and ears. There Rachel notices a number of curiosities.At approximately 12:25am the Mercedes 280S, in which Princess Diana and her boyfriend were travelling, crashes in the Alma tunnel killing Dodi and the driver, Henri Paul, outright. Rachel arrives at the scene moments later to find chaos. She is rounded up with a group of paparazzi, accused of being complicit in the accident.
The next morning Rachel is called upon to give a statement to the police, but they seem uninterested in what Rachel has to say.Silvestre unearths a number of anomalies that only deepen the conspiracy. Silvestre is dismissed by Bertrand, his senior on the French police. Leaving his office for the last time, he meets a man (Anthony) who has been seen at a number of key locations over the past few days.Returning to his apartment, Rachel finds a gun man waiting for her (whom she easily disarms) and Silvestre already dead.Not knowing whom to trust, Rachel tracks down Anthony who turns out to be another pawn in a game of the highest stakes.© Delux Studios
(www.delux.lu) | intrigue, mystery, murder, historical fiction | train | imdb | null |
tt0768212 | The Last Mimzy | Presented as a story by a group of students and their teacher Lena that takes place in the distant future, The Last Mimzy is the story of the attempt by humans in the distant future to avert a catastrophic ecological disaster that has destroyed their world. High tech devices disguised as toys are sent back in time and are found by Noah and Emma Wilder, children living in early 21st century Seattle. The "toys" are incomprehensible to Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) and Noah (Chris O'Neil), except for what appears to be a stuffed rabbit. Sensing the paranormal strangeness of the devices, the children initially keep their discovery secret from their parents.
Emma becomes telepathically connected to the stuffed rabbit, named Mimzy, and learns how to operate the devices. Interaction with the devices causes the children to develop advanced knowledge, genius-level intelligence and psionic abilities. Due to her psychic connection with Mimzy, Emma's development of her abilities is much stronger than her older brother's; she is the only one to display empathy, telepathy, levitation, and telekinesis (though Noah can also communicate with her once she has telepathically contacted him). Emma is also the only one who can use the Spinners, strange spinning, telekinetically floating rocks that produce a force-field. Noah's strong psionic/physic abilities are developed through a card and a seashell. He gains increased intelligence, knowledge, telepathy, empathic communication and control over arthropods. He can also use the card to telekinetically teleport objects through a small dimensional rift after staring at it and observing his surroundings. At one point, Noah becomes somewhat envious of his sister's psionic prowess, but she reveals to him that even though she is the Chosen One, he is her Chosen Engineer and she cannot "build the bridge to the future" without him.
The children's unusual psionic and mental abilities and Emma's attachment to Mimzy alert their parents, especially their mother, and Larry White, Noah's science schoolteacher, to the devices. Later, Noah accidentally fuses the card with a blue blob, turning it into a Generator that causes a power black-out over half the state of Washington, alerting the FBI to their activities. The family is held for questioning by Special Agent Nathaniel Broadman (Michael Clarke Duncan), and it is revealed that Mimzy is actually a highly advanced form of artificial life utilizing nanotechnology created by Intel. Emma tells everyone that Mimzy has a message from humanity's distant future. She explains that pollution has corrupted humanity's DNA, and many rabbits like Mimzy have been sent to the past, since no natural life forms can survive time travel, but none have successfully returned. Mimzy is the last one remaining, but is now dying. The reason for the other Mimzys' deaths is that the Chosen Ones before Emma had no Engineers (like Noah) to help build the bridge across time. Mimzy explains to Emma that she and Noah must use the toys as a time machine to return it to the future with uncorrupted 21st century human DNA, which the people of the future can use to correct the damage to their DNA caused by ecological problems.
Despite attempts by the unbelieving FBI to prevent them, Noah and Emma use their psionic abilities to escape so they can activate a time portal. Before leaving, Mimzy absorbs a tear from Emma, thus providing the DNA required to restore humanity's corrupted DNA. Emma is almost sucked into the future with Mimzy, but Noah grabs Emma and pulls her out of the portal just as Mimzy is sent back to its own time. Following the transport, Noah's science teacher, who was present at the event, claims he saw "numbers", a reference to a previous dream he had with numbers in it, which turned out to be the winning lottery numbers, but missed out because he never bought a ticket - thus exciting his fiancée about this second opportunity. Back in the future setting, Mimzy returns to the future, and humans are finally able to restore their DNA, and more importantly, the "mental corruption" that stripped most of them of their feelings toward each other. The teacher ends the story time and the children levitate and fly home. The world in their time has become a beautiful place, where humanity has integrated into the constructed ecosystems.
The story ends in the current time, with Emma's teacher (Julia Arkos) asking if anyone did anything exciting over the weekend break. No one volunteers, so she calls on Emma at random. Emma smiles. | thought-provoking, fantasy, storytelling, flashback | train | wikipedia | I don't know how much it is like the book, but I liked the ideas the film was based on, the graphics were nice, and it was a new twist on an old storyline (the kids did a really good job acting too).
It definitely has a "new age" touch, it's mysterious, and with a nice bit of surreal/sci-fi - if you liked movies the same pace and style as K-Pax (though this one is a bit more geared towards kids), then you'll probably like Mimzy.
I wouldn't suggest really young kids for this one, they might not understand a lot of it - 10 and up would probably enjoy it more.Also, the less you know about the movie, the more you'll like it.
The people of the future still understand this too.I didn't find Mimzy's "New Agey" feel overdone and it worked cleverly for its intended premise.One thing that was very wrong about the movie was the overt product placement of Intel in a particular scene Though I suspect Intel rarely gets a chance where product placement even makes sense in a movie it was really inappropriate.
Pink Floyd shirts and Roger Waters aside, this may even have a secret appeal to stoners just as much as your little boy or girl at the movie theater, who will obviously see it in a different life, that of light, efficient irreverence and lots of neat special effects.'Mimzy' tells the story of a boy and a girl, Noah and Emma, both at least under the age of 10 but old enough to be articulate enough as well as appropriately secretive in the fantasy they hold paramount, who come upon a strange rock from the ocean.
That's the basic story, anyway, as there are little ins and outs as the story goes on, including a great product placement for Sprite, and a montage-free example of each child's new abilities.Some of this may be a little preposterous, even goofy, but Bob Shaye and his team bypass the obvious but still perilous pit-falls for filmmakers investing themselves into children's movies.
The two kids are also very good at playing their parts, with Wryn as Emma very adept at being vulnerable and smart, and O'Neil being almost too close to looking like the boy Elliot in ET, however not without his own strengths.
I have never read the book, which this movie is based upon, so I have no point-of-reference for comparison.All in all I thought this movie was perfectly appropriate for families, although from reading reviewers comments on another website, you'd think 'The Last Mimzy' had some kind of subversive plot.
'The Last Mimzy' was by no means 'liberal doctrine' unless you think showing a different perspective as a threat.Personally, the weakest parts of the movie for me was the uneven direction and the point where I asked "Why is Michael Clark Duncan in this film?" He didn't really add much to it.
The siblings Noah (Chris O'Neal) and Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) travel with their mother Jo (Joely Richardson) from Seattle to the family cottage in Whidbey Island to spend a couple of days while their workaholic father David Wilder (Timothy Hutton) is working.
They find a box of toys from the future in the water and bring it home, and Emma finds a stuffed rabbit called Mimzy, and stones and a weird object, but they hide their findings from their parents.
"Mimsy Were the Borogroves", Kuttner & Moore's terrifying parable about the loss of innocence and the ending of childhood, is chopped up, its dark meat bleached until, like a chicken leg, it is converted into a breaded chicken nugget, suitable for a children's audience which holds that the only thing wrong with the world is that kids aren't in charge.
Stir in Nepalese mysticism and CGI to taste and garnish with a paranoid government that locks up four-year-olds under the Patriot Act and you have this mandala-shaped piece of mystery meat.Director Robert Shaye does show a dab hand at directing children, and I suppose I shouldn't have expected more than this, but I am terribly disappointed.
It is a future without bone-crunching comic book super heroes or malevolent movie bad guys or self-absorbed parents - a film that respects a child's intelligence, not to mention a kid's need to dream like a kid.
I suggest Mimzy for anyone who has children, is fond of children, knows of children, or wants to simply feel really, really good about a film without being pandered to or suffer that condescending 'tude from Hollywood filmmakers who think they can sneak into your brain without you noticing.There's an honest, earnest dreamlike quality to the film, a low-key, homespun feel to these two normal kids with two normal parents, who stumble upon a strange box-like artifact bobbing in the Seattle surf.Ten year old Noah (Chris O'Neil) and his younger sister, Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) bring the box home.
It's all just poo.There were literally only two good things about this films: 1) The special effects were fantastic.2) The 2 child leads were convincing actors, and were pretty much let down by the adults in the film.Some people have compared this to E.T...NO NOO don't do that.
Children might find this film okay, sure, but honestly there are a THOUSAND other better family movies.
Rent the Lion King or Toy Story which are simply a thousand times better than this.(I mean for God's sake the little alien thing is called a Mimzy....wtf!!
And those over thirty like my wife were thrilled to get some nap time; Forty minutes worth.When you look at the last five years of the writers and director, it's not too hard to find the thought process or lack there of, behind this disappointing film.
This is quite an entertaining film, and I liked the way it incorporated Lewis Carroll's evergreen Alice in Wonderland tale into its story of extra-terrestrial visitors, but it falters very badly in the last reel and ends up looking like just another inferior copy of ET.Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn play siblings who stumble across a mysterious box on the beach which happens to contain a cuddly rabbit transported from a dying planet in a desperate quest for the elixir it needs to revive its people.
I'm no screenwriter but, to me, the obvious idea would have been to follow the Lewis Carroll/Alice Liddell theme and see where it took me: the options would seem to be far greater in number than simply regurgitating the childlike-alien-relying-on-earthling-children-for-survival storyline from Spielberg's eighties flick.The child male lead looks like the youngest incarnation of Harry Potter until advanced intelligence courtesy of the alien rabbit's bric-a-brac means he no longer needs the specs.
It isn't coincidence that this is actually an intellectually interesting children's movie, taken from a famous science fiction story 'Mimsy were the Borogoves' written by Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore).
Many films aimed at kids today seem determined to focus on bland, repetitive topics such as school and romance so it makes a pleasant change to find a rather intelligent children's sci-fi film, especially since most sci-fi films aimed at the family/children date back to the Seventies and Eighties ('DARYL', 'ET', 'The Witch Mountain' films, 'Flight of the Navigator', etc as examples).This film centres on siblings, six-year-old Emma and ten-year-old Noah, who find a strange box of toys on a beach.
But the children soon draw the attention of both the adults around them and the FBI, who threaten to destroy their plans to send Mimzy back to where it belongs.This is a film where most definitely the child actors, Chris O'Neil as Noah and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn as Emma, carry the story almost on their own and they certainly rise to the occasion.
The adult actors, including Joely Richardson and Timothy Hutton as the children's parents and Timothy Hutton as Noah's teacher, give good supporting depictions.This plot is involving and exciting, if perhaps a bit too complicated for the under eights, and- through the eyes of children-- explores topics such as the importance of caring for the planet, why not everything different is a threat and that sometimes children are far more intuitive than adults.
While I see some people like to look for political agendas in 'The Last Mimzy' (these are probably the kind of paranoid folk who seem politics in everything), the story is told in an honest, well-paced manner without being preachy or blatant.'The Last Mimzy' is one for the family who is sick of films dumbing down to kids and re-hashing repetitive, predictable plots.
Robert Shaye's The Last Mimzy, however, treats children like the caring, intelligent beings that they are, showing an appreciation of interesting and beautiful things that are available beyond iPods, computer games, and other forms of commercialized entertainment.Based on a short story from 1943 by Lewis Padgett, a scientist from the future looks to children from the past to save his dying world.
As 10-year old Noah Wilder (Chris O'Neil) and his 6-year old sister Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) discover an odd looking box that washes up on the beach near their family's summer home in the Seattle area, the door is opened to a non-linear reality that they could have scarcely imagined.In this reality, small rocks can spin on their own and provide the opening to a different dimension, a glowing crystal allows Noah to teleport objects, a sea shell emits strange noises, and a stuffed rabbit communicates telepathically and tells Emma that she represents future humanity's last chance.
However, while The Last Mimzy lacks the imagination and stylistic vision to be a fully satisfying experience, it is nonetheless a timely and entertaining film that children can appreciate and identify with and adults may find thought provoking.
The film is relatively small and comes across as low budget and the story as written for the screen is weak and full of holes but oddly enough it comes across as a good movie.
It stars Timothy Hutton, Joely Richardson, Rainn Wilson, Michael Clark Duncan, Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn.The story concerns a brother and sister who find a box in the ocean that contains toys with magical powers.
Rainn Wilson, as the boy's science teacher, had the showiest role, and he brought a lot to it.I can't say too much about it except that it's a decent story with nice effects that kids should enjoy.
The Last Mimzy stands out as a kids' film, as it's interesting, imaginative and non-patronizing, for a kids' film, and it can surely be enjoyed by adults as well, especially those who like (literary) science fiction (the movie is an adaptation of a story by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore).There are very many good things about this movie, but a word of caution is due at first: although this movie CAN be fun for adults to watch (like many other films that kids can enjoy too, like the animated My Neighbor Totoro), it is NOT a mature film with children and fairly-tale themes in it (like, for instance, Pan's Labyrinth).
Somewhere half-way through the movie I noticed the seamless performance by Rhiannon Leigh Wryn - having not been aware of it before for the simple reason that it is so good that you are just watching a kid responding naturally to the situation she's in (and then you realize she's actually acting and delivering lines).I would have given this move a much higher rating if not for the looser writing and editing in the last 10-20 minutes.
My dissatisfaction with some of the plot-holes at the very end diminished somehow when I realized that this was not supposed to be a hard SF movie, but a kids' film, so a lot of what happens does not have to be explicitly justified, and can be considered metaphor or something seen from a kid's point of view.Anyhow, I seriously recommend this movie for people who like good sci-fi movies, as well as for people who have kids and would like to watch a movie together.
As you may have guessed, having this many characters any real character development and focusing on fewer characters with better dialog would have improved this film.If you took Phenomenon and crossed it with E.T., that would give you some idea what to expect here, but without a tighter script it is not worth renting unless one of your kids is holding the box and looking at you like the waterworks are about to start.
And they all point to one source, Mimzy the rabbit, that only Emma can relate.The Last Mimzy is a movie loosely adapted from the acclaimed science fiction short story, Mimsy Were the Borogoves, written in 1943 by Lewis Padgett (the pseudonym of husband and wife team Henry Kuttner and C.
Being a family film, the movie speaks to remind parents and adults to pay more careful attention to the children and their development.
I went to see The Last Mimzy with serious prejudices because I thought it was going to be a typical childish fantasy with all the typical clichés.Luckily,the result was not like that and the film,in spite of having some important fails,resulted to be a very nice family movie which takes seriously to kids and adults.The Last Mimzy has unusual subjects for a family film and I'm not only talking about the sci-fi but also for the politic posture the film has.And,on this movie both aspects flow very naturally.But the film is still a nice childish fantasy,so we do not have to expect the level of sophistication that films like Pan's Labyrinth achieved on that aspect.Rhiannon Leigh Wryn has an excellent and totally credible performance.I hope to see this young actress on more films because she shows a lot of talent.Rainn Wilson also surprised me on his performance and he shows his talent goes much more beyond than the slapstick he does in the North American version of The Office.Now,I have to mention negative elements:I felt Robert Shaye's direction on this film was pretty controlled.I think a less rigid director would have worked better.Also,some parts of the film were a little boring.In spite of having some boring moments and without being a great film,I have to say I liked The Last Mimzy..
Directed by the current CEO of New Line Cinema, The Last Mimzy is a children's fantasy movie which goes along the grains of having its children protagonists developing special powers, communicating with one another and with an alien object that no adult (or anyone else for that matter) can, and to help save some futuristic civilization.
Sounds like a typical walk in the park for any children's movie you might add.The Wilder siblings Noah (Chris O'Neil) and Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) find a mysterious box with strange markings, containing some weird toys, amongst which includes a harmless looking soft toy bunny christened Mimzy.
And the authorities are hunting for them, just as they would, as targets of a resulting city wide blackout.If anything, the chemistry between the child actors playing the siblings is believable enough, and you would agree with me that Rhiannon Leigh Wryn is adorable as the kid sister whose innocence and love play a crucial role in the movie's plot.
But what's nice is that the film doesn't shove this into your face, it just leaves this element out there to be noticed, especially by older audiences.Overall, it was a great movie, and I think people of any age can relate to it.
The dialog was concise, but a little flat between the parents and children and even between the children; it could have been on purpose to reflect the short-story element.The movie focuses on the children, rightfully so, but it seemed the parents were written in just to say 'oh-yeah, the characters are children and have to have parents.' The father didn't know how to be a father and I swear the mother was bi-polar; the parent actors just didn't seem interested in creating the look of a family - or the actors just needed the cash (Timothy Hutton, why are you in here?).
For those less inclined to have a movie make you or your child think you can have your kids learn to draw Nemo for the thousandth time just so you're not bothered by having a conversation about some of the issues this movie has in it.I rated the movie as an 8 since the overall themes, story, action, and plot overruled the lacking parents.
High marks for the two child actors, particularly Rhiannon Leigh Wryn as Emma Wilder, who with Chris O'Neil as her brother Noah, never seem to be acting, but come across as just two normal kids.
So I really wish I could say this was as good as "ET" or "The Wizard Of Oz" or any other great movie that appealed to both kids and adults...but nothing about it really fits.The story has promise -- Toys from the future are sent back to the past.
There are moments of pure magic -- like when Noah, the ten-year-old boy, learns sounds can affect how a spider builds its webs, and when Emma, his five-year-old sister, sets the "spinners" going the first time.But nothing about this movie quite works.
Oh, the kids -- Chris O'Neal and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn -- do a good enough job of acting, especially considering how young they are and it's the first time they've been in front of a film camera.
The special effects involving the strange object and what it does are usually pretty good.The children's characters are written realistically enough (given the premise of the movie), but some other characters are not.
Good family movie for kids and adults.
I went with my nine year old son to see this film and we both loved it.The story flows nicely and the kids do an amazing job as their characters.
The film has no heart, no character and the scenes seemed to be cut together randomly with very little flow between reels.All the actors look like they are trying to squeeze some movie magic out of the very skimpy, unoriginal script based on the short story by Lewis Padgett. |
tt0071110 | Airport 1975 | Columbia Airlines' Flight 409 is a red-eye Boeing 747-100 en route from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. One of the passengers on board is a teenage girl named Janice Abbott (Linda Blair) who is sceduled to have a kidney transplant in L.A. and she is being wheeled onto the plane on a stretcher. Another passenger is the actress Gloria Swanson (herself) going to L.A. for another movie deal. Barney (Sid Ceasar) and Bill (Norman Fell) are two gambling friends whom are planning just another good time in California. Also on board are two nuns named Sister Beatrice (Martha Scott) and Sister Ruth (Helen Reddy) whom take pitty on the ailing Janice and Sister Ruth borrows a guitar and sings a song for Janice and the rest of the passengers.Meanwhile, Scott Freeman (Dana Andrews) is a businessman living in Santa Fe, New Mexico with an urgent sales meeting in Boise, Idaho. Failure to make this meeting threatens half his sales commissions for the coming year. He is en route in his private Beechcraft Baron.However, an occluded storm front has the entire West Coast socked in, with Los Angeles reporting zero visibility. That not only affects the Columbia flight but also precludes Freeman making his meeting in Boise. Both flights are diverted to Salt Lake City International Airport.Freeman's small plane and the giant Boeing 747 enter Salt Lake's entry pattern. Air traffic control assigns the jumbo to enter the pattern first at a low altitude of 10,000 feet, followed by the Beechcraft. As Columbia 409 is making its final approach, the co-pilot and First Officer Urias (Roy Thinnes) feels a vibration on one of the adjacent panels and rises to check it out. Freeman, anxious about his missed meeting, makes a call to the Salt Lake Tower asking about the delay. The tower confirms that he is second to land after the big jet. Freeman suddenly suffers a massive heart attack. As he grabs his chest, the Baron falls out of the pattern and descends into the approach of Columbia 409.The Beechcraft impacts the flight deck just above the co-pilot seat. Freeman is instantly killed by the impact as his small plane explodes. First Officer Urias, still standing, is instantly blown from the cockpit. Navigator and Flight Engineer Julio (Erik Estrada) is struck on the head by debris and killed. Captain Stacey (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) is struck in the face by debris and is blinded.The impact knocks a male flight attendant from the upper lounge down to the cabin below. Nancy Pryor (Karen Black), the head flight attendant, rushes up to the flight deck to find Urias gone, Julio dead, and Stacey badly maimed. Fortunately, the captain is able to engage the autopilot and the altitude hold switch to keep the aircraft in the air before losing consciousness.Nancy informs the Salt Lake control tower that the crew is dead or badly injured and that there is no one to fly the plane. She is told to stay on the same radio frequency. Nancy gives the assessment of the damage as a large hole on the starboard side of the flight deck that wiped out most of the instrument gauges over the engineer station.Joe Patroni (George Kennedy), Columbia's Vice President of Operations, is apprised of Flight 409's situation. He seeks the advice of Captain Al Murdoch (Charlton Heston), Columbia's chief flight instructor, who also happens to be Nancy Pryor's former lover. Patroni takes a personal intrest in Flight 409 because his wife (Susan Clark) is on board the plane with their eldest son.Patroni and Murdoch take the airline's executive jet to Salt Lake City. En route, they communicate with Nancy, who is still in the cockpit in the pilot's seat. While the autopilot is keeping the aircraft in level flight, it is inoperable for turns. Something has to be done, as the jet is heading into the Wasatch Mountains. After successfully guiding Nancy by radio on how to perform the turn, radio communications are interrupted and the Salt Lake tower is unable to restore contact.With the low-flying plane unable to turn, leaking fuel, and dodging the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains, an air-to-air rescue attempt is undertaken from a jet-powered HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant helicopter flown by the USAF Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service. While the pilot is preparing to be released on a tether, it becomes apparent that Flight 409 is heading straight into the side of a mountain. With radio communications still out, Nancy flies the plane unaided.The badly wounded Captain Stacey is able to give a cryptic clue regarding the decrease in airspeed during a climb in altitude. Nancy realizes that she must accelerate the engines to be able to climb over the mountain and successfully does so. After Flight 409 has leveled off, the pilot is released on a tow line from the helicopter towards the stricken airliner. Just as Nancy is helping him in, the release cord from his harness becomes caught in the jagged metal surrounding the hole in the cockpit. As he climbs in, his harness is released from the tether and he falls to his death.The only other person on the helicopter who can land a 747 is Captain Murdock. He is tethered to the rear of the helicopter, lowered to the jet and successfully enters it through the hole in the cockpit. Despite the controls being smashed and with serious damage to the landing breaks, he then lands the plane safely at Salt Lake City Airport, where the flight attendants successfully conduct an emergency evacuation of the passengers via the inflatable slides on the left side of the 747. Patroni is reunited with his wife and son, and Nancy and Captain Murdock walk away from the damaged plane. | suspenseful | train | imdb | Perhaps a drum roll of the cast that adorns this archetypal 1970's disaster epic is as good a way as any to get started: we have Charlton Heston and Karen Black as the leads, and, in a display of has-beens and never-was's that would make any Hollywood Squares devotee salivate, there's Susan Clark, Sid Caesar, Jerry Stiller, Norman Fell, Martha Scott, Beverly Garland, Sharon Gless, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Erik Estrada all on board.And that's just for starters!
DeMille!' Just about everybody in Airport 75 proves to be as ready for their close-up as Swanson, especially little Linda Blair; when she is wheeled onto the plane, bad film-going delight turns into purple junk food ecstasy.
When she slides down the emergency landing shute, La Swanson's body double flashes us a glimpse of white panties (definitely the funniest image in the movie.) When her assistant murmurs that it's a good morning, Gloria says rather touchingly, `Every morning is beautiful, you're just too young to know.' This demonstrates that Airport 75 is, finally, a contemplative film about life and its finish-or at least the finish of many show biz careers.Though Airport 75 is the height of the Airport oeuvre, Airport 77 is worth checking out for Lee Grant's astoundingly bad performance as an alcoholic (on television there is also an extra hour of flashbacks to the passenger's lives!) And Airport 79: The Concorde has pilot / airline manager extraordinaire George Kennedy wrapping it all up with the line, `They don't call it the cockpit for nothing sweetheart!' as stewardess Sylvia Kristal recoils in horror.
'Airport 1975' is an enjoyable follow-up to the vintage original, which see's a small aircraft collide with a 747,and leaves two pilots dead and one blinded,the amusing and often spoofed plot, has the gorgeous Karen Black, pilot the stricken craft via radio contact, Charlton Heston, plays Blacks love interest,Who comes to her aid.There is a fine cast of character actors involved in this guilty pleasure look out for Jerry Stiller,( father of Ben Stiller) Linda Blair,who was probably cast in desperate attempt to shake off her Exorcist image, her performance is sickly sweet you would swear she would start spinning her head!
Comedy Legend,Sid Caesar, provides some laughs as a loud mouth bit part actor, Myrna Loy,is the alcoholic,whom Caesar tries to woo, popular singer Helen Reddy, is cast as a nun, who provides the films many unintentional moments which arguably inspired 'Airplane!s many laughs,Despite the film's slating's over the years, 'Airport 1975' is an enjoyable romp from the time-capsule that is the 70's,.
Poor Nancy the Stewardess (Karen Black) must seize the controls!It is up to Charlton Heston (before he became a conservative) and George Kennedy, with some help from friends in the U.S. Air Force, to save the day.Verdict, hardly a brain challenger (If you want your brain challenged, read a book, I always say!) but worth seeing..
Even if we were to suspend rational thought long enough to accept the idea that a collision that sucks out the first officer wouldn't be accompanied by enough pressure to suck out the entire flight crew and maybe the back wall of the flight deck, the fact that everyone just sat there, bundled up in their coats and cheesy purple airline blankets, while "THE STEWARDESS IS FLYING THE PLANE?" (thank you, Sid Caesar) is still hilarious to comprehend.Now, lest I give away the Cheez Whiz ending too much, let me just say that I don't understand why, if everyone else got shoved out the inflatable ramps, Karen Black and Charlton Heston were allowed to promenade dramatically down the regular steps to the tarmac (ah, those days before jetways).Anyhoo, this one is better experienced than described.
All clichéd and stock roles with regurgitation of all usual stereotypical situations from disaster films , the nuns ( Helen Reddy as singing nun and Martha Scott ), an aging alcoholic woman (Myrna Loy , but Joan Crawford was firstly approached to play the character who turned down), nervous passengers , an old actress (Gloria Swanson) .
Filmed at the height of the disaster genre from the 7os , this entry in the spectacular series profits of a strong acting by Charlton Heston who spent time on a simulator in preparation for the role , bringing life to character , he also starred a similar role at ¨ Skyjacked (1972) ¨ by John Guillermin .
AIRPORT 1975 Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)Sound format: MonoA terrified stewardess (Karen Black) is forced to take the controls of a Boeing 747 after it's struck by a private aircraft in mid-flight, incapacitating the entire air crew.Anyone who's seen the likes of AIRPLANE!
On its own terms, Jack Smight's film - devised in the wake of such ultra-successful disaster spectaculars as THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972) and THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974) - is a surprisingly routine affair, directed with complete indifference, and played to the hilt by a commercially-dictated 'all-star cast', including Helen Reddy, Gloria Swanson (her final screen appearance), Linda Blair, Dana Andrews, Sid Caesar, Myrna Loy and Charlton Heston as an experienced pilot summoned by authorities to help land the plane safely.
Black gives a truly committed performance as the frightened stewardess forced to confront the situation head-on, and she's matched by disaster-movie stalwart George Kennedy as a flight engineer charged with overseeing the rescue operation, knowing that his wife and child are aboard the stricken plane.
Chuck full of stars...cross eyed beauty Karen Black, Moses himself Charlston Heston, demon possessed Linda Blair, lesbian singer Helen Reddy, CHIP'S Erik Estrada, 3's company Normal Fell a.k.a Mister Roper, screen legend Gloria Swanson in her last role, etc.
Among the other cast members are Myrna Loy, Linda Blair, Erik Estrada, Gloria Swanson, Sid Caesar, Norman Fell, Helen Reddy (as a singing nun), and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. This was Swanson's last movie.
Although Karen Black played several characters with angst or anxiety and innocent charm during that the 70s there's no reason to think she couldn't land the damn plane herself like the flight attendant does in the 1997 film, Turbulence..
This is instigated by Charlton Heston, who also happens to be the man Black has been estranged from for some time), and professional troubleshooter Joe Patroni (George Kennedy, reprising his role from the original film, with help from Utah's Hill Air Force Base.
With Black's help, he manages to get the plane in line for a landing in Salt Lake City, going through steep mountainous terrain at 400 miles per hour, while the usual gaggle of all-star passengers (including Sid Caesar, Linda Blair, Jerry Stiller, Normal Fell, Myrna Loy, Helen Reddy, Gloria Swanson, and others) watches and waits.As with its predecessor and the two Airport films still to come, AIRPORT '75 has a lot of clichés that would nauseate a whole lot of critics.
Kennedy, as always, does his usual tough thing well in reprising his role as Patroni; and Susan Clark is good in a significant supporting role as his wife, who just happens to be on the plane in peril.Given that any kind of mid-air collision, even with just a small plane, would be enough to bring any other jet down to the ground, both Jack Smight (who directed the 1966 crime classic HARPER) and screenwriter Don Ingalls have to somehow cause the old suspension of disbelief stimuli to kick in with respect to this film's plot line.
(And, of course, time is of the essence in her case.) Helen Reddy is particularly amusing as a singing nun; she also composed the song that she sings here.And that's not to leave out all the other familiar faces making appearances along the way: Susan Clark, Dana Andrews, Roy Thinnes, Ed Nelson, Nancy Olson, Larry Storch, Martha Scott, Norman Fell, Jerry Stiller, Conrad Janis, Beverly Garland, Linda Harrison from "Planet of the Apes", Guy Stockwell, Erik Estrada, Kip Niven, Christopher Norris, Austin Stoker, et al.
For anyone who's seen that episode of 'Family Guy' where Peter is sent by Death to kill the cast members of 'Dawson's Creek' on an airliner and Karen Black lands the plane, this is the source of that reference!Now, on to the film!As a disaster movie, 'Airport 1975' is not that bad.
(long before lending his voice to Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred), Helen Reddy as a singing nun (it's not as bad as it sounds), Linda Blair (post-'Exorcist') and even screen icon Gloria Swanson in her final film role.Certainly not the most complex of the 'Airport' films and certainly not the worst - if you're looking for something to thrill you and you're not taking a flight the next morning, then watch this!!.
It almost reminded of a Love Boat episode with all the recognizable faces and the like, but it was campy fun anyway, especially the scenes with the entertaining George Kennedy, Jerry Stiller(Frank Costanza), Myrna Loy, Norman Fell, Erik Estrada, Conrad Janis, Gloria Swanson, Sid Caesar, Karen Black, and Charleton Heston to name quite a few.
Title: Airport 75 was release in theaters on October 18, 1974 starring Charlton Heston, Karen Black, and George Kennedy, was a 1974 disaster film and the first sequel to the successful 1970 hit Airport.
Its plot devices and characterizations, including a singing nun (Helen Reddy), a former glamorous star (Gloria Swanson as herself), an alcoholic (Myrna Loy), a child in need of an organ transplant (Linda Blair) and a chatterbox (Sid Caesar) were parodied in 1980's Airplane!.
Charlton Heston as the 747-trainer, Karen Black as the heroic stewardess, George Kennedy as the gutsy airline chief, Gloria Swanson as well herself!, Susan Clark as the lady with the wig, Linda Blair as the annoying poor sick kid, Helen Reddy as the singing nun and the 'who's who' cast Myrna Loy, Sid Caesar, Martha Scott, Ed Nelson, Jerry Stiller, Nancy Olson, Augusta Summarland, Roy Thinnes, Efrem Zimbalist JR, and Erik Estrada.I rate it 4/5.
Airport 1975 gets as many as four stars for the nice special effects and for the efforts of a whole lot of high priced talent headed by Charlton Heston to keep a straight face while getting through this improbable story.Karen Black who's Heston's gal pal is the chief stewardess on a transcontinental flight when Dana Andrews's private plane hits it midair as Andrews suffers a heart attack.
But this is the movies folks.The usual collection of high priced talent is on the passenger list and several generations of Hollywood are represented by people from Gloria Swanson playing herself to young Linda Blair as a kid who is flying to Los Angeles for a kidney transplant and is critically off her dialysis machine for the duration of the flight.
Some audiences start laughing the minute the two planes collide, while episodes involving a singing nun (Helen Reddy), a kidney patient en route to a transplant (Linda Blair), a movie star (Gloria Swanson, playing herself) and two bantering oldsters (Myrna Loy and Sid Caesar--she drinks, he flirts) are the perfect fodder for parody.
The captain is injured and the rest of the crew is dead, leaving only cross-eyed stewardess Karen Black to fly the plane while VP of Operations (and AIRPORT returnee) George Kennedy tries to find a way to transfer 747 pilot Charlton Heston to the crippled jumbo jet mid-air.
The many subplots and "who's who" guest star appearances like Gloria Swanson playing herself, an alcoholic Myrna Loy, Sid Caeser as a talkative passenger who only boards the plane to see an in-flight movie, and Helen Reddy as a guitar-playing nun who serenades sick girl Linda Blair (in a scene much parodied in the film AIRPLANE!) are rather cheesy now, often laughable to some.
This is the first sequel in the Airport franchise.A small airplane collides with Boeing 747 in the air killing the co-pilot and the flight engineer and injuring the captain.Now the first stewardness, Nancy Pryor has to fly the plane.Jack Smight's Airport 1975 (1974) is an entertaining flick with many stars.Karen Black plays Nancy Pryor.Charlton Heston is Alan Murdock, her sweetheart on the ground (and later in the air).George Kennedy was seen in all these four movies as Joe Patroni.Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is Captain Stacy.Erik Estrada is Julio.
the flight engineer.Roy Thinnes is the co-pilot Urias.The silent movie legend Gloria Swanson plays herself.Another dame remembered from the silent movies, Myrna Loy plays an alcoholic named Mrs. Devaney.Linda Blair is a child in need of an organ transplant, Janice Abbott.Helen Reddy is a singing nun called Sister Ruth.Also George Wyner is seen as a passenger named Harry.It's pretty exciting to watch the attempt to get a man inside the plane.This is a disaster movie you don't want to miss out..
We've got passengers like Jerry Stiller, comedian Sid Caesar, Gloria Swanson (playing herself), Norman Fell, Helen Reddy (playing a singing nun with a guitar), Linda Blair (as a sick girl awaiting an urgent kidney transplant), Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Dana Andrews, and yes - that's even Heston's gal Nova from PLANET OF THE APES (as Ms. Swanson's secretary; she changed her name from Linda Harrison to "Augusta Summerland" for this flick).Heston is a pilot who's in love with stewardess Black, though not on board at the time of the tragedy.
Eric Estrada says at the beginning of the movie after seeing some of the beautiful stewardesses "That's why I love my job." Or how about the hot-headed George Kennedy "It's the only chance we've got!" The TV reporter has some of the best: "The plot thickens!" And of course, Helen Reddy sings for, you guessed it, the little sick girl, played by Linda Blair who always played sick girls in the 1970's.
Just check out the hilarious cast: Karen Black, Charlton Heston, Linda Blair, Erik Estrada (very young), Gloria Stewart (very old), George Kennedy, and, yes, that's Helen Reddy in the nun's habit.
The main stewardess (Karen Black) must take control of the plane while her boyfriend (Charlton Heston) tries to tell her how to get the plane down.AIRPORT somehow got an Oscar nomination for Best Picture but in my opinion it was a deadly boring movie with very little going for it outside of its wonderful cast.
Unintentionally funny sequel to "Airport" is set(as the helpful subtitle tells us!) in 1975, where a Boeing 747 is disabled when a private airplane crashes into the cockpit(the pilot had a stroke), killing the flight crew and blinding one pilot, forcing a stewardess(Karen Black) to fly the plane, though her boyfriend(also a pilot, played by Charlton Heston) who is helicoptered into the cockpit, and tries desperately to resume control of the plane, before it crashes.Cast also includes returning character Joe Patroni(George Kennedy) along with Susan Clark, Gloria Swanson, Sid Caesar, Myrna Loy, Linda Blair, and Helen Reddy as a singing nun.
Compared to the original version of Airport and later aviation films (The Crash Landing of Flight 243, Flight 93) the sequels to Airport all ranged from silly to terrible - for all their faults perhaps one good thing of films today is that, like Flight 93, they are much more realistic...The acting in this sequel to the 1970 version of Airport was poor to fair - even the acting of George Kennedy, as dependable an actor as he's been, seemed to be automatic, in a sense - his 1970 role of Joe Patroni being the best...Swearing was absent in the 1970 film but not in the sequels - why screenwriters always believe that swearing is essential escapes me - the best television programs and films often "managed" to write award-winning scripts without the need for breaking one of the 10 Commandments - apparently Charlton Heston forgot what was told to him in his role as Moses...Helen Reddy's role as a singing nun (Julie Andrews had nothing to worry about) was ironic, considering she was the author and singer of the highly controversial "I am woman" just one year earlier...The only bright spot was perhaps the comedic acting of Sid Cesar and other comedians of their time, in their role as nervous passengers...Over all, a film not worth the Oscar that the 1970 film earned....
But I know, this is not a movie to ask questions of that kind, and Karen Black, the lady in the cockpit, really cannot do anything wrong for me.The passengers are very entertaining, especially Sid Caesar and veteran actress Myrna Loy. Gloria Swanson and Jerry Stiller are also memorable, and they all seem to have a really good time, disaster non withstanding.
From perhaps the most ungainly 'credit' line I've seen ("Inspired by the movie AIRPORT, based on the novel...") to poor comic relief from Sid Caesar (who deserved better)and Jerry Stiller (who, like much of the audience, sleeps through the entire picture...you think I'm kidding?)to Karen Black, who seems to be trying to make overacting an art form, and Charlton Heston, who has made overacting an art form, I pity poor George Kennedy for wasting his time even trying.
Karen Black steals the film (she can have it) as the panic-stricken stewardess who attempts to land the plane when "disaster" strikes.Save your time and just watch Airplane!
From terribly miscast Karen Black, to Linda Blair (fresh off her stint as Regan in "The Exorcist") to Gloria Swanson (not so fresh off of the great "Sunset Boulevard") to Charlton Heston and George Kennedy (alternating their time between this film, and the disaster classic "Earthquake," which the two were shooting simultaneously), this is an "all-star" film in every sense of the word!The premise of the film is actually an engaging one: a stewardess trying to land a crippled 747 after a midair collision with a small plane, but the execution is where this film falters.
Charlton Heston turns in a good performance as well as Karen Black, playing Nancy Pryor, the stewardess that must get the plane down for a safe landing via help from the radios. |
tt0065858 | How Awful About Allan | Allan leaves paint cans and thinner next to a heater one night, which causes a fire that kills his father and disfigures his sister, Katherine. He goes hysterically blind. After an eight-month stay in the mental hospital, Allan begins to come to terms with his resentful feelings toward his father and sister, and with the guilt that caused his blindness. Now he can see blurry images. He takes his doctor's suggestion that he talk about his feelings into a tape recorder. He tells the machine about his sister's mysterious new boarder, Harold Dennis, a university student who only speaks in a whisper due to a throat injury. He tells the machine how ambivalent he is about Olive, the woman to whom he was practically engaged before the accident. His finds his resentment over his sister's near-incestuous relationship with their father has not gone away, especially after learning of her work raising money to get the great professor's name on a new wing of the library. Allan learns that Katherine's boyfriend, Eric, had gone to Australia just after the fire, supposedly to make his fortune. Allan wonders if her disfigurement was the main reason he had left.Olive tries to repair her relationship with Allan, but her insistence that he join her in a ride downtown goes badly. He's waiting for her in the car when he gets the idea that a group of students are laughing at him. And then the roomer comes up and whispers to him menacingly. Despite his near-total blindness, he gets behind the wheel and drives off. He soon crashes into a street lamp, but without much damage to himself or the machine. But it's clear he's not well enough to be out in public.Things grow worse for Allan. He's sure the roomer is out to murder him. And who is this roomer anyway? Allan can't really see him. Is he really this Harold Dennis, or is he Eric, the boyfriend supposedly in Australia? His nerves grow worse. When a delivery boy comes to the door, Allan is so frightened that he accidentally slices his hand with a kitchen knife. Later, his fears drive him out into a thunderstorm, where he faints and lays for hours before someone finds him.A doctor making a house call tells Katherine that Allan should go back to the mental hospital. Meanwhile, Allan is dreaming about his childhood, especially about his cruel father and mocking sister.Allan manages to avoid the hospital for the time being. But now he's sure his life is in danger. He calls a cab to get himself out of the house, but the driver turns out to be Eric. He even whispers like the roomer and claims he has a cold.He's still in the house and terrified. But Olive tries to allay his fears. She tells him that the roomer can't be trying to kill him because ... there is no roomer. Olive says that according to Katherine there is no roomer and never has been one. Allan has been imagining his existence. But Allan knows better. The roomer's whispering is on his reel-to-reel tape recorder.In a way, Katherine's lie is no lie. There is no roomer. Katherine has been impersonating him, trying to drive Allan mad. And kill him. She traps him in the pantry and starts a fire. Allan manages to escape and learn the horrible truth about his sister. Even her disfigurement is a lie. Allan rips off the prosthetic patch over her face and finds that her scar is gone. She had had it removed, but wore the patch to make him feel guilty. It turns out his sister hated him for murdering their father. ("Murder" is her word.)Later, we find Allan and Olive happy together. Allan has recovered his eyesight. He receives a letter from his sister. She tells him there really was a Harold Dennis and he had really rented the room. But he called later to explain that his mother had died and that he wouldn't be needing the room after all. That's when she conceived the idea of impersonating him to drive Allan mad. In her letter, she asks for Allan's help and says that owing to his generous nature he's sure to give it. She wants him to speak to her doctors on her behalf and encourage them to release her. She has been incarcerated in the same hospital he had once been in. | flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0283026 | Swimfan | The story opens with Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) who is a star swimmer at his high school and being pressured by his coach to deliver when scouts come to watch him compete in a week. Ben also works at a hospital and has the perfect relationship with his girlfriend, Amy (Shiri Appleby), but the two are under a little pressure since they are leaving for college and aren't sure if they will get into the same school. One day at school, he helps a new girl named Madison Bell(Erika Christensen) get her locker open by picking the lot with her hair pin. Madison tells him to keep her pin just in case she needs saving again.Ben's friend Josh (Clayne Crawford) tells Ben he has a thing for Madison, but she's staying with her cousin Christopher Dante (James DeBello) whom Josh bullies. Later, Ben nearly hits Madison with his car accidentally, and takes her home, but she leaves her notebook of music in his car and goes to her house to return it. The two go to lunch and Ben tells Madison he's been in trouble with drugs and stealing before, but he's changed. Madison tells Ben she plays cello to escape her problems and flirts with him, but Ben tells her he has a girlfriend, which she is fine with. But wants to keep hanging out with him.The two go to a pool, he encourages her to come out in the water, but she can't swim and asks him to teach her. Eventually, she persuades him to have sex with her. Ben hesitates, but they do. She asks him to tell her he loves her, even if he doesn't mean it, and he does. They promise to keep it a secret. But Ben starts having trouble focusing swimming because of his guilt and is criticized by the coach and Josh. At a party that night, Amy introduces Ben to Madison as a friend and the two try to pretend like nothing's happened. Amy later goes to move Ben's car, but Madison tells Ben that she left her panties in his truck. Ben barely gets there in time to stop Amy.Ben tries to avoid Madison even after her attempts to page him and talk to him online with the screenname "swimfan85," but Madison stops by his house and brings his mother flowers. Ben tells her to back off and Madison gets upset that he wants to pretend nothing even happened. The next day Madison sends naked pictures of herself to Ben and is almost caught by Amy. At swim practice, Ben discovers that Madison is now going out with Josh so he assumes she's off his back. But she corners him in the locker room and wants to know why he hasn't been returning her calls. Ben, fed up, just tells her that he wants her to leave him alone, but Madison brings up that Ben told her he loved her. Flustered, Ben says she told him to but doesn't know what else to say and leaves.At work, Ben is in a bad mood. After somehow giving his favorite patient the wrong medication the patient nearly dies. Ben is fired. Furious, he goes to school to find Madison playing her cello which he throws down. He tells her to leave him alone once and for all, which she agrees to do. He decides to tell Amy the truth, but she's busy with work they agree to talk the next day. At school the next morning, everyone knows about his one night stand. Amy slaps him and storms out with tears in her eyes.The next day is the big swim meet. However, Ben's urine tests showed traces of steroids and he is kicked off the team and disqualified. The scouts leave and Ben confronts Josh, convinced that he helped Madison. Because he had drug problems in the past, no one, even his mother or Amy, believes Ben. Later Josh and Madison are kissing in a car when Madison starts to call Ben's name. Josh gets angry and even scolds Madison for messing up Ben's life. Madison is upset.In the locker room, Ben finds a bat in his locker which he sets down, then he goes for a swim only to bump into Josh's dead body floating in the water. His head has been smashed in with a bat that the police say have Ben's fingerprints on it. They tell him not to leave town. Ben goes to Madison's house, but Madison is playing cello for her family. In her room, he finds a bottle of steroids and a hospital volunteer coat. Chris finds him there, tells him to leave or Madison will kill him and sneaks him out. With Chris's help, Ben finds out Madison was obsessed with a sport's star in her hometown named Jake Donnelly who was almost killed in a car accident that Madison survived.Meanwhile, Madison is shown in Ben's car dressed as Ben. She made a copy of his car key when she visited his house and she hits Amy on her bike with Ben's truck. The police are looking for Ben at the hospital while Madison is dressed as a worker and intending to finish Amy off. But she hears Jake Donnelly's name being called over the intercom and sees who she believes is him in the hallway. She follows him to the parking garage only to find out it's Chris in Jake's jacket. She attacks him with a scalpel but Ben stops her and holds it to her throat. She admits to Josh's murder and says Ben doesn't have the guts to do the same. Ben's friend Rene (Kia Goodwin) recorded the whole thing. Madison is arrested.Ben apologizes to Amy who forgives him and Ben returns home only to find that Madison has escaped and attacked his mother. Ben is knocked out. When he wakes up, he finds his mother unconscious and Amy missing. Ben gets in his car and gets a page from Madison that says "Feel like a dip?"He heads to the pool where Madison has Amy handcuffed to a chair. When Ben arrives Madison demands Ben admit that he loves her, but Ben refuses so Madison throws Amy into the pool. Ben swims down to save her but is unable to lift the chair and every time he comes up for air Madison tries to hit him with a bat. He goes to Amy once more and finds Madison's hair pin which he uses to pick the handcuffs and release Amy. Ben resurfaces with Amy in his arms while Madison tries to hit him again. He grabs the bat and pulls Madison into the pool while swimming out with his girlfriend. He gives her CPR to get her breathing again while Madison, who still can't swim, struggles to stay above water. Amy starts breathing again and when they look out to the pool they find that Madison has drowned. | romantic, murder | train | imdb | He's a great lead actor, and I can see him filling Tom Cruise / Ben Affleck style roles in a few years' time.The film itself is a fairly respectable effort at a Fatal Attraction style relationship, with teen-thriller-genre elements of the misunderstood wierd guy, the new girl in town with a secret past, and so on.
I can only think of one vaguely surprising moment (with Josh, in the pool) - otherwise it's fairly predictable, but enjoyable all the same.Watching it, I couldn't help but wonder why the school's best swimmer and most attractive guy didn't have a bigger circle of friends (Josh the jock, Randy the drip, and a black girl with a chip on her shoulder (what an original character..).Also, why would he be tempted by a girl who isn't quite as attractive (or as nice) as his girlfriend?
- but I know that's often the case in real life, so I can let that go.Finally, Jesse didn't need the whole 'troubled teen past' - in the places where it was used, it wasn't really necessary - and although I'm no fan of the family values lobby, I am thoroughly sick of the single-parent-family that seems to exist in every single movie these days.
It's just a lazy way of adding to teen angst, and avoids the need to write convincing two-parent scenes.Swimfan is fine, but is only really a stepping-stone movie onto bigger and (hopefully) better things for the lead actors..
I would like to say that this movie hasn't got many reasons to be as good as it is, because it is a teen/twentysomething play on a formula that's kind of, or for lack of a better phrase truly, been done to death.
However, it's extremely well made by director John Polson and well-acted by the young cast, particularly Traffic's Erika Christensen, who shines as Madison Bell, the obsessive swim fan of the title.The story deals with Ben Cronin, a high school senior who's life is going pretty well, as the hero's usually is at the start of these pictures, he has a lot of good friends, he has a girlfriend Amy (Shiri Appleby) who is as sweet as apple pie, and he's on the way to a swimming scholarship to Stanford.
I suppose I don't have to say that because that is pretty much how a Fatal Attraction picture works.What makes this movie work is that it is well done, and it is as creepy as most FA clones need to be if they expect to work.
Plus, the three leads are all very good, albeit this film belongs to Erika Christensen, who does a pretty good job of stealing the movie..
It's a typical teen flick, a version in their age bracket of Fatal Attraction.Jesse's the object of the obsession of Erika Christiansen, a most disturbed young woman who had a tragedy that most of the cast doesn't know about, but that truly unhinges her.After Erika seduces Jesse in a steamy seduction scene at the high school pool, she enters his life in all sorts of unwanted ways.
When one of Jesse's swimming teammates winds up dead in the selfsame swimming pool, he's looking mighty good for it to the police.Swimfan is not a badly done teen flick and in Bradford one has a young Tyrone Power so Erika's obsession is understandable.Hey, I think he looks a bit like Power, maybe Rob Lowe..
Ben Cronin (Bradford) is one of those high schoolers that almost had it all: plenty of good friends, a sweet girlfriend (Appleby), and the swimming skills of a champion.
Madison seduces Ben in the pool one night, and while he feels guilty after a session of horizontal watersports, Masison goes Glen Close in Fatal Attraction crazy when he turns her down, and the movie starts to turn.From the previews, Swimfan looked like a bad movie, an "Attraction" set in high school suburbia with Michael Douglas' role as a swim fanatic instead of a businessman.
Christensen, who made a startling breakout role as a judge's intoxicated daughter in 2000's Traffic, plays it rather straight and sensual, which gives the film a boost, until her over-the-top climax, and shows that, in a B-movie sort of showcase, she can hold her own.
Although Being Predictable, This Teen Version of `Fatal Attraction' is not so Bad. Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) is an ex-addicted in drugs athlete.
When the young woman Madison Bell (Erika Christensen) joins his high-school, he is seduced by her and has an intercourse with her in the swimming pool.
This teen version of `Fatal Attraction' is very predicable, but is not a bad movie.
Don't get me wrong, they probably won't be nominated for any Academy Awards, but they're not a waste of a movie ticket either.Both Jesse Bradford and Erika Christensen carry the film well.
High-school swimmer Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) is good looking, popular, has a pretty devoted girlfriend, Amy (Shiri Appleby), and a promising future—kinda makes you sick doesn't it?
But after new-girl Madison (Erika Christensen) sets him in her sights, seducing him in the school pool, his perfect life gradually turns into a living hell.Yup, it's a teen version of Fatal Attraction, with middle-aged Michael Douglas replaced by hunk Bradford and scary Glenn Close substituted for curvaceous but clearly cuckoo Christensen.
Formulaic, predictable and undemanding, there's very little here to surprise the viewer, and the ease with which Madison goes about her business requires suspension of disbelief on a massive scale; despite this, Swimfan still manages to be a fun little thriller, helped immensely by surprisingly solid performances from the young eye-candy cast and effective direction from John Polson, who at least executes his well-worn clichés with a degree of style..
It's a teenage drama, the story is about a new girl in town acted by the attractive Erika Christensen who eyes an average college guy, with some sport ambitions, a girlfriend relationship who should make him happy for the rest of his life, but with some troubled history of himself that makes him a potential stalker victim.
Find an older film(s) that had good box office results (in this case "Play Misty for Me" and "Fatal Attraction").
The only thing more money-in-the-bank is Disney's re-release of its classics to a new audience every eight years.Although portrayed one-dimensionally, the obsessive character in 'Misty" and "Fatal Attraction" was a deep thinker compared to "Swimfan's" Madison.
The script provides no way for her to communicate what attracts Madison to high-school athletes, what makes her instantly obsessive toward Ben (Jesse Bradford), or even what she finds attractive about him.
Speaking of which, Ben and Madison's sexual tumble in the swimming pool is the movie's one moment of true excellence.
There is no way after the swimming pool scene that Ben would have resisted Christensen and gone back to a sexless nothing like Sheri Appleby (insert "Some Kind of Wonderful" here).
I was unfortunately not impressed at all with this so called 'blockbuster' movie, as i thought it to be a remake of Adrian Lynne's 80's cult classic-"Fatal Attraction".As i watched it, everything seemed so familiar, the 'bad girl' thrillers have been all seen before, and the only way this differs from all of the others is that this is set in high school.
For people who thought this movie was great, they should first check out "Fatal attraction"- the concept is the same.
Jesse Bradford's character is (just) sympathetic enough to side with, Erika Christensen is a very believable and delightfully sardonic femme fatale, and the rest of the cast seem to be remembering their lines and stuff, which is more than good enough for this sort of B-movie.
as a girlfriend makes you consider an adventure.There are some sexy steamy scenes like the one in the pool where Christensen's character, with sexy moans and everything seduces Ben. Also, when she says "panties" is a major turn on.
Though this movie wasn't the best romantic thriller to come along, it was very similiar to the classic 'Fatal Attraction'.
Jesse Bradford plays the perfect guy who's life couldn't be better until his one mistake, an affair with Erika Christenson's psychotic character, Madison, destroys his once perfect life.
The acting is pretty good, especially Erika Christensen's performance as Madison.
In the Deep End. It's a "fatal attraction" for handsome high school swimmer Jesse Bradford (as Ben Cronin) when sexy "Swimfan" Erika Christensen (as Madison Bell) can't get into her sticky locker.
Soon, high school life for Bradford and sweet, steady girlfriend Shiri Appleby (as Amy Miller) is filled with misery
and murder."Swimfan" is smoothly directed by John Polson, nicely photographed by Giles Nuttgens, and contains some engaging performances - but, the film is really very ordinary.
The supporting cast includes Richard Burton's daughter Kate (a very sweet lady), and John Ritter's son Randy (nepotism doesn't run in the Ritter family, it gallops).**** Swimfan (8/19/02) John Polson ~ Jesse Bradford, Erika Christensen, Shiri Appleby.
Swimfan is a drama/romance/thriller directed by John Polson, also the director for Hide and Seek, that stars Jesse Bradford (Cherry Falls, Clockstoppers), Erika Christensen (Flightplan, The Perfect Score), and Shiri Appleby (Darklight, Undertow).This movie made me cry at the end.
Otherwise I'd be so sad.Anyway, the whole plot is, Ben Cronin (Bradford) has it all: the friends, the perfect girlfriend named Amy (Appleby), and good grades, and a great chance at a swimming scholarship.
Ben doesn't want her, and that's what gets Madison mad (she's basically psycho in the movie, and hides it very well, by the way).
SWIMFAN **1/2 Athletic high school jock is seduced and then stalked by Erika Christensen, who seems to be a normal enough teenager at first but appears psychologically imbalanced as the story fortifies.
But the film just does not present them in a way to make 'Swimfan' commendable or recommendable to watch.Rating System ***** Excellent **** Good *** Fair ** Poor * Bad. An Interesting, but flawed thriller.....
There's always that one movie that you think it's going to be good, but you leave the theater a little disappointed.Swimfan has the makings of a really good thriller that could touch bases to Fatal Attraction, but more for a younger audience.
However, the film fails to get up in the ranks with the really big thrillers.Ben Cronin(Jesse Bradford) has a popular student from his school and has great hopes of getting a scholarship for swimming.
Ben tries to avoid her, but she keeps trying going to the same places as he is and is concern about his own relationship with Amy.Though, the film is suspenseful at times, it fails to exceeds in terms of plot, and dialog.
Unique "teenage" take on "Play Misty for Me" or "Fatal Attraction."Bad elements of this film: Some really cheesy acting.
And a subject matter very overdone and played out in years past.Side note: On the DVD, where the director makes comments about certain scenes, etc., the film's relation to "Fatal Attraction" comes up.
You have a teen(Ben) who's swimming for a scholarship, having a good girlfriend(Amy) to back you up all the way, what more could a guy want?
This was an awesome thriller that was 1:HIGHLY entertaining 2: There was great acting 3: It kept you on the edge of your seat through the whole movie 4: The story is really good and clever, and it really reminded me of Fatal Attraction and 5: It was just great!
The reviewers hated it, my teenagers hated it, and I left the movie theatre before it was done and only came back for the ending, which once again was the worst I've ever seen.Now I know why the supporters of this film withheld it from the reviewers before it's opening and hired a reviewer to give it a good rating.
In the movie, Madison Bell played by very talented Erika Christensen, is the new girl that has a sudden likeness for Ben Cronin, played by Jesse Bradford.
Now she has more of a figure, has more skill in whatever role she is put up to, and will most likely succeed high in her career as well.The co-stars of this movie include Shiri Appleby, playing "Amy".
Thats the way this film is , really bad, but I watched it so have to give it more than two stars.Ben, good looking swimmer boy has cute girlfriend, but new chic comes to town.
High school student Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) works hard swimming with a Stanford scout coming.
Madison Bell (Erika Christensen) is the new girl in school.
Madison befriends Amy and things get uncomfortable for Ben.It's Fatal Attraction for teens.
But the rest of the Cast doesn't Quite Reach Professional and should be Glad to get a Paycheck.It is a Not So Bad Entertainment that would have been Much Better if it had just Given in to an R-Rating and Go for the Juggler, because as it Turned Out the Talent at Work here was not Able to make a PG-13 Anything more than a Low-Rent, Hum-Drum Movie that is Unlikely to be Enjoyed by its No-Gore Targeted Audience..
'Swimfan' is definitely a movie for those who are interested in 'High School Fatal Attraction'..
Not sexy or edgy enough to swim with the big fish (i.e. Fatal Attraction), this film drowns in its own predictability.
With great natural ability and the support of a loving girlfriend he's looking forward to competing for a prestigious college scholarship, but all that changes when he has a fling with new girl in school Madison Bell, an obsessive sociopath who's fixated on becoming a part of his life whether he wants her to or not.
The New Girl at school is obsessed with a swimmer named Ben Croin,who has a girlfriend.They make love one night by accident,and his life is turned around.
It was pretty entertaining for like 20 minutes, and the girl who plays psycho bitch who is chunky as hell started acting like any other stupid evil character in every American movie of the last 50 years.
Slick high school hunk Bradford living on the east coast has a close to ideal life with a girlfriend and a swimming scholarship toward Stanford-but ironically when the new-girl-in-school (Christensen) keeps running into him, she leads him into a forbidding (and routine) trap beginning with seducing him in the pool.
And apparently this high school doesn't believe in ever locking the doors to the swimming pool since the kids go there anytime they want.Of course, the crazy girl does mean things to her obsession, like getting him kicked off the swim team and trying to kill his girlfriend.
I rented this video because of the cast, two of whom are Soderberg alumni, Jesse Bradford (King of the Hill) and Erika Christensen (Traffic), they were great on those movies, but not on this piece of crap.The story is so derivative and worn out.
Swim star Ben (Jesse Bradford) has a picture-perfect romance with Amy (Shiri Appleby) until Madison (Erika Christensen) comes around.
I don't see how u guys think this movie is bad.It's very good.So what if some of the things are a little confusing.Like how Madison got out of the police car.It's a movie.Use ur imagination.Didn't u ever watch Barney.LOL.But I think it's great.I give it 10 stars and 2 thumbs up..
swimfan is for a teen-movie a good case.
With a great first half hour...Ben (Jesse Bradford) and very sexy Madison (Erika Christensen) are great in seducting each other.
** out of ****Swimfan stars Jesse Bradford as Ben Cronin, the high school swimming champ who's gearing up for the big competition that could determine his future.
He tries to break it off with Madison, not knowing she's a psychopath who won't take "no" for an answer.Swimfan is actually not a bad movie, for the most part, at least.
Ex-Bad Boy Jesse Bradford is a Swim Team phenom, about to be recruited by a Major College; his girlfriend, Shiri Appleby, is sweetly naive, but happily hops into bed because she believes in him; his coach (grimly determined and one-dimensional Dan Hedaya), his mom (a somewhat spacy Kate Burton), and his teammates all LOVE him.Enter new girl Erika Christensen, a cello-playing chubby blonde nymphet with AN ATTITUDE.
This movie is just a teenaged Fatal Attraction.
Ben Cronin(Jesse Bradford) has a promising future ahead of him with his successful swimming career and his high school sweetheart girlfriend Amy(Shiri Appleby).
Things do not go swimmingly for Speedo-sportin' stud Ben (Bradford) after he has hot sex in the pool with new-girl-in-school Madison (Christensen).
I think that this movie is actually interesting and it has a great cast!Jesse Bradford is a good-looking guy who was in movies like Bring It On and Clockstoppers.Erika Christensen is a semi-pretty girl who is believable as a psyco-chick (I dont know if thats a good thing or a bad thing).She was in movies like Traffic and The Banger Sisters.Then Shiri Appleby,she is one of the most beautiful actresses out there.She was in movies like A Time For Dancing and she was on the show Roswell as Liz..
Erika Christensen, as the homicidal psycho girl who becomes obsessive whenever Jesse Bradford takes his shirt off, steals the movie as Madison Bell, an intelligent, attractive girl who thinks everyone else around her is a dim, uninteresting moron.
Shiri Appleby, that girl from "Roswell," plays Bradford's boring-as-hell, plain-Jane, working-class, sweet girlfriend so well that you wonder why on Earth he'd be attracted to her over the gorgeous, forward, albeit nutso Erika Christensen.When my friend Kacoon and I saw this, our favorite scene was Madison's "swimming lesson," where she essentially rides cleavage-first on Jesse Bradford's chest until he takes the not-so-subtle hint.The plot is your formula psycho-stalker movie, done to death with films like "Fatal Attraction" and "The Temp." If you want to see a variation on the theme that actually works really well, watch "One Hour Photo."To see cute people in trouble and in the swimming pool, watch this..
The performances in this film were also outstanding, especially Erika Christensen who was a very believable Madison.. |
tt0086525 | Valley Girl | Julie Richman (Foreman) is a Valley girl who seems to have it all: good looks, popularity, and a handsome Valley dude boyfriend, Tommy (Bowen), but she is having second thoughts about her relationship with the arrogant and selfish Tommy. At the end of a shopping trip with her friends, Loryn (Daily), Stacey (Heidi Holicker), and Suzi (Meyrink), Julie runs into Tommy and breaks up with him. Later that day at the beach, Julie trades shy glances with a young man in the distance.
That night, at a party at Suzi's house, Julie locks eyes with Randy (Cage), a Hollywood punk who has crashed the party with his friend, Fred (Dye). They hit it off well, especially after Julie learns that Randy was the young man at the beach earlier. Tommy is jealous, and tries to bed Loryn. He fails and gets his cronies to eject Randy and Fred from the party. Undaunted, Randy sneaks back into the house, and hides in an upstairs bathroom shower. Randy waits in the shower for Julie to enter the bathroom as various partygoers come and go, talking about and trying to have sex, and doing drugs. When Julie eventually does enter, Randy convinces her to leave the party with him. Julie brings a very reluctant Stacey along for the ride with Randy and Fred. While at Randy's favorite Hollywood nightclub, Julie and Randy rapidly grow closer as Stacey continually rebuffs Fred's advances.
Julie's friends, dismayed by her relationship with Randy, pressure her to drop him and get back together with Tommy. Julie asks her father (Frederic Forrest) for advice, and he kindly tells her that she should follow her heart. Despite this, Julie reconciles with Tommy and later dumps Randy. A heartbroken Randy gets severely drunk, makes out with his ex-girlfriend (Tina Theberge), and nearly gets into a fight with a gang of low riders before Fred saves him. Fred chides Randy for moping over Julie, but tells him that he needs to fight if he truly wants her back. After Randy flits about the Valley for the next few days just so he can get a glimpse at Julie, Fred says that he has a plan that will both reunite Randy with Julie and get revenge against Tommy.
A subplot involves Suzi and her stepmother, Beth (Lee Purcell), vying for the attention of a boy named Skip (David Ensor). At her party, Suzi tells Beth, who is chaperoning, about Skip, who she likes and hopes will show up. When Skip does arrive, Beth finds herself attracted to him. Skip is also attracted to Beth and goes out of his way to go to see her without Suzi finding out. One day, Skip enters Suzi's house, apparently looking for Beth. He goes upstairs and finds a woman in the shower in Beth's bedroom. Skip and this woman, whose face is not shown, are then shown making love. Another woman arrives home and goes upstairs. The bedroom door opens, Beth enters, and only then it is shown that Suzi was in the shower and in bed with Skip. Skip and Suzi go to the prom together.
As the girls make prom decorations, Stacey and Loryn chat over their post-prom plans. Stacey reveals that Tommy made a reservation at the Valley Sheraton Hotel as an after-prom "surprise" for Julie.
Tommy and Julie ride to the prom in a rented stretch limousine; Randy and Fred arrive shortly after and sneak backstage. Randy becomes increasingly annoyed with just watching the Valley High kids dance, but Fred assures him that all is going according to plan. Julie and Tommy are escorted backstage, waiting to be introduced as king and queen of the prom. Randy confronts Tommy, and the two begin to brawl. When the prom king and queen are announced, the curtain pulls back to reveal Randy beating up Tommy. Randy knocks Tommy out, then escorts a thrilled Julie from the stage through the crowd. Tommy recovers and storms through the crowd towards Randy and Julie, who start a food fight to slow Tommy down and facilitate their escape from the venue in Tommy's rented limousine.
As the happy couple ride into the night towards the Valley Sheraton, Julie removes Tommy's I.D. bracelet, which had been a sign of the relationship between the two during the entire film, and throws it out the window. The scene, which echoes the final scene of the film The Graduate, pans to the overview of the Valley, while the limo turns past the Sherman Oaks Galleria glowing in the night. | violence, cult | train | wikipedia | You can go to Deborah Foreman's website to sign a petition to get it released on DVD and there are 2 soundtracks from the movie that are must haves if you like 80's music..
This is sweeter and gentler than most films of the genre--the requisite nudity seems thrown in by contractual obligation--and, while not groundbreaking, it certainly is nice to see this kind of movie that respects its characters and doesn't crucify its shallow young girls for having fun--even Foreman's crew of best friends, misguided by peer pressure, are never presented as villains.
And one can't write about Valley Girl and not mention the fabu soundtrack of great 80's tunes--most of them by one-hit wonders, which are not only integral to the sense of time and place in this movie, but thematically well-chosen.
In the tradition of "Romeo and Juliet," a punker named Randy (Nicholas Cage) begins a relationship with shallow teenage girl named Julie (Deborah Foreman), but peer pressure from her equally shallow friends forces her to break up and go back to her ex-boyfriend (Michael Bowen).
Will he succeed?Fine performances by Cage, Foreman, Frederick Forrest and Colleen Camp (as Julie's hippie parents), sensitive directing by Martha Coolidge, and totally tubular soundtrack by Modern English, The Plimsouls, and Men at Work (to name a few) makes this fun sleeper one of the best 80's teen comedies (fer shure).
Martha Coolidge's milking of the Romeo and Juliet premise (with Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman filling in as star-crossed lovers in the San Fernando Valley) was smart and convincing.
I wanted to be like Cage's tough Randy and fall in love with a beautiful girl like Foreman's Julie to the sounds of Eddie Grant, Modern English, and The Plimsouls..
The music is top notch and I still play the soundtrack after all these years.I have seen this movie so many times and yet I still get yearnings to watch it again and again.
It is too bad the rest of the cast didn't go on to greater things but maybe that is part of this film's charm.I won't do a film school critique as I am sure all the analysts out there can find fault if they wanted to, but what I will say is that this movie defined my teenage years and still continues to influence my life over 20 years later.
Perhaps its the lack of research that went into Nicolas Cage's character's 'punk' persona or just the cheesiness factor because it was such a typical eighties film...nonetheless it's a cute love story with extremely funny, unique characters.
A wonderful rendition of high school life and "gritty downtown" from a suburban perspective.The soundtrack contains songs by Modern English, Felony, Josie Cotton, Sparks, Payola$, Josie Cotton, The Plimsouls, The Psychedelic Furs, Men At Work, The Flirts and Bananarama.This movie truly is Romeo and Juliet (minus the double suicide) set in 1980's Los Angeles.
Sure we have seen some big teen films, like American Graffiti, Ferris Bueller's Day Off , Mischief, Girls just wanna have fun and in recent times The American Pie' Series, but Valley Girl is right up there as a very good teen film, with a cool soundtrack and a cast that really amazed me.
This movie combines Hollywood punk with Valley conservative, ageing hippies with high school proms and generally shows that being a teenager CAN be outrageous fun!
Randy also has a very good friend in Fred (Cameron Dye), who stands by him many times.The girl Randy is after is the beautiful Julie Richman (Deborah Foreman), someone who has just broken up with a real creep, Tommy (Michael Bowen), who unfortunately has not accepted it yet.
Finally, I have never seen a cover to a video quite like the one for this movie, showing a Glossary of Valley Girl talk'.
My favorite character was Stacey (Heidi Holicker), because she made me laugh when she showed no interest in Fred (Cameron Dye) who really liked her and I was hoping that in the end that they would get together then her boring boyfriend, Ralphie (Christopher Murray)because he ignored her and hung out with his friends.
Valley Girl, to those who love it, is THE classic 80s movie.
But it is a great love story, and to a teenage girl who was going in to high school when the movie came out, the dialog, clothes and music were just the COOLEST thing ever.
Every girl has some sort of liaison going on, and they're all shallow or unrequited relationships--which is the movie's way of showing how ironic it is that Julie's friends can't accept her true love with a "townie".
The best scenes in this film take place in seedy Hollywood clubs by Nicolas Cage's character.
Nicholas Cage's improvisational on the spot acting; The camera work and angles are excellent given the budget they had and only being able to have one take of each scene; The sytles, music and lingo are captured perfectly and forever; Again the music is incredible and carries the story along from scene to scene; And finally...Martha Coolidge could turn a weak script, unknown actors and a very very low budget and 20 days of shooting the entire movie into such a good and memorable movie is astounding!.
Unlike most teen movies of the era, "Valley Girl" has a sweet nature to it, despite the presence of material like foul language, nudity, and sex.
Though the time in which it is set plays a major role in the movie, the essential love story is timeless.
I bought it on DVD from Walmart a few years ago, it's like Romeo & Juliet meets the 1980's but with awesome music and a totally cool story.Nicolas Cage at 19 was handsome and the perfect choice to play Randy a punk from the city who finds love with a girl from the valley,the cast includes Deborah Foreman as the love interest, Frederic Forrest & Colleen Camp as the hippie parents, Michael Bowen as the jock ex- boyfriend Elizabeth Daily, Heidi Hollicker & Michelle Meyrink as Julie's friends, and Cameron Dye as Randy's friend.The story is simple Julie (Foreman) a girl from the Valley fed up with her boyfriend Tommy's (Bowen) attitude breaks up with him and begins to date Randy (Cage) a punk from Hollywood High.
The most iconic scene occurs during the junior prom when Randy finally gets his revenge and a fight breaks out that ends with Julie dumping Tommy for the second time and reuniting with her true love.
The end scene shows the young lovers departing into the night in a limousine and Modern English's I Melt With You playing during the credits.For fans of 80's movies and romance Valley Girl is for sure to entertain and please anyone who enjoys good times and cool tunes..
It is really hard to decipher the veritable Raison d'Etre of 'Valley Girl' as despite having an important role by Nicholas Cage, it was neither a mainstream Hollywood film with big stars nor was it a product of quirky American independent cinema movement.
It is not a surprise that 'Valley Girl' has entered numerous English language dictionaries as an expression but as a film it advocated good times for young people as their parents were not putting any pressure on them.
In the early 1980's the teen sex comedy was a prevalent genre, producing such "risque" works as Porky's (1982), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and The Last American Virgin (1982) - naming just a few of the many varying qualities of film.
I'm not suggesting these films are awful - they have their qualities - but the level of drama or realism of character is sorely missing.Julie (Deborah Foreman), as the title highlights, is from the rich valleys of California.
In the high schools of the valley, the need to stay within the confines of your "class" is essential to keep your reputation in tact, and Randy does not fit in to the generic role of preppy boy.The film does itself conform to romantic comedy tropes, but this does not matter.
We still really love the movie and soundtrack "Valley Girl".
One of the better teen comedies to be filmed during the 80's, Valley Girl has a young Nicolas Cage in a starring role.
I think it was dreadful, I knew it was gonna be a high school romance flick, but unlike the successful hughes films like sixteen candles, pretty in pink and some kind of wonderful, or the raunchier ones like Porky's and fast times at ridgemont high, Valley Girl is boring, unfunny and poorly made.
For anyone who says they love 80's movies such as Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and Better Off Dead they really can't comment until they have seen "Valley Girl" as this movie is the one and only and deserves its place in history..
It is one of the many CLASSICS of the 80's genre like "Pretty in Pink" or "Some kind of Wonderful".Nic plays the traditional punk guy in love with the traditional valley, preppy girl Julie.
"Julie Richman" (Deborah Foreman) is a high school student who lives in the Valley and surrounds herself with friends who think and act like she does.
There's like this movie like called Valley Girls and like its in California and OH MY GOSH like it has Nicolas Cage in it as a new wave punker like gag me!
When Romeo left Hollywood to go over the hill to the LA Valley I doubt he knew Deborah Foreman would be there waiting for him, but a young Nick Cage could do much worse (and has) than this cute little teen tale.There have been far too many poor movies in this genre, and, although Valley Girl may not be in the upper stratosphere with Fast Times at Ridgemont High, it's right there with Clueless.
A punk inspired Romeo & Juliet set in the San Fernando valley.Randy (Nicolas Cage) is a punk who gatecrashes a party with a friend.
Julie's friends do not think much of Randy as well.However Randy is determined to win Julie's heart.Valley Girl is a low budget edgy film about teenagers and comes across as rather flat, boring and dated.
Released in 1983, "Valley Girl" stars Nicolas Cage as a Hollywood dude named Randy who develops a relationship with a girl from the San Fernando Valley, Julie (Deborah Foreman).
While it originally referred to the upper-middle class girls of the Los Angeles commuter towns of the San Fernando Valley in the early 80s, it later applied more broadly to any woman or girl—primarily in the USA and Canada—typified by ditziness, airheadedness, and greater interest in conspicuous consumption than spiritual or intellectual accomplishment.The movie was quickly thrown together in response to Frank Zappa's 1982 hit "Valley Girl," notorious for 14 year-old Moon Zappa's monologue, which popularized Valleyspeak like "Gag me with a spoon." Whatever the case, the film works well for what it is, a coming-of-age drama about Southern Californian youths.
Other early-to-mid 80's teen movies had the same problem, like "Sixteen Candles" and "Pretty in Pink." If you want an excellent rockin' soundtrack check out 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and 1993's "Dazed and Confused." The film runs 99 minutes and was shot in the Los Angeles area with the mall scenes shot in Stockton.GRADE: B+.
Director Martha Coolidge took the lack of budget and time and crafted one of the best movies of the time.I remembered Nicolas Cage as one of the stoners from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and in this film he plays Randy from Hollywood who falls for the valley girl Julie played by Foreman.
He is a jerk and two timer and you wonder what Julie saw in him to begin with.The best co-star roles include Colleen Camp and Frederic Forrest as Julie's hippy parents and Lee Purcell as Mrs. Brent.What I loved about the movie was how Coolidge was able to weave multiple sub plots involving the side characters within the story of Randy and Julie.
You have the best of 80's new wave and pop including Sparks, Plimsouls, Modern English, Men at Work, Josie Cotton etc.....Valley Girl is one of those few films where all the stars align and where it is possible to make a piece of art that is a commercial success without relying on gratuitous sex or violence as many "teen" movies seem to do these days.
deborah foreman (where is she now?) as julie and nicolas cage as randy are as classic as romeo and juliet, tony and maria, jake and samantha...
To me, chemistry on screen is terribly important and these two leads did not have a lot of it.(Just my opinion.) Although, my interest was held by the music, the characters themselves, never drew me terribly in and there were not a lot of unforgettable lines or scenes, as in other teen movies made around this time.One of my best friends absolutely LOVES this movie but to me it never rated above a 5 and it never created a strong impression on me.
I know you have to judge these movies in a different way, can't take them too seriously, but the movie was about an hour old until you got a feel for any of the characters, aside from Randy and Julie (Cage and Foreman).
Can't really see how this movie spawned the whole Valley Girl image but the caveat is that I was 3 when this film was made, so what do I know?
this movie about early 80's san fernando valley girls, who set a world-wide trend with their neon mini-skirts, big hair, and like, far-out diction should have been great but it isn't.
great overplayed song -- and "Valley Girl" started this trend by playing it TWICE during the film), I've NEVER seen the beginning.Yes, it's sad how Nic Cage ended up a lot like that Modern English song, but here, he has everything to be proud of.In many ways, the film at its best represents what the 80s could have been ...
The best thing about this is the soundtrack, as Cage and the rest of the cast (Dye, Foreman) look like they are in their mid to late 20s, not high school juniors.
Give the cast and crew credit for accomplishing a lot with a little, but you never forget that you're looking at a cheaply made movie.The plot is a likable, if predictable, romance between Randy, a streetwise character played by Cage, and Julie, the beautiful valley girl played by Deborah Foreman.
The popularity that the film still enjoys is due to Cage's acting talent, the great soundtrack highlighted by Modern English's "I'll Melt With You", and the beauty of Deborah Foreman.
Oh me, oh my!The clothes, the hair, the swimwear!Nicolas Cage as a young buck attempting to romance a girl from the other side of the valley!Hysterical...for all the dated gems this movie contains..
Randy and Fred drive valley girls Julie and Stacey into the city.I love the specific moment in time with the kids serving sushi.
Julie Richman (Deborah Foreman) a sweet, rich valley girl develops crush on Randy (Nicholas Cage) a stray alley cat, ie a punk.
The movie not only follows the life of the valley girl and her punk; but her friends too as they shop, party, hang out, and go to the mall.
The movie not only follows the life of the valley girl and her punk; but her friends too as they shop, party, hang out, and go to the mall.
Though Julie and Randy don't have much in common at all, the movie captures the essence of the materialistic eighties: malls, the credit card machines, the punk hair color, in a sweet, intelligent Romeo & Juliet teen flick.
However, if you want to see a real stereotypical Valley Girl movie, watch "Clueless" instead..
A lot of annoying subplot gets in the way of the core story.The film has little substance to its story and barely stays alive only as a result of a great eighties soundtrack and Nicolas Cage's performance.For a better film with a similar plot I suggest "Say Anything," or if you're looking for something of the valley girl persuasion "Clueless" is probably the best choice.
Your time would much better be spent on these films than watching the garbage which is "Valley Girl." 4 out of 10..
Valley girl is an upbeat comedy from the 80s about a girl named Julie who falls in love with a boy named Randy over the course of a year to an awesome soundtrack.
Stacy in his break out role before April Fool's day was a true talent lighting up the scenes and letting the script coming alive naturally.The soundtrack was amazing from ill stop the world and melt with you, Johnny are you queer and many more great hits feeling like a character itself.Almost in a unique way its like the karate kid, boy meets girl, old boyfriend wants her back, her friends hate him and you rejoice when they come together in the end.Be sure to check out Valley girl and experience an inspiring.
They should have stopped this picture.City guy Nicolas Cage falls for a girl from the valley, while on the beach and then meets her at a party.The film is filled with clichés.
You actually wouldn't think it was him at all, he kinda reminds me of a greater like character as if the movie is sort of the musical "Grease".Another thing I was surprised about, was Elizabeth Daily aka Blossom from "The Powerpuff Girls" was involved in this.
I realize that most movies cast actors in these type of films who are older in real life than the characters they play.
I grew up in the Valley area at this time and the way people talked wasn't laid on as thick as this movie shows.
Speaking of the way they dress, Cage's character comments in the club on how the one valley girl looks just like her friend, like the two just came off a conveyor belt. |
tt0336325 | Dracula II: Ascension | NOTE: Sequel to Dracula 2000. It is not crucial, but it helps to have first seen Dracula 2000, if
only to know Dracula's lineage and how he was left burned and hanging from a lighted crucifix.Father Uffizi [Jason Scott Lee] hunts vampires. He travels the world to behead them
with his bullwhip, but his ultimate goal is to find the first vampire, Dracula (revealed as Judas Iscariot in Dracula 2000), absolve Dracula's
sins against Jesus, set his soul free, and end his unholy existence.
So, when Dracula's charred body turns up in the New Orleans morgue,
Uffizi heads there. Medical students, Liz Blaine [Diane Neal] and Luke [Jason London] are charged with
autopsying the body. When they open the abdominal cavity, they find that
the liver and other organs are white, suggesting to Luke that the person
did not produce his own blood but got it elsewhere, i.e., a vampire. Not
believing, Liz searches the mouth for fangs, which suddenly erupt and stab
her finger. Then comes a phone call offering them $30 million for the
body. They decide to switch the vampire with another burn victim, keep the
$30 million, and hide the vampire's body in order to study it. Liz and
Luke, accompanied by two other med students, Kenny [Khary Payton] and Tanya [Brande Roderick], transport
the vampire's body to the abandoned home of Professor Lowell [Craig Sheffer], who
is also Liz's lover and who is confined to a wheelchair because of
cerebral palsy.They're not quite sure how they're going to research this vampire,
but the first thing on the agenda is to immerse him in 350 pints of blood
to allow his body to heal. After two hours without a ripple, they decide
to fish out the body to see if anything is happening. Just then, the
vampire [Stephen Billington] sits up, busts his way out of the tub, and kills Tanya in the
process. As Luke prepares to stake the very angry vampire, Eric [John Light] enters
with a 'sungun' and subdues the vampire. Eric introduces himself as "the
money." After the vampire is secured and Tanya is buried, they move the
vampire to an abandoned gym where a testing room has been set up with
ultraviolet lights and a table to which the vampire can be secured with
chains coated in liquid silver. The plan is to find the vampire's essence
and make from it a vaccine that can be used to cure diseased cells.The first experiment involves placing a drop of human blood on a
sample of skin taken from the vampire. The skin quickly grows "like a
cancer but without the chaos." Next, a syringeful of blood is drawn from
the vampire's neck, and a drop of the vampire's blood is placed on a
tissue sample from Lowell's wasted muscle. The vampire blood cells
immediately begin killing off the human cells. "If it's replacing the
cells that it has killed, when do you stop being you?" Liz wonders. Luke squirts
the changing tissue with holy water, and it immediately begins to sizzle
as though acid had been poured on it. Now, "the trick is to separate the
diseased vector--the evil, if you will--from the cure," says Lowell.But Kenny can't wait. He injects the remainder of the vampire's blood
into himself. Of course, he turns into a vampire. Eric, Liz, and Luke go
looking for him. In their absence, the vampire mesmerizes Lowell into
driving his wheelchair off a ledge. When Liz and Luke return, they find
Lowell badly injured. Meanwhile, Liz has been noticing that her vampire
bite is infected and that the infection is spreading throughout her body.
Yet, she is still committed to the research because of her love for
Lowell. Finding a cure for him is of tantamount importance. Liz reveals to
Luke the extent of her infection and pleads with him to help.But the vampire's blood supply has been depleted. Liz decides to
transfuse some of her own blood into the vampire so that she can get more
blood from him. She injects this blood into Lowell, who immediately begins
to heal. Lowell then laughs at Liz and tells her that he was only using
her, along with four others, to find a vampire. He says that he never
loved Liz and that he is "the money" behind the whole project. In a fit of
"jilted bitch," Liz tosses holy water on him.To protect themselves, Luke has sprinkled seeds around the vampire
and placed a knotted net on his chest. In the melee that ensues, Lowell
becomes a vampire and Dracula breaks free from his bindings. First,
Dracula bites off Eric's face. Then he turns on Luke and Liz. Luke reminds him that he must untie all the knots, but
Dracula tosses down a knotfree net. [Already done!] Luke reminds him that
he must count all the seeds, and Dracula replies, "47,812." Luke tosses a
bucket of seeds at him and challenges, "Count these!" Before the seeds
even hit the ground, Dracula says, "737,818." When one more seed falls
from the basket, Dracula amends his count to "...19."Fortunately, Father Uffizi has managed to destroy Tanya, Kenny, and
all the other vampires left in the wake. He now catches up with Dracula.
Liz is turning, too. Uffizi tells Luke to take her out into the sun, but
Liz is too far gone. In an attempt to kill Dracula, Uffizi smashes all the
windows to let in the sunlight. He wraps his whip around Dracula's neck
and is just about to behead him when Dracula forces upon him a vision of
Christ, blinding Uffizi for a moment. In that moment, Liz shoots Uffizi.
As Dracula escapes with Liz, Uffizi promises, "I'll find you." Dracula replies, "I'm counting on it." [Original synopsis by bj_kuehl] | violence | train | imdb | null |
tt0258000 | Panic Room | Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) is searching for a new home with her 11 year-old daughter, Sarah (Kristen Stewart), on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. They tour a luxurious, four-story brownstone and are shown, among other things, the master bedroom which houses an interesting commodity: a panic room. Lydia Lynch (Ann Magnuson), the realtor, explains that the previous owner was a reclusive millionaire who built the hidden panic room as a safeguard against intruders. It's protected with four-inch walls and an impressive security system built in complete with a separate phone line and security cameras situated throughout the townhouse. However, despite Sarah's intrigue, Meg is apprehensive about the room. Still, pressured by the tight market and assured that the home will quickly close, Meg decides to move in right away. After some light unpacking and a pizza dinner, they settle in for the night. Meg checks her daughter's watch, designed to track her blood sugar and keep her type 1 diabetes in check, before retreating to her room to bathe and down a bottle of red wine, clearly distraught over the move and her recent divorce. She attempts to wire the phone system in the panic room but gives up and goes to bed as rain falls outside.Later that night, three men break into the house. Junior (Jared Leto), the grandson of the previous owner and Burnham (Forest Whitaker), an employee of the security system with which the panic room was fitted, intend to steal the $3 million in bearer bonds stored in a floor safe inside the panic room. Burnham is distressed to see, however, that Junior has recruited a buddy of his named Raoul (Dwight Yoakam) to assist in the heist. Burnham argues over Raoul's presence, saying that he knows nothing about him and the plan was for just two of them to quietly go in, get the money, and get out. His reservations are doubled, however, when the trio notice that the townhouse is occupied. Angry at Junior for failing to follow up on when the Altmans were supposed to have moved in and unwilling to continue the heist with people inside, Burnham threatens to leave. Junior persuades him that nothing bad will happen and convinces Burnham to stay and finish the job, reminding him that he needs the money more than any of them.
Meanwhile, Meg wakes up to use the restroom. When she returns to her room, she finds that she left the lights on in the panic room. As she goes to turn them off, she notices the activated security cameras and sees the three men downstairs beginning to make their way up the staircase. She runs to Sarah's room and pours water over her face to wake her before she leads her down the hall. They make it to the elevator just as Raoul catches up to them. As they descend, Junior shouts down to Burnham on the ground floor to intersect them but Burnham refuses to hurt anyone. Sarah reminds her mother of the panic room and Meg hits the emergency stop on the elevator, redirecting it to the top floor. They exit the elevator and run into the panic room and shut the door just as Junior enters the master bedroom. In anger, he kicks the mirror hiding the panic room door, breaking it. Raoul calmly tells him that's seven years' bad luck. When Burnham finds out that the Altmans are in the panic room, he sadly tells the others that there is no way to get inside now. As Junior panics, Burnham assures him that there's nothing the women can do. Cell phones won't work in the panic room and he knows the emergency phone line hasn't been hooked up.Inside the panic room, Meg and Sarah discover that they have no way to contact the outside world for help. Feeling claustrophobic, Meg tries to calm herself and checks Sarah's watch before realizing that her glucagon syringes are outside and out of reach. The intercom system works and Meg threatens the men to leave or she will call the cops. However, Burnham makes it clear that he knows they don't have a phone and that they will not leave. Time passes and Meg continues to monitor the men through the surveillance system. Sarah peers through one of the bins inside the room, tossing aside blankets and things until she finds a flashlight. She lies on her stomach facing a vent allowing fresh air to circulate into the room from outside and puts the flashlight into it, turning it on and off in Morse Code for SOS. The light makes it across the alley into an adjacent apartment where a man (Andrew Kevin Walker) is sleeping. He soon stirs and gets up to see the light but, even when Meg and Sarah try to scream for help, he dismisses them and shuts his blinds.Meanwhile, Raoul and Junior attempt to tunnel into the panic room from the floor below with a sledgehammer but Burnham reminds them that they'll never get through the 4 inches of steel surrounding the room. Knowing that the women won't come out of the panic room themselves, Burnham devises a way to force them out. He retrieves a propane tank from the patio outside and attaches a garden hose to the nozzle. Picking up on the plan, Raoul uses a sledgehammer to break through the drywall in the master bedroom. Burnham breaks into the main ventilation pipe and feeds the hose into it, allowing just enough gas to filter into the room that Meg can smell it. His intent is just to send the women a message but Raoul becomes impatient and feeds more gasoline. Meg begins to cough but Raoul refuses to let up. Meg attempts to block off the vents with duct tape but the gas still seeps through. Desperate, she finds a lighter in the room and covers Sarah and herself with fireproof blankets before extending the lighter into the ventilation shaft. Hearing the ominous clanking of the lighter against the vent, Junior presses his ear to the wall as Burnham and Raoul back up. Meg ignites the gas and the explosion knocks her to the ground as the fire follows the path of the gas back into the room, severely burning Junior and propelling the propane tank into the far wall.Angered and in pain, Junior looks for medicine and argues with Raoul on his way downstairs. Burnham is kept out of their conversation and Raoul demands more money for his share in light of what's happened. As they argue and as Meg watches them from the surveillance cameras, she realizes that she can probably retrieve her cell phone from the bedroom and make it back before they notice. With Sarah watching, Meg opens the door and runs out to the bedroom, grabbing her phone but knocking over the lamp on the night stand. Burnham sees the light flicker from his point on the stairs and the men race back up to the room in time to see Meg dive back into the panic room. Junior panics when he sees that Meg has a cell phone but Burnham reminds him that cell phones won't work in there. Meg finds this out the hard way until she discovers that she can hardwire the house line to the emergency phone line in the room. She manages to reach into the circuitry and tap the main line as Burnham, having seen the wire disappear from the outlet in the bedroom, races downstairs to cut the line. After being placed on hold by the police, Meg follows her daughter's suggestion of calling her ex-husband, Stephen. Stephen's girlfriend (Nicole Kidman) picks up inciting a hostile reaction from Meg. She is finally able to speak to Stephen for just a moment before Burnham cuts the line. Meg remains resolute that Stephen will help them but Sarah is not convinced. She then confesses to her mother that she's been feeling dizzy and hungry.As Meg pilfers through the bin for something with sugar, Junior goes downstairs. He lets slip to Raoul and Burnham that there is actually more money in the safe than he initially told them but that it's not even worth it now and he wants to leave. Raoul pulls out a gun and threatens Junior, to Burnham's indignation. Junior refuses to follow through with the heist, so Raoul shoots him in the head. Meg witnesses this from the surveillance cameras and hides the view from Sarah. Raoul then threatens Burnham to complete the job just as someone walks into the house. Meg watches, horrified, as Stephen (Patrick Bauchau) is brought into the main room at gunpoint and fails to hide this fact from Sarah. In view of the cameras, Raoul begins to beat up Stephen and Burnham tries to tell Meg that it will stop if she leaves the room. Helpless, Meg cradles Sarah and screams in frustration until Sarah's watch beeps in alarm. Her blood sugar dangerously low, Sarah suffers a seizure. Her seizing eventually subsides and Sarah is left in a semi-conscious state. Raoul and Burnham then use Stephen's unconscious form to trick Meg out of the room. Already desperate for Sarah's medicine, Meg resolves to leave. She finds Sarah's medicine pouch as Raoul and Burnham enter the panic room. Meg returns and struggles with Raoul who is thrown into the panic room. Burnham shuts the door as Meg throws Sarah's medicine pouch inside. Raoul's hand is crushed in the sliding door and he loses his gun. Meg is able to retrieve it and she activates the two-way intercom system to beg the men to let her give her daughter an injection. Burnham refuses to open the door, afraid that Meg will shoot them, so Meg demands that he give Sarah the injection himself. He agrees, but only if she'll leave the room. Raoul shouts out that if Meg calls the police or if she tries to leave the house, he will kill Sarah. Meg leaves and runs downstairs where she finds Stephen. He is alive but badly injured, so Meg props him up in a chair.Raoul manages to extract his hand from the door and sits in agony as Burnham opens the medicine pouch and follows Sarah's instructions to give her the injection. Burnham explains that it wasn't his intent to harm anyone and that he only wants a brighter future for his son. He tells Sarah that she and her mother weren't supposed to be here tonight. Once he is complete, he tells Meg over the intercom that Sarah will be all right. Then, he opens his duffel bag and removes a contraption that he uses to access the safe in the floor of the panic room. He gets the safe open and removes over $22 million in bearer bonds.
Suddenly, the doorbell rings. Raoul and Burnham see that the police have arrived. Stephen admits that he called the police before coming over. Knowing that the intruders are watching, Meg calms down and answers the door, acting as though she just woke up. The Officer Keeney (Paul Schulze) tells Meg that he and Officer Morales (Mel Rodriguez) are responding to an earlier call and a neighbor's complaint about shouts coming from her home. Meg lies to the officers and convinces them to leave, although Keeney suspects something. He goes so far as to suggest that Meg can't speak right now and assures her that they will remain in the area, but Meg laughs him off and shuts the door.With the police gone and Meg briefly out of sight, Raoul and Burnham leave the panic room with Sarah in tow. They walk downstairs where they come face to face with Stephen in his chair and a gun in his hands pointed at them. He demands that Sarah be released but Raoul refuses. Stephen shoots and misses as Meg comes down on Raoul from upstairs with a sledgehammer. She knocks Raoul over the bannister where he falls and breaks his leg as Burnham runs out to the patio with the bearer bonds under his arm. Hardly disabled despite his broken leg, Raoul attacks Meg and overpowers her. Sarah jumps on his back and stabs him in the neck with her syringe but Raoul knocks her off violently. Sarah crawls into the fireplace, screaming as Raoul grabs his sledgehammer and threatens to crush Meg with it. However, a shot rings out and Raoul falls over dead. Meg looks to see Burnham standing over her with Raoul's gun. He tells Meg that they'll be alright now before leaving. However, as soon as he walks outside into the alley, he is surrounded by SWAT team members and forced at gunpoint to raise his arms. He does so and the loose bearer bonds fly out of his grasp with the wind and out of sight.Stephen recovers and Meg and Sarah are soon left searching for another home together as they heal from their ordeal. Sitting on a park bench together, Sarah suggests a nice, simple apartment and Meg smiles in agreement. | suspenseful, neo noir, murder, mystery, violence, action, revenge, sadist | train | imdb | 3) Forest Whitaker, again (he's so good so often it's hard to not expect a great performance).The rest of the film is very good, directed with style and intelligence as usual by David Fincher (who did Seven and Fight Club).
David Fincher directs this cleverly conceived thriller about a mother and daughter trapped inside a panic room by three criminals.
In her first suspense-thriller since her Academy-Award winning turn in "The Silence of the Lambs", Jodie Foster registers quite well as middle-aged New Yorker Meg Altman, who moves into an EXTREMELY spacious brownstone with her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart), a diabetic tomboy.
Meg and Sarah waste no time in putting the claustrophobic area to use (on their first night, no less) when a trio of burglars (Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto and Dwight Yoakam) make their way into her building to retrieve a large sum of money.
While 'Panic Room' is not exactly white-knuckle suspense, it definitely has its moments, especially the heart-pounding moment when Meg leaves the panic room to grab her cell phone, and the the tension-building scene when Whitaker and Yoakam enter the panic room when Foster leaves.
Besides that, 'Panic Room' is an intelligently written and directed thriller from director David Fincher (Fight Club).
On their first night in the house, they get invaded by three criminals (Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto) intend on getting something from the previous owner left in the panic room.
This was a very suspenseful and exciting thriller from David Fincher who is responsible for my all time favourite film which is Seven.
It is portrayed very realistically, it could have happened the way it did and what is more scarier than being attacked in your own home?Excellent performance by Jodie Foster, Forrest Whitaker, Jared Leto and the very young Kristen Stewart.
If you like Jodie Foster and/or David Fincher, it is definitely the film for you as they are delivering here the climax of they talent..
This film follows recently divorced mother Meg Altman (played by Jodie Foster) and her diabetic preteen daughter Sarah (played by Kristen Stewart) who move in the luxury condos of Manhattan.
Meg and her daughter quickly take shelter in the panic room, only to learn that what the burglars are searching for happens to be in that room.David Fincher is an expert conveying suspense in his movies, and this is the biggest aspect he achieves in this film.
Video surveillance plays a key role in the plot with the two main characters watching over the three criminals via video cam in the panic room, so some of the most suspenseful scenes take place through video surveillance; and the video surveillance works very well as a plot device.
Jodie Foster's character and her daughter played by the then 11-year old Kristen Stewart are characters the audiences quickly come to care about, and the criminals serve as the most interesting characters, with a big moral conflict between these three playing a key role in the plot.
Forest Whitaker is very charismatic as the criminal who holds moral values and comes off as a somewhat likable, despite this affiliation with the other two who act in pure evil.Panic Room is a very compelling movie and a decent piece of work by David Fincher.
Panic Room gives a hiding place a new meaning, where a divorced woman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter (Kristen Stewart) take refuge in a safe room inside their house to hide from three thieves, who are searching for a missing fortune.You've all experience the thrills and excitement when you're in your hiding spot while playing a game of hide-and-seek.
This movie takes that definition of a hiding place to an entire new level, as it is fingernail-biting to see the protagonists shield themselves in a safe room from the antagonists, attempting to protect themselves from harm and, at the same time, trying to figure out what the bad guys want.Filmed with non-stop thrills, action and adventure, this crime thriller will surely give you an edge-of-your-seat entertainment, save from some lame acting moments.Grade B.
Jodie Foster is great, as usual, and Kristen Stewart was very good as the Sarah (although from the trailers, it was hard to tell if it was a boy or girl...)and Dwight and Forrest were great as well.
PANIC ROOM is a suspense thriller quite different from what I was expecting since I thought it would be something in the Horror genre, but no, it isn't, the plot is about a robbery that three guys try to do to a house with a panic room (I think it was the this title which induced me in error, because panic room is a protection room to the owners of the house).
About the cinematography I enjoyed the camera work which is excellent (especially in the first hour when they shot incredible details and the camera does a "travelling effect") and the light (almost the entire film is shot with little illumination, which makes it a suspenseful dark thriller, which I use to appreciate!:).
All the actors do their parts justice; Jodie Foster is convincing, the daughter pulls off apathy and so forth, Whitaker comes across as a reluctant man forced by circumstance, and there's a great (albeit small) performance by Cop #1.However, good acting and good direction do not make this film.
To what degree Koepp deserves the blame for these mismatched, unpleasant elements I do not know, but in my opinion he hasn't written a great script since Jurassic Park, which had all the comedy of Panic Room, but must have stolen the suspense from the second half.Overall, I'd give this movie 2 out of 5.
Although "Panic Room" is probably meant to be a thriller or suspense film or something like that, I couldn't help but think it was a comedy.
"Phone Booth" had the right idea with the "one-scene-only" style story, but "Panic Room" doesn't.After viewing it, you wish that Macualy Culkin was around, and he was setting your scalp on fire, knocking you down stairs with paint cans, or hurling bricks at your head from the top of a 3-storey building.
It would have made a lot more sense, and made the movie a lot shorter- which would have been a good thing.Damn you "Panic Room".
However it sometimes brings out the best of the director, and Panic Room is a massive example of this, showing David Fincher's class through and through.
However without Fincher's obsessively bleak vision to give it an edge Panic Room would have been another slick forgetable thriller, instead it is classic film-making that truly deserves the title of 21st century Hitchcock..
The movie focuses on its characters, it isn't just a lot of pointless action, I love a good thrilling action film like this that actually has meaningful characters.
While Meg and Sarah fortify their position, the gang try to work out how to either get into the room or get them to come out of the room.Sometimes the simplest ideas can be very effective and produce great thrills because the script knows the boundaries and generates thrills by reminding us all the time that we are stuck within those boundaries (Die Hard and Speed come to mind as examples) and so I hoped that Panic Room would manage to do the same and work with a good sense of claustrophobia and tension.
This film delivers.Foster plays Meg Altman, who is buying a new home for her and her daughter after the break up of her marriage.The new house has a 'panic room', a room that is secure and can not be broken into.
The house is broken into, and what the bad guys want is in the panic room.And so starts the fun!
They aren't two dimensional characters, which most bad guys in the movies are these days.Any one who likes thrillers, which are few and far between these days, should see this film.
We are face to face mostly low-minded Hollywood thriller from the video clip director of Madonna, David Fincher and screenplay writer of the big budget movies David Koepp, like Jurassic Park, Carlito's Way, Mission Impossible.
Sure, there's a lot of action - such as it is - outside the room - but even what isn't contained within the ultrathick walls of the safe place is contained within the relatively small house itself (or maybe just the ultrathick walls of the screenwriter's mind).The gist of the story is that Meg Altman (Jodie Foster), who's recently been divorced from her husband, a very wealthy pharmaceutical dude, is buying this upscale brownstone in Manhattan for her and her generic kid (although not a cute generic kid; looks like they ran out of "cute" at Child Actors R Us and had to settle for not-so-cute-but-oh-so-spunky).
A very good story highlighted by very good performances.My hat off to Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart, they're great playing mother and daughter.Country-singer-turned-actor Dwight Yoakam outdoes himself portraying one of the burglars..
A single mom (Meg, played by Jodie Foster) and her vulnerable daughter (Sarah, Kristen Stewart) move into a new house.
A bunch of bad guys (Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam and Jared Leto) break into the place, so Sarah and her daughter hide in the room.
You feel like you're inside the movie, studying everyone and trying to get the edge on them by observing their mannerisms and gaging their personality, just as the people on either side of the panic room are doing.
She knows that she can tell the visiting cops anything she wants because the bad guys have no audio-only pictures while watching them, but follows with a long scene of trying to make the cops believe nothing's wrong in the house.
i really enjoyed this movie,, the idea that a panic room actually exisats is totally awesome i wish i had one,, Meg Foster is great in this,, and Forest Whitaker is pretty good as a bad guy with heart.
the family is attacked , bad guys are looking for some bearer bonds buried in the floorboards of the Panic Room of course , so the bad guys wanna get the teen brat and mom out of there,, all in all i thinnk that this movie is pretty darn good and i would recommend it to anybody..
Dark and frightening at times, Panic Room is aided by a good cast including Forest Whitaker and the always crazy Dwight Yoakam as the gun wielding Raoul.
It's almost as if Fincher has taken a break from the hard-hitting, complex style of his three previous movies, and Panic Room is a relaxed, maybe even 'on-the-side' kind of project.Panic Room has some memorable scenes, and when people ask me 'is it good?', I can only say that it's entertaining, but not to expect too much.
I went in expecting to be thrilled and kept on the edge of my seat like so many people were claiming, but I left the theater baffled and VERY disappointed.You all know the basic plot of the movie (if not, go find out about it), so I don't think I have to go into details on it.
The only way i could have had a minute of pleasure watching "Panic room" is if the "good bad guy"(always an interesting point of departure but totally unexploited here) got away with the money.Fincher obviously prefers morals to pleasure (a quality for a priest, a heavy load for a hollywood filmmaker).
In fact, I was pretty disappointed by David Fincher's last couple of movies, especially 'The Game' (real' boring!), so I was a bit cautious, when started watching this one.
This is a David Fincher movie, The guy who gave movies like "Fight Club" and "Se7en".The only thing that will come out of you after watching this movie is 'what a waste!'.
Also the way Fincher used his camera, like point of vision going through different holes and walls (the type he used in some part of the beginning of Fight Club) THROUGHOUT the movie, is also very irritating.
I like her!6/10: for real bad direction and good concept, plot and story which may glue you to the seat till the end of the movie(of course with irritations inside you)..
PANIC ROOM, Finchers latest movie was a fantastic, simple, yet gripping piece of filmaking.
From the opening title sequence and throughout, this movie had all the elements of a Hitchcock classic, however Fincher brought his dark, raw and gothic-like ambience to it, making this a much watch picture.
This guy, Fincher isn't good, and really, I don't know what people saw in this movie.
It is true Panic Room has some of the finest actors, including Forest Whitaker, Jodie Foster, but if the premise doesn't hold, the story feels a bit off like a comedy.
Jodie Foster isn't real likable here, either, as the mom.The camera-work and David Fincher's direction is very good, especially with the low-angle shots in which the camera roams around the house at about floor level.
In fact you've only just met Jodie Foster and her daughter when the crime begins, and you care no more for them as characters than the criminals who are trying to get inside the "panic room".
After making three bonafide masterpieces in a row -- Se7en, The Game, and his best, Fight Club; Fincher returns with Panic Room.
While Panic Room is far and away better then the typical Hollywood thriller, this is still a studio film, and nothing more.
Panic Room doesn't have the menacing feel or the hell with it attitude of Fincher's previous films, but that doesn't mean it isn't any good.
Since this movie has no plot whatsoever, it is clear that David Fincher just took the money instead of keeping up his high quality of films.
There is some amazing camera work as is usual in Fincher's films, but that does not even come close to making up for the lack of a good story.
David Fincher's directing definitely added to the excitement, and it's nice to see that today's filmmakers have seen Hitchcock movies, and Hitch would have loved blonde Jodie Foster I think.But excitement is also added because the characters are quite unpredictably individuated, particularly the bad guys.Howard Shore's music keeps the suspense keyed up without being obtrusive.When Hollywood does what it does well, we can have a crackling good time!(originally written 5/19/2002).
A movie with such a simple premise, taking place on such a confined set, should be very compact, but David Fincher's thin, disappointing "Panic Room" seems scattered.
I mean, it's a film directed by the brilliant David Fincher, the main character is played by Jodie Foster, and the premise sounded very interesting.
All the crooks had to do was act like they left the hosue to get Foster and her kid out of the panic room.
How is it possible for this movie to have a rating of 7.5 - I thought the folks on the imdb had more taste than this!!!First of all the camera work seemed excessive, the script was implausible and annoyingly, predictable and the movie in its total effect was a great cure for insomnia.I did love the mother daughter dynamic between Meg (Jodie Foster) and Sarah (kristin stewart).
I also love most films Jodie Foster touches in any way and I was hoping for more - she came through with a great performance but had to work with such a pathetic script and that deserves kudos.
Sure enough on their first night in their new home, they are forced to flee to the room as three intruders break in to the house, but trouble is is that what the intruders want is in the panic room itself.From the off we know that Panic Room is going to be oozing David Fincher stylishness, the opening credits sprawled across the Manhattan skyscrape like advertising billboards, perfectly set the tone for the movie to follow.
Panic Room proves what I have suspected for awhile now "if you've seen the trailer, chances are good you've seen the best of it." This movie could have been great.
Right from the start it grips you and doesn't stop right to the final scenes.Jodie Foster (looking younger than her years) and Kristen Stewart do a wonderful job as the mother and daughter trapped in the panic room, the same room which three unscrupulous thieves want to get into.I won't spoil anything but it really keeps you on the edge of your seat at times wondering exactly what's going to happen.The three villains are all great and I particularly liked Forest Whittaker's portrayal of the sympathetic Burnham.I strongly recommend you see this film if you like gripping thrillers.
END SPOILER Also, the fact that I went in thinking that the idea of a "Panic Room" seemed utterly stupid, and left feeling that the plot-device actually did NOT seem to hurt the film, means that Fincher should be congratulated on being able to sweep over the idea either quite well, or quick enough to not let the audience really think about it.The actors all seemed to be acting in there own movies.
This is a very finely crafted thriller.The plot centers around the use of the titled Panic Room by Foster's character and her daughter, when their place is seeming to be burglarised.
Fincher uses camera viewpoints that would move impossibly through walls, windows and pipes, to truly explore the panic room's connections to the outside world, and the house itself, to bring across the interesting concept that the film and story were as much about the property (as a character) than the actual people in it - and I'd not really seen that do before so well, if at all.Very competent thriller, and highly enjoyable.My score: 8/10..
At best I can say that the acting was decent and Fincher has some good moments of direction, but overall a throwaway movie..
Panic Room had the potential to be a very engaging and a very different suspense/action movie. |
tt0233491 | Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family | Based on a true story. In order to protect his family, Danny Arno chooses to include his family in his work for the FBI, rather than hide it from them. Meet the Arnos: Danny Arno Undercover intelligence agent freelancing for the FBI, DEA, Department of Justice, Interpol ... and for places like Fullstar Buick of San Diego, where he was once salesman of the month. Born and bred in New Jersey, he grew up torn between career aspirations in acting and law enforcement. Ultimately, he chose both. Barbara Arno Danny's wife and personal muse, she is employed as a C.I. (Confidential Informant) for the same government agencies Danny works for. She loves danger, Danny, and her three kids - but not necessarily in that order. Does all she can to provide a normal, healthy environment for her family, which means plenty of home-cooked meals, helping the kids with their homework, and strict rules against playing in the munitions closets. Celeste Arno at 16 years old, the oldest child in the Arno family. Has only recently dropped her contention that she's in the family because of a mix-up at the hospital. An often reluctant but always effective weapon in her father's undercover personnel arsenal. An insufferable romantic, she sometimes lets her heart distract her from her mission objectives. Ruby Arno At only 14 years old, she's already Daddy's little over-achiever. The family optimist, she provides a consistent rallying cry even in the face of the bleakest of situations. The middle child in a family that moves often (seventeen times in the last four years, and counting), she still somehow manages to become class president, cheerleading captain, and/or homecoming queen at every new school she goes to. Chance Arno At only 11 years, old, he's the youngest Arno. Proud to be his father's "Number Two Man." A born con man, this chip off Danny's shoulder can lie with the best of them, ultimately granting the family access to underworld communities the Feds can only dream about cracking. The series is narrated by an adult Chance (David Faustino). | violence, flashback | train | imdb | USA network has a winner here. This show is great---I stumbled across it back in April and have been a loyal viewer since. It's not as complicated as "Law and Order" so when I need a Wednesday night show to relax in front of, it's Cover Me. I agree with the viewer from San Jose; Michael Angarano is fantastic in this show. He has a lot of confidence for someone so young. I remember him in the McDonalds commercial---he got a lot taller !! I hope USA keeps this quality show on for a while.. "The Sopranos", only on the side of the law!!. "Cover Me" is one of the best shows I have seen in a long time!With witty humor, suspenseful moods, and kick-ass action, "Cover Me" should be a winner for that Sunday night action circuit. Just like "The Sopranos," this show has that gritty, hard-nosed approach to tantilate the viewers. With a smart-alecky voice to narrate the stories, it gives you the same mood of a gangster show, except the main characters are FBI agents!Peter Dobson is Danny, the slick, mafia-infiltrating G-man who protects his family by making them his sidekicks in busting criminals. Sure, that sounds ludricous, but that's the whole idea. Hell, another crazy idea was that this is based on a true story!. Utter, absolute garbage. A year ago, the USA network aired what was quite possibly two of its greatest shows. One of them was a series entitled "The War Next Door," a fast paced, sardonic action/comedy romp by the makers of Pete and Pete. It was fresh, it was inventive, and it was literally a laugh a minute. It was also cancelled.And in another moment where everything I've said about the rubes that make up the tv watching American public was validated, this pure garbage was the show that replaced it, and it thrived in the markets.Along with everything else that makes up the show, the premise is simple: A husband and wife both work for the FBI. And - GET THIS - their children are their sidekicks! HA HA HA! Watch the hilarity ensue as daughter wears a wire while shopping at the mall! The laffs never stop as the impish little munchkin of a son does FBI stuff - it's funny because he's an "adorable" little kid helping the FBI investigate crime and that doesn't happen in real life! That's every episode in a nutshell, right there.In a world where "watered down to be corporate sponsorship friendly" beats out "actually entertaining" and the public seems to have a serious jones for insipid, unfunny sitcoms like Suddenly Susan or Friends, I'm not surprised this show gets ratings and critical acclaim. I'm just disgusted. Cover Me is a shallow, trite show whose sole selling point is its "cute" concept. You're either one of the few who dislike that or one of the many who embrace it - if you're the latter I pity you, and if you're the former I pity you even more for having to put up with crap like this that saturates television nowadays.. Fiction? A NOT SO GOOD REVIEW.. Please do not read this review if your in love with Cover Me. Okay, now that we got that out of the way! Cover Me is pure comedy in the fact that there is no way this is real. Example: In the episode "Domestic Terrorism". The kids witness a councilman be murdered in front of them while there Under Cover Secret Agent Dad listens in the car. He runs up to the house and yells for his kids, which scares away the bad guy. This trained FBI agent doesn't even draw his gun in case the man is going to shoot his own kids, and there's the comedy. Whom ever directed this episode or wrote it needs to watch some real television shows that are fiction so they can see what's real. The acting is good by all the characters with the exception of Ruby, who was okay in "Beauty Marks" which was funny because she is so dam ugly. But her character seems almost like she is not apart of the family, like it is as if she wasn't there. I notice she sometimes is not hardly in the episodes, which is good. I wish they would just cut her from the show and send her away. Maybe she could move in with her Grandma or something! I still enjoy laughing each week, so check it out sometime if you like fake FBI shows. |
tt0112287 | Addicted to Murder | Joel Winter is a "special one". That's what the vampiress Rachel [Laura McLaughlin]
tells him in 1970 when she first sees the curious little 5-year old in the
forest watching her feed. As Joel [Mick McCleery] matures, Rachel visits him again and
again, asking him to stab her, electrocute her, run a chain saw through
her, teaching him to kill without feeling. She asks for these things
because she says that she likes to feel human again, but she's really
honing Joel's ability to kill. That's what makes him "special". On the
other hand, Joel does these things out of love for Rachel, until Rachel
goes away, that is, and leaves him to do these things to others
(altogether, 43 others).Then it's 1993. Joel's mother died in 1990, and Joel moved to New
York two years later. Joel marries Kathy. Two years later, Kathy leaves
Joel. He is desolate. He starts looking for Rachel again. When he receives
a number of unsigned letters asking him "Are you hungry?" and advising him
to "Feed the Hunger" at The Hungry Club, Joel can't resist. He goes to the
club and meets another vampire, Angie [Sasha Graham]. Angie feeds on Joel's anger and
rage, which actually calms Joel for a while and allows him to build a
relationship with human Allison [Jolee Becker]. But he's still in search of Rachel.
Meanwhile, Angie is turning Joel into a vampire and hounding him to "go
feed" and to be what he was meant to be--a hunter. Seeing Allison as a
hindrance to honing Joel's abilities, Angie kills Allison and sets up Joel
to take the fall for it. Joel is shot by the police but, as a vampire, he
rises again.In the final scene, ten years later, Joel finally finds Rachel.
Rather than loving her, however, he kills her. He hates what she and Angie
have made him into. The hunger that Rachel and Angie recognized as the
hunter in Joel has turned him into not just a hunter or a vampire but a
vampire hunter. [Original synopsis by bj_kuehl]. | cult | train | imdb | not as stated on the VHS.
It's been a while that I watched a movie were you are holding the fast forward button.
People on forums were recommending this flick due the strange storyline and the fact that it is OOP and never released on DVD.
the storyline itself is okay, a serial killer falls in love with a vampire, the vampire disappears and a succubus replaces her.
Both telling him to kill and to change into a vampire.
So far so good but it is really boring.
There is a lot of blah blah and the killings are all off screen.
On the VHS it's been written, gore drenched.
Well, surely that guy has to learn what gore is.
Again before someone attacks me, I would like to state that a movie DOESN'T have to contain gore to be good.
I have reviewed a lot of flicks that doesn't contain the red stuff but still deliver the horror in some way.
But it just doesn't work, and the best part should be the ending, watch it to believe it, the special effects are, to say the least, special.
Not my cup of tea but still some people are hunting this one down so I should be lucky to have found it..
decent twist to a tired genre.
Well, it's not very easy these days to come up with an original idea in a genre that's as tired and worn out as the vampire genre, but director Kevin J.
Lindenmuth's ADDICTED TO MURDER is a quirky little opus that stylishly blends vampires and serial killers to create an interesting and entertaining flick.Joel Winter (Mick McCleery) is a quiet and seemingly normal guy who has an uncontrollable desire for murder.
His world gets turned upside down when two vampires, Rachel and Angie, get thrown into the mix.
With Rachel (Laura McLauchlin), he finds a relationship that satisfies both his murderous desires and, in turn, helps to remind her of what it's like to be human.
When Rachel leaves him, Joel vainly tries to recapture that "special" relationship that he found with her.
He soon meets Angie (Sasha Graham), whose evil intentions lead him to question the nature of his life.First of all, I was impressed with the above-average production values of the movie.
Even though it was shot on video, a lot of effort was obviously put into this by everyone involved.
It's intelligently written and directed, it boosts good lighting and editing, it features a great score from Steve Maruzzelli and Hector Milia, and has some well-executed gore and makeup effects from Derek Becker and Ron Chamberlain.The movie also featured some good performances.
Laura McLauchlin and Sasha Graham were definite standouts in the cast.
The only real problem was the lead, Mick McCleery.
His lack of screen presence really started to tax my nerves after awhile.
He's not completely awful, but he sticks out when compared to the rest of the cast.Despite a few other minor problems (the "interview" device used in the movie slowed the pace down a little and some of the dialogue was hard to understand), this has got to be one of the best shot-on-video movies out on the market today, next to SAVAGE HARVEST and SHATTER DEAD!
Check it out!.
Henry meets Vampirella.
This is a claustrophobic little film, independently made with a small budget, yet it delivers the goods.
Think "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" combined with "Vampirella".
An average run-of-the-mill Midwestern serial killer meets up with a lovely vampire.
She then runs off and leaves him to the tender mercies of another lovely vampire who teaches him how to feed his own hunger for blood.
The serial killer then struggles with his conscience and his sanity--all leading to a somewhat twisted ending.
Not a great film, but well worth watching..
A good, low budget mixing of genres.
Addicted to Murder is a triumph for low budget film-maker Kevin J.
Lindenmuth who manages to combine elements of the serial killer sub-genre, with those of the more conventional horror genre, in particular the vampire film.
The performances in the film are generally pretty good, with the only low light being the appearance of the film's "star" Mick McCleery, whose somnambulistic style and lack of screen presence would be better suited to a zombie film.
The make-up effects by Derek Becker and Ron Chamberlain are competent considering budget restraints, and overall, enormous potential is displayed by the young cast and crew, who, unlike many other aspiring film-makers, have put their money where their mouth is...Check it out!.
worst horror movie i have seen in many, many years.
I can't even begin to pretend to know what this stupid movie was about.
I got on the phone and talked because I was so bored after 30 minutes.
It starts out with a vampire lady killing someone in front of little Joel and years later he goes around and kills women and soon he find he is a vampire too, or something like that, again I wasn't paying any attention.This was horrible...hands down and easily top 5 worst films I have ever seen and I normally love low budget horror but this movie offered nothing at all.
The Vampires had shiny white fangs and yellow teeth, the blood looked like paint, and it was so cheesy.
I don't consider this horror, I consider it a brainwashing method to make you dumber.The direction was...well, just a guy with a cheap camera shooting his fat ugly actors while they talked about stupid things, with stupid dialog.
Yes the acting was horrible.
The editing was even worse and made it sloppy and man oh man this was some of the worst music EVER.
Low budgets can work but this movie had NO budget, I can't hate this film enough.
Filled with stupid B&W flashbacks, bad makeup, horrible sound, I think they used the mic on the cheap camera.I wouldn't recommend this to any person on earth - again top 5 list of worst movies I have ever seen.
I'd rather watch Ishtar in loops with a broken Cantonese soundtrack.
1/10 only because 1 is as low as I can go. |
tt0112368 | Angus | Angus Bethune (Talbert) is a teenage boy living in Minnesota who, despite his talents as a football player and in science class, holds deep insecurities about himself. Since kindergarten, he has been regularly harassed by handsome Rick Sanford (Van Der Beek) and his complacent cohorts, for not being "normal" due to being overweight and is, in their view, "named after a cow". His only friend is Troy Wedberg (Owen), who is also a social outcast. He also has feelings for Melissa Lefevre (Richards), though he is fearful of expressing it because she is dating Rick. Eventually, tired of the abuse from Rick, Angus applies to a magnet school where he hopes to be free of the constant humiliation. However, well aware of his feelings for Melissa, Rick rigs an election so that they will dance together in the upcoming freshman Winter Ball as King and Queen, respectively. While confronting Rick about the stunt, he is ordered by the principal not to lay a hand on Rick or he would be expelled and lose his chance to go to the magnet school.
To get ready for the dance, Angus gets help not only from Troy, but also his mother, Meg (Bates), and his narcoleptic grandfather, Ivan (Scott). Ivan tells him about a dance move called the Irish Swoon that he claims is a guaranteed lady-pleaser, but Angus fears that his largeness makes him an inept dancer and would embarrass both him and Melissa. To fix this, Ivan takes him to Madame Rulenska (Moreno), where despite his best efforts, he comes out worse than before (and injures her in the process). Later on, despite his request for a black tuxedo and wanting to be normal, Ivan purchases him a plum one and tells him that he can be normal and an individual at the same time. He tells him that running away to another school will not solve anything and that he needs to stand up against Rick while he still can. He also mentions that he doesn't let anyone tell him that his relationship with April (Anna Thompson) is a mistake because she is 30 years younger than him and they see each other as perfect.
One day after football practice, Angus opens his locker and sees that his favorite pair of boxers is missing. He and Troy later learn with their own eyes that Rick hoisted them up the flagpole for the school to see, which then fly squarely onto Melissa's face as she passes by. Angus storms home in anger, but Rick and company quickly kidnap Troy. Outside the school, they ask him for anything that would embarrass Angus at the Winter Ball. He refuses their request and tries to escape, only to break his arm as he trips to the floor while Rick gives him an ultimatum. At home, Meg tells Ivan that having Angus transfer to a magnet school would be for the best. She hates seeing him suffer another day with humiliation and does not think Ivan has the right answers. In turn, Ivan confronts Meg for over-mothering Angus and warns her that letting him run away from his bullies to another school is a mistake. He mentions if Angus stands any chance of ending his humiliation, he needs to make the change by standing up for himself and facing his bullies. Ivan admits he never let Meg run away from her problems and admires how strong she is today.
Meanwhile, Angus helps Ivan prepare for his and April's wedding. As Angus waits outside Ivan's room on the day of the wedding, he confides with him about his love for Melissa. Angus admits he is proud of him because he has the strength to not care if everyone else sees his marriage to April as wrong since they love each other. He wishes to have Ivan's strength to stand up to Rick and tell Melissa how he feels. When he tries to wake him, Angus quickly discovers that he has died and tells the wedding guests there. Distraught, Angus opts to stay home for a few days trying to cope with Ivan's death. By that time, fearful that Rick will hurt him even more, Troy gives him the videotape containing the footage of Angus practicing his dancing with an inflatable doll while confessing his feelings for Melissa. Troy visits Angus at home to offer his condolences, but he doesn't listen and it leads to an argument between them. When Troy calls him out for not understanding how it felt to be ostracized by Rick, Angus snaps and tells Troy that he knows better. Angus also admits he won't go to the Winter Ball mainly because he still plans to transfer, to escape both Rick's humiliation and to better cope with Ivan's death.
Later that week while cleaning up from the wedding that never happened, Angus receives a box from April and opens it, revealing the plum suit that he had earlier rejected when Ivan bought it for him regardless. She wishes him luck in the future and leaves. In that moment, Angus realizes that Ivan was right all along: he needs to stand up for himself and face Rick or nothing will change. Resolved to follow Ivan's advice, he rejects an interview from the magnet school, wears the plum suit, and marches to the dance in the school gymnasium. Outside the gym, Troy warns him to return home at once because Rick has a bad prank planned for him. A furious Angus rebuffs his request, revealing he is sick of enduring Rick's torment and marches inside anyway. He meets Melissa, and they converse for the first time. He is surprised when she tells him she is nervous because everyone will be staring at them. As they are introduced to the students, Rick plays Troy's videotape on the monitors, and the students laugh. A humiliated Melissa runs out in tears and Angus follows her, infuriated with Troy for betraying him to Rick. Outside, he apologizes, but she does not blame him. Surprisingly, Melissa shows her disgust with Rick and reveals to Angus that she is bulimic. She also mentions that Rick is very controlling and also abusive towards her and the other students, making them fear him. Angus learns that Melissa likes him more than Rick because he is kind and respectful of others. Finding common ground, they go back inside and dance, even as she helps him out with some of the steps. After they receive a mild reception from the students, Rick scolds her, while Angus comes to her defense. Rick begins aggressively shoving Angus and follows up with a hard punch to the face, breaking Angus's nose and sending him crashing through a table. Rick sarcastically tells him, "Welcome to high school", and adds that he's glad he's leaving the school. In spite of his broken nose, Angus defiantly rises to his feet and furiously shouts back, "I'm still here, asshole!" Angus then repeatedly pushes Rick back until he falls to the ground, petitioning him to realize that there are many people that don't fit his idea of "normal," and are unwittingly ostracized for it, and are fed up with the humiliation. He gives Rick a choice to join them and accept the students as individuals or continue rejecting them by thinking himself as normal. Rick selfishly chooses the latter by replying, "Whatever I am, it's something you're never gonna be," to which Angus retorts "Thank God!" The students congratulate Angus for taking a stand against Rick and even Rick's former friends abandon him. Melissa dances with Angus again and Troy enacts a little revenge on Rick by breaking his nose with his cast and impressing a girl upon whom he has a crush.
In the end, Melissa asks Angus to walk her home, and they kiss before Melissa retires for the night. Angus rejects the offer to transfer to the magnet school, realizing that his grandfather was right and that he doesn't have to run away anymore. Angus mentions that Rick was suspended for his video prank and that his popularity with the other students suffered because of it. | prank | train | wikipedia | Scott, Kathy Bates) and decided to sit it out.My conclusion, "Angus" is an overlooked gem.One thing baffles me though: this movie is listed as comedy, but I found not much to laugh about."Angus" is in fact a rather painful movie to watch sometimes, because the strongest subject matter it deals with is bullying.It deals some very real and emotional issues, about parents' frustration about their inability to protect their children all the time.
The acting is superb, and to be honest, the comic relief was a tad out of place.The movie contains some very good acting and some excellent scenes and dialogue.
It also features a heart wrenching monologue by Angus (played by Charlie Talbert) when he confides in his grandfather (George C.
Scott), who's about to be married.So, see beyond the awkward comic elements and "Angus" is an enjoyable, "actor driven" movie that did not get the attention it deserved.You'll probably enjoy the soundtrack as well.
At times gut-wrenching in its portrayal of high school cruelness, at other times sweetly heartwarming in its portrayal of high school innocence, "Angus" is an endearing good guy trapped in a waspy, snake-pit-like high school in Anytown, USA.
The strength of "Angus" is its believability; of course it's far-fetched at times, it's a movie, and yet it still works amazingly well.
Charlie Talbert and Chris Owen, Angus and Troy, respectively, are a real treat to watch as the pair of outcasts.
Some of the film's best belly laughs, in fact, are direct results of their all-too-believable dialogue.James Van Der Beek is one of the most hateable bad guys I've seen in some time, and boy he plays it well.
Scott and Kathy Bates; it was fun watching them in a heartfelt film like this, especially Scott, General Patton himself.
it followed the most basic of plot lines, but what i loved about it was the acting, writing, and directing, because those were what made Angus extraordinarily good and unique.
pps: james van der beek gave a great (though small) performance, very uncharacteristic of "the kid's movie villain"..
Scott (as usual) display their versatile abilities as their hilarious characters trying to cope with Angus' (Charlie Talbert) problems with him as much as work out their own issues.
Angus has always thought that the key was to be more like Rick (Van Der Beek) but then realizes that he truly needs to be himself.
Of all things, in my freshman year of high school this movie came out and I was stunned.
So of course I had to write a review on it here.The movie is about a fat kid, who like me was good at science and fair at football (though I truly despise football, thanks Coach!) who has a single mom and lives with his grandfather, both played marvelously by Cathy Bates and George C.
Angus wants to get with the popular chick, who just happens to be dating his arch-rival in school that has suffered numerous broken noses over the years from Angus' wrath.You grow to love his grandad who gives him advice on how its OK to be different, to just "Screw 'em!" If you're looking for a realistic movie about high school and you were different from the rest of the crowd like I was, then Angus is your movie.
Considering all the TRASH that Hollywood puts out every year, here you have a golden gem that would make a ton of money as more kids who are "first timers" in school would buy.This isn't the first movie that Hollywood has mis-labeled in the name of sales and won't be the last - but for pete sakes PLEASE put this on DVD ?
Guaranteed money maker every year.The only other film that I've seen come even CLOSE to showing a kid standing up for themselves is "Sleepover" - while I like that one too, it's not anywhere near as real as this.10 out of 10 for the movie, ZERO out of 10 for the idiots who haven't gotten it put to DVD yet..
I wasn't really one of those kids who got picked on, I just thought Angus was a true (real life) hero and I looked up to him.
Unlike other teen movies this one seem to show everyone's side of high school life, even though the two main character's are "outcast" they're not really nerds.
The whole movie has great gags that everyone can enjoy and they're really funny.Charlie Talbert plays Angus Bethune (Great name, right?) his best friend Troy Wedberg is played by Chris Owen (Can't Hardly Wait) and he is just hysterical throughout the whole movie.
Then we have James Van Der Beek (Varsity Blues) playing the bully and he does do a great job at it and Ariana Richards (Jurassic Park) plays Melissa Lefevre which Angus has a crush on.Overall I recommend this movie to anyone that likes teen movies such as the breakfast club, can't hardly wait, and sixteen candles.
The acting really is great and as a huge James Van Der Beek fan you get to see one of his earlier films.
Based on a short story written by Chris Crutcher, one of my favorite authors, ANGUS tells the story of a fat kid.
Well developed and wonderfully played by Charlie Talbert, Angus is one of the most memorable characters in film history, making this the stand-out movie of 1995.
Angus (1995) *** (out of 4) Charming gem about an overweight teenager named Angus (Charlie Talbert) who is constantly being tormented by the kids at his school.
ANGUS is a truly charming little gem and it's really too bad that it never found a bigger audience because it's really a good little movie.
Of course it's going to have a big message going throughout but what really makes this film work are the performances and the relationship that Charlie has with the people around him.
By the time it was over, I was pumped to have stumbled on to it.Angus Bethune is such an easy character to like and to pull for.
I loved how, at the climax of the film, they way Angus stands up for himself isn't really what we wanted to see, but it turns out to be even better.His mom and grandpa are great, and their dinner table banter is awesome.
The way the two of them support Angus in their own ways really works out for him well in the end.Van Der Beek is great as the high school villain.
It is a testament to his acting ability, then, that he was able to portray such an unsavory character so early in his career.I love the way that Angus' secret crush, Melissa, was treated.
We make assumptions about her based upon her standing at school, and when she finally opens her mouth, we are proved wrong.The flag pole scene is such an apt depiction of an embarrassing adolescent moment--we get glimpses of what it looks like through Angus' eyes, and just when you think it couldn't possibly get any worse, holy ****!
We've all had moments like that.All in all, this was just a fun movie with a great message.
Any movie that features Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" at the high school dance can't be all that bad..
Angus is a lovely gem of a film for anyone who wanted a movie were the boy with a heart of gold gets to have his day..
ANGUS is an excellent film with sensitive issues that relate to the outcast group of us that felt we were the odd individuals everyone hated.
Angus Bathune plays the underdog in this comedy about an unpopular fat kid who loves science.
Scott had to say..and now I must watch again to hear him again..Point is this movie is a gentle look at the life of a kid with a few problems that only others seem to have.
Well, as the prevous review mentions, this movie has a subject matter that could easily come out trite or sappy -- BUT I feel the people involved did a fantastic job of going past that and making the characters and the story more realistic so that the story rang true.
Watchable little coming-of-age film that stars Charlie Talbert as the titled character, an overweight teenager who is constantly humiliated by the more popular kids in school.
I'm not overweight, but I was an outcast when I was in middle school and I got a truckload of pranks pulled on me.Angus is about an overweight young freshman named Angus Bethune, who is a science whiz and a great athlete, but he is constantly tormented by golden Rick Sanford, played by the great James van der Beek, since the wound.
And from then on it is total chaos.Angus has laughs, tears, hopes, and satisfaction when the movie ends.
This movie changed my life in so many ways, that it makes me upset when I read some of the negative reviews of it, declaring it just another "Teen Movie", This is so much more than that, I have read comments by viewers on websites, saying this movie "changed their life" and I cannot agree more, I really think Charlie Talbert is destined for stardom, he is just sensational, but unfortunately, he has never gotten the recgonition, or the parts he deserves, he has so much range as an actor, I definitely think Hollywood should take a closer look at him, and start sending scripts his way, and the rest of the cast is fantastic, This movie is truly a miracle..
"Angus" is one of the most true to life, humorous and dramatic films I've seen in a long time.
Talbert did a very good job portraying Angus and so did Kathy Bates and George C.
A real movie about high school.
Instead, it is a well-crafted, gentle movie with an overweight hero, kids who look like kids, and the kind of dialogue that might have been taken from real life.
Watching Angus is like going back to a gentler time, when a finely acted moment counted as much as a special effect.
Where should I start?I think it's best to start with Angus Bethune, the fat kid who just doesn't seem to get a break, until an age-old enemy, Rick, rigs an election so that Angus can dance with his long-time crush, Melissa.
The supporting characters, geeky Troy, beautiful Melissa, and Rick the pest (played by a more credible James Van der Beek), form part of the fabric of appealing characters that dot the film.
Even some of the camera shots (especially with the irises to open and close the film) are dazzling.Although admittedly it's not destined to be a classic (or at least any time soon), "Angus" is a genuinely warm, funny, bitterly sarcastic, though strictly Hollywood, picture of that ever-so-turbulent, confusing, and questionable time of our lives known as high school.
Angus is a beautiful movie.
And it has one of the funniest lines in a movie that I've ever seen (the shocked response of Troy in the pep assembly).The acting is excellent in spots, and very good overall.
Scott and Kathy Bates deliver on their performances, especially Scott.While the ending may have been a little cliched, it still is a enjoyable movie, and much better than your usual teen flick..I'll never understand why people enjoy "Clueless" when there are movies like Angus that offer far more accurate portrayals of high school life.This one gets a solid 3 1/2 out of 5 in my book.
The characters are played so perfectly that you think you are actually watching a real group of people.Charlie Talbert is absolutely wonderful as Angus - no one else could have played him better.
Ariana Richards is great as Melissa and James Van Der Beek plays the nasty/popular/jock well.
Scott and Kathy Bates - they are awesome in all their movies.SEE ANGUS!
I saw it for the first time in September of this year and remember thinking that this is such a great movie why hadn't I heard of it.
A very strong supporting cast including Kathy Bates who played his mother, "Angus" deserves far more notice than it received.
Although to me it couldn't make up its mind whether it wanted to be a snidely funny adolescent comedy or an Afterschool Special, Angus definitely has its moments, especially Angus' speech at the film's high point.
Scott and the two young men in the leads (the not-all-that-fat Charlie Talbert and the adorably geeky Chris Owen) and a really good soundtrack that includes bands like Pansy Division and The Muffs.
There is nothing really special about this movie that would make it stand out from the hundreds of movies that deal with a fat kid in high school.
His protrayal of the grandfather was the kind of typical Scott display that gave the movie it's best scenes.
Misguided, unfunny film adapted from the short story by Chris Crutcher concerning an overweight high school boy who struggles to gain respect from his peers.
Scott has a completely routine role as grandfather to Angus (his scenes look as if they were shot all in one day).
Not only is he overweight, but he is angry (I don't think the kid smiled once) and, according to him, 'I don't sweat, I rain.'I can't recommend or like a movie that has so little regard for all its characters.
Angus represents the high school outcast!.
Much like reality, Angus is a nerd but a likable one with a great personality.
That is the part of the film, Angus, that makes the difference.
It is a wonderful film overall and children and even adults of all ages can identify with Angus' plight to overcome acceptance.
Not that it couldn't have worked as a message movie, but the ending is so laughably implausible that it ruins everything that came before.I guess the best way to describe this film is to say that it suffers from an identity crisis.
If, however, you want a movie that pretends to have something to say, yet lacks the you-know-what to give us anything more than a predictable, warm and fuzzy ending...well, I guess Angus is your thing..
The comedy makes you cry, the romance makes you laugh and the overall message of the film is possibly the most sikening aspect of the whole """"""movie"""""" (Fat people can fit in too)I enjoyed other teen movies like american pie and road trip cos they didnt waste time with preachy messages and pointless sentiments.
"Angus" is a great film.
Just like most of the REAL teens in High School today.
Chris Crutcher (who wrote the short story this film is based on) knows exactly how a real teenagers life works who is not popular.
This is where our hero, Angus Bethune (played flawlessly by Charlie Talbert) is thrown in.
Angus himself thinks that, in spite of the opportunity to dance with the girl of his dreams, he knows that Rick will make a fool out of him, thus he should not go.
Music also plays an important role, as it balances teenage angst with feelings of longing and disillusion.How sad that you truly can't enjoy a film like this if you see it quickly!
This is not a masterpiece but for people who are different, abnormal or rejects from society because of what they look like or how react, this movie can change a life for the better!
The emotions are so real and I tell people to watch the movie if they want to understand what I've been thru...
I really think all teenagers should watch this at the beginning of their high school days.It will make things a lot easier for them due to the message of this film.Its about saying "screw'em" to the world and to just be yourself and that its OK to be abnormal because "there is no normal".Every teenager suffers from Self Esteem problems but after watching this film they should feel a lot more relaxed within themselves.From touching scenes to funny set pieces it has something for most people and will leave you with a nice feeling inside,how many movies do that these days where its all doom and gloom and ridiculous scenarios.This is also a very well acted movie and is lovely piece of work overall..
I watched it and loved the movie.
The plot point of the movie comes when Angus is chosen (by Rick as a joke) to go to the dance with his dream girl.
*At the end of the movie, Angus overcomes the troubles of high school and humiliates Rick, to get a kiss from his dream girl.The movie is just brilliant, with good character depth on all the characters.
Angus (1995): Dir: Patrick Read Johnson / Cast: Charlie Talbert, Ariana Richards, Chris Owen, Kathy Bates, George C.
Angus is overweight and the bunt of fat jokes at school.
Charlie Talbert pulls off a comical performance as Angus despite an outcome viewers will likely predict before he does.
The first time I watched "Angus" I thought : "what a great movie!
it was okay, for a typical high school film, but the idea had been over used.you know the scenerio, fat kid gets bullied, fat kid fights back with out fist, fat kid gets girl.
One thing that I absolutely loved about "Angus" was that the title character was not your typical Hollywood "fat kid".
This was not high school in '95, more like '75..
I graduated in 1993 and let me tell you, this was no example of what high schools were like during that time.
I've COME TO REALIZE THAT TEEN MOVIES ARE MADE BY DIRECTORS WHO ARE USUALLY 10 YEARS OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL.
SO ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND A TEEN MOVIE IS MADE BY SOMEONE WHO WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL 10 YEARS BEFORE AND IDENTIFIES WITH SITUATIONS THAT ARE USUALLY NOT AS RELIVANT NOW AND THEY USED TO BE. |
tt0117666 | Sling Blade | The movie opens in an asylum, where Charles (J.T. Walsh) talks to Karl (Billy Bob Thornton) about cars and women. Two student reporters Marsha (Sarah Boss) and Theresa (Kathy Sue Brown) arrive to interview Karl, who has committed murder, and is due to be released soon. They are introduced to the warden, Jerry (James Hampton), who explains that Karl is sensitive about having his picture taken. The interview is conducted in near darkness, with Karl speaking almost to himself.Karl describes his childhood, where he was isolated from his family. He was picked on by other kids, and spent time working on lawnmowers. He says his mother was being raped by local man Jessie Dixon, and kills Jessie with a sling blade. When his mother objected to the killing, Karl killed her. When asked if he'll kill again, he says he has no reason to.Karl is released, and returns to his hometown. He tours the town, carrying his books and bible from. He helps a boy, Frank (Lucas Black) carry laundry home, and Frank invites Karl to play football. Karl is uncomfortable with being free, and tries to return to the asylum. Jerry fixes Karl up with a job at a small repair shop. Since Karl has nowhere to go, Jerry invites him to his house for the night, but his family is obviously nervous.Jerry introduces Karl to Bill Cox (Rick Dial), who owns the repair shop, and Scooter (Brent Briscoe). Karl completes a day of work, and Bill locks him inside the shop for the night. The next day, Bill gives Karl a key and an advance on his paycheck, so he can buy supplies. Karl arrives at Frank's house, and Frank takes him to his mother's store. Karl meets Frank's mom Linda (Natalie Canerday) and manager Vaughan (John Ritter). Linda allows Karl to stay in their garage, and Frank and Karl begin their friendship. Karl refuses to tell Frank about the murders. Frank tells Karl that Vaughan is gay, and Linda's boyfriend Doyle is mean to her, but since his father committed suicide, she is lonely.Doyle (Dwight Yoakum) is doubtful about Karl staying in the garage, and abuses Vaughan verbally. Vaughan and Linda leave, and Doyle verbally abuses Karl and Frank's father. Frank helps Karl get settled, and they share a joke.The next day, Vaughan takes Karl to lunch and tells him he's gay. He also tells Karl that Doyle might hurt Frank. That night, Doyle has a band party with his buddies at Linda's house. They go to the county line for beer, bringing Karl and Vaughan, and they trade jokes with the police. Back at the house, the band laments about a lack of gigs, and Doyle becomes enraged, throwing the band out. Linda confronts him, and Doyle threatens her. After Doyle leaves, Frank talks to Linda, telling her he's nervous all the time. Karl tries to cheer Linda up with a joke. Karl tells Linda why he was incarcerated, and tells her he would never hurt her or Frank.Linda arranges a dinner with Melinda (Christine Renee Ward), whom she hopes will like Karl. Vaughan and his friend Albert (Tim Holder) are also there. Melinda and Karl go for a walk.The following day, Melinda brings Karl flowers. Conversation is stilted, but Karl watches her leave. Later, Karl shares a story with Frank: his father made Karl throw away a baby boy. Karl buried it instead. They talk about life and death, and Frank says the bible says people who commit suicide or kill others go to Hades.Frank is in love with a girl named Karen, but she doesn't want to be seen with him. When they come home, Doyle is back, apologizing for his behavior. He says he'll be coming over more, trying to be a better person. Frank doesn't buy it. Karl cheers Frank up by playing football with him.Later, Karl returns to his old house where he grew up. He finds his father (Robert Duvall), who is senile, and refuses to recognize Karl as his son. Karl confronts his father about killing his little brother, then goes to see his brother's grave.That night, Karl comes into Linda's room, where she and Doyle are in bed. He tells Linda he wants to be baptized. He's carrying a hammer and says we woke up holding it. The following day, Karl is baptized in a river. When they return, Doyle sends Linda to fetch dinner, then he tells Frank to obey him, and to get rid of Karl. Doyle tries to hit Frank, but Karl stops him. As Karl leaves, he sees Linda and thanks her for being good to him.Karl finds Frank hiding in the woods, and gives Frank his books. Frank realizes Karl is leaving, and Karl tells Frank to stay away from Doyle for the night. Karl then goes to Vaughan and tells him to take care of Frank, leaving him with his earnings from the repair shop.At night, Karl is seen staring at Doyle's house and sharpening a lawnmower blade. He kills Doyle, after asking how to call the police. Karl then calls the police and waits for them to take him into custody, eating leftover fried chicken.Later, Karl listens to Charles talking again - back in the asylum. Karl tells Charles he doesn't want to listen anymore. End. | neo noir, murder, cult, humor, tragedy, revenge | train | imdb | null |
tt0119173 | G.I. Jane | In Washington DC a Senate hearing is being held. The hearing is chaired by a powerful Senator, Lillian DeHaven, who questions the US military's policies of women being allowed to serve in combat situations. DeHaven plans to have a female naval officer enroll in SEAL training, one of the toughest training programs the US Military has to offer, with a 60% failure rate amongst its candidates. She receives much resistance from the Naval representatives at the hearing, however she uses her influence to put her plan into action.The candidate DeHaven handpicks is Lieutenant Jordan O'Neill, who works in Naval communications as a satellite communications specialist. O'Neill has been passed over for promotion within her division with many male coworkers having less experience than she does. O'Neill is also romantically involved with one of her superior officers, Royce. Tension arises between herself and Royce when she chooses to participate in the training course.O'Neill reports to the SEAL training facility and is immediately subject to ridicule and discrimination from her fellow candidates and the base's commanding colonel, who makes attempts to treat her delicately because she's a woman. The facility's command master chief (CMC), John Urgayle, addresses his candidates for the 1st time by reciting a poem, "Self Pity", by DH Lawrence. The trainees are then begin their "hell week" where they are subjected to extremely rigorous mental and physical conditions: they are forced to push heavy ship fenders up sand dunes, exercise in cold water, hold heavy rafts over their heads for prolonged periods of time and are constantly ridiculed by Urgayle's staff. When the training regimen becomes too much for a candidate they have the option of leaving the program voluntarily by ringing a ceremonial bell three times.Hell week ends for the candidates when they are required to run a difficult obstacle course under live fire. O'Neill is told that there will be a small set of wooden steps at a wall marking the end of the course, to make it easier for her to scale the wall -- she protests and is told to be quiet. The trainees, including O'Neill, make it to the wall; O'Neill pushes the step unit aside and volunteers her own body to allow her fellow trainees to get over the wall. The last trainee, Cortez, reaches his hand down to help O'Neill but keeps his grip just out of reach and then suggests she quit. (He is later punished for his actions.) O'Neill uses the stair unit to scale the wall and runs to join her comrades but misses a tripwire, signifying she may have killed some or all of the company. Later, when Urgayle's staff reads of the candidates' times, O'Neill finds to her surprise she passed the course, even though she came in dead last, behind other candidates who didn't finish in the required 12 minute limit. She's told that she was given a 30 second buffer, a concept they refer to as "gender norming". O'Neill meets directly with the base's colonel, who, never happy about the idea of a woman being allowed into SEAL training, tells her that he'd altered the program because she's a woman. O'Neill requests that she be treated the same as the male candidates, including being allowed to take up residence in their barracks. Her request is granted and she reports to the base's barber shop. The barber isn't there and she shaves off her long hair herself and joins the men in their barracks. After a brief argument with one of the other candidates, Urgayle orders the ranking officer, Wickwire, to make up a schedule to allow O'Neill privacy in the head and shower.Back in Washington, O'Neill's success in hell week is reported to DeHaven. It is revealed that DeHaven has also been generating publicity about O'Neill's candidacy but she has an ulterior motive: she is using the incident as leverage to prevent the closing of military bases in her native Texas, but voting for base closings in other states.O'Neill continues through the rest of the program, learning how to use weapons, field strip and reassemble them and learns the effects of forced drowning from interrogation. She manages to score higher than most of her male counterparts and slowly begins earning the respect of more of her comrades. During an exercise where they are extracted from the water by high-speed boats, O'Neill fails to pull herself from the water (though she receives little help unlike her male teammates). Urgayle lectures her later about her failure in the test and tells her he earned the Navy Cross for pulling a man much larger than himself from a burning tank. He worries that O'Neill may not be able to perform a similar task under combat conditions. He also tells her that she'll be taking over a squad when one of the other trainees must leave due to an injury.The trainees then enter a very crucial stage of the program called SERE. They will be placed into a simulated combat mission where they are very likely be captured and subjected to harsh interrogation and physical abuse. The teams are dropped off at the coast of Captiva Island and, under O'Neill's direction, make their way inland until they find what appears to be a deserted compound. While they perform their reconnaissance procedures, part of O'Neill's team, Cortez and Slovnick, break off and try to retrieve a helmet for a souvenir, contravening her direct orders. The helmet is shot off its perch by a sniper and a net traps them both. O'Neill and the rest of her team try to retreat into the forest and are quickly captured.Their captors turn out to be Urgayle, his assistant Pyro and the rest of their training instructors. The ranking officers, including O'Neill, are thrown into confined wooden boxes and taken one at a time into the main shack to be interrogated. When O'Neill is taken in, Urgayle preys upon his perceived notion of O'Neill's weakness & her ability to carry out one of her team who was injured in their attempted escape. Urgayle then begins to beat O'Neill viciously, under the pretense of the treatment she'd receive if she were really captured by an actual hostile. Urgayle drags O'Neill outside and shoves her head in a trough of muddy water, demanding that the other prisoners reveal intelligence about the rest of the SEAL team in the forest. Urgayle then threatens to rape O'Neill in front of the company. O'Neill, her hands bound behind her, kicks Urgayle in the crotch and slams her skull into his face, breaking his nose. She then kicks him further. Urgayle gets to his feet and beats O'Neill down. He staggers to the prisoner corral and tries to convince the male members of the team, who have all turned their backs on him, that O'Neill is a weak link that could get them all killed. O'Neill, having regained her feet, suddenly shouts "SUCK MY DICK!!" to Urgayle. The rest of the team rallies behind her and Urgayle gives up, defeated.After returning from SERE training, the team, with new found respect and admiration for O'Neill's tough nature and courage, treat her to a drink. Shortly after, O'Neill is called into the colonel's office and presented with pictures of her hanging out with female officers suspected of being lesbians. O'Neill is told she'll be sent back to Washington and will take up a desk job until the matter is investigated. If O'Neill wishes to complete the SEAL program, she'll have to start over again. Furious at the false charges, O'Neill rings out of the SEAL program and drives back to Washington. She goes to the home she'd been sharing with Royce. Royce shows her evidence from DeHaven's office showing that the Senator had sent a memo to the Navy about the dangers of letting a woman complete SEAL training and that US citizens aren't ready for women to enter combat. O'Neill goes to a Senate committee hearing concerning the closing of military bases and confronts DeHaven openly. Accusing DeHaven of deliberately sinking her career for her own gain, DeHaven says she's actually amazed that O'Neill had gotten as far as she did in the training program and that her approval of O'Neill's enlistment was a publicity stunt. O'Neill threatens to take DeHaven's actions regarding military base closings to the news units just outside the hearing room and DeHaven promises to get O'Neill back into the SEAL program and does. O'Neill returns to her unit.The last phase of training is to be conducted somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. While awaiting orders aboard a submarine, an emergency mission comes up and Urgayle's team is ordered to participate. A US satellite had come down in Libya and the US Army Ranger team sent in to retrieve it needs assistance in reaching their pickup point. The plutonium in the satellite is weapons grade according to O'Neill and could easily fall into enemy possession. After landing on the beach, O'Neill & Urgayle split from the rest of the team and reconnoiter a nearby Libyan camp. When a Libyan border patrol party shows up unexpectedly, O'Neill hides while being covered by Urgayle. They quickly determine that the Ranger team could be discovered. When one of the party gets too close to O'Neill's hiding spot, Urgayle shoots him, drawing the attention of the man's comrades. O'Neill and Urgayle retreat, O'Neill making it safely back to the beach. Surmising that the Chief wouldn't draw the Libyans back to the rallying point for both the satellite recovery unit and the SEAL team, she identifies another location that the Chief would more likely retreat to. The team sets up an ambush there with a minefield, and the Chief shows up. During a furious firefight, Urgayle is hit in the leg and O'Neill rushes into the minefield and drags the Chief out. The mines are detonated and the team escapes. On the beach, they receive assistance from a helicopter unit & are all loaded onto one of the choppers and lifted out.Back at the SEAL training facility, the successful graduates receive their pins for completing the training from Urgayle. O'Neill goes to empty her locker and finds a copy of DH Lawrence's poetry with a Navy Cross marking the page with the poem "Self Pity". She sees Urgayle, who gives her a glance, and then walks out of the locker room. The closing credits are preceded by Urgayle's speech to the candidates before they begin hell week. | cult, comedy | train | imdb | Let me comment on what some other people have said, and talk about what I think Ridley does well with this film.I think Mr. Scott gets a really excellent performance from Demi.
I find her performance fun and a joy to watch.I don't know if Mr. Scott has any military training, but he does a better job of conveying the realities of it to the screen than most.
It is a group of Navy SEAL trainees, deep into their training cycle, with a buttload of prior experience (IF you pay attention you will note that one of the trainees is a US Army Ranger, one a Marine, probably from RECON, these are guys who know the job already, and this is true to reality).
they just said "you know what, that wasn't half bad." That don't sound like much, but it's high praise from that group.Probably why this has such a poor rating is because it isn't Hollywood enough for the lowest-common-denominator crowd.Enjoy the film..
The haircut scene is a good example; though it's directed with cinematic flourish, she does it matter-of-fact.Moore's performance is one of the two performances that elevate this from your standard grunts-become-soldiers movie.
Demi Moore pulls off the roll in convincing style and Viggo Mortenson has his best part as the Master Chief of the SEAL training unit.
Solid action film with a great support cast and a perfectly despicable villain played to the hilt by Anne Bancroft as a Senator who compromises GI Jane for her own political gain.
I suppose for those who know nothing about the realities of the military this is probably a "feel-good" film on gender equality.
No one, man or woman can do anything they want to do, and unfortunately Demi Moore "buffing" up for SEAL Hell Week in the early 27 week BUD/S program by a few sessions at the local gym and her desire alone to be a SEAL is simply not going to make it so.
Skip this film as wishful thinking, and better spend your time reading "The Warrior Elite" by Dick Couch (Crown, New York 2001)for the best description as to what really goes on in this training.
Demi Moore's character in the movie was selected for the SEALs because of her looks.
This movie did not convince me of a woman's physical ability to perform the types of tasks required.Trying to pretend that women and men are basically the same is an insult to everyone's intelligence.
"G.I. Jane" is the story of Lieutenant Jordan O'Neill, a Naval Intelligence officer who gets chosen by a senator to be the test dummy for woman's acceptance into Military Combat.
Ridley Scott is an amazing director but I didn't like "Pitch Black" that much, so I didn't know if I ended up liking this movie.
I highly enjoyed it.Demi Moore plays Lieutenant O'Neill, a tough, no-nonsense girl who just wants to get in on the action.
The key line of the movie is uttered by Demi Moore when she is beaten to a bloody pulp by Master Chief in training while the rest of the trainees watch.
At no point does the movie ever deal with the way men would really react to a good looking woman in their midst while undergoing a trial which most of them fail in real life.
I was really looking forward to G.I. Jane, because I always tried to think of it when I was renting movies, but it always slipped my mind, then I just saw I love the 90's on VH1 and was reminded one more time, so I just stuck it in my head and finally watched it tonite.
My problem with the film was the way it ended, it just turned into those big twist stories that wasn't really needed, because you are just rooting for Demi to make it throughout training and there is always some kind of block to make the audience "interested".Jorden O'Neil has been given a very special assignment, the army does not feel the need for equal opportunity for women when it comes to their jobs.
Of course no one will accept her into their teams, but she pulls her way through to prove that no one will hold her down.I loved how hard Jorden kept pushing herself, Demi did a great job in showing the hardships of what it is still like to be the outsider in a man's world.
Oh G.I. Jane, you can be my wing man anytime.The premise is good, but as soon as Hollywood gets a hold of it, we end up with Top Gun with tits.What more is to be expected from commercial US films anymore?
Demi Moore plays a female officer who is trying to become a Navy SEAL and has to battle against the odds against tha sexism, politics amd physical toughness to make the grade.
Demi Moore and Viggo Mortensen, both totally miscast in an overaggressive film about a girl going to the army.
I hope that the many talented persons involved in this project realize this type of film does not deserve their attention, and that in the future they will work on more honorable and more intelligent movies than this useless mess..
Well, it's no surprise that this movie not only lost money but hurt Demi Moore's career in the process.GI Jane is a ridiculous feminist Propaganda piece that plays make believe that women and men can become functionally equivalent if they just choose to be.Ridley Scott has a fetish for 'masculinizing' women and the attempt here was to turn poor Demi into the action star equivalent of her then husband Bruce Willis.The movie is both unrealistic and inaccurate to the point of being little more than a painfully predictable cartoon.
The film itself is shot dark and grainy and the dreaded shaky camera sequences are used to imply action.Nothing more needs to be said than women are not men, sorry Mr. Scott, get over it, and that this movie is an insult to any thinking person who knows BS when they see it..
He and Charlie Sheen would make a good team - the Two Stooges.Thinking about the training the SEALs undergo - makes Parris Island look like Wuss City.
I. Jane" is hard to beat although, of course, Moore got 'beat' during half the movie, but she prevailed.One final note.
Demi Moore shines with shiners and a bit more in an often brutal film about the first woman to enter the elite Navy SEALS training.
While some scenes in the movie, such as the confusing end battle, seem a little out of place (exactly who were the trainees fighting?) the film moves along with startling pace and precision.
Demi Moore plays Jordan O Neill, a determined, plucky individual who has her mind and heart set on going through the infamous Navy SEAL training, making her the first woman to undertake the task.
Perhaps there's a secret cache of Scott films which only Freemasons know about.So "G.I. Jane" is precisely what one would expect from the director of the criminally over-rated "Alien", the tediously worthy "Blade Runner", the pretty but hollow "Legend", the lifeless "Black Rain", the exploitative "Thelma and Louise" ...
Ms. Moore is Lt. Jordan O'Neil and she is put in the dubious position of proving that women can keep up with their male counterparts during the rigors of military training.
Of course if you are interested in the crapstory (Demi Moore just wants to prove that a woman can be part of the NAVY Seals) that is the most stupid cliché one I can think of, you'll say "GI Jane" is a great movie.
Just the performance from Viggo Mortensen made this movie bearable but hell, I can't think of Demi Moore being Rambo (especially not during the last, useless, 30 minutes).
Ridley Scott doesn't deserve the credits to make this movie one that comes up for women with equal rights, it's just brainless propaganda for the American army and to make it more attractive they dropped Moore in it.
Of course the main premise is nonsense, a female navy seal is out to show the patriarchy that women can do the job just as well but that isn't what seals the fate of this trash.No, what seals the fate of this trash is the superficial photography and fast editing that makes the film look like a TV commercial, which isn't surprising when you consider that's what Ridley Scott is, a TV commercial director.I like Blade Runner, Alien, The Duelists, but post Blade Runner I think Ridley, like his brother Tony now deceased, has taken the lazy route of film direction and relying mostly on visuals at the expense of depth and substance.Not much more to say other than avoid this turkey.
It's like one of those connect-the-dots puzzles that are provided on the backs of the menus in some Chinese restaurants to keep the impatient kids occupied, only here, instead of winding up with a pencil drawing of a clown it comes out as a dollar sign.Demi Moore is good at playing a tough cookie with that voice of hers that sounds as if it had been cured by Gauloise.
This had the potential to be a very good movie- a talented director like Ridley Scott who has made some very good movies, a great actress like Annne Bancroft who has been in some outstanding films like The Elephant Man and the Miracle Worker and a sexy actress like Demi Moore who has been in some not so good movies but she has given some good performances.
A senior female Senator pushes the issue of the role of women in the military and finds herself with an ultimatum put some test cases through the Navy SEAL training programme and, if they make it, then the possibility of equality is on the table.
The applicants are varied but Senator DeHaven settles on Lt Jordan O'Neil, an intel officer who has the smarts and the drive to potentially make it but also the looks to help by being quite "media-friendly".I might be wrong but I do recall GI Jane being one of the films that saw Moore's career start/continue its slide from box office success to box office risk.
The problem is though the film is not really intelligent enough to rise above these basics.So what we do get is a rather noisy affair where guts and violence are exposed in all the characters and probably too many shots of O'Neil in tiny shorts and vest doing push-ups with lots of sweaty flesh exposed; I got the point it was making but it did feel a bit gratuitous.
Likewise the narrative did emphasis the degree to which O'Neil proved herself equal in terms of violence and aggression, although I was glad that the overall thrust was that she was an equal member of the team, with her intel skills being what earned her her place rather than the ability to kick people.Moore is a good presence in the lead role but she never really has a character that goes deeper than one that can be described in simple words like "determined" or "gutsy".
NOt only that, but studies have shown that women are better multi-taskers, which makes them good under time constraints and pressure...aka BATTLE.Of course G.I. Jane had an attractive female for the lead role, movie-goers are sexist.
This is one of my all time favorite movies; Demi Moore is a powerful actress, and this part was written for her.
G.I. Jane tells the story of a first female ever to go through the hellish training at the Navy SEALs. The training is the most difficult and hard in existence as the instructor says in the film to the lead character O'Neil played by Demi Moore.
The whole finale in G.I. Jane looks ugly and is nothing more but stupid and brainless shooting and killing.This is Ridley Scott's worst movie in my opinion and there are no significant touches from which this great director is known.
Taking a "Women in Combat" controversy, although it seems less so Today", and shoving it in your Face like a Drill Sergeant daring you to speak out.This Movie is a Noble effort, but it may have aimed a bit too high.
Lt. Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore) is selected to be the first female to enter the rigorous Navy S.E.A.L.S. training program, that has a 80% drop out rate.Although the story is difficult to take too seriously, it is done with plenty of believable looking scenes, good direction and a feel good, well dramatised screenplay.
Anyway this was good, Demi Moore gave a good performance and looked really determined to fit in, make the grade, and be treated like everyone else.
Moore's portrayal of Lieut Jordan O'Neill putting herself through hell on a Navy SEAL training course, in order to convince military chiefs that women should be allowed on combat duties, may appear superficially to strengthen the argument for equal opportunities, but in reality undermines the case.
However, before we the audience reach that conclusion, director Ridley Scott has set us up to sit through the sight of a group of men and a woman being literally and metaphorically dragged through the mud, culminating in O'Neill being beaten up by the Master Chief in charge of training, played all too convincingly by Viggo Mortensen.
I didn't like the way she looked on the G.I. JANE movie poster, though.
Is it a film about feminism or sexism?It shows what can happen in last consequence if women want to achieve the same like men.
The film was good, great acting by everyone, especially Moore.
And if you don't pay attention you come away with the idea that Viggo's character is an asshole when actually he's not even vaguely.Demi Moore has very large breasts for an athletic character but aside from that I think she's very good, even if she had watched Aliens 2 a little too much before playing the part.In summary: Viggo very hot, his mustache is not so hot, his acting is great, and DH Lawrence rocks..
It's completely on point when it comes to sexism in society, and is a definite self-esteem booster for women all over America who aren't happy making less money in less important positions at work, or just being seen as cooks, cleaners and baby-makers at home.The storyline revolves around Lt. O'Neil (Demi Moore), a female intel officer in the U.S. Navy, chosen out of an array of female officers, to participate in CRT SEAL Training as a result of a female Texas Senator's (Anne Bancroft) feminist power-play for popularity.
But it would take some kind of ice-cold human being to not appreciate experiencing the story of a woman who makes the decision to "gut it out" and prove that that extra "x" chromosome doesn't stop someone from beating the odds, just like the other guys.Demi Moore plays the character perfectly, conservative and reserved, just like an officer in the military.
Viggo Mortinson plays with the depth of the tough Master Chief and gives us a level of reality and harshness that is absolutely necessary in a film about gruelling SEAL training.
Demi Moore really deserves credit for playing in this movie,not many female actors would dare to take this role,especially because they had to shave their heads for the role.
Tired of the treatment of women in the military, a Texas senator (Anne Bancroft), wants a female put into an all-male arena: the elite Navy SEALs.
Yet throughout this film she does not come across enough as O'Neill, we only see Demi Moore playing a Navy SEAL.
Although violent and often unpleasant, GI Jane is, at its core, a very uplifting tale of one woman's determination to battle sexism in the military, and to meet the tough standards set by Navy SEAL training.
The viewer is put in the position of such vulnerability, because we are aligned with the one woman in a world full of bitter, threatened soldiers, constantly passing sexist comments and threatening to take advantage of the female Seal.There are moments that border on exploitation: Demi Moore's implants are put to good use in a sequence doing pushups in a short cut-off shirt, set to Three Dog Night's Mama Told Me (Not to Come).
Its dark.2) If you're looking for a dark war training picture, or a good drama, then I recommend it.3) If you're going through all Ridley Scott's movies as I am, this is a good three-star picture, but probably won't be one of your favourites by the end, which for me so far are Alien, Legend and Blade Runner..
Demi Moore was also pretty good in this movie.
First off, however well done some people thought this movie was, that it was believable and portrayed very well, there's a huge, glaring problem: WOMEN CAN'T BE NAVY SEALS.
Demi Moore was outstanding in this film - in my opinion it was her best role yet.
The same happens with some of my friends and still they liked the film when I recommend it.I think Demi Moore did an impressive job preparing herself physically for the role.
Demi Moore was perfect for her role as Jane - Good casting call!
If you like action and/or military movies, just disregard the more blatant critics (I always do, knowing they have some personal agenda they're bringing to the film) and watch for enjoyment, without preconceptions...
Demi Moore is great as the woman who made SEAL- a friend of mine who is a SEAL saw this with me and said that is exactly what training is like.
Like I said though, I'm not a SEAL, so if one comes up to me and tells me the movie was completely wrong...I'll believe them!
G.I. Jane follows a female soldier as she train to become a SEAL operative, not knowing her career is all just a political stunt from a Senator.This movie don't know where it's going. |
tt0036515 | Watch on the Rhine | It is set around the World War 2 time.The Mullers are coming across the Mexican border to start their life in America...actually, to visit Sarah's (Bette Davis) family in Washington D.C. The family is made up of Sarah, the mother; Kurt (Paul Lukas), the German father; Joshua, the eldest son; Babby, the cute, innocent little girl; and Bodo, the baby of the family who likes to use big words and tries to act intelligent.Meanwhile, Sarah's mom, Fanny (Lucille Watson) is preparing for her daughter's homecoming. She has the help of the (housekeeper? mainly friend) named Annise.The third set of people is Sarah's brother, David (Donald Woods); and the Count Tek (George Colouris) and Marthe (Geraldine Fitzgerald). David is somewhat taken by Marthe and they admire each other from afar. Tek, we find, is a slimy character. He often participates in poker games at the Nazi Embassy with high-ranking Nazi officials.When the Mullers get to Washington DC, they are overjoyed to be there. We begin to learn about Kurt's job as the rest of the family does...he is a leader of the Underground Resistance Movement. Tek becomes suspicious of them when he finds that they have a loose looking suitcase but a carefully locked briefcase. One afternoon, he breaks into the briefcase and finds money, a gun, and a seal with the letters MF. Having remembered hearing a Nazi official talk of the Underground leader Max Friedenk, he calls the Nazi Baron von Ramme to see. Tek find that Max Friedenk was actually arrested recently. However, the count is still suspicious. He calls the Embassy and asks a man how much info about a Resistance leader would be worth. "If he were in the US, not so much. But if we could get him out of the country, you could name your price...within reason."Tek is liking how this sounds, considering how Marthe and him have run up quite a bill. Besides, he wants to go back to the ruins of the declining Europe. He gets a list of the Resistance leaders' descriptions.That night, when Sarah is getting ready for dinner, she opens a drawer to get a handkerchief or something of the sort when she sees the briefcase lock has been tampered with. She grabs it out and examines it. She finds that the gun was put back in the wrong place.She goes downstairs and tells Kurt. ...Tek tells Kurt that he thought Kurt was Max Friedenk. But then he starts reading off the description of a Gauter, matching Kurt to a T. Tek demands the money from the briefcase. Kurt won't give it to him. Fanny goes to the safe to get her money to pay Tek off.Meanwhile, Kurt knocks Tek down. He tells him that he knows that Tek is a slimy person and that he knows that if he lets him go now that Tek will just turn him in to the Nazis as soon as he gets paid by the Mullers. He leads him outside and shoots him.Inside, Sarah calls for a plane ticket for Kurt. She then explains to Fanny and David about what had to be done to Tek and how she knowsa she will never see Kurt again.Kurt comes in. He says he is sorry that he had to do it but that the man would've endangered many more people. He tells Fanny that they can give him a couple of minutes to say goodbye to his kids and then call the police, or that they can pardon him and give him a chance to get to Europe. Fanny blesses his voyage. Kurt goes upstairs and says goodbye to the children.Kurt gives his blessing and responsibility to Joshua. He says goodbye to Sarah. He leaves.A couple of months later...it is winter. Sarah is sitting by the fire while Joshua is sitting at a desk working on a map. He is drawing out a route on it. Sarah can only guess that Joshua is trying to plan a route to rescue Kurt and confronts him. Joshua admits that he is and that Sarah should've that this would happen and that it is his responsibility to do this. He also asks Sarah to send Bodo when the time comes. Sarah complies. | murder | train | imdb | It may (or may not) be considered interesting that the only reason I really checked out this movie in the first place was because I wanted to see the performance of the man who beat out Humphrey Bogart in his CASABLANCA (10/10 role for the Best Actor Oscar.
I especially enjoyed Paul Lukas, Lucile Watson (rightfully nominated for an Oscar), Bette Davis (wrongfully not nominated), George Coulouris and, oddly, Eric Roberts, who plays the middle child.
The message this movie makes is a good and noble one, the scenery (meaning the house) is beautiful, and the acting is the excellent.
Paul Lukas, repeating his Broadway role, is quite convincing as Kurt Muller, the upright man that wants to make a better world for himself and his family.
Mr. Lukas does a great job portraying Kurt Muller, repeating the role that made him a stage luminary on Broadway.The other best performance is by Lucile Watson, who plays Fanny Farrelly, the matriarch of this family.
Paul Lukas' performance brings tears to my eyes, and Bette Davis, in one of her very few truly sympathetic roles, is a delight.
Watch On The Rhine started as a Broadway play by Lillian Hellman who wrote the film and saw it open on Broadway at a time when the Soviet Union was still bound to Nazi Germany by that infamous non-aggression pact signed in August of 1939.
Lillian was actually months ahead of her time with this work.The play Watch On The Rhine ran from April 1941 to February 1942 for 378 performances and five players came over from Broadway to repeat their roles Frank Wilson as the butler, Eric Roberts as the youngest son, Lucile Watson as the family matriarch and most importantly villain George Coulouris and Paul Lukas.Lukas pulled an award hat trick in 1943 winning an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and the New York Film Critics for Best Actor.
After many years of being vagabonds on the continent of Europe, Davis Lukas, and their three children come to America which has not yet entered the European War. They're made welcome by Lucile Watson who is thrilled naturally at finally meeting her grandchildren.The fly in this ointment are some other house guests, a friend of Davis's from bygone days Geraldine Fitzgerald and her husband who is also from Europe, a Rumanian diplomat and aristocrat George Coulouris.
Everyone is entitled to compare films they choose, but the similarities of "The Mortal Storm" and "Watch On The Rhine" are clearly the problems of refugees threatened by the Nazi juggernaut, while the main comparative point brought out with "Casablanca" is the seeming unjust treatment of Humphrey Bogart in 1943 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, because they chose Paul Lukas instead for the Best Actor Oscar.
Few can claim that.To me the film to look at with "Watch On The Rhine" is based on another play/script by Hellman, "The Searching Wind".
The film has many good performances, led by Lukas as the exhausted but determined anti-Nazi fighter/courier, Davis as his loyal wife (wisely keeping her character as low keyed as possible due to Lukas being the center of the play's activities), Coulouris as the selfish, conniving, but ultimately foolish and ineffective Teck, Lucille Watson as the mother of Davis and Geraldine Fitzgerald (as Coulouris' wiser and sadder and fed up wife), and Kurt Katch, who delivers a devastating critique (as the local embassy's Gestapo chief) about Coulouris and others who would deal with the Nazis.
This time, however, I found the movie interesting from the perspective of the unaware Americans who allow Nazi sympathizers not only to live in their home but to become so familiar as to almost be part of the family.
An American woman, her European husband and children return to her mother's home in "Watch on the Rhine," a 1943 film based on the play by Lillian Hellman, and starring Paul Lukas (whom I believe is repeating his stage role here), Bette Davis, Lucile Watson, George Coulouris, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Donald Woods.
An anti-Fascist, a worker in the underground movement, many times injured, and wanted by the Nazis, Kurt Muller (Lukas) is in need of a long vacation on the estate of his wealthy mother-in-law.
But he finds out that there is truly no escape as one of the houseguests (Coulouris) is suspicious as to his true identity and more than willing to sell him out.Great performances abound in this film, written very much to put forth Lillian Hellman's liberal point of view.
The monologue he has about the need to kill is gut-wrenching, just to mention one scene.Though this isn't what one thinks of as a Bette Davis movie, she gives a masterful performance here as Kurt's loyal and loving wife, Sara.
Watching it, one feels like an 8 year old child being punished by having to write "I will not become a fascist" on the blackboard 100 times.Now I understand that it was made during the height of WW2, and was intended to be a brave condemnation of Hitler and the terrible suffering he brought about, (which anyone would whole-heartedly applaud) and I'm sure it accurately captured the mood of the day.
But it is presented in such an immature, over-obvious, sledgehammer way, it fails abysmally as a work of art.The only good performances here are from Paul Lukas, who brings sincerity and intensity to his role as a quietly heroic anti-fascist; and Lucile Watson as the amusingly ill-mannered rich grandmother who slowly comes to realize how dangerous the world has become.
For those who think the theatre is dead or in extremis and yearn for the good old days, I urge a peek at Watch On the Rhine, as bad in its way as Angels In America, which only goes to show that the theatre had one foot in the grave sixty years ago..
Paul Lukas, reprising his Broadway role and winning the Best Actor Oscar, plays an anti-Nazi German underground leader fighting the Fascists, dragging his American wife and three children all over Europe before finding refuge in the States (via the Mexico border).
Although attempts have been made to open out the original play with exterior scenes in Washington, at the Germam Embassy and also in the grounds of the Farrelly mansion (filmed at the old Busch Gardens) , the whole film is fairly set- bound, betraying its theatrical origins.Paul Lukas, a good actor if not a great one, repeats his much admired and very earnest Broadway portrayal as a German anti-Fascist and won the Best Actor Oscar, probably because of the times in which this film was shown.
It is a pity that the great Mady Christians (who played the role on Broadway) was not asked to reprise her role.More pleasure is to be found in the supportng roles - especially Lucile Watson as the matriarch (also reprising her stage performance) and the superb English actor Henry Daniell as an icily cynical German Baron.
The only ingredient missing in all this is the great Hattie MacDaniel, who was under contact to Warners then and would surely have injected some much needed humour to the proceedings.At one point, the Nazi-sympathising Rumanian Count de Brancovis (George Coulouris) says to Kurt Muller (Lukas) that he cannot place his accent or from which part of Germany he comes.
Although set during World War Two, this movie, which is an excellent adaptation of the Lillian Hellman play, deal with themes which are relevant today and would resonate with a contemporary audience.
I can see why Bette Davis took the role "for its importance." It teaches so much to the American people of its time - and even now - how we don't really know what it means to be a European in an Old World so often used to the kinds of conflict that created World War II.The movie also strikingly doesn't feel like propaganda, even though the message was clearly to move its audience into action (aren't all worthwhile films aimed at personal change?).
Lukas is excellent recreating his stage role, as do all the adult actors here excepting Bette and Geraldine Fitzgerald, as a man fiercely committed to his cause.
It is inspiring because it is about people of noble purpose.To me, the most interesting part of the film is the education of Fanny and David Farrelly (Bette Davis' mother and brother).
Now, with complete justification, we Americans are reviled throughout the world.Today, we watch this film with a new awareness: That the rise to power of Nazis in Germany was not due to a flaw in the German character, but, a flaw in human beings that allows us to rationalize anything that will justify our committing immoral and heinous acts.
Not only is the movie too preachy, but the acting is either too stiff (the children) or too hysterical (Bette Davis, in one of her weaker performances).
Her racism does not stop at that, she makes her primary villain a Romanian, who is treated with contempt by even the Nazis, and whose lack of intelligence is commented on as a facet of his race, by the German anti Nazi hero.It is hard for anyone who is not carried away by wartime propaganda to sit through this movie, in spite of some commendable acting by Paul Lukas, Lucile Watson and George Coulouris..
Bette Davis, Paul Lukas Best Actor Winner (beating Bogart in "Casablanca"), and Screenwriter Dashiell Hammett adapting His Friend Lillian Hellman's Long Running Play.But this may also Bring some Disappointment.
Noble, but up Against what seems like Impossible Odds, They Land back at the Bette Davis Home to Regroup.This is then Played as a "Wake Up Call" for Americans to Join in on the Fight, because LOOK, there may be Nazis Hiding Under the Bed. It's all a bit much to take in with a lot of Drudgery to Endure for the few times the Film Rises to the Task of pointing out all the Intrigue and Dangers lurking just Below the Surface.Recommended Only for Film Historians and Betty Davis Fans, and for the Curious to See what Performance Beat Out Bogie.
At her house he meets a nasty Romanian count (George Coulouris) who is pro-Nazi...and begins to discover that Lukas is a freedom fighter.Based on a play written by Lillian Hellman this is well-done but ultimately doesn't work.
Lukas and Lucile Watson give great performances but Coulouris and (surprisingly) Davis give terrible ones.
Based on a Lillian Hellman play (adapted by Dashiell Hammett), this film concerns Paul Lukas and wife Bette Davis coming to live with Davis' mother (Lucile Watson) in Washington, D.C. after running away from the trouble in Europe (the film is set in 1940).
But, I'll continue to watch the movies she's in because I like the stories/writing/supporting casts, but, I'll always be thinking, of different actresses that could have done a better job..
It is telling, however, that for a movie that underwent major changes during production, CASABLANCA holds together much more firmly than the stolid WATCH ON THE RHINE and, needless to say, also caught the public fancy to a much greater extent – remaining one of the most fondly-remembered Hollywood classics to this day!The comparisons between the two films involve the chase by Nazis for an underground leader: here, it is anti-Fascist German Lukas (quite fine under the circumstances, if frail-looking for the requirements of the role and evidently struggling with the rich dialogue – invariably delivered in a Hungarian accent he never managed to shake off, like his compatriot Bela Lugosi!) who has come to Washington to stay with the family of wife Davis (who seems perennially on the verge of tears here!); also living there are a rather wasted Geraldine Fitzgerald and her ill-suited and impoverished Romanian aristocrat partner George Coulouris, sympathetic to the Third Reich (represented by Henry Daniell and Kurt Katch) despite having fallen out of favour with them.
If educators want to teach their students about the consequences of and the resistance to oppressive, totalitarian rule, they would do much better with movies on the topic with excellent scripts and direction, such as "Casablanca", "The Mortal Storm", or "The Diary of Anne Frank", a stage play brought to the screen that still captivates me after several viewings, just to name three of many, much better possibilities .Paul Lukas may be an excellent actor, but his thick Hungarian accident does not pass as being German at all.
However, neither my friend nor Pat Buchanan seem to have gotten the film's point: Some people hurt and kill to grab other people's land, goods, and liberty; such people dominated the Axis Powers and "enough" didn't appear in their vocabulary.Paul Lukas deserved the Oscar he won.
(Why are "Casablanca", 1942 and "Watch...", 1943 in the same competition?)2) (Not really a S*P*O*I*L*E*R)The reference Paul Lukas makes to "World War One" I found interesting since "World War Two" hadn't started yet, at least in the framework of this film.
Kurt and Sara Muller (Paul Lukas, Bette Davis) and their three children flee Nazi Germany to live with Sara's family in Washington, D.C. Little do they know Sara's family already has two guests, Rumanian count Teck de Brancovis and his American wife Marthe (George Coulouris, Geraldine Fitzgerald).
It has some fine acting (Lukas won an Oscar) and a good script written by Dashiell Hammett based on the play by Lillian Hellman.
Watch on the Rhine (1943) *** (out of 4) Based on the Broadway play, this film won Paul Lukas the Best Actor Oscar at that years ceremony and he's certainly the main reason to watch this.
Lukas and wife Bette Davis, along with their three children, are back in the U.S. for the first time in over eighteen years.
Outstanding film of 1943 with Paul Lukas giving an Oscar calibrated performance as the head of his family bringing them back to America from Europe as the Nazi menace deepened.The usual terrific Bette Davis maintains her reputation here and for a change was not nominated for best actress for this or any film of 1943.Encounting treachery around them, Lukas successfully deals with the situation.
The film version of "Watch on the Rhine" betrays its stage origins a bit too much to make it a classic, but it's acted with enough conviction from its cast that it still carries a considerable wallop all these years later.Oscar-nominated Paul Lukas plays an underground Nazi resistance leader making a stopover in the U.S. so that his wife (Bette Davis) can visit her home and mother (Lucile Watson, also Oscar nominated).
But Lukas, Davis and especially Watson are very good and help the film achieve its success as a rousing call to action.My favorite part of the script is its treatment of Watson's character and her son, Davis's brother.
Watch on the Rhine is one of the best anti-nazi propaganda films made during World War Two. Paul Lukas was certainly deserving of his Oscar.
Bette Davis and Paul Lukas and their three kids are leaving Mexico and coming into the United States in the first scene of the movie.
A German-born engineer (Paul Lukas), his American wife (Bette Davis) and their children travel from Mexico to the United States to visit his brother but their plans are complicated by a Romanian count.Davis stated in a 1971 interview with Dick Cavett, that she played the role of the wife for 'name value' because the studio did not consider the film a good financial risk, and that her name above the credits would draw audiences.
While this subject was handled in other films,in this one a good part of the action [particularly the climax]takes places inside the house.This enables the movie from being more than just a"Nazi-hunting" movie.It shows the effect on the family.It also provides for some of the films better moments as Lukas 'character has to explain what he has done ,what he has to do and why he must do what he is about to do.The same can be said of Davis'character as she explains her devotion to his cause.This has started to destroy her family and she realizes that this will continue as her sons take up the cause.Fine acting by the two leads.Film made me think of "The Mortal Storm"."Criss-cross" is another good film on the subject which ,like "The Mortal Storm deals more with anti-semitism..
All the fine acting and "A picture" production values that Warner's had at the time this film was made can't save it from it's ponderous dialogue and message.
Bette gives a fine performance as does Lucile Watson but Paul Lukas is like a block of wood and those kids are, well, as subtle as biting down on a jalapeno.
For all these years I have avoided watching this film because, although it had one feature I really like (Bette Davis), it appeared to about WWII along the Rhine River...and I usually detest war movies.
So, last evening, I was quite delighted to learn that the movie was completely different than I had expected, and although it was about WWII and Nazis, it takes place primarily in Virginia (or is it Maryland).In 1940, before the U.S. had gotten into WWII (although the film was produced in 1943, when the end of the war was approaching) German-born engineer Paul Lukas, his American wife Bette Davis, and their 3 children Joshua cross from Mexico into the United States to visit (or live with) Davis' mother in suburban Washington.
At the close of the movie, one of Davis' sons announces that is planning to return to war-time Europe to find his father (Lukas).
It was something of an act of bravery for Hellman to write a play about good Germans at this time (maybe she thought they were the ones who signed the Nazi-Soviet pact!).
There's neither a "watch" nor a "Rhine" in this film, but there is some pretty good acting (including the killer "Pops" Muller--who sort of combines Baron Von Trapp from THE SOUND OF MUSIC with Hannibal Lecter--for which Paul Lukas won an Oscar). |
tt0865559 | My Life in Ruins | Georgia (Nia Vardalos) is a Greek American teacher who came to Greece to teach at a local college about Classic Greece. However, budget cuts caused her to be laid off and forced her to get a job as tour guide. She believes she has hit rock bottom when she loses her passion in everything. Informed by her boss, Maria (Bernice Stegers), that she ranks poorly as a guide because the tourists think she's boring, Georgia finds herself leading a tour around Greece with an assorted group of misfit tourists whom she believes is a failure since they seem to care more about buying T-shirts than learning about history and culture. Instead, she wishes to have a good group of Canadian tourists whom seems to be more engaged in history and culture than wanting to go shopping for souvenirs and hang out at the beach. Maria disagrees with Georgia's assessment, informing her that they are more interested in Nico (Alistair McGowan), a rival male tour guide also working for Maria because he's engaging in tours. As Georgia's tour departs, her driver is injured in an accident and is replaced by another driver, Poupi (Alexis Georgoulis).
In a clash of personalities and cultures, everything seems to go wrong and Georgia is on the verge of quitting as she can't connect with the group to get them to appreciate Greece and its culture. This is made worse when she voices her disgust with Maria for favoring Nico over her in letting his group stay in better hotels than her group. After being ignored again, Georgia decides to send a letter to inform her that she's quitting at the end of her tour and Maria can find another tour guide more tolerant to her and Nico.
One day, an older traveller named Irv Gideon (Richard Dreyfuss), helps Georgia see why she can't connect with the group: she finds them annoying and is bored with her current job. Therefore, he shows her how to have fun and teach her how to be more engaging to the tourists. This helps Georgia learn more about the current group of tourists she has and open her eyes to the different places where they come from. In doing so, she also teaches them the origins of the Olympic Games, which they take genuine interest in. While they become more immersed in Greek culture, Poupi begins to show interest in Georgia. However, Georgia's antics distract him while driving, and he narrowly avoids causing an accident on the road. At the hotel they're staying at, Georgia's female members of her group manages to stall a hurt Nico as Georgia, Irv and Poupi secretly sabotage his tour bus by stealing the air conditioning from it to install in her own bus. As the group begins to enjoy themselves at the beach, Irv becomes sick and they take him to the hospital. Georgia is unsure if she should continue and is concerned for Irv's health until Poupi encourages her to do so.
During her group's tour of the Parthenon, Georgia tells them why she likes coming there because at the right time, she could feel the wind from the ruins. While his own group looks around, Nico confronts Georgia and her group. Georgia realizes she ended up with the better group when he reveals that without air conditioning on his tour bus, Nico got a serious headache from having to hear his group complaining the entire time and he never bothered getting to know them. When Nico openly insults his group in front of Georgia and her group by calling them Americans, the Canadians are offended by this and start trying to beat him up. Georgia and her group visit the hospital where Irv is recovering well. At night when the group is celebrating the farewell party at a Greek buffet, Maria confronts Georgia for the letter and convinces her to stay with a promise of a raise after she produces the review logs with good reviews with her current group of tourists. She even admitted that she was glad Nico quit since she never liked being around him and only tolerated Nico because she knew his parents very well. Georgia begins a relationship with Poupi. | entertaining | train | wikipedia | It's not easy to put people together and make a successful collaboration." You can almost feel the push and pull between the talented Nia Vardalos and writer Mike Reiss with this story of an American history professor – turned – travel guide to an annoying group of tourists.
Nia Vardolos is a Greek-American expatriate in Greece, overqualified and unhappy with her temporary job as a tour guide.
The supporting cast was also great, and their characters were so real and typical and funny that I felt like this was written about a tour bus I was once on.
Alexis G, the bus driver was like a modern Greek God, and I couldn't believe his talent as an actor actually matched his good looks.
Thanks to a tour passenger Irv (Richard Deyfuss) who takes on a guardian angel role and a sexy "ugly swan" bus driver (Alexis Georgoulis), Georgie begins to look at life on a whole new level.
I loved my BIG FAT Greek WEDDING and was excited to see this new movie made by some of the same people and with Nia Vardalos as the star.
I think a lot of people can identify with feeling "out of whack" with life situations and it was enjoyable to live vicariously through Nia's character Georgia as she made breakthroughs in her love life and career.
In what amounts to be a sitcom remake of 1969's "If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium", a farce that depicted the whirlwind antics of an American tour group in Europe, this film is even more dependent on stock characters and situations that appear transported from an Eisenhower-era story.
Seven years after her unexpected success with "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding", star Nia Vardalos looks slimmer and more glamorous than she did in her debut, yet she portrays almost the same self-defeating character as Georgia, a history professor who came to Greece to teach but ends up leading tourists around its ancient ruins.
Disappointed with the cards life has dealt to her, she is uptight about her job much to the consternation of her group who want only to have fun rather than an education on ancient Greece.Directed by Donald Petrie ("Miss Congeniality") and written by Mike Reiss (episodes of "The Simpsons") in an extremely slapdash fashion, the story focuses on how Georgia has lost her passion for life (called "kefi" in Greek) and how it takes the motley tour group and her attraction to a studly bus driver named Poupi to rediscover it.
As Poupi, hunky Greek actor Alexis Georgoulis looks initially like Grizzly Adams, but love transforms him into smoldering eye candy as the movie progresses, which is really the whole point of his role.
Surprisingly, the most entertaining commentary is provided by Reiss, a genuine comedy writer who convinces us that the story is based on his real-life experiences as part of a tour group.
Alas, not having any doubts about her hidden talents, her latest film will not add anything to her resume."My Life in Ruins", directed by Daniel Petrie, is a movie full of clichés.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie which was everything I expected and wanted it to be and is one of the better romantic comedies I have seen in the last few years.
Stunning scenes of Greece, quirky likable characters (especially Richard Dreyfuss as Irv), the gorgeous Alexis Georgoulis, and the stunning Nia Vardalos who had great chemistry together.
However, the story-line and much of the dialogue is replete with cliché and stereotype.If you're a resident of Greece simply looking for 90 minutes of escape or if you're a tourist or would-be visitor to the country, there's enough in this movie to amuse, but if you demand a bit more from a film, then all this one has to offer is Richard Dreyfus's considerable wisdom and life-experience.
I was really excited to see this movie after having loved My Big Fat Greek Wedding for so long.
It's directed by and starring the lady who also made My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and if you liked that movie, it's safe to say that you'll love this one.
Nia Vardalos' "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was a pleasant comedy, nothing special but at least there were some successful puns and originality.
The supporting cast is enjoyable though (all types of travelers i have seen visiting my country in a somewhat overreacting depiction,the creepy bus driver who falls for Vardalos) and of course Richard Dreyfuss is the lead of them all delivering a hilarious performance & the best lines of the film while doing some Greek sightseeing at the same time.
The beautiful Greek surroundings will definitely be a good reason for the viewer to watch the film & even if he has no plans to visit my country he might change his mind soon.
This a comedy that shows many examples why comedy should not be like this film.Georgia (Nia Vardalos), an out of luck woman working in Greece as a tour guide unexpectedly finds love with a bearded bus driver named Poupi (pronounced Poopie in English) and friendship with an Jewish American widower, Iriv (Richard Dreyfuss).
Like Iriv, every non-Greek characters are embarrassingly stereotyped for example, an Australian couple with sickening accents and always have a can of Fosters beer every time they appear, a snobby British couple with a bratty teenage daughter, a man from Miami in his 20s who easily reminds of you of a party fan from the 1990s and more stereotyped characters.I haven't seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding but i heard it was a sleeper hit and Nia received an Academy Award nomination for her writing should have written this instead of former Simpsons writer, Mike Reiss.I only liked one joke where the Miami man received a shirt from another tourist that says 'I love Greece' in Greek language but later, he was hanging out with two Greek men and Georgia alerted him that the shirt actually says 'Enter at Rear', revealing that the Greek men are stereotypically gay.I don't mind comedies that are meant to be fun and and not serious like Scary Movie or Red Dog (it looks stereotyped but its accurate since its set in the 70s so don't complain) but using the majority of the film with stereotypes isn't the answer to it.
So if you want an in-depth review, look elsewhere.I haven't seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but I have seen a lot of romantic comedies, and I can tell you right now that My Life in Ruins has no originality.
It was a fun movie; I could recognize all the characters and even though I have never taken a bus tour, I felt that the people and situations were real enough that I could easily relate to them.
But I found this movie entertaining, yeah at times it was predicable, but still was entertaining, not the best, but not the worst.Nia Vardalos is charming in her role, yeah she does not get high laughs, but she plays a character that is likable and you pretty much feel for.
because it is the film of Nia Vardalos, saving many scenes, it is occasion for Richard Dreyfuss to give a lovely character and , for viewer, it is a modest opportunity to meet a sketch of Greece, a sort of love story and the effort of team to do reasonable film about vacation and its people.
The only reason I wanted to watch this movie was because of lovely Nia Vardalos.
But I must admit the movie was much better than I expected.The story was about a tour guide in Greece who doesn't have a great reputation of her work.She always gets the average box checked as there are no lesser grade.
"A good traveller is something at the latter end of a dinner; but one that lies three thirds and uses a known truth to pass a thousand nothings with, should be once heard and thrice beaten." Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends WellGreece is much better than it appears in My Life in Ruins, an uneven romantic comedy starring Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
But Pedro Almodovar's favorite cinematographer, José Luis Alcaine, gets it right with shots of Vardalos, who looks vibrant and beautiful all the time, even when she's splattered with gelato and desperate for love.If you want a midlin' tour of Greece and a forced romantic comedy from the comfort of your Cineplex, you can't go too wrong on a summer night to see this film..
If you like groin kicking jokes, humiliating a women by ripping off her top, flatulence humor, and stuff that at one time was considered just plain rude, then avoid this film.In all honesty "My Life in Ruins" starts off a little corny, but it gets some sea-legs and gives the more mature minded audience a fairly good ride.
Such is the case of "My Life In Ruins".Yes, it's by the numbers and if you're the kind of person that finds the formula boring after 5 minutes then.....don't watch it.But sometimes you just go with it much like Nia Vardalos as her character of Georgia does.
Nia Vardalos, playing a professorial tour guide, is repeatedly informed, "You're not funny!" Those watching this movie will echo the sentiment as they slog their way through the clichés, predictable scenarios and failed attempts at humour.
Another Big Fat Greek Movie For Nia Vardalos.
"My Life In Ruins" isn't as frenetic as "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," nor is it based on her own life, as the previous movie was, but like that movie it's an enjoyable and amusing comedy.
It has no real depth and you pretty much know how it's going to end up, but overall the journey is fun and it's a journey with mostly likable characters, although the whole thing is a bit mindless.Vardalos plays Georgia, an American classics professor who finds herself out of work and moves to Greece, where she ends up as perhaps the worst tour guide with the worst tour company you've ever seen.
This film which talks about a story of a tour guide named Georgia and her so-called last tour (but actually it turns out to be very different) is solemnly romantic, extremely funny and downright touching with some scenes of kind of "magic" from Greece God and Goddess.Though it doesn't have much meaning like the Oscar films or stuff like that, but this is a really helpful film for those (1) who wanna become tour guide or wanna go on a trip and (2) who wanna laugh..
for the 98% of the people who have never visited it, this movie comes as close to a tour of it as they can have without going.I'm can't imagine anybody not loving this film, at least not anybody with a sense of humor, and an eye for beauty and a brain that appreciates a good, well-structured plot and witty dialogue..
I still haven't checked out My Big Fat Greek Wedding in which actress Nia Vardalos is most famous for, but I suppose there's a fan in one of the distributors here to bring in yet another of her film this year after I Hate Valentine's Day. While it's nothing cerebral about the films she starred in (so far that I've watched), one cannot discount the fact that her sunshine demeanour has brought about some positive vibes and feel good factor to her movies, that it's somewhat of a delight to sit through her romantic comedies, thanks to sheer charisma.Written by Mike Reiss and directed by Donald Petrie, My Life in Ruins isn't as dire sounding as its title, touching upon a snapshot of a tour guides stint and rapport developed with a group of tourists under her charge.
It also plays on the stereotypes of typical tourists from various (Western) countries, such as the clueless American and the friendly Australians, though of course not every caricature gets painted in positive light, in a comical way not meant to offend.Nia Vardalos plays Georgia, an American-Greek expatriate in Greece whose temporary job while waiting for a college teaching appointment, is that of a tour guide in a dingy tour establishment.
After all, it stars the ever-chirpy Nia Vardalos, and it's about time I visit her fat Greek wedding!.
Okay I'm not known to like romantic comedies but this movie was actually pretty good.
Great for dates, girl's night, or people who've been on vacation to Greece (yes, that probably does affect my judgment...I've been on a Greek tour bus to many locations featured in the movie).
7 years ago, producers Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson obtained an unexpected economical success with the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a mediocre romantic comedy with ethnic "taste" and very limited creativity.Now, My Life in Ruins tries to reproduce the formula with the same main actress...and other clichés.My Life in Ruins is a bland and boring comedy with a cloying screenplay and a forced message about the magic of love.My Life in Ruins is the kind of film which is usually found on a plane trip or filling space in the daytime of some TV channels destined to women.Its superficial romance is absolutely inoffensive; its basic humor does not require any effort in order to be assimilated; and its ending is completely insipid.It is easy to note there was not much effort put in this movie.Two of the few good elements in this movie are the decent performances from Nia Vardalos and the great Richard Dreyfuss.The rest of the cast is anonymous.I do not recommend My Life in Ruins, because I found it to be a boring and insipid experience..
Nia Vardalos is Georgia, an American come back to Greece to be a tour guide.
This film is about an unemployed classical history professor who has to become a tour guide around Greece for a crappy tour company to make ends meet."My Life in Ruins" is funny and entertaining!
That's in addition to the always sunny weather and amazing scenery, which adds to the happy and vibrant feel of the film."My Life in Ruins" is an entertaining romantic comedy.
Georgia (Nia Vardalos) is an American living in Greece and working as a tour guide.
especially if one has worked in a tour operation.What I enjoy most about this movie is the way the characters are developed to move the story along.
Unless, we sell the film as "The star of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' finally goes to Greece." Speaking of Vardalos, did you ever see her film, "Connie and Carla?" I loved it!
I was thinking, how about if the two are male musicians who witness a mob hit and are forced to dress up as women and play in an all women's band to hide from the gangsters.REISS: You mean a remake of "Some Like It Hot?"EXEC: Some like it what?I don't know who to blame for the utterly bland "My Life in Ruins." Reiss, director Donald Petrie, actress Nia Vardalos or producers Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.Clearly, some of the same people involved in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002) - Vardalos, Wilson and Hanks - are back for this one.
But, whereas, that film, despite its obvious plot twists and turns, had a certain charm to it, this one is devoid of anything even remotely resembling charm, humor or originality.There's a moment about 20 minutes into "My Life in Ruins," when Dr. Tullen (Caroline Goodall - what is she doing in this awful picture?) tells Georgia (Vardalos), "You are not funny."She might as well have been saying that to Petrie and Reiss.
I realize her husband's making all the big movies and is the box-office name, but she is a terrific actress and, frankly, "My Life in Ruins" would have been substantially and substantively more enjoyable had the film been about Irv and Elinor.Vardalos might be looking to regain some of the "magic" of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." But she failed miserably with "Connie and Carla" (2004), a "Some Like It Hot" (1959) ripoff, and now comes this "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium" (1969) ripoff.
But, Nia Vardalos (as the frustrated travel guide Georgia)and Alexis Georgoulis(as the quiet sensible driver Poupi Kakas)make did make a good-looking pair in this rom-com.After a long absence from the screen it seems, Richard Dreyfuss returns as Irv, a widower who can be both irritatingly funny and sensibly sensitive.
Georgia (Nia Vardalos) is a Greek-American who comes to Greece to work as a teacher but when they cut down the budget, she loses her job and finds another one as a tour guide.
I wonder if his wife Rita Wilson, being an American-Greek, has anything to do with it, like in the sweet romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding..
OK Greek romantic comedy after the first scenes pass and the movie gets going..
The other meaning is her guiding tours through the ancient ruins of Greece, and this movie is a slice of her life there.Nia Vardalos is not a star with a big drawing power, but her movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was a big hit, partly because of the supporting cast and side stories.
"My Life in Ruins" (2009) is Nia Vardalos' attempt to recapture some of the magic of her debut film, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002).
"My Life in Ruins" is engaging and entertaining throughout its 90-minute length.Nia Vardalos plays Georgia, a Greek-American who is working in the land of her ancestors as a tour guide.
With tons of the Greek Background shown and tons of humor, My life in Ruins is a good film.
My Life in Ruins isn't quite what My Big fat Greek Wedding was, but I still thought it was a funny, funny film.
Nia Vardalos, who you might remember from My Big Fat Greek Wedding is in her new movie My Life in Ruins.
She plays Georgia, a travel guide who does a tour group around Greece. |
tt0109759 | Exotica | A tax auditor for Revenue Canada, Francis Brown, is a regular visitor at a Toronto strip club called Exotica. Grieving for the loss of his murdered daughter, he always has Christina, an exotic dancer dressed in a schoolgirl uniform, give him a private dance. This inspires the jealousy of the club's DJ Eric, Christina's former boyfriend who has also impregnated the club's owner Zoe. While at the club, Francis pays his brother Harold's young daughter to babysit. However, Francis has no children left and the girl merely practices music alone until Francis returns and drives her home. Francis' relationship with his brother is strained, as the police have told Francis that Harold had an affair with his wife before she died in a car accident, that left Harold a paraplegic. It is also revealed that Francis's daughter was kidnapped and killed, and he was one of the suspects but was later exonerated. The accusation left a psychological scar on him.
In his professional life, Francis is sent to Thomas' pet store to audit books of account pursuant to the suspicion that Thomas is profiting from the illegal import of rare bird species. Thomas has been smuggling hyacinth macaw eggs, and his operation is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Francis is eventually banned from Exotica when Eric manipulates him into touching Christina during one of her dances, which is against the rules of the club. Around the same time, Francis discovers illegal activities in Thomas' financial records, and blackmails Thomas to go to the club to learn Christina's feelings about Francis. In the process, Francis realizes Eric intentionally set out to get him banned, and vows to kill him. Confronting Eric with a gun, Francis is defused when Eric reveals he and Christina were the ones who found the body of Francis's daughter. Christina also reveals to Thomas that she and Francis share a relationship of mutual dependency. In the past when she used to babysit his daughter, Francis would comfort her about her troubled life at home. | dark, mystery, murder, cult, flashback, romantic, revenge, home movie | train | wikipedia | First time I saw it (about a year ago), I wasn't really sure what to make of it, but there were scenes from it (when Elias Koteas reveals why his connection to the disturbed and grieving father and the scene with the father and his daughter's babysitter at the end) that have always stuck in my mind.
A very haunting and beautiful movie (even though it gives a very unpleasant view of life), with a haunting snake charm style score and starring the brilliant Elias Koteas (from "Crash") and the lovely Mia Kirshner (from early first season "24" and "The Crow: City Of Angels").
Not to many tastes but very rewarding if you can appreciate it (although it's sense of detachment probably puts off a lot of people).It seems to me to explore the theme of people trying to connect, in a very insular and ultimately unfulfilling way (the young gay man who goes to the ballet every night and gives away his "extra ticket" for companionship or the grieving father who pays a young girl to "babysit" his empty house so that he can have the illusion his daughter is still around for example), and also the theme of loss (variously of loved ones, innocence, youth, opportunity etc).
This, like Egoyan's follow-up masterpiece "The Sweet Hereafter" is an intricate, elliptical, and tragic look at grief and loss focusing on the people who work at and patronize a Toronto strip club.
It's all very literary and symbolic (the exotic creatures of the pet shop being audited by Bruce Greenwood's tax man with a sad secret mirroring the exotic dancers of the club where he finds his solace after hours) and surprisingly emotional (especially at the end).
I can't remember seeing a film as intriguing, complex, and beautifully photographed as "Exotica." I nearly didn't watch it because the video cover advertized it as an "erotic thriller" and the image on the front is of Mia Kirchner doing her strip-tease bit.
Granted, "Exotica" centers around a "gentleman's club" of the same name, but to call this film a simple erotic thriller is to miss out on a lot, on too much."Exotica" follows four seemingly unrelated storylines: a man sitting alone at a table in a strip club, another man smuggling exotic parrot eggs into the country ("Exotica" takes place in and around Toronto), two apparent strangers walking in a field of green, and a young girl who plays a flute in an empty house.
He threads narrative, characters, time, and setting in such complicated iterations that one is at once nearly overwhelmed by the intricacy and awed at his skill, a testament to his brilliance as well as his belief that a film-going audience is actually intelligent.At it's heart, "Exotica" is a tragedy of circumstances.
'Exotica' is clearly Egoyan's best film and his most successful presentation of the motifs that have characterized his films throughout his career; these include the presentation of the narrative out of chronological order, the interaction of characters by means of videotape and hidden surveillance, the relationship between parent and child, and the repetition of situation and dialogue.
The film's strong emphasis on structure and focus on Thomas' and Francis' parallel 'hunts' for human contact can't help but remind of that masterpiece of medieval literature 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' (this is a work that Egoyan was born to adapt to the screen).
Egoyan reminds us that this relationship can ultimately be extended to include the audience members, who also make private judgments of the film's characters (we've this before in films like Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' and Powell's 'Peeping Tom').
Egoyan's technique is to fracture a story like a jigsaw puzzle, giving the viewer bits and pieces which only all connect in the final scene.
As you watch this film, you wonder how the lives of these characters will eventually impact on each other, and your mind searches for possible explanations.
The last time I was this bored watching a film it was the critically acclaimed Inception (2010) the film that bred a new type of pseudo intellectual movie fan with the moniker of "If you don't like it you didn't understand it" Well I understood that over-convoluted mess and I still didn't like it.Exotica brings nothing to the table, not even a young Mia Kirchner stripping in a school girl outfit could turn this embarrassment around..
The title of the film "Exotica" comes from a strip club where much of the action either takes place or originates from, where dancer Christina (Mia Kirshner) captivates two men, club DJ Eric (Elias Koteas) and accountant Francis (Bruce Greenwood) for different reasons.
Also added into the mix is Thomas, (Don McKellar) an exotic animal store owner who becomes involved when Francis is performing an audit on his books and discovers transgressions there, essentially blackmailing him into helping him get to Christina.Even if I were to provide enough information about the film without concern about spoilers, it would be hard to describe the plot of the film.
"Exotica", while centering on a strip club, is mostly about relationships, (all unhealthy to very great extents) and the evolution of one's character and personality.
The atmosphere of a porno movie is maintained by a fragmented plot with sketchy characters whose only reason for existence seems to be their gravitation towards a certain night club.
That's not reality.The most interesting bit was actor Don McKellar who plays Thomas is made to look like the director Atom Egoyan, complete with his glasses.
In "Exotica," Egoyan finally goes past the techno-theoretical trickery that informs "Family Viewing," "Calendar" and "The Adjustor," past all the Baudrillardian commentary to tell a real story of a man's heartbreaking attempts to re-assemble his world after its savage, random devastation.
(OK, Egoyan doesn't abandon his lit-crit background completely; the elaborate shots of everyone-watching-everyone and/or voyeuristically getting the goods on everyone or/and generally cruising the mise-en-scene will inspire heated recognitions in graduate schools everywhere; but the actual _story_ pulses on bleakly, brilliantly.) Don't be fooled by its video-marketing as some kind of softcore/action Zalmankingthing: the movie is a profound mystery; it will leave you absolutely demolished..
It's difficult to do justice to the complicated plot and characterisation in a brief synopsis, but the seductive nature of the Exotica strip club is counterpointed by the seductive nature of both fantasy and guilt, as characters try, in different ways, to come to terms with a double tragedy..
Last time I checked the only things strip club DJ's say is "Hey gentlemen, these ladies work on tips," and the only music they play is a collage of 80's hair bands like Ratt.
After seeing The Sweet Hereafter, I rented Exotica, having heard that it's the best, if not his most signature piece of work- and WHAT a movie- this movie doesn't let you get away with falling asleep, loosing concentration, or anything like that.
One of the best films of 1994, without a doubt.The way that Egoyan intermingles different symbols, cuts back and forth through time, uses repeated imagery, and, at some points, holds back with severely limited dialogue, paints films that capture what it's like to live and remember and be alive.
That sense of unknowing- not knowing everything about the characters, not knowing everything, just yet, of what's happening- makes Egoyan's films, and certainly Exotica, some of the most mentally stimulately movies in cinematic history.All in all Egoyan should of won Best Director in 1997, not Cameron, and this film definately deserved a best screenplay nod in 1994.
Through one way mirrors,disparate characters are smuggling things, exotic forbidden things -- birds eggs, lust for lost youth, remorseful compulsion; nothing ever as it first appears -- this film in particular, a virtual clearing house for Egoyan's recurring themes and motifs, I dismissed when it first opened as a SHOWGIRLS for the coffee house set .
It makes me think of time being wasted as we relive over and over again moments in our life which serve to shape and give form to the whole.I believe this film concerns the lengths we go to to retain our grip on our own version of reality; one which we can make sense of and thus live by.
This film seduces you from start to end and touches on some very deep human emotions in a intertwined web of characters.
The movie remains suspended in between hardcore realism and fantasy fiction, which ends up giving it a tone of poetic realism.Thematically the film is primarily about grief, emotional baggage and the lasting effect that sorrow can have in a person's life.
This is where Egoyan lends an air of humanism to the film as he tries to understand why and what circumstance will compel someone to choose to do something morally problematic(like spending every night in a strip club and watching a young girl dressed in a schoolgirl's uniform dance for you) instead of judging them for their choices.Another prominent thematic element in the film is the presence of a constant series of 'transactions'.
But why did Egoyan decide to name the strip club as well as the film 'Exotica'?
In the scenes inside the strip club, what is noticeable is that instead of focusing on the naked dancers, Egoyan devotes a lot of shots to capturing the faces of the male clients who sit at all the tables, one of them being Francis himself.
Since the club gives them an experience which gives the men a relief from their tough realities, it is called 'Exotica' and since the major characters in the film go out of their way to cope with the grim realities of their lives, it is only natural that the film will be called the same too.The primary score composed by Mychael Danna is just perfect as it so beautifully captures the tone of the film.
Bruce Greenwood exudes and lends so much sensitivity to Francis and makes him an absolutely heartbreaking character.'Exotica' is a film about people with grieving hearts who are compelled to engage in transactions and make compromises in order to cope with their severely distressing lives.
This atmosphere carries on as the film introduces entirely different characters going through various challenges in their life—Thomas is a man who tries to find a living by owning and handling a shop with exotic animals, and is thereafter found watching productions of Romeo and Juliet as if he's looking for someone, and Francis is a seemingly ordinary accountant who, mostly every night, visits this high-class strip club called 'Exotica' to exchange conversation with a stripper dressed like a school girl named Christina.The film is like a tease, there are quite a lot of mysterious subplots unfolding around the characters, but it never bothers answering any of them.
How the human nature is unorthodox, and how everything feels so arbitrary until the lives of two people intersect, and in this case, in a classy and jazzy Toronto strip club.There are six main players in this story—Thomas, Francis, Christina, Eric, Zoe, and Tracey.
This is emphasized by the two-way mirror, and as the film progresses, it gradually reveals characters backgrounds and histories thought to be concealed, and by the time it reaches its third act, the artfulness of its mystery hit me in a profound manner as I realized the subjective reasons on why characters did some eccentric decisions during the rising action.
And as the DJ Eric (Elias Koteas) says, there's something mysteriously appealing about the innocence of a schoolgirl combined with an erotic dance (by an adult woman).Her main client is Francis (Bruce Greenwood) who seems solely interested in her and perhaps for something more or other than just sexual entertainment.
It involves Thomas who smuggles eggs and goes to the ballet with strangers who know something about him.I like the way we learn more and more about the characters and they all seem so human.
The title and DVD cover may make is seem like an erotic thriller at first, when in fact nothing could be further from the truth; Exotica is a beautiful, dark, low-key drama that seduces the viewer with sensuality and sexuality but maintains a chilly distance throughout.Exotica takes place in a strip club but isn't at any time titillating.
(The music is simplified, unusual and perfectly fitting.) An amazing story that moves you and keeps you interested till the end.In addition to that, the movie has some nice bonus points: It's sexy (I love Mia Kirshner), intelligent and forces you to think.
Atom Egoyan's "Exotica" is perhaps the most perfect and beautifully intricate film I have seen.
Filmed on a $2 million Canadian budget with his mostly usual staple of actors it explores territory usually left unchartered in the film world.Francis Brown (Bruce Greenwood) is a tax auditor for Revenue Canada who makes nightly visits to Exotica, a local gentleman's club, where he also asks for his favorite dancer, Christina (Mia Kirschner).
The other main character of the story is Thomas Pinto (Don McKellar), a latently gay pet shop owner being audited by Francis.The film is largely about replacements and rituals.
The start shows a customs official looking through a one way mirror at Thomas as he enters the country, later at the strip club the idea of looking is once again entertained, especially when the one way mirrors of the club are revealed to the audience through which Eric watches Christina.In the whole Exotica is a stunning film, and is highly recommended.
The film doesn't ask us to like or relate to the characters themselves, but to basically look at the workings of our minds and souls.
Egoyan's film is very carefully and tightly woven among several apparently disparate characters, and their complete relationships don't fully come together until the final scene.
If you like this type of slick film-making above a great story then you love this movie.
And the way all the threads are (forced to be) connected together makes the film fail from both points of view.Egoyan has made much better movies than this (e.g. Calendar)..
The characters include Francis (Bruce Greenwood) as a Canadian government revenue auditor who is auditing the financials of an exotic pet store (whose owner Thomas is played by Don McKeller) while trying to exorcise his demons at a strip club called EXOTICA.
Certainly on the second viewing it is clear that many clues are provided and that the outcome is being subtly telegraphed throughout the film in a kind of mental striptease.As already mentioned, the really unique feature of this movie is that the viewer does not really connect with the characters but instead connects with the substitution theme.
I still find the film deeply ambiguous and disturbing.I think as a viewer, Egoyan wants us to focus on two characters more than others Eric and Francis.
Egoyan only hints at why Francis continues to substitute his dead daughter with the erotic dancer Christina at Exotica.
This clouds the murder mystery which the film supposedly resolves via Francis's disclosure.Exotica, I feel, wants us to read deeper meanings in what is presented, but ultimately, the compulsion to read between the lines is what it invites the viewer to do, however, final or revealing, the end might be..
Didn't really understand or appreciate this film, but though I kept checking my watch, I got sucked in sufficiently so that I wanted to find out "what happened in the end".If I summarise the main characters in this film it will express what I understood and provide a background for a conclusion: * Christine, the exotic dancer cum stripper who dresses as a schoolgirl and does lap dances for patrons at the gentlemen's club, Exotica* Eric, Christine's jealous ex-lover and DJ/MC at the Exotica.
Exotica has a good story and is told to maximum effect, but after thinking about it the final segment is that this movie does not further our knowledge of our world beyond what we already know.
It's those kinds of twists and turns that keep one off balance, just like Eric's (Elias Koteas) set up to get Francis thrown out of the Club Exotica.
You never really know which way the story is heading until the very last scene, and the payoff is distressingly sad and depressing for the film's principal character, who's unable to reconcile his conflicted emotions over the loss of a daughter and wife in unrelated circumstances.
I 'll begin with a quick summary spoiler free and then the details full of spoilers...Well well well Atom Egoyan has a reputation for making good films although I don't recall seeing any movie of his and I said to myself let's give it a try....Boy I was in for a surprise!!
The ending was quite a surprise, even.Mia Kershner, Bruce Greenwood, Don McKellar - I should name the whole cast, but these three impressed me most - all do a wonderful job under the exceptional direction of Atom Egoyan, a truly unique film maker and storyteller.The main story about Francis gets sidetracked some of the time by the stories about Zoe, Eric and Christina and especially the one about Thomas, or at least it seems to be, but things come together more and more nearing the end.A good 9 out of 10..
This is a must see for indie purists, film buffs in general and for people who like movies about life, emotion, and the human soul.
Good, carrying music by Danna, although not as emotional as his Sweet Hereafter score.Egoyan's work is similar to Leigh's in its glance at the intricate lives of full characters, and this film continues this gravitational style.
In this film Egoyan fails the audience in not even giving veiled reasons for his characters situations.
He is a most talented and original movie maker, a Canadian as are his players, Bruce Greenwood, (Francis Brown, the accountant whose daughter was murdered), Sarah Polley, (Tracey, the high school girl), and Mia Kirshner, (Christina, the exotic dancer). |
tt0088000 | Revenge of the Nerds | The film begins with best friends Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine), and Gilbert Lowell (Anthony Edwards), being driven by Lewis's Dad (James Cromwell) to their chosen college, Adams. Both Lewis and his father have the same nerdy laugh. There are some sight gags as Lewis and Gilbert carry a heavy chest across campus to their dorm. They get only a day to enjoy their room as that evening the Alpha-Betas accidentally burn down their frat house by breathing fireballs with 180 proof alcohol.Football coach Harris (John Goodman) a ruthless bully who thinks might makes right, gives his team permission to literally throw the freshmen out in the street while their house is being rebuilt. The dispossessed are set-up on cots in the school gym, but the ranks of gymnasium dwellers are rapidly pruned because they are allowed to apply for fraternities, and the presumably popular ones get in and move to their new houses. Our heroes Lewis and Gilbert ask some sorority girls (The "Pi's", female equivalents of the Alpha Betas) what frat to join, and they are told to join Alpha Beta by Betty Childs (Julia Montgomery). Alpha Beta is told they are coming, and are coerced into having sex with a sheep, and they are sent back to the gym all the worse for wear.After a few days only the nerdiest of the nerdy are left in the gym and they go scouting the town for a place to live. The apartment hunt gives an opportunity for more gags. Eventually, Lewis locates a classic beat-up antebellum-style house with busted balcony, hanging front door and weed-filled yard. There follows a fast-forward sequence in which they make their abode a passable place and life begins to become good for the nerds.The next shot is fired by the Alpha-Betas who throw a rock through the window. The nerds (as they generally are referred to in the movie as a group) report the Alpha-Betas to the local police, who for some reason cannot do anything about this minor crime. The police recommend the "Greek Council". The President of the Greek Council is Stan Gable (Ted McGinley) the football captain and preppy "beautiful person" who is the chief villain in the film. The nerds are told they cannot file a complaint because they are not affiliated with a national fraternity, which motivates them of course to seek a national fraternity. After 29 rejection letters, they are given an audience by the one house to which they forgot to send a picture, Lambda, Lambda, Lambda (the "Tri-Lambs"). Mr. U.N. Jefferson, president of the national TriLams (Bernie Casey) wants to turn them down, because "you're nerds", but Arnold Poindexter (Timothy Busfield) reads him his own bylaws which say that ANY group that applies gets a 60-day trial period. During this period the Tri-Lams work hard to be cool, culminating in a party, to which Mr. Jefferson is invited.While the Tri-Lams generally have poor luck with women, Gilbert rapidly finds a girlfriend in the computer lab. In the computer lab we are treated to some vintage orange plasma-display terminals running BASIC, on which Gilbert somehow manages to conjure up some vector-graphic sketches of himself and his (about to be) girlfriend Judy (Michelle Meyrink), thus winning her heart.As the big party approaches, only Gilbert has a date. The Pis try to torture the TriLams by promising to be their dates. They do a lovely little number with candles and matching flouncy dresses in which they serenade their potential beaus. Of course they do not show up at the party. Judy saves the day by inviting her sorority girls, the Omega Mu (the "Moo's" -- yes, more lowbrow humor. The girls are just chunky enough for that bit of cruelty to be understandable). The party looks grim, and we are shown a ticking clock as uncomfortable moment after moment passes.
About an hour in Booger (Curtis Armstrong) breaks out some very fat joints, and suddenly everyone relaxes. The drug humor is what one would expect. Many of the nerds and Mu's are first timers, but they take to it with enthusiasm. Mr. Jefferson and his assistant also partake of the herb, and start to appreciate their new applicants. Things are winding down after a fine party when the Pi's execute their plan. They do not show up, but they send pigs in their stead. They and the Alpha Betas then taunt the nerds from a large flat-bed truck (full of hay and pigs). Gilbert says the deed must be avenged.Stage one is a panty raid on the Pi's,
in which several are caught dressing or showering. Also, 14-year-old whiz kid Harold Wormser (Andrew Cassese) plants a number
of remote controlled cameras around the girl's dorm, and the nerds stay up all night
observing girls in various stages of undress.Stage two is shorter, the jockstraps of the Alpha-Betas are all treated with an oil which causes serious burning sensations on the parts it touches. We see the entire football team out on the field doing a little dance.The nerds continue to be persecuted, a sign is burned on their lawn. Now they are a fraternity, but they still can get no justice because Stan, the President of the Greek Council, is their enemy. Conveniently, the President of the Greek council is chosen by the winner of the previous years Greek Homecoming Festival.The festival consists of some athletic events, a charity fund-raiser, and a skit competition. The Tri-Lams win the first athletic event, a 20 lap race on tricycles which requires the drinking of 20 cans of beer (one per lap). They win because Wormser comes up with Trimethylene? another bit of science nonsense which is said to "completely neutralize the affects of alcohol". The driver for the nerds is Toshiro Takashi (Brian Tochi). He is the only person not to pass out before the finish line. The Tri-Lams lose some other athletic events, as you would expect, to the Alpha-Betas. Black, gay, nerd and aerobics enthusiast Lamar Latrell (Larry B. Scott) does win the Javelin toss owing to some mystery aerodynamics by Wormser.When it comes to the carnival fundraisers, the Betas and the Pis sell kisses, but the TriLams raise more money than they by selling pies. The secret ingredient turns out to be a nice picture of Betty's boobs at the bottom of every dish, presumably taken with the clandestine videocams. Betty gets hot and bothered by all the kissing and propositions her boyfriend Stan, who rebuffs her. Conveniently, the kissing was being done in costume, so Lewis takes Stan's costume and finds Betty in the Moon Room, a dark room full of air mattresses. Thinking it's Stan, she has sex with Lewis, who keeps the mask on. When Lewis unmasks himself after doing the deed, Betty is surprised by his prowess, and decides to make him his girlfriend.The final event is the skit show. The TriLams win again by doing a fairly cool punk-ish number. Another imDB member pointed out that if you listen to Billy Idols "Flesh for Fantasy" (1983) the beginning guitar part out of that song is the same as the music the nerds played on stage, the hand actions clapping and guitar solo is exactly the same from Idols video of the same time period.The TriLams win! Gilbert becomes next Greek Council President and ... the Alpha Beta's burn down their house. After a brief "Oh woe is nerds" moment, Gilbert has the stones to take on the Alpha Betas at the homecoming pep rally. He is at first beaten up, but then the national Lambda's show up -- many fit, tall, black, men, looking kind of super-fly and they command he be unhanded. He gets to take the microphone and say he is proud to be a nerd and ask other nerds to join him. Lewis, then Betty, then hundreds of alums and others join in. Emboldened, Dean Ulich orders the Alphas to rebuild the Lambda house. The Lambdas will sleep in the Alpha house, while the Alphas can sleep in the gym. | revenge, cult, prank | train | imdb | It is easy to point out films like Porky's, Animal House and Fasttimes, but somewhere forgotten in all this is Jeff Kanew's hilarious flick REVENGE OF THE NERDS.
Besides being extremely funny, this film touched on something that we all can relate to.Revenge of the Nerds is another of the teen films that was hilarious and it ended up spawning a slew of sequels.
The ultimate "Misfits Revenge" movie, REVENGE OF THE NERDS became an instant classic in 1984, with some of the most memorable scenes and quotable dialogue since YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.
Yes, the film is predictable as they come as we've seen this formula a million times, but it's watchable thanks to some wonderful set pieces, outrageous dialogue and on target performances by Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Curtis Armstrong (memorable as Booger), John Goodman, Ted McGinley (no that is not a misprint), Larry B.
I was late to the party, though I grew up on films like this I never got round to watching the Revenge Of The Nerds movies but I'm really glad I finally did.I expected Porkys (1981), I expected a semi-brainless raunchy 1980's comedy but what I found was SO much more.With an immensely talented varied cast ranging from those who became huge stars like John Goodman to underrated talents like Curtis Armstrong this near perfectly crafted comedy benefits from an outstanding cast who make the film that much more special.Side splittingly funny, well written, excellent 80's soundtrack, feel good vibe and without excess T&A the Revenge Of The Nerds ticks every box twice and entertained me in a way I never expected and haven't experienced from a comedy like this in recent memory.I personally cannot wait to get around to the sequels and find out what our Nerd friends get up to next..
Although it may be all a bit silly and quite clichéd, this is nevertheless a good film of its type, with main characters that are appealing and a great title song, scored by Thomas Newman, who would later compose the scores of movies such as 'American Beauty'.
The nerds are all good rising above their caricatures to start to bring out characters.Overall this is a spin on the frat-comedy so it is a little juvenile and silly but the fact that it is spun towards the nerds makes it that little bit refreshing to watch compared to so many where our `heroes' are arrogant, annoying jock-types who sponge off mummy and daddy just to get drunk at college.
I think this movie is still one of the funniest movies of the 1980's and today.Robert Carradine as Lewis Skonick and Anthony Edwards as Gilbert Lowell are awesome.The movie really shows that being a nerd is a great thing,I believe that if you have intelligence, don't be ashamed of yourself, this movie deals with being bullied cause of not being beautiful.
Ted McGinley (Happy Days, Love Boat, and Married With Children) as Alpha Beta leader Stan Gable, Donald Gibb (Jocks and Amazon Women On The Moon) as Ogre, David Wohl as Dean Ulich, Bernie Casey as U.N. Jefferson, Julia Montgomery (Up The Creek)a s Betty Childs, Michelle Meyrink (Real Genius and The Outsiders) as Judy, they all give great performances in the film.
I loved all the Revenge of the Nerds movies, I think they're excellent comedies for anyone who's been labelled a nerd to sit down and have a giggle over...
Best friends and nerds Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine, son of "skinny Dracula" John Carradine and brother of David Carradine) and Gilbert Lowe (Anthony Edwards) are excited to attend Adams College, but are instantly kicked out of their dorm by the Alpha Betas, who have burned their house down.
Here, it is: "Nerds go to school and fight jocks, then hijinks ensue."Battling Alpha Betas Stan (Ted McGinley, he who has caused many a TV show to "Jump the Shark"), Burke (Matt Salinger, son of J.D. and star of 1990's Captain America) and Ogre (Donald Gibb, Ray Jackson from Bloodsport), our Nerds overcome adversity and become a probationary Tri-Lamb fraternity.
Even worse, Betty falls instantly in love with her rapist, asking him if all Nerds are this good in bed.I haven't even gotten into the racism of the film, which posits all Japanese as horny photograph taking morons through the Takashi character.
I like "Revenge of the nerds " not only because in some way this movie is about me , but also because of the message it's sending to the world – don't be ashamed of who you are .
For all of the beautiful people out there - time has come for revenge of the nerds !The movie is full of colorful , memorable and likable characters : THE NERDS - Robert Carradine as the mild mannered Lewis Skonick , Anthony Edwards as brave Gilbert Lowell Curtis Armstrong as the disgusting Booger , Larry B.
"The jokes in 'Revenge of the Nerds' sometimes fall flat (the burping contest rings to mind) but the film manages to mainly stay on course with what it tries to do: have some fun, and entertain the audi.
So, with that in mind, `Revenge of the Nerds,' is, to me, the best college-geeks/misfits comedy around - perhaps even better than `Stripes' (though that is pushing it, a bit).
The jocks of the college ridicule them publicly, causing them to retreat to their college dorms.But now, they've had it up to here, and they are making a strike against the oppression.Robert Carradine leads a low-star cast full of geek-comedy stereotypes: the loveable slob, the token black guy with `riddim,' the full-of-himself jock, the snobby (and busty) cheerleader, etc
Fortunately, the characters are almost a pun on those of comedies like `Animal House' they don't take themselves too seriously.
If John Landis was somehow offered to direct the film and rejected it, I can see why.The only good things about it were John Goodman and Bernie Casey, they played their roles and made the best out of the script they were given.And the choice of music is pretty good, the theme song is pretty catchy, a bit annoying but catchy.I'm sorry to the Nerds fanbase but this film just isn't very good, bash me and flame me all you like but it won't change my opinion.Overall, 3/10 from me.
Extremely predictable and full of stereotypical characters and tired jokes, "Revenge Of The Nerds" can be best viewed today as a time capsule.
The plight of the nerd has taken many forms in film and television over the years, but none so genuine as "Revenge of the Nerds." Amidst all the sex and party-obsessed college stereotyping and seemingly unrealistic projection of the high school nerds vs.
jocks concept onto the college scene, these nerds are pretty likable characters and their pranks make for the most classic college movie scenes outside of "Animal House."Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards play high school best friends (and bonafide nerds equipped with ridiculous inhaling laughs) who struggle to fit in to the college scene.
Once you get over the hump that there's no feasible way for "Revenge of the Nerds" to ever take place and that jocks and nerds would never have a rivalry going in a college setting, this movie becomes classic.
Revenge of the Nerds may turn out to be one of those comedy classics similar to Caddy Shack, Animal House, and Porky's.
Although this film is probably geared more towards being a teen flick, it certainly can have a much broader audience appeal.Robert Carradine's performance of Lewis, the head geek, is so on target, I think he may have type cast himself into that character.
This movie will most likely be enjoyed by people who have had these real life experiences(being a "nerd" or a "jock"), as well as people that want to enjoy a good fun comedy.
Rated R for Language and Sexual Content including Nudity Revenge Of The Nerds is a comedy film from 1984 which stars Robert Carradine(David Carradine's son and the person who plays Lizzie McGuire's father in the show Lizzie McGuire).I have seen this film 3 times though not recently.The film is basically about a bunch of nerds who are at college.They get picked on by the jocks and the cheerleaders don't want anything to do with them.So the nerds start their own fraternity and pull pranks on the jocks.Revenge Of The Nerds has a cast of funny characters and is a fairly funny movie..
Two friends Gilbert(Edwards) and Poindexter(Carradine) go to college expecting that things will have changed since High School, however what they find is different when the jocks (led by Married...With Children's Ted McGinley and Bloodsport's Donald Gibb) decide to pull mean pranks on our lovable nerds, of course this is college and the nerds band together to start a fraternity and in the process wage war on the jocks, in which many pranks ensue in this ultimately hilarious comedy which has aged fairly well.
OK, let me make one thing clear: If you didn't like Revenge Of The Nerds, Mr. Alpha-Beta Beautiful Person, beware.
Revenge of the Nerds is a sweet little classic for my generation; it is the movie that showed you that everybody could have his day, even if he was a nerd, in a big way.And so, 17 years after watching it, I look around all my friends, my girlfriend, and even some ex-jocks, and I finally figured it out.
Revenge of the Nerds (1984) *** (out of 4)Nerds Lewis (Robert Carradine) and Gilbert (Anthony Edwards) head off to college where they hope their lives will pick up some steam but upon arrival they're laughed at, picked on and thrown out of their house by the jocks.
Lastly, I feel bad for those people who sat through the rest of the films about the `Nerds'.The 1st movie was the best among the four.
By the way, look for Lamar Latrell in the movie Fear of a Black Hat.The total OPPOSITE of his character in `Nerds.'On a side note, if you're looking for a Halloween costume and you have a few other friends who are interested, the cast from "Revenge of the Nerds" is worth your while.5 out of 5 Stars!.
For a supremely crass comedy, the film does boast a strong cast that includes Robert "Django" Carradine, Anthony "Top Gun" Edwards, Timothy "The West Wing" Busfield, Curtis "Moonlighting" Armstrong, James "Babe" Cromwell, John "Monsters, Inc." Goodman, Bernie "Hit Man" Casey, and Ted "Love Boat" McGinley (okay, McGinley doesn't count as strong casting, but he is funny).
Dirty, raunchy, and completely unsuitable for teenage viewing, this movie makes it fun to remember what it was like when comedies actually contained full frontal female nudity!
A collection of exaggerated antics ensue, and it all makes for a wacky good time.Like I said, Revenge of the Nerds has everything you could expect from an 80's comedy.
A Comedy Classic For The Nerd In All Of Us. I first saw Revenge Of The Nerds ten years ago when I bought it on VHS it was a well made college comedy without too much nudity like most of today's films.
Robert Carradine & Anthony Edwards lead a cast of all stars in this very funny and intelligent movie about a group of misfits who use their intelligence to fight back against a group of football players in a fraternityI myself was a nerd too and got bullied and picked on a lot so in a way i understood how the characters felt about being treated differently because of my appearance and the fact that I'm smart.Besides Lewis one of my other favourite characters in the movie is Gilbert his best friend, he takes a stand against nerd prosecution by helping his friends fight for their rights.When best friends Lewis Skolnick (Carradine) & Gilbert Lowe (Edwards) begin their freshman year at Adams College they are unaware of the trouble that's ahead for them.
Aiding the Alpha Betas is their neighbouring sorority The Pi Delta Pis. Further complicating the situation is Lewis's developing crush on Betty Childs (Montgomery)a popular cheerleader, sorority sister and Gable's girlfriend.Two of my favourite scenes in the film include Lewis disguising himself so he can have sex with Betty in the fun house and the most surprising part is when she falls in love with him and dumps Stan then she declares "I'm in love with a nerd".The other scene takes place after the Lambdas win the homecoming games and return to find their house totally trashed and almost destroyed and Gilbert finally decides he's not gonna take the abuse anymore and goes to confront the enemy.The ending was pretty awesome because this group of ordinary young men fought for their rights and won against the beautiful people, seeing everyone including Gilbert's girlfriend Judy (Meyrink) joining the crowd was entertaining.
Given the unexpectedly high rating for this movie I can't help thinking that a lot of thirty-somethings must have re-watched it through a nostalgic haze, transported back to their own youth by the antics of the typical array of nerds and jocks at Adams College.
The 1980's poor man's Animal House, Revenge of the Nerds is the story of Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards as two total nerds at college.
Tormented by the brothers of Alpha Beta house, the nerds exact their revenge and the movie culminates in a puerile panty raid of the Pi Delta Pi sorority and the nerds' high-techno performance in the contest for best musical revue on campus.
Revenge of the Nerds is a juvenile comedy where the little guy gets his and the jocks and sorority bimbos get what's coming to them..
The classic battle of nerds and jocks featuring an all-star cast: Anthony Edwards, Robert Carradine, Curtis Armstrong, Larry Scott, Timothy Busfield, Julie Montgomery, Michelle Meyrink, Donald Gibb, and Ted McGinley.
These are the type of movies I love 80's teen comedy's (fast times, reveng of the nerds, porky's ect).
Animal House is of course the best college comedy, but this film would come in at a close second.
From the most annoying donkey-like geek laughs, to the deadpan presence of Bernie Casey in some of the most ridiculous scenes of the film, the stupid weird dancing and uptight nerds going wild, the gay black kid character at a time when one could just laugh at funny things without moral taboos...
A follow up to a scene from Animal House where everyone who was not a white, good looking jock were not deemed to be the right sort to join the frat house.Louis and Gilbert are high school friends who are heading for college but are soon branded nerds and hence outsiders.
When the football jocks burn their own building down the nerds are kicked out from their own dormitory and and forced to live in the gymnasium.After constant bullying and humiliation from the jocks they form their own fraternity and ally themselves with an accredited, mainly black college who accepts them and are able to renovate a rundown campus houseThis means they can take their grievance to the their own college council but are again stonewalled by the jocks who run it and then challenge them at the Greek Games where the nerds use their cunning and brain power to get one up on the jocks.Like a lot of 1980s comedies of this type, it has bimbos, tits and arse, 80s music, stereotypes but its heart is in the right place as the geeks fight back against the bullies.It is not a great film but a fun, silly film with a lot of actors who went on to become familiar faces such as James Cromwell, John Goodman and Anthony Green..
When you're in the mood to watch a bad movie filled with bad acting, Revenge of the Nerds is worth considering.
Two computer nerds--Lewis (Robert Carradine) and Gilbert (Anthony Edwards)--have trouble in college because of a fraternity of sadistic jocks.
I think, though, that the movie can be summed up in its title song: "So go ahead, put us down, One of these days we'll turn it around; Won't be long, mark my words The time has come for _Revenge of the Nerds_!".
Oh man, Revenge Of The Nerds is one of my favorite 80's comedies and as such this holds up well and is still funny many years later.
Revenge Of The Nerds would become a franchise with one more feature film and a few made for television movies, the sequel ROTN 2 Nerds In Paradise is classic as well and the made for tv sequels are entertaining, but none of them are as good as the 1st film.
Classic 80's comedy, Revenge Of The Nerds rock!.
Revenge of the Nerds is a decent movie with a fairly well developed storyline and a good comedic cast.
It's quite funny at times, but I don't think Revenge of the Nerds deserves to be considered one of the great comedy movies of the eighties, but it is certainly worth the watch if you ever see it on television.
Overall Revenge of the Nerds isn't a bad movie but it also isn't this fantastic comedy full of laughs.
It's been years since I've seen this movie all the way through, but it was worth it to see it on TV Land only a few nights ago.Being neither a nerd or jock myself back in the day, I still understand the idea of taking down tormentors like the Alpha Betas.The jokes are absolutely timeless, considering that 80's comedies never really go out of style.Everyone can identify with this movie and that is one of the reasons why it's so memorable and so quotable.
The movie is basically the nerds against the jocks/princesses and almost everyone can relate to this film.
Great acting from the underrestemated Carradine and Tony Edwards including all the other fantastic nerds!Revenge of the Nerds is a film that always will stand close to my passion for movies since it's one of the few comedys i actually like. |
tt0024184 | The Invisible Man | The 1933 version of the work of H.G. Wells opens with title and credits. A man trudges through the snow to the small village of Iping. His destination is the Lion's Head Pub and Inn. The place is a buzz of activity: drinking and laughing, and a game of darts. The stranger, Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) walks in covered from head to toe, head bandaged, and wearing a false nose. All sound in the Pub ceases. The stranger approaches the proprietor, Herbert Hall (Forrester Harvey) and requests, "I want a room and a fire." Hall calls to his wife, Jenny (Una OConnor). Jenny explains they have no rooms ready, as summer is their normal season, but one can be prepared. Jenny calls to Minnie (Merle Tottenham). Jenny leads Dr. Griffin to his room, sending Minnie on ahead. Minnie lights a lamp while Jenny builds a fire and explains, "It's the coldest winter we've had down here for years." Griffin asks about his luggage, but Jenny explains she'll arrange for it in the morning. His final request before Jenny departs is for some food. Griffin closes the drapes in his room.The townsfolk are suspicious of the stranger. One man speculates, "If you ask me, he's a criminal flying from justice." He advises Herbert to lockup his money. Jenny carries a tray up to his room and walks in without knocking. Griffin asks about a key and is told there is none. He emphatically states, "I want to be left alone and undisturbed." Jenny leaves and Griffin removes his coat. Jenny returns to the kitchen only to be told by Minnie that she forgot the mustard. Jenny makes a second trip to Griffin's room. Again she does not knock, just bursts in. Griffin is seated, and the lower half of his face is gone. Jenny is shocked by what she sees as Griffin masks his face with a napkin. Griffin angrily reminds the landlady, "I told you not to disturb me." Jenny cautiously approaches, mustard in hand, and asks Griffin if he's had a motor car accident. Griffin tells Jenny to take the overcoat to dry, but leave the hat. Jenny leaves Griffin's room. She runs downstairs to report to all who'll listen, "Bandages right up to the top of his head, all around his ears."At a large country home, Dr. Cranley (Henry Travers) works in a large room converted into a laboratory. His daughter, Flora Cranley (Gloria Stuart) enters the lab wishing to speak. Dr. Cranley admonishes her, "I wish you'd leave me alone, Flora, when I'm working." Flora is concerned nothing is being done about Jack. He has been away for a month now and no word from him. Dr. Arthur Kemp (William Harrigan) enters the room and is told Flora is worried about Dr. Jack Griffin. Flora storms off sobbing, and Arthur tries to comfort her. Dr. Kemp tells Flora, "He meddled in things men should leave alone." The group was working on food preservation advances, but Jack preferred to work in secret. Flora is interested in Jack romantically, as is Dr. Kemp.A week later, Griffin is in his room. He has set the place up as a mini-laboratory and mutters to himself, "There's a way back, you fool. There must be a way back." Jenny arrives with Griffin's lunch, but he still doesn't want to be disturbed. He slams the door closed and she drops the tray. Jenny tells her husband she wants him out, his room is a mess and he is behind on his rent. She sends her husband to do the dirty work. The disturbance annoys Griffin, "And a whole days work ruined...by a foolish, ignorant woman!" Hall barges his way into Griffin's room with bill in hand. Griffin explains his money will be forthcoming. He explains he is working and pleads for a little more time, undisturbed. Griffin admits he had an accident that disfigured him and it affected his eyes. Hall won't budge, so Griffin turns hostile. He tosses Hall out of his room and down the stairs. Bruised and bleeding, Hall comes to in the arms of his hysterical, shrieking wife. The police are summoned.Constable Jaffers (E.E. Clive) is surrounded by the townsfolk. He asks what's all this and is told the stranger with the goggles has gone mad, assaulted Mrs. Hall and nearly killed Mr. Hall. Jaffers pulls out his baton and walks upstairs, followed closely by half a dozen men. Jaffers confronts Griffin. He intends to arrest Griffin, but Griffin threatens, "All right you fools. You've brought it on yourselves...now you'll suffer for it! You're crazy to know who I am, aren't you? All right, I'll show you." Griffin proceeds to remove his false nose, and then his goggles. The head under the bandages is hollow. Next he removes the bandages, laughing maniacally. Jaffers observes, "Look. He's all eaten away." They all run from Griffin's room. Jaffers and a few men return to his room, but all that is visible is a shirt bobbing in the air. Griffin explains that all that was needed is a few chemicals mixed together, "Flesh and blood and bone just fade away." Jaffers closes the door, but Griffin takes the window to exit the room. Jaffers runs to the window, but to his surprise, Griffin taunts him, "Think I'd escape like a common criminal? You need a lesson. I think Ill throttle you." Griffin beats up the men guarding the door, then escapes downstairs knocking the grandfather clock over in the process. He steals a bicycle and rides off, and then menaces the townsfolk with pranks.Doctors Cranley and Kemp go through the fireplace ash looking for clues to Griffin's work or location. They did find a list of drugs and chemicals. The last on the list is monocaine. Cranley explains that monocaine is a terrible drug: made from a flower grown in India. It draws color from everything it touches. It was tried as a bleach for cloth, but destroyed the material. In a German experiment it was used on a dog: it bleached it white and drove it mad.Griffin enters the home of Dr. Kemp. He opens the French door and a gust of wind is blamed for a paper flying off his desk. A radio broadcast reports a mass delusion among the people of Iping; they believe an invisible man is living among them. Kemp makes the connection just as Griffin shuts off the radio and announces his presence, "And everyone deserves the fate that's coming to them: panic, death, things worse than death. Don't be afraid Kemp. It's me, Griffin." A rocking chair moves across the room and the seat collapses downward. Kemp is shocked. Griffin threatens Kemp. He tells him to sit down and listen to his story. After insulting Kemp, Griffin demands a surgical bandage, a pair of dark glasses, a dressing gown, pajamas, and a pair of gloves. Griffin go to a bedroom to put his pajamas on. He continuously threatens Dr. Kemp.Chief Detective (Dudley Digges) arrives at the Lion's Head. He is annoyed and doesn't believe the stories after a ten mile search of the area. He thinks it is a hoax being used to generate publicity and business for the Pub. The inspector starts an inquiry. Back at Kemp's home, Griffin exits the bedroom covered from head to toe. Griffin and Kemp sit and talk in the study. He tells Kemp it started five years earlier, working in secret: a thousand experiments and a thousand failures. He admits he was working on an antidote. Then Griffin admitted, "It came to me suddenly. The drugs I took seemed to light up my brain. Suddenly I realized the power I held. The power to rule, to make the world grovel at my feet. Well soon put the world right now, Kemp. You and I." Griffin needs a visible partner. He adds, "We'll begin with a reign of terror, a few murders here and there...We might even wreck a train or two." Kemp admonishes his colleague, but is cowed by the threats. Kemp gets his car, as instructed, and they drive back to Iping to get Griffin's notes.The detective questions the townsfolk, including the bicycle owner (an uncredited Walter Brennan). Kemp and Griffin stop a short distance from the Pub. They walk to the Pub. Griffin enters the Pub and walks upstairs to his room. He gathers his books and notes and passes them through the window. As the detective goes to sign some papers the ink well moves around on the table by itself. The ink is thrown on the man's face. Mugs and pitchers fly off the walls and counters at the assembled police and witnesses. They all run from the Pub. Griffin chokes the Chief Detective and hits him with a stool. Griffin runs back to the waiting car. Dr. Cranley goes to see Inspector Lane. A crowd gathers around a newspaper boy distributing the latest news on the Invisible Man. The newspaper headline blares, "Invisible Man Slays Policeman."Griffin reveals to Kemp he must remain in hiding after meals. The food is visible inside me until it is digested. I can only work on fine, clear days. If I work in the rain, the water can be seen on my head and shoulders. In a fog, you can see me, like a bubble. In smoky cities, the soot settles on me until you can see a dark outline. Griffin goes to bed after taking off his head bandages and dark glasses.The Chief of Police (Holmes Herbert) gives orders to his men on the plan to search the countryside for twenty miles in all directions. A contingent of a thousand men, and thousands more volunteers will comb the countryside. At 10:30 p.m. a radio broadcast explains that the story is not a hoax and volunteers are needed. A reward of 1000 pounds is offered. Kemp checks on Griffin to make sure he is asleep. He calls Dr. Cranley to tell him Griffin is mad and is the Invisible Man. Cranley tells his colleague he will come in the morning, but for the time being, keep Griffin calm and quiet. Flora demands to know the truth and her father tells her. A man (an uncredited John Carradine) suggest throwing ink on the Invisible Man to make him visible. Dr. Kemp calls the police and reports that the Invisible Man is asleep in his home. Flora wants to help, but her father explains it is dangerous, as Griffin is mad and dangerous. Dr. Cranley and Flora drive over to Kemp's house. Kemp admits he told Cranley when Griffin accuses him of betrayal. Despite warning, Flora goes to see Griffin in his room. Griffin tells Flora he did it all for her, to gain wealth and fame and honor. He intends to sell the secret of invisibility to the highest bidder to allow invisible armies to sweep the world. Griffin rants and raves. Flora explains that monocaine has a terrible side effect. The police surround the Kemp home. Griffin escorts Flora out of his room so he can deal with the police. The police link arms and move towards the house. Griffin confronts Kemp in his office. He promises his friend to kill him the next day at 10:00 p.m. Griffin taunts the police and escapes.The Chief of Police questions Cranley and Kemp, but gets little information. Griffin attacks a search party. He derails a train, sending it crashing into a river killing one hundred people. At Lloyd's Bank he steals a cashiers drawer and hands out cash to eager people on the street. A reporter (an uncredited Dwight Frye) asks the Chief, "Can you tell us what plans you've got for capturing him?" At the Cranley home, Flora paces her room. After sweeping an empty room with a net, the Chief divulges his plan. It involves the death threat on Dr. Kemp. Kemp objects to being used as bait. The plan also includes dressing Kemp up like policeman. Kemp decides to see to his own safety. He drives his own car away, but Griffin is in the back seat. Griffin gloats, telling Kemp the story of watching the elaborate plan for his safety. Griffin ties up Kemp, places him back in the car and pushes the vehicle over a cliff. The car explodes into flames.Griffin sleeps in a barn overnight. The farmer sees the hay move and walks over to investigate. It begins to snow. The farmer walks into the police station to report the Invisible Man is in his barn. The plan now is to burn down the barn and follow the footprints in the snow should he escape. The Chief fires on the Invisible Man, using his footprints in the snow to take aim at his target.At hospital, a doctor reports to the Chief that, "He's very near the end." The doctor explains to Dr. Cranley that the bullet passed through both lungs. The wounds are impossible to treat. As he dies his body will become visible. Flora goes into his room to be with Griffin. We close with a close-up view of a hospital bed and pillow. At first a skull appears resting on the pillow, then his eyes, and finally the face of Dr. Jack Griffin. | insanity, comedy, murder, romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt0034167 | Sergeant York | It's 1916 near Pall Mall, at Three Forks of the Wolf, in Tennessee. At the local church, Pastor Rosier Pile (Walter Brennan) is delivering his sermon. There's a disturbance outside. Alvin C. York (Gary Cooper), Ike Botkin (Ward Bond), and Buck Lipscomb (Noah Beery Jr.) are riding their horses, whooping and hollering, and shooting. They were drunk. York shoots his initials into a nearby tree.Next day, there's a sign on a building that says, "Rosier Pile, General Merchandise." It's Pastor Pile's business. Inside, a traveling salesman is attempting to interest Pile in buying some hats and bloomers. The pastor says the women around there would not be interested.One man at the store has a copy of the Tennessean Dispatch newspaper, but the men aren't interested in the headline, which is about the Germans on the attack in Europe.The men at the store recall many times past when Alvin York and his drinking got him in trouble. Mrs. York comes into the store and they all fall quiet. She seems to have mixed feelings about her son. She tells Pile how Alvin works very hard, for very little reward, and she doesn't blame him for cutting loose now and then, however she considers that perhaps some old fashioned religion might do him some good. Pastor Pile promises to go have a talk with him.Mrs. York sends Alvin's younger brother, George (Dickie Moore), to go find Alvin, who reportedly traveled up near the Kentucky border with his buddies.George finds Alvin at a bar that sits exactly on the boundary line between Kentucky and Tennessee. Selling booze is only legal in Kentucky, so the bartended has to be sure and sell it only on that side of the room.George goes into the bar, rifle at the ready, and tells Alvin their mother wants him. Alvin always does as his mother says, so he gets up to go. A man laughs at him, teasing him for running off to his mother. A fight ensues and continues until George reminds Alvin that their mother is waiting.On an ensuing day, the pastor rides his horse, Fred, to see Alvin, who's plowing furrows on a rocky ridge. The pastor tries to convince Alvin to try and shake loose of Satan before he gets done in. Alvin doesn't disagree with the advice, but he doesn't know exactly how to go about doing that. The past makes an analogy with a nearby large oak tree, noting that there are strong invisible roots that anchor the tree to the earth. Alvin's not opposed to religion, he just thinks it has to come to him and not be pursued.Another day, Alvin, George and three of their hounds are chasing a fox. They run through the yard of a nearby farm and Alvin gets distracted by Gracie Williams (Joan Leslie), out sitting on her porch. He stops to say hello. He knew Gracie, but hadn't seen her for a long time and she'd grown up considerably.At home that night, when Alvin asks his mother some questions about "settin' up" in life (i.e., getting married), she asks who the girl is. He tells her it's Gracie Williams. Mother just shakes her head, perhaps thinking that Alvin isn't ready for marriage.Zeb Andrews (Robert Porterfield) is over to see Gracie and ask her to the shindig Saturday night. They are out on the front porch when Alvin comes walking up. When Zeb realizes that Alvin has come by to court Gracie, he starts making subtly snide remarks about Alvin. When Gracie goes to get them something to drink, Alvin grabs Zeb and jerks him off the porch. When Gracie returns, she sees walking away off in the distance and she's upset at Alvin for being the cause.Alvin tells Gracie he wants to marry her. Attracted to him, but upset at his behavior, she tells him she wouldn't have him on a Christmas tree. Alvin incorrectly determines she said that because Zeb has a piece of prime farming bottomland. He tells Gracie that he could get some bottomland too, and he determines to go make that happen.York stops by some bottomland and scoops up a handful, taking it home to show his mother. She tells Alvin that the bottomland folks have always looked down on them, and always would. She told him that her father had worked long and hard to get him some bottomland, but he finally had to give it up. York is determined that he won't be stopped.Alvin to see a man named Thompkins, who has a piece of bottomland for sale. He takes everything he can spare to barter with, including some fox pelts, chickens, his mule, a broken clock, and some goose feathers. Thompkins offers him $50 for all of it, even though it's probably worth another $15-$20. Thompkins wants $120 for the bottomland that he has for sale. Alvin says ok, and Thompkins gives him 60 days to come up with the $70 balance.York sets about taking on physically demanding jobs for others, including removing big rocks from a man's land for 75 cents/day. George helps him splits rails and pull stumps, using their horse. York sells a fox pelt to the pastor.Miss Gracie goes out to see York one day while he's plowing a field. She wants to say something to her, but can't find the words, so he grabs and kisses her. She tells him that's what she wanted, and she runs off.York has accumulated only $44.35 as the 60 day deadline approaches. As he lays down to sleep, exhausted, his mother pulls a blanket over him and prays to the Lord to help him.Alvin goes to see Mr. Thompkins, asking for an extra four days. He knows that there is a beef and turkey target shoot coming up and if he can win those shoots and sell the turkey and the beef, he'll have the money. Thompkins claims that another man wants the land, but he decides to give Alvin the extra four days.The day of the shoot, Alvin gets a turkey, when others failed, by tricking the bird with a gobble-gobble imitation, resulting in the turkey popping it's head up from behind a log, then Alvin shoots it. He trades the turkey to the contest organizer for an additional shot at the beef prize.For the beef shoot, each contestant must buy a shot. Alvin buys four more, in addition to the one he traded the turkey for. He wants to win the top five prizes, which would comprise the entire steer. Surprised, none of the other contestants believe Alvin has a chance. "Ain't nobody ever cut five centers, lessen he was Daniel Boone, an' you ain't wearin' no coon-skin cap!" one of the other men tells him.The target is a white-colored V shape cutout. The shooters aim at the center notch of the V. Alvin cuts his first four centers. The last man with a chance to win the last fifth of the steer, Tom, cuts center with his last shot. Alvin then wets his front site, aims and fires. He cuts center also. Pastor Pile is the judge, and declares the shots were no more than a hair apart, "but Alvin done cut center fair and square!" and Alvin was declared the winner.Alvin then puts the cow up for a drawing, selling chances as a way to make the money he needs. He collects what he needs and approaches Mr. Thompkins, who was just then arriving with Zeb Andrews.Thompkins tells Alvin that he decided to sell the bottomland to Zeb. "Your time was rightly up," Alvin is told, "and besides, I never thought you had a chance to win that contest anyhow." Alvin is aghast, ready to punch Thompkins and/or Zeb. They both turn around and put some distance between themselves and Alvin, as Alvin's friends and the pastor hold him back.Alvin can't believe Thompkins went back on his word. He dwells on it into the night, and as he drinks with his buddies, he decides things must be set right, so he takes off to go get what's rightfully his. He heads for the Thompkins place, riding in a thunderstorm, with lightning flashing very close by. There's a flash and he wakes up to find his mule on the ground, but alive, and his rifle barrel split. He's not hurt, but when he realizes they'd been struck by lightning, he takes that as the sign from above he thought would come if he was meant to have religion.York rides over to the church and walks inside as services are underway. The pastor sees him and calls for the congregation to sing, "Give Me That Old Time Religion." York makes his way forward, taking a knee and shaking hands with the pastor.Sometime later, Alvin goes to see Thompkins, who thinks Alvin means him harm and grabs a wrench to protect himself. Alvin tells him he just wants to buy his mule, Abraham, back. He also asks forgiveness for getting upset with Thompkins earlier. Thompkins decides to offer Abraham to York for just $20, and he throws in the clock, which doesn't work anyway.York next goes to see Zeb, who hides, but York is there just to ask him about a possible job working that bottomland Zeb bought from Thompkins. Thompkins admits that he bought the land just to spite York, and offers to let him till the land on a share-crop basis, and maybe within a few years, York could afford to buy it. York is pretty well convinced now that living in accord with the words of the Bible is well substantiated.Finally, Alvin goes to see Gracie and apologize for coming between her and Zeb, the way that he did. Of course, that's not what she wanted to hear and she gets mad at him for that too, telling him she wants him, not Zeb, not any bottomland and not a beef cow. She runs off crying, leaving Alvin totally mystified.A man named Luke comes riding into town to announce that President Wilson had declared war against Germany. All able bodied men were required to register with the draft. Some men didn't want to wait to be drafted and intended to enlist right away, but when some asked Alvin what he was going to do, he said "wait." In fact, the pastor knew that Alvin hadn't even registered, and he confronts him in private about it. York tells the pastor that he's not going to register, that "War is killin', an' killin' is agin' the Book." The pastor tells York that he needs to register or get in trouble. He advises Alvin that he could then request exemption from fighting, on the basis of religion. The pastor offers to write the letter to the draft board.The pastor's letter to the draft board on behalf of York is rejected. The board determined that the pastor's little church was not one of those broadly recognized throughout the country. The pastor sets about preparing an appeal.Meanwhile, Alvin shows Gracie where he plans to build their house on the bottomland, most likely within 2-3 years.York's final appeal was denied by Washington, D.C. He is ordered to report to Nashville that next night. He tells the pastor he won't go, that he'll hide in the hills and fight them if they come after him. Alvin is told by Pastor Pile that "The war is clear across the ocean, and a lot can happen before you get there. Trust in the Lord Alvin." When Alvin realizes how his attitude and talk was not in accordance with what the Bible says, he decides he'll go.It's a tough goodbye for York, as he faces his mother, brother and sister Rosie (June Lockhart). Alvin gives George his rifle. Gracie comes by the house and hugs him, cries, then quickly kisses him before rushing off. He tells her and his family, "I'll be a comin' back!"York reports to Camp Gordon, Georgia. The officers and non-coms are advised that York is a conscientious objector, so he should be watched closely. It's apparent that such men are not held in high regard by the non-comms, suspicious that it's just an excuse used by cowards.Alvin asks one of the other soldiers, a man from New York named Pusher Ross (George Tobias) about a subway, which he'd never heard of.York is assigned rifle #218102. The Sgt. sarcastically cautions him not to kill anyone with it before he gets to France. The first day on the firing line, York hits low and right on the center ring, then figures out that the rifle sights aren't quite right, and puts the next five in the bull's eye. When an officer asked him where he learned to shoot, he said he just always seemed to know how.Alvin is ordered to report to a Major Buxton (Stanley Ridges). There is also a Captain Danforth (Harvey Stephens) in the room. York is told that Captain Danforth is prepared to recommend him for promotion to corporal and assignment as a shooting instructor. York tells them that he is against the promotion, and against killing, or facilitating the killing of other men. Danforth engages York in a debate about Biblical verses and their meanings. York proves to be well versed, and his beliefs are confirmed.
The major hands York a copy of the History of the U.S. and tells him the book is full of stories about great men. He tells York about the concept of freedom, including it's importance to men like Daniel Boone, who was a very well known figure to York. The major goes on to explain that the preservation of freedom sometimes requires the full measure of devotion, which is a man's life. Major Buxton allows York to take a 10 day leave of absence, to go home and think about his feelings and beliefs. He asks to take the history book with him and the major tells him to go ahead.Back in Tennessee, Alvin takes one of his hunting dogs, the U.S. history book, and the Bible, and sits on a rock ledge, reading and thinking in solitude about his options. He is confused about whether country or God comes first in a man's life. When he reads the words attributed to Jesus: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's," that helps him decide. He returns to Georgia and tells Major Buxton he had decided to stay in the Army, even though there were many things he hadn't fully figured out yet.York is promoted and once he and his All-American Division completes their training, they sail for France. York writes home and tells his family and Gracie that they will soon be moving up to the front lines.Once they move to the front, they are hunkered down in a trench, discussing things with a couple of Brits. The Brits are teaching the Americans how to interpret the sound of incoming artillery as to whether they need to duck or not, when an American named Bert Thomas (David Bruce) takes a piece of shrapnel through his helmet and dies.York and his division were part of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, also known as the Battle of the Argonne Forest, a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire Western Front.On 8 October, 1918, orders were given to exit the trenches and attack the Germans at 0610. The Americans do as ordered, experiencing heavy fire and casualties. The first action for York was to enter a German trench as part of an ambush of some approaching Germans. As the sides engage, some of the Germans turn around to go back and warn their troops to the rear. York pulls a grenade and lobs it in front of the Germans, halting their escape.York and few men from his division take some prisoners. As they proceed to try and find their way back to the American's line, they are ambushed by a German machine gun. The senior non-comms are injured too badly to continue, so Sergeant Bernard Early orders York to take over. York immediately takes off around a side hill and takes out two machine guns that had the men pinned down. He proves just as good with a handgun as with his rifle. His fire is so deadly and efficient, that dozens of Germans surrender, not realizing it's just one man attacking them.One German decides to pull the pin on a grenade he had and he throws it, killing Pusher. York goes to find the man who threw it and when the man runs, York shoots him. He tells the German officer to order his men to drop their utility belts and not to try anything like that again. There's only seven U.S. soldiers with York, controlling maybe 50-75 Germans.They march on through the trench with their prisoners, coming upon some more fighting. York tells the German officer to order the men who are shooting to surrender. The officer orders his bugler to sound retreat, adding to the Americans prisoner total.York tries twice to turn the prisoners over to the first Americans they come across, but they don't know what to do with them, so he continues on to a town were there are already other prisoners imprisoned. The officer in charge is shocked to see that just eight men had captured 132 Germans, and he helps find somewhere to put them.Rumors start flying around the American infantry forces, and before too long, the stories have been exaggerated to the point that York supposedly single-handedly captured the German Kaiser, plus half the German Army.Later, at the site of the battle, York was describing his actions and when he was asked by a general how many men he'd killed, he said he didn't know. Danforth was there and said they had counted 20 German bodies.York explains to the then "Colonel" Buxton that he was still set against killing other men, but when he saw the German machine guns killing so many Americans, he had to do it to save lives.Sergeant York was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Medal of Honor, the French Croix de Guerre, the French Legion of Honor, the Italian Croce di Guerra al Merito, and the Montenegro French War Medal.Tennessee Congressman, Cordell Hull (Charles Trowbridge), was on the dock to meet York as he disembarks from his ship back in the U.S. There's a ticker tape parade. The mayor of NY hands him the key to the city. He asks only for a ride on the Bronx Express Subway.Officials take him to a fancy suite and there's a framed photo of his mother on the piano, which he finds very touching. He gets a phone call. It's Mother York on the other end, but they have trouble hearing each other. He speaks with Gracie too.York is recognized by Congress and the stock exchange suspends it's operations in his honor, but Alvin just wants to go home. Mr. Hull tells him there is a quarter of a million dollars in offers to do movies, theater and sponsorships. Alvin tells him he's not proud of what he did in France and doesn't want to profit from it. He chooses to go home.In Crossville, TN, there's a large crowd at the train depot. York is told he's the biggest hero in those parts since Danl' Boone and Andy Jackson.Alvin and Gracie go to check out their bottomland. Alvin is surprised to see that a new bridge had been built across the creek. They spoke about plans for the governor to marry them, but York is concerned that he doesn't have anything to offer Gracie yet, so he wants her to wait another 2-3 years. She tells him there's no need, then asks him to close his eyes as she leads him up the path. When he opens his eyes, he sees that the people of the State of Tenn. had built him a house, barn, and water pump, all located on 200 acres of prime bottomland. He seems amazed and happy as he and Gracie move forward hand-in-hand to check it out. | violence | train | imdb | The authentic portrayal of mountain life, an honorable protagonist portrayed by a great actor in his finest role, hard decisions in the time of war mixed with a healthy dose of levity, not to mention an outstanding supporting cast are just a few of the reasons why this film has always been my favorite movie.
Alvin Cullom York (1887-1964), a modest American and Christian hero of World War I, is the subject of this biographical picture which goes beyond the mere telling of the tale how he won all the medals he did for bravery during the Meuse Argonne Offensive.
It's the heart and soul of this film, beautifully crafted by director Howard Hawks.The real Sergeant York eschewed all money making ventures that would have capitalized on his heroics in World War I and had resisted giving the rights to his story to Hollywood.
Brennan got an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, but since he'd already won three of them, the Academy voters gave Donald Crisp a break that year for How Green Was My Valley.The York family is played by Margaret Wycherly, June Lockhart and Dickie Moore as mother, brother, and sister.
As most people know, this is the story of World War I hero Alvin York, who went from drunken good-for-nothing to solid Christian man and war hero.Gary Cooper certainly was a great choice for the role.
Cooper's status as an actor helps make that all the more "believable." Sgt. York also gives one of the best examples of forgiveness I've ever seen on film.Another nice feature of this movie is seeing Joan Leslie in the female lead.
Walter Brennan also is interesting, as usual, and in here plays a minister, which also was a surprise.Much of this film was a surprise because I'm just not used to seeing on film things like true forgiveness, the hero citing Scripture, military officers shown in a compassionate light (letting York, with his pacifistic views, decide what he anted to do) etc.
Gary Cooper stars as Sergeant Alvin York one of the most revered hero's in World War I.
And when Gary Cooper fulfilled his duty and gave a superb performance as Alvin York, he got the well-earned Academy Award for the Best Actor..
Gary Cooper is a very good reason to see Howard Hawk's timeless film "Sergeant York", besides everything else the story represents of an American hero.
Gary Cooper as Sergeant York delivers an Oscar-winning performance as a Tennessee hillbilly who, for personal and religious reasons, doesn't want to kill anyone and refuses to join the war on the Western Front in WW I.
When this happens, it corrodes the soul of the soldier, so that he can no longer feel like a normal human being.It was also probably what was on the minds of thousands of Americans who enlisted after seeing this movie, which was released months before America actually entered the war following Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
The idea that Gary Cooper beat out Walter Huston (All that Money Can Buy) or Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) for best actor says more about Hollywood's patriotism at the time than it did their ability to recognize or reward a great performance.
What a wonderful, entertaining and pleasant picture this is depicting the true story of a home-grown Tennesse hills boy who is subsequently drafted into World War I and becomes a hero due to his trust in God and wilderness instincts.One of the reasons I think that makes this a better picture than other typical propaganda pictures of its time is the fact that this one pays very close attention to the details of the hero's life.
Director Howard Hawks dedicates the first half of the film to scenes depicting Alvin York as a drunk who sometimes causes trouble, but ends up trying to win a girl's heart as well as receive a sign from God and begins to turn his life around.
The supporting cast that makes up these hillbilly characters is nearly impeccable, including Walter Brennan as the local pastor and Joan Leslie in an absolutely sweet, charming and beautiful role as Gracie Williams, the girl of Alvin's affections.Of course, where would this film be without Gary Cooper, surely one of the greatest stars in classic Hollywood lore.
It worked as the film was a great success, won Cooper his first Oscar, and inspired millions as the United States entered World War II.
"Sergeat York" is one of those patriotic movies made just before America's participation in WW II.The story of a poor dirt farmer who finds Christianity and gets drafted during WW I fits Gary Cooper like a glove.The movie details his early life as a hell-raiser in Tennessee,his finding his Christian belief and the conflict it causes when he is drafted.The last part of the movie is dedicated his heroic act of killing 20 Germans and take 120 prisoners in the Argonne.I liked the tense depiction of trench warfare in this movie.
As usual did Walter Brennan turn in an excellent performance as the pastor of York's community.Definitely a movie worth seeing,although it takes a lot of liberties with the actual story..
Gary Cooper (handpicked for the role) stars at Sgt. Alvin York, a pacifist who becomes an unlikely hero in the First World War. Using his country-learned sharpshooting skills, the sarge attacks and captures a German position.The biggest drawback of "Sergeant York" is that it takes so long to gather steam.
Audiences loved this biopic about good 'ol boy Alvin York, fresh from the hills of Tennessee, who entered World War I despite his pacifist beliefs and then carried out an almost unbelievable act of bravery.
York and the movie spend most of their time reconciling a belief in the Bible and its pacifist teachings with the necessity of killing during wartime, and the countless sanctimonious speeches and aw-shucks American downhome-ness made me want to gag after a while.Cooper won one of his two Oscars for this, and Walter Brennan and Margaret Wycherly were nominated for playing the town preacher and York's salt-of-the-earth mom, respectively.Grade: C.
Sergeant York is naturally a propaganda movie produced to support the war effort of the World War II, showing to all the Americans a true hero that fights for his country and for freedom but never forgets his Christian values.
This inner struggle between the moral questions about being a soldier when it goes against your personal beliefs was a struggle that millions of young men have to face every time your country goes to war.The best part of the movie, and probably why Gary Cooper won the Academy award is his depiction of this inner struggle.
The question "When is the sergeant finally taking over?" was constantly at the back of my mind by then.To mention a few flaws, and as much as I am a huge fan of, say Screwball comedy and the odd romance threw in, and still a great admirer of Hawks's, I fail to understand how on earth it could amass so many academy awards in spite of the gigantic competition that year (Citizen Kane et al).Maybe Gary Cooper, as usual, deserved his statuette in the end, as the truly convincing redneck simpleton who always goes about life with a naive look on his face (Mr. Deeds, anyone?).
However, the advent of World War 1, and his subsequent call to duty, tore his pacifist state of mind apart, torn between a patriotic sense of duty and his religious beliefs, Alvin York of Tennessee was to become the name on everyone's lips in 1918.Sergeant York is pretty much close to being the perfect template for biography movies, what makes this piece stand out (and stand up proud) is the makers willingness to tell the tale from the humble beginnings of its protagonist, and then ease it through to the end without feeling the need to rush there.
By the time that the critical point in York's life is realised, we the audience care so much because we have been party to his life story, from hard working farm boy to falling in love with Gracie, and onto his World War 1 heroics, Alvin York feels like one of us because of the work that all involved have done here.Producer Jesse Lasky literally spent years trying to persuade the real life York in letting him film his story, the humble and modest Tennessean kept refusing until finally relenting with some conditions.
Cooper then requested that Howard Hawks direct, which turned out to be the case in the end, but only after the studio failed to attract Michael Curtiz, Henry Koster and a few other notable directors of the time.As it turned out this was a perfect subject for Hawks, Alvin York boasting all the human traits in a man that Hawks admired, and with Gary Cooper operating on full tilt the resulting picture is a stirring emotive classic that never falls to gung-ho theatrics, in fact the critical war sequences here are wonderfully subtle.
Shucks.***** Sergeant York (7/2/41) Howard Hawks ~ Gary Cooper, Joan Leslie, Walter Brennan, Margaret Wycherly.
Rich in patriotism, religion, morality --- all the things that made America great --- the story concentrates mostly on Sergeant York as a young man and gives viewers an idea how the South has provided the backbone of US military, and not a trace of Hollywood's usual hatred for all things Southern.
Even though the war hasn't touched the characters' lives yet, we are reminded that it's going on by a prominent newspaper headline.York is portrayed by Gary Cooper, one of many classic actors who really only ever played one type, but within that confinement could show a whole range of feelings and reactions.
i watched this film today,and recalled the time i first saw this movie with Gary cooper,back in the early '40's..it touched me more today at my age than when i was just a kid,,looking back,i have to wonder that somewhere in the back of my mind,if this film wasn't responsible in some way,for so many of the things i did as a young boy,with regard to the heroism portrayed in the film.i doubt if anyone will read this,so i must confess,that in'47,i ran into a burning home,,and rescued a child,before the firemen could get there,and just walked away,or the time i saved a drowning man..there are a few more incidents,where i did what had to be done,,forgotten now by all but me...
It is not just about war, but about a man who struggled against impossible odds to just be a good man and make a living.Gary Cooper won a golden statue for his portrayal of Alvin York.
Yet the real life hero of this movie, Alvin York, has said numerous times and ways how bad war is and he did not want to profit from this movie.
I wouldn't dare to make comparisons between the two real-life figures played by the two Coopers, however, it's interesting to see that the two films that praised American values and the pride of belonging to a 'great' country and even portrayed men who didn't exactly "enjoy" their heroism, elicited different reactions, which reveals a sort of double-edged sword nature in patriotism.
Brennan was good (despite these damn distracting eyebrows) but I wish the film didn't sanctify Wycherly who played every single scene with heavy-handed solemnity, and not the warmth of Jane Darnell's Ma Joad.The film wonders too much in the realm of religious quests and such that by the time the war sequence starts, we have the feeling it's all these values that made York get rid of the German machine-gun nest and arrest more than a hundred of prisoners by himself rather than simple bravery.
"Sergeant York: Of God and Country," is a very good one that tells the long story about the making of the film.
When this movie came out, it was seen not only by his friends and family, but by a nation that knew his story from the news accounts two decades before.From Bosley Crowther's New York Times film review of July 3, 1941:"While the real-life hero himself sat among the audience, 'Sergeant York,' the Warner Brothers film on the life of the Tennessee mountaineer who became America's greatest hero of the last war, held its prèmiere last night at the Astor, attended by delegations from Sergeant Alvin C.
York's home State, notables of the screen world and government and Army officials ...."Accepting the applause of the audience on behalf of his comrades in the Meuse-Argonne exploit resulting in the capture of 132 Germans, Sergeant York later expressed the wish that the film would contribute to 'national unity in this hour of danger,' adding that 'millions of Americans, like myself, must be facing the same questions, the same uncertainties which we faced and I believe resolved for the right some twenty-four years ago.' "York was one of the greatest war heroes of our country, a man of genuine modesty who sought to use his fame not for personal profit, but to help others, including the building of a road and school for his neighbors.
These scenes are all a heavy-handed depiction of the simple rural folk, although Cooper's sincerity as Alvin York is evident throughout.But it's the second half of the film that really picks up steam, as the religious conscientious objector is drafted into the army and not quite willing to accept the idea that a soldier must be willing to kill.
This half of the film is much more persuasive in the telling, with excellent performances from STANLEY RIDGES, GEORGE TOBIAS, David BRUCE and others in the large Warner stock company.The highlight of the story are the scenes showing how York manages to capture and/or kill over a hundred German soldiers, becoming the nation's most honored war hero in the process.JOAN LESLIE is a picture of youthful radiance as his childhood sweetheart but her accent is not always too credible.
(When America entered the war, he tried to enlist but was denied because of his age.) This is a story about patriotism and spirituality after all.The film depicts York as a drunken slob who lived in Tennessee and got into a lot of fights, and that's just who he was.
He finds his answer in the Bible, and comes back to fight.The film is done in an old-fashioned way - big, dramatic music, hokey accents and lots of "I reckons," but it touches the heart in a very profound way.Gary Cooper gives a noble performance as a simple man with simple goals who becomes a hero by being fearless and drawing on what he learned living in the country.
York (Gary Cooper), a poor Tennessee farmer whose drunken ways finally get the best of him but he decides to turn his life around to marry the woman (Joan Leslie) that he loves.
As he's working for a place to live WWI breaks out and he's drafted but has major reservations about killing.Howard Hawks' SERGEANT YORK was released as World War II was in full bloom and there's no question that this was a propaganda film.
A hillbilly sharpshooter (Gary Cooper) drafted in World War I despite his claim to be a pacifist, who ends up becoming a war hero."Sergeant York" was a spectacular success at the box office and became the highest-grossing film of 1941.
The film's patriotic theme helped recruit soldiers; young men sometimes went directly from the movie theater to military enlistment offices.What I really like about this story is that it is less about the war (despite being called "Sergeant" York) and more about the days in Tennessee.
Perhaps the religion does do him some good - one wonders if he would, on his own accord, apologize to people he was being foolish to (even if they, frankly, were being bigger d***s to him, but then such is the case of the dimensions of the characters).But up until this point, Sergeant York is the story of this man, told plainly but with visual sophistication and with the usual entertaining pace that Howard Hawks was known for, and it's the simplicity of spirit that works for the film.
Even when York shows that he doesn't have the best of them ol Book-Smarts, he knows right from wrong, and when he becomes full of the old-time religion he doesn't feel like he should kill - it is a commandment, after all - despite the call for draft in world war one.There is some interesting conflict there, and yet...
It was also my first time seeing the true story of World War I patriot Alvin York, from his Tennessee background to his Hell-raising to his conversion to religion to his attempt to avoid combat because of it and then his heroism after he realizes how important his defense is to the good of his country.
Alvin York (Gary Cooper) was a hillbilly from Tennessee who was a moral objector of war.
I can think of no other man you would want more in your corner when the chips are down and it's a matter of life or death.Gary Cooper's Best Actor Oscar was well deserved for his portrayal of Sergeant York.
I'd like to see another movie today, this time with the real story of his conversion, although the version in this film is powerfully and well done.The major's comment after York returns from his 10-day furlough really gets at the heart of the matter.
According to this movie, SERGEANT YORK, Corporal Alvin Cullum York's real life war exploits were far easier than making a living on his Tennessee farm.
He felt sorrow for the men he killed during the war his entire life.Obviously this film is propaganda; the fact York would only allow Gary Cooper to play him is probably one of the main reasons it wasn't made until 1940. |
tt0116704 | Ging chaat goo si 4: Ji gaan daan yam mo | 《警察故事4之簡單任務》In this fourth 'Police Story' movie, Hong Kong 'supercop' Inspector Jackie Chan Ka-Kui (Jackie Chan) is hired by the CIA to follow leads of a nuclear smuggling case. He follows a woman named Natasha to Ukraine, when he realizes that she had been hiding vital information. When Jackie calls for backup, she is arrested. However, Natasha's partner is an unknown man, who turns out to be Tsui (Jackson Lau), a Chinese American nuclear scientist with CIA links, suspected of stealing a nuclear warhead. Jackie follows Tsui to a restricted area, and after a trap set by Tsui, CIA agents together with Ukrainian authorities engage in battle. Jackie finds a briefcase which contained evidence that Tsui had, but as he is chased by unknown forces, he loses the briefcase as he falls through a frozen lake into the freezing water.When he recovers in Russia, he meets Colonel Gregor (Yuri Petrov) who explains the situation. Jackie goes with the FSB and is taken to Moscow where he discovers he's been assigned to work with Colonel Gregor to solve a similar case involving nuclear weapons being smuggled out of Ukraine. His task is to track Tsui, who disappeared after their last encounter.Jackie is taken by a Russian submarine to Brisbane, Australia, where Tsui's attractive younger sister Annie Tsui (Annie Wu) works at an aquarium doing shark shows. Uncle 7 (Terry Woo), the Tsuis' father and the local Triad boss, is seriously ill, and Chan suspects the criminal will show up soon. Unbeknown to Jackie, Tsui is hiding at the hospital, and has given a nuclear warhead to Annie, who hides it at the aquarium.Whilst following Annie, Jackie gets to meet the aquarium animals and is kidnapped by Tsui, who claims to have a deal with Colonel Gregor. Jackie, after realizing he has been used by Gregor decides to return home, but two toughs are sent to kill him, and he is framed for the murder of Uncle 7. He attempts to clear his name by going to see Annie at the memorial hall, but he is (unsurprisingly) unwelcome, having to fight bodyguards and Tsui has to eventually rescue him. Tsui explains that Gregor caught him on a CIA assignment three years before, and forced him to turn into a triple agent: a CIA agent ostensibly turned by the FSB, but in reality serving Gregor's private criminal schemes.Annie, Jackie and Tsui decide to work together to fight Gregor. Uncle 7's elaborate Chinatown funeral then becomes the scene for a complex showdown between the various parties. Annie and Jackie attempt to retrieve the stolen warhead from the shark pool (so that they can return it to the police), but Gregor and his toughs follow them, leading to a climatic confrontation underwater. In the midsts, Gregor attacks the aquarium and shatters the aquarium glass which releases the killer shark, which makes a good diversion for him to escape. Jackie then saves the tourists and follows Gregor. While Gregor escapes with the weapon and Annie as hostage in a getaway boat, Jackie comes up with an unusual plan that allows him to recover the weapon and return it to the proper authorities, while Annie makes her escape, in which he drives and launches a display car onto the boat.Gregor and Tsui are apprehended by Australian police and turned over to Russian authorities. The case is solved, Jackie is thanked for his work by the FSB, and the film ends as he returns to Hong Kong.As is usual in Jackie Chan's films, out-takes (generally accidents involving the star) are shown under the closing titles. | violence, murder | train | imdb | The fourth installment in Jackie Chan's terrific Police Story films {although the western release obscured the connection,but more on that later}is basically Chan's take on James Bond.
While having some incredible action,it also has a reasonably good plot and acting,two things which even the most die-hard Chan fan will probably admit his films don't often contain.The film has been unfairly criticised for having little martial arts,but it has more than,say,Crime Story or The Tuxedo.
This film aims at more diversity in it's action,and ranges from a ski-chase {ending with Chan jumping on to a helicopter than falling into ice-filled water with VERY little protection}to a running battle with a giant {this scene actually has Chan running on water!}to a warehouse fight where Chan uses a ladder with amazing skill.
The film moves a little slower than you might expect but the story holds the attention and the last half-hour is incredible non-stop action,climaxing with a terrific car stunt.
The original Hong Kong version is superior in every way and it remains a great shame that New Line and Miramax see fit to chop up all the non-American Chan films they release.
Those very big Russian mobsters don't look or sound very intelligent anyway.Sure, the plot might be trying to be too much like James Bond, the dialog bad, and some of the actors poor - but Jackie beats people up using a ladder.
It's at its best when it lets Jackie Chan do what he does best: performing awesome physical stunts and engaging in lightning-paced fight scenes.
This exciting story about the cop named Chang Wing of the Hong Kong precinct is well played by Jackie Chan.
Then Chan looks for vengeance against the ominous villains at a cat and mouse game.This exciting movie is crammed of action-packed, overwhelming stunt-work and lots of violence but with humor.
Jackie Chan is top notch as one army man fighting a group of heinous criminals and as always he makes his own stunts like is showed on the final fake-shots .
However while the former outings Jackie teamed up to prestigious actresses and fine action stars in their own right , like Maggie Cheung and Michelle Khan , at this film his parternaire is unknown .
The first version titled ¨Police story(1985)¨ directed by the same Jackie Chan was a perfect action film for enthusiastic of the genre ; the following was ¨Police story 2(1988)¨ also pretty violent and with abundant humor touches .
If you've never seen a Jackie Chan film before, this is a good place to start.
Jackie Chan plays a cop who chases a criminal from Russia to Australia.I don't bother telling more about the plot because it's really not important in this kind of movie.This is like a James Bond movie.But there's Chan, Jackie Chan in this one.The fighting sequences are unbelievable in this movie and there is a lot of action in it.Jackie hangs from a helicopter, skis with one ski, uses ladder for fighting and then there's under water action in the movie.It is also very funny.Jing cha gu shi IV: Jian dan ren wu which is also known as Jackie Chan's First Strike from 1996 was Jackie's first movie for American people to see.Jackie Chan is unbelievable in his moves.He is like new Bruce Lee but with his own style of course.He does his own stunts like Buster Keaton did.It is nice to watch the bloopers during credits.If you like martial arts or Jackie Chan this is a movie for you to enjoy..
Part 4 of the Police Story series sees Jackie Chan's agile Hong Kong police inspector Chan Ka Kui become embroiled in James Bond-style international espionage after he is given the seemingly simple task of following beautiful suspect Natasha to Ukraine.
In order to broaden the star's appeal with the Western market, this one has a much more international flavour than many of his earlier films, with the action skipping round the globe, from Hong Kong to Ukraine to Russia and, finally, to Australia.
The film is also less focused on pure martial arts mayhem, with more in the way of straight forward Hollywood style stunt-filled action, but when the kung fu does happen it is extremely well handled, with Jackie displaying his usual athleticism, impeccable timing, and flair for physical comedy.The rather messy plot and occasionally slow pacing prevents First Strike from being a bona fide Chan classic, but there is still plenty of inventive stuff to make this one a whole lot of fun, best bits being a wonderful fight scene in which Chan uses a stepladder as a weapon, an exhilarating ski chase down a mountain, some underwater shenanigans with sharks, and a scrap with two Russian man-mountains that involves Chan making a vertiginous leap onto a narrow ledge of a high-rise building..
Filmed in Hong Kong, Ukraine, Russia and Australia, spy intrigue is combined with kung-fu comedy as Chan gets involved in the illegal sale of weapons by the Russian Mafia (yes, another film with this premise).
As an individual Chan film, it works - but it does not deserve being part of the Police Story series, which it was in Hong Kong.
It has been so many years since I have seen a Jackie Chan film, but after finally watching First Strike for the first time since something like 1998 I am completely hooked again.
I think that since Jackie Chan became an international star in the middle of the series, they were made available in America out of order, but this is the kind of series that you can start watching with any of the installments.
Big on Action.....Small on Kung Fu. First Strike is not a bad movie, its just not Jackie Chan's best.
Jackie Chan made classic pure martial arts films in his youth and moved on to action films as he got older.
First Strike, like Super Cop or Operation Condor is more of an "action" movie than a pure martial arts movie.
There are only a few scenes with real Jackie Chan fight sequences, which are outstanding.
There are plenty of comical moments in the movie which Jackie always does well.If you're looking for a great Jackie Chan pure martial arts film, this is not one of them, though it does serve as a good introduction to the world of Chan.
If you are a big fan of action and adventure films or you are a die hard Jackie fan, you will enjoy First Strike.
First Strike is a fun and entertaining action film but is light on the ground breaking fight scenes that made Chan a superstar.
After he hit rock bottom in roles in The Cannonball Run movies not to mention The Big Brawl years after he worked with Bruce Lee as a stunt double, Jackie Chan hit it big in america when Rumble in the Bronx became a surprise hit due to its marketing as a mainstream kung fu movie.
The following year, the same american studio, New Line Cinema, came out with a much tamer movie to appeal to all ages, Jackie Chan's First Strike, which is also known as the fourth Police Story movie.
The third sequel to the Police Story trilogy is another high-energy, fast-paced and action-packed movie returning Jackie Chan to the role as the quick-witted and martial arts-skilled Hong Kong Insp.
Chan Ka Kui. This time he is sent undercover to Australia where he participates in a sting operation on an international spy-ring.Chan continues to display some of his best martial arts action in this film, with incredible stunt work, daredevil jumps and butt-kicking action.
While the previous Police Story movies are full of suspense and dramatic sequences, this one seemed to focus more the slapstick humor and goofy moments, like the part where Tsui (Jackson Liu) forces Chan to strip naked and where a penguin suit.
Excellent action and comedy as Jackie Chan does Bond.
Still, the story (basically a James Bond-type role, as he is forced by his boss to help the CIA prevent a Russian nuclear device from getting into the wrong hands) stands on its own, and is thrilling from start to finish, though something tends to be different and missing from his earlier Hong Kong exploits (though this was made there and dubbed--albeit horrendously--to help make him a star Stateside).
As a kid, I watched a lot of Jackie Chan films.
A month or so ago, I watched and reviewed his film, Mister Nice Guy. Today, I'll be judging First Strike, a film starring Chan that I got from a flea market a little while back.As usual, the film is a martial arts film that doesn't take itself very seriously, resulting in some ridiculously entertaining moments.
LMAO It's done do deadpan I'm not sure if it's intended to be funny, but I was roaring.The action keeps moving and there are some amazing moments like the famous ladder fight scene.
This is the fourth installment of Jackie Chan's Police story series.The movie is separated into two parts.
The fight sequences at the high rise hotel and the aquarium are one of Jackie's best.Good movie that will give you lots of laughs and action..
I'm pretty sure this was one of the first Jackie Chan movies I saw, and the point where I became a fan.
But what this film does have, in my opinion, is possibly Chans best overall performance of his career so far.This film shows how much of an athletic talent Jackie really is, from the fight scenes to all the ways Jackie climbs over obstacles and into windows during the movie.
This is one of the better Jackie Chan movies I have seen.
In this movie, he is involved in a James-Bondish plot of stolen nuclear weapons (and, of course, he even *says* he's like James Bond, just in case you didn't get it.) But who cares?
okay, so it may not be the best of jackie chan's movies but sure it is a lot of fun to watch jackie hopping continents(Australia, Russia)great stunts as usual,a very funny climax scene underwater with a sharks.i for sure,can say that i was not dissapointed with this movie..
I liked it all, the turnout, the plot and the choreography, this Jackie Chan movie is the tops.
Also the slight nod in the direction of James Bond films was nice but not as central to the plot as some would like you to think.The only minuses come from the underwater craziness which always felt to me a little too silly (plus the shark looks fake) and also the ending which was a little unenthusiastic (luckily the bloopers before the credits make up for it).Definitely one of the better Jackie films but not the best.Also a plus, though lacking the original theme song (Zenmo Hui) the American theme was still very appropriate..
This got to be one of Jackie Chan's best stunt kung-fu movies ever.
Really cool action movie where super-Jackie dresses the role of James Bond, adding his usual spectacular kicking and acrobatics.
Some Martial Arts sticklers and dedicated Jackie fans complain that First Strike may not have Chan's best fight scenes (with the exception of the now famous ladder scene), but this is one amazing film for stunts, and a good introduction to Jackie for those who have never seen him.
Jackie Chan's First Strike is entertaining, the movie has very good James Bond 007-like action scenes like snowboard chases and fights underwater!
The plot of the story and the action in this movie is excellent.
As you know every "Police Story" movie has its special action scenes.
In "Police Story 3:Supercop" theres the helicopter stunt performed by Jackie and a fight on a train.
Well in "Police Story 4:Jackie Chan's First Strike" there's the amazing fight where you see Jackie use a leader.
This movie(Jackie Chan's First Strike/Police Story 4) is one of the best movies by Jackie Chan.
*** and 1/2 stars out of 4There's really no use explaining the plot to Jackie Chan's First Strike.
Basically, it's about a Hong Kong cop named Jackie Chan who has to retrieve a stolen nuclear warhead and fight a lot of people throughout the film.
That sounds like an appealing enough backdrop for some martial arts fights and stunts.And boy does First Strike have a lot of action.
First Strike features some truly unbelievable stunts which include Jackie Chan skiing down a mountain with one board, hanging off the edge of a helicopter, and getting into some dangerous fights.
and Drunken Master 2.Along with the great fights come the requisite Jackie Chan humor and there's no lack of it in this film.
As a matter of fact, I might even say this is Chan's funniest film, even more hilarious than the joke-packed Police Story.As for acting, Jackie Chan is his usual solid self.
Jackie Chan blends in a wonderful mix of comedy and action in this movie!!
the plot is something to do with stolen nuclear warheads, and double crosses between various bad guys, which Jackie Chan gets caught up in.
I'm a bit gutted that I didn't get to see the 3rd Police Story because I would have liked to have seen Jackie Chan kicking butt with Michelle Yeoh.
Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $22millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their action/adventure/martial arts/comedies starring Jackie Chan, Jackson Liu and Annie Wu. 4/10.
This is probably the breakthrough movie for Jackie Chan into the western Hollywood scene.
This movie just might have the biggest budget and the most crazy stunt work by Jackie Chan in this franchise as well.
Overall this isn't just a good Jackie Chan movie but it's also a important film for Jackie Chan.
This non-movie kind of stacking action was at its best nothing but another round into Chan's own circus..
I must say that I was only occasionally enthralled by the action, which is what I want from Jackie Chan but it is solid enough.The cast are pretty average many hampered by the curse of a bad dubbing job.
"First Strike" is not perhaps the best of Jackie Chan's films, but it is quite modern and has plenty of special effects.
Jackie Chan films have lots of comedy and they're quite accessible.
After being a little disappointed with Rumble in the Bronx, First Strike was a great comeback from everyone's favourite martial artist/wannabe comic.As ever, it was the action and the jokes which moved the show along, and it delivered plenty - the huge fight scene in the aquarium and the ladder fight highlighting Jackie's infinite brilliance (and infinite pain tolerance, in the latter case - see the outtakes).
A much better installment in the Jackie Chan legacy - not to mention that it was filmed Down Under, which as we all know is the greatest place on Earth :).
A little slower than a lot of Jackie Chan films, this one's got a (convoluted) plot: He needs to stop a rogue CIA from acquiring some uranium.
It may not have the usual action quotient, but it's fun to watch, as most Jackie movies are, and I think Stanley Tong is a great director.
The bond-like ski chase is nothing, and I expected a lot more, espically on the action side, whereas the scenes with the sharks seemed out of place and tried to inject terror and fear where there was none.The real highlights of this film are when Jackie uses a ladder as a fighting weapon, as a fan I'm left in awe, thinking "how did he do that?" That thing must have weighed a ton, yet Jackie managed to swing it around like a feather and use it like a fighting stick.
If you want to spend a very good time watching a comedy and some action flicks, this is the movie.
If, on the other hand, you're looking for a pure action/martial arts movie with some of the best fighting scenes in the history of the world, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better movie that this.I've yet to see a Jackie Chan movie I don't like, but I have also never seen one I like more than this.
Jackie Chan returns in a fun action comedy.
Jackie Chan does a great job in the lead role; providing the fantastic mix of action and comedy that fans have come to expect.
Chan is obviously a good character, it is odd that he has to dub himself in a few scenes, many of the other actors are out of sync, the story is not the most engaging ever, in fact I lost track of what was going on, but there are some inventive fight sequences with Chan's cool stunt work, but apart from that I wouldn't really bother with this action thriller.
First Strike (1996): Dir: Stanley Tong / Cast: Jackie Chan, Jackson Lou, Jouri Petrow, Bill Tung, Wu Chen-chun: This film eventually strikes out big time with its horrible dubbing, but its first strike is its numerous martial arts sequences that seem to be chain linked.
In any case, while I didn't think this movie was the best in the series I certainly think it's worth a watch for those who might enjoy an action-comedy of this type.
jackie chan's first strike is a great ride.
a big improvement over supercop while not as good as jackie chan's who am i, never the less this is perfect entertainment from start to finish as jackie chan is hired by the c.i.a and gets tangled in some dangereous stuff and people are not to be trusted, but hey jackie chan movies are rarely there for story lines, the storyline is just the excuse to have some great fight scenes and stunts and here first strike delivers.
i am one of the biggest jackie chan fans in the uk i think anyway and have seen all his films, and even though first strike isn't one of his best it's a solid effort none the less.. |
tt2179136 | American Sniper | In the opening scene, US Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) is perched on a rooftop, scoping out the path of a US military convoy through his sniper rifle. He sees a man on a rooftop talking on a cell phone, and he appears to be watching the convoy, which Kyle reports it through his headset. He is told that if the man is reporting troop movement, he has the green light to shoot him, but Kyle is unsure. His marine backup suggests that he may just be talking to his girlfriend on the phone. The man disappears from the rooftop and a few moments later, a woman and a young boy appear in the doorway of the same building and walk toward the convoy. Kyle reports the woman and boy, noting that the woman is not swinging her arms as she walks and appears to be carrying something. No one in the convoy can see it to confirm. He watches through the scope as the woman removes something from her cloak and hands it to the boy, and he realizes that it is a grenade. He again gets the green light to shoot, but his marine guard warns him that he will be sent to prison for shooting a child, if he's wrong.The film cuts to a young Chris hunting with his father, and he shoots and kills a deer. His father congratulates him on his excellent shot, telling him he has a gift. Chris happily approaches the deer, dropping his gun to the ground as he runs to it. His father reprimands him for treating his gun cavalierly.Over several scenes set in his childhood, we see young Chris, his younger brother Jeff and his parents attend church, where he pockets a small well-worn copy of the New Testament. There's also a scene of Jeff being beat up by a much larger kid on a playground. Chris runs up and pulls the bully off, beating him up. In the next scene, seated at the family's dinner table, Chris' father tells the boys that there are three kinds of people in the world - sheep, wolves and sheepdogs. Sheep don't believe that there is evil in the world, wolves are predators who commit evil, and sheepdogs are blessed with the aggression and bravery to protect the world from evil. The speech clearly makes an impact on Chris.Years later, Chris is competing in rodeos with his younger brother traveling alongside him. He returns home one night and finds his girlfriend in bed with another man. He hits the man several times and kicks him out before turning around to kick his girlfriend out. She complains that he abandons her every weekend to go to rodeos, believing himself to be a cowboy when he's just a failed farmer.As Chris and his brother watch TV, they see the news of the August 1998 terrorist attacks on the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. Chris is angry that US citizens are being attacked and feels compelled to do something to protect his country.He visits a US navy office and talks to the recruiter. The recruiter suggests that Kyle might be interested in the SEAL program and hands him a pamphlet, but Kyle remarks that he's not much of a swimmer. The recruiter takes the pamphlet out of his hand and says that it's not for most men, but Kyle retorts that he's not most men.Kyle goes through the rigorous training process, which includes being blasted with a powerful hose while exercising, laying down on the beach and letting the cold surf wash over him as well as being verbally harassed by the officers who run training, mocking him for being too old to be a SEAL at the age of 30. He also goes through sniper training, bringing in his hunting background. The instructor reminds them to 'aim small, miss small' - if they aim for a button on a man's shirt, they might miss by only two inches, but if they aim for the shirt altogether, they might miss by two feet. His instructor also tells him to keep his non-scoping eye closed, to better focus on the target. Kyle responds that he needs to keep both eyes open to see what else is out there. The instructor tells him that they are shooting at a target, and there's nothing else out there, and reprimands him with 50 push ups. Kyle proves him wrong by shooting a snake, hidden in the grass on the shooting range.In the mean time, Kyle meets a woman named Taya (Sienna Miller) at a bar one night. She tells him that she would never marry a SEAL, as her sister did but was cheated on and lied to constantly. She also challenges him at drinking shots, showing off how tough she is, but she ends up vomiting outside the bar. Kyle is kind to her, holding her hair back and taking care of her. He calls her repeatedly until she agrees to date him, and their relationship progresses. She asks him at one point if she ever thinks about who will be at the end of his gun, and he tells her that he just wants to protect his country. On their wedding day, he and his fellow SEALs receive word that they will be deployed to Iraq, which they celebrate.The film cuts back to the opening scene and Kyle watches the woman hand the grenade off to the young boy. As the young boy starts running toward the convoy with the grenade in his hand, Kyle pulls the trigger and kills him. The woman starts wailing and running toward the boy, and Kyle watches her closely. The woman runs past the boy's body to grab the grenade he dropped and continue running at the convoy. She is about to fling the grenade at it when Kyle shoots her. The grenade falls short of the convoy and explodes, leaving the troops unharmed.Kyle returns to the base camp where a fellow SEAL congratulates him on his first kill. Kyle doesn't appear to regret the killing but admits that he didn't think this is what it would be like to protect his country.Kyle continues to provide overwatch for marine units who are going door-to-door through an evacuated city, searching for an al Qaeda leader named Zarqawi. They are told that any military-aged male who remained in the city should be considered a threat. Kyle successfully watches over the troops, shooting many would-be attackers who carry guns and bombs. Kyle is dedicated to his job, even urinating in his post to avoid abandoning his watch. After a particular watch, Kyle reports that he had six kills, which is more than all the other snipers combined in the same shift. His fellow troops begin calling him The Legend. Also, a bounty has been placed on their heads by al Qaeda. Kyle also hears of an al Qaeda sniper who won a gold medal for shooting in the Olympics called Mustafa, known for making nearly-impossible shots.Several times throughout, Kyle talks to his pregnant wife on the phone and she tries to get him to be honest and tell her about what he's going through. He resists but they talk and laugh together. She complains that she has to put the crib together by herself and they express how much they miss each other. She also tells Kyle that his younger brother has been deployed to Iraq as well.At times, Kyle complain about being assigned to overwatch as he wants to be on the ground with the troops going door-to-door. He believes his training makes him better equipped than the Marines doing the job, and he can't protect them on overwatch once they're inside a building. He finally abandons his overwatch post and joins the Marines on the ground who welcome The Legend. As they go door to door they find a home where the family has refused to evacuate. The man tells them that it is his home, and he will not abandon it. Kyle questions the man with the help of an interpreter, showing him a picture of Zarqawi and asks him if he knows who he is. The man says that Zarqawi's second in command is a man known as the Butcher. He can give Kyle information on the Butcher, but he wants $100,000 in return. Kyle promises to help him, and the man provides a name. Kyle has the name checked out, which turns out to be useful intelligence, so they prepare to bring the cash to the man.As the SEALs drive back to the man's home to bring him the money, Kyle calls Taya, who tells him that she has just learned their baby is a boy. Kyle is overjoyed when his vehicle is suddenly attacked and he drops the phone while it is still connected. Taya listens in horror to gunfire and screaming, unsure of what is going on. Mustafa is shooting at the men, and Kyle tries to take him out but is unable to do so as he is pinned down by gunfire. The Butcher found out that the man gave up information to the troops, and he kills the man's young son with a handheld power drill. He also shoots the man and screams out a warning to anyone who cooperates with the US military. The Butcher and Mustafa both get away unharmed. More troops arrive, and Kyle and his men are able to get out safely. A few days later, the troops return and Taya tearfully reunites with Kyle.Kyle tries to adjust to life back at home. Taya finds Kyle watching a video of US soldiers being killed by a sniper and rushes to shut it off when he sees her. She tells him that she wants him to open up, but he doesn't want her to know about the atrocities they're facing in Iraq. The video shows Mustafa's kills, which he records and sells.While at the obstetrician's office for a check up, the doctor asks him how he's doing, to which he responds that he's fine. She takes his blood pressure which is very high at 170/110. Both the doctor and Taya are extremely concerned about him, but Kyle brushes off their concerns and says he will take care of it. As they drive away, Taya tries to get him to open up, but Kyle just repeats that he's fine. However, as he's talking, he grows more frustrated as he tells her that he doesn't understand why everybody isn't talking about what's going on in Iraq and how people are just going about their every day lives. Taya goes into labor and they rush to the hospital where she gives birth to their son.After arriving in Iraq, Kyle sees his younger brother marching with his troop. Kyle cheerfully greets Jeff who is about to be sent home and is much more battle-worn and conflicted. Jeff wearily walks away and tells Kyle, "fuck this country."Kyle redeploys for a second and third tour in Iraq, continuing to hunt down the Butcher. The bounty on his head has been increased, and he jokes that his wife may go after it herself. In their search for the Butcher, Kyle leads a team of SEALs, including men he has served with for a long time, and they are clearly a close-knit group. One of his men, Mark begins to express regret about the war, and Kyle reminds him that they are patriots serving their country and protecting their families.On one mission, the team gets intelligence that the Butcher may be hiding out in a particular building. The team breaks into a home across the street from the building though the man that lives there with his family says that they have no knowledge of any terrorist activity. The SEALs watch the building from the home, realizing they will have a hard time getting in when the man tells them that it is a holiday and he wants to invite them to be guests at his table. The SEALs join them for a meal, eating and talking boisterously. The man reaches across the table to his son, and Kyle notices that his elbows are rubbed raw. Since snipers often spend considerable amounts of time held up on their elbows, causing callouses like the ones the man has, this tips him off that the man might not be as innocent as he professed. He gets up under the pretense that he's going to the bathroom and searches the apartment until he finds a hidden compartment in the floor filled with guns and weapons. He returns to the dining table, taking the man into the other room and showing him what he has found. He tells the man that he will help the SEALs get into the building. At gunpoint, they force the man to knock on the door. The door opens to allow the man in, as he is clearly known to the people inside, when a sniper takes out the door opener. The man grabs the door opener's gun and tries to shoot at the SEALs who take him out. The SEALs enter the building, clearing room after room looking for the Butcher who escapes through back tunnels.While at an auto body shop, a young Marine approaches Kyle and tells him that Kyle had saved his life once in years past. The Marine asks Kyle if he would go down to the VA sometime to talk with veterans. He also talks with Kyle's son, telling him that his father is a hero and allowed him to go home to his own daughter. Kyle is gracious but feels uncomfortable with all the praise the young man gives him.Between deployments, Kyle continues to struggle to readjust to civilian life. Loud noises seem to startle him deeply. Taya gives birth to their second child, a daughter. When Kyle visits the hospital, he sees his daughter in the nursery and she begins to cry. The nurse is handling another baby and doesn't immediately attend to Kyle's daughter, and he becomes increasingly agitated, screaming at the nurse. His wife bitterly remarks that he is missing his kids' childhoods, and she has to create memories by herself. He argues that he is protecting the family and his country by doing his job, but Taya wants him to protect them at home.In a casual conversation, another SEAL, Biggles reveals that he's purchased an engagement ring locally to save money. The men tease him about the quality and possible blood origins but Biggles laughs it off and says he will tell his girlfriend it's from Zales. In an ensuing battle, Biggles is shot in the face by Mustafa and they rush him back to the base where he goes into surgery. Biggles asks Kyle to promise to deliver the engagement ring he bought to his girlfriend back home, no matter what happens. The troops head back out immediately, burning to get revenge and Mark is shot during the mission and presumably killed. Biggles survives and is brought stateside for medical treatment.After his third tour, Kyle still cannot connect with his family and his home life. He visits Biggles in the hospital who seems to be in good spirits. Biggles shares that he is now engaged, having purchased a new ring that is actually from Zales, despite trying to warn his girlfriend that her life will be much more difficult being married to him. Kyle doesn't seem to comprehend what could be difficult about being marring to a SEAL, saying she's lucky to be married to a patriot who fights for his country.Kyle still feels compelled to return to the war. He fights with his wife about it, with Taya demanding to know if he has a death wish. She says he's done his duty and it's somebody else's turn to go. She also tells him that if he leaves again, she and the children will not be waiting for him when he returns. He tries to smooth things over but deploys yet again.Kyle tries to call Taya but it goes to voice-mail. While talking with another SEAL, Kyle finds out that Biggles has died in a recent surgery stateside. During one overwatch post, Kyle watches a man walks out onto the street carrying a grenade launcher. Kyle kills the man. A young boy who had been playing nearby is startled and runs over. Kyle is concerned that the young boy will try to pick up the grenade launcher and he will have to kill him. The young boy struggles to get the grenade launcher on his shoulder, and Kyle prepares himself to shoot the boy. The boy finally gives up and runs away, and Kyle is clearly relieved.Kyle and his team are told that engineers are trying to construct a wall around the city but a sniper keeps picking them off from over 1,000 yards away, leading the team to believe it is Mustafa.The team is sent out despite an oncoming sandstorm to try to take him out and protect the troops constructing the wall. They head out into the city and take their places on a rooftop, aiming at the direction they believe Mustafa is shooting from. However, Mustafa moves quickly and shoots from a different angle, killing another soldier constructing the wall, causing the SEALs to scramble to change their set up.Kyle believes he's spotted Mustafa through the scope though the rest of the team has a hard time believing him, as he's over 2,000 yards away. They don't think he can see Mustafa let alone shoot him at that distance. Also, the team spots many insurgents walking around the building and if Kyle takes a shot, it will alert them to the SEALs' location where they will be vastly outnumbered. The leader calls in a response team from the base, which will take some time to arrive. They warn Kyle not to take the shot and endanger them all until they have backup. One of the SEALs encourages Kyle to take the shot if he believes he can do it.Kyle takes the shot, killing Mustafa, but the insurgents hear the gunshot and swarm the roof. The four SEALs try to conserve their ammo and take out the terrorists one by one that are rushing in on them. The backup is on its way but hasn't yet arrived so the men are on their own. Kyle tearfully calls Taya and tells her that he's ready to come home. The men shoot their way off the roof as the backup finally arrives as does the sandstorm. The men try to run into the vehicle but they have little to no visibility, struggling to see the truck, shoot the insurgents and protect each other. Three of the SEALs run into the truck bed but Kyle falls behind when he's shot. They slow down for him and he barely makes it back into the truck.Kyle returns home. He is still not connected to his home life. At a family barbecue, Taya catches him watching the TV intently as if it were on, when it is actually off. She tries to get him to join the party, and they watch the children play. A dog grabs the collar of a boy and is tugging at it. Kyle suddenly rips off his belt and grabs the dog as if he might beat or strangle it until Taya cries out in horror.Kyle goes to a doctor who tells him that according to his military records, Kyle has been credited with 160 kills, more than anyone else in US history. The doctor asks if he has any regrets about killing those people, and Kyle's response is that he doesn't regret that, he only regrets not saving more American troops. The doctor tells him that there are American troops who could use his help at home. He takes Kyle to a support group of disabled veterans, many of whom have lost limbs. The men share their stories, and Kyle decides to take some of the men out to a shooting range and teach them to shoot sniper rifles. After hitting a target, one of the men remarks that it's the first time he's felt like a man since he was injured in battle.Kyle has finally regained himself, playing with his children and connecting with his wife. He teaches his young son to hunt, telling him that it's serious business to end a heartbeat. He continues his work with veterans. Taya tells him how proud she is of him, for finding himself and finding his way back to his family. He tells her that a Marine's mom reached out to him, asking if he would help her son out who's been struggling since his return. Kyle opens the door and an uneasy young man waits for him by his truck while Taya watches. The door closes, and the final credits reveal that the troubled young Marine killed Chris Kyle i.e. 'Chris Kyle was killed that day by a veteran he was trying to help'. | revenge, suspenseful, murder, violence, flashback | train | imdb | When American Sniper first came out I ignored the film thinking that it was the usual war propaganda Hollywood delivers once a year.
The fact that people might actually believe this crap (and most Americans do) makes me lose hope for the future of a once great country.There was a time when Hollywood war movies raised important questions on the righteousness of war (such as Full Metal Jacket, Thin Red Line, Apocalypse Now) where the viewer was given the clear picture that all war, justified or unjustified, is wrong.Nowadays most war movies are just commercials to get the American public behind the idea that invading a foreign country is a God given right.The fact that it got nominated for the Academy Award just shows how much a once acclaimed award is quickly becoming a pat on the shoulder to the most politically correct motion picture of the year..
There is a lot to like in this war drama and now I will elaborate.To start off I will say that this film deserves at least a Oscar nod for Bradley coopers portrayal of Kyle.
For a comparison I will use the hurt locker, it's a good war movie about a man who also like Chris Kyle has a preceding reputation, however he is known for a large number of bomb disposals while Chris Kyle is known as a legend due to his notoriety for kills confirmed.
So there's a great similarity there however even though I really enjoyed the hurt locker I have to say American Sniper portrayed a lot of things the same and better, for example the hurt locker didn't portray the effects of war on a person as well as this one did.There is much more I could compare between the 2 films and I also can't say a lot without spoiling much.
Good work on Bradley Cooper's part as well, putting on the weight and getting into character to play Chris Kyle, a sniper for the navy seals who did four tours in Iraq protecting his fellow troops by being a legendary shot.
American Sniper (2014) **** (out of 4)Thrilling, tense and dramatic telling of Chris Kyle's (Bradley Cooper) rise from a cowboy without much direction in his life to becoming the deadliest sniper in U.S. history.Director Clint Eastwood has made countless great movies in his career and even tackled the war drama in brilliant fashion with LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA.
Another major plus is that, on a technical level, the film is flawless as it contains some of the year's best cinematography, a touching music score and some of the best sound effects out there.The wartime scenes are all shot extremely well and I think the best thing about them is the feeling the director shows in the fact that these men are really in a trap not knowing where the next bullet is going to come from.
We've seen many actors deal with the "struggling vet returning home" and Cooper manages to bring a real depth to the character.American SNIPER isn't going to end up being the best movie on 2014 but it's certainly a very impressive film.
In this case, Clint Eastwood's American Sniper has already contracted not only positive acclaim but a stir of negativity and controversy that surrounds the way Kyle was really like in life.
Some say he had lost his mind in the war for peace while others say he was caught up in the emotional aftermath after service but Eastwood has stated that his film is "the biggest anti-war statement any film can make," and said that "the fact of what war does to the family and the people who have to go back into civilian life like Chris Kyle did"What AS tells is the true life figure Chris Kyle who served as the American military's 'lethal sniper' who has made more kills in his duty of tours during the Iraq war period after 9/11.
It chronicles how Chris became a true American to protect his homeland and the aftermath of serving his tours when he came home to his small growing family, leading up to the final hours of his life.Pros:+ Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Chris Kyle is indeed a new height for his career, he gives a performance that can be described as gripping, tense and at times+ The action sequences are all done well, but at times it can be tense, violent and confronting for some.+ The emotional connection between the main character and his family, that the final scene that will either break you or make you undecided.Cons:The controversy that surrounds it, it can make the film an exaggerated lie or truth to what Kyle was like in reality but again it is showing what war can do on people on the front-line and home.OVERALL: Despite the controversy it has gained by writers , the film is indeed a strong acting showcase for Cooper while leaving audiences both open and more aware of the effects of war on human kind.
If you had liked The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty and Machine Gun Preacher (not a war film but somewhat similar to Kyle's story) you will enjoy this..
Bradley Cooper bulked up his shoulders and took on a very difficult role that etches him on the list of "Great Actors" as he plays the real life character of Chris Kyle..
and one of those thoughts will be that Bradley Cooper gave unwavering respect to Chris Kyle, his family, his fellow SEALS, his country and the movie industry.
I can only hope the Kyle family and friends feel the same, as Cooper's acting appears to be a beautiful tribute to a "Legend".While Clint Eastwood didn't break any ground with direction, I do believe he was a perfect choice for this film and did an incredible job telling Kyle's story without putting politics on the screen.
The realism was there, Bradley Cooper was phenomenal, the angst of a soldier during battle was portrayed brilliantly, the decisions we ask kids to make are real and they were realistically shown on screen, and as this film makes clear--war isn't a walk in the park.
I've been in the film Industry for 33 years and I was deeply impressed with Eastwood's take on a story of constant moral dilemma, vs Patriotic duty.Here's a guy that was motivated to defend our world and country against Psychotic Terrorists killing innocent people all over the world...while living on the edge of fatherhood.
American Sniper is Clint Eastwood's harrowing take on Chris Kyle's life and his service in the Navy as a SEAL sniper who killed nearly 200 enemy soldiers.
You feel like you know at least a portion of what a sniper and his Seal team went through while serving in the Iraq War. But, most importantly, it also tells the story of an Extraordinary Man, a true American Hero, who devoted much of his life to his country, taking multiple tours to keep "his men" safe, and to protect his country.
It also to me shows the best example of the hyper awareness that occurs and can't help bought be brought home when you have to be on guard constantly when deployed in a hot zone.I honestly went into this movie thinking there was no way Bradley Cooper could portray Chris Kyle, but was totally wrong in my assumptions.
I've read a review by a former Navy Seal (Brent Gleeson) that says it best
"The way the film was directed coupled with outstanding performances by Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller and the rest of the cast made for a heart wrenching and deeply accurate portrayal of the external and internal battles our service men and women face.
The life of Chris Kyle, and what he stood for, makes a perfect synergy.Bradley Cooper's amazingly real depiction of a "complicated, yet simple Texas cowboy" breathes life into a story surrounded by the darkness of war.
First time giving an 1/10 on IMDb. With great expectation on a highly Oscar-Nominated movie staring profound actor Bradley Cooper, which turned me down so much after witnessing a movie with empty perspective but only self-ego of American.On the angle of movie production, this is very old-school war movie style, there are nothing new but tedious street gun fighting in this movie.
For God sake it took such a long way to end the second ridiculous Iraq war, stop trying to persuade people that American is always right.Please stop promoting movies which makes the world away from peace and wasting people's time.
(and) Sheepdogs." If you ask me - I'd say that "American Sniper" was just another "American Psycho" - Only this time around all of the murderous carnage that was carried out by this particular American madman was actually being applauded and condoned due to it being committed in the name and the glory of war.What really killed me about this callously pedestrian "Clint Eastwood" production was that - Once the American war-vets/bad-ass jocks were back on home turf (after all of the murdering that they had been involved in overseas) - They still wanted to shoot at things with their beloved rifles.
True, the movie is practically focused on Cooper's character Chris Kyle, there are no comparable performances, but I could hardly find glorification/justification of the U.S. military involvement in the movie in question - wars are initiated by political and/or economic interests, the military is supposed to obey the orders coming from government departments.
From the beginning to end he captures every moment of Kyle's story, which inevitably jumps off the screen and into the viewers soul.The supporting cast is simply perfect.This is not a feel good movie, it is a portrait of one man's life and those that surrounded him.
I read Chris Kyle's book "American Sniper." This movie was amazingly true to the book.Clint Eastwood proves what a great director he is.He created a poignant, amazing and suspenseful movie.Bradley Cooper proves what a gifted actor he as he transformed himself into Chris Kyle - he became Chris Kyle.Not only in physical appearance (as he bulked up, grew a beard and spoke with a Southern accent), but he captured this American Hero's very essence - his love for his family, brothers-in-arms, and his country, his expertise as one of the best US military snipers in US history and a Navy Seal.Sienna Miller was wonderful too as Taya Kyle.Go see it!
This film SHOULD be seen.Chris Kyle was a Texan who wanted to become a rodeo cowboy, but in his thirties he found out that maybe his life needed something different, something where he could express his real talent, something that could help America in its fight against terrorism.
This deliberate humanizing of the soldier at the center of the story into a tenderhearted family man is what sets American Sniper apart from other recent war flicks like Lone Survivor and The Hurt Locker.
Legendary Service To Country: Watched American Sniper directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller.
This 2014 American Biographical War Drama based on the 2012 book by The "Most Lethal Sniper" in U.S. Military History, U.S. Navy SEAL Team 3 Chief Chris Kyle who was credited with over 150 kills, depicts actual combat events which took place over in Falujah, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.The film begins with Chris Kyle played by Cooper and his younger brother Jeff Kyle played by Keir O'Donnell as rodeo cowboys from Texas.
During his training, Chris meets his future wife/mother of his children, Taya Kyle played by Miller at a local bar, they start talking, and in a matter of time they are married, Taya gets pregnant, and Chris is soon deployed four times in to the combat zone.While over there, Kyle faces challenges of being away from his newly planned family for months at a time, which creates strain on his family-life, killing enemy fighters including children, losing comrades in combat to extremist snipers, coming home transitioning back to civilian life which is difficult due to his combat-related stress, and finally he finds that this war is the war which can't be left behind.The movie is action-packed, gripping, eye-opening, filled with emotion and definitely well directed by Eastwood and characters portrayed magnificently by Miller and Cooper.
I can't even imagine the stress of having to evaluate who lives and who dies - to include women and children - in the heat of the moment.The deadliest marksman in US history - Chris Kyle - is the focus of this film: the real-life Navy SEAL who served four tours of duty in the Iraq war.
American Sniper shows the story of U.S Navy Seal Chris Kyle and his life before during and after his 4 tours that he served.
Actually I found the film to be profoundly intelligent in the way it handles the wartime events portrayed in the life of the main character.Based on the book "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History" by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice, Bradley Cooper stars as Chris Kyle, the titular "American Sniper" with Sienna Miller playing his wife Taya Renae Kyle.
The plot, it's mostly self explanatory, but concerns for the most part the reason why Chris Kyle decides to go into the U.S. war, how he deals with his job, which is nothing but killing people, and how it affects his life back at home.Out of this Clint Eastwood effort, the thing that stands out the most for me at least, is the way that it has several elements that remind me of a western as much as a war film.
In the way that the people in the story responded to the presence of Kyle (I'm talking about the character in the movie now) it reminded me of so many sharpshooting lone gunslingers I've seen in films set before the west was won.
This movie is the story of U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, played by Bradley Cooper, and his life off and on the battlefield.
To start, this film seems to be over shadowed by the early comparisons to Lone Survivor and with any movie on war people will call it propaganda before in viewing, especially when you're dealing with a controversial figure like Chris Kyle.
You shouldn't allow these things to stop you from watching this film, think of it more as another Good Eastwood movie with a really good stand out performance by Bradley Cooper..
What they will find is both an exciting war movie combined with a very human story of a life well-lived; a true American hero in every sense of the word.
There's a lot going on in Eastwood's and screenwriter Jason Hall's examination of Chris Kyle, considered the most "successful" military sniper in American history (and portrayed by Bradley Cooper in a performance that elevates him from above-average to outstanding): he's a patriot but also an employee, a man who has found his career and is simply doing his job.
He gets the character down perfectly, in fact, there were times I did'nt even think I was watching Bradley Cooper, I felt as thou I was watching the real Chris Kyle.The film's atmosphere was great.
Although Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is celebrated among fellow soldiers, director Clint Eastwood lends as much time portraying the strain the war had on Kyle's personal life, specifically his wife.
It's,hard to tell whether Bradley Cooper as hero Chris Kyle --- is a sharp shooting junkie, just addicted to war, an unflagging American patriot, or maybe all three.
American Sniper is directed by the one and only Clint Eastwood and stars Bradley Cooper.
Film shows how war does affect soldiers and their families after they come home will it be enemies you killed , violence you saw or comrades you didn't save .The only problem i have with the movie is they showed Chris Kyle a little more anti-war person than he really was , who after going all this still kept loyal to what he believed .
I shudder to think what real war is like.People will see many messages in American Sniper, and I saw a very clear one: Chris Kyle is yet another victim of America's gun culture.
I don't understand the recent 1/10 reviews.This was an excellent view of how Chris Kyle protected his brothers in arms against terrorists.He's and most of his story is the truth, otherwise his college's would be on top of it if it wasn't.Now you see the war in Iraq wasn't a walk in the park, and keep in mind that politicians make the call for war, not the soldiers who go fight for their country.I got sucked in the movie from the beginning and it held my attention until the very end.Clint Eastwood has don it again, what a brilliant mind..
It was an amazing story about SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and his 160 confirmed kills and his struggle to leave behind the war, and to balance his family.
Clint Eastwood's picture depicts the story of real life NAVY Seals Sniper Chris Kyle; Eastwood does deliver the good, the bad, and the ugly about patriotic duty and gritty warfare in the movie.
I have never done a film review before but after seeing American Sniper I thought i would share my views on what a brilliant film American Sniper is a very good movie highly recommended a must see Bradley Cooper is outstanding as Navy Seal Chris Kyle I also agree with the way Eastwood decided to end the film.
American Sniper is a difficult film to watch, but it's one of the better ones this year.+Cooper's multidimensional performance +Story structure +Eastwood's directing +Doesn't hold back with the top notch editing10/10.
American Sniper is a difficult film to watch, but it's one of the better ones this year.+Cooper's multidimensional performance +Story structure +Eastwood's directing +Doesn't hold back with the top notch editing10/10.
Bradley Cooper stars as Chris Kyle, the most prolific sniper in American military history. |
tt0053363 | The Tingler | The movie opens on a white screen. Then William Castle enters and informs us, "I am William Castle, the director of the motion picture you're about to see. I feel obligated to warn you that some of the sensations, some of the physical reactions which the actors on the screen will feel will also be experienced for the first time in motion picture history by certain members of this audience...And remember this: A scream at the right time may save your life." The screen goes dark and a man's screams are heard. His head (an uncredited Pat Colby) floats towards the audience. Two women's heads (left is an uncredited Gail Bonney, right is an uncredited Amy Fields), screaming, join the man. We fade in on a convict being led to the execution chamber. He is Ryerson (an uncredited Bob Gunderson) and two guards drag him to his fate--the electric chair. Standing in the hall is his brother-in-law, Ollie Higgins (Phillip Coolidge). Title and credits are shown over the march to the chamber. In a nearby lab, Dr. Warren Chapin (Vincent Price) prepares for the state required autopsy of the convicted and executed man. The body is wheeled from the execution chamber to the lab on a gurney. Chapin does his work and Ollie comes in to watch. They chat about the electrocution and Chapin notes, "This man's vertebrae are cracked. They're nearly splintered in two." He explains he's seen this before, always related to fear and this is the focus of his research. Ollie postulates it might be what causes your spine to tingle. Chapin is amused and dubs the force, "The Tingler," something he has been researching for years with no name. Chapin asks rhetorically, "Fear causes tremendous tensions in the body. If you can't relieve them, why can't they become strong enough to kill you?" Chapin completes the death certificate and prepares to leave. Ollie asks for a ride back into town and the doctor agrees.Chapin stops his car in front of a walk-in theater. It specializes in old, silent movies. Ollie offers the doctor a cup of coffee. He first checks in with his wife, Martha (Judith Evelyn) who is working in the box office. She is a deaf-mute and reminds her husband about working the opening of the theater. Ollie and Chapin enter the rooms above the theater. Martha enters the apartment and places cash in a large safe by the front door. She enters the kitchen and washes her hands. She stares at Chapin and refuses to shake his hand, miming that they are loaded with germs. Besides being deaf-mute, Martha has a serious OCD condition and a serious phobia about something else Chapin discovers after he accidently breaks a saucer. He reaches into the sink to retrieve the broken pieces of a saucer and cuts his hand. The sight of the blood sends Martha into a rigid, dead faint. Chapin treats her and explains to Ollie that her inability to scream allows the tension to build. She does not actually faint, but experiences something he calls a psychosomatic escape. Chapin brings the woman around with smelling salts. Martha immediately checks the safe to verify the money is still there. Satisfied her money is safe, she refuses to go downstairs to open the box office until Ollie and the doctor have left. Doctor Chapin leaves and drives home.Chapin arrives home, a large expensive house in an upscale neighborhood. His wife has money and an independent nature. Feeling neglected at home she indulges her desire for male company openly. Lucy Stevens (Pamela Lincoln) walks down the stairs. She is dressed for her date. She is Chapin's sister-in-law. Her boyfriend, David, works for Dr. Chapin. They are both pathologists. She tells Chapin her sister is out on a date. Chapin takes a certain amount of responsibility for the situation. They discuss Lucy's financial situation, her sister controls the inheritance and refuses to share it with her little sister. The doorbell rings and Lucy answers it. It is David Morris (Darryl Hickman) and he apologizes for being late. David was late because he was out trying to catch a stray cat for their experiment. David also gives Chapin the drug he requested. [Note: LSD was still legal back in the 1950s and was being used by Psychiatrists for research.] David warns Dr. Chapin that, "It can produce pretty weird effects." Chapin relays the story about Martha and her blood phobia and her fear reaction. Chapin tells David he is now convinced what he is looking for is tangible and solid. He now calls it, The Tingler. David and Lucy go out on their date. Dr. Chapin sits and reads a preliminary report titled, "Fright Effects Induced by Injection of Lysergic Acid LSD25." It is late, 1:00 a.m., and Chapin sees his wife out the window. She is kissing her date good night. Chapin decides to kill two birds with one stone. He retrieves a gun from the hutch drawer, it is loaded with blanks but she doesn't know that. He confronts Isabel (Patricia Cutts) in the entry way. They exchange catty dialog and decide to have a drink. Chapin mentions Lucy and David and threatens that unless she gives Lucy her inheritance, she will be dead. He pulls a gun and escorts her into the lab. He tells her that her "suicide" can be better arranged there. Isabel refuses to give Lucy her money, so Chapin "shoots" her. She collapses in fear. He places her body on the X-Ray table and takes three pictures of her spine in rapid succession. He wakes his wife and tells her, "You're not hurt, dear. It was just a blank cartridge. Thanks for helping with the experiment. You played your part excellently." She is furious. A cat in the cage calls out. He gleefully tells Isabel, "I was going to use this cat. But you made a much better subject. Have you two met? In the same alley, perhaps?" Isabel threatens, "When my turn comes, and it will come, it won't be an experiment."The next day, David pulls up in his old car. He brought the dog Chapin requested. Chapin is excited to show Dave the X-Rays he took of Isabel. It shows The Tingler in stages of growth and deployment along the spine. Chapin and Dave discuss what they know and what they need to find out. They speculate that The Tingler may be a solid mass, and a living organism. That evening, Lucy, Dave, and Dr. Chapin have coffee in the living room. Chapin wants to scare himself to do more research, "to personally sense the power of The Tingler, in a genuine fear situation. In a controlled experiment, with my own fear perhaps I can find out all the things we have to know. Only nothing scares me." Chapin suggests, then demands that Dave take the night off. Dave suspects Chapin may try something stupid and dangerous. His fears are realized. Dave and Lucy observe, from outside the lab, Chapin take the LSD and have a bad trip. Chapin carefully tape records all his observations and symptoms. He is able to experience fear, but despite his desire to stifle a scream, he does scream and the thing that makes his spine rigid disappears. Lucy, David, and Chapin discuss the experiment, and Dave notes that a deaf-mute is unable to scream.At the movie theater, Dr. Chapin stops to see Ollie. He came to see how Martha was doing. Ollie says it must have been very traumatic because she is off her routine. Chapin walks up to see Martha. He gives her a sedative and puts her to bed. He sends Ollie to the drug store to fill a prescription for Martha. Sometime later, Martha wakes. Strange things happen: lights go off on their own, windows close, a rocking chair moves with no one sitting in it, and doors open and close on their own. A creature with a scarred face and oversized teeth menace her with a knife. She eventually is locked in the bathroom and sees blood flowing from the hot and cold water faucets in the sink. [Note: The movie is black and white, but the sink and tub sequences are in color, to emphasize the blood.] The tub is full of blood and an arm rises out of the thick liquid towards the frightened woman. She goes rigid and clutches her spine with one hand. The bathroom medicine cabinet opens and there she sees her own death certificate. She collapses to the floor, dead.Dr. Chapin arrives home to the phone ringing. There is no one on the line by the time he answers it. He finds two drinking glasses on the coffee table and concludes his wife has been entertaining. A gold tie clip confirms his suspicions. The doorbell rings, and Dr. Chapin answers it. It is Ollie and he has brought his wife's body over to the Chapin home. They carry Martha in and place her on the exam table in the lab. Chapin confirms she is dead, and has been for at least an hour. Chapin records the time and circumstances to complete the death certificate. Martha's body rises up on the table, still covered in the sheet. She settles back down, and Ollie is convinced she is still alive. Chapin assures him she is quite dead, but wants to find out why she moved. He removes a Tingler from around her spinal bones. It is about 16 inches long and resembles a black lobster or huge earwig with pincers on the front and back. Chapin calls for a glass tank, but before he can secure the creature it pinches his arm. His screams causes the creature to release the grip on his arm and fall limp on the table. Isabel enters the lab. She is repulsed by the creature. Ollie asks how strong it is, and Chapin replies, "Strong enough to kill a man, easily and quickly." Chapin puts The Tingler in a wire mesh carrying case. Isabel grabs a small vial from the lab and before leaving looks at The Tingler with a certain fascination. She pours the contents of the vial into a glass on the bar. Ollie agrees to take Martha home and notify both a funeral parlor and the police. Isabel suggests a celebration for the discovery, something her husband has been seeking for years. She pours two drinks and offers Chapin one, but he demands the other instead. She agrees, knowing her husband does not trust her, but he gets the spiked one anyway. She asks about The Tingler. He explains that it is very powerful. Ollie calls and tells Chapin that Martha is now at a funeral parlor and he has called the police. Chapin passes out from the drink before Ollie can complete his conversation. Ollie gathers up the paraphernalia he used to scare his wife to death: the mask, knife, and other items. As Chapin sleeps it off, Isabel brings in The Tingler in its carrying case. She lets it loose to do its murderous thing. It crawls over to Chapin and proceeds to strangle him with its fore-pincers. Fortunately, Lucy arrives home, hears his struggles, and screams disabling The Tingler's grip on the doctor's throat. It falls to the rug in front of the couch.The next day in the lab, Chapin tries to destroy The Tingler. He holds a blow torch and tells David, "Nothing affects it. You can't destroy the thing." Dave is excited at the medical discovery, but Chapin explains that he is not going to share the discovery with anyone, not at a convention or with a journal article. Chapin explains his reasons, "The Tingler exists in every human being we now know. Look at that. It's an ugly and dangerous thing. Ugly because it's the creation of man's fear. Dangerous because a frightened man is dangerous. We can't destroy it, because we've removed it from its natural place." Chapin decides it has to be put back inside Martha's body and hopes it will be re-absorbed. Lucy comes into the lab and reports that Isabel has left, taken her clothes and moved out. Dave reports that the police got no report of her death. Chapin grabs his bag and the Tingler in its cage and departs for Ollie's place.Ollie is home packing. He empties the safe of cash. Chapin arrives and confronts the man. He finds the objects Ollie used to frighten his wife to death. While preparing Martha's body, The Tingler escapes from its cage and gains entry to the theater below via a loose floor board. Chapin and Ollie start their search for it. As the audience watches an old movie, The Tingler searches out prey. One woman (an uncredited Amy Fields) screams when it latches on to her leg. Chapin douses the lights and tells the audience there is no cause for alarm. The projectionist (an uncredited Dal McKennon) prepares for a reel change. The Tingler crawls through the opening in the wall. The Tingler causes the film to flutter and break. Its' crawling silhouette shows on the theater screen and Chapin and Ollie see it. The audience in the theater murmurs. Chapin again tells the audience not to panic, and implores them, "Scream! Scream for your lives! The Tingler is loose in this theater! And if you don't scream, it may kill you! Scream! Scream! Keep screaming! Scream for your life!" Chapin and Ollie run to the projection booth. The projectionist is being choked by The Tingler. His scream causes the thing to release its grip on his throat. Chapin loads it into a film canister and carries it back upstairs to where Martha's body is located. Ollie admits that Chapin gave him the idea to kill his wife. Chapin places it back into Martha. Chapin informs Ollie, "This time you're going to the police with me." Ollie pulls a gun and corrects the good doctor, "You're wrong. You're going by yourself." Chapin calls the man's bluff, and walks out. Ollie walks towards the door, but it slams shut on its own. The window shuts and Martha's sheet covered body rises up. She stands and stares at her husband. He silently screams in fear. The screen goes black. We close with final words of wisdom from Dr. Warren Chapin, "Ladies and gentlemen, just a word of warning. If any of you are not convinced that you have a Tingler of your own, the next time you're frightened in the dark, don't scream." | cult, psychedelic, murder, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt0029361 | The Outcasts of Poker Flat | A murderous western outlaw (Mitchell), his wife (Baxter), a disgraced gambler (Robertson) and a faded dance hall floozie (Hopkins), along with a few other socially undesirable characters, are trapped in a snowbound mountain cabin. As the chances for rescue fade, the true natures of the cabin's occupants rise to the surface. A murderous western outlaw, Ryker, leaves death and destruction behind after a robbery in Poker Flat and leaves the loot with his wife, Cal, before riding off. A while later, the shaken town decides to banish all undesirables. They include gambler John Oakhurst, saloonkeeper and madam The Duchess and the town drunk, as well as Cal, who had been spotted with Ryker, even though no one knows they are husband and wife.
The others follow Oakhurst, not knowing what else to do. They come across young Tom Dakin and pregnant sweetheart Piney, who were headed for Poker Flat to be wed. In a snowstorm, John leads them to a remote cabin. They have no horses, so Tom takes off for Poker Flat on foot to get help, given $500 of the stolen money by Cal in case he needs to pay someone to form a rescue party.
Ryker turns up, also on foot. He is shocked to find Cal, becomes suspicious and beats her, as well as bullying the others and eating all of their remaining food. He shoots the drunk just for taking a bottle of whiskey. Cal develops a bond with Oakhurst and eventually reveals her situation to him. A fight begins after Ryker shoots and kills The Duchess in cold blood, and Oakhurst is able to strangle him to death. Some head back toward town, while Oakhurst and Cal go the other way. | revenge, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0045029 | Phone Call from a Stranger | After his wife Jane (Helen Westcott) admits to an extramarital affair, Iowa attorney David Trask (Gary Merrill) abandons her and their daughters and heads for Los Angeles. His flight is delayed, and while waiting in the airport restaurant he meets a few of his fellow passengers. Troubled, alcoholic Dr. Robert Fortness (Michael Rennie), haunted by his responsibility for a car accident in which a colleague, Dr. Tim Brooks (Hugh Beaumont) was killed, is returning home to his wife Claire (Beatrice Straight) and teenage son Jerry (Ted Donaldson), and plans to tell the district attorney the truth about the accident.
Aspiring actress Binky Gay (Shelley Winters) is hoping to free her husband Mike Carr (Craig Stevens) from the clutches of his domineering mother, former vaudevillian Sally Carr (Evelyn Varden), who looks down on Binky. Overly loud traveling salesman Eddie Hoke (Keenan Wynn) shares a photograph of his young, attractive wife Marie (Bette Davis) wearing a swimsuit. When a storm forces the aircraft to land en route, they continue to share their life stories during the unexpected four-hour layover. They exchange home phone numbers with the idea that they may one day have a reunion.
Upon resuming their journey, the aircraft crashes and Trask is one of a handful of survivors; most of the passengers and crew are killed, including Trask's three acquaintances. Trask contacts their families by phone and invites himself to their homes. Despite Claire's objections, Trask tells Jerry the truth about his father's past, but assures him that his father was a good man determined to right the wrong he had committed. Hoping to change Sally's opinion of her late daughter-in-law, he tells her Binky had been cast as Mary Martin's replacement in South Pacific on Broadway and had recommended Sally for a role.
Trask's final visit is to Marie, who he discovers is not the beautiful girl of Eddie's photograph, but an invalid paralyzed from the waist down. Marie reveals that early in her marriage she had left Eddie, whom she found to be vulgar and tiresome, for another man, Marty Nelson (Warren Stevens), who deserted her after she hit her head on a dock while she was swimming. While in the hospital, she was confined to an iron lung and feeling hopeless about her future when Eddie arrived to take her home. Marie tells Trask that despite his often obnoxious behavior, Eddie was the most decent man she had ever known, and had taught her the true meaning of love.
Marie's story teaches Trask a lesson about marital infidelity and forgiveness, and he calls Jane to tell her he's returning home. | flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0088194 | Streets of Fire | The movie opens with the borough of Richmond preparing for the concert of hometown girl turned star Ellen Aim. As the concert begins, bikers in black leathers ride into town.Inside the concert venue, the young and sexy Ellen Aim begins her performance, singing with the pounding of music and the backdrop of a light show. The shadowed figures of the motorcycle gang enter the crowd and push their way towards the stage. They wait there, watching the show, and waiting, unmoving as the crowd around them rolls like an ocean with the music.As the first set ends, the bikers charge the stage and grab Ellen Aim. The band and other members of the crowd fight to save her, but the bikers handle them with brutal efficiency. The gang makes it outside and ride away with a screaming Ellen in tow. It is pandemonium out in the streets.Reva Cody writes her brother Tom to come home. He is recently released from the army and boards a train.Reva is working in her diner when a gang of young preps bust in. Reva tells them to get lost, but they don't take kindly to that, threatening her and her joint. Tom is there. He stands up and takes off his jacket. The gang confronts him. He rather easily and comically punches out their leader and then uses a coat rack to take knock the rest of them out the front window. They scatter, and Tom takes their car. Reva is glad to have him back.Reva tells Tom about Ellen being kidnapped by the Bombers. He is mad that Ellen is dating her manager and that Reva thinks he should rescue her. He stomps off to the bar. There he meets McCoy, a tomboy and former soldier. McCoy asks to bunk with him since she doesn't have a place to stay. Tom offers her his sister's couch.Getting into bed, Tom looks at some old pictures he has of Ellen from when they dated. He thinks about her and changes his mind.The next day Tom finds a buddy who has some guns for him. Tom arrives at the diner to meet with Billy Fish, Ellen's manager and new boyfriend. Billy is a four-eyed geek in a bowtie who thinks money makes him better than everyone else. He has serious doubts about Tom's ability to rescue Ellen. Tom demands 10 grand as payment for the task. Billy is fine with that. Tom insists Billy accompany him because Billy knows his way around the Battery, which is where the Bombers are keeping Ellen. Billy refuses but ultimately relents because he needs Ellen back.McCoy asks to join since she needs the money. Billy tells her to take a walk. Perhaps amused by the obvious contempt the two have for each other, Tom agrees to let McCoy in for 10%. As a former motor pool worker, McCoy gets to drive. They hop in the car and take off for the battery. McCoy and Billy continue to verbally spar during the ride.At the Battery, a band is playing at a biker joint called Torchies while gals in black fishnet stockings dance the bar. The leader of the Bombers, Raven, goes into a room where Ellen is tied to the bed. Raven explains that he will let Ellen go after the two of them "fall in love for a little while." Ellen refuses his advances. He eventually leaves.Tom, McCoy and Billy are approaching Torchies. The plan is for Tom to enter Torchies topside while McCoy goes in the ground floor and makes her way up. Billy is to wait 15 minutes then pick them up. Tom gets into position on the roof across the street while McCoy makes her way inside the bar. McCoy runs into a biker who she talks into taking her upstairs. The biker enthusiastically takes her into a "party room" and then tries to get it on with her. She knocks him out with her pistol. She then busts into a room where the head Bombers, including Raven, are playing cards. She holds them at gunpoint.Tom is watching bikers perform jumps in front of the bar until he sees Ellen tied to a bed inside Torchies. He then starts shooting motorcycles, which burst into flame. When enough chaos ensues, Tom makes his way into Torchies. He quickly finds Ellen and cuts her loose. They run into McCoy and all three take the top way back outside. Billy shows up, and McCoy takes the wheel again as they get away. Tom tells them to meet him at the Grand Station underpass while he allays the Bombers.Tom continues disabling motorcycles and knocking bikers out. He gets on a motorcycle to ride away. Raven confronts him with threats. When Tom reminds Raven that he is armed, Raven tells Tom he can get guns, a lot of them. Raven promises Tom that he will be coming for him and Ellen. Tom rides off.McCoy, Billy and Ellen are waiting at the Grand Station underpass. Billy doesn't want to wait any longer, afraid that bikers or cops could show up. Ellen refuses to leave without Tom, since he rescued her. Billy informs Ellen that Tom is getting paid for his services, and that he isn't acting out of love for her. McCoy badgers Billy over the fact that Tom and Ellen dated.Tom shows up. He tells them they have to get on the move and ditch the car. Ellen asks to speak to him alone. She has a lot to say to him since it has been years since he left for the army. He has nothing to say to her. He is mad at her for shacking with Billy. She is mad at him for taking money to rescue her.They eventually leave, ditch the car, and walk their way through the next borough, which is heavy with people on the streets. One of the people they run into recognizes Ellen Aim and tags along as a big fan. Tom stops a bus trying to make its way through the crowd. The bus if for a band called the Sorels. Tom shows his gun and hijacks the bus. Everyone gets in.The bus is rolling towards the Richmond and everyone is finally getting along when the bus gets stopped by a road block set up by cops. Billy tries to talk and then bribe his way through the cops. It doesn't work. Tom holds the cops at gun point, and then he and McCoy make the entire road block lay in the road so they can discard their weapons. Tom then shoots up the police cars, and they all get back on the bus and take off. Now to be chased by the police, they have to ditch the bus. They do so and run to a train station to catch the train.They all arrive back at the police station in the Richmond. City folk stream into the station to see Ellen. Ellen says she wants to leave town and tells Tom that she hates him for taking money to rescue her.The Bombers' second in command shows up. The police chief goes to talk with Raven. Raven wants Tom Cody, and as long as they give him up, there will be no more trouble.Tom and McCoy are back in Reva's diner. Tom is obviously downcast. McCoy is angry because Tom is self-centered and hasn't given her any credit. She tells Reva that Tom is a jerk and storms off. Reva lights into Tom next for feeling sorry for himself because Ellen ditched him. Reva implies she only wanted Tom to rescue Ellen because Ellen was good for him.The police chief shows up and tells Tom that Raven wants to meet him tomorrow. He tells Tom that he should be on a train out of town tonight, and that if he doesn't leave, he'll arrest him right after arresting Raven.Tom goes to the hotel to visit Ellen and Billy. Billy pays Tom his money. Tom tells Ellen he once thought Ellen was worth rescuing without the money, but not anymore. He throws the money back at Billy and only takes what he promised for McCoy. He leaves. Billy laughs at Tom's stupidity for throwing 9 grand away, but Ellen goes after Tom.They meet outside in the rain and embrace. They are next seen in bed. Ellen advises Tom to leave town and says she will go with him.Tom meets McCoy back at the bar and reconciles with her. He asks her to accompany him and Ellen out of town that night. She agrees. All three are on the train when it comes to a stop. Tom moves to leave. Ellen says it isn't their stop yet. Tom knocks her out with a punch. He tells McCoy to make sure Ellen gets out of town. He goes to return to Richmond, but the returning train is out due to damage caused by the Bombers.Raven arrives with two henchmen as he told the police chief. The chief tells him that Tom and Ellen are gone and that he is under arrest. Raven blows a horn he brought with him and about forty bikers arrive with guns. City folk see the Bombers arrive and come streaming into the street with guns to help the police. Tom arrives just as things look ugly.Raven brought pick-axes of all things for them to fight hand-to-hand with. They fight. Tom eventually disarms Raven and tosses away his pick-axe so they can fight it out with their fists. A bloodied Tom eventually puts Raven down. The city folk point their guns at the Bombers. The Bombers grab Raven and ride out.The movie ends on another Ellen Aim concert. Tom is watching the Sorels, who now open for Ellen, backstage. Billy approaches him and tells him he won't get in the way. Tom tells Billy that he is better for Ellen. Tom finds Ellen. She knows he's leaving. He tells her he'll be there if she needs him again. They kiss, and he departs.Ellen goes onstage to begin her performance. Tom watches her from the entrance of the hall and then leaves near the end of the first song. Tom runs into McCoy who has the car Tom stole from the gang at the beginning of the movie. Tom gets in and they ride away. | neo noir, cult, violence, flashback, action, entertaining | train | imdb | null |
tt0338526 | Van Helsing | Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) has been ordered by the Vatican to search out and
destroy Count Vladislaus Dracula (Richard Roxburgh), an assignment that doesn't make Van
Helsing very happy. He is tired of killing monsters for the Church, only
to be branded by the public as a murderer with a price on his head. He
also wishes that he had back his memories, something that was taken away
from him due to his previous sins. Cardinal Jinette (Alun Armstrong) explains that this
assignment is important because, 450 years ago, a Transylvanian knight
named Valerius the Elder promised God that his family would never rest nor
enter heaven until they vanquished Dracula. However, Dracula still lives,
but only two of Valerius' descendents -- Princess Anna (Kate Beckinsale) and Prince Velkan (Will Kemp)
-- remain. The Valerius family is running out of time, and the Church is
committed to saving their souls. So, armed with only a scrap of a picture,
rings of garlic, holy water, a silver stake, a crucifix, an automatic
crossbow, and Friar Carl (David Wenham), the Q of the Vatican, Van Helsing takes off for
Transylvania.Van Helsing's arrival in Transylvania is not well met, as
Transylvanians don't like strangers. As Princess Anna challenges their
business there, Van Helsing notices three harpies flying towards them.
They are Dracula's three brides -- Aleera (Elena Anaya), Marishka (Josie Maran), and Verona (Silvia Colloca). It's
obvious that they are trying to nab Anna. In fact, they succeed in
carrying her off several times, but Van Helsing manages to get her back.
He finally destroys Marishka by dipping his crossbow in holy water before
shooting her with a dart. Oddly, the villagers are angry with Van Helsing
for killing Marishka. They explain that the vampires only kill one or two
a month to satisfy their needs. Now, thanks to him, they will kill more
out of revenge.Dracula isn't happy about it either. Not only is he now short one
bride, but a year ago, after setting up Victor Frankenstein (Samuel West) with his own
laboratory, the villagers set Frankenstein's monster on fire, and Dracula
needed the Monster in order to give life to his offspring (Dracula's
children are born dead and must be animated). Then, just a few days ago,
Velkan Valerius destroyed Dracula's werewolf with a silver bullet,
although it cost Velkan his life when the werewolf grabbed him just before
he fell over a steep cliff.Grateful that Van Helsing saved her life and destroyed Marishka, Anna
takes Van Helsing and Carl back to the castle where the Valerius family
has lived for hundreds of years following Dracula's human death. That
evening, Anna wants to go out vampire hunting, but Van Helsing, preferring
to wait until daylight, sprays her with knockout spray. When Anna later
awakens, the halls are dark and Van Helsing is nowhere to be found. Still,
someone is there. It's a werewolf, but not just any werewolf. It's her
brother, Velkan. Apparently, Velkan was bitten by the werewolf on the way
down, survived the fall, and now he is a werewolf, too. When the moon
suddenly goes behind a cloud, Velkan changes from werewolf back to himself
just long enough to warn Anna. Then the moon comes out, and he changes
back into a werewolf and lunges at her. Van Helsing appears and fires a
shot at Velkan, but he leaps out the window. Van Helsing follows. Just
when Van Helsing gets a clear shot at Velkan, Anna stops him to let him
know that Dracula supposedly has a cure for werewolfism. Van Helsing
agrees to help Anna look for the antidote and try to save her brother.Velkan's trail leads them to Castle Frankenstein where Dracula, Igor (Kevin J. O'Connor),
and the Dwergi [ugly little creatures that work for Dracula] have strapped
Velkan to Dr Frankenstein's machine and are trying to harness his life
energy to animate Dracula's babies. Lightning strikes and Velkan's
lifeforce flows into the baby vampires who start to hatch. Thousands of
them. Van Helsing starts shooting at them. Dracula gets really mad and
starts attacking Van Helsing. Van Helsing stabs Dracula with the silver
stake, but it doesn't work. (The stake needs to be made of wood.) Aleera,
Verona, and the babies fly into the village so that the brides can teach
the babies how to feed. Suddenly, all the vampire babies start to explode.
The animation hasn't been successful.Dracula orders Velkan to kill Van Helsing and Anna. In their escape
from Castle Frankenstein, Anna and Van Helsing fall into a subterranean
cave where the Frankenstein monster (Shuler Hensley) has been hiding. Van Helsing shoots
him with a tranquilizer dart but refuses to kill him because he can sense
that the Monster is not evil (Van Helsing will only kill evil beings).
Before he passes out, the Monster explains that he is the key to Dracula's
research, that he is the one thing that Dracula needs in order to bring
life to his brood. Even though the last hatchlings died, Dracula has
thousands more waiting birth, he says.Suddenly, they notice that they are being watched by Velkan. Knowing
that Dracula will soon know their whereabouts, Van Helsing tries to take
the Frankenstein monster back to Rome for protection, but they are
attacked by Verona, Aleera, and Velkan. Van Helsing destroys Verona and
gets a silver bullet into Velkan, who later dies in Anna's arms.
Unfortunately, Velkan also managed to bite Van Helsing. Aleera picks up
Anna and flies her back to Dracula while Van Helsing, Carl, and the
Monster are forced to walk. They meet up with Aleera again in Budapest.
She invites them to a Halloween masquerade ball during which they can
trade the Monster for Anna. Van Helsing tranquilizes the Monster and locks
him in a church while he and Carl go to the ball.At the ball, while Dracula dances with Anna, he tries to talk her
into becoming his bride, but Anna will have none of it. Van Helsing
rescues Anna, but their escape is thwarted when Igor triumphantly brings
in the Frankenstein monster. Everyone at the ball turns into vampires and
goes after Van Helsing, Carl, and Anna, forcing them to jump out a window.
By the time Van Helsing, Anna, and Carl get back to Transylvania, Dracula
has cleared out of Castle Frankenstein and moved...to no one knows where.
They go to the library where Carl has done a bit of research and
discovered that Dracula is really the son of Valerius the Elder. The whole
problem started when Dracula was murdered in 1462 by "the left hand of
God." When he died, Dracula made a covenant with the Devil and was given a
new life that could only be sustained by drinking blood. That's when
Valerius the Elder went to Rome and bargained away his family's right to
enter heaven until he killed Dracula. Dracula being his son, however,
Valerius was unable to kill him, so he banished him to an icy fortress
through a door with no means of escape...until the devil gave wings to
Dracula. So where is this door?Anna reveals that her father spent hours staring at a particular
picture. Perhaps that picture holds the key to the door? On the door is an
inscription in Latin which Carl tries to read but cannot finish because a
piece is missing. Van Helsing remembers the scrap of picture that Cardinal
Jinette gave him before he left Rome. Sure enough, it fits. When they read
the inscription aloud, the picture changes into a mirror which allows them
to walk through into the snowy fortress which is Dracula's true castle.
They enter a long hallway in which the ceiling and walls are lined with
pods containing vampire offspring waiting to be animated. They also see
the Frankenstein monster encased in a block of ice with only his head
sticking out. The Monster sees Van Helsing and tells him that Dracula DOES
have a cure for werewolfism. Van Helsing wonders why Dracula would have an
antidote. Carl remembers seeing another painting that showed a werewolf
killing a vampire. Now it all becomes clear. Only a werewolf can kill
Dracula, and Van Helsing is scheduled to turn into one tonight at the
stroke of midnight. The plan is to let Van Helsing transform and kill
Dracula, and then Anna and Carl can inject him with the antidote at the
last minute.While Van Helsing goes in search of Dracula, Anna and Carl force Igor
to lead them to the antidote. Igor shows them a syringe stored in a jar of
viscous liquid. Indeed, it is the antidote, but before they can retrieve
it, Igor locks them in the room. Aleera suddenly appears. Anna tosses the
jar at her. It crashes on the floor, and the splash burns Aleera's face.
Anna tosses more of the liquid at the bars on the door, and it eats
through them. While Anna keeps Aleera busy, Carl takes the antidote and
goes looking for Van Helsing. Van Helsing has discovered Dracula's
laboratory. The Frankenstein monster has been hoisted to the roof, and
Dracula is attempting to drain his life into his infants. Van Helsing
makes his way to the roof, but before the Monster can be freed, lightning
strikes and sends his lifeforce down through the infant nursery. The baby
vampires begin to awaken.Just as the Frankenstein Monster gets free, Dracula changes into a
bat and attacks Van Helsing. The Monster is struck again by a bolt of
lightning that sends him flying over the edge of the roof. On his way
down, he manages to grab onto a cable and knock Igor off the bridge where
he's been chasing Carl with a cattle prod. The Monster swings through a
window into the room where Anna and Aleera are fighting. As the Monster
holds Aleera at bay, Anna uses the cable to swing back to the laboratory.
On the way, Carl tosses her the antidote. Aleera catches up with Anna.
While Aleera gloats about how she's going to drink Anna's blood, Anna
grabs a spike and thrusts it through Aleera's heart.Just then the clock strikes midnight. Van Helsing changes into a
werewolf and attacks Dracula. Just as Van Helsing has Dracula by the
throat, the moon goes behind a cloud and Van Helsing changes back into
himself. Dracula takes this moment to inform Van Helsing that it was he (Van Helsing)
who murdered Dracula back in 1462. Suddenly, the moon comes back out. Van
Helsing turns into a werewolf again and chews up Dracula's neck. Dracula
crumbles into dust as do all of his baby vampires (once Dracula is
destroyed, all his creations are also destroyed). At that moment, Anna
runs into the room with the antidote. Van Helsing leaps at her. Carl also
arrives and opens the silver stake, ready to plunge it into Van Helsing.
But Anna was successful. She injected the antidote into Van Helsing just
before she died, and Van Helsing is returning to himself.Van Helsing and Carl hold a cremation for Anna at sea. He sees her spirit in the sky alongwith those of her ancestors. She smiles and realises that she is at peace and with her family. Heading out to sea in hopes of a sanctuary, we see Frankenstein's Monster on a raft looking towards the flaming beacon and the two heroes. | suspenseful, gothic, murder, paranormal, cult, horror, atmospheric, revenge, sci-fi | train | imdb | You cannot watch a film like Van Helsing with out taking it with a pinch of salt - it is a movie with vampires, werewolves and the frankenstine monster in at all at once for goodness sake.
I guess if you're looking for a summer action flick that takes itself too seriously, then you're out of luck with this one.I admit that the film runs a little to long, the chemistry between Beckinsale and Jackman leaves something to be desired, and the Frankenstein "monster" (though well-intentioned to give a nod to "Young Frankenstein") is really annoying.
But the entertainment spawning from the hokey fun that "Van Helsing" is all about, makes these flaws so forgivable.For me, I'll take the over-acting screaming Brides of Dracula, the silly homages to dozens of classic action and horror movies, the cheesy one-liners, and the not-so-convincing special effects.
If you dislike cgi, if you're a purist, if you're looking for something "realistic", or if you're looking for a slower-moving, understated film that's a deep character study, you'll more than likely hate this film.Set around the turn of the 20th Century, Van Helsing features the titular hero (Hugh Jackman) taking a break from his usual "monster slayer" activities, which are commissioned by the Catholic Church, to pursue a grand plot initiated by Dracula (Richard Roxburg) involving the Frankenstein Monster (Shuler Hensley), the Wolf Man (Will Kemp), and the two last surviving members of a Transylvanian family that has long been battling the vampire.Van Helsing is a fast-paced, computer graphics-laden horror/adventure/fantasy film wherein Universal re-imagines its core stable of classic horror characters.
I actually like cgi, I'm not a purist, I love the genres--I'm not looking for realism, and I love fast-paced action-oriented thrill rides as much if not more than I love character studies.As for the character remakes, Van Helsing becomes a slick retro-Matrix-styled macho action hero, part James Bond/007, part Indiana Jones, part Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a secret Catholic Church order filling in for the Watcher's Council and the Bond "Q Branch" combined.
Van Helsing provides a good argument for such extensive digital assistance, as many of the visuals would be simply impossible to achieve through any other means and substituting some of the creatures with mechanicals, animatronics, special effects makeup and the like would have caused the film to go far over its already outrageous estimated budget of 160 million.The plot, while not deep on characterization, couldn't be more full of events and action.
Director/writer Stephen Sommers, who was also responsible for remaking the image of another classic Universal character in The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001) (probably the reason the Mummy is not present in here), begins Van Helsing in a black and white scene that wonderfully recreates the feel of the James Whale-lensed Frankenstein films, including referencing a number of shots, scenes and characters from those classics.After the titles, we move into a color-filled world ala The Wizard of Oz while we're treated to a brief character-establishing scene of Van Helsing battling Mr. Hyde in the bell tower of Notre Dame.
Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Roxburgh, Henley and David Wenham all turn in nuanced performances that imply the depth of character that the film does not have the time to fully explore.The intense action throughout the film combined with the cgi and spectacular sweeping camera moves often gives Van Helsing a feel somewhere between a comic book film and a video game.
As the film opens, Dr. Frankenstein is killed by Dracula, who no longer needs him, and his monster, whom Dracula needs to give the essence of life to his children, appears to perish in a fire.A year later, Gabriel Van Helsing, a tortured man without a past is sent to Transylvania by the "Holy Order"...
But still I went into this movie just looking for a good time (that and am a huge fan of old school monster films) and thats what I got.
If people looked at them more as just visually entertaining with a bunch of sharp one-liners, and tried to stop making them the next big action movie, or trying to read a life change message somewhere in there, they'd have more fun!
So let's spread our wings, charge up, and take a bite into this action-packed creature feature.Plot: Dracula, the Prince of Darkness, had Dr. Frankenstein create his monster for a nefarious purpose, but the vampire lord loses both the good doctor and his creation.
A year later, having finished business in Paris (Mr. Hyde), monster hunter Van Helsing, alongside his genius sidekick Carl, is sent by the Knights of the Holy Order to Transylvania to kill Dracula while protecting Princess Anna from him.
With the help of Carl, Anna, and Frankenstein's monster, Van Helsing sets out to stop this monster madness with an arsenal of crazy weapons and an attitude to match.This is a great tribute to the classic monster movies.
It's great the way all these characters are tied together in this crazy battle for the fate of the world.With a complex story, nice effects, fun music, good comedy, and awesome action scenes, this movie is sure to please.
The plot consists of Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) being part of a special order of the Vatican to kill all unhuman / evil creatures, so amazingly he is sent of to Transylvania where he is to kill Dracula, the sub plot being that Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale) is the last in the line of a family who's mission for centuries has been to kill Dracula themselves.
If Anna dies before Dracula, being the last in the line will condemn the whole family to eternal damnation.While the plot isn't the strongest in the world, it actually doesn't make any difference as the special effects and incredible pace of the film doesn't really give you much chance to contemplate any deeper meanings or plotlines.The poster campaign has featured heavily on this film containing Dracula, Wolfman and Frankenstein's monster, though there are other wonderful classic characters which make the film an even bigger joy to watch for example Igor and Dr Jekyll with the former character becoming a wonderful stereotype of the hunchbacked laboratory assistant.Strangely, the chemistry between Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale doesn't have the same spark or passion as Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in the Mummy saga, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the two characters are not the typical leading man and lady who will obviously fall in love, which again gives this film quite a refreshing edge.David Wenham as Carl, a friar sent to look after Van Helsing gives the comedy edge with wonderful one liners and a constant cheeky glint in his eye.The monsters themselves are a perfect homage to Hammer Horror / Boris Karloff films although I personally found Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) a little bit too camp and less evil although his character was certainly a more evil Dracula than has been seen recently.
His 3 brides are possible the surprise highlight of the film turning from beautiful women to gargoyle-like creatures in a split second are a joy to watch in every sense of the word.The wolfman metamorphosis is (as has been reported) an incredible piece of special effects, with the victim tearing off his skin to reveal fur and vice versa throughout the change.
However, because these effects are also extremely well done, it is more of a criticism on the viewer who has obviously been spoilt with such effects recently.The pastiges of this film are truly a joy, with references to James Bond (in a highly enjoyable scene about selecting weapons), X-men, Matrix, Aliens, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Rocky Horror and countless other more obvious Horror classics.Hugh Jackman (finally deserving his first lead role) is incredible and this role shows what a fantastic (and without doubt one of Hollywoods hunkiest) actors he is.
The film is a monstrous cocktail : Dr. Jekill and Mr.Hyde , Frankestein, werewolf , Dracula ,Igor.The starring is Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) , the monster hunter .
He will have to confront werewolf , Frankestein (Shular Hensley) and specially Dracula (Richard Roxbough) and his brides (Elena Anaya, Silvia Colloca and Joshie Marian) .The film is spectacular , the action-packed is fascinating and computer generator effects specials (FX) are overwhelming though excessive .The movie mingles monsters action , suspense, terror , gore , rip-roaring, tongue-in-cheek , a little bit of humor and is amount bemusing but the plot is ridiculous .Direction by Stephen Sommers is average , Alan Daviau's cinematography , set design by Alan Cameron and Alan Silvestri's musical score is outstanding.Rating 6/10 .
If I was Bram Stoker, I'd be suing from beyond the grave.Now I loved director Stephen Sommers "Mummy" movies, especially the first one, which was lots of fun, I really like fine actors Hugh Jackman, Richard Roxburgh (wonderfully camp in Moulin Rouge) and David Wenham and I was fairly open minded about Kate Beckinsale as I'd hardly seen her in anything before, so I sat down to watch this movie (on pay per view at home) perfectly willing to be entertained.
It's nicely juxtaposed with the movie's opening action sequence, an exhilarating battle between the titular Van Helsing and the evil Mr. Hyde (a silly special effect, but used well in this opening scene), with plenty of over-the-top stunts that are thrilling to watch.But most of the rest of the film is a complete and utter mess, so much that I wouldn't be surprised if the movie saw an afterlife as a cult classic of sorts.
Truth be told, I sort of admire the movie's outrageousness and I honestly can't bring myself to totally hate it, but I sure as hell can't say I liked it, either.Hugh Jackman stars as Van Helsing, the Vatican Church's assassin of evil creatures.
It's actually almost as bad as LXG in this regard, but is at least not nearly as bloated (from a running time POV) and visually plain as Pirates of the Caribbean (which gave us little more than underused CGI skeletons and a lot of plain-looking islands and warships).The movie's super-cheesy final scenes lead me to wonder if Sommers was on crack when he included those last few f/x shots.
Hugh Jackman trades his razor sharp claws for razor sharp blades to play the monster-hunter, Gabriel Van Helsing, hired by the church to go to Transylvania to take on Count Dracula {Richard Roxburgh}, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's monster.The premise sounds very interesting and this film had potential to be a good summer blockbuster.
Van Helsing have all the action, adventure, horror, comedy and fun you can ask for in a movie.
It's gotta be an 8 out of 10, no?It has everything that must be in a mindless fantasy film: 1) great bad guys (tough and thoughtful vampires, nasty werewolves, and a host of lesser ghouls)2) Great good guy - Hugh Jackman is da man!3) Touch of comedy to lighten the scariness.4) Love interest - Kate B!5) fast paced action - it never slows down.6) Superior FX and locations and setwork.I come back to this movie every 4 years as I forget the details, and it never fails to make me smile.
"Van Helsing" is easily one of the worst so-called 'horror films' of 2004.Why people compare this CGI-laden piece of crap to Universal classics or Hammer vampire movies is beyond me.Instead of focusing on suspense the film is loaded with tons of unimpressive CGI-imagery.The script is painfully weak and the characters are totally one-dimensional.Admittedly,the opening scene is pretty good as it follows a mob of angry villagers as they storm Dr.Frankenstein's castle.It's shot in black and white andfor a little while,anywaycaptures the eerie,fog-ridden atmosphere of such horror staples as "Frankenstein" and "The Wolf Man".After this short prologue we meet Van Helsing and the film quickly becomes stupefying mess.The dialogue is particularly atrocious and there is no suspense or gore,just lots of loud noises and computer animated vampires and werewolves.The film may be entertaining for popcorn eaters,but everyone who calls himself or herself a true horror fan will hate it.2 out of 10.Avoid this travesty like the plague..
A breathless action movie, having lots of humor (the gay style of Dracula, most of the scenes with Carl, the English accent of Dracula and his three brides, Mr. Hyde looking like Hulk etc.), a romance between Van Helsing and Anna, special effects where sometimes we are not able to identify what is real or not, a great homage to famous monsters, therefore, it is excellent for its proposal of entertainment.
Judging this movie for what it is, a fantasy film, it delivers well with reasonable acting (Kate Beckinsale's accent is even credible), good effects and a story-line writhes around enough to remain sufficiently unpredictable and suspenseful.
I enjoyed the movie it was full of action and had a story that I could suspend disbelief for, seeing as everybody already knows whom the Wolfman,Dracula,Fankenstein,Van Helsing are there was no need to tell their stories again so we could get right into the action.It was a good thing the Vatican send Van Helsing to Transylvania, because Kate alone wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes with those monsters.
Probably the most memorable performance comes from David 'Faramir' Wenham, who provides most of the comic relief as Van Helsing's bible-bashing sidekick.In terms of special effects it's pretty amazing -- this movie did, after all, have a ludicrous amount of money thrown at it ($160 million), but perhaps relying so heavily on CGI was a mistake.
And here, the computer-generated stuff is at times very distracting as rather than being involved in the plot you're sitting there thinking, "Oo, doesn't that creature look good?" The soundtrack is also very cool (even the bits stolen from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade").It's unfortunate that this wasn't the box-office hit it was clearly intended to be, but if you're in the mood for a big, stupid, fun action movie that makes no sense and has absolutely no point to it, this one is as good as any..
This is a good movie to watch on a rain day, a boring Sunday afternoon or on Halloween.Check out Van Helsing if you love a lot of action!.
It's about Van Helsing, the vampire hunter whose mission is to kill Dracula.Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale were the highlights of the film.
"Van Helsing" looks like a shoved together collection of highlights from three movies.**** Van Helsing (5/3/04) Stephen Sommers ~ Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, Will Kemp.
The "filmmaker" doesn't care for anything but big noisy moments where everyone is screaming, or falling off of this wall or that cliff, all done in a extreme schlocky manner, including an orgy of terrible CGI, bad makeup, stupid characters and a plethora of incongruous elements so disparate that the end product looks like it was truly dreamed up by a 5 year old boy suffering from extreme ADD.Sommers actually tried to make Van Helsing into a medieval James Bond, with the villain, being a campy Dracula (and his three hysterical bimbos) trying to destroy the world with their GREMLIN-like offsprings by having them energized by the "lifeforce" from Frankenstein's Monster.
The only good character in the movie was Dracula, played by Richard Roxburgh and the best special-effects monster was the Wolf Man. Otherwise, this is two hours of the same people going after the same monsters with so much action that it actually gets boring..
We are, of course, supposed to be rooting for Van Helsing when watching this film, but what with the regular cheesy and clichéd dialogue of the heroes and the incredibly effective vampire charm of Richard Roxburgh's, I switched sides pretty much as soon as I saw him.Roxburgh is undoubtedly the best Dracula ever!
Although Hugh Jackman did have some cool little scenes, they all look pretty rubbish next to Draculas...Definitely a must see for all Roxburgh fans.Either way, it's still an entertaining film and if you're not expecting too much script and story wise, you'll have a blast watching it!Can't wait for the DVD!.
The very concept of Dracula , Frankenstein's monster , The wolfman and van helsing all together in one big smack down sounded like my kind of film ."There is no way this is gonna fail !
Good Fun. Plot In A Paragraph: The Vatican sends the monster hunter Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) and his assistant, Carl (David Wenham) to Transylvania.
Van Helsing is a good fantasy horror film - an action-packed adventure!
One of the highlights of the film is the romance between Anna and Van Helsing.This film is great to watch on an day when you are in the mood for the classic movie monsters and a lot of action!
However, lots of really good special effects, a drool-worthy cast and a poorly developed script, don't sell at the box office, that is where films like "Troy" are catergorised.The cast was well hand picked, Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing, he is a man of many talents but I wasn't entirely sure if he made a good decision signing on for this picture, Kate Beckinsale is beautiful as Anna, but I'll admit that her Romanian accent in the film was almost laughable if you know what I mean.
I like this movie and I love huge jackman, plus supporting cast was good.I personally love this kind of tongue-in-cheek, change of the usual film.Maybe movies timing was bad, because pf spider man.If people looked at them more as just visually entertaining with a bunch of sharp one-liners, and tried to stop making them the next big action movie, or trying to read a life change message somewhere in there, they'd have more fun!
Enjoyable...when it doesn't take itself too seriously.Vampire/werewolf/monster/whatever-hunter Van Helsing (played by Hugh Jackman) and his faithful sidekick Carl (played by David Wenham) go to Transylvania to track down Count Dracula (played by Richard Roxburgh).
Its a ridiculous movie, as much homage as it's camp, but all the time action scenes dominate- Van Helsing is like a James Bond movie where he fights MGM classic monsters. |
tt0468569 | The Dark Knight | The movie begins with a gang of men with clown masks breaking into the bank where the mob has a large portion of their money stashed. It begins with five clowns, each getting a cut of the spoils. They suggest that a sixth member of the gang - nicknamed 'The Joker' - who did the planning, but sat out the robbery, doesn't deserve a cut. As the robbery goes on, the clowns begin to kill each other in order to get a larger cut, until a school bus crashes through the wall of the bank, killing another clown. A mob bank manager, who was himself shot with an automatic weapon after he tried to take out the clowns with a shotgun, tells the remaining clown that he doesn't know who he is dealing with. The clown kneels down and tells the banker, "Whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you...stranger..." then removes his mask to reveal that he himself is The Joker. Joker puts a grenade into the banker's mouth and boards the bus, leaving a string attached to the pin. The bus pulls out with all of the bank's cash and the pin pops out. It is just a gas grenade. The Joker joins a long line of school buses leaving the scene as the police arrive.Gotham is then seen at night with criminals afraid to commit crimes under the watchful sign of the batsignal projected onto the clouds. We see Lt. James Gordon manning the batsignal, waiting for Batman with Det. Anna Ramirez, who asks if he's coming. Gordon explains that it is okay if he is not, hoping that he is busy elsewhere.Meanwhile, in a parking garage, the Scarecrow is negotiating with the Russian mob members over the sale of some of his fear-inducing drugs. The sale is interrupted when some of Gotham's citizens dressed as Batmen wanna-be's begin shooting at the men. As he gases one of the fake Batmen with his mind-altering drugs from his cuff, the Scarecrow notes that they are not the real Batman, because Batman would never use a gun. Suddenly the Batmobile/Tumbler crashes through a barricade and Scarecrow notes, "That's more like it!" The Batmobile fires rockets into a nearby office, causing the remaining mobsters to begin to flee. The real Batman arrives on the scene and bends the rifle of one of the wanna-be Batmen before knocking him out.The Chechen sends his rottweilers to attack the Batmen, and as Batman saves them he takes the dogs out after being badly bitten in the arm. The Scarecrow attempts to flee in a white van but Batman jumps onto the van and begins cutting into the side with his device called the mangler. Scarecrow swerves into a support which sends Batman to the ground. As Scarecrow gets away down a spiraling passageway, Batman leaps onto the roof of his van, smashing it to a halt. He leaves the fake Batmen and the Scarecrow along with some of the mobsters tied up together for the police to eventually round up.Gordon arrives at the bank the Joker held up earlier with Ramirez who shows him the Joker's picture from a security camera. Batman arrives to inspect the scene, noting that they have irradiated the drug money to make it easier to trace. When Gordon asks him if the Joker is a threat, Batman informs him that he cannot worry about one man when there is an entire mob to bring down.The next day, as Bruce Wayne stitches himself up from the dog bite, Alfred offers his concerns, warning Bruce to 'know his limits'. He notices Bruce keeping a close watch on newly appointed district attorney Harvey Dent via some computer screens, as Bruce is trying to decide whether or not Dent can be trusted. Alfred wonders if he is really spying on the relationship that Rachel Dawes has developed with Harvey Dent.Harvey Dent arrives in court to join Rachel Dawes in prosecuting mobster Salvatore Maroni, the alleged new leader of the Falcone crime family. One of Maroni's men takes the fall in court, and attempts to shoot Dent from the witness stand. The gun doesn't go off and Dent punches the man before he is hauled off to jail. Maroni is eventually set free, to the dismay of Dent.Dent meets Lt. Gordon, and after a short exchange of words, they both express their distrust for those that are working in each other's offices. Harvey interrogates Gordon over his involvement with the Batman and Harvey tells him he wants to meet him. Gordon requests search warrants for five banks that are believed to be holding the remainder of the mobs money. Dent agrees to back Gordon's search warrants, forming a tenuous trust with the honest Gordon, who in turn hails Dent as Gotham's "White Knight" while Dent questions Gordon about another nickname they had for him when he was at I.A.D., a nickname Gordon claims to have no knowledge of.Lucius Fox holds a board meeting at Wayne Enterprises, negotiating an joint venture with Lau, the head of Lau Security Investments, based in Hong Kong. After the meeting with Lau, Wayne expresses his reservations with Lucius Fox about Lau's business operation, apparently illegal based on their profits. After agreeing to cancel the deal, Wayne asks Fox for a new suit. He explains that he needs to be lighter, and faster, in case he runs into any more guard dogs.That night, Harvey dines out with Rachel. Harvey tells Rachel he had to make a reservation weeks earlier, and even then needed to exercised his influence to get a table at the very fashionable restaurant. Bruce and his date, the prima ballerina for the Russian ballet, encounter Rachel and Harvey. Bruce has them pull a table together so they can dine together, informing Harvey that he owns the restaurant. At first, Bruce seems jealous and threatened by Harvey, based on the fact that he is dating his own love interest, but Harvey explains how he supports the work of Batman and appreciates his help. Bruce changes his tune and informs Harvey that he intends to throw a massive fund-raiser for him.Meanwhile, all of the top mob members are having a meeting. Because of their inside sources in the police, they were aware that the banks that their money was stashed in were going to be searched. Lau appears to them on a television monitor from his plane on his way back to Hong Kong. He informs the mob that all of their money has already been moved to a single secure location, just as Lt. Gordon and company are searching the banks, finding nothing but the irradiated trace money. When the Chechen expresses concern over the man with the clown makeup stealing $68 million from one of their banks, Maroni dismisses him as nothing but a nobody.The Joker enters in the room, and after killing a hostile mob member's crony by way of a 'magic trick', sits down and talks with the mob about how pathetic they've become since Batman came around. He tells them their one solution is to 'Kill the Batman', and offers to do so for half the mob's money. He warns them about Lau, saying he knows a squealer when he sees one, causing Lau to promptly turn off his monitor. The mob laughs, and as one of the mobsters, Gambol, rises from his seat and threatens the Joker, the Joker opens his coat, exposing grenades. Gambol tells the Joker that he's putting a price out on his head. The Joker tells the mob that when they plan to take things a little more seriously, give him a call, and presents them with 'his card', a joker playing card. And with that, he exits. But not before warning that Batman will come for Lau.Harvey Dent, with Gordon, lights the batsignal to meet with Batman, who appears. As Dent and Gordon blame one another for the money's disappearance due to leaks from corrupt officers in the other's departments, they explain to Batman that they need Lau back, realizing that Batman is under no one's jurisdiction. They want to make him talk, and give up all the mob members' names. Batman agrees and disappears.Fox shows Wayne his new suit, and Wayne begins planning an impromptu trip to Hong Kong. Fox will accompany him, making it look like the only reason for his visit was to cancel the negotiations with Lau's company.Gambol is playing pool with some of his associates until one of them informs him that a group of hoodlums havd killed the Joker, and has the body. The body is brought in covered in a bag, and as Gambol is about to pay, the Joker rises up and holds a knife to his face while his men hold guns to his associates' heads. The Joker tells a story about how he got his scars from his father, and then kills Gambol. He offers the three surviving associates an opportunity to join his team, but he has only one opening. He leave the three with the halves of a broken, sharp pool stick and no choice but to fight each other for their lives.Meanwhile, Fox arrives in Hong Kong to meet with Lau. He checks in his mobile phone at the front desk at Lau's building, as there are no cell phones allowed on the premises. Fox meets with Lau, and informs him of Wayne Enterprises' plans to cancel negotiations with his company. However, he secretly keeps one cell phone in his pocket, which has been adapted to produce a sonar map of the surrounding area. Upon leaving the building, he does not pick up the phone he dropped off, and he produces the map of the building to Bruce Wayne. That night, the phone that Fox left at the front desk emits a high frequency that shuts down all power in the building. Batman crashes in through a window in Lau's office, and after disabling some guards, grabs Lau and escapes by sending a balloon attached to a cable to a plane he has chartered flying over Lau's building.Back in Gotham, Lau is interrogated by Rachel with Dent and Gordon looking on. Rachel presses him to give them the money Lau has taken, but Lau will not give in. After she threatens to have him moved to the County lock-up, Lau tells her that he can give them the names of the mobsters and their pooled investments. Dent then realizes that they will have the leverage they need in a RICO case of conspiracy to link all of the mob members together. Gordon decides to keep Lau in his holding cell at the Major Case Unit building and Lau agrees to cooperate with the police, and give the names of the mob members.Gordon appears at Maroni's restaurant as the police rush in to arrest all of the mob members in attendance. As all of the mob members that Lau informed the police are rounded up for arraignment, Judge Janet Surrillo finds a Joker card in the middle of the stack of conviction papers. Dent gives a televised impromptu interview denying Batman's involvement while expressing gratitude for the police work in bringing the mob members to justice.Dent, Gordon, and Commissioner Loeb meet with the mayor to tell him that Dent's rash indictment of the mob members will give the mayor clean streets for 18 months. The mayor informs Dent that his brash actions will bring down the full might of Gotham's underworld and corrupt citizens solely upon him. When the mayor asks if Dent is ready to be the city's target the dead body of a Batman wanna-be hanging by a noose slams against the mayor's window dressed up in a Batman suit, with makeup on his face like the Joker's - complete with the sides of the mouth sliced into a grin - and with a Joker card pinned to him reading 'Will the real Batman please stand up?'. Bruce and Alfred watch on as a video tape is played on the news of the Joker tormenting the wanna-be before killing him. He then promises that until Batman takes off his mask and shows everyone who he really is, people will die every day.As Harvey Dent's fund-raiser at Wayne's penthouse gets underway, Rachel and a nervous Dent arrive and mingle. Wayne arrives with three models via helicopter and seeks out Harvey, whom he applauds and throws his full support behind claiming, "I believe in Harvey Dent." Minutes later, Rachel meets with Bruce on the balcony upset that Bruce is making fun at Dent but Bruce tells her that he truly believes in Harvey and that he could be the White Knight that will allow him to hang up his mantle as Batman so they can be together. Dent joins them to thank Bruce and retrieve Rachel.Meanwhile Gordon discovers that there are 3 traces of DNA on the Joker card, from Commissioner Loeb, Harvey Dent, and Judge Surrillo, the Judge that is trying all of the mob members and found the card among the paperwork. Gordon takes this as a threat on their lives, and begins preparations to protect them. In the case of the Judge and Commissioner Loeb, however, this fails. The Judge's car blows up when the police arrive to take her into protective custody and Commissioner Loeb dies of severe poisoning from his liquor bottle before Gordon can stop him from drinking.Dent takes Rachel aside to ask her to marry him, but she is torn and cannot give him an answer. Bruce subdues Dent and locks him in a closet while Rachel watches in shock. Bruce tells Rachel that they (the Joker and his goons) have come for Harvey and to stay hidden from sight.The Joker and his goons burst in telling the guests that they are tonight's 'entertainment." The Joker scans the room seeking out Harvey Dent when Rachel steps forward. He grabs her and pulls a knife on her telling her a different version of the story about how he got his scars, claiming that his wife was scarred by loan sharks and that he took a razor to himself to "make her smile," but that she left him over it. Rachel kicks him away and he comes after her saying that he likes that "little fight" in her, when Batman shows up and sends him reeling. A fight breaks out between Batman, the Joker, and his goons with the Joker and the goons beating on Batman pretty well. When Batman gains the upper hand he sees the Joker holding a gun at Rachel's head as he dangles her out of a shot out window. Batman demands he let her go, to which the Joker replies "Very poor choice of words" and lets her fall. Batman dives out the window and saves her using his cape to slow their fall as they crash into the roof of a car on the street. The Joker apparently vanishes from the scene.The next day, Wayne tries to figure out what the Joker is after. Alfred relates a story of when he was in Burma with friends attempting to nullify the local criminals by bribing them with jewels. One thief however, tossed these bribes away and continued to raid the local convoys. When Bruce seems confused over this behavior Alfred informs him that some men can't be reasoned with, they don't want anything in particular, that they kill for sport. Alfred observes that they just want to watch the world burn, as Bruce fixates on the Joker's face on a monitor.Batman is seen on the edge of a rooftop listening in to cell phone frequencies when he overhears a plot against Harvey Dent. Gordon rushes to the apartment with Ramirez and Batman to find two policemen murdered, with the last names "Harvey" and "Dent." Ramirez begins to blame Batman, but Gordon cuts her off. As Batman removes a piece of concrete wall that contains a bullet used in the murders in hopes of finding evidence, Gordon notes that the Joker has left an advance copy of tomorrow's newspaper indicating the death of the mayor.At Wayne Enterprises, Fox meets with Wayne's accountant Coleman Reese, who claims to know about certain problems with Wayne's funding in research and development, claiming that Wayne has some sort of government project with cell phones for the army underway. He also uncovers Fox's designs for the Batmobile/Tumbler. He tells Fox that he wants $10 million per year for the rest of his life to keep this a secret. Fox smiles and says, "Let me get this straight. You think that your client, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world is a secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands, and your plan is to blackmail this person? Good luck."Fox helps Wayne reconstruct the bullet taken from the murder scene and produces a fingerprint. Fox asks him if he has reassigned the R&D department. Bruce acknowledges that he has, claiming he is playing this one "close to the chest."Wayne traces the bullet fingerprint's owner to an apartment overlooking the funeral speeches for Commissioner Loeb and takes off on motorcycle.As the ceremony continues on the street below, Wayne inspects a room where he believes the Joker might be, and he finds several men tied up. They tell Wayne that their guns and uniforms were stolen. Wayne inspects binoculars pointed out of a blinded window. The window blind is connected to a timer. As the timer reaches zero, the blinds quickly raise, and the police snipers positioned around the area all shoot in that direction. At the same time, the Joker, who had removed his makeup and played himself off as a member of the honor guard for the ceremony, turns and takes a shot at the mayor, but Lt. Gordon dives in the way, getting shot in the back and falling. Everyone panics and runs, but the police shoot one member of the honor guard in the leg and haul him into a truck. Dent himself climbs in the truck, and upon inspecting the criminal, sees that the name-tag on his uniform reads 'Officer Rachel Dawes'. He calls Rachel and informs her that she's been targeted, and to get to the safest place she can, which in her case is Bruce's penthouse. He tells her he loves her, but there is no answer from Rachel.Gordon's family is visited at home, to inform them of the death of Gordon at the funeral ceremony. Gordon's wife, Barbara, shouts out at the empty sky to Batman that he has brought this craziness upon Gotham. Gordon's young son catches a brief glimpse of Batman mournfully watching the scene.Meanwhile, Batman enters a club and grabs Maroni after beating on his men. He interrogates Maroni on the Joker's whereabouts, who claims that he should have held him from a higher location. Batman drops him off the ledge, injuring his legs and learns that Maroni has no idea where the Joker is. Maroni explains that the Joker has no friends and no one will give him up because unlike Batman, he plays by no rules.As Dent is interrogating the captured so-called honor guard member about what he knows about the Joker, he is enraged and holds a gun to his head. He flips his father's lucky silver dollar for his life, coming up on heads. As he flips the coin again, Batman shows up and snatches the coin in midair, asking if Dent would really leave a thug's life up to chance, to which Dent answers, "Not exactly." He informs Harvey that this criminal - Thomas Schiff - is a paranoid schizophrenic patient from Arkham Asylum and that he won't learn anything from him. He also tells Harvey that if anyone saw this unjust way of interrogating someone, all that good work that Dent's done for Gotham would be lost. He tells Harvey to hold a press conference the following day, because he wants to use that opportunity to turn himself in. As Batman leaves, Harvey yells at him that he can't give in.Bruce arrives back in his penthouse to find Rachel waiting. She tells him that turning himself in will not stop the Joker's murderous rampage, but Bruce says he has enough blood on his hands already. He reminds her that she promised him that they would be together if and when he hung up the mantle of Batman. She tells Bruce not to make her his only hope for a normal life and they share a kiss. She tells Bruce that if he turns himself in as Batman that the city will never let them be together.Back at Wayne's secret base of operations for Batman, he and Alfred begin destroying everything that might tie Lucius Fox or Rachel to Batman. Alfred tries to talk Bruce out of it, asking him to endure these trying times and allow Batman to make the right choice that nobody else can for the good of the city. Bruce explains that Batman cannot endure the responsibility for innocents dying, especially where Rachel is concerned.At the press conference, Harvey attempts to reason with the assembled press and police to not give in to the fear that the Joker has unleashed upon the city. He agrees that Batman is a vigilante but that the people of Gotham should hold him accountable, and not give in to the whims of this terrorist known as the Joker. However, the people are overcome with fear, crying out "No more dead cops," to applause indicating that Harvey will not be able to sway them. Upon his failure, Harvey announces that HE is the Batman, and gets handcuffed and taken away. Bruce Wayne is shown with a look of confusion on his face.Rachel, watching the news conference at Bruce Wayne's penthouse, confronts Alfred over Bruce's seeming cowardice in allowing Harvey to take the fall when he claims to be Batman. Alfred explains to Rachel that Batman is instead allowing himself to be something else besides a hero, mainly a figure outside of the system that the people can both turn to or blame in times of need, that Batman can 'take it". Rachel gives Alfred a letter for Bruce and tells him to give it to Bruce when the time is right. When Alfred asks what it is, she tells him it is open and hugs him before departing to see Harvey as he is being transported to the County lock-up.While being taken to a convoy that will transport him to a county, Harvey explains to Rachel that this is Batman's chance. He then pulls out the coin and says "Heads: I go through with this," and flips it, landing on heads. When Rachel tells him that he can't leave something like that to chance, he tosses her the coin, revealing that it is a two-headed coin. During this transport, he's planning on getting attacked by the Joker, and he's planning on Batman to come and save him, and to capture the Joker. The convoy takes off.While transporting Harvey, the Joker and some goons start taking out the police cars in a large semi truck. He pulls out an RPG and beings firing at the armored truck carrying Dent. The Tumbler arrives and attempts to stop the Joker, and gets hit with the RPG in the process. His car takes 'catastrophic' damage, and he's forced to eject. However, the ejection in this car is a bike, that deploys out the front of the car. This bike becomes known as the 'Batpod'. Batman chases down the Joker on his Batpod, and after firing some cables at the truck and weaving them through some light poles and buildings, flips the truck completely over. The Joker emerges with a Smith & Wesson M76 Submachine gun and shoots at Batman, who speeds towards him on his Batpod, all the while screaming at Batman to hit him. Batman honors his own non-lethal code and swerves around the Joker then crashes into the flipped truck, falling to the ground. As the Joker jumps on him with a knife, one of the SWAT officers holds a gun to the back of his head, and upon removing his helmet and mask, shows that it was Lt. Gordon, who faked his death to protect his family. The Joker is hauled away to the MCU. Harvey gets out of the truck and into a cruiser, stating he is off to see a worried girlfriend.At Gordon's Major Crimes Unit building, Gordon is promoted to Commissioner by the Mayor. The Joker shares a cell with a large man who complains about his insides hurting. Commissioner Gordon, after reuniting with his family, gets a call explaining that Harvey never made it home. He returns to the prison to interrogate the Joker. During the interrogation, Batman appears and starts beating on the Joker, trying to find out where Harvey is. The Joker gets under Batman's skin telling him that they are both freaks and that when the people of Gotham no longer view Batman as a necessity, they will turn on him. Batman becomes enraged and puts a chair under the door and beats the Joker savagely, but The Joker just laughs and defiantly tells Batman that there is nothing he can do to him to hurt him and that he actually enjoys the beatings. The Joker sadistically reveals that not just Harvey, but Rachel are in separate locations, both tied up and strapped to explosives that will explode in a short amount of time. He gives the locations of the two, saying that he only has time to save one of them and that he must make a choice that will violate Batman's "code" of non-lethal means...that one of them will die since Batman cannot save them both. Batman heads off, telling Gordon that he's going after Rachel. Gordon gets some men ready and heads off after Harvey.As Batman and the police are rushing towards the two prisoners, Harvey awakens to hear Rachel's voice. Whoever captured them set up an intercom system so that the two can communicate. Harvey tells Rachel that everything will be OK, and Rachel tells Harvey that she wants to marry him. While Dent's trying to hop around in his chair trying to find something sharp to cut his ropes with, he falls over and knocks an oil drum down, and the gasoline spills all over half of his face. Meanwhile, back at the jail, the Joker tricks a cop and holds him hostage, and he tells the other cops he just wants his phone call. Upon getting a cell phone and dialing a number, the large man that was in the cell with him blows up. The Joker had cut him open and implanted a cell phone-triggered device inside of him. The Joker grabs Lau and flees the jail.Batman arrives at the address that the Joker had told him Rachel was at, but when he opens the door, he finds Harvey Dent instead, who screams in despair at having been found instead of Rachel. Gordon arrives at the supposed location for Dent but the warehouse explodes and Rachel is killed. As Batman saves Dent by carrying him out of the warehouse, the explosion ignites the gas that saturated Dent's face, horribly burning it. Dent is taken to Gotham General Hospital. Batman visits Dent in the hospital, and leaves him the two-headed coin that they found at Rachel's site of death. One side of the coin is still shiny, while the other side is scraped and burnt.Alfred reads Rachel's letter. She explains that she is going to marry Harvey Dent and that when she told him that she would be with him when he no longer need to be Batman that she meant it. However, she realizes that he will always be Batman so she will always be there as his friend.Bruce expresses to Alfred his devastation behind losing Rachel and that he feels responsible for inspiring madness and death. he tells Alfred that she was going to wait for him. Alfred chooses not to give him her letter, saying the time is not right and that with Harvey Dent hospitalized, it will be up to him alone to fight the crime in Gotham City. Meanwhile, Harvey wakes up in the hospital with a large bandage over half of his face, finds his now scarred two-headed coin, and screams out in anguish over losing the one person he loved.Commissioner Gordon visits Dent and tries to tell him how sorry he is for what has transpired, questioning why Dent refused skin grafts and how he can stand to be in unrelenting agony over his disfigurement. Harvey is filled with rage for Gordon not listening to him when he warned Gordon not to trust the corrupt officers that Dent investigated during his time in Internal Affairs which has resulted in Dent's disfigurement and ultimately Rachel's death. Dent demands Gordon tell him the nickname they had for him when he was in I.A., which Gordon ashamedly replies "Harvey Two-Face," while being forced to stare at the extensive burns and scarred tissue that have enveloped half of Harvey's face. As Gordon leaves an emotionally devastated Harvey, he runs into Maroni in the hallway who tells him that the Joker has gone too far and that if Gordon wants the clown, he knows where he will be.Wayne's accountant Reese appears on a news show claiming to be able to tell the world who Batman is. He tells Gotham that he is going to reveal Batman's identity, but before he can, the Joker calls in to the show saying that he doesn't want this lawyer to ruin his fun. He says that if the lawyer is not killed within 60 minutes, he is going to blow up a hospital. This triggers the police to rush in and protect the lawyer, and try to carry him to safety. At the same time, other police are evacuating all of the hospitals in Gotham City. When they get to Gotham General, a police officer attempts to evacuate a nurse in Harvey Dent's room, which then turns out to be the Joker, and he kills the cop. He then explains to Two-Face how he needs to introduce a little anarchy and chaos, how easy it is to bring down all the good people in the world and how it's all fair. Joker unties Two-Face and hands him a pistol. Two-Face, bent on revenge and now believing everything in the world should be decided by chance, flips the double-headed coin to decide whether or not to shoot Joker which Joker agrees is only fair. Though we don't see it, the coin obviously lands on the clean side since the next scene shows Joker leaving Gotham General Hospital as it blows up in the background.Afterwards, the Joker appears on TV again, forcing kidnapped GCN reporter Mike Engle to read out his plans. He reads that Gotham City now belongs to the Joker, starting that very evening. Anyone that doesn't want to be a part of his game should leave now, but they are going to have a hard time leaving the city by the bridges. He alludes to the fact that something big was going to happen that very night. During which, Two-Face enters a local bar where Detective Wuertz - the 'dirty' cop that had picked him up after the Joker was captured - hangs out. After questioning him, he flips the coin which lands on the dirty side and he kills Wuertz. At the same time, Batman uses Fox's 'cell phone sonar' technology to somehow turn every single cell phone in Gotham into a sonar device, giving him the opportunity to spy on everyone in Gotham. He calls Fox in, and tells him to monitor the screens, and give him updates on the Joker's location when he sees him. Fox is appalled that Batman would use his technology to spy on the citizens of Gotham and reluctantly agrees to help, stating that the machine must be destroyed after the Joker is captured or he will have to retire.Two-Face continues to question mob members, trying to uncover the identity of the dirty cop that kidnapped Rachel. When confronting Maroni in Maroni's car, he learns that the other cop is Ramirez. He then flips the coin for Maroni, which lands on the clean side. "Lucky Man," he remarks before he flips it again. It lands on the dirty side and he buckles up and states, "But he's not" as he shoots Maroni's driver, causing the car to veer off the road and crash into the dockyards. Meanwhile, two large ferries leave Gotham due to the Joker's threats. One is inhabited by criminals that Harvey and Gordon helped put away, the other is packed with innocent citizens - the city's bridges apparently being wired with explosives. While sailing off, the two boats completely lose all power and their engines die. Both ships eventually realize that there are explosives strewn all about the boat, and they both find detonators. It is at this time that the Joker's voice is heard over the loudspeaker of both ferries, and he informs them that they are part of a social experiment. The detonator on each boat is for the other boat. One ferry must press the button and destroy the other boat by midnight, or else the Joker will destroy both boats. This brings about much chaos in both boats, and a lot of soul searching about morality and about if anyone could actually do such a thing.Fox finds the Joker, who is holed up in a building still being constructed with many clown guards. Batman notifies Gordon of the location, and speeds off towards the building. Meanwhile, Two-Face forces a frightened Ramirez to call Gordon's family and tell his wife and children to meet her at the exact spot where Rachel was killed. They believe her because they trust her. Afterwards, Two-Face, angered with Ramirez's pleas to spare her life for the sake of her sick mother, flips for Ramirez's life. The coin lands on heads, so he just knocks her out, telling her that she "lives to fight another day." As Gordon arrives at the building where the Joker is, he gets a call from his family telling him they are being held captive by Two-Face in the place where Rachel was killed. Gordon rushes off to save his family as Batman breaks in to the building. After realizing that the clown guards are the actual hostages and the doctors/hostages are the Joker's goons, he beats down some SWAT members in order to prevent them from killing the clown guards, and he disables the goons as he makes his way up to the Joker's location. When he finally confronts the Joker, the Joker sends the Chechen's rottweilers after him, and while Batman fights them off, the Joker beats him brutally with a blunt metal object, and eventually throws him close to the edge of the building, trapping him under a metal beam.At the same time, the two boats are still debating what to do with the detonators. On the 'criminal ferry', one of the largest and meanest-looking convicts makes a speech about the warden holding the trigger not knowing how to take life, then goes up to the warden and asks to take the trigger so he himself can do what the warden should have done ten minutes ago. The warden hands the convict the trigger and the convict promptly throws it out of the ferry, making it impossible for anyone on the convict ferry to blow up the 'innocent' ferry. On the innocent ferry, after having voted to use their detonator, the officials can't bring themselves to act out the decision. A man stands up, takes the detonator but is unable to press the button.The Joker, on top of Batman while holding him down, shows signs of disappointment when neither of the ferries' passengers will stoop to his level. As he's about to destroy the two boats, Batman fires his gauntlet darts at him, knocking the detonator out of his hands, and throws him over the edge of the building. Before he can hit the ground, however, Batman fires one of his grappling gun tools at him and saves him. While hanging in front of Batman, the Joker tells him that the two of them are destined to fight forever, and how Batman really IS incorruptible. The Joker reveals to him, however, that his real plan was to engineer the fall of Gotham's White Knight, Harvey Dent, since that would introduce much more chaos when a good man like Dent is shown descending into chaos and evil. Batman heads off to find Harvey, while the SWAT team captures the Joker.At 250 52nd St, Gordon arrives to see Two-Face holding his family hostage. Two-Face knocks him to the ground and tells him that he's going to make him suffer just as he did, as he grabs his young son Jimmy and prepares to flip the coin for his fate. Batman arrives and tells him to stop, and to blame the people responsible for Rachel's death. So then Two-Face flips the coin for Batman, which lands on the dirty, scarred side, and Two-Face shoots him. He then flips the coin for himself and it lands on the clean side. As he's flipping the coin for Gordon's son, he tells Gordon to lie to the boy and tell him that everything will be alright, just as Dent himself had to tell Rachel earlier, seconds before she was killed. Batman gets up and tackles him and they fall off of the building together. Unseen by them, the coin lands on the clean side. Batman hands Jimmy up to Gordon as Batman himself falls to the ground next to Two-Face, who lies motionless.As Gordon climbs down to check on Batman, Batman laments that, in the end, the Joker won. By corrupting Harvey Dent and turning him evil, he tore down the best of them. If Gotham were to find out about Dent's murders, then the symbol of hope and faith he had given Gotham would diminish and all the prisoners he helped put back in jail would be let out, thus creating chaos. Batman explains that Gotham can never find out about the murders, and takes the blame of them on himself, so that the Joker wouldn't win and the city's peace would remain.We see a montage of Commissioner Gordon and other members of the Gotham City Police Department gathered at a memorial to Harvey Dent. It is unclear whether he was killed or not. Gordon then smashes the Bat Signal above the MCU Building, while Alfred burns Rachel's note and Lucius shuts down the sonar machine with a pleased look. Batman, in the background, continues to explain that by taking the blame of the killings, the faith that the people of Gotham had in Harvey Dent can be rewarded, and they can feel justified.Batman then runs from Gordon as the cops begin to chase him, and Gordon tells his son that while Harvey Dent was the hero Gotham needed, Batman is the hero that Gotham deserved. The bat-signal is destroyed and a manhunt is issued for Batman. Batman gets on his Batpod and speeds away, while Gordon declares:"He's a silent Guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight." | dark, suspenseful, gothic, murder, neo noir, realism, psychological, dramatic, violence, cult, mystery, atmospheric, good versus evil, insanity, psychedelic, action, tragedy, revenge, sadist | train | imdb | null |
tt0041959 | The Third Man | Sights of Vienna, Austria, flash across the screen as an Englishman's voice (Carol Reed) describes the racketeer trade in the post-World War II era. He describes that many amateurs have tried to get involved in this career, but he implies that they always end up dead. Meanwhile, the city is quartered into sectors policed by occupying forces -- the English, the Russians, the Americans and the French -- though they barely can handle the criminal element and don't even speak the same language. The city is devastated ("bombed about a bit," says the narrator), covered in jagged rubble. He begins to tell the story of an American coming to Vienna named Holly Martins, who has come to accept a job from an old friend.Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) gets off his train and is surprised that his friend, Harry Lime, isn't at the station to meet him. Holly goes to Lime's flat, but the building porter (Paul Hörbiger), through extremely broken English, tells him that he just missed Lime's friends leaving with a coffin. The porter says that Harry was killed, hit by a truck right in front of the building.Martins goes to a massive graveyard and finds a funeral service. An Englishman (Trevor Howard) hovering nearby informs Holly it is Harry's funeral. Standing by the grave are two middle-aged men, both of whom eye Holly suspiciously. Also in attendance is a pretty woman (Alida Valli) who doesn't notice him. After the funeral, Martins begins to walk back into town, and the Englishman offers him a ride.The stranger introduces himself as Major Calloway, a police officer in the British sector of Vienna, and offers to buy him a drink. Holly agrees and proceeds to drink while reminiscing about Harry. It is revealed that Holly is an author of pulp Western novellas. As he talks about his old friend, Calloway says that it's better that Lime is dead, since he was a murderer and a racketeer. Holly takes umbrage at Calloway's suggestion and reaches to punch him, but he's quickly socked in the face by fellow English soldier Sergeant Paine (Bernard Lee). Paine apologizes and escorts the tipsy Martins to the nearby hotel, explaining to Holly earnestly that he is a huge fan of his books. Calloway sets Martins up at the hotel for the night, telling him he can catch a plane out of Vienna the next day. Holly promises he will prove him wrong about Lime.Happening by on the way out of the hotel is another Englishman named Crabbin (Wilfrid Hyde-White). Paine tells Crabbin that Holly is an author, and though Crabbin has never heard of him, he is excited to have a writer in Vienna. Crabbin introduces himself to Holly and explains he represents the British cultural propaganda department in Vienna. He invites Holly to stay and give lecture in a few days at the department's meeting. Figuring he could use the extra time in town as an opportunity to look into Harry's death, Holly accepts the offer.Holly is then called on the hotel phone by a man who identifies himself as Baron Kurtz. The man says he is a friend of Harry's. Martins and Kurtz set up a meeting at a nearby cafe. When they meet, Holly recognizes Kurtz (Ernst Deutsch) as one of the two men at Harry's funeral. Kurtz is carrying one of Holly's books, which he says Harry had given to him, and a small dog.Holly proceeds to grill Kurtz about the circumstances of Harry's death. Kurtz and Martins go out to the street in front of Harry's apartment building to reconstruct the events of the accident. Kurtz's version is this: he was walking out of Harry's flat with him when Harry saw a Romanian friend of his, Popescu, across the street. Harry then began to cross the street to greet Popescu when a truck drove up and ran Harry over. Then Kurtz and Popescu carried Harry to the sidewalk. Shortly thereafter, Harry's doctor, Dr. Winkel, happened by. The doctor was too late to save Harry, however. Holly asks Kurtz to help him investigate further, but Kurtz says as he is an Austrian, he must be careful with the police. Martins tells him the police think Harry was a racketeer. Kurtz points out most everyone in Vienna is mixed up in some sort of racket, but mostly nothing serious--tires, stamps, etc.Kurtz describes how after Harry was hit, he instructed him to see after Holly when he arrived. Holly points out the porter, who is near them outside the apartment sweeping, told him that Harry died instantaneously. Kurtz looks the porter over and says that Harry died before the ambulance arrived, but that he was still alive immediately after he was run over. Holly tells Kurtz he wants to speak to Popescu, but he says Popescu has left Vienna. At Holly's insistence, Kurtz tells him the identity of the pretty woman at the funeral. He does not remember her name, but he tells Holly she was a companion of Harry's who works as an actress at a local theater. Kurtz tells Holly he lives in the Russian sector but works at the Casanova Club, and if he has any need for advice to contact him there. Holly then tries to question the porter again. However, the porter's wife, overhearing the conversation, looks frightened and calls for her husband to come inside.That evening, Holly goes to theater where the woman, named Anna Schmidt, is performing. He introduces himself as a friend of Harry Lime's, and she tells him to come back after the show. When he meets her afterwards, Martins finds out that Anna, so depressed over Harry's death that she declares she wishes she too were dead, had been dating Harry for some time and that Harry had allegedly asked Kurtz that Anna be taken care of as well just before he died. Martins thinks it funny that Harry had time to think of both him and Anna right after the accident, even though he supposedly died instantly, or at least very quickly. Anna also reveals that the man driving the truck was Harry's own driver. Holly tells Anna that he has a feeling that there's something suspicous about Harry's death -- that seemingly everyone he knew was at the scene -- and he convinces her to help him speak to the porter again.Anna and Holly go to talk with the porter in Harry's apartment. Anna pokes around the flat, seemingly reminiscing, and half-heartedly translates the German for Martins. The porter tells them that Harry's neck was broken in such a way that he had to have died immediately; therefore, there was no way he could have asked Kurtz that Anna and Martins be taken care of. He also says that three men carried Harry to the sidewalk, not two (Kurtz & Popescu), as Kurtz had claimed. Holly asks the porter why he did not reveal this information at the inquest, and the porter responds he didn't want to be mixed up in the situation and that he wasn't the only witness who did not give a complete testimony. As Holly tries to convince the porter take his story to the police, the conversation becomes heated. The porter, who becomes fearful, insists in German that Holly leave and never come back. An elfin boy spies them arguing just before Holly and Anna leave.Holly walks Anna back to her place and they are met by Anna's landlady (Hedwig Bleibtreu), who frantically tells her that the police are inspecting her apartment. Holly and Anna go upstairs to find Major Calloway and Sergeant Paine supervising as her apartment is torn apart. Calloway asks for her passport, which he and Paine inspect and then suspect is fake. The Major tells her he must keep it. Holly tells Calloway that he suspects Harry may have been murdered, but he says he doesn't care how Harry died as long he's dead. He suggests Holly should go back to the airport and go home. As they continue to go through her things, including love letters to her from Harry, Anna explains quietly to Holly about her passport, which she reveals Harry forged for her. She explains that she is Czechoslovakian and that the Russians would claim her and have her deported if it was found out that she was not Austrian. Calloway takes Anna back with the other officers to the police station, and on her way out, Holly asks her to remind him of Harry's doctor's name so he can go talk with him.Holly goes to ask Dr. Winkel (Erich Ponto) about Harry's death. The doctor was the man standing by Kurtz at the funeral. In his home, Holly sees the same small dog that Kurtz was carrying earlier. The doctor tersely adheres to Kurtz's take on the events, and he confirms that he arrived after Harry was already dead. Holly asks if it's possible that Harry was pushed in front of the truck, if he knows if Harry could have died instantaneously or not, and if there was a third man who helped carry Harry's body to the sidewalk. Dr. Winkel tells Holly he can give no additional opinion as to the circumstances of the accident, since he did not witness the event and the injuries would have been the same no matter how it happened. He also says there was no third man on the scene by the time he arrived.At the international police station, Anna sees a Russian officer flipping through her papers as she waits. Calloway comes in and questions her about Harry. He shows her a picture of man named Joseph Harbin and asks if she knows who he is. Anna says she's never seen him before. He explains that Harbin is a worker in a military hospital, but she insists she does not know him. He accuses her of lying, which he says is stupid because he could help her with her passport. He explains that in one of her confiscated letters, Harry had written her to instruct her to place a call to the Casanova Club for someone named Joseph. Anna barely remembers that the message for Joseph was something about meeting Harry at his home. Calloway tells her that the day she telephoned that message to Joseph Harbin, he disappeared. Anna insists Calloway has Harry all wrong, and he sends her away, though he keeps her passport and belongings.Anna then goes with Holly, who was waiting outside the station for her, to the Casanova Club. Crabbin is inside just leaving, and he reminds Holly of the lecture he is to give the next night. Holly and Anna sit at the bar and see Kurtz playing violin for a dining couple. Kurtz looks dismayed to see Holly again and, when questioned, insists that only he and Popescu carried Harry and that the porter must have been mistaken. Kurtz says that Popescu happens to be at the club that night, despite his earlier claim that Popescu was out of town. Holly meets Popescu (Siegfried Breuer), whose account of Harry's death mirrors Kurtz's account in all aspects. Holly again asks if a third man helped him and Kurtz carry Harry's body, but Popescu denies this, asking where Holly heard such a thing. He tells him the porter at Harry's building had heard the accident and witnessed the aftermath. This is evidently news to Popescu, who was unaware that the porter was a witness since he had not given testimony at the inquest.Popescu is then seen arranging and attending a mysterious meeting on a bridge with Kurtz, Dr. Winkel, and an unseen fourth man.The following morning, while Holly wanders thoughtfully in front of Harry's former home, the porter leans out the window and apologizes to Holly for his previous demeanor, arranging to meet with him later to tell him something important. When the porter closes the window and turns around, he reacts with surprise and terror to an unseen person who has presumably snuck up behind him.Holly goes to visit Anna to tell her the porter wants to talk to him again. She is especially depressed about Harry, and she begs Holly to tell her stories about him. They talk about Harry, painting him as a mischievous boy who never grew up. She insists they go see the porter together, accidentally calling him Harry, which lightly miffs Holly.As they walk up to the front of the porter's building, they see a crowd gathered near the door. Anna immediately wants to leave, assuming it to be trouble. Holly, however, walks over to the crowd, where he is told the porter has been murdered. The little boy who had seen Holly and the porter arguing begins insisting something about Holly loudly in German. Slowly, the assembled crowd turns to stare at Holly. Anna explains that the crowd thinks he is the murderer. He grabs Anna and they run away. The crowd pursues them, with the little boy in the lead. Holly and Anna duck into a movie theater, losing the mob. Holly tells Anna to go back home where she'll be safe.Holly eventually makes his way back to his hotel, where he asks the desk clerk for a taxi driver. The clerk indicates that an imposing-looking man standing there is a driver already waiting for him. With Holly in the back seat, the driver speeds off recklessly without Holly saying where he wants to go. Holly, very frightened, asks him if he is taking him to be killed. The driver does not answer and finally stops in front of a doorway. Holly, sure that he's about to be murdered, starts to run, but the door opens. Crabbin greets him, and Holly realizes it is time for the speaking engagement that he'd agreed to.Holly struggles with the intellectual questions posed to him. The audience begins to dissipate, while Crabbin agonizes over the misstep of hiring Holly. Unexpectedly, Popescu arrives, and he asks Holly if he's working on a book. Holly says that he's writing a book called "The Third Man" and that it's based on fact. Popescu suggests that Holly stick to fiction, but Holly insists he will finish this "book." As the meeting is closed, two thuggish-looking men arrive and get whispered orders from Popescu. Holly takes off up the spiral staircase at the back of the building and the two thugs pursue him. Holly ducks into in unlocked room, where he is bitten by an unexpected parrot. He makes his way out of a window and finds refuge from the thugs in a car hidden among the wartime rubble.Once safe, Holly goes to the international police station to tell Calloway about his findings. Calloway, though now convinced that Harry Lime was murdered, is still indifferent and explains that it's better that Harry is dead. Holly insists he is wrong, so the Major offers to show Holly why he believes Harry is guilty of racketeering and murder. Calloway then presents a myriad of evidence, proving that Harry obtained penicillin illegally, diluted it, and sold it to war-ravaged, poor hospitals, resulting in the painful deaths of many people. (Watered-down penicillin is not only ineffective, but it also makes the patient immune to future doses of penicillin, thus rendering medical treatment incredibly difficult or impossible.) Many of his victims were children with meningitis; the lucky ones, the Major says, died, and the unlucky ones lived and went insane. He shows Holly a slide of the hospital worker Joseph Harbin, who he explains helped steal the penicillin for Harry. The police forced Harbin to give them information about Harry's operation, but he has recently gone missing. Holly, now convinced of Harry's guilt, is devastated by the news about his old friend and agrees to go back to America.After Holly goes out to a bar and gets drunk, he buys flowers and takes them to Anna in her apartment. He drunkenly calls to Anna's cat, who is indifferent to him, and Anna explains the only person the cat ever liked was Harry. The cat slips out the window. Anna lets Holly know that Calloway also told her about Harry's misdeeds, and though she now believes in his guilt as well, it doesn't change her feelings for Harry.We then see a man outside Anna's window on the street. He ducks into a dark doorway. Anna's cat, who has run out of the apartment, curls up at his feet.In the apartment, Anna says Harry is better off dead, but not because he was punished for doing wrong, as Calloway believes. Holly agrees he's better off dead, and he no longer cares who killed him or why. He believes there was justice in Harry's death, and he says maybe he would have even killed Harry himself. He also tells Anna that he's fallen in love with her, but she makes it apparent that the feeling isn't mutual, as she thinks only of Harry.Disappointed and still drunk, Holly stumbles outside to return to his hotel, but he sees the obscured man standing in the dark doorway, the cat still at his feet. Holly shouts at him to stop spying and to show himself, but he does not move. Holly's noise causes a woman upstairs to turn on her light and open her window to yell at him to be quiet. The light from the woman's apartment shines down into the street, revealing the man in the doorway to be Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Harry smiles at a shocked Holly, but slips away when the woman turns off her light. Seeing Harry's shadow running off down a nearby street, Holly takes pursuit. He follows the sound of footsteps down a passageway that opens into a plaza, but once Holly reaches the end of the passageway, Harry is already gone.Holly brings Calloway and Paine out the area to re-enact the events, but they are unconvinced. However, suddenly a light bulb goes off for Calloway as he eyes a booth in the plaza. Opening the door on the booth, Calloway shows Holly that it is an entranceway to the Vienna sewers, with steps leading downwards. They follow the stairs into the sewers, where they see an endless range of tunnels for Harry to use as escape routes.That night, Calloway leads a team to excavate Harry's grave. When they open the coffin, the body inside is revealed to be that of Joseph Harbin.The international police come to Anna's apartment for her as she lies in bed crying in Harry's old pajamas. Anna surely assumes this is because of her forged papers. As she is led into the station, Holly sees her and yells at her that he's seen Harry alive. Calloway is standing in the hallway as the police lead her through the station, and he instructs them to bring her into his office. He interrogates her alone, asking when she saw Lime last. He explains in his coffin was Joseph Harbin's body. She looks thrilled as she realizes this does mean that Harry is alive, and she asks where he is. Calloway thinks she might know, but it is clear she was not aware he has been alive either. He says they know Harry is hiding in the Russian sector (which is where Kurtz lives, as he told Holly), and that if she helps them catch Lime, Calloway will help her with the Russians, who are about to interrogate her about her passport. She cannot help him, though, and he tells her they will catch him eventually, as Vienna is a closed city. She says that she wishes that he was dead, as he would be safe from "all of you."The next morning, Holly goes to visit Baron Kurtz's apartment in the Russian sector. Kurtz looks over his balcony and invites Holly up, but Holly refuses, as he shouts back that he wants to speak only with Harry. Dr. Winkel comes out on the balcony also, and he and Kurtz exchange concerned looks. Though they admit nothing about Harry, Holly insists that he come meet him at the nearby fairgrounds.As Holly waits next to the Ferris wheel, he spots Harry walking up to warmly greet him, acting as if nothing has changed. They go for a ride on the Ferris wheel. Harry shows no remorse for his penicillin racket, asking Holly about the people far below them if Holly would really care if one of "those little dots" stopped moving forever, especially if he were paid for each dot. When Holly reveals that he told the police about seeing Harry, Harry is very unhappy that Holly has been talking to the cops. Harry, staring at Holly, clearly considers shooting him and throwing him out of the Ferris wheel to his death. Holly takes him seriously enough to wrap his arm tightly around the car door should Harry try anything. However, when Holly also says that they've dug up his grave and found Harbin, Harry changes his mind and jokes that neither one of them would ever think of doing something to the other. Harry also reveals that he was the one who informed the Russian police about Anna's forged passport as payment for them letting him hide out in the Russian sector. As they finish the ride, Harry offers to cut Holly in on his schemes, but without waiting for an answer, Harry leaves quickly, telling him that they can meet again any time he wants, but no police.Holly goes to meet with Calloway and tells him he knows where Harry is staying. The Major tries to convince him to help them trap Harry by arranging to meet him at a cafe in the international zone. However, though Holly knows his friend has done wrong, he is unwilling to be the one to doom him. Just then, the Russian officer comes in with Anna's passport, explaining to Calloway that she must be deported. The Major mentions to him that the Russians were supposed to be helping the British police with Harry Lime, but the Russian says the two cases are not related and that they will get to his case eventually. He leaves the room, Anna's passport sitting on Calloway's desk. Calloway, seemingly resigned to Holly giving up in Harry's case, talks about how helpful Holly could have been in getting Lime, but Holly is staring at Anna's papers sitting on the desk. Holly asks what price would Calloway pay for his help, and he tells him to name it.Paine accompanies Anna to board the train that will save her from the Russian authorities. Just as she settles into her car, she spies Holly trying to see her off inconspicuously. Understanding that her leaving must have been part of a deal Holly struck with Calloway, she gets off the train and confronts Holly about why he's there. He admits he has agreed to "betray" Harry in turn for her getting away. Anna makes it evident that she's disgusted with Holly and could never do anything to hurt Harry. She leaves angrily, ripping up her passport, and allows the train to depart with her belongings.Now despondent, Holly asks that Calloway and Paine just take him to the airport, having changed his mind to help them catch Harry. He shows them Anna's torn up papers. Calloway agrees, but on the way to the airport, the Major makes an extra stop. It is the children's ward of a hospital, where Calloway shows Holly the devastating effects of Harry's dilluted penicillin. Horrified by the sight of painfully dying children, Holly reluctantly agrees again to entrap Harry.At a cafe Holly waits to meet Harry while Calloway, Paine, and several other policemen stake out nearby in the shadows. Anna comes into the cafe to admonish Holly, his location disclosed to her by Baron Kurtz as he was being arrested. While she talks to him, Harry has snuck in the back of the cafe. Just as Harry enters behind Anna, she yells at Holly for being a police informant. Harry reacts, drawing a gun to shoot Holly. Anna is standing in the way and tells Harry that he must escape or the police will get him. Harry tells Anna to move so he can kill Holly, but he spots Sergeant Paine entering the front of the cafe and turns to run.Harry rushes to the nearest sewer entrance and goes down into the tunnels. Paine, Calloway, Holly, and international policemen pursue Harry through the maze of sewer passages. Harry, for a time, evades the many men, but he is eventually cornered. Holly happens upon the panicked Harry and, hiding from the range of Harry's gun, tells him that he must give up. Sergeant Paine, followed by Calloway, comes rushing to Holly to warn him to get back, but Harry shoots Paine, and he falls. Harry tries to run but is shot by Calloway.Harry manages to crawl out of sight while Calloway leans over the dying Paine. Holly takes Paine's gun and sets off after Harry, and Calloway tells him to shoot on sight. In a passageway, badly wounded, Harry strains to climb up steps to escape through a sewer grate. He manages to make it to the top of the staircase, where he reaches his fingers up through the grate, feeling the air above. However, he is too weak to lift the manhole cover, and he drops his head into his arms. Holly walks up and aims the gun at Harry. Harry weakly lifts his head and nods slightly at Holly, a silent okay for Holly to mercy-kill him. A shot rings out in the sewers. Calloway sees the figure of Holly emerging from the passageway alone.Soon after, Harry again has another funeral in the same cemetery. Holly, Calloway, and Anna are the only attendees. After the service, Calloway begins to drive Holly to the airport. Seeing Anna walking behind them down the same tree-lined trail as the first time he saw her, Holly asks to get out to speak to her. Holly waits for Anna as she walks down the long road toward him. When she nears him, though, she does not acknowledge his presence and walks by. Holly doesn't say anything, but he puts his head down and lights a cigarette. | boring, mystery, murder, cult, intrigue, atmospheric, suspenseful | train | imdb | null |
tt0041767 | Prince of Foxes | In Rome, in the year 1500 a funeral is taking place in an ornate church. In the first pew, two noble women in mourning are gossiping, and the man next to them orders one of them to show proper respect for her dead husband. The man soon leaves the church and signals others to join him.In a large chamber, the man, Cesare Borgia (Orson Welles) tells others that his goal is to unify central Italy under his control. By military means perhaps, but if a suitable marriage is arranged it will happen more quickly. He wants to marry his just widowed sister Lucrezia to Alfonso d'Este, heir to the duke of Ferrara, and he needs the right ambassador. The old duke's death might happen soon after.The man he needs for the mission must be "as quick at deceit as a fox. He must have the grace of a dancer, the wrist of an assassin. He must have little regard for good faith, yet by his astuteness be able to confuse men's minds . . . He must charm as a snake charms birds, yet he must make no friends, except for those who may be of use to him, and for the same reason although he may make use of love, he must not love."Cesare looks around the room, carefully, slowly, then tells everyone to leave except Andrea Orsini (Tyrone Power), young, smart, charming, deadly with a blade, opportunistic, much as his master. Andrea has been courting, with Cesare's acquiescence, Angela Borgia (Marina Berti), cousin to Cesare.The mission is to start at once, which much displeases Angela, but Andrea soothes her feelings, assuring her that his mission will be over quickly. Since he is himself a skillful painter, his first step is to paint a portrait of Lucrezia to take with him to the proposed groom. He needs money, so he offers another of his canvases for sale to an agent. While haggling with the agent, 25 ducats, not less than 75, maybe 30, etc., a handsome young woman observes him and the painting, and offers 100 ducats. She is Camilla Verano (Wanda Hendrix), wife of the Count of Città del Monte, and Andrea gallantly gives her the painting, refusing payment. The script is studded with gallant, clever, cynical observations about love, diplomacy and war, as in this scene.Shortly before departure, as Andrea walks back to the palace with Angela, a hired assassin first stalks the couple, then moves in to stab Andrea with his dagger. However, Andrea has spotted him, his lunge fails, and Andrea overpowers his attacker, Mario Belli (Everett Sloane). Orsini makes Belli an offer he can't refuse, his life for information and a switch of allegiance. Since an assassin who reveals who hired him would be marked for death anyway, Belli agrees to serve Orsini, solemnly promising to give warning before switching allegiances again. He had been hired by the Duke of Ferrara, who hated Cesare with a passion that extended to any of Cesare's ambassadors or even servants.Mario Belli joins Andrea Orsini in travel back towards Ferrara, riding on a canal barge. They stop at an inn and Andrea sneaks out and heads for the home of a blacksmith's widow. Belli follows, unseen.The blacksmith's widow is Mona Zoppo (Katina Paxinou), and we learn she is Andrea's mother. He is a commoner, an impostor, not a member of an obscure side branch of the family of the powerful Orsini family of Florence, as he publicly claims. Mona is happy to see her son well, yet is horrified when she learns he is an impostor and deceiver. She prays to a painting of the Madonna that Andrea did when he was young, that he might leave his sinful ways and live with honor, even with little money, or if not, that he be punished. The altercation with his mother is witnessed by Belli, who has followed Andrea surreptitiously.Andrea and Mario go on to Ferrara, and seek out Alfonso dEste, the intended husband for Lucrezia, who is a genius at military engineering. With a lot of flattery and deceit and promises of a doubling of the usual dowry, they get Alfonso to sign a marriage contract, despite the old Duke's angry threats.Returning to Rome, Andrea's next assignment is as ambassador to Città del Monte, with orders to find a way to remove the elderly count or to help Borgia conquer the city. Angela is not happy about this because she is wary of the young countess, but once again, Angela's wishes give way to affairs of state. At Città del Monte, Andrea soon ingratiates himself with Camilla and her husband, seventy year-old Count Verano (Felix Aylmer), ruler of the fortified town.With Belli, Orsini cases the defenses of the city, which is truly perched on a mountain. They learn that the old man loves gardening and roses, and that when he has a problem to solve, he goes to meditate at a high terrace overlooking a valley, next to a precipice. Belli is delighted because it will be easy to push him from the terrace into the precipice.Andrea observes, both puzzled and fascinated, how the Count rules with wisdom, humanity, patience and honor, in contrast to the style of Cesare. The Count warns him that he is aware of Andrea's likely treachery, yet treats him as though no malice were suspected. As time passes, Andrea begins to admire the Count, and as he knows Cesare Borgia will soon arrive with an army to demand the capitulation of Città del Monte, he discovers that most uncomfortable of feelings . . . a conscience. The fatherless Orsini is increasingly impressed by the Count's nobility, and love for his people, and he also becomes increasingly enamored with Camilla.Orsini takes up painting as a pastime, in a canvas he uses Belli in a "last supper" scene as a model for Judas. Camilla, at first wary of Orsini, grows to admire his artistic talent, which proves to her he has a noble soul behind the warrior and crafty ambassador role. Camilla asks Andrea to paint her portrait, and the Count agrees. With their increased time together, his feelings deepen, and threaten to turn him against his deadly master, whom no one betrays twice. The young woman appears to reciprocate his feelings, but there is no hint that she won't remain a faithful wife.Meantime, Cesare presses for actions that would put Città del Monte under his control. Borgia demands that Verano allow free passage of troops through the territory, and the contribution of additional troops to his service. Verano says he will have an answer the next day, and goes to his high terrace to reflect and pray. Belli recognizes the moment to act has come, tells Orsini he is on his way to the terrace.Orsini suffers a change of heart when asked to betray the noble count and his beautiful young wife, runs after Belli and aborts the planned assassination. Belli announces that he quits his service to Orsini and returns to Borgia.The aging ruler puts the question to his subjects, who urge him to resist the tyrant. Orsini then renounces his service to the Borgias and pledges himself to the cause of defending Città del Monte against them, and quickly organizes the defense and preparations for a long siege. Count Verano is sincerely grateful for Orsini's technical war knowledge and energy. The night before a battle is expected, Verano reveals to Orsini that he now believes he is brave and of noble heart and would be worthy of Camilla in the right circumstances.As Cesare's army passes through the Verano territories, the Count launches an attack on the invading troops as they cross some misty woods. A rousing battle takes place, the cavalry of the invaders retreats in disorder, not without cost, as Verano is mortally wounded. On his deathbed, Verano publicly says he would approve a marriage between Orsini and Camilla.Cesare's armies return, and there is a full-blown castle siege. Fat, stubby cannons blast away from the crenelles, great wooden trebuchets hurl stones and flaming balls of pitch into the city, vats of boiling oil are tipped over onto Borgia's soldiers as they try to scale the city's walls. The city holds well, but after three months the city is exhausted.Borgia sends ambassadors, offering to spare and protect the city and its inhabitants provided Camilla accepts a Borgia appointed prime minister and provided the traitor Orsini is surrendered. Camilla rejects the terms, saying she prefers battle, and the ambassadors return to Cesare. However, Orsini knows the battle would be lost, and he willingly gives himself up to Borgia's troops demanding only that the terms of the offer be put in writing.At a triumphal dinner, Borgia wants to expose "Orsini" to Camilla as a commoner and brings Andrea's mother in. The bound and tortured Orsini is brought in front of the main dining table, and the mother and son react in a way that clearly reveal the truth.Cesare orders Andrea's execution, but Belli convincingly proposes a much more cruel punishment for the traitor, to put out his eyes and leave him a blind beggar forever. Cesare likes and adopts the idea, and Belli says that for the amusement of those present, he can make the sentence effective on the spot, with his two thumbs.Belli screams and yells in glee when he is given the go ahead, but what he actually does is get Orsini to scream bloody murder while he pretends to gouge his eyes out, leaving him dripping with blood and exhibiting two large blood covered grapes as the gouged out eyes. This is too disgusting even to Cesare, so he orders his mother to lead him out and away.Orsini is recovering at his mother's house when Belli shows up to visit. When asked why he betrayed Cesare and saved Orsini, as there appeared to be no payoff, he answers that he did it for professional pride as a doublecrosser. "I discovered that the devil doesn't always pay best. This whole thing pleases me. Who betrayed who and where did it start? No matter. It shall be said among my fellow practitioners in double-dealing that I was the greatest of them all."They proceed to plan a rescue of Camilla from a dungeon and the expulsion from the city of Cesare's soldiers. Citizens of Città del Monte gladly cooperate in the conspiracy. At the last minute, when Orsini has just killed one dungeon guard, knocked out another, things go awry, a church bell signal is given too early, but no matter, the conspiracy succeeds after a canonical sword fighting duel between Don Esteban (Leslie Bradley), the garrison leader, and Andrea, while Camilla watches on.All's well that ends well and the commoner marries the countess. | revenge, intrigue, action, historical fiction | train | imdb | null |
tt0381966 | Creep | The film opens with two sewer workers in London, Arthur (Ken Campbell) and George (Vas Blackwood), who discover a tunnel in one of the walls that neither of them is familiar with. Arthur enters and when he does not emerge or respond to George afterwards, George follows. He soon discovers Arthur, injured and in a state of shock. Moments later, a similarly injured young woman jumps out in front of them, crying for help, only to be pulled back into the darkness.The focus then shifts to a young German woman, Kate (Franka Potente), at a party. After hearing of another party that George Clooney is supposedly attending, she decides to travel there. After unsuccessfully trying to get a taxi, she heads to Charing Cross tube station, but soon falls asleep on the platform while waiting for the train. When she awakens, she is alone and finds the entire station locked up for the night. Another empty train arrives and she boards it, but it stops abruptly. Confused, Kate makes her way to the conductor's compartment but is unsuccessful in finding a reason for it as unbeknownst to her, the driver has been killed. Kate soon encounters Guy (Jeremy Sheffield), an obsessive acquaintance from the previous party. Guy, intoxicated by cocaine, crudely attempts to seduce her, but Kate is not interested and tries to leave the train. Guy then sexually assaults her, but is dragged off of her and out of the train by an unseen attacker.Kate flees from the train and runs into a homeless couple, Jimmy (Paul Rattray) and Mandy (Kelly Scott), and their dog, a Jack Russell terrier called Ray (Strapper). Kate explains what has happened and Jimmy reluctantly agrees to help her after she pays him. Meanwhile, Mandy is also attacked while alone. Kate and Jimmy find Guy lying on the railway track with his back mutilated. After they pull him onto the platform, Ray appears with blood smeared on his fur. Jimmy, immediately thinking of Mandy, goes with Ray back to their shelter where she is nowhere to be found. Kate attempts to contact a watchman via speakers to get help. Suspicious of her, the watchman demands Guy to be dragged in front of the security cameras to prove that she is not lying. When she does so, Guy dies and the watchman is also killed in his office by having his throat slit by the stalker. Kate runs back to a despondent Jimmy who has shot himself full of drugs. She eventually persuades him to help her find Mandy and a way out of the station. After exploring a tunnel together, another train pulls up in front of them. Jimmy enters and is killed by the stalker, who was lurking on the roof. Kate flees into the sewer system below the station, but is soon captured by the killer; a hideously deformed, mentally ill hermit named "Craig" AKA The Creep (Sean Harris).Kate finds herself in a water-filled cage deeper underground, presumably being stored as food for Craig. She also meets George, who is still alive and also trapped. However, before Craig can harm either of them, Kate manages to escape, temporarily incapacitate Craig, and release George. Together, they run through several dark corridors and end up in a secret, deserted abortion clinic, where they find an unconscious Mandy strapped on an operating chair and mistakenly presume her to be dead. However, before they can investigate further, Craig appears and they are forced to flee and leave Mandy alone with him, who kills her in a twisted imitation of an abortion.George and Kate eventually find themselves in an abandoned platform and Craig soon catches up to them once again. George attacks Craig, but is impaled through the head with a serrated blade protruding out of a wall. Kate attempts to escape, but is soon cornered by Craig. She breaks down until she spots a large hook on a long chain, with which she stabs Craig's throat. She then hears the distant sounds of an approaching train and she throws the other end of the chain over the tunnel, in an attempt to electrocute him. Her plan fails, and although severely wounded, Craig rises and attempts to crush Kate with a barrel. Then the train passes through the tunnel and smashes into the chain, which tears out his throat. Craig finally dies, and Kate makes her way through the tunnel and finds herself back in Charing Cross Station. Tattered and filthy, she collapses on a platform and Ray appears, curling onto her lap. The film ends when a man waiting for a train puts a coin next to her, thinking she is a beggar, and she breaks into hysterical giggles and tears. | violence, dark, murder | train | imdb | An excellent example of a simple idea developed into a compelling 90 minute script.The set up requires no bells and whistles, no lengthy exposition or wordy back story; Kate (Franka Pontente), a young German business woman living in London, drifts off whilst waiting for the last tube train.
The retention of a certain sense of mystery is to be welcomed and reminds us that in this film the ride was always going to be more important than the exact destination.My understanding is that the budget for this film was, to say the least, minimal, in which case our applause for this British horror should be all the louder, for at no point does one have the impression of corners being cut or effects failing to deliver.If this sounds like your kind of film then it probably is.
After a few seconds the train comes to sudden halt and Kate comes to the realisation that someone or something is lurking down there, which has some nasty surprises waiting for Kate.When watching "Creep", what entered my mind was that I was seeing the backwoods horror slasher "Wrong Turn (2003)" basically set in a subway, but only more bloodier and incredibly cruel.
The story is fairly linear and has no plot holes that i noticed and the acting and script are OK.The problem with Creep is that it doesn't really do anything to set it apart from the rest of the Horror crowd, but when compared to some its not to bad.With floods of horror movies in recent years (Toolbox Murders, Grudge, White Noise, Descent, Boogeyman to name but a few) Creep is left languishing in mediorcratity.For horror fanatics, its worth watching and it can hold its own in the genre.
When the end-credits start to roll, there are still many unanswered questions to ponder on but director/writer Christopher Smith (in his debut) seemly preferred to fully focus on tension and adrenalin-rushing action instead of long, soporific speeches and theories that could explain the existence of the "creep" in the London subway.
I reckon this isn't very original, and I'm sure many people won't appreciate the lack of content, but I forgive Smith and I think it's better this way than going over the top completely, "Jeepers Creepers"-style (that particular film started out great as well, but as soon as the Creeper's identity was clear it turned into a very mediocre horror effort).
Brit horror successfully marries suspense and gore to create a more than decent movie.Franka Potente is Kate, a socialite on her way to a party in London where George Clooney (Yes really) is believed to be hanging at and where she will attempt to seduce him (Yup, I'm not kidding).However, she falls asleep at the subway station and misses the last train, leaving her trapped inside.
And indeed, mindgames seem to be the only explanation for some of the slightly ludicrous events which occur in the first half.Nonetheless, this movie is about running away from the bad guy, whose appearance and identity imply he's 'not normal' (Are they ever), and to this end the film does a decent enough job.
It could have been another "28 days later" or even a "Blair Witch Project"The first 20 or so minutes of the movie I was really excited, directer did a decent job with cinematography and suspense, although I don't think He managed to capture true eeriness of an empty London Underground.Characters were a big let down.
As she races off on a situation taking her from one daunting encounter to the next, however, she learns of something far more malign and evil waiting for her out there.In a lot of ways, the British Film Industry is really becoming one on it's own, especially in the horror thriller department, with films such as Creep and the successful 28 Days Later (which this has strong echoes of in parts.) In terms of succeeding in what it set out to do, Creep does cleverly create (especially at the beginning) a scary sense of isolation and tense fear.
At it's clever running time, it also (though inadvertently, I suspect) manages to pay homage to some of those pioneer high-concept horror films from the 70s that rely on shocks and fear through-out without really focusing too much on character development and such.Of it's weaknesses, some scenes are a little predictable, but these don't really succeed in making it less scary or effective in any way.
And as the summary says, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best.The main problem was it appears to have been cut too much, making it look like the film didn't know whether it wanted to be teen slasher or psychological horror.
This is a could-have-been that starts out on an attractive premise, but fails to deliver and ends up looking like the makers were too ambitious and wanted to make a horror movie that would work on different levels, with more than just one basic plot line, but ended up with a messy movie that really goes nowhere, just like the tube that the protagonist gets into at the beginning.The movie begins with a sequence in the sewage system of London, where two employees are doing their maintenance work.
She gets on the underground, only to find out she's all alone there too...The introduction is certainly appealing to the horror buff, and we're led to believe that we're in for a movie that will explore our fear of being trapped, the "underworld" (both in a real and metaphorical way), the dark, claustrophobia...
Instead, the movie soon chooses to follow a different plot line, which, in my opinion, is much less interesting and much more conventional, more oriented to commercial success and to please those viewers who look for easy scares and blood-packed, gory scenes.
The film began with a good opening with a promise of an intriguing plot but, unfortunately like most modern horror films, the film was severally let down by Clichéd events, "I will stand with my back to this broken window, whilst we are been hunted", two dimensional character "I am a girl I can not hurt an unarmed murderer" , and awful script "I will shout and scream, even though the bad guy is searching for me' and uninspired finale 'how to kill the bad guy and not get my hands dirty in the process'.
The Film Council ,who funded this miserable garbage should be stranded, on one of the London Undergrounds disused stations, for allowing this clichéd, dismal specimen to be committed to film, a half mutant thing made up of all the horror movies the director has seen and felt fit to imitate, most notably Deathline.
the performances are OK and the story is so-so: it is just a dirty little horror movie, with a simple plot, stupid characters, some graphic scenes and one genuinely shocking moment (believe me, the first sighting of the creature is nothing you would wanna show your kids).
Why I got this feeling, I'm not quite sure but I was certain of one thing and that's that once it ended I realised that it wasn't anything particularly special no matter how much it had me engaged and no matter how much it had me looking away.Why the film is called 'Creep'; I'm not certain of either.
Certain events occur and you just think to yourself 'Why the hell are they/aren't they doing that'; this includes the fact Kate (Potente) doesn't think nor act as frightened as she should be when she sees her accomplice covered in blood on a train or the fact she's willing to go down a darkened tunnel in the tube station just after witnessing it or maybe the worst one: when she actually has a chance to kill the Creep yet is talked out of it I really hated that scene.
These along with the way the film ends frustratingly open at the very end are all disappointing aspects of Creep.I can only recommend this if you're looking for brainless horror/gore that doesn't take too much thinking yet remains interestingly poised for the majority of the runtime as chase and gore as well as life and death are all mixed up in the equation..
An appallingly distasteful horror film in which poor Franka Potente finds herself down in the tube station at midnight and it's not a very nice place to be, not with the titular creep creeping about slaughtering anyone unlucky enough to be sleeping rough or who may have missed the last train home.
A British/German co-production, "Creep" was a fast moving, claustrophobic little thriller that reminded me at times of "Midnight Meat Train" and "The Descent," maybe with a pinch of "Mimic" for good measure."Creep" is set in the dark world of London's Underground system.
Allying herself with George, a London sewer worker who's trapped in the next cage, Kate breaks out and again tries to head for the surface, leading to a final showdown in the creature's hidden lair, deep underground.I won't reveal much more because I don't want to violate the Spoiler Warning rules, but I will say that the scene where Kate and George discover the lair of the "Creep" (which appears to be a disused hospital/laboratory) is a bit muddled and therefore the supposed revelations found there aren't very well defined, so the big "moment" turns out to be a bit anti-climactic.
This low budget British horror flick pretty much flew straight under the radar upon release towards the end of 2004, and while the film doesn't deserve the status of a classic, or even a modern genre classic; Creep still offers a good, horrific eighty minutes and fans of classically plotted horror thrillers will no doubt enjoy themselves.
While this plot doesn't really allow the audience to engage with it due to the fact that it is so shallow, director Christopher Smith keeps the film ticking over with an onslaught of suspense and tension brought about by the claustrophobic landscape of the tunnels underneath London and the fairly generous helping of disgusting gore effects, which are a nice addition to any horror movie if you ask me.
If the film has any sort of commentary on the state of the management of London's subways, it's muddled at best
but it doesn't matter, as nobody sees this sort of thing for social comments anyway.The effects of the 'creep' itself are actually quite good.
This is the beginning of her claustrophobic, scary and gore night running through the underground of London."Creep" is a good horror movie.
Franka Potente plays Kate-a flirtatious young woman who finds herself locked in the London subway system after hours.After a sleazy colleague-who followed her in-is brutally murdered right in front of her,Kate must escape the clutches of a mysterious flesh eating creature that seems determined to kill anyone in its path."Creep" is not original-in fact its premise is clearly lifted from the 1972 horror film "Deathline".Both of them are based around the bloody exploits of a deformed cannibal killer who lurks in the shadowy abyss of the London underground transport system.Still Christopher Smith's grisly debut offers some effective shocks plus plenty of grue.The location sets are creepy and the film has a genuinely claustrophobic feel that gets under your skin.Give this grisly horror flick a chance.8 out of 10..
"Creep" is a surprisingly good, low-budget British horror movie that looks like it came fresh from Hollywood.
I found the entire atmosphere of the movie to be pretty scary, the majority of the film is spent down in the dark subway tunnels, where anything could be lurking around the corner, which is a very creepy feeling.
What I got was a film that asked me to suspend disbelief too many times, a plot with more holes than Ms. Potente's panty hose, and at least one set piece which served absolutely no purpose other than to shove the entire audience across that fine line between nasty suspenseful horror and pointless, sick shock tactics (ooo yeah, let's have the 'creature' shove a huge serrated blade inside a captive woman's genitals...).
Potente is no stranger to bloody horror (Anatomie, Anatomie 2) but here she is simply required to run around screaming whilst occasionally delivering lines of total banality.A criminally wasted opportunity all round, and Smith should be actively prevented from making any more films (guys just don't give him the money!) until he's learned how to a) write an intelligent script that makes sense, and b) understands how to create scenes with REAL tension.
the reason i liked this is because i jumped straight into action, their was gore, a decent plot, and cast that acted the movie out great.The creep was ugly little boy when he was younger and spent his childhood and teen time in a hospital, then when he was mid-ages he escaped into London's underground subway to only live their and kill whoever is wandering around his hideout for food and fun.
He is grotesque in every way, yes thats means his looks!When Kate (Franka Potente) leaves a business party to try and meet George Clooney, her friend tells her the person she was meant to leave with has already left in a cab, in a hurry Kate rushes off to the subway only to drink the rest of her vodka, while she is waiting for the last train Kate falls asleep, from here Kate wakes up and all of a sudden a train appears before her eyes, when is boarding the train, in the background you can see another person run onto the train, could this be the creep?
So i would advise anyone who likes a good horror film that delivers frights, atmosphere, gore and a dumb blond running away from a psycho to watch it,,,,,you will not be disappointed..
Franka Potente is one of the worst things in this film second only perhaps to the Creep that seems to live in the London Underground.
Don't get me wrong the film is scary in places but more often than not its pure gore instead of a horror that freaks you out through what you can't see as opposed to what you can see.On the plus side it is nice to see more British based films with a high number of British actors but sadly this film lacks in all aspects, it really needs to Creep of into a corner and die a slow and painful death.See it at your peril for it is a truly bad apple!.
German superstar Franka Potente stars in this British horror titled "Creep" - that's basically the most worthy thing to say about this film, which could have been a lot better.
Without going too much into the storyline of the film, it basically revolves around Kate (Potente) who gets locked in the subway, nearly raped by a friend, then harassed and nearly killed by this thing, this "Creep".
Like all (most) good horror films, he has a back story, but it isn't given to the viewer so that they can actually make sense of it.
I like that the director keeps the monster under wraps until the ending."Creep" is a well-made horror film that's definitely worth watching.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com.
Worst Movie I Ever Saw. I find it disappointing that there is no 0 on the 1-10 scale.This is the worst movie i have seen.Not only is it gory beyond belief, but has no story line and leaves you with many questions that would have put the movie together.The beginning with the opening credits and the girl supposedly being chased through a hall, with blood all over her was disturbing and unrelated-unless she was Mindy.Then there was this other person on the bus who i at first thought to be the creep but wasn't and you never saw him again.(the guy i'm referring to is the one that had blood all over his eye.)the creep was weird, i had no clue what it was supposed to be, maybe a dead guy or something, but he looked more like a creature..and he could talk, which confused me a bit.Now i am only 12 turning 13 years old, so maybe this movie was more disturbing to me then the other commenters.I enjoy watching a good horror movie to get a good scare, but this movie wasn't really scary just disgusting and filled with gore and had no story line..
Writer/Director Christopher Smith cut his teeth on soap operas and it shows - nothing but cardboard characters and clichés.Like most feeble horror movies, it tries to compensate for its lack of imagination with blood and guts and even a torture scene but it's all so hopelessly misjudged and unconvincing (and not at all scary) that even gore fans will be disappointed.The film's one redeeming feature (and the only reason it gets a 2 rather than a 1 rating) is the very end (and I mean the absolute final shot) which is strangely moving and recalls the end of Scorsese's 'After Hours' - not that I suggest you watch it that far to see what I mean.So yes, another example of the British Film Council tossing money away on utter garbage.
Right people- you may think this is another childish 'I know what you did last summer' sort of teenage horror flick- an oh so predictable film, BUT THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM.'Creep' shocks you when you least suspect it.
Essentially a remake of the 1972 cult horror thriller 'Death Line', this low-budget British indie traps a haughty French gold-digger (Franka Potente) in the bowels of the London Underground long after the last train has departed, and where someone (or something) is hacking up commuters.Firs time director Christopher Smith knows what hardcore horror fans want - gore - and the plot can't exactly hold water, but Smith also makes clever use of the overlit labyrinth of tunnels that lead to atrocity.The film never really explains itself in great detail, but it certainly moves itself along at a frenetic pace.. |
tt0099697 | Graveyard Shift | The film opens with a late-shift worker in the basement floor of a textile company feeds bales of cotton into a large industrial machine. He takes a break and notices the thermometer on the wall indicates the temperature is over 100 degrees. In anger at the heat, the worker pounds his fist against a support beam and a rusty nail protruding from the beams punctures his hand. He goes to the medical cabinet and gets an anti-bacterial ointment and gauze for his wound. As rats accumulate to watch the late-shift worker, he starts to taunt them and threaten them. He tosses a rat into the large industrial machine and we watch the rat being torn to pieces and blood staining the cotton. As he continues the taunts, the rats watch on. A large shadow appears and the worker turns to a sight that scares him. He stumbles backwards into the industrial machine and is slaughtered. His remains are eaten by the rats.The next day, an exterminator (Brad Dourif) crawling onto the roof of an industrial building dragging a fire hose. He stuffs the end of the water hose down into the ventilation pipe of some indoor plumbing. Behind the building is a stream of running water. A man in the water is waiting by a pump motor for the exterminator to finish preparing the hoses. The exterminator indicates to the partner on the ground that he is ready to begin. The partner cranks the pump motor and begins pumping water into the building while sucking out water through hoses in the basement of the building, bringing with it many rats, and emptying the rats into the stream.A drifter named John Hall (David Andrews) comes into a small town looking for work. The local textile company is the largest employer in town, so he applies there. The foreman, Warwick (Stephen Macht) agrees to hire the drifter after first harassing him over being a drifter and having college experience listed on his application on the condition that John accepts minimum wage for the first 4 weeks and works the 11pm to 7am "Graveyard Shift".Warwick meets with a building inspector who threatens to condemn the building if the rat infestation isn't cleared up and the basement cleared of the massive amounts of old materials stored. Warwick pays-off the inspector $200 cash to give him some time to get the building in order before filing his report. The inspector takes the money and gives Warwick until after the 4th of July holiday weekend to clean up the building.As Warwick sends random employees down to string lights in the basement, prior to the cleaning detail, one by one they get attacked and killed by some unknown creature that lurks in the basement. Always, a tide of rats preludes the attacks. When the employees come up missing, the "Now Hiring" sign gets posted out front, but no more mention of the incident occurs.Warwick explains to some workers that the business will be shut down for the 4th of July holiday. Those workers that belong to the Union would be paid holiday pay. Those who were not Union would be laid-off for one week, unless they agreed to be part of the clean-up detail and receive double-pay for their efforts. Six workers are chosen for the clean-up detail work. John Hall is one of them.One night, John Hall finds a trap door leading down further under the building. The group of six cleaners and Warwick head down to investigate. After the stairs leading back up collapse and the seven people realize they are trapped with a monster they begin to turn on each other, trying to escape. One by one, the monster kills the group off until John Hall and Warwick remain. Warwick is consumed with trying to conceal this event and also punish John Hall for standing up to his bullying, so he tries to kill John. Warwick confronts the monster and dies during the ensuing fight. John scrambles back up to the basement of the building where the large industrial machine is. The monster attacks him there, where we see that the monster is a very large bat. The large bat gets its tail caught in the industrial machine and John turns it on. We watch the bat being dragged into and slaughtered by the machine.John sighs relief.The last scene shows that the textile mill is now "under new management."Credits roll. | cult, murder | train | imdb | You don't hear or read much about this movie based on a short story written by Stephen King and I think that's a shame.
It lacks all the elements that make great films great films, of course; things such as brains, coherency and any whisper of characters has been neglected in favour of monster special effects and a few nice death scenes; but seriously, that's all you want from a film like this, so to say that Graveyard Shift does it's job isn't wrong.
Acting definitely isn't a key element of Graveyard Shift, but the appearance of popular cult actor Brad Dourif will please many of this films' audience.
The story doesn't offer anything in the way of a point, and it's incoherency will annoy many - but if you go into this film with the right sort of expectations, and don't think you're about to see a horror classic, Graveyard Shift really shouldn't disappoint..
In Gates Falls,Maine,an old textile mill that has been closed down for many years is reopened.The place is dirty,run down,and overrun with huge rats.The graveyard shift is operated by a skeleton crew,just enough to keep it going.This is where we meet John Hall,a young drifter who gets hired on to work with the crew.The plant which is infested with rats also harbors something much larger,deep in it's cotton filled bowels,something that wants to come up to the surface.The crew of the graveyard shift are about to come face to face with what's underneath the factory."Graveyard Shift" is loosely based on Stephen King's short story.The film is fast-paced and entertaining and offers some gore plus a few shocks.Many people trashed this horror film,but I don't care."Graveyard Shift" is still much better than bloodless and politically correct horror garbage produced today.The cast is decent and the production design provides plenty of eerie atmosphere.Give this one a look.9 out of 10..
Real rats are all over the place too, to clean up the bodies.The gore FX are mostly top-notch, the sets are good and there's plenty of violence and action, but this pointless movie is one big, unpleasant cliché thanks to poor direction and scripting (by John Esposito, based on the Stephen King story).
Andrew 'Wishmaster' Divoff shows up as a stock character, but it's Brad Dourif who chews scenery and ends up the only memorable person as the world's most simultaneously intense and incompetent exterminator, a bug eyed little weirdo who freaks people out with extended monologues about Viet Nam when he should be perusing corridors to find whatever's lurking there.
Singleton made an decent horror movie, based on a short story by Stephen King (Cat's Eye, Creepshow, Stand by Me).
The two-thirds of "Graveyard Shift" is pretty good, but the Giant Rat-Bat(!) shows up towards the end, the feature turns silly.
If you want a bottom of the barrel Stephen King film, look no further than this travesty.Set in a cotton mill in what I guess is supposed to be Maine (one character references Castle Rock, King's well known fictional Maine town), Graveyard Shift begins with a character who likes to shoot rats with rocks being attacked by .
Into town walks John Hall (Dave Andrews) a drifter looking for work, who lands a job at the mill, under the direction of the rather unkind, and potentially unhinged, foreman, Warwick (Stephen Macht).
The bug, like in most bad films, is the script.With such a strong cast and good production values, this should have been a great film.But somehow the story bogs down at the beginning, more interested in the terrible management of an old mill than the giant monster in the basement.
The monster, which was actually quite good, doesn't even get time to breathe.Brad Dourif does his best to save the movie, playing a creepy exterminator with a Jeffery Combs style mania (if the two of them were ever in a movie, the world would explode from the awesome).But in the end this film had everything, from a giant bat to a good cast, and it still sucked..
He has a scene where he's describing how rats were used in 'Nam (not present in the short story) that's mesmerizing -- Dourif completely owns it.Stephen Macht is great with his ridiculous "Maine" accent and scene chewing.
Based on the short story of the same name from King's "Night Shift" anthology, one would think a 90-minute film would be the ideal forum to iron out the nuances of a compact literary piece.
Then again, that would require filmmakers who know how to expand the material in a creative, interesting way, and one of "Graveyard Shift"'s many problems is that the source story isn't the greatest, and John Esposito's adaptation and Ralph Singleton's direction doesn't know where to go with it.
The only thing that really gives "Graveyard Shift" any redeeming value is the often-creative set design (including an underground labyrinth that threatens to create actual atmosphere), and the not-bad (but far from great) creature FX; additionally, the small New England town does evoke King's prose with some credibilityit's too bad nobody could think of a way to put it to good use..
But, I just watched an excellent HD Print of the film and I must admit that looking at it now I really appreciated it a LOT more than I did initially.Have you actually SEEN a lot of the Stephen King adaptations...?
I also REALLY liked the soundtrack which I thought was quite effective and added a lot to the mood (LOVED the male choir!) Apparently, even though the director never directed another film, I truly felt that he did a very good job crafting not only the excellent atmosphere, look, and sound of the film, but with SO damn many 'Horror' movies today filled with atrocious 'acting', I thought he did a great job bringing out the qualities of the characters in a more realistic way.
And, even though this story had the requisite and mandatory Redneck types that flood King's work, in THIS case I think that the director had them come across in a much more believable and coherent way that didn't detract from the story like it has many times before.I guess I am kind of a sucker for this type of Old School Monster movie, ESPECIALLY when there is a strong Gothic look and atmosphere to it.
Add to that the frigg'n OUTSTANDING performance by Brad Dourif (naturally...) and the surprisingly restrained but effective one by the boss dude (I personally thought he blew away the leading guy with the quality of his performance) you end up with a pretty good, entertaining old fashioned Horror movie that I felt was a lot of fun.I probably was a TAD generous with a '7' rating, and if I was grading it compared to ALL genres of Horror films, of course it wouldn't measure up as much.
Compared within the TYPE of Horror movie that it is, I honestly felt that it was above average and merited a '7'So, I would say that as long as you DO like these older Retro Horror films, especially with a nice, moody Gothic atmosphere, and if you also like a good Creature Feature, I think that there is a good chance that you will enjoy it....
Graveyard Shift is a very good movie.I have seen the bad reviews and I tell you there wrong.Everything in graveyard shift is excellent.The setting,the atmosphere,the people.David Andrews is great as the strange drifter.And the ending is good too.Thats what I call an ending.Based on a Stephen King story,graveyard shift picks you up from the beginning and dosent let you go till the end..
Despite the negatives, one can do far worse than watch "Graveyard Shift." A bonus is that it was filmed on location at Harmony and at Bangor, Maine; the extras are actual local mill workers..
Based on the Stephen King short story from his "Night Shift" collection, about a drifter who comes to a small New England town looking for a job, and finds one in a cotton mill run by an obnoxious foreman(played by Stephen Macht).
However, the rats are the least of the problems, as the workers who must pull an all-night shift will discover...Awful film is devoid of suspense or intelligence; despite the potential atmospheric chills of the underground setting, the direction is extremely poor, characters not developed or overacted, and result is a grimy, foul-mouthed piece of junk..
Graveyard Shift (1990) was another Stephen King short story that was stretched out to fill a ninety minute movie.
A very poor horror film based on a very good Stephen King short story (called "Night Shift").
And I like the rat/bat monster in Graveyard Shift, which isn't nearly as bad as some of the reviews here would have you believe.What I don't like about this film, however, are the people.
Drifter John Hall (David Andrews) makes for a bland hero, mill foreman Warwick (Stephen Macht) is an obnoxious bastard with a really annoying accent, Brad Dourif as The Exterminator is way too over the top (even by Brad's standards), and Andrew Divoff and Vic Polizos are terrible as Hall's co-workers Danson and Brogan, the latter almost making me switch off as he blasts rats with a high pressure hose (not because I felt for the rats, but because he screams at the top of his voice with each blast.
Still, with a decent creature (I've seen plenty worse) and a fair amount of gore, Graveyard Shift is still worth a look, especially for Stephen King fans, on whose short story the film is based.5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for the so-bad-it's-brilliant end credits song that is comprised of snippets of dialogue from the film set to a cheesy backing track..
But it's easier to find flaws in a little horror film than to 'mine' it for good points as so many have failed to do.Adapting a short (very short) story from Stephen King's collection Night Shift, Ralph Singleton took a small budget, unique sets, and a remarkably gifted group of actors and spun a film called Graveyard Shift.Plot: A group of over-worked misfits in a textile mill run afoul of a strange, mutant creature and a large number of rats.
Fans of the original short story by Stephen King (from his book- NIGHT SHIFT) will immediately be struck by the massive amount of padding created to stretch things out to feature film length.
Sure Stephen King has had some bad movies made based on his work.
Beware of the Giant Rat. Graveyard Shift (1990) ** (out of 4) Silly adaptation of the Stephen King short story takes place at a textile mill where there are more rats than actual works.
The entire idea of a giant rat killing people just isn't very scary and when you're doing a horror film that can't possibly get any scary moments then you're already playing behind the eight ball.
Well, it's supposed to be.The films plods along until Andrews and a bunch of unpleasant co workers, along with Stephen Macht and his demented accent, get down to the business of trying to clear the basements up, and then there is much screaming and running.
It's difficult to say this is offensive to the source material; rather than wasting potential, the film has stretched the original story way too much; its reasonably chilling seven or eight pages were good in themselves, but hardly effective material to make an 80 minute film.That said, there are plus points from trying to place Macht's accent, and Brad Dourif's wonderful turn as "The Exterminator".
Stretching a Stephen King story about a rat-infested cotton mill in Maine to 90 minutes may have seemed like a good idea, but giving the rat infestment too much close-up coverage was not.
Stephen King`s Graveyard shift is a very different but styling film.
Graveyard Shift is one of the weakest Stephen King Adaptations but is still an entertaining Horror film that is filled with atmospheric direction,a good cast,an intense score and memorable special make-up effects.
All of those make Graveyard Shift a memorable guilty pleasure.Based on Stephen King's short story and set in Maine,Graveyard Shift tells the story of a drifter named John Hall(David Andrews)who's just arrived in Maine looking for a fresh start and a job.
Now,John and his co-workers have to worry about getting a good paycheck and survival.Stephen King despite being one of the greatest and most iconic bestselling Authors of all-time the film adaptations of his work have been a mix bag because the truth is for every great and strong Stephen King adaptations like Stanley Kubrick's The Shining(1980),Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption(1994),and Brian De Palma's Carrie there is always a weak adaptation like Graveyard Shift.
Even though it's not one of the best Stephen King films I always watch the movie when it's on television because there are some good things about it and it's entertaining and memorable.
One of the things that I like about Graveyard Shift is the film's atmosphere which is dark and mysterious giving the movie a sense of doom and dread giving you the feeling that nothing is going to be alright in the end.
Being that Graveyard Shift was based on a 15-page short story and the running time is 89 minutes GS feels too short and seems like there should have been much more in the film.
In a very old textile mill, with a serious rat infestation, the workers discover a horrifying secret deep in the basement.We have legendary character actor Brad Dourif as the exterminator and Andrew Divoff (who later became famous for "Wishmaster" and "Lost") as Danson.
But there is something in the basement that is even more vicious.I really enjoyed David Andrews as the man you most want to see in the basement alone.Brad Dourif as the exterminator made the film worth watching.But, it is not just the foreman who ends up in the basement, but the whole gang.
Of Mice and Men. An often overlooked and long forgotten Stephen King adaptation, "Graveyard Shift" tells the tale of a group of blue collar workers hired to clean the basement of a textile plant in Maine.
The studio executives no doubt wanted to make a few bucks with a by-the-numbers B-movie and chose the director based on his past experience on a number of respectable movies; no one could have predicted that he'd go balls-out crazy and treat a story about a mutant rat monster as if he'd been handed the script to "Macbeth." A drifter named John arrives in the town of Gate's Falls and applies for a job in a rat-infested textile mill run by Mr. Warwick (played by an unknown actor named Stephen Macht, whose attempted Maine accent sounds more Transylvanian), a deliriously evil man who rules not only the mill, but the entire town, with an iron fist.
Tucker Cleveland(Brad Dourif, who easily steals the film with his limited time on screen)is the exterminator of the mill who works day and night wasting those rat-vermin who wish to rear their ugly heads from the bowels.
This mill should've been closed down forever, but Warwick has a way of extending time for a 4th of July clean-up where those who decide to work for double-pay, including Hall and his love-interest Jane(Kelly Wolf), will find true horror down in the basement of the place.I have no right whatsoever recommending this hunk of pure trash to anyone, but those who enjoy rats and garbage may find it amusing.
Highlights include Dourif's exterminator explaining to Hall about an experience in Vietnam which inspired his choice of occupation where a prisoner of war is used as meat for specially trained rats(as he expresses in exact detail, Dourif gets so caught up in the intensity of the character he sheds a tear..that ought to bring a bit of respect from some that an actor of his caliber would care so much to give away part of himself to such a rotten movie), or how Hall traps the monster in the textile machine.But how Warwick goes over the edge, insanely with face paint used from grease of an old jar, as he chases after the creature has to be the ultimate highlight.I think the best audience for this type of film is those lovers of bad Creature features, because in it's own ugly way, this film can be entertaining.
Stephen King's Graveyard Shift is a gritty and messy little film about rats and yarn mills.
In this wretched adaptation of a Stephen King short story a motley bunch of imbecilic and unlikable mill workers are devoured by a large mutant bat-rat monster when they get trapped in the dank basement of a grimy textile mill.
I suggest that you read the Stephen King short story and then see a better film.
Overall opinion, this is not a bad movie, just not a good one in the least.GRAVEYARD SHIFT: 2/5..
"Graveyard Shift" is another adaptation of a Stephen King work, this time a short story.Drifter John Hall (David Andrews) wanders into a small southern town in search of a job.
The main bad guy who owns the factory runs around trying to sound like Fred Gwynne in Pet sematary, and Brad Dourif, spends his cameo just trying to look cool.Turns out there's some sort of huge rat/bat creature living in the factory, and picking off random workers who talk to themselves or treat the other rats as children.Cue John Connors girlfriends dad from Terminator 3, and you know he's a good sort because he ignores heckles and does as he's told.It's pretty bad stuff, marking off every single horror cliché from the early nineties, and the main problem is that the film isn't scary, exciting, nor is there any fruitful characters you would expect from a King story.The setting is good, but the rest is awful, and if you only take one thing away with you, it's the fact that Diet Pepsi is probably better than Coke..
This cheesy adaptation of a Stephen King short story is a bad film lover's dream come true.
Mostly an average shocker, based on a short story by Stephen King, "Graveyard Shift" does have a couple extra things going for it to make it a fairly amusing view. |
tt0061683 | Frankenstein Created Woman | Abetted by the elderly Dr. Hertz (Thorley Waters) and handyman Hans (Robert Morris), Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) determines that the soul does not immediately leave the body upon death, and can be transplanted from one body to another with a special apparatus he has developed. Hans is in love with Christina (Susan Denberg), the disfigured daughter of a local innkeeper. Christina's father disapproves of their relationship because Hans's father was executed for murder -- an execution Hans witnessed as a young boy. One night, while visiting Christina at the inn, Hans fights with three upper class snobs -- Anton (Peter Blythe), Johann (Derek Folds) and Karl (Barry Warren) -- when they insult her. Later that night, the three snobs sneak back into the inn and assault Christina's father, killing him.Hans is arrested for the murder. Despite the sterling character references of Dr Hertz and Frankenstein, the testimony of Anton, Johann and Karl persuade the jury. Because Hans will not reveal his whereabouts during the time of the murder -- he was making love with Christina -- he is sentenced to die at the same guillotine that killed his father some twenty years earlier.Frankenstein sees this as an opportunity to test his new machinery on a human, and he has Dr Hertz arrange to receive Hans's dead body. Christina, unaware that Hans had been sentenced to death, stumbles upon the execution site and sees Hans die. Distraught, she throws herself off a bridge and drowns. Frankenstein and Hertz successfully trap Hans' soul. The authorities bring Christina to Dr Hertz's office. Frankenstein persuades Hertz to trap her soul; once they have healed her injuries and facial disfigurements, they will restore her soul to her body.The procedure is a success. At first Frankenstein refuses to reveal to Christina who she really he is or allow her to leave Hertz's house, but after a few weeks he takes her to see the guillotine. When Christina sees the device she cries out "Papa!" and faints. Frankenstein's suspicions are proven: both Hans's and Christina's souls are in her body. As Frankenstein devises more experiments, Hans's soul overtakes Christina's and urges her to avenge her father. She dresses up like a promiscuous woman, seduces Anton and Johann and kills them.Christina scrawls "Hans" in blood next to Johann's name, leading authorities to assume that Hans had sent someone else to the guillotine and had survived himself. They go to Hertz and Frankenstein, assuming their complicity. Frankenstein reveals the truth: Hans's soul is controlling Christina. He then tracks Christina to the woods where she has taken Karl for a picnic. He arrives too late: Christina has killed Karl and is now "speaking" with Hans's severed head which "informs" her that her work is done. Shocked at what she has done, Christina's soul resumes control and rushes to the river bank. Frankenstein promises to help her, but she cannot endure her guilt and throws herself to her second watery death. Frankenstein walks sadly away. | revenge, cruelty, murder, gothic, romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt0061452 | Casino Royale | Casino Royale (1967)Sir James Bond (David Niven) retired at the height of his powers when forced to betray his lover Mata Hari, and now lives in an English country house, surrounded by lions, devoting himself to Debussy and cultivating black roses, attended by his butler (Erik Chitty). However, alarmed by the mounting losses of their spies, he is visited by the heads of the British ('M' or McTarry; John Huston), French (LeGrand; Charles Boyer), American (Ransome; William Holden) and Russian (Smernov; Kurt Kasznar) Secret Services (collectively driven by M's chauffer John LeMesurier), who petition him to return. He refuses, considering himself to belong to a nobler tradition, and them all gadget-ridden "jokeshop" spies, and deploring the handing on of his legend, name and number to a "sexual acrobat". Even a letter from the Queen does not sway him, and as a final desperate trick M signals for Sir James' home to be blown up by the Army: the attack also kills M (but not, apparently, the others).Smersh Authority (the villains) learns that "Sir James Bond is back, with his morals, his vows and his celibate image. We must destroy that image".Sir James, thus forced out of retirement, travels to Scotland, taking M's toupee (the only surviving relic or heirloom) to M's widow, Lady Fiona, who has been substituted by Smersh agent Mimi (Deborah Kerr). She explains the rituals surrounding the death of The McTarry, which include a banquet (with fresh goat haggis and lots of whisky), dancing, and a memorial grouse shoot ("Whenever a McTarry dies, the grouse come into season"). The castle is filled with beautiful girls, agents of Smersh, pretending to be M's eleven 16-19-year-old daughters ("some of us are adopted") including Heather (Tracey Crisp) and Meg (Alexandra Bastedo), who undress Sir James for his bath ("be careful, that's my loose kneecap"), Buttercup ("Daddy's little thermometer", Angela Scoular) whom Sir James discovers actually in his bath, as well as Eliza (Gabriella Licudi), Peg (Elaine Taylor), and Michele (Frances Cosslett).Sir James drinks all the others under the table at the banquet, but when later approached by Mimi in his bedroom claiming he "comfort her" as her "widow's due", upon rejecting her, she calls him a "ninnogaywillycouf" and summons the pipers for a 'worzle', a contest which involves picking up and attempting to throw large stone cannonballs. This he wins, largely as the five pipers (Robin, Jock, Sandy: Bob Godfrey, Percy Herbert) injure themselves in trying to pick up the balls, whereas he manages to pick one up, throw it and catch it. Mimi is so impressed the other girls decide she is a risk and lock her in her room.At the grouse shoot, one of Sir James' cape buttons has been substituted with a homing beacon, and the girls send rocket-launched explosive-laden dummy grouse towards him. Assisted by Mimi, who has escaped down the rather unsafe drainpipe from her room, Sir James uses his braces to fire the button back into the rocket launcher, blowing it up. Mimi, injured, wins a farewell kiss from Sir James ("Madam, are you quite sure you're dying?") before entering a convent, and tells him that their orders came from "Authority: International Mothers' Help, East Berlin" (1).Driving back from Scotland, Sir James is trailed by a remote-controlled booby-trapped milk float (control girl Penny Riley), but manages to escape so that it kills yet another Smersh agent (). In London, he takes over as head of the British Secret Service, whose only surviving members are his secretary Miss Moneypenny (or rather her daughter; Barbara Bouchet), and his assistant Hadley (or rather his son; Derek Nimmo), who explain that all the secret agents apart from Sir James' replacement (now doing television) have been killed in sexually suggestive situations ("stabbed to death in a ladies sauna bath", "burnt in a blazing bordello", "garrotted in a geisha house", etc.) with the possible exception of Sir James' nephew, Jimmy Bond (Woody Allen), last seen in the Caribbean escaping a firing squad ("I have a very low threshold of death") with an exploding cigarette, only to end up in front of another firing squad. Sir James decides to call up all the auxiliary staff, and to create the ultimate 'Anti-Female Spy Device' - a man whom all women desire, but who is indifferent to them. Miss Moneypenny is tasked with finding one such ("your mother did some of her best work at night"), and she finds Cooper ('Coop': Terence Cooper: "Sounds like something for keeping birds." "That's me"). Coop, a holder of the 'Kama Sutra Black Belt', is then sent for his anti-female training, against a gym-full of a variety of exotic, exotically dressed Bond girls (Yvonne Marsh, Veronica Gardnier - there are over 200 beautiful girls in the film), overcoming them all but eventually meeting new secret weapon The Detainer (Daliah Lavi), who also becomes 007 ("I don't do anything, but, unless you're one of them, you do"), Sir James having decided that to create confusion all agents, both male and female, will become 'James Bond, 007'.Sir James personally recruits two new 007 spies. The first is wealthy Vesper Lynd (Ursula Andress: assistant Valentine Dyall), who Sir James persuades using a £5m tax arrears demand (2). Vesper is given the task of approaching and recruiting Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers: "Isn't Evelyn a girl's name? No, its mine"), an expert in baccarat at the Buckingham Club, whom Sir James wants to use to defeat Smersh's treasurer, Le Chiffre (Orson Welles), currently gambling with Smersh's money at Casino Royale. She does this, seducing Tremble at her Mayfair flat (to which she has lately had Nelson's Column removed) and also encouraging him to dress up in a number of costumes (including Napoleon - complete with 'Sunny Elba' pamphlet - Hitler and Toulouse-Lautrec: "Come on, you have more to do". "More?!"). Tremble, now also James Bond, 007, goes to Q (Geoffrey Bayldon) and his fey assistant Fordyce (John Wells) in their cellars full of inept inventions (where he is also shadowed by a dwarf dressed as a garden gnome "He's our security man") for his fitting with a gadget-filled suit ("a little bit tight about the..." "Poison capsule compartment?").Sir James then recruits his own daughter by Mata Hari, Mata Bond (Joanna Pettet), currently working as a living Eastern goddess ("Celestial Virgin of the Sacred Altar" "Figuratively speaking, of course": temple guard Milton Reid, monk John Hollis): there is a superb temple dance sequence. Mata Bond is sent to West Berlin by London taxicab (taxicab driver Bernard Cribbins) to infiltrate International Mothers' Help, known to be a Smersh cover for the Mata Hari School of Dancing, a spy training school, with rather complex neo-Cubist décor, presided over by the formidable Frau Hoffner (Anna Quale) and the diminutive Polo (Ronnie Corbett). Revealing her identity as Mata Hari's daughter, she is shown by Polo to her mother's old room ("What an enormous bed!" "The German army was very large in those days"), where she discovers a secret passageway activated by the cistern, which leads to a projection suite: she also discovers 'little Otto' one of her mother's lovers ("Is he dead?" "Hard to tell. He always looked like that"). She learns that Le Chiffre is, via his agent (Vladek Sheybal) auctioning his art collection of blackmail photographs to raise money: the auction in the auditorium is attended by officers from the British (Jack Gwilliam, Richard Wattis), Chinese (Burt Kwouk), American (Hal Galili) and Russian armies. Warned by the taxi-driver (revealed as Carlton-Towers of the Foreign Office) to prevent Le Chiffre raising the money, as the bidding for the first lot escalates ("Seventy million tons of rice!" "Sixty tons of caviar!"), Mata returns to the projection room, seizes the case of projector slides and flushes them away: she then escapes Polo by unplugging his external heart battery, Frau Hoffner is shot by Otto, and Mata, using a foam fire-extinguisher on the assorted military, makes good her escape with Carlton-Towers (first trying a drain, but on hearing 'What's New, Pussycat', by taxi back to London). Le Chiffre's agent, telephoning him to report his failure, and that Smersh's leader Dr. Noah now knows what Le Chiffre has been up to, is blown up in his telephone box (the explosion also destroys part of the Berlin Wall).Tremble now travels to Casino Royale, where after meeting Matthis, a French inspector of police (with an improbable Scots accent; Duncan Macrae (3)) , and having a car-wash with many eavesdroppers (yet more beautiful girls), in his room meets Miss Goodthighs (Jacqueline Bisset) "the management of the Hotel Tropical present their compliments" who attempts to drug him with doped champagne. Vesper arrives, 'takes care of' Miss Goodthighs, and rouses Tremble.Vesper and Tremble go the Casino: they deposit £100,000 (cashier Graham Stark) and then meet the casino director Slimmington-Jones (Colin Gordon) in his office. Tremble spots that Le Chiffre is using infra-red spectacles to cheat: Vesper steals these: Le Chiffre shows off with some magic (assistants Jennifer Baker, Susan Baker), and then Tremble and Le Chiffre play a very-high-stakes baccarat game (50 million francs: ~£3.6m or $10m at the time), which Tremble ultimately wins. Tremble takes his winnings as a cheque drawn on a Swiss bank.On the way out of the Casino, Vesper is kidnapped: Tremble, advised of this by the doorman (John Bluthal) follows in a racing car (the racing car driver Sterling Moss, as himself, having run off) but is also captured by Le Chiffre, who wants the cheque. Placed in a very elaborate but broken chair in Le Chiffre's dungeon, he suffers torture - not physical, but mental - eventually becoming a Scot in full Highland costume attacked by four Scots marching bands (including Peter O'Toole), he is rescued by Vesper using a machine gun disguised as bagpipes, who then, however, betrays and kills him (and presumably takes the cheque: "Never trust a rich spy'). Le Chiffre is then killed by Smersh agents sent by Dr. Noah.Back in London, Sir James goes to see the Prime Minister, leaving Mata to sight-see ("Mummy would have taken me in" "Mummy took everyone in"): she is captured by a Household Cavalry officer () on horseback and taken by flying saucer, which lands on the now-vacated site of Nelson's Column, to Casino Royale, where, it is now revealed, the secret headquarters of Smersh's leader Dr. Noah are located (announcer Valentine Dyall). Advised of this by former agent Mimi, now a nun collecting donations ("This department has always been very helpful to needy girls") Sir James and Moneypenny follow to Casino Royale: attacked in the casino director's room (which is a lift connecting to Dr. Noah's HQ, activated by pushing the eye of a stuffed tiger) they eventually win through to an audience hall with chairs made of gold ingots to see Dr. Noah himself - who turns out to be Sir James' missing nephew, Jimmy Bond. Jimmy is however speechless in his uncle's presence: "I never should have let Nellie send him to progressive school... I'm beginning to think you're a trifle neurotic". Dr. Noah/Jimmy reveals part of his plans (using a taped message); to release a bacillus which will leave all women beautiful and all men shorter than himself; and then hits a gong to summon his staff and have Sir James and Moneypenny incarcerated.Dr. Noah then reveals to The Detainer, whom he has also captured, stripped and strapped down to a couch ("I learnt that in the Boy Scouts"), his desire to outshine his uncle, and the rest of his plans: to substitute robot doubles for all world leaders (some of which he has already done). He also shows her a pill he has invented, which "looks like an aspirin, it tastes like an aspirin, but it is not an aspirin" - it is in fact an atomic bomb, which goes off after 400 chain reactions. Feigning interest in him, she is released, steals the pill, and manages to slip it into his champagne, and he starts his hiccup-visualized countdown.Sir James, Mata, Moneypenny and Coop (captured earlier) now manage to escape the psychedelically-decorated room in which they have been imprisoned (using exploding 'vaporized lysergic acid' (4)), and making their way back to the audience hall ("Super place for a coming-out party") and meeting up with The Detainer, find their way back to the Casino (with the aid of Frankenstein's monster: David Prowse). Whilst The Detainer escapes, Sir James tries to call London for aid, but is stopped by Vesper; "Dear Vesper. The things you do for money": who has, however, apparently fallen in love with him, and everything that has happened has been a plan to lure him to her at Casino Royale. He overpowers her, and then he and the remaining James Bonds initiate an attack on the Smersh agents in the Casino, aided by the French (Jean-Paul Belmondo: translates 'Merde!' as 'Ouch') and the Americans, both horse-riding Cowboys and tomahawk-wielding Red Indians (air-dropped with tepees as parachutes: Ransome reappears also): George Raft (as himself) shots himself during the affray, and the Keystone Cops have a cameo. Dr. Noah appears with the final chain-reaction countdown hiccups, and the Casino is explosively completely destroyed, killing all five remaining James Bonds (Sir James, Coop, Vesper, Mata, Moneypenny), as well as Dr. Noah/Jimmy Bond. The closing song explains that six James Bonds (including Tremble) go to "a heavenly spot", Jimmy to "a place where it's terribly hot").Notes:
(1) For younger readers: During the Cold War, the city of Berlin was divided by the Berlin Wall (1961-1989) into West Berlin (under Allied control: the Wall surrounded this) and East Berlin (under Soviet control). One of the motifs of the film is that the International Mothers' Help building straddles the border, this being reflected in the interior décor and lighting, and a symbolic rope bisecting the auditorium.
(2) In 1967, £5m was half of art auctioneers Christie's annual turnover. Nowadays (2009) it buys 10% of a Titian.
(3) There is also a brief pre-credits scene where Tremble (as James Bond) and the Inspector meet in a pissoir
(4) Lysergic acid is a precursor for lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD - very Sixties). As its melting point is 240oC, and its (theoretical) vaporization point considerably higher (it degrades), a certain technical liberty is taken by considering it to be an explosive vapour collectable in a seat-cushion-cover in the film(Original version retained below - fades a bit to the end)Any movie directed by 5 different people is bound
to be confusing. This is, off course, no exception.The movie starts off with James Bond (Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers)) meeting Lieutenant Mathis
(Duncan Macrae) of the Special Police in a pissouir in Paris. After Bond checks Mathis' credentials, he follows him out.The credits roll.4 cars come in from different directions - a Citroen, a Cadilac, a Bently, and what appears to be something Russian. The 4 chaufers wait by their cars as the 4 passengers get into a Rolls Royce, driven by a fifth chaufer.Through conversations between M (McTarry (John Huston)), Ransome (William Holden), Le Grand (Charles Boyer), and Smernov (Kurt Kasznar), we learn that this is the home of the original James Bond. He is pure of mind and body. They property is protected by many lions.James is exercising as the gentlemen arrive. He has a stutter. He complains that the agent that replaced him as James Bond 007 is leaving a trail of dead women behind; that the new gadgets have taken the honour from the profession.He takes them outside to show them his black rose. Each spy head complains that they are losing agents at an alarming rate. They want James to come out of retirement to fix their shared problems.James interrupts them to play some Debussy. We learn that Bond retired because he had to lure his lover, Mata Hari, to her death. He returns from playing. M shows him a letter from the Queen. Still, he refuses the request to return to duty. M lights a cigar as a signal, and British troops bomb the property. His mansion is destroyed and M's toupee is blown off.Cut to a Smersh control room. We hear the head of Smersh (Authority) tell them that James Bond is back, with his morals, vows, and celebate image in tact. He tells them to initiate Plan B to attempt to destroy that image.We see James driving his Morgan (?) through the British countryside into Scotland. Various spys report his progress. We learn that he is heading for M's (McTarry's) castle. Plan B is in operation with Agent Mimi taking the place of M's widow (Lady Fiona) because she has the best Scot's accent.Sir James presents the remains of M to Lady Fiona (Deborah Kerr). They explain that they'd heard of the death from the Grey Piper. The room is full of women, mourning. They prepare a traditional hagis feast for midnight, where they will dance the traditional Scotish Fling and drink Ouskabar. It is explained (there's a lot of explaining going on, but it really doesn't help) that they drink until they drop in their tracks, then after an hour's rest, the piper awakes them for the morning grouse shoot.James is shown to his room, where Meg and Heather help him undress for his bath. The room is full of paintings of nude women. Meg and Heather tell him that they are 2 of M's 11 daughters - all between the ages of 16 and 19. As they walk down the hall to the bath, they walk past a series of bedrooms, each with a gorgeous girl peering out.James goes into the bath room and starts to undress, when he notices that 17 year old Buttercup is in the tub - testing the water temperature ("Daddy's little thermometer"). She invites him in to scrub his back. James has to turn on the cold water to avoid certain embarassment.Cut to James' room, where we see Meg and Heather swapping a button on his coat - but they are speaking French! We learn that the button is to be used only as a last resort - that Mimi's never failed before.At the hagis feast, everyone is drinking scotch. Two girls have their legs entwined with James at the table, as he listens to Mimi pass on some of the McTarry folklore. Everyone eventually passes out except James, who takes his cup and the scotch decanter up to his room.He's enjoying a nightcap as Mimi comes in and declares "her Widow's Due", insisting that James "doodle her". He refuses, so she insists that he "pay the piper". She blows a silly trumpet solo on a hunting horn, and calls the huge Scottish pipers in. They are going to "wassle" - play catch with heavy stone cannon balls.The first 5 do themselves in trying to lift and throw the balls. The sixth manages a throw that James catches and throws back. The piper catches the ball, but the weight forces him back, into an armour display, which falls on him and knocks him out. James then picks up the last wassle ball and karate chops it in 2. Mimi is stricken. She praises him in French, blowing her cover. The other girls realize, and lock Mimi in her room.The next morning, James is out for the grouse shoot. Mimi's locked in her room, and realizes that James is in trouble. The truck that brought the beaters is actually a launcher of exploding grouse. Mimi escapes by sliding down a drainpipe outside her window, and come to warn James that the button on his coat is actually a homing device. He shoots the grouse before they can get too close, and tells Mimi to take off his braces. They use them like a slingshot to fire the button back towards the beaters. The beaters use a garter belt to fling the homing button back. James grabs the return shot, and Mimi is able to fire it into the grouse launcher. Mimi is injured, and commits herself to a nunnery. She tells James that they are run by International Mother's Help in Berlin.James leaves the McTarry estate, but is followed by a woman driving an E-Type Jaguar. The women in the Smersh control room activate a rigged milk truck. Through some tricky driving, James gets in front of the Jag, and the milk truck loses its visual feed to Control. Control has to set the truck to automatic. James drives into his gated estate and gets the gate closed as the Jag spins into them. The milk truck plows into the Jag, and they both explode.James shows up at MI5, sees Moneypenny, and gives her a big kiss. Moneypenny enjoys it, but explains that she is actually Moneypenny's daughter. James is on a mission, and has lost his stammer. He meets Hadley, who is also the son of the original Hadley.Hadley goes over the state of MI5's agents. Most have been lured to their death by enemy women agents. The replacement James Bond has quit to "do television". James' nephew, Jimmy Bond was working as a spy in the Caribbean, but hasn't been heard from in a while. In a flashback, we see Jimmy (Woody Allen) about to face a firing squad. He escapes using an exploding cigarette.James assigns Moneypenny to find a replacement 007 agent that is desireable to women, but can be trained to resist them. She selects agent Cooper, and spends the night confirming that he is good with women. The next day, she is having trouble staying awake, but James likes Coopers credentials (6" 2 1/2', 184 lbs, Kama Sutra Black Belt).James announces that all remaining agents and trainees will be known as "James Bond 007" to confuse the enemy.Cooper goes through his anti-female training, flipping off a girl dressed identically to Ursula Andres in Dr. No. The third girl appears later as Dr. Noah's prisoner.James shows up at the headquarters of Vesper Lynd (Ursula Andress). We learn that she is the world's richest spy. She negotiates a trade of the Eiffel Tower for nuclear warheads, and purchases the Lord Nelson's statue. James requests her help in exchange for reducing a large writ for tax arears.Vesper approaches Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers) at the Buckingham Club. They come close to kissing, as Vesper suggestively tells him that she would like to go over some of the passeges in his book on winning at Baccarat. She has been reading it in her bed. She will send her car to bring him to her place.Evelyn arrives as Vesper is disposing of a body. In one of the best looking shots in the movie, they walk behind a huge aquarium - in slow motion - to "The Look of Love" song. Vesper is waiting for Evelyn on (in?) her sunken couch. Evelyn admires Lord Nelson's statue from her window. After some suggestive banter, we see Evelyn exercising in his pyjamas and Vesper wearing a nightgown. She films Evelyn dressing up as Hitler, Napolion (complete with a "Sunny Elba" brochure) and Toulouse-Lautrec. She requests his help in breaking La Chiffre, who likes to play high stakes Baccarat. Evelyn accepts, and agrees to become James Bond for the assignment.Evelyn shows up at the MI5 training facility, where we see frog-men firing bows and arrows and a drill sergent leading his men into an elevator. Evelyn is fitted with a wrist-TV, and body armour vest.Cut to James Bond's office, and James has learned that International Mother's Help (IMH) is a Smersh front. He decides that Mata Bond should try to infiltrate. She is his iligitmate daughter with Mata Hari.She gets to IMH and destroys the slides, forcing Le Chiffre to play baccarat.Tremble to France / Carwash / Miss GoodthighsVesper & Tremble to CasinoLe Chiffre's Magic, swap glassesTremble plays one hand, and loses. Le ChiffreStirling MossBig disconnect - Bond is Le Chiffre's prisoner - mind tortureVesper kills Tremble, Dr. Noah's men kill Le ChiffreMata kidnapped - Mimi gives a hintAmbushed in casino officeEscape, but end up in front of Dr. NoahDr. Noah is Jimmy Bond (Woody Allen)BacilliusThe DetainerLooks like an Asperin, tastes like an asperin. 400 tiny little time pills.Vaporized Lysergic Acid - Agent Cooper returnsFrankenstein to officeVesper pulls gun on EvelynAmerican AidMonkey wearing toupeeIndiansPolice - Keystone CopsExplosion | murder, cult, violence, absurd, psychedelic, satire, comic, revenge | train | imdb | What should stink of embarrassing desperation, instead proves to cheerfully insane, unpredictable and remarkably free of common sense.The film was intended to be the ultimate spy spoof, an attempt to out-Bond the James Bond movies and their innumerable imitators.
The cast is slumming in style (where else can you find Orson Welles, John Huston and Woody Allen hamming it up in the same film or Peter O'Toole, George Raft, Charles Boyer and Jean-Paul Belmondo dropping in for fleeting cameos?) And you have one of the best soundtrack albums ever, including Herb Alpert's title track and Dusty Springfield's sexy, sultry rendition of the Bacharach and David classic "The Look of Love." Plus, you get Woody Allen as an evil genius out to take over the world and Deborah Kerr dangling from the drain pipe of a Scottish castle.And, to some extend, the film gets Bond right.
NO was a great hit in the early 1960s, and Eon quickly snapped up the rights to the rest of Ian Flemming's novels about super spy James Bond--except for the CASINO ROYALE, which had already been purchased earlier by CBS for a 1950s television adaptation.
The result is one of the most bizarre films imaginable.The story, such as it is, finds James Bond (David Niven) called out of retirement to deal with the sudden disappearance of secret agents all over the world.
Eventually all the Bonds, including (through the magic of editing) Peter Sellers, wind up at Casino Royale, where they confront the evil agents of SMERSH and a diabolical mad man with a plot to rule the world.The plot is absolute chaos, but that doesn't prevent the film from being a lot of fun to watch.
Most threads are just completely abandoned after awhile.The story, which is very loosely based on Ian Fleming's James Bond novel Casino Royale (published in 1953--it's the first Bond novel), is a spoof of the typical adventure featuring the infamous secret agent.
Feldman had different writer/director teams create their own, parodic Bond segments that would be loosely tied together--it was almost a filmic version of the "Exquisite Corpse" game, in which you fold a piece of paper so that you can't see other persons' work, and you have to continue the drawing on your section with only a couple visual anchors.Each segment features a different set of stars--the primary sets centering on Niven, Woody Allen, and Peter Sellers with Ursula Andress and Orson Welles.
However, Bond films aren't quite convoluted or messy enough to deserve this kind of spoofing, so excusing the messiness of the whole to parodic intent seems an over-ambitious stretch.Casino Royale is worth seeing, particularly if you're a big Bond fan or a big fan of any of the cast, or even if you just like a lot of late 1960s/early 1970s big, madcap comedies.
Some of the faces only feature for a few moments (Peter O'Toole's part is tiny, for one), others, like Sellers, Allen, Niven and Welles, do enough to create truly memorable characters despite the frantic pace of much of the film (I still cannot think of Welles' face without those scary shades).
This movie will challenge many who cannot break-out of the mold of needing a firm plot and some commonsense, but in this regard it is much like a comedic version of a David Lynch film, and I enjoyed Twin Peaks: The Movie even if I still don't get it.So watch this for the crackling one-liners, ridiculously pretty women, lurid sets and the most completely unself-conscious approach to making a comedy that I have ever seen.
What a mess of the royal proportions - such a great cast (Peter Sellers, David Niven, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Ursula Andress, Deborah Kerr, and Jean-Paul Belmondo), the James Bond's story, plenty of beautiful (and I mean it) girls, the music by Burt Bacharach, most famous sets - but the movie is almost totally unwatchable.
Things get more confusing as many other agents (also called James Bond) get involved!With only the number of uncredited writers outweighing the number of directors, this film screams 'mishmash' and indeed, it transpires, that that's exactly what it is a silly mess which amazingly manages to be less than the sum of its parts.
Allen is an unusual find here and in fairness he is actually funny because he brings his stand up routine to the role and seems to just be having a laugh as he goes.Even to waste these three actors is a crime, but when you consider that the film also has Orson Welles, Ursula Andrews, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, John Huston, George Raft, Jacqueline Bisset, Derek Nimmo, Ronnie Corbett, Bernard Cribbins, Peter O'Toole, Stirling Moss, David Prowse, Burt Kwouk, John Le Mesurier and a few others then you have to wonder how so many people were fooled into appearing in this.
I can only imagine how good it seemed at the development stage ('Bond but with laughs') but I doubt if any of those involved are actually proud to have this on their cv.Overall this is a pretty awful film but I suppose you may get a few laughs out of it if you can buy into the silly tone but I'm afraid I wasn't even able to get close to the mind state needed to enjoy this.
At least it must be the worst ever misuse of a great cast: Peter Sellers, David Niven, Woody Allen, Orson Welles, Deborah Kerr...Some bad films actually become tolerable or even funny just because they are so bad.
Its attempts at comedic surrealism were in vain.The other Bond films up to the Casino Royale of 1967 starring the softly-spoken, Scottish James Bond everyone liked were cleverly satirical and ironic with Sean Connery delivering his lines with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek and a wry smile on his lips.
Even so, the wonderful actors David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress and more make this movie one of a kind.The sixties feeling is soothing with the music of Burt Bacharach.
A harsh feud between Orson Welles and Peter Sellers had erupted behind the scenes, but the movie was such a mishmash not all the movie stars in the world working in perfect harmony could have rescued it.The story is supposed to be a spoof of the Bond series.
Besides Peter Sellers and Woody Allen, the movie also features Orson Welles, David Niven, William Holden and John Huston among many other great and well known actors.
And above all its sloppy.One scene very typical of Casino Royale is the gambling scene: Peter Sellers is Bond(at least i think so) and Orson Wells is the villain le Chiffre.
Despite the problems, parts are greater than the whole of this film and some scenes are truly funny, others are campy, and many are sharp spoofs of 60s Bond films - The German school of spying is great, as is any scene with Woody Allen, and all of the bond girls in their over- the-top outfits are entertaining.So, if you think this film looks like it was shot on acid, there is a reason!.
Before I continue, I need to say that the one I am reviewing is definitely not the new film, rather it is a 60s spoof of the James Bond Series starring Woody Allen, Peter Sellers, David Niven, and Ursula Andress.
There's also a plot surrounding a particular James Bond impersonator played by the masterful Peter Sellers in a pretty decent role as the closest thing to the novel from which it's based.I can't really recommend this film because most people who see it will probably hate it simply because it makes no sense at all.
In an early spy spoof, aging Sir James Bond comes out of retirement to take on SMERSH.I hate to say that I did not really enjoy this movie.
Directed by five different directors, its two major stars (David Niven and Peter Sellers) never sharing a scene, the film shows zero coherence in design or execution.
When spies start dropping like flies, targets of a secret organization, East and West come together to coax Sir James back into the game.I enjoy watching "Casino Royale" for its lost-in-time ambiance, and for little things like the boxy cut of Barbara Bouchet's eyelashes and the creaking percussion of Dusty Springfield's centerpiece song, "The Look Of Love." But all this points up how cinema works best as communal and not individual entertainment.
It's a great set, and great music, but the elements never come together, so the scene drags.Occasionally there are laughs, as when Daliah Lavi introduces herself: "I'm the new secret weapon, and I've just been perfected." Woody Allen gets off some good lines, too, but he's hardly in the film.
CASINO ROYALE, a 1967 spoof of the whole James Bond spy genre, has to be one of the messiest films ever made.
An appears-in-anything Ursula Andress is the crumpet, while the supporting cast in this bloated production is packed with cameoing stars like Deborah Kerr, John Huston, William Holden, and even one Woody Allen playing 'Jimmy Bond'.CASINO ROYALE has an episodic structure that is generally hard to watch as most of the supposed funny bits are anything but.
His role is rather brief, but it contains some of his funniest lines ("My doctor said I cannot have bullets enter my body at any time!") and physical comedy EVER!2) The production is lavish, full of bright colors and large-scale sets.3) The women look fantastic, especially Ursula Andress (my God!), Barbara Bouchet and Joanna Pettet.4) Burt Bacharach's music and songs are very catchy.There are also some bizarre moments that are neither good nor bad...just interesting (like the appearance of the UFO).BUT...the script is disjointed, the direction has no sense of comic rhythm and, worst of all, most of the comedy is PAINFULLY unfunny.I think it all comes down to this: "Casino Royale" is too pleased with itself.
Hiring an ever-increasing pool of screenwriters, and getting a variety of directors to film various sequences, based on their availability, an 'ultimate' James Bond satire began production.Some of the ideas were quite creative; to bring in past 'Bond' co-star Ursula Andress in a key role; to hire legendary actors who would have been 'believable' in a 'serious' Bond film (Orson Welles as 'Le Chiffre', John Huston as 'M', William Holden as the American intelligence boss); to cast Fleming's own first choice for Bond, David Niven, as the 'original', now retired Sir James Bond; and to include two of the most brilliant comic actors around, Peter Sellers and Woody Allen, as variations of 007.So what went wrong?
Peter Sellers, trying to move beyond comedy, thought he was hired to actually play 007 'straight', and caused considerable delays when he realized he wasn't going to be allowed to; Woody Allen, despite giving the funniest performance in the film, was refused the right to rewrite the script (which was being filmed in scattered pieces, all over the lot), and publicly blasted the film; there was no cohesiveness in any of the various plot lines, making the film editors' job a nightmare; even the music score, by Burt Bacharach, teetered between light-hearted bounce and silliness and more serious motifs (represented by the song, "The Look of Love"), uncertain which direction the film was going.By the time the production 'wrapped', I think Feldman wished he'd paid Connery's salary!
Deathray" and "Operation Double 007," best endured in their MST3K incarnations).While this movie is all over the place and hard to defend, it does at least offer: some pretty hilarious sketches (all the David Niven/Deborah Kerr stuff, Peter Seller's obvious unease around Orson Welles, Joanna Pettet in East Berlin), some gorgeous 60's babes whose screen careers never quite panned out (Pettet, Daliah Lavi, Barbara Bouchet) and a simply extraordinary Burt Bacharach score.You need to be in a somewhat indulgent mood for this one (and try to see it letterboxed on disc or DVD), but it's a movie that always makes me smile (I'm more inclined to watch it again than any of the "real" Bond movies) and always a pure romp.Viva "Casino Royale"!
The original Casino Royale has an all star cast included Peter Sellers, David Niven, Ursula Andress, Joanna Pettet, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Daliah Lavi, Charles Boyer, Peter O'Toole, Jacqueline Bissett, and John Huston.
Casino Royale" is definitely not a James Bond film, its not either a parody of Bond films as you could call the Derek Flint or Matt Helm issues and if its a comedy it is not funny at all.The script is poor, the dialogues don't make any sense, the plot is a mess and as for comedy just a couple of smiles (in more than 2 hours run) with Woody Allen or perhaps Peter Sellers).The whole thing is impossible to defend, its a really bad film and a truly waste of a story and an all star cast with real big names.
There are some good bits, like when Peter Sellers and Orson Welles are playing baccarat but they are outnumbered by many scenes just falling flat especially the over the top farce ending.With five directors the movie was bound to be unusual, but this movie isn't weird enough to be cool or straight enough to be classed as a "normal" spy movie.If you want a decent spy movie then rent any Sean Connery Bond, or if you want a classic slice of 60s psychedelia then watch "Head" starring the Monkees, or "Magical Mystery Tour".
Imagine wasting actors such as Peter Sellers (who plays, apparently, a zombie), David Niven, Charles Boyer, Orsen Welles, William Holden, Jean-Paul Belmondo, George Raft, Jacqueline Bisset, Ursula Andress, Woody Allen (back when he was funny in the 60s) and Deborah Kerr!!!
Yes this Bond spoof is a very silly , self indulgent and daft mess with bits like Tremble getting into a racing car and the ending that don't even begin to make sense but there are also some fun moments like Jimmy Bond facing the firing squad and a few smart lines : " Mummy would take me in - yes well mummy took everyone in " Despite all the madcap moments at least the cast manage to keep their dignity which isn't always true of madcap comedies from the 1960s ( Check out Jack Lemmon in THE GREAT RACE to see what I mean ) and CASINO ROYALE has a good soundtrack .
It is so bad you would think that the producers deliberately made it a dud to prank the paying public.Worst thing is, it has an incredible cast: Orson Welles, Peter Sellers, David Niven, William Holden, Woody Allen, Ursula Andress, Deborah Kerr, John Huston, Jean-Paul Belmondo, George Raft, Jacqueline Bisset, Ronnie Corbett, Peter O'Toole (very briefly).
Long before Austin Powers, Charles Feldman, against his will, did a spoof of the James Bond movies with Casino Royale.
David Niven is a stiff, Woody Allen in an early performance is a crack-up, Peter Sellers never looked so lost, and the music is fun, but other than that, it's pretty much a mess.William Holden, Charles Boyer, Deborah Kerr, and George Raft are completely wasted.
James Bond, Burt Bacharach, Herb Alpert, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, Woody Allen, Paco Rabanne clothes, spies, babes in miniskirts, "special" effects, gigantic sets, psychedelic scenes, Terry Southern humor, gadgets galore, cameo appearances stars ,stars, stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, Charles Boyer, John Huston, George Raft, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jacqueline Bissett – these are just among the bigger names of filmdom for the time..
Well, after a circus line-up of no less than five directors (including John Huston), three scripters (not including ghostwriters Woody Allen, Peter Sellers, Billy Wilder, Terry Southern and Ben Hecht(!)), an enormously eclectic cast, and swarms of unbilled star cameos, this is the elephant they hatched.David Niven (who, by the way, was Fleming's "personal" choice to play "007" in the popular film series) plays an aging Sir James Bond who reluctantly comes out of retirement to do battle with his old nemesis, the syndicate SMERSH (they should have called it CHAOS), after international spies are being knocked off left and right.
"Cassino Royale" was supposed to be a psychedelic and funny spoof of James Bond movies.
How many times the viewer has the chance to see names like Peter Sellers, David Niven, Ursula Andrews, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, Charles Boyer, John Houston, Jean-Paul Bemondo, Jacqueline Bisset, Peter O'Toole, Anjelica Huston and other less famous actors and actresses acting together in the same film?
This "spoof" of the James Bond films falls very short of being as funny as everyone thinks it is.The plot does not make a bit of sense and you find yourself thinking "what is the point of this movie?".I DO NOT laugh at all during the movie.
Secondly, they had a great cast (David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, etc.).
Hijinks ensues.The film boasts a cast that includes David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, Deborah Kerr, Orson Welles, and many other stars in roles of varying significance.
But it screams '60s British ridiculousness, so if that's what you're looking for, you may enjoy CASINO ROYALE.From the makers of WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT?, this film is notable for its star-studded cast and legendary production complications, as well as its legacy as a piece of James Bond trivia.
Possibly a perfect example of how NOT to make a movie (nine writers and five directors, unreliable star, etc.), CASINO ROYALE makes absolutely no sense, is impossible to follow in any conventional plot sense, and just plain completely loopy.Nonetheless, it does have a quirky, wonked-out charm all it's own (you'd be hard-pressed to find another film remotely like it), and certainly gains with multiple viewing, provided you make it through the first time.In any case, it's certainly more entertaining than some of the later-day James Bond flicks with Roger Moore . |
tt1031254 | Lost Boys: The Tribe | Chris Emerson (Tad Hilgenbrink) and his sister Nicole (Autumn Reeser), children of Michael Emerson (from the first The Lost Boys movie) have moved to the surfside town of Luna Bay, California following the death of their parents. They rent a house from their Aunt Jillian (Gabrielle Rose), and Chris sets out to find a job as a surfboard shaper. The only surfboard shaper in town is Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman), so Chris leaves his name and address on Edgar's screen door. Later, as he's watching the sun set over the ocean, he is approached by Shane Powers (Angus Sutherland), who Chris recognizes as "the greatest surfer in the world," but who just up and disappeared. Shane invites Chris to a surfer party. At first, Chris doesn't want to go, but Nicole talks him into it. Neither Chris nor Nicole know that Shane is a vampire.At the party, while Chris is in the shower with Lisa Thompson (Moneca Delain), Nicole links up with Shane. Shane tricks her into drinking some of his blood from his hipflask and then takes her for a motorcycle ride. By the time they get back, Chris is hopping mad, punches Shane in the mouth, and tells him to stay away from his sister. On the way home, as Chris reads the riot act to Nicole, she suddenly starts feeling sick. He helps her into the house, telling her that she's probably just drunk. Nicole grabs him by the throat, hoists him up into the air, and says, "I'm not drunk." Suddenly, she is hit on the back of the head, drops Chris, and falls to the floor. Edgar Frog introduces himself as "surfboard shaper and vampire hunter." Chris takes a swing at Edgar, and when Edgar tells him that his sister is one of the undead, Chris kicks him out of the house.Just after kicking out Edgar, Chris hears a knock on the door. Thinking Edgar has returned, Chris opens the door angrily and sees Lisa standing there. She takes off her clothes and asks him to invite her in so that they can finish what they started in the shower. Once inside, she jumps all over him, so much that he fights her off, causing her to accidentally become impaled on a rack of antlers hanging on the wall. When her body suddenly turns to stone and explodes into pieces, Chris can see that she definitely was not human, so the next morning he pays Edgar a visit. Edgar explains that Nicole is still just a "half vampire" and won't gain full status until she makes her first kill. After downing a glass of "Frog juice" (garlic, holy water, and a raw egg), Edgar also tells Chris that the only way to save Nicole's mortal soul is by killing the head vampire before Nicole gets a chance to feed.That evening, Nicole wakes up hungry, but not for food. She phones Evan (Greyston Holt), a guy she met on her first day in Luna Bay, and invites him over. When he arrives, she immediately takes off her blouse and begins to loosen his clothes. Just as she's about to bite into his neck, Chris comes home and puts a stop to it. He kicks Evan out, but Evan gets attacked by vampires anyway while on his way home. Edgar and Chris decide that the best chance they have of destroying Shane is by finding the vampires' nest. In order to do that, Chris offers to become one of them so that he can be taken into the nest; he also promises to betray them to Edgar in the end.Meanwhile, Nicole has awakened and been summoned by Shane to meet him at the nest. Chris reports Nicole as a missing person, but Sheriff McGraw (Daryl Shuttleworth) doesn't seem concerned and shows him the large number of missing person reports, one of which includes Evan, hanging on the wall. When Chris exits the sheriff's station, he is met by vampire Jon (Kyle Cassie), who offers to take him to Nicole at their nest. Nicole has chosen to be with Shane, who explains to Chris that becoming a vampire means that you will never grow old, never die, and never know fear again. Later, when the Tribe storms the Sheriff's station and leads the cops on a wild goose chase, Chris joins in with them, but when they return to their nest, they refuse to allow Chris to enter.The following night, Chris joins the Tribe, who are entertaining some girls around a campfire. Along the way, Shane passes around his hipflask, and Chris takes a long drink from it, starting himself on the way to turning into a vampire. Shane and Nicole decide to leave the party, but Chris is ordered to stay behind. Suddenly, the remaining vampires leap on the girls and begin drinking their blood. Chris pretends to go after one of the girls, but he actually tells her to run. Unfortunately, the vampires see what he's doing and start beating up Chris. Chris stakes Jon with a tree branch, but Erik (Merwin Mondesir) and Kyle (Shaun Sipos) move in for the kill. Suddenly Edgar arrives armed with wooden stakes, and Eric and Kyle run off.Chris and Edgar set out to rescue Nicole and kill Shane. While Chris drives to the nest, Edgar introduces him to his vampire hunting arsenal -- wooden stakes, metal stakes, resin stakes (light and easy to handle), an air-propelled rocket grenade launcher for holy water balloons, and a garlic bola. While Chris and Edgar search the subterranean bowels of the nest, first impaling Erik with a boring drill and then blasting off Kyle's head with the holy water balloon launcher, Nicole is being led by Shane to a coffin where a victim is being held for her first kill. Shane opens the coffin, and Nicole sees Evan lying there. She tells Shane that she can't do it.Chris makes it to the vampires' great room where he is joined by Shane. Chris leaps at Shane, and the two of them have at each other. Nicole walks in and tells Shane not to hurt her brother. When Shane doesn't stop, Nicole runs a stake through his chest. Shane tries to pull Nicole onto stake with him, but Chris decapitates Shane first. As Shane's body bursts into flames, Edgar arrives. "Build a man a fire and he's warm for the day," Edgar says, "but start a fire in a man and he's warm for the rest of his life." He then tells the Emersons that they'll be getting a bill for his services. Edgar and Evan leave together. Chris and Nicole, now cured of their vampirism, go home where they are confronted by their Aunt Jillian who accuses them of using drugs.In a final scene after the credits start to roll, Edgar meets up with Sam Emerson (Corey Haim), who is now a vampire. Sam says that he's come for Edgar, and Edgar says that he won't show him any mercy. The two then charge each other, and the credits resume. [written by BJ Kuehl] | violence, cruelty, murder, sadist | train | imdb | It seem to mix up Sam Emerson's character with Alan frog, having vampires mention Edgar's brother a few times, then having a 20 second cameo in the end credits with Corey Haim.The first low point, for me anyway, was the amount of swearing in the opening few minutes, it begins right after the Warner logo and is totally unneeded.
There's a cool weapons talk in Edgar frogs van, where he explains all the vampire killing equipment, but this only leads to an end battle which fall flat on its face.There is no plot twist or clever writing of any kind in this movie.
The Tribe saw the return of Corey Haim and Corey Feldman , famous couple by that time , in the 80s playing two Peter Cushing teens , booth of whom made several films as sympathetic adolescent duo ; however today they only play B movies .
Corey Haim returned as well, but only for one scene at the end of the movie, a special cameo , while the other Frog brother, Jamison Newlander, only appeared in an alternate ending found on the DVD .
It defiantly wasn't a bad film.Pros The cinematography was good The head vampire was pretty cool.I loved watching Edgar Frog again and Feldman did a great job at playing the character again.Cons The vampires looked like pigs, what was that about????
Ironically, however, if this film were released without the 'Lost Boys' title, it would probably have gone down as a decent modern vampire flick; but the film has given itself too much to live up to, and it really never had a chance of doing justice to the 1987 horror classic.
The film went direct to video, which is never a good sign and its cheap look and lack of original ideas ensures that it justifies this release; although on its own merits, The Lost Boys 2 is actually not too bad a film.
However, it's not long before they realise that the surfer crowd are actually vampires and when the sister falls for the head vampire, the brother has to act fast to save her.The story that the film is based on is clearly a direct rip-off of the original Lost Boys with only some minor character changes, although it is at least interesting.
Director P.J. Pesce does try, however, and does this mainly through bringing back Cory Feldman to reprise his role as one half of the vampire hunting Frog Brothers from the original film.
The acting was awful and there were hardly any vampire moments.It was cool that Corey Feldman returns but does'nt show up much and his brother is not in it.The script was stupid, basically the whole film is stupid.
but the good news is that, although nowhere near on a par with the 80s original, The Tribe is still an enjoyable ride that remains true to the spirit of its predecessor: it's tongue is firmly in cheek, the vampires are cool (and once again make being undead look like a viable option), the characters are likable, and, best of all, Corey Feldman returns as comic-book-loving vampire hunter Edgar Frog.The film opens with a group of young surfers breaking into the grounds of an exclusive beach-front property for a spot of late night wave action, only to be confronted by the landowner, a rather miffed vampire (played by FX legend Tom Savini).
Now I don't know about you, but any film that begins with Tom Savini having his noggin bloodily removed and kicked into his pool gets my full attention (and admiration)!After this gory introduction, it's into the story proper, which sees a pair of orphaned teenage siblings, ex-surfer Chris (Tad Hilgenbrink) and his hottie sister Nicole (Autumn Reeser), experiencing vampire trouble after going to to stay with their aunt in Santa Carla (which, as we all know, is a haven for the pale of skin and pointy of tooth): Nicole is seduced by head vamp Shane (Angus Sutherland, Kiefer's half-brother) and becomes a half-vampire, and it is up to her older brother to save her from eternal youth and all-night partying (I said this film made vampirism seem appealing, didn't I!).As you can probably tell, the plot ain't exactly groundbreaking, being not much more than a reworking of the original film, but this matters not: there is still plenty of fun to be had, with some nice in-jokes (the fat shirtless Sax player was priceless!), sexy shenanigans with one hell of a horny undead babe who takes a shine to Chris, and the inevitable showdown at the end, which sees Edgar breaking out his full arsenal of vampire-slaying weapons for the occasion.It would be easy to dismiss this STV effort as a cheap cash-in on a cult favourite (it is definitely a shame that a sequel to such a great 80s classic didn't get a bigger budget and a major release); however, if you approach The Tribe with an open mind and without prejudice, then there's a good chance you'll find much to like about it.
When I first heard about it I thought 'It'll be just some B movie fan film', but then I found out both Corey Feldman and Corey Haim are in it, plus the other actor that played the other Frog brother (can't remember his name) in the original film.
If you hate the movie, there is a nice looking boy, who plays the main character- the good guy, out to save his sister from becoming a vampire.
Instead we get Lost Boys 2 where the vamps are a handful of dumb punks, legend lore is tossed out the window in favor of lame special effects, and the experienced vampire hunter hasn't improved his skills since he was 12 and has a sore throat or something - Feldman's voice made me laugh every time he spoke.
Well I was to say the least disappointed with the final product if this is what years of waiting gets me I just wish you had left it alone or maybe at the least you could have given us a half way descent sequel you couldn't even reunite the two Coreys I know Haim was a mess on the set but a competent director could have done something with this mess you totally wasted a prime opportunity in your use of Tom Savini as well, not to give anything away but you blew it.
Horrible!It was just crap!If they are going to make a trilogy,why do they have to screw it up?!The original was better,including the effects,the acting,and the story.The director,producer,and writer didn't even try to make this a good movie.I could tell.I was really disappointed after watching this crap!I can't believe people had to take their time just to make crap!I bet some actors in this movie even hate this load of crap!This movie does not deserve 4.6/10.It deserves 3.4/10 big time!Also it needed lots of razzies!Including it shouldn't be nominated it should win them all!.
I totally get the parallel to the original movie, but the weak fight scenes and effortless slaying of the vampires left me thinking it would not have been difficult to do a better job of those scenes, had someone actually WANTED to present something better than what was shown.One moment the vampires are demonstrating incredible speed and strength, then they are killed with very little effort.
A group of vampires who "are capable of knowing what you are thinking before you do" are surprised and killed because they didn't see what was coming next in the mind of their slayer.Yes, there were a few very attractive young women with very little clothing, and while that might carry a film to a certain degree, it wasn't quite enough to save this movie.If I had to guess, they blew the budget on the initiation scene and had nothing left to fund a solid set of fight scenes.Corey Feldman's performance may have been the highlight of the movie..
Chris and Edgar search the hiding place of Shane and his tribe to save Nicole.I saw the trailer of "Lost Boys: The Tribe" and I really expected a great sequel of "Lost Boys", but unfortunately I found a weak reference to the classic vampire movie.
The writer used the same storyline and introduced some gore, many naked or half-naked women (the stunningly hot Moneca Delain, for example, "acts" undressing her tiny bikini and having shower and sex with Chris) and a weird thirty-seven year old Corey Feldman acting like a teenager trying to repeat the success of the original movie.
Like the original, it had a great return from the ultimate vampire geek, Edgar Frog (played brilliantly by Corey Fieldman) when he saved Chris from Nicole as a turning vampire.
I was hoping something cool would happen with their Aunt (who is renting them space) it would have been rad if she was the head vampire and had a classic 1 liner like "couldn't you tell, first I sucked the money out of you, now its your blood" i mean come on there was no mystery to this movie whatsoever.
I don't think it's got the same "epic-ness" of the first, but the aforementioned familiarity with the first might be the cause of that.The acting is actually on par with the first, there are more than a few throwback references to LB, as well as some decent pop culture references that add fun touches throughout.Feldman does an outstanding reprisal of good ol' Edgar Frog, though I would like to see the current relationship with brother Alan explored more...but there was a definite linear storyline that they set up, so I suppose it's just as well they stuck with that.
Unfortunately all the good the writers and director had done in the first film has now to be seriously undermined by this poor excuse of a movie.If you like the occasional low quality, cheesy horror/vampire film and you have little else to do then you might as well watch it.Don't have expectation I believe 3/10 is an accurate score.
I honestly did not know what to expect from Lost Boys : The Tribe.Some sequels made straight-to-DVD result pretty good,like Wrong Turn 2 : Dead End or Species : Awakening.Other ones result pretty bad,like Hollow Man 2 or The Butterfly Effect 2.Fortunately,Lost Boys : The Tribe belongs to the first group.Although this sequel does not equal the excellent first part,I had a very good time watching it.The best element from this movie is the dynamic rhythm,which makes it very entertaining and not boring at all.The special effects do not appear too much but they are well done.Also,almost all the actors made a good work.Besides,the ending is satisfactory.The fails I found on this movie are two.For one sight,the screenplay is a rip-off of the original film.And,for the other sight,the actors who interpret the villain roles are not credible.In spite of that,I liked Lost Boys : The Tribe pretty much.This is a very entertaining rip-off and I enjoyed watching it..
All that mixed with the original idea of Lost Boys is a masterpiece.All and all, I gave this movie 9/10 even though the plot might be a little too close to the original.Watch it, it's time well spent..
I have the unpopular opinion that the original Lost Boys was overrated, I don't think it was a bad film but I don't see it as the cult classic many others do.This blatant cash grab sees Corey Feldman return as Edgar Frog as he comes to the aid of a man whose sister has been taken by vampires and turned into one of the undead horde.This didn't feel like a Lost Boys movie and has an identity of its own.
Sadly that identity is distinctly average and just another vampire movie.It has its moments, the script is well above par and it clearly has a budget behind it but there is little of consequence to get excited for even if you are a fan of the original.If you like Vampires and/or Corey Feldman you can find worse things to do with 90 minutes but if you're expect more of the same as Lost Boys (1987) you'll be sorely disappointed.The Good: Tom Savini Great soundtrack Good script The Bad: Pretty average stuff Things I Learnt From This Movie: None too surprisingly the blood and saltwater experiment is fictional Give a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day, set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
It's too bad there was no surfing in this (since they're supposed to be surfing vamps, in itself a problem...) but who cares, I hate surfing anyway.All of you Lost Boys are sad--unless the movie had your dreamboats like Alex Winter and the rest of your Tiger Beat fantasies you would hate this.And honestly, who cares if Corey Haim isn't in it?
CoreyFeldman looks surprisingly young (compared to his show) and acted quite well (unexpectedly) the scene half-way into the credits was a nice treat along with the references made to the original and the goonies, overall i was quite satisfied and would definitely recommend this.I have to add though, i wish they put a tad bit more effort into it (some more back-story a little more development before the whole shh-bang) and had a cinema release..
It's not a perfect movie - the action is underwritten and the finale is anticlimactic, but there's interesting ideas here and the movie is surprisingly ahead of its time.I really don't get why people complain this one is "too different" from the first one, when it's a textbook "legacy sequel", i.e. a soft reboot/remake which has the same exact plot as the first one with a character from the original (Feldman) showing up in a supporting role.
In fact, I'd argue if this movie never came out, and they were to theatrically remake The Lost Boys today with a big budget, it would probably end up very, very similar to this.Not a must-see by any means, and nowhere as stylish or as fun as the original, but you can do much, much worse..
When the most interesting thing about the movie is that Corey Feldman reprises his role as vampire hunter Edgar Frog, although a 13-year-old acting like a tough vampire hunter is a lot funnier than a 40something vampire hunter, even if it's tongue-in-cheek.
The only things going for this film: Corey Feldman and a guest appearance from Tom Savini in the beginning - that's pretty much it.The film didn't hold my interest at all except for a couple of scenes with Feldman that I stopped fast-forwarding through to watch for him.Maybe I'm just getting old but the original "Lost Boys" is so much better and darker than this one.
No comparison at all.I highly recommend the original "Lost Boys" to vampire fans but not this film "The Tribe" (should be called "The Tripe" - yes it's that awful).2/10 - For Corey Feldman it gets an extra point..
I am a huge fan of the first Lost Boys, and I always liked COrey Feldman but I think this movie is way past his time.
I was never a massive fan of Joel Schumacher's quintessential 80's vamp horror 'The Lost Boys'( although its still a pleasurable outing and I did love its theme song), and I only watched this straight-to-DVD sequel (over twenty years is a long time coming) since it just happened to be on TV at the time.
i for one love this movie cause the head vampire is the real deal hes cool,calm,and is just cool looking.this movie deserves our respect it may be not as good as the first one but its good enough i mean if you don't agree with me then bite me if you are a true lost boys fan then you will like this movie i mean there are a couple of ups and downs but hey what move does'nt now Corey Feldman could've done better on his part but he still brings entertainment.when i saw the beginning i told myself here we go another bad movie but you know what i was wrong they kicked butt in this movie and those motorcycles were off the hook plus the women.corey haim's career R.I.P.1982-1989.
Not with what I've seen in "Lost Boys: The Tribe" so far, at least...About Corey Feldman in this sequel...
But him grunting like Stallone in an over-the-top fashion kind of worked in the original film, since he was a kid there, but in this sequel it came a little close to ridiculous one too many times.As far as I'm concerned - and got pretty disappointed because of it - Corey Haim isn't really in this film.
Haim has a fair amount of dialogue in that scene, and it ties in more with the original film (there's a third character returning also).Apparently a "Lost Boys 3" is in development.
I'm a huge Lost Boys fan & was expecting a lot from the sequel but unfortunately it was not up to scratch although the general set-up was okay, I found that the script was extremely badly written & it wasn't acted too well either.From the get go it was clear this wasn't so much a sequel as trying to up-date the original & it wouldn't have been bad if only they had got a better script writer, the dialogue was awful & the vampires just weren't cool enough they were more like stupid frat boys than the bikers they were in the Lost Boys.The acting was poor too, although Angus Sutherland's acting wasn't bad I couldn't help but compare it to Kiefer's & it was no where as good.
As for Feldman he was as good as in the first but even he could'nt take away from the bad script.Overall its not a complete waste of your time if you like vampire movies but the story is none existent & the actings not fantastic, I'd say if your new to the Lost boys your much better watching the first..
I remember watching the original Lost Boys for the first time when I was a kid and the movie blew me away. |
tt0297102 | Embrace the Darkness II | NOTE: Sequel to Embrace the Darkness (1999).Jennifer Slain [Renee Rea] is undead, and she's moved into Galen's apartment in his absence. When vampire Jack Connor [Tristen Coeur D'Alene] recognizes Jennifer as a fledgling, he invites her to his club where he and his vampire mate Lizzie [Catalina Larrangaga], an ancient and evil vampire of Egyptian origin, sip "hematin" and spend the night f**king and sucking on willing, and sometimes not so willing, mortals. Jack and Lizzie offer to teach Jennifer the ropes (however, Lizzie is secretly jealous of the attention that Jack is paying to Jennifer). Meanwhile, Jennifer's old boyfriend Peter [Sean Vossler] is worried about her sudden disappearance and is searching the clubs for her. When Peter spots her at Jack's club, he tries to talk Jennifer into coming back with him, but she's not interested. So, Peter enlists the help of vampire hunter Van Helsing [John Maryland], whose main prey is Lizzie. Van and Peter break into Jack's club only to find that Lizzie has killed the mayor's daughter and set up Jack to take the fall. Van and Lizzie battle it out, and it looks like Lizzie is going to win. She bites Van and begins to drink his blood, only to discover that he's injected himself with nightshade and his blood is poisonous to her. In anger, Lizzie turns on Jack. To avenge Jack, Jennifer impales Lizzie on a spear. To cover up the murders of Lizzie and the mayor's daughter, Jack sets the club ablaze. | gothic | train | imdb | If you take out the soft porn all your left with is a really bad movie.
This movie is exactly what you'd expect after looking at the cover.
The leading male constantly switches between a bad English accent to an American accent and sometimes even throws in some bad Irish.
Being a vampire movie fan I always enjoy watching them, but this isn't really a vampire movie, it's a soft porn where the 'actors' are trying to accomplish that ever so difficult task of wearing vampire fangs and having sex at the same time.On a more shallow note, the chick who plays Jeniffer is really attractive and if you want to see a hot vampire have a bunch of sex then this is your movie..
The second in the Embrace the Darkness trilogy sees Jennifer now played by soft core stalwart Renee Rea, but unfortunately the story is very similar to the first film with a similar vampire couple - good guy but nasty girl.
We do however get a proper vampire hunter called Van Helsing so that is a difference.Jennifer (Renee Rea) is slowly coming to terms with her life as one of the undead.
She moves into an apartment close to a night club which is owned by Jack (Tristan Coeur D'Alene) and Lizzie (Catalina Larranaga).
Jack and Lizzie recognise Jennifer as being new to the vampire existence and so take her under their wing to teach her the ways of the vampire and to hone her power and skills.
As in the first film, there is an old flame, Peter (Sean Vossler) who is looking for Jennifer but when his attempts to contact her fail, he teams up with vampire hunter Van Helsing (John Maryland).
Meanwhile, Jack has taken a shine to Jennifer, much to the chagrin of Lizzie, who plots her revenge.It is a pity that the writers could not have used a bit more imagination when scripting this story - it is too much like the original.
On that score it is marked down but there is more sex and nudity so for that it is marked up.
The acting is on a par for this type of film and the women look good with a commendation for Diana Espen for her scenes.
5 stars..
don't embrace the dorkness.
Jennifer (now actress Renee Rea as opposed to Madison Clark of the first one) is now a vampire and moves to LA to be at Gaylen place, the Vamp who turned her.
Gaylen being an apropo name for how vampires have been defanged since the vastly overrated Anne Rice.
She of course meets other trendy vamps and they all chill at a nightclub.
Because we all know vamps and nightclubs go together like Rip Taylor and confetti.
Meanwhile the horrible techno-driven theme song plays numerous times.
This is a pretty lame soft-core movie, and as a vampire film it sucks, so par for the course there.
The dialog seems to be made by those dreary goth clowns that you avoided like the plaque in high school.Eye Candy: Jezebelle Bond, Renee Rea, April Flowers, Catalina Larranaga, and Katie Lohmann show various amounts of skin My Grade: D-Where I saw it: Showtime Beyond.
So sequels can be better ....
Although this doesn't say that much, coming from a really bad movie.
But replacing the lead actress from the first one, was a step in the right direction.
This still is soft-core don't get it wrong, but it does have a decent story to hold together the raunchy things going on every 5 minutes or so.
Actually it makes you wish, there was more story and less smooching (code for simulated intercourse), but you can't have it all now, can you?
Exactly.After the awful first one, I shouldn't have continued watching, but I went ahead.
I did fast forward the inappropriate scenes, to get the most out of the story, which is a continuation of the first one.
Not great by all means, but made with more effort than the first one and more emphasis on the "story" part..
The continuing adventures of Jennifer the vampire..
This review contains spoilers.This movie picks up right where Embrace the Darkness left off.
Jennifer is now a vampire.
She's also played by a different actress (Renee Rea).
I liked the original Jennifer better but Renee is plenty attractive as well.The rest of the movie plays out very much like the first one did.
Jennifer meets two other vampires.
The girl vampire (Catalina Larranaga) is bad, but the guy vampire is good.
Most of the movie follows the same formula.
Vampire gets hungry.
Vampire finds a mortal who looks tasty.
Vampire has sex with mortal.
Vampire feeds on mortal.
These vampires are all wussies though.
They only kill a couple of people in the entire movie.
Obviously, the story wasn't too memorable, but it held my interest enough to keep my finger off the fast forward button.
There's also some pretty cool special effects used throughout.There are nine sex scenes.
Six are boy/girl.
One is girl solo.
One is girl/girl.
One is guy/girl/girl.
For the most part, the sex scenes were good and decently explicit.
They all play out to completion and the actors and actresses are always audible over the background music.The women are all attractive and deliver good performances.
There are five of them that participate in the sex scenes.There was definitely room for improvement.
Katie Lohmann's masturbation scene could have been done better and Catalina Larranaga should have removed her clothes for the lesbian scene.It's no better or worse than the first movie.
If you liked that one, you'll probably be happy with this one..
Absolutely great and sexy!.
I can't understand why some people dislike this one.
There's plenty of hot sex, beautiful women, not so bad plot, striking visuals (all about the club sequences), and more.Catalina Larranaga looks at her best.
Really, she hasn't looked sexier.
She has at least 4 kinky sex scenes where she demonstrates her excellent abilities in bed (and standing up!).Renee Rea looks very cute and sexy at the same time.
The girl has intense sex sequences.Jezebelle Bond also shows why she's a favorite in the genre.You can't ask for more.
There are plenty of things to enjoy from this one..
Above Average.
I liked this movie.
I thought it was above average for a soft porn.
The music was pretty good.
The acting really wasn't that bad.
And the story was descent.
The sex scenes were okay.
It's not a bad movie if you're looking for soft porn with more of a story to it.
I liked the lead actress and how her character went from innocent to tough.
The plot is about a girl who gets turned into a vampire, but the vamp who turns her disappears and she's left on her own.
She meets up with more vampires at a Goth club and they teach her a few things.
Sure it could have been better, but for what it is, it's not that bad.
And it's a vampire story with sex, so you really can't go too wrong there. |
tt0047256 | My Little Duckaroo | As the film begins, the Masked Avenger (Daffy) and his guitar-playing, donkey-riding Comedy Relief (Porky) are riding through the desert. Daffy stops his horse, Tinfoil, and observes a Wanted poster for a criminal named Nasty Canasta. He decides to track Canasta down and bring him to justice, for a healthy sum of $10,000.Daffy tracks Canasta to his hideout, a small shack in the middle of nowhere. He tells Porky that he is going to "fix his little red wagon", and barges inside. Daffy's ranting and raving does not bother Canasta, who is sitting at a table playing cards. Daffy exits, and re-emerges as the "Frisco Kid", threatening to whip Canasta. Instead, Daffy gets tangled in his whip when he uses it. He leaves, and re-emerges as "Superguy", but Canasta is still unfazed.Giving up, Daffy decides to join Canasta in his game of cards. He takes all but one of the cards in the deck, and gets "a royal straight flush full house with four aces high", but he is beaten by Canasta's single card-- a three of clubs. Daffy is then bested in an arm wrestling match by Canasta, and also accidentally fires his own revolver at himself.At this moment, Porky comes in and says, "Why don't you plain old arrest him?" Daffy agrees, and decides to carry this out. Canasta snaps the handcuffs Daffy puts on him without difficulty, and will not budge from his spot no matter how much Daffy tries to coax him to move.Daffy gives up, and gets into a fist fight with Canasta. Canasta is much, much stronger than Daffy is, and wins the fight with no effort. Daffy stumbles out of the house, saying, "I told you I'd fix his little red wagon," and wheeling a little red wagon behind him, commenting on its former state of disrepair. He mutters, "Now I'm going home to mother." Iris out. | psychedelic | train | imdb | null |
tt0339291 | A Series of Unfortunate Events | Fourteen-year-old inventor Violet Baudelaire, her twelve-year-old brother Klaus, and their baby sister Sunny are orphaned when a fire burns down their house and kills their parents. Mr. Poe, the family's banker, manages their fortune and leaves them in the care of their closest relative Count Olaf, who is only interested in obtaining their fortune despite Violet not being the legal age of eighteen. He also forces them to work through grueling house chores and belittles them.
The day Olaf obtains full custody, he pretends to go into a store claiming to buy soda, but Violet notices the car is parked directly on train tracks with a train heading towards them. They manage to build a device to turn the switch controlling the tracks so that they are not hit. Mr. Poe arrives and takes them away when he sees Sunny in the front seat, believing her to have been "driving." Olaf initially says farewell, but threatens them that they will always be found.
The orphans are then taken to their uncle Dr. Montgomery, a kind, caring herpetologist who is planning to take the children with him to Peru. However, Olaf arrives in disguise as a man named Stephano. The orphans attempt to warn Montgomery, and he believes to an extent. Montgomery believes Stephano is after a large viper in his museum, which despite its looks, is actually very gentle. He is discovered dead shortly after, and the orphans cannot prove that Stephano is responsible for Montgomery's death. They are almost taken back to him when Sunny proves the viper's innocence when it fondles and licks her, disproving its hostile nature. Stephano flees the scene, ridding all proof of his disguise as the police pursue him.
Mr. Poe leaves them with their Aunt Josephine, a kindly woman who is nonetheless obsessed with grammar and has irrational fears. Olaf appears disguised as Captain Sham to interfere with their plans again. One day, Josephine is not at the house, claiming to have run away with Sham; Klaus takes advantage of her grammar skills to decode her location; Curdled Cave. A hurricane sweeps through the town, ultimately destroying the house but allowing the children to flee before the structure falls apart. They sail to the cave and rescue her, but attract leeches due to Josephine having eaten a banana. Olaf appears and takes the kids with him, throwing Josephine off the boat and to the Lachrymose Leeches after she corrects his speech.
A play is soon planned that is called "The Marvelous Marriage" that involves Olaf and Violet as the leads; a groom and a bride. Klaus's suspicions reveal that Olaf is planning to take advantage of the play to marry Violet in reality in a desperate attempt to get the fortune. Unless Violet follows her lines or finds a loophole, Sunny, who is being held hostage in a cage, will be dropped to her death.
Klaus manages to escape and finds a hidden tower in Olaf's house that, if positioned correctly, can shine light. He discovers this way that it was Olaf who set the fire to their old house. He uses this window to burn the marriage certificate before the marriage is officially complete, leading to Olaf's arrest. However, a jury of his peers overturn his sentence and Olaf vanishes.
Violet, Klaus and Sunny are allowed to visit their old home one last time. A letter lost in the mail finally arrives, and inside is a spyglass announcing their family's secret society. Though their future is unclear, despite the children's misfortune, they still had each other thus making them "Very Fortunate Indeed". | comedy, fantasy, gothic, murder, bleak, cult, flashback, psychedelic | train | wikipedia | This is a superb job of combining great visuals, special effects and an entertaining story.The two kids, played by Emily Browning and Liam Aiken, should get top billing since they are in every scene while Jim Carrey is in about half.
I appreciated his work even more on the second viewing.The kids are likable, good-looking and decent actors and the "baby" is given the funniest "lines" in the movie - all in subtitles.This film is too dark for the little kids but fun for adolescents on up.
In this role Jim Carrey excels, never goofing off to much to undermine the credibility of the character, but being suitably over the top to convey the eccentric old count.Visually, the film is stunning, the sets look straight out of a Tim Burton film, the costumes are fantastic, the direction is splendid and does a fine job of progressing the story.
In the wake of Harry Potter the popular Lemony Snicket books have been rushed into production and considering the less than promising prospect of Brad Silberling directing and Jim Carrey starring, I didn't really hold out much hope.
It turns out that the film is surprisingly good and apart from The Incredibles this was the only big budget Hollywood film I truly enjoyed this year.Like Harry Potter, the Lemony Snicket books appeal to adults as well as to children but they are darker, funnier and more eccentric, making them more of a cult than the mainstream success of the Harry Potter series.If you've read the books, you may miss the clever word play and you may feel that the two older children are miscast.
The look of the film is a highly stylized mixture of Edwardian times and the 1950's and convincingly brings to life the parallel universe of the books, where death is ever present and where the whole world has conspired to make the Baudelaire children's life a misery.Folding books two and three into the storyline of the first one, the plot feels episodic but it stays consistently entertaining.
Grant would have been the perfect choice) but he nails and certainly looks the part of evil, failed thespian Count Olaf and thankfully he doesn't end up dominating the film, turning it into the Jim Carrey show.The section involving Meryl Streep's fearful Aunt Josephine is the best part of the film.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events was a silent hit of 2004, I remember I wasn't too sure if I wanted to see it or not because it just looked too dark for what I thought it was intended to be, a family film.
The sets and costumes were marvelous and the story was a frightening but imaginative one that I'm sure any film fan would enjoy to watch.Three children: Klas, Violet, and Sunny have just lost their parents and home to a horrible fire.
After attempting to kill them, they are taken to a safer guardian, but Orlof isn't going to give up so easily, he is going to go through as many guardians as it takes to get back these children.Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a terrific film, I was incredibly impressed, I'm glad I decided to give it a chance.
Certainly this is a fantastically well made movie, that is for the most part very well acted but something is amiss in the tone of the film and so it never really is what it should be.The story of three children who's parents are killed and who are forced from guardian to guardian by the murderous acts of Count Oloff is pretty bleak.
It seems as if they were afraid that the material was going to be seen as too dark, which is a shame since its clear from the sequences where they left well enough alone that the film could have stood on its own.Its a good movie, instead of the great one it wants to be.Definitely worth seeing..
However, and while it may be an odd thing to say, is that was the best set of credits I've ever seen.They were beautifully done, well done to whoever it was that created them...the artwork was spectacular and the animation perfectly in tune with the tone of the books.very entertaining...well done!In addition I would like to add than Jim Carrey fitted the role of Count Olaf perfectly, and while I may not be a huge fan of his previous work he provided the much needed humour to keep the story moving the watcher intrigued.
Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" books, in which siblings Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire start off being orphaned by a fire and then having things go downhill from there, embraces that philosophy with a dark, sly humor that is irresistible.
Fortunately, Brad Silberling has kept the spirit of the series mostly intact with this film translation.The movie encompasses Snicket's first three books, in which Violet (Emily Browing), Klaus (Liam Aiken), and Sunny are foisted off on several guardians by the dimwitted executor of their parents' estate (Timothy Spall).
Olaf pursues them throughout, aided by disguises which he considers brilliant and which fool everyone except, of course, the ever-observant Baudelaires.Most of the elements which make Snicket's books so appealing are present here: the entertaining characters, the cleverness of the children, Snicket's delightful black humor (given voice by Jude Law), and even the cunning reverse-psychology promotional scheme of the series (in which the reader/viewer is told, no really, you DON'T want to hear this story, go find something more cheerful, etc.).
The production design (combining the best parts of Tim Burton and Edward Gory) creates a fanciful but accessible world which modern inventions like remote car-keys are wielded by characters who dress like they just stepped out of a Victorian melodrama.It is perhaps too much to ask that the film could have avoided a Hollywood-style attempt to soften its delightfully dreary outlook, or that Carrey could have gone the entire movie without having at least one sequence in which he's just required to be Jim Carrey.
(I want to ask him if there's a reason why one of his themes sounds like "We Three Kings" gone awry.) I'm writing this comment primarily to respond to the wacky criticisms of LEMONY that I've been reading here on IMDb. Most fall into two categories: 1) people who don't "get" the movie and haven't read the books (and therefore are offended by its dark tone), or 2) adolescents who are obsessed with the books and are disappointed that their little dreams of how the movie should be haven't been perfectly realized (e.g., "the boy doesn't have glasses, so this movie stinks").Let me address the second group.
I just watched this film and to be honest it exceeded all expectations, i started watching this film and didn't know what to expect as i hadn't read the books and had no past knowledge of what it was about..but i thought the acting was awesome, especially from Jim Carrey who i didn't even realise was in the film till the credits at the end..The story line was very good with a lot of funny bits which kept me entertained and hooked all the way through..i would highly recommend watching this film whether it is with your family or just to watch on a quiet night in and would almost guarantee enjoyment.
When Klaus, Violet and Sunny Baudelaire loose their parents in a fire in their mansion, the greedy and evil Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) tries to become their guardian to steal their fortune.This movie is a great family entertainment.
The screenplay of this story of orphans is very original; the make-up of Jim Carrey is spectacular; the very dark cinematography recalls the movies of Tim Burton; the direction is great and the children have excellent performances.
For me, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is an excellent film, regardless of how closely it "matches" the Daniel Handler books that form the creative basis.
If you're at all a fan of surrealism, especially surrealism with a dark edge (although the film is certainly not without humor), you can't afford to miss this movie.The story is centered on the Baudelaire kids, Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken) and infant Sunny (played by twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman).
The film tells the story of how they are shuttled from home to home of different "relatives", with the particularly manipulative and sadistic Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) in hot pursuit of the Baudelaire family fortune after the state finally sees the error of its ways in leaving the kids with him.If you think of the "Do you think it's all right to leave the boy with Cousin Kevin?" section of Ken Russell's Tommy (1975) stretched out into feature length, made a bit less vicious, sprinkled with liberal doses of Roald Dahlian fantasy, and set in a delightfully anachronistic mishmash alternate universe that combines everything from Victorian fashion sensibilities to postmodern "retro-tech" Terry Gilliam-like gadgets, you'll have a good idea of what the film is like.
Even though Handler's books are clearly marketed as children's fiction, and the film was also pitched towards a young audience, the material is darker, more twisted and maybe a bit too intense than some parents would like for their pre-teens, not to mention that younger kids may likely find it boring, anyway.
The message throughout the film tends to be that intellect can overcome any conundrum--and that even goes for the villain; he just has a bit less intellect than the Baudelaire kids.The actors playing the Baudelaire kids are good, and the rest of the cast contains a lot of starsCarrey, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Jude Law, Billy Connolly, Catherine O'Hara, Luis Guzman, and so on.
Please stay away.If you have read the book on which this movie was based (actually, it was based on pieces of three books in the Lemony Snicket series), you know that the book also carried a warning to children not to read it, insisting they would not like it.
Of course, that was just a promotional gimmick because, I understand, the book was actually quite good; the children in the story were subjected to a series of trying events but they stuck together and worked things out through their own ingenuity, and celebrated each triumph.That doesn't happen in this movie.
This is Jim Carrey running amok, behaving like a deranged idiot, without purpose, focus, or sense of fun.In some ways, this movie has a 'Tim Burton' feeling to it.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is an interesting movie and seems that it is a film that should have been directed by Tim Burton.
When the three Baudelaire children are orphaned and sent to live with various relatives, the evil Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) repeatedly tries to kill them to get his hands on the family fortune.
The film is directed by Brad Silberling who does a good job but I think Tim Burton would have made a better director since he made Big Fish and that was a pretty good movie.
The first two because things just happen that don't make sense, Harry Potter because of the costumes and scenery and a few Brits, and The Mask because Jim Carey is hopping all over the place being obnoxious.It's hard to believe that so many good reviews have been written about this film.
However, in the film, since it revolves around the three books condensed, the repetitive theme-- Olaf's plan to kill the kids and various adults refusing to believe this forcing the children to deal with Olaf themselves-- gets rather tedious.Also, while the three children give good performances, even the toddler who plays Sunny, Jim Carrey who plays Olaf is too camp and humorous for such a sinister, menacing role.
As for Meryl Streep, Billy Connolly and Dustin Hoffman, all were woefully underused that you barely felt their presence.Younger Lemony Snicket fans will probably enjoy this story but those in their teens or adults may find it too childish in comparison to many elements in the books.
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS puts the spotlight on two kids who suffer an almost Dickensian fate complete with a villainous uncle, Count Olaf (JIM CARREY) and an eccentric Aunt Josephine (MERYL STREEP).
Lemony Snicket's - A Series of Unfortunate Events was a quite delicious surprise, i really had no clue as to what to expect, but i found a very well made, dark, humorous and quite bizarre fantasy, and i really enjoyed it.Brad Silberling directs this film wonderfully, the imagery and overall quality of production is great, all the cast are inspired and the screenplay is intriguing and refreshingly different.If you're looking for something that's unusual and dark, if you like any member of the cast or even if you like a film that is a little similar in its feel to a lot of Tim Burton's work; then this is a safe bet.8/10.
If you like the books, don't go see the movie because every time you think of Count Olaf you will think of Jim Carrey trying way too hard to be funny.
-the screenplay wasn't nearly as bad as they say in some reviews (it was quite good actually, and it resembled the books' style) -yes they did stuff a few books into one movie but it really sped things up and worked better then it usually does -the characters looked the way I imagined them -ok, so there was an optimistic (not happy, just optimistic) ending, but so what?
With different actors (i.e. Jim Carrey) or maybe a better director this could have been a good movie.
Directed by: Brad Silberling Starring: Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Kara & Shelby Hoffman, Catherine O'Hara, Billy Connolly, Timothy Spall, Meryl Streep, Jude Law (voice) Lemony Snicket (the pseudonym of Daniel Handler) and his Series Of Unfortunate Events could be one of the best Tim Burton films not directed by Tim Burton.
His Count Olaf is a thoroughly despicable villain.A Series Of Unfortunate Events (which is actually based on three books by Lemony Snicket himself) is a terribly imperfect film thanks to some plot holes, a brush with melodrama that doesn't quite pay off and a cop-out ending.
If I weren't forced every moment to think to myself "hey, that's Dustin Hoffman" or "boy, I didn't know Meryl Streep could act so poorly" (in other words, if they would have used a few less big names which I am sure they were using to make extra sure that I would go away convinced that the movie was pure gold), then maybe I could have stayed at least a little bit inside of the film.
Daniel Handler's immensely popular books (think the Harry Potter series without sweetness) have been successfully adapted with stunning set design and most importantly the genius of Jim Carrey as the count.Unlike the magical Potter kids Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Beaudelaire (the name being the only sweetly poetic turn in this dark tale) have a few talents to help themselvesViolet an ingenious inventor and Klaus a reader who forgets not a wordyet they are pretty much buffeted by the inept or insane adults who move them around like chess pieces until the kids can take it no more and seriously invoke their special skills.
Children and adults should savor two of the best actors in film playfully playing off each other.Because "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" is unarguably about the dark side of survival in a corrupt adult world, the challenge for young moviegoers is to enjoy the irony and sarcasm, or even to recognize it.
Narrator Lemony Snicket (voice of Jude Lawnow where have we seen him this year!) warns more than once that this is not a traditional feel good movie, but that will not help very young children understand the comic subtext of grim events or the Panglossian optimism of everything happening for the best.
Everything that makes the books great has been removed and what is left is a plot free mishmash.The worst part is Jim Carey playing Jim Carey, who once again defecates on a children's classic as he did in The Grinch.There are good things about the movie.
Oh and someone should tell Jim Carrey that a) he sucks and b) he needs to learn that some stories do NOT benefit from his eccentric acting and slapstick humour....this being one such film.Script wise, this movie seemed to completely ignore everything daniel handler integrated into his books in the way of black humour, style and even plot.
I mean the story is good, thanks to Lemony Snicket's (Daniel Handler) books, the sets are great, Jim Carrey is more calm than usual (thank god!)and Meryl Streep is wonderful as always.
The Series of Unfortunate Events was a great book series, and I personally think that they should make them like the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings books and do one movie per book...that way you would be able to include more of the important stuff instead of having to add in things that didn't actually happen to make it better...It just doesn't make sense.
They are all given to Count Olaf for care and all he wants is their wealth and he will do anything to get it.This plot really sticks with you and I think that narrator Lemony Snicket (Jude Law) is great thing for this movie.
You also have some great actors that did a great job in this flick as well like Cedric the Entertainer, Billy Connolly, Cathrene O'Hara, Meryl Streep, and Jude Law as the voice of the narrator/Lemony Snicket.Bottom line, it's an enjoyable and dark movie with a great story and performance by Carrey himself..
Maybe it would have been a better movie had Tim Burton got to direct it, and cast Johnny Depp as Count Olaf instead of Jim Carrey.
The Potter books remind me a lot of Lemony Snicket ones.Jim Carrey is good as the evil Count Olaf. |
tt0103223 | Volere volare | 'Volere Volare' may be introduced as a film akin to 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit', but if you know of this director's work from 'The Icicle Thief', you'll be expecting much more - which it delivers. Maurizio Nichetti's charming and quirky comedy blends live action and animation in a lighthearted, though cheerfully lightweight, love story.Nichetti's fondness for combining fantasy with reality is again given reign with a story of Maurizio, a sound dubber looking for love. Shy, bumbling, and naive, he devotes himself to his low-paying job by recording odd sounds - people falling over, hammers tapping, wandering the streets of his town looking for the perfect accompaniment to old-fashioned and out-of-fashion cartoons. His brother Patrizio (Patrizio Roversi) is exasperated by his lack of initiative in love and provides a hilarious foil as a director of soft-porn "art films" with a bevy of non-Italian-speaking, lingerie-clad aspiring actresses. He ends up offering to employ Maurizio as a sound technician for one of these lurid films, with the hope that it will add some courage to his love life.The introduction of Angela Finocchiaro's Martina provides the romance Maurizio seeks - a working-girl who specializes in fetishes, fulfilling some of the most comical and interesting fantasies with a tender and accepting smile. Twin architects get to clean her apartment and watch her shower; a taxi driver gets to take her on full-speed races around Rome just to hear her scream and with a fantastic spin on The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, a chef decorates her in bittersweet chocolate - and tops it off with a flourish of confectionary.Their chance meeting ends up with Maurizio becoming accidently entangled in the working life of Martina and becoming part of the clients stories. Delighted with his non-judgmental attitude, Martina asks him on a date... which leads to the weirdest development yet. Maurizo's shy nature suddenly becomes implicit as he begins to turn into a cartoon, limb by limb. Fleeing the date, things only get worse as his hands develop ideas of their own and he disastrously presents his soundtrack ideas to a horrified Patrizio.Can he keep his developing animated state hidden? Will he succeed as a soundtrack creator for pornography? And most importantly... has he found love? Nichetti hasn't made a Titanic or Gone With the Wind - but as a modern, quirky tale that implicitly questions preconceptions about kinky consensual relationships, it succeeds beautifully. Consider it a social-comment confectionary with a hint of cartoon chocolate. | psychedelic | train | imdb | Comedy With A Unique Twist.
What a wild comedy-romance this movie is, with the emphasis on comedy.
The two main characters in this Italian film are a woman whose job is to fulfill men's fantasies and a movie sound man (Maurizio Nichetti) who creates wild sound for cartoons.
He, himself, at the end, briefly turns into a cartoon character!
I told you this was wild and, yes, a bit absurd, but it makes it unique.The woman, Angela Finochhiaro, isn't all that sexually appealing but she's fun to watch and she appears comfortable doing comedy.
In here, she lets men do such things as pour chocolate all over her, pretend she's a holdup victim, scare her by driving too fast, watch her while she's nude, whatever, mostly crazy things.Despite the latter, it's not a sleazy film although certainly not wholesome family material, either, but it's not sex-obsessed and there is almost no profanity.
All the characters are basically nice people.
It's different, and worth a look if you can find it..
A Perfect Film for a Weekend Marathon.
I loved "Volere Volare." It's a difficult movie to describe, and should not be categorized as simply a "foreign film" or a "comedy," because it is not wholly either.
It is the absurdly original love story of a "social worker," unique in her ability to fulfill her clients' strangest sexual fantasies (but no, they are not *that* strange, for the purpose is merely to indulge the viewer by bringing to life his own never-articulated desires) without reducing the film to trite pornography.
It can only be called a "Weekend Marathon Movie," because that is exactly the function it serves to a T.
The characters in this movie appreciate the simple pleasures of life -- from watching our heroine shower or bathe to decorating her body in assorted frostings and candies -- which brings the movie a light-hearted tone unmatched in most pictures that delight in being dirty.
The key to "Volere Volare" is its innocence, most easily seen in the eccentric sound effects expert who falls for the mysterious woman he keeps running into on the street.
This movie is perfect for long film-fests put on by tired teenagers in the basements of suburbia.
When I want to watch a movie with friends, the last thing on my mind is "Scream 2" or "South Park." I want something that can repeatedly surprise me; something that never considers the formula Hollywood can't shake from its unoriginal head.
I want to laugh until my sides hurt, and look around the room to see I'm not alone in my amused sentiment.
I want complete originality from someone unconcerned with expensive special effects and blockbuster box office grosses.
I want something fresh."Volere Volare" might be too large a leap for many, and I know that.
But it is the PERFECT movie for anyone trying to pick six or seven movies for a marathon session in front of the VCR.
This is a party movie, akin to "Run Virgin Run" (which is not yet on the database) and, to a lesser extent, "Being John Malkovich" (I'm a bit hesitant to include Charlie Kaufman's brainchild, far and away the best film ever made, in such a specific category, as it is the epitomy of everything a movie should be and not just a "good party film").
I guarantee that if you rent "Volere Volare," you will be beaming by the time the credits roll..
Great comedy !.
Do I have to compare?
With Roger Rabbitt or Mask?
Because this great Italian film have more than Hollywood movies mixing humans with cartoons: it had cinematographic qualities, a simple but strong story, and originality.
American models had only special effets.
Nichetti puts his European sensibility and savoir-faire in a delightfull comedy, full of pretty funny gags (as an other viewers says, don't miss the dubbing of the blue movie!) See it again and again!
It's better every time!One of the true original comedies of the 1990's..
Love conquers all -- getting there is laughable!!.
Well, if you like to laugh and can abandon your expectations -- this film is rather enchanting.
An unconventional and creative love-story which accomplishes what it sets out to do -- move beyond expectations.
Good pace, good storyline, great humor, but best of all .
not Hollywood -- no trite or overused vehicles for the story.
Give it a try -- well worth the subtitles..
quirky sexy fun.
Martina has an unusual job satisfying her eccentric clients' sexual fantasies.
Maurizio 'Sbaffino' (Maurizio Nichetti) spends his time collecting sounds from the world.
He dubs cartoons while his brother does less innocent films with a bevy of beauties.
He happens upon Martina during one of her jobs.
As they connect, he's horrified to find himself turning into a cartoon as the cartoon world collides with the real world.Maurizio has such an unique clownish look and he is a charismatic performer.
Angela Finocchiaro is a sassy broad and a great partner.
It's ridiculous.
It's silly.
There are no hot babes dubbing in their lingerie in the real world.
This is simply a fun screwball comedy with a fun pair..
A comedy that tries for originality.
A lightweight, intermittently appealing movie of more than dubious sexual attitudes (are we supposed to think that Martina's prostitution -- for that's what it adds up to -- is charming just because the clients are weird?
And their fetishes are not so terribly original.) However, there are some extremely funny moments.
The dubbing of the blue movie is not to be missed..
lightweight fun, but the humor is derivative.
Fond memories of 'The Icicle Thief' (1989) aren't enough to salvage this 1991 comedy by Maurizio Nichetti, which doesn't add up to anything more than a single, admittedly slim plot twist padded to feature length.
Nichetti himself plays an unfortunate movie technician who spends most of the film collecting sound effects for cartoons; he eventually crosses paths with a jaded working woman who services the kinky (but innocent) fantasies of wealthy perverts, and then he turns into a cartoon.
The gimmick is never explained, much less developed (it would be interesting to speculate what the final bedroom frolic must have looked like before Nichetti's animated alter ego was penciled into it), and the blend of live action and animation might have been more exciting if Roger Rabbit had never existed.
Elsewhere Nichetti plagiarizes a few sight gags from Jacques Tati, and includes a lot of silly audio effects recalling the interminable swallowed whistle scene in Chaplin's 'City Lights'.
His affection for classic silent comedy is admirable, but it just isn't possible anymore to recreate the same sort of charm and humor..
Godly State.
The fact that Maurizio Nichetti longed to become a real cartoon was almost predictable: it was just the displaying of his intimate nature, with his resemblance to weird and funny stached little men of old movies, just like Grucho Marx (who ended up as a comic caracther in Dylan Dog's series), with impressive mimic abilities and a never ending sense of innocence and stupidity, in which the latter must not be seen negatively, but as the attitude of never gaining synchronism with the world.
That's maybe the reason why he finally conquers a bi-dimensional life, just because a cartoon is a being of pure light.
It is a sort of transfiguration, the achievement of a nearly godly state, that makes the meaning of this film much more complicated than one may think..
A good idea gets animated and then takes a wrong turn.
***SPOILER WARNING*** There are some movies that are so abstract and off-kilter that you want to like them just on sheer audacity.
Sometimes that is true even when the film has you scratching your head.
Volere Volare, is a bawdy confection of styles; animation, slapstick, bizarre sound effects and the kind of bizarre otherworldliness that Tex Avery perfected.
Yet, for a film with so much trickery, you understand that the filmmaker is walking a very fine line, cross that line and your movie goes over the edge and tries our patience.Volere Volare is the work of a director named Maurizio Nichetti whose previous work I am not familiar with.
What I learned about his technique (from just this film) is that he seems to have a rye sense of humor and a knack for defying all logic to make his comedy truly bizarre.Nichetti stars as a character named Maurizio who works as a sound effects artist for classic cartoons.
His perverted brother is a fellow sound engineer who hires women to provide the moans and groans for porn films.
This alone could have made for a very wicked comedy by itself but once the idea is introduced, Nichetti doesn't do anything with it.Instead he introduces us to another element that could have made an entire movie.
We meet a prostitute named Martina who specializes in very weird clients who get to play out their sexual fantasies even if they don't always fit the classic definition of erotic (some have to be seen to be believed).Up until this point Nichetti seems to be setting the elements of a great comedy in motion.
We wait to see how he will tie these three characters together but instead he throws in a very strange development, which trashes the second half of the movie.
Maurizio begins to exhibit signs of turning into an animated version of himself and, eventually, he does.
Unfortunately, he does so just as he is about to have sex with Martina.
This is an interesting idea as the springboard for another comedy but Nichetti uses that as his climax and we sense an opportunity lost.My affection for bawdy comedy kept me confident with what worked in 'Volare Volere' but I sensed that he didn't have a direction in mind.
This is a movie all the pieces in place with a director who hasn't supplied himself with a direction in which to carry them.
The movie doesn't end, it just kind of peters out.
Volere Volare, alas, is one of those movies that leaves you saying "Well .
okay then." Rating: ** (of four) |
tt1712578 | The Devil's Rock | On, June 5, 1944 in the early morning hours before the opening of the invasion on D-Day, a commando team, consisting of two New Zealanders, Captain Ben Grogan (Craig Hall) and Sergeant Joseph Tane (Karlos Drinkwater), land on the one of the Channel Islands, which are occupied by the German Army. Their mission is to sabotage installations there to create a distraction from the actual landings at Normandy.Using kayaks they land on the beach, navigate the land mines, then climb up to their target: a large artillery gun overlooking the English Channel. They are confused by the lack of German patrols on the island and puzzled by strange screams coming from the Germans main bunker.They find the gun unguarded and wire it with explosives. While they are placing the charges a German soldier (Luke Hawker) comes running out of the entrance of the underground bunker. Although he seems less concerned about running into the enemy than getting away from something in the bunker, the New Zealanders kill him, so he can't give away the mission.Captain Grogan becomes curious as to the screams from the bunker as they appear to be coming from a woman. He makes a decision to go on an unauthorized rescue mission, leaving a reluctant Tane behind.Tane eventually decides to follows Grogan into the bunker. Inside he finds the command center a scene of unbelievable carnage, with German soldiers bodies torn asunder and blood all over the walls. He also finds a book which seems to contain satanic spells in a foreign language.Tane isn't alone in the command center. SS Colonel Klaus Meyer (Matthew Sunderland) comes up behind Tane, kills him and retrieves the book, leaving Tane dead on the floor.Grogan, unable to find the source of the screams, backtracks and finds the command center along with Tane's body. He is also attacked by Meyer. Meyer doesnt kill him though, but captures him, ties him up and tries to get information out of Grogan about the coming invasion. He finds a picture of Grogans dead wife, Helena, who was killed during the bombing of London and threatens to burn it to torture him.They are interrupted again by the woman's screams. Grogan states he believes that the Germans captured a woman and used her for entertainment and then Meyer got greedy, wanted her to himself and killed the rest of the soldiers. Meyer laughs at this and tells Grogan that the woman did all the killing. He then tells Grogan he needs to feed it. Scooping some human entrails into a bucket, he leaves the room.While Meyer is gone, Grogan is able to grab and conceal a small can opener behind his back. When the German returns, he seems more reasonable and tells Grogan that the woman he hears is actually a demonic creature.German soldiers found the satanic book on the island. The island has a long history of witchery. Meyer, a specialist in the occult, was sent to the island to see if it had any value as a military weapon. He found a spell and successfully conjured up the demon, but it turned out that the creature was a shape-shifter that can appear as any woman a man might desire. The demon used this power to lure the soldiers close, kill them and eat them. Meyer tells Grogan he wants to defect to the Allies and needs Grogan to assist him in sending the creature back to hell, a job that requires two people.Grogan thinks Meyer is crazy. While they are talking he uses the can opener to cut his bonds and attacks the German. There is struggle. Grogan gets Meyers pistol. Meyers runs off into the darkness of a bunker tunnel while Grogan shoots at him. Grogan finds blood on the floor and realizes that the German has been hit.Grogan follows the woman's screams and finds a chamber that looks like it has been used for a satanic ritual with markings on the walls and floor lit with candles. Around the room are of the remains of dead soldiers and crouching in the corner is the figure of a woman (Gina Varela). When she emerges from the shadows Grogan is shocked to find it appears to be his dead wife. She pleads for him to release her as she is chained to the wall by her foot.Meyers, appears at the door holding a rifle. He warns Grogan that the woman is not his wife and shoots her in the head and she falls to the floor. Grogan, enraged, tries to shoot Meyers with pistol, but its out of rounds. Meyers chops off the leg of one of a corpse and tosses it the woman, who suddenly revives, stands up and shifts into a red-skinned female creature with horns and sharp teeth. It begins to gnaw on the leg.Convinced that it isn't his dead wife, Grogan goes back to the command center with Meyers, who is bleeding from a stomach wound. He agrees to help Meyers dispel the demon and allow him defect to the Allies side. First, however, the bullet must be removed from Meyers if he is to heal enough to do the ritual. Grogan does this, but without morphine to ease the pain, the Nazi passes out.While he is out, Grogan examines a leather sack the German wears around his neck. Inside he finds a piece of paper with strange writing. Examining the book he finds the paper is a page that has been torn out. He replaces the paper with another page from the book and puts the original in his own pocket.When the German wakes up he is well enough to attempt the ritual. Meyers explains that the leather pouch contains a spell that protects the person carrying it from being attacked by the demon. He tells Grogan that he will need to wear it for the ritual. Grogan gives it back to him. They head up to the demon's chamber, but find the she-devil has made progress in tearing the chain from the wall. They are forced to secure the door to the room with a spell and head back to the command center. Knowing the demon will soon break through the door they prepare a protective circle using the spell book in the command center. Grogan is plagued with visions of Tane coming back to life and accusing him of cooperating with the Germans, but Meyers is able to show him that this is just an illusion sent by the demon.When the demon arrives, Meyers starts the ritual while the demon paces outside the circle tempting Grogan by appearing as Helena. As the ritual reaches its climax, Grogan realizes that Meyers isn't trying to get rid of the demon, but put it under his complete power, by sacrificing a human life: Grogan's. The German comes at him with a knife, but Grogan avoids him and throws him outside of the protective circle. Meyer thinks he is okay until Grogan shows him he has switched the page in the pouch. The demon they proceeds to eat the Colonel's head.Grogan, safe under the spell page he carries, chains the demon back up in the command center, telling her that German reinforcements will be arriving soon, so she will have plenty to eat. He has no fear that she will leave the island as Meyers has told him a demon of this type cannot cross running water. Grogan then departs.In a final scene we see the first German soldier (Nick Dunbar) as he arrives at the command center. He is puzzled by finding his beloved, Nicole (Jessica Grace Smith), there. As he comes to embrace her the screen fades to black and we hear a man's screams. | cult, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt0323944 | Shattered Glass | It tells the story of Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen), who was the youngest journalist at the New Republic. This newspaper prides itself to have been read by everybody in the political field in Washington, and to be the only one in the American president's plane. Little by little, we see how things work in the editorial room: Stephen's direct boss and editor is Charles "Chuck" Lane (Peter Sarsgaard), who is constantly insisting on having every single detail checked through direct notes. The first time Stephen gets in trouble in the film it's on an article about a Republican young people convention, where he alleged they got drunk and called some prostitutes. Stephen gets into trouble because the hotel manager complains that hotel rooms did not have any drink or food fridges in them, all the opposite of what Stephen had said in his article. Chuck talks with Stephen about that. Stephen comes back some minutes later admitting he has made a mistake: he saw so many spirits bottles thrown out of the place, that he took it for granted that they came from a room saloon. Stephen says he's sorry, and that if Chuck wants his resignation, he'll sign it right away. However, Chuck is not about to do anything of that sort, and the audience is left feeling that it was too much of a ruckus over the possible existence of a portable fridge or not.Stephen's girlfriend is Caitlin Avey (Chloë Sevigny), a fellow journalist at the newspaper. She is worried because Stephen has had much success lately, she's even a bit jealous. Stephen is freelancing and writing stories for other magazines, like Rolling Stones, because his news stories have always got an edge to them: he investigates, finds out the truth and talks about humourous situations and peculiar characters. Also, to Caitlin's dismay, he's even going to be busier, as he is about to start to study law, which he considers to be more prestigious. In the small row they have over this matter, Stephen blames his parents, who follow the peer pressure of their friends and think that a lawyer is the most prestigius job in the world.One of his most successful stories is about how hardware and software companies try to stop hackers from damaging their products. In a computer-geek convention, Stephen tells how a computer company hired and paid one million dollars to a hacker so that he would stop breaking their security system. That hacker signed a contract right there, and then boasted about it in front of everybody. While Stephen is telling this story at the meeting room, all journalists and editors sitting together deciding the new news stories, he jumps on the meeting table and shouts "show me the money, show me the money" with a cocky attitude. Everybody knows this is the best news story for years, and they all wonder "where he gets these characters from". Stephen's news story is so appealing: the attitude, the streetwise teenagers who make the best out of it and beat computer tycoons to their money, etc... In a later scene, Caitlin is trying to copy Stephen's sense of humour, but Chuck must tell her to come back to what she does best: glossing figures, explaining in plain words economic concepts and situations, and being serious and formal at all times.In the Forbes internet magazine, Adam Penenberg (Steve Zahn) is told off by his boss. Adam is supposed to be responsible for all the high-tech content of the subscription magazine; he didn't even get a hit of the news story everybody is talking about, that about about the million-dollar contract to the hacker. Adam calls Chuck asking for more details about the story, as he would like to go on investigating it. Stephen reads his notes and gives him some further details.Adam starts investigating, but soon he finds out things don't add up. He calls Chuck and Stephen once again, asking where the latter had got wind of the story. Stephen fabricates the ghost-company's website, but he doesn't realise that he put it in a net section which could only be seen by AOL subscribers. He didn't think or didn't have time of fabricating a whole fake website domain. Stephen admits that he may have made a mistake over some minor details on the story, but he insists on the truth of the main article. This time, Chuck starts to get the hint that something fishy is going on. Although he doesn't dismiss Stephen yet, this time the journalist is not going to find it so easy to move on.Caitling supports Stephen through and through. As many more untruthful details spring to view, and Adam won't let things be, Chuck comes to the point when he insists on being taken to the location where that computer-geek convention took place right away. Stephen feels unsure, and tries to talk his way out of it, but this time to no avail. Chuck comes to realise that there are many problems with Stephen's story: the hotel where it was celebrated does not know anything about a convention of that kind, the actual room where it was supposed to have taken place is not big enough to accommodate the huge number of people Stephen says he himself saw, etc... More and more details appear missing, and the teenager who supposedly earned that million dollars is nowhere to be seen.The pressure increases, especially on Chuck. There comes a moment when Chuck faces a wall display with The New Republic's old numbers, and he starts pulling them out, re-reading Stephen's editorial contributions once again, this time with a view to finding strange details, unlikely events, non-existent names of people and companies, dates which don't hold up, etc. Caitlin talks to Chuck. She is really upset when Stephen gets fired, and she is disappointed because Chuck and higher levels of management are not standing by Stephen. Chuck talks to her, saying that everybody believed what Stephen said because they all liked him, and that she should use her journalistic instinct to find out whether Stephen had been lying or not.This makes Caitlin think, and she admits that Chuck is right: they all had been fooled by Stephen's charm and his news bombshells. The New Republic will write an editorial retracting almost half of Stephen Glass' news stories, and admitting to some more details in some more articles which cannot be put to the test concerning their veracity.The last captions of the film say what happened to the people behind this story:- Caitlin kept on writing for the New Republic- Stephen did not want to comment on the film, and he dedicated full time to the study of law at university.- Adam Penenberg's story made it to the headlines itself, and it became recorded as the first real breakthrough for internet newspapers.>> written by KrystelClaire | flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt2938956 | The Transporter Refueled | In the year 1995 somewhere in a French Rivera city on a typical evening, a group of teenage girls, prostitutes, are on the street, strolling for customers under the watchful eyes of their local black pimps. A van rolls up and a man gets out. One of the black pimps tells him to keep moving, as he's working. "So am I", the man says and opens fire with an assault rifle. The man, a Russian named Arkady Karasov (Radivoje Bukvic) and his partners, Yuri (Yuri Kolokolnikov) and Leo Imasova (Lenn Kudrjawizki) continue to fire on the men, killing them and causing their working girls to flee. Karasov sees one man survived and lets him live with a warning to his bosses that this territory is theirs now. Karasov whistles and a van of his "girls" complete with necklaces with the shape of a knife through the heart (to signify they're his "property") are made to stand on the same street where the murders took place. One of the girls Anna (Loan Chabanol) is visibly shaken by what has happened.Meanwhile, Karasov notices one of the previous French pimps working girls, Maissa (Noémie Lenoir) is still standing where her bosses just got murdered. Karasov asks her if she wants to work for him and she quickly says 'yes'. Charmed by her ability to get in line and know her place, Karasov offers her a ride with him (implying she will be a kept woman and will not be forced to have sex like the others) and she quickly gets into the car. Karasov then yells at the others to get to work. Anna stands on the street corner, tears in her eyes.15 YEARS LATERAnna is in a nice restaurant. She receives a call and tells the person on the other side of the line that the plan is in motion.A group of six local thugs in a parking garage spot a black Audi. They walk up to it, planning to steal it. Frank Martin (Ed Skrein) sees this and uses his phone to open the two front doors, knocking two of them to the ground. Seeing, Frank, the leader of the thugs tells him to hand over the keys. Frank says that's not going to happen. The six thugs attack Frank, and he makes short work of them using his martial arts training, and using their own weapons (knives, a taser) against them. He has the leader in a headlock when he looks at his watch. "You're going to make me late," Frank says. "I hate being late." Frank knocks him out and drives away.Frank drives and looks at his watch, sighing. He's late.Frank picks up his father, Martin Sr. (Ray Stevenson). Martin Sr. tells his son that he late. Frank says he is only 30 seconds late, but his father counters late is late regardless of the time. As they drive off, Frank asks his dad about his retirement and Martin Sr. says he will now get 791 Euros a month in retirement money. Frank gets a call with an unlisted number. His father asks if he is going to answer it. Frank shakes his head no. "I don't use the phone when I'm driving," he says.Meanwhile, a Chinese woman, named Qiao (Wenxia Yu), is in a hotel room with two men, waiting for Anna. One of the men, the accountant of Karasov's money, is angry that Anna is late since he is the one that pays them. Anna finally arrives and the man says they should get the party started."My sentiments exactly," Anna replies before pulling a silenced pistol out her bag and shooting the accountant and his guard in the head. Anna and Qiao get to work, setting up a line of towels that lead out of the bathroom to the bodies. Anna then adds in the body of a dead independent prostitute to fake Qiao's death, making sure to add Karasov's necklace to the body. They use lighter fluid and a dryer in running water to cause a fire and burn all three bodies past recognition.Frank and his father have dinner at his house. Frank asks what he has planned for the future. Martin Sr. he plans to buy a boat with the money he has saved up. Frank dryly comments on that despite his father working in "water purification" he always worked in dangerous locations implying that Martin Sr. used that as a cover to be a soldier/spy. Frank gets a call from the same unlisted number. Anna asks if he is willing to do a job. Frank says he doesn't take contracts over the phone and asks to meet. Anna says okay and sets a meet for 2:00 pm the next day.Meanwhile, Karasov is on his yacht, surrounded by women and his two partners, Yuri and Imasova. Maissa is still there, as Karasov's loyal de facto girlfriend/kept woman. Maissa gets a call and hands it to Karasov. There has been an "accident" involving the accountant.Karasov and Maissa meet with Inspector Bectaoui (Samir Guesmi) who shows him the corpses of the three bodies, saying the first two have been identified. Karasov asks why he wasted him time showing them then. Bectaoui then shows him the third body, of a woman and asks if he recognizes one of his "hostesses." Karasov insists he is a legitimate businessman but Bectaoui counters he is not accusing him of anything and it would be a moot point to do so since many on the force have enjoyed the company of his hostesses. Karasov makes it clear that if he does try to accuse him, he better have an army with him.Frank meets with Anna at a local restaurant and lays out his three rules: there will be no names mentioned between them (at least not real names), the deal cannot be changed once it's agreed on, and he is not to know what he is transporting. All of the rules are so he can maintain plausible deniability in case things go wrong. Anna says he will be picking up one passenger (herself) and transporting two packages for a total of 104 kilos to their destination from the Mediterranean Bank in three hours. Frank agrees to the terms, and says one minute after 5:00 pm he leaves, with or without her. Frank leaves to get ready. Anna calls someone on her phone, telling them they are good to go.Meanwhile, Martin Sr. is at the store, buying an expensive bottle of wine.Frank is at a local mechanic shop, working on his car to get it ready. He calls his dad and tells him he will have to miss dinner since some things came up. Martin Sr. sees a pretty woman needing to change a flat tire, and tells his son he will just have to share dinner with someone else. Frank says that sounds good and hangs up. Martin Sr. goes up to the woman and offers to help her change the tire. When he is distracted, she pulls out a stun gun and knocks him unconscious, stuffing him in the trunk. The woman is Gina (Gabriella Wright), Anna's third and final conspirator in her plot.At 5:00 pm, Frank is waiting outside the bank. Anna appears in a blue dress and a blonde wig. Frank asks where the two packages are. Anna says they will be there in a minute. Frank counts down the seconds. As he does, two other women, a Slav named Maria (Tatiana Pajkovic) and Qiao in a similar disguise as Anna, get into the car. Frank asks what is going on and Anna explains that Maria and Qiao are her packages and weigh exactly what she told him. Frank wants to bail, thinking she is changing the deal, when Maria pulls out a gun and puts it to his head. Frank is less than scared, saying that isn't the first time a gun has been put to his head. Maria replies it will be the first time someone fires it though. Needing him to move (since nearby police are getting suspicious) Anna shows him a cell phone video of his father, who they have kidnapped in order to ensure his cooperation. Frank having no other choice revs the engine and drives away from the bank with the police in fast pursuit. Despite throwing numerous police cars and motorcycle officers his way, Frank is able to evade them all, putting most of them out of commission via car crashes due to precise turns and movements. He takes the three to a parking garage where they switch cars. Anna asks why they are leaving evidence behind but Frank says they are not, and pushes a button, blowing up the car and every trace they were in it.Karasov meets with the bank manager who shows him the video footage of Anna and her conspirators taking him hostage. However, they only broke into the safety deposit box of Karasov's accountant which had jewels, some money, and a little black book ledger. Karasov vows to find out who is responsible and make them pay. Maissa says she will do an "inventory" of their girls and see if anyone is missing, in case this is an inside job.Frank drives the three women back to their safe house, where he sees his father handcuffed and calmly drinking a beer. Anna wants to talk about a new deal, but Frank will have none of it. He just wants his father back and to leave. However, Anna tells him that his father has been poisoned and will die within 12 hours if he is not given an antidote, which only they have. Frank can kill them, but if he does, he kills his father too. Frank seethes in anger but has no choice but to go along with the next step of their plan.Meanwhile, Karasov meets with Maissa who has lined up all the girls Karasov currently owns. She says four are missing. Since Karasov believes one of the girls was killed in the hotel fire, he believes three of his girls are doing this to him.Back at the safe house, Frank notices Anna's necklace and recognizing it, quickly realizes that the plan Anna and her friends are trying to accomplish isn't just about the money; it is personal revenge against Karasov, the man they hold responsible for ruining their lives.Frank drives Anna to a hospital. Frank asks why they are here. Anna asks if he has ever played doctor. Frank, with a stolen white jacket, poses as a doctor with Anna in a wheelchair as a patient. He calls an office and poses as 'Dr. Smith', coming for some gases necessary for surgery. When they get to the office, they knock out the guy at the desk and steal a tank of gas.Meanwhile at the safe house, Martin Sr. watches a soccer game with Gina, drinking vodka. They talk about her home country and Martin Sr. impresses her a bit with his knowledge of it. She leans in to kiss him, having been seduced a bit by him, only to be interrupted by Qiao who tells her they got the gas, so the next stage of their plan can begin.Maria walks up to a local gang and asks if they speak English and are willing to make one thousand Euros each. The men all quickly agree and follow her.Yuri is at his plane, where he lives all the time. He wants to leave but they don't have clearance. Yuri tells his guard he wants the pilot to leave the second they can.Maria goes to a hotel bar and picks up a man and takes him back to his room. As soon as she gets him inside, she pulls out a gun and tells him to sit down.Frank drives Anna to a club that Imasova owns. Gina and Qiao are already there, once again in their blue dresses and blonde wigs to avoid identification. Frank parks around back (after knocking out a guard) and tells them he will replace the tank. After they do what they need to do, they will meet back at the car.Anna, Gina, and Qiao go into the club and dance with some of the guys as well as each other to kill time.Frank finds the fog machine system and switches out one of the tanks for the gas. He then texts Anna that the tank is ready so she and her two friends race to the bathroom and put on gas masks they had hidden there earlier. Meanwhile, when caught messing with the tanks, Frank is forced to knock out a club employee. When he drags him into a break room he accidentally locks the door. Turning around, he is surprised to see three other men there. Frank tries to make up a story of the guy being sick but they don't buy it. Frank notes they probably wont just give him the key to open the door. The men stand up and begin to fight Frank.Back in the main club area, the DJ hits the fog machine button and it pumps the gas into the building, knocking out Imasova and everyone else. Anna, Gina and Qiao walk through the club and get to his office and copy his fingerprints with a scanner. They are now able to access his bank accounts. Using the ledger, the find the right code and log in.Frank is still battling the men in the break room and a fourth man joins the fray. He uses a vacuum cord to twist and subdue some of the men into positions where he can hit them. Trapped in a narrow hallway, Frank uses the shelving units to beat and incapacitate the men. Moving back into the main room, Frank fights the four with pipes, knocking them out.Back in Imasova's office, Anna transfers 100 million of his money into her account. The three get back to the car but Frank isn't there. Anna calls Frank who is still busy with the goons. Taking the call and realizing he has to leave, Frank ties a vacuum cord around the leg of one man who tries to still fight him and string him up over the rafters. He then holds that man in place by looping the other end of the cord around the neck of a second man. He pockets the key and leaves, but not before telling them they should have just given him the key in the first place.Frank finally meets them at the car, only to see four more men have arrived outside to stop them. Frank and the three girls get inside the car. Frank opens the sun roof and puts the car into neutral. He tells them no matter what, not to touch a thing in the car until he gets back. Frank steps outside and begins to systemically beat every man that comes out trying to stop him. Despite that, Qiao and Gina freak out about the car still moving towards a locked gate and want to stop it. Anna says they will listen and wait for Frank. Frank eventually knocks out the last guy, climbs back through the sun roof and floors the car through the gate, making their escape. "We're late," Frank says. "My dad hates when I'm late."The next morning, Yuri learns he can finally take off in his plane. A pilot and a stewardess arrive. It is Martin Sr. and Maria. Yuri wants to know what happened to his pilot and Martin Sr. says that he got food poisoning from bad oysters. Yuri calls the pilot, who is being held hostage by the gang that Maria recruited. The pilot vouches for Martin Sr., which calms Yuri. Martin Sr. gets ready to take off while Maria, under Yuri's request, pours some champagne. However, she laces it with a drug to knock him out. Yuri tells his guard to retire to the back room, and asks Maria to keep him company as he takes a sip.Yuri passes out due to the drugs. Maria locks the room where Yuri's guard is. She takes Yuri's fingerprints via scanner, so the group can access his money too. She then calls the gang in the pilot's hotel room to let him go and gives them the combination to the safe, which has their payment.As Martin Sr. pretends to take off, Maria comes in and tells him "its done." The co-pilot realizes something is wrong so Martin Sr. knocks him out and they proceed to flee. However the co-pilot slumps over the controls and accidentally causes the plane to accelerate to the shock of the control tower that can no longer get in contact with him. Martin Sr. and Maria go down to the emergency exit hatch of the plane, but at the speed the plane is moving at, they cannot escape without getting themselves killed in the process. He calls his son, who is nearby with the other girls in the car. As police units converge on the plane, and Yuri's guard breaks through his locked door, Frank drives under the hatch and times it with his father for him and Maria to jump. Just as they are about to jump though, Maria is shot by Yuri's guard, and Martin Sr. must return fire. The two are still able to jump into the car safely and the six drive off, with two cop cars in pursuit.Meanwhile, Yuri comes to, and is able to get to the control and stop the plane before he drives off the runway.Back in the car, Frank is looking for a mode of escape. He sees a ramp that is used for passengers and sees that at a certain moment it will line up with a tunnel that leads right back to the terminal. Timing his jump perfectly, Frank drives the car up the ramp back into the tunnel, racing the car through the terminal and out the front entrance, escaping.Karasov is in bed with Maissa looking at an old military photo. He sees Frank. Apparently they served together. He gets a text from Imasova saying he has been robbed.Back at the safe house, the five pull the wounded Maria out of the car. Frank wants nothing to do with it, saying he just wants the antidote for his father. Anna reveals they lied, there was no poison. Frank wants to leave, but his father wants to save Maria and together the five improvise to get the bullet out of her and close up the wound until they can properly patch her up. Martin Sr. pulls out the bullet and with a combination of sugar and cobwebs they close up the wound for the time being.Karasov meets with Imasova at the nightclub who explains that he and all his customers were knocked out by gas and his money is gone. Imasova shows him security footage of Frank fighting his men, and Karasov confirms for himself that Frank is responsible in part for his recent misfortune. Imasova is angry, thinking that Karasov is trying to double cross him, but Karasov denies it. He asks for six hours to bring those responsible to justice.At the safe house, Frank watches as his father has some fun with Gina and Qiao. He goes into another room and douses his busted hands in ice water to dull the pain. Anna comes in and apologizes for what she has put him and his father through and wants to make it up to him. She disrobes and they kiss and have sex.Later in bed, Anna tells him that no matter what happens she will finish what she has started. Frank asks when she was forced into prostitution and Anna tells him at age 12. As an increasingly horrified Frank listens to her story, Anna explains she grew up in an impoverished town with few opportunities. She had just come home from working at a factory when she saw her mother talking with a handsome man in a nice suit. The man was Karasov. He told Anna that she could work for him. Her mother told her it was okay and Anna went with him. It wasn't until it was too late that Anna realized that her own mother sold her for 500 dollars. Because of her family betrayal, and Karasov ruining not only her life but countless others, Anna will not stop her plan to collapse his entire empire. "Do you know what it feels like to be considered trash?" Anna asks Frank. Frank gets dressed and gets his father who is in the bed with Gina and Qiao. "Time to go Dad," Frank says. "Really?" Martin Sr. replies with a hint of whine in his voice. Martin Sr. goes with his son, telling the girls goodbye.As they drive off, Martin Sr. and Frank discuss the various dark things they have seen in their lives and relate it to what Anna and her friends have experienced. "Being sold into prostitution, where death is the only option out is pretty dark," Martin Sr. notes, feeling great sympathy for them. Martin Sr. asks what his son is going to do. Frank tells him he is going to drop him off, then go to Paris for a while until the heat dies down. He wants to forget any of them existed. Martin Sr. chastises him for running away from people that need help, saying that is not the son he raised. Frank then says he spent years trying to do the right thing and in the end it got him nothing (implying his time in the service was marred by being forced out by corrupt influences). "It doesnt mean you stop doing the right thing," Martin Sr. says.Frank drops his father off at the consulate. "Send me a post card from Paris," Martin Sr. says, disappointed in his son. Frank drives off. A moment later he gets a call from his father. But it is actually Karasov who has kidnapped him. He tells Frank that he knows he has access to the girls that stole from him and he is to deliver them to Karasov if he wants to see his father alive again.Frank returns to Anna's safe house and explains the situation as she, Maria and Qiao burn all their equipment. Frank notices Gina missing, and Anna says she went back to her family. They always made the crimes always look like three people were committing them so in case things went bad, one of them would be able to escape. Anna says they will help him save his father.Frank and the girls drive to Karasov's location. They are taken to his boat via a speedboat. When he sees Frank, Karasov mocks him, saying it wasn't his fault the rest of their squad wanted to make some money on the side. If he had just played along, nothing would have happened (implying Frank was forced out of the army due to trying to implicate Karasov in corruption). Frank says he went to serve, not make money. Frank says he brought the thieves and asks for his father. Martin Sr. is brought into the room. Suddenly, Yuri and Imasova arrive with their guards. Karasov asks what they are doing on his boat. They tell him he texted them to have a meeting. Besides, they are suspicious of him already. They want to know what happened to their money.Meanwhile, someone in scuba gear dives under the boat and gets inside to the electrical mainframe. It is revealed to be Gina. She never left. Shes integral to the final phase of the plan.Anna then tells Yuri and Imasova that they were ordered by Karasov to steal their money and his show of finding them was just a means to tie up loose ends. Karasov tells her to shut up but his two partners and their guards pull guns and allow her to keep talking. Karasov tells the two he is going to put his gun down and show them his bank accounts, and prove his innocence. As he logs in, Gina supersedes him, and transfers the 200 million they stole into his account. When Yuri and Imasova see that, their suspicions are confirmed. The standoff boils over and breaks into a huge gunfight that leaves Yuri, Imasova, and many of their guards dead. Unfortunately, Maria and Qiao are also killed as well. With no gun, Frank is forced to use a fire extinguisher to blind the remaining gunmen so he, his father, and Anna can escape. As they charge out however, Karasov grabs Anna and drags her away. Meanwhile, Maissa discovers someone hacked the boat and goes down to investigate.Gina, still down in the controls, transfers all the money, all 320 million dollars back to Anna, wiping Karasov out completely. Maissa finds her and shoots her in her back, pushing her out of the way. Maissa tries to log back into the system and recover the money but cannot. Seeing a piece of rope, Gina uses what is left of her strength and strangles Maissa to death. Martin Sr. finds Gina and begs her to hold on. Gina tells him she's sorry and dies in his arms, much to his sadness.Frank in the meantime gets into a fight with some of Karasov's men in a room filled with medieval weaponry. He takes a battle axes and trades blow with one man until it eventually breaks. Finally, he grabs an orange flotation donut and twists the two men through it, leaving them stranded.Karasov pushes Anna into a speedboat and takes off. Anna calls out to Frank as he is attacked on deck. Frank quickly dispatches the goon, throwing him overboard. Jumping off the boat, he lands on the back of a jet ski where a goon is already on it. Frank kicks him off and gives pursuit. Karasov gets to land and drags Anna into a SUV and knocks her out. As he is about to drive away, Frank drives the jet ski on to the sand and jumps off, kicking through the passenger side window and kicking Karasov out of the car. Karasov runs for the cliffs with Frank not far behind.Anna comes to in the car. She finds a gun and makes sure it is loaded.On the cliffs, Karasov and Frank fight. First just hand to hand. Then Karasov pulls out a knife and slashes Frank a few times. Then he picks up rocks trying to beat Frank to death. They trade blows until Karasov has the means to bash Franks head with a rock. Before he can though, Anna shows up and shoots him four times in the chest. His dead body falls from the cliff to the waters below. Anna screams out in a combination of relief, agony, and sadness, knowing that it is finally over.However, Frank knows that she is the one that called Yuri and Imasova. She made sure Martin Sr. was kidnapped, so Frank would have no choice but to deliver Anna and the others to Karasov and thus be there to save them all. Now, she has to kill him to erase any trace of what she has done. Anna breaking down, tells him to stop, to not get any closer. Frank then says if he needed to be dead, why did she save him? He gets closer to Anna and makes her put the gun down. Frank tells Anna that her friends died for her, and Anna says she would have done the same for them. Frank says that whatever she wanted out of all of this had better been worth it. Frank tells her to go before kissing her one last time. "Is that the deal?" Anna asks.
"That's the deal, Frank replies. Anna gets off the mountains and goes back to the car. She looks at Frank one last time, sadly, and then drives away.An undetermined time later, Martin Sr. is being interrogated by Inspector Bectaoui. Martin Sr. denies having anything to do with the mess and cannot identify the man who killed Karasov. Bectaoui has no choice but to release him, having no just cause to keep him locked up as a person of interest. Frank is waiting outside the police station, reading a paper detailing the death of Karasov and the dissolution of his criminal empire. Frank says they should go get dinner with a nice bottle of wine. Martin Sr. says that is the first smart thing he has said. They drive off.ONE MONTH LATERAnna, in a large mansion, free from her life of prostitution, sits at her pool with a tablet. Looking at her bank accounts, she begins to transfer money. She gives 75 million each to the families of Maria, Gina, and Qiao so they will never have to endure the horrors their daughters did. In addition she sends 10 million each to Frank and his father for their trouble, leaving the last 75 million for her, allowing Anna to have a life of peace. | revenge, humor, murder, violence, flashback | train | imdb | It is expected from a transporter series to have top notch action sequences with Jason Statham throwing some mind blowing dialogues that would make a fan jump from his/her seat.
It failed miserably Ed Skrein was simply not believable as Frank Martin, he may well have talent but if failed to find a way to escape the terrible script.The plot (what there was of it) was so predictable that I could have written the next scene before it showed up on the screen.The truth is, this movie could have been edited out of the out takes and what was on the cutting room floor from the previous Transporter Movies and it would probably have been an improvement.The Plot consisted of a few Pretty Girls exploited by Mafia type Russian bad guy, Frank takes a job and gets wrapped into a revenge plot by some of the Girls on the old Boss.Stick it in a bag shake it and print it.If you are thinking of going to the cinema to watch this, do not waste the money.It gets 1 star because someone somewhere made a living on it..
The fake hoarseness he carries in his voice is oh-just-so-laughable!Come on Hollywood, if you want to do a reboot of a franchise like this, please do not do it with 3rd rate actors!!!OK, now the action scenes, THE EDITOR, Julien Rey, NEEDS TO GET HIS HEAD OUT HIS ...!
Quick background: I like Jason Statham, I thought the first two transporter movies were awesome, but the third one was a let down.
The new Transporter, who comes in the shape of Ed Skrein, has some big shoes to fill taking on a role that helped make Jason Statham a bona fide action star.
Ray Stevenson who plays Franks father, is quite a scene stealer, and makes me wonder why was he not cast has Frank instead.All in all it's pretty much what you would get from a Transporter film.
Gorgeous scenery in the French Riviera, beautiful exotic women taking revenge on their pimp, and a Luc Besson story combine with an extended Audi product placement to make an entertaining action movie.Ed Skrein is a suitable replacement for Jason Statham and a believable enough action hero.
While they needed the Transporter's help, they certainly weren't damsels in distress, waiting for a man to rescue them, which was a nice change from so many action films.But most of all, I loved the fighting - Ed Skrein made it look somewhat easy to get the best of various bad guys in creative ways.
The Jason Statham fan club apparently have decided to write many negative reviews - hey wake up - this isn't a thriller or drama focused on dialogue - its an action movie!
Loved this in Imax cinema today.Its not the best film in the world,but its entertaining,slick and bursting with action.I have to admit I am biased as I love Ray Stevenson who plays Frank Martin Senior.The Frank and Frank relationship works almost turning this into a father-son buddy movie and if by any chance it makes enough money for a sequel to be made,I think that needs to remain at the heart.As Frank Senior is a retired spy,we keep getting flashes of what this man has been and is still capable of.The stunts are amazing ,the chases and fighting top notch and the women involved in manipulating how the story progresses.Why cant a film just be entertainment for a few hours.The critics were bound to pull this apart but audiences should enjoy it.Really hoping the two Franks will live to fight another day.
But I was wrong, the new actor could play slighty better than statham.Refueled, is everything you could expect from transporter movies.
movie stunts are good thought story line too..but move doesn't seems so great and osam without jason..they must have brought jason in this movie ..if they want to get total respect n love from audience i give this movie a 1 star cos without jason movie is awful to watch .....jason is the only person who will put energy to this movie n attraction toward its fans ...
The Transporter, along with Crank pretty much made Statham the action hero worthy of being in The Expendables and the fact that he still relevant enough to keep going with the franchise only made the whole thing a turn off.But I will say they tried their best to make up for his absence, but I really don't like the new guy in comparison.
The Transporter, along with Crank pretty much made Statham the action hero worthy of being in The Expendables and the fact that he still relevant enough to keep going with the franchise only made the whole thing a turn off.But I will say they tried their best to make up for his absence, but I really don't like the new guy in comparison.
Transporter Refueled has a lot of Stylish fight sequences and chase scenes that hit the mark perfectly, and Hit-man didn't, so if you're choosing between mindless action, you're better off with Transporter.Overall, I give the movie a 5 and it would have gotten an 8 if Statham was starring in it..
The action scenes in this one were well done as the car- related scenes were well shot and captivating despite sometimes feeling like an Audi commercial and certain implausible things were happening on screen and the fight scenes were well choreographed and very creative at times which I appreciated.
I always make a point of watching the trailer for a movie..that way you should know what you are in for.Transporter re-fuelled is an high octane stunt romp which has to be watched in the proper context .If you expect anything than thin plotted action then you're in for a bad experience.Good and bad guys...sexy girls...fast cars....foreign bad-guys with big boats and planes.....revenge...pumping soundtrack...silly sequences...it's all here for 90 odd minutes of daft fun.If it's Oscar material you're after ..go see a Shakespeare play or an opera.Not particularly a bad movie but as good as the genre will allows so whack your shoes off and suspend belief for a bit..
The character of Frank Martin (played in the first three films by Jason Statham, who became a popular action movie actor because of the role) is now inhabited by British rapper, actor and recent TV pitch man Ed Skrein.
As the women move forward with their plan, they only tell Frank what he needs to know when he needs to know it, which makes Frank frustrated and places all parties in greater danger, but also entertains the audience – mostly.The movie re-uses some of the ideas that fueled the previous "Transporter" films, including making the story personal by focusing on the pursuit of justice in the midst of all the car chases and plot twists.
The only character in this movie with sufficient gravitas to play his role is Stevenson, but he is given some silly lines and even sillier direction (from Camille Delamarre, who edited "Transporter 3" but is directing one of these films for the first time).Of course, audiences who come to these movies are more concerned with the action than the acting and, on that level, the film does pretty well.
This series made an action star out of then unknown actor Jason Statham, whose brawny heft and martial arts abilities fit the character like a T.
Now that a much older Statham is now doing films like "The Expendables", producer Luc Besson decided to resurrect the character of Frank Martin with a new unknown young actor.
I actually wanted to see more father-son scenes between Stevenson and Skrein, as they had good chemistry together.French model Loan Chabanol played Anna.
The Transporter Refueled was merely some of the same stunts and scenes flipped around with some of the similar story of your basic action film.
Skrein doesn't have Statham's martial arts background, but the fight sequences are well choreographed and not excessively tightly edited, allowing you to see some techniques happening.What does work well is the introduced character of Frank Sr. played by Ray Stevenson, replacing Inspector Tarconi.
And I think watching 2 monkeys fight is a better watch than this.Every new movie they make if it's a reboot or not they are all the same: everybody looking like they have a lot of money, and they all look so arrogant you just wanna punch them all so hard in the face.
With Transporter Refueled, you should basically know with what you are getting going into.In the year 2010 and in south of France, Frank Martin (Ed Skrein) goes on a wild ride dealing with saving his dad, getting caught up in a strange prostitution ring and a money plot.Skrein is famous for leaving Game of Thrones and we will really see what he can do in a lead role as the villain in Deadpool next year.
This is one of those movies where you watch it because you want to see what type of over-the-top and elaborate fights or gunfights or car chase sequences or action set pieces they could come up with, EuropaCorp-style, I might add.
So in this case, for this particular franchise, whether or not the script is solid can strap a seatbelt on the back seat along with analytical skills.This reboot's got four drop dead gorgeous ladies, it's got that sort of Sean Connery - Harrison Ford 'The Last Crusade'-esque father-son banters between Ray Stevenson and Ed Skrein, I think they make the movie extra entertaining.
GOOD POINTS New faces, hot girls, I was bored of Jason Statham after 3 movies Ed did a great job.
Unfortunately, Ms. Chabanol's character looks like a knock-off of Gina Gershon and is performed at the level of Ms. Gershon's Showgirls co-star Elizabeth Berkley (insert groan and dread here).The highlights of the film are Ray Stevensen, who plays Frank's dad; the French Riviera locale; and the over-the-top action and stunt sequences – many with (I choose to believe) purposefully humorous touches.
Being one who got some kick out of all the three previous installments in the series and aware of the fact that the western critics have always been indifferent to the 'Transporter' films,I opted for this refueled sequel,even after receiving generally unfavorable reviews on the day of its release,the result being disappointing in all means.Statham-less and devoid of thrills that the predecessors offered,the latest addition to the series is a desperate effort from the producers to cash-up on the popularity of the franchise just for the sake of making some numbers in the box office.The 96 minutes long movie rather exalts the contribution of Jason Statham to the franchise and how dumb the series looks in the absence of a convincing hero like him.The narration by Camille Delamarre never really cares to connect with the audience and mixes up glamour and action the same way as the prequels,but noticeably lazier writing and technical crew spoils the punch that the prequels offered.The chase sequences even though looks like an advertisement for the newly launched Audi S8 were impressive and the only positive to be noted.The strangely bright coloring,particularly during the action sequences should have been taken care of.Ed skrien tries really hard to fit into the shoes of statham and even tries to emulate his accent,but to be honest the guy lacks the charm and charisma that Statham transferred to the protagonist Frank Martin.The only saving grace coming to the performances is a really good act from Ray Stevenson,playing the senior Frank Martin.Loan Chabanol,Gabriella Wright etc as the lead ladies were adequate.Overall,The Transporter Refueled is a disappointing sequel that feels lifeless in the absence of a charismatic hero like Statham.Verdict::Having watched this shabby effort from the whole team,I do feel that the idea to refuel the 'Transporter' franchise after 7 years and that too opting out the central attraction Statham shouldn't have been materialized.Give it a miss!!
This movie is just like the previous Transporter movies just without: -any talented actors any cool car chases -any martial art scenes (fast cuts can't replace missing fighting skills, folks.
If you like good fighting scenes: don't watch the movie.
To insure his cooperation, they kidnap Frank's father, Frank Sr (Ray Stevenson).Some people believe that these Transporter movies are really ads for the Audi cars as they are the only ones Frank drives.
The action scenes during these chases are simply spectacular, and as we watch we can be heard exclaiming quite loudly, "Ouch, Ouch, Ouch" Yes, the car stunts are every bit of what we expect from a Transporter movie.
the only thing this has in common with the other (good) Transporter films is the title and character Frank Martin.
The main reason people actually liked the other Transporter films was because of Jason Statham, so his absence in this film is clearly felt with Ed Skrein constantly trying to pull of his best Statham impression the whole time.
Unless you simply cannot stay away from driving movies, even if they don't focus on the driving like they should, then check it out; but if you expect this to be a true Transporter flick, then skip it.5/10 because of Ed and Ray's performances, beautiful women, and at least being willing to try some new things.
'THE TRANSPORTER REFUELED': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)Sequel/reboot to the popular action flick franchise; which has three previous installments and a TV series.
This chapter has actor Ed Skrein, taking over the lead character of Frank Martin (aka 'The Transporter'), from former star Jason Statham.
If you like action movies, then watch 'Refueled'.
He may have the looks but his looks can't save this poor movie.The story which is a revenge drama has not teeth and tough the action sequences are good, they lack the edge of the seat thrill.The only decent thing is this boring thing is Ray Stevenson who plays Sr Frank Martin aka transpoter's dad.
The Transporter Refueled feels like any "euro-action" film produced by Luc Besson and his tireless factory of B-movies, with practically exchangeable situations and characters.
There are many problems in the poor screenplay from The Transporter Refueled; to start with, the methods of the prostitutes feel excessively complicated, and Frank Martin's intervention feels unnecessary and weak, something we should never perceive in the "hero" from an action film.
This competent attempt to reboot (or refuel, as it were) the "Transporter" franchise finds Ed Skrein in the unenviable position of trying to replace Jason Statham, which is basically impossible.
He has none of the presence that Jason Statham has and as the character of Frank Is The Transporter, this movie was never going to be any good.
(Ok I know all fight scenes are choreographed but it was clear that Statham could actually fight, Skrein clearly cannot)It is a shame as this could have been a good film, the story wasn't bad and the supporting actors were pretty good, but the Frank character was weak.Maybe they should have made a prequel with a different actor playing a young Frank?
Ed Skrein hasn't got the "hard man" persona like Statham, who suited the role as the original Frank Martin, so I doubt that this franchise has taken a turn for the better.
As I didn't have high expectations for this film, I wasn't that disappointed but it's a shame to see a decent franchise go in the wrong direction.Budget: $25million Worldwide Gross: $73millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their action/crime/thrillers starring Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson, Loan Chabanol, Gabriella Wright and Tatiana Pajkovic.
If you want a good action flick, watch something else, like the rock, or the original transporters.
Former special-operations mercenary Frank Martin assists a prostitute Anna and her accomplices Gina, Maria and Qiaobring take down a human trafficker in order to save his father, Frank Martin Senior.Director Camille Delamarre's The Transporter Refueled has a handful of decent stunts and action sequences, one of which involving a fight in a car park where Frank leaves his car in drive.
Maybe The Transporter Refueled would have worked better tweaked as a generic father son action film rather than a reboot of a sleeper hit series.Overall, possibly worth watching for Stevenson elder Frank and Tatiana Pajkovic..
Urgh!I liked the first Transporter movie and then it goes downhill from there all the way to the TV show.While this film wasn't as bad as the series, it was still kind of crap.
I liked the original Transporter films, they were boosted by the acting of Jason Statham and some enthralling chases and stunts.
As a fan of the series I was eagerly waiting for it knowing the fact that you can never replace Jason Statham but still kept my hopes high but turns out exactly the same way you would expect, another failed experiment just like most of the reboot,remakes or sequel/prequel these days.I hated the storyline where Frank Martin is kind of a lapdog of four bitches and the father son relationship angle was even more pathetic, I mean come on his father is supposed to be some ex-spy or something but gets kidnapped in the same movie twice.
Acting was pretty much bad to awful with Ed Skrein nowhere close to Statham's legacy specially the fight scenes, not sure why Ray Stevenson agreed for such a role as Frank Martin's father and honestly don't even want to talk about the rest of the cast.
But for those who watched Jason Statham as The Transporter will miss him throughout the movie.
Transporter 3 had some awful actions scenes but after seeing this movie I think the third films looks pretty good right now.Overall Transporter Refueled is a terrible, terrible movie.
Transporter Refueled (2015): Dir: Camille Delamarre / Cast: Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson, Anatole Taubman, Loan Chabanol, Noemie Lenoir: The subtitle indicates that this is a reboot of the popular yet idiotic action franchise starring Jason Statham. |
tt0120797 | Pushing Tin | Nick "The Zone" Falzone (John Cusack) and his fellow air traffic controllers at New York TRACON pride themselves on their ability to handle the intense stress of being a controller for one of the busiest airspaces in the country, even boasting of the 50% drop-out rate for new additions to the staff who are unable to cope with the pressure. The group is joined by the quiet and confident Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thornton), a veteran of TRACONs in the Western United States. Russell quickly proves to be exceptionally capable of handling the increased workload by using unorthodox and risky methods. Nick feels challenged by the new controller's ability to out-perform him at seemingly every task and warns his supervisor that Bell is a loose cannon, especially after discovering that Russell once stood on a runway to allow himself to be violently propelled by a landing commercial airliner's jetwash.
At a supermarket, Nick encounters Russell's despondent young wife Mary (Angelina Jolie), who is sobbing over a grocery cart full of alcohol. In consoling her, Nick ends up back at the Bells' house, where he and Mary both cheat on their respective spouses by having sex. Several days later, Mary informs Nick that she immediately told Russell about the affair, and that the confession has actually improved their marriage. Fearing retaliation, Nick confronts Russell at work, and is confused and surprised by Russell's even-tempered response to the situation. Meanwhile, Nick's wife, Connie (Cate Blanchett), seems to become more and more intrigued by Russell, and Nick becomes increasingly paranoid that Russell will eventually seek revenge by having sex with her. While out of town for his father-in-law's funeral, Nick can't bring himself to lie when a grieving Connie challenges him to say that he has never cheated on her. As their flight home approaches New York, Connie tells Nick that she has indeed slept with Russell. The plane then makes an odd turn, and Nick assumes that Russell is harassing him, or possibly going insane, by purposely directing the plane into a dangerous storm.
Soon after going to TRACON to confront Russell, a bomb threat is called in to the facility. The building is evacuated as both Nick and Russell volunteer to stay behind to handle the daunting task of landing all the planes on approach in their airspace before the alleged bomb is set to go off in 26 minutes. Successfully routing all but one plane that has lost radio contact, Nick leaves the building as the deadline approaches, while Russell instead remains inside to make contact with the plane by calling one of its passengers via Airfone. Russell is lauded as a hero for making the effort despite the threat, which turned out to be a hoax.
Russell abruptly quits and he and Mary move to Colorado. Connie leaves Nick, and his performance at work suffers; the once cocky, boastful controller is sent home after being responsible for two deals (near mid-air collisions) in one shift. After learning that Russell had ordered the diversion of Nick's flight not to provoke him, but to clear a path to make a plane with a medical emergency on board next in line for a landing, Nick impulsively drives out to Colorado to make amends with Russell. Nick seeks his advice on how to get his personal life back in order, but Russell is unable to make Nick understand with words. He instead brings Nick to a runway so that he too can experience being caught in a landing aircraft's turbulence. The two engage in the stunt together, and it has a profound effect on Nick, who thanks Russell. He returns to New York, where he regains his form at work, and reconciles with Connie. | comedy | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1097268 | Very Young Girls | Very Young Girls is a documentary film that chronicles the journey of young women through the underground world of sexual exploitation in New York City.A 14-year-old girl is lured from her home, beaten, raped, held captive, and sold for sex in New York City. The police find her -- and arrest her.
A man who has sex with an underage girl should be prosecuted as a criminal rapist. But there is a loophole: if the child accepts money in exchange for sex, the rapist is now a "john" and rarely is subjected to greater punishment than a fine. For the very same act, the girl is often prosecuted as a prostitute and sent into detention. The average age of entry into prostitution today in the Untied States is 13 years old.
The United States government likes to say it leads the world in combating sexual trafficking, and grades other countries on their compliance. If a woman has been brought from the Ukraine to Manhattan and coerced to have sex for money, the US government provides her services under the 2002 Sex Trafficking legislation. She is a victim. But if she is a African-American girl brought to Manhattan from the Bronx, she's a criminal and she's going to jail.
Our double standard arises partly from myths about prostitution, promoted in the movies, song, and reality TV - girls are empowered sex workers, strung-out crack whores, greedy "hos," or hookers with hearts of gold. Very Young Girls shows clearly, that with the average age of entry into prostitution in the United States at thirteen, that sexual exploitation is simply a commercial form of child sexual abuse, the effect of which can continue into adulthood and beyond.
The film follows the girls in real time, using verité and intimate interviews with the girls both when they are still working and when in recovery, The film also uses footage shot by pimps themselves that illustrate exactly how it all starts. Very Young Girls tells the story of girls who spend their teenage years being recruited and brainwashed by predatory pimps, bought and sold on the street, sent to jail, and then recovering from the trauma of sexual exploitation.
Recovery occurs through Rachel Lloyd, who runs GEMS, the only survivor-led organization in New York that offers services to sexually exploited girls. Rachel rescued herself from sexual exploitation, and she and her staff are relentless in their mission to help girls sent by the courts to GEMS after being arrested, or found on the streets by GEMS staffers, to piece their lives back together in group therapy. But sessions reopen wounds as girls relive memories of the abusive homes they ran away from, pimps who convinced them that they were "in love," the nightly rapes they endured to make money so their pimp would give them attention instead of a beating; and the fear that they will never be anything but a "ho" in anyone's eyes - including their own. A few girls will succeed, some will remain suspended on the edge of two worlds, and others will be sucked back into the underground.
Very Young Girls will change the way law enforcement, the media, and society as a whole look at sexual exploitation. [D-Man2010]Focuses on the work of a former sexually exploited youth-turned-activist named Rachel Lloyd, who started the New York City organization GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services) to help victimized young women escape their pimps and make a new start. Some of the teenage girls she works with have been so psychologically manipulated by their pimps that they continue to fall back into old routines. However, some have been able to make a cleaner break with their past. [D-Man2010] | home movie | train | imdb | Stunning, Inspiring, Fascinating.
I saw a special screening in Greenwich Village last night and the whole crowd was gasping, crying and laughing together.
It's truly a tour de force, and you fall in love with these girls as they talk about their hopes, their painful experiences and the surprising, frightening truth about teenage prostitution in America.
Highly recommended.
You might think a movie like this would be a drag, but it's not--it's surprisingly entertaining, and really a fascinating, wonderful experience."Issue" documentaries carry the danger of being too focused on polemics and not enough on the people involved or the cinematic experience.
The filmmakers avoid this nicely by focusing on the girls themselves, following their ups and downs and giving them the chance to express their contradictions.
This is especially effective, I thought, in a sequence when one girl cannot help but call her pimp and tell him she loves him..
Depressing, shocking, yet uplifting and empowering..
I attended the press screening for 'Very Young Girls' in New York City ...
where this documentary was filmed, although it addresses a problem hardly unique to that city: child prostitution.
According to a statement at the start of this film, the AVERAGE age when children enter prostitution is 13 ...
which means that half of them are younger!
Two punks named Anthony and Chris Griffith (bruthahs from "the hood") decided to get rich by forcing very young girls to streetwalk for them, and also shooting home-movie footage of the girls plying this trade.
The Griffiths planned to increase their wealth and fame by creating a cable-TV programme based on this footage.
While holding my nose, I must endorse one aspect of this scheme: I have no doubt that the cable-TV companies would eagerly beat a path to the Griffiths' address.
Fortunately, their current address is a prison.
(More about this later.) Some of their video footage shows up in this documentary: grinning smugly, the Griffiths cheerfully admit that they consider the girls to be mere merchandise, the property of the Griffiths as pimps.The girls seen here are all New York City teens, some of them VERY young teens, and most of them African-American.
Although they all fell into the Griffiths' clutches, they also had the good luck to cross paths with Rachel Lloyd, founder of Girls' Educational and Mentoring Services (and also co-exec producer of this documentary).
GEMS are an outreach group dedicated to rescuing young women from the sex industry, and stabilising their lives.We meet individual girls, telling their stories before, during and after prostitution.
It's no surprise that some of them had absent or abusive fathers: often, the leering attention they received from the Griffiths was the nearest they'd ever experienced to male affection.
The Griffiths bait their trap with sweet talk and presents, getting the girls hooked on drugs (and therefore dependent), then terrorising them to make sure they obey.We see a brief clip of a 'john class'.
Men arrested for patronising prostitutes in New York City, if they have no previous record, have the opportunity to clean their records if they attend a lecture on the dangers of prostitution.
The johns we see here are clearly merely going through the motions: one man arrogantly asks when they can take a break.
Two of the men seen here wear Jewish regalia (one Hasidic), and I'm sure there are a few church-going Christians in the pew, too.
Pyew!As the former prostitutes regain their humanity, they also discover their individuality.
One GEMS alumna gets an office job, another becomes a GEMS counsellor.
Another one gets married in a Pentecostal wedding.
Sadly, at least one goes back to her old tricks.
Another vanishes without a trace.I found most of this movie chillingly realistic.
Only one sequence seemed staged: a mother has spent months trying to locate her teen daughter, without a single clue; the documentary camera is conveniently present when she finally gets the crucial phone call.The image and sound editing are inconsistent: some curse words are bleeped, others left audible.
Some people's faces are digitally blurred in odd ways (noses and mouths obscured but eyes intact), and the people so favoured aren't always the ones you'd expect: why is a bailiff in a court case blurred out, since he's doing his honest job efficiently, and he has no reason to conceal his identity?
Due to poor audio recording (especially in the Griffiths' footage) and the terrible diction of many participants, several sequences are given much-needed subtitles ...
but other sequences need this device yet don't receive it.
Speaking of diction: Rachel Lloyd (a British-born survivor of sexual abuse in her teen years) is a charismatic advocate for her cause, but she has one of the most bizarre speech patterns I've ever encountered ...
a prole Noo Yawk accent interlaced with London working-class inflexions.
Here, we see her graciously accepting an award on behalf of GEMS while denouncing the industry that gave an Academy Award to the song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp".
Elsewhere, Ms Young points out a cruel irony: these girls are below the age of consent and therefore cannot legally agree to have sexual intercourse, yet they are arrested for prostitution.The Griffiths were ultimately convicted, and their own amateur footage was used as evidence against them.
Yet, oddly, they were only nicked on a variant of the Mann Act, for transporting a prostitute across state lines.
This is something I've never understood about U.S. law: why is a felony across state lines considered so much worse than a felony that stays put?
With this movie's title and subject matter, some people will want to see 'Very Young Girls' for prurient reasons.
As far as that goes, there are only a few brief shots on offer here of streetwalkers, faces obscured, in the early stages of negotiation with customers.
I would describe 'Very Young Girls' as honest, except for one strange omission: nowhere in this documentary is there any mention of Aids or other sexually-transmitted diseases.
As a crudely-made but sincere documentary that addresses a real problem, I'll rate 'Very Young Girls' 7 out of 10..
Well intentioned, but incomplete and overlong.
You won't waste your time watching it, especially if you are watching it on TV and you are able to do other stuff while it is on.
It does a decent profile of GEMS.
It gives us an idea of how messed up our court system is when they convict underage hookers instead of treating them as victims of sexual abuse.
But no interviews with prosecutors or legislators of why this is so.The documentary should have been titled GEMS because it really offers no fresh insight into why these girls turn away from their families in the first place?
Yeah, we know the father figure aspect of these pimps attracts them to the profession in the first place.
But why were they for the taking?
No real insightful interviews with the mothers of these kids were done.It would have been nice to have seen what it took for Rachel Lloyd to set up her non profit to give us an idea why more of these non profits do not exist.There was one girl who expressed an interest in becoming an archaeologist, travel to England.
The doc really dropped the ball in explaining why someone like this, with good grades, would even be in the position of being approached by a pimp and why she was so quick to fall for his persuasive powers.It should have been a 45 min to one hour doc at most profiling GEMS..
Why do documentaries about prostitution have to include a commentary about AIDS?.
This is in response to the previous review made about this film.
Okay, I can see that you had difficulties from a technical perspective, but to finish your review with a question asking why there was no coverage about AIDS, reveals your ignorance and prejudice against sex workers.
This is a documentary about young girls who are coerced into the sex trade, and although AIDS is an issue, it is just as much of an issue for any other person out there who is having sex with multiple partners.Would not a scene about AIDS be just as "staged" as you say the scene with the mother who got the phone call was?Who are you to criticize a film that is trying to raise awareness about a critical issue in society?
Much less a film that sensitively reveals a harsh predicament that most people could never understand or fully empathize with.It seems like some people never learn no matter how many documentaries they see....
Absolutely See It ****Spoiler Alert****.
Whoever commented that this movie wasn't a drag must have a heart made of stone.
It has been three days since I watched this movie and I have not been able to purge the images of these 'very young girls' from my mind.
The room full of cocky, ignorant, "johns", who receive a slap on the wrist for engaging in sex with minors, the girls being pressured to slap one another as punishment, a stream of old men filtering in and out of a motel room where a underage girl is enduring god knows what, stories of gang rape and torment, it is heinous and it is real.
Men who brainwash young girls, then emotionally and physically abuse them.
Yes, there are some happy endings, but the end does not justify the means.
The only thing I can keep telling myself is that what ever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, so hopefully some strong, unstoppable, fearless women will be born of these horrible experiences, but it is not enough.
Child exploitation and human trafficking are sick and sad epidemics in our country and world wide and they must be addressed.
So watch this movie, hopefully it will sink in, hopefully you can expose yourself to the gritty reality of other people's lives. |
tt0120689 | The Green Mile | The movie begins with an old man named Paul Edgecomb (Dabbs Greer) in a retirement center. He takes two pieces of dry toast from an orderly, who mentions Paul's habit for taking walks outside the ground. The orderly is worried about Paul, but allows him to continue with his daily routine.Paul and several other residents are watching TV when an old movie with Fred Astaire dancing to the song "Heaven" is on. Paul sees it and walks away, followed by his friend Elaine (Eve Brent). Elaine realizes that the movie has awakened some powerful memories for Paul, and asks about it. Paul tells Elaine his story: that he was a prison guard during the Depression, in charge of Death Row, informally called "The Green Mile," because of its green tile floor. Paul's most powerful memory of this time took place in 1935....The story then flashes back to the 1930's at the State Prison, where a young Paul Edgecomb (now played by Tom Hanks) suffers from a urinary infection. Some of the other guards- Brutus "Brutal" Howell (David Morse), Dean Stanton (Barry Pepper) and Harry Terwilliger (Jeffrey DeMunn) bring in a new inmate. His name is John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) "like the drink, only not spelled the same." He is a gigantic muscular man, but when Paul talks to John they find that he has the mindset of a small child- very meek and apparently scared of the dark.When John is brought in, another guard named Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchison) is sent off Death Row to attend to work elsewhere. Percy is not happy about this, and in frustration he lashes out at another inmate named Eduard Delecroix (Michael Jeter), breaking Del's fingers. Paul is given a copy of John Coffey's records and finds that he was sent to Death Row after being convicted for the murder (and implied rape) of two small girls. John Coffey does not mention his crime, only stating that he "tried to take it back, but it was too late."Later on, Paul is outside when he is met by Warden Hal Moores (James Cromwell). Hal gives Paul the execution papers for an inmate named Bitterbuck, and has a conversation with him about the young guard named Percy. It's revealed that Percy is the nephew of the governor's wife, and his powerful political connections are what got him hired- and keep him in the job, because Percy is apparently "stupid and mean" according to the other guards. Paul finds out that Percy has put in to be an administrator at a mental hospital, which would mean better pay and better hours. Paul theorizes that Percy wants to witness an execution up close before moving onto a new job. Warden Moores also mentions that his wife, Melinda, is not well she suffers from bad headaches and must have an X-Ray in order to find the source of the problem. That night, Paul meets with his wife Jan (Bonnie Hunt) and discusses the problem with Hal's wife.Next day, Brutus spots a mouse in the cell block. They watch it run into a small room in the corner, which turns out to be a padded room for dangerous inmates but is currently used for storage. The guards check everything in the room but do not find the mouse. A few hours later, Percy spots the mouse and goes into a fury trying to kill it. Paul berates Percy for scaring the inmates in his pursuit of the mouse. Percy doesn't care, thinking the inmates are contemptible. Paul feels differently, believing that under enough strain the inmates would "snap" and cause serious problems. Brutus grabs Percy, but Percy threatens to use his connections as nephew to the governor's wife to get the others fired if they hurt him.Paul and the others do a rehearsal for the next execution, with the prison's elderly janitor, Toot-Toot (Harry Dean Stanton) helping them. Paul instructs Percy to watch and learn while the others prep the electric chair. That night, the execution of inmate Arlen Bitterbuck is carried out. Afterward, Paul confronts Percy about his new job opportunity. Percy reveals that he wants to "be out front" (meaning placed in charge of an inmate's execution) before he leaves.Next day, the inmate named Del has found the mouse again, named it "Mr. Jingles" and is trying to tame it. The mouse is able to fetch a spool of thread as a trick. The other guards allow Del to keep Mr. Jingles as a pet.Paul meets with Warden Hal again, getting word of a new inmate coming in, a man named William Wharton who killed three people in a holdup. Hal is almost in tears; the doctors have told him that his wife Melinda has a tumor the size of a lemon in her brain, virtually inoperable and eventually fatal. That night, Paul suffers from his urinary infection even more; he is almost in constant pain.Paul intends to see the doctor next day after the new inmate is brought in. Percy and Harry go to retrieve Wharton from a hospital, where he is in an apparent trance presumably from medication. As soon as Wharton gets inside, he springs to life, attacking the guards and kneeing Paul in the groin. Dean is nearly strangled before anyone can get Wharton under control. When the others go to report what has happened, John Coffey asks to speak with Paul. When Paul approaches John's cell, John grabs Paul and puts his hand over Paul groin. John holds on for several seconds, until the lights flare brightly. John then lets go, coughing and gasping until he releases a cloud of gnat-like spores from his mouth. Paul asks what happened, but John can only say that "I helped." Later when Paul visits the washroom, he feels no pain at all. John Coffey's act has healed his infection.The next morning, Paul goes into town to see John Coffey's public defender, Burt Hammersmith (Gary Sinise) who preceded over John's trial. Burt is absolutely convinced of Coffey's guilt. Back at the prison, Paul presents John with a loaf of cornbread baked by his wife, as a thanks for Coffey's "help". Coffey shares the cornbread with Del & Mr. Jingles, but does not give any to Wharton. This enrages Wharton, who takes his fury out on the guards, urinating on Harry. The guards use a fire hose to catch Wharton off guard, then wrap him up in a straitjacket and send him to the padded room. When Wharton spits on them later, he is sent to the room again.The rehearsal for Eduard Delecroix's execution takes place the next day. Paul has decided to put Percy in charge, in the hope that he will finally leave the prison right afterward. When Percy walks by the cells later, he is grabbed by Wharton. Percy wets himself in terror, and threatens the men to never mention this. Paul states that "what happens on the Mile, stays on the Mile." They will not say anything about what happened. Del, however, delights in Percy being humiliated.Later on, Mr. Jingles runs across the room between cells. Percy walks up and stomps on the mouse, coldly uncaring about what he has done leaving Del screaming in shock. John Coffey asks for the mouse, so Paul picks it up and hands it to John. The other guards watch in shock, awe, and possibly horror as light shines from John's hands. John coughs, releases another cloud of spores, and Mr. Jingles runs across the room- good as new.Percy, seeing that the mouse is uninjured, is furious- thinking the guards have set out to make a fool out of him. Paul confronts Percy and gives him an ultimatum- Percy will transfer out immediately after Delecroix's execution, or the others will go public about Percy's record of mistreatment of the prisoners and his behavior on the Mile. Percy agrees.Just before he "walks the Mile" to the electric chair, Del gives Mr. Jingles to Paul knowing that he will be taken care of. When Paul points out that he cannot have a mouse sitting on his shoulder during an execution, John Coffey volunteers to take care of Mr. Jingles.Percy sets everything up for Del's execution, with one small exception- he does not properly soak the sponge required for proper electric conduction, wanting to punish Del one more time. As a result, the execution is excruciating for Del and the entire horrified audience- he rolls in pain, screaming and even catches fire before finally dying.The guards confront Percy, but Paul tells them that Percy isn't worth fighting over and that he will still honor their agreement to leave.Paul and his wife go to visit Hal and Melinda the next day. Hal reveals that Melinda is rapidly falling apart, she is losing her memory and experiencing severe behavior changes including uncontrollable cursing. Paul invites the other guards (minus Percy) to dinner later and discusses John Coffey's acts of healing both him and Mr. Jingles. Paul states that he wants to sneak John Coffey out to try and heal Melinda. The others are very skeptical, pointing out that Coffey is a convicted murderer, and it would be disastrous if they are found or if he escapes. Paul puts forth his belief that Coffey is innocent; Paul "does not see God putting a gift like that in the hands of a man who would kill a child."The next day, they carry out the plan- Paul drugs Wharton so he will not see them leaving, then the others gag Percy and put him in the padded room as supposed "retribution" for Eduard Delecroix. They open up John Coffey's cell, and he is excited at the prospect of going for a ride outside and also seems to already know what they want him to do . John agrees to try and help Melinda. Wharton grabs Coffey as they head out, and John is apparently horrified by what he sees when touching Wharton.They arrive at Hal's home, and Hal threatens them with a shotgun. Paul talks him down while Coffey goes upstairs to meet Melinda. John gets very close to Melinda's face and something comes out of her mouth and into his, making the light in the room shine intensely. John breaks the connection with her, falling down coughing. Melinda sits up, looking much healthier and having no memory of anything that happened before her X-Ray. Hal collapses, weeping at his wife's restoration. John continues to cough, unable to release the "spores" like before. Melinda gives Coffey a pendant with the mark of St. Christopher-the healer- as a present.John returns to the prison, still very ill from the encounter. Percy is released, apparently keeping silent but the others still fear that he might talk. John grabs Percy, releasing the spores directly into Percy's mouth. Percy, in a daze, walks over to Wharton's cell and empties his revolver into Wharton's chest. The others seize Percy, who leans back and coughs up the remaining black spores. Upon examination, Percy appears to be catatonic. He is eventually sent to a mental hospital (ironically the same place where he was supposed to be an administrator) for presumably the rest of his life.Coffey repeats that Wharton and Percy were "bad men," and places his hand on Paul. Paul sees that Wharton was responsible for the murder John Coffey was convicted for. Now that he knows Coffey is innocent, Paul is unsure how to proceed. He talks to his wife that night and he suggests talking to John about it. He even asks Coffey if they should just "let him go." Coffey does not want to escape; he reveals that in addition to healing he can also feel the pain of all others around him and does not wish to continue with such pain in the world. Paul offers John a last request; Coffey states that he has always wanted to see a "flicker show" (a motion picture). They bring in a movie projector with the film "Top Hat," the same movie that the elderly Paul was watching at the beginning of the movie, which is what triggered Paul's memories particularly when Fred Astaire is dancing to "Heaven" and John watches in awe saying "they like angels!"That night, John Coffey is put to death as the guards watch on in tears. The elderly Paul's voice cuts in and states that he left The Green Mile soon after, unable to carry on after seeing John Coffey die. He and some of the others transferred to a youth corrections' facility.Elaine admits that Paul's tale is "quite a story," and does not apparently believe it. She also points out that Paul mentioned his son being grown up in 1935, which means he should be much older than he appears.Paul takes Elaine on a walk, and they come to a cabin in the woods. There is a mouse sleeping in a small box; Elaine is shocked to meet Mr. Jingles- Paul found the mouse again after Coffey's execution and has kept him ever since. Paul states that he is now 108 years old, and that he believes John Coffey "infected him [and Mr. Jingles] with life." Paul feels that this is his punishment for killing a genuine miracle of God- he must stay alive and watch everyone he cares about, including friends like Elaine, grow old and die before his own death.Later, Paul is seen at Elaine's funeral, quietly wondering just how much longer he has to go. "We each owe a death," he states, "There are no exceptions. But oh God, sometimes The Green Mile seems so long." | murder, whimsical, dramatic, cute, magical realism, flashback, sadist, sentimental | train | imdb | Having seen the movie, The Green Mile, and read the novel of the same name by Stephen King, I am glad to say that the movie stays true to the book, which in itself is a great read.
As far as performances, I can imagine many people pointing to Michael Duncan as John Coffey or Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb as the best performances of the movie, and they are good, but I would hope that Michael Jeter would receive recognition for portraying Eduard Delacroix.
The story is a layered, rather character-driven fantasy tale of the events that transpire at "the mile" after the arrival of a giant man, John Coffey (Michael Duncan), convicted of the murder of two small girls.
Actually this is not one single story, but several tied together seamlessly.A character-driven movie requires a lot from the cast, and fortunately when it comes to cast, The Green Mile delivers.
As the poster of the movie tells, this movie stars Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb, senior prison guard of the mile, and as always he performs very well indeed.
Many will find this movie to be too long, but I for one was delighted of the style, combination of simplicity of events and depth of characters and conversation.All in all the The Green Mile is a very touching drama, with the joys and sorrows of the life pictured with great skill, if not the best movie of the year.
THE GREEN MILE (1999) ****Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Michael Clarke Duncan, Bonnie Hunt, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Doug Hutchison, and Gary Sinise Written and directed by Frank Darabont.
i even say that this movie is better than shawshank redemption.fantastic story, brilliant acting,mind boggling feelings and overall an unforgettable drama.
Michael Clark Duncan put just the right shading on his huge character to make him vulnerable and sympathetic.Flawlessly shot on perfect period sets, the whole production binds together to bring the extraordinary story into the realm of a believable and compelling study of human injustice and charity..
There's a reason why this Oscar winning tour de force is #67 ranked of all films on IMDb, despite the fact that it's 3 hours long and has some truly grisly scenes (not for the squeamish, children, or a first date.)It's chock full of outstanding performances, not only from Hanks, but also from the many supporting characters, all who are rich and full.
If you ever give up hope on humanity and the destruction which our disgusting race has brought to this world, watch "The Green Mile" Hopefully it will change your outlook a little bit like it just has mine.11/10 SHOULD HAVE WON ALL THE AWARDS AVAILABLE THE YEAR OF IT'S RELEASE..
Kind of like songs, in which there are songs so brilliantly written that you can't imagine a human being writing it.I love drama, they're my favorites and I don't get bored with them especially when it's interesting; so the length, which is something complained about by a lot of people with this movie, doesn't bother me at all it just adds more interest.One of the best movies of all time and a must see!
Steven King the prolific American horror writer, chronicles this unusual story in a Louisanna prison where one Joe Coffee, (Michael Clarke Duncan) a huge, nay, enormous Black man, having been convicted of murder, is sentenced to be executed, by electrocution.
Stephen kings novel (with the same title) is not as good as the movie but it still stands tall i would recommend viewing this little gem if you're a fan of tom hanks or Stephen king.i have never watched a movie that has made me cry but i have to say i was very close to tears after the undeniable ending.the script is just outstanding and the acting is spot on.the storyline is very original as i have never seen anything like this before and i don't think anyone will ever try to copy it.if you're thinking about viewing this title and you haven't seen it already i suggest you get the tissues ready..
On whole, the cast came together and gave the best performance I have seen in a movie for a long time.
On whole, the cast came together and gave the best performance I have seen in a movie for a long time.
Tom Hanks once again provides a strong support for a talented ensemble cast.Darabont's skills as a screenwriter that even after three hours, he can bring the film to such a good, solid conclusion..
Frank Darabont directs another masterpiece adapted by a Steven King novel.Sheer brilliance at its finest.Tom Hanks makes perhaps his greatest performance as the corrections officer Paul Edgecombe who doesn't believe in miracles until he sees one.While Tom and the others all shine in their roles I think that Michael Clarke Duncan deserves most credit as his magnificent portrayal of John Coffey-a convicted 8 foot tall giant murderer.He is accused in the killing of two little girls and sentenced to death.With time however Paul starts to wonder if the gentle hearted Coffey really did commit the murder.The movie has so many emotional moments that it's hard not to sympathize with the characters.The deep emotional drama of some of them is mentally pressuring and you become connected with these people - again expertly accomplished by Darabont who perfectly understands the source material and sticks close to it.Like Shawshank before it the movie teaches us the value of human life and how strong each one of us can be.This is achieved here similarly as again there is an innocent man put in prison but unlike Andy John is touched by God.He is a magical being who calls forth sympathy and by the end the audience is so аttached to him that the somewhat tragic ending is quite sad.As his previous movie Mr Darabont creates yet another fantastic film sure to stay in your heart for a while.Steven King should be proud..
When I watch films like the Green Mile I feel absolutely furious.
However, that first look was a memorable one because this film had some dramatic moments!The acting in here is outstanding and runs the gamut from well-known actors like Tom Hanks to several unknowns, all having major roles.
The unique story gets you involved to the point where, even having to watch several very, very unpleasant scenes, you don't want to put the movie down.Big Michael Clarke Duncan elevated his career a lot with this role, playing "John Coffey," a prisoner with strange powers.
But in the end I heavily regretted having seen it and personally I think of "The Green Mile" as the first appalling film of this year.
Well, Hanks should really try something new-he's played the clean, good-natured guy so often, that it starts to get on my nerves and not just on mine.I just can't put into words, how much better, how superior "Shawshank" was than "The Green Mile".
`The Green Mile,' since it is based on a Stephen King novel, emerges as a death row prison story with a sci-fi twist.
The story here - which runs a presumptuous 3 hours and 8 minutes - is so overstuffed with subplots and subsidiary characters that it actually works to weaken the emotional effect generated by the plight facing John Coffey, the innocent messenger from God condemned to death, and Paul, the prison guard assigned to run the death row cell block, who comes to learn of Coffey's innocence.`The Green Mile' certainly has its heart in the right place, but it divides its world too evenly up into good guys and bad guys.
By so neatly divvying up the characters into clearly delineated categories of good and evil, the filmmakers rob their film of the moral complexity that might have lent it some real meaning.As to the film's rather startling and, initially unexpected, flights into fantasy, they serve mostly to further soften the edge of this already overly idealistic and mawkish story.`The Green Mile' is certainly not a `bad' film.
It has all the outward appearances of a very moving, emotionally charged film that will make you leave the theater saying "Wow." (The subject concerns Death Row inmates, Tom Hanks stars, and the director is of "The Shawshank Redemption" fame).
(And the sad thing about THAT is that I saw it on opening night).But its predictability is not even remotely one of "The Green Mile"'s major problems, and those are an overly corny, hokey story and script that are nearly impossible to buy (especially those particles that fly out of John Cofee's mouth whenever he performs a miracle--what is THAT?), acting ranging from mediocre to downright bad (no wonder John Cofee was given so few lines), and a complete inconsistency in tone.
If you're not an admirer of Stephen King books/films (I'm not) DON'T let that deter you from viewing this beautiful and spiritually-profound film; "The Green Mile" is by no means a typical horror story, although it does have a couple of horrific scenes.THE STORY: Tom Hanks plays the head Death Row guard at a Tennessee prison during the Depression.
A new inmate is introduced, a hulking black man named John Coffey (exquisitely played by Michael Clarke Duncan), who is condemned to death for the rape and murder of two little girls.
And (6.) He offers eternal life (in a sense), as evidenced by the extended life-span of the Hanks character and the mouse "Mr. Jingles." *** End SPOILER ALERT *** BOTTOM LINE: Make no mistake, "The Green Mile" is one of the greatest films ever made.
This was truly surprising since the cast members of this film are usually quite good.Tom Hanks stars as a guard in charge of the death row wing of on old southern prison.
Frank Darabont, the extraordinary director of the hit "Shawshank Redemption", comes back to the big screen with yet another adaptation of another prison drama novel by Stephen King.
This time, the story is "The Green Mile", and this time he has the help of Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan joining a powerful cast that also includes Bonnie Hunt, Michael Jeter, and Sam Rockwell.
The movie stars Hanks as Paul Edgecomb, an officer on death row, with a serious bladder infection, who rounds up a new suspect named John Coffey, portrayed by Michael Clarke Duncan, a man with mysterious immortality powers, that may have been accused for the raping and killing of two innocent girls.
It is a brilliant movie, and the characters chosen for each role could not have been better portrayed if this was a true story, with the real-life people playing their own parts.
Tom Hank's closing line is even something like "the green mile can seem awfully long." Oh the irony.Second, the writers give the characters a handicap of being incapable of communicating -- JC rambles about "helping people" when he could simply say "hey look I have special powers allow me to demonstrate." If I were in charge of sentencing, I could see myself putting him on death row too -- it is so frustrating.
Whereas I could overlook some of the preposterous and contrived situations in Shawshank and just enjoy the movie, the Green Mile just seemed contrived except for a few scenes and characters.
oh my God..the worst piece of infantile garbage I ever sat through...considering the expectations I had, I was just so let down...there are so many prison movies better than this (and NO, Shawshank, while a great movie, is not even the best)...the emotions manipulated by this film left me cold, a little nauseated, and I would have shut the movie off about 2/3 of the way through had I not been asked to watch this film by a few friends...I think Tom Hanks is one of the most overused actors (next to Harrison Ford) ever...I am probably one of the very few viewers out there who has despised anything associated with Stephen King....NEVER overestimate the intelligence of the American public.....
Done three years after the book release, the Green Mile was nominated for four Academy Awards, which included Best Supporting Actor for Michael Clarke Duncan, Best Picture, Best Sound, and Best Adapted Screenplay.The movie was directed by Frank Darabont who also developed the screenplay of the movie under an eight week period, an adapted screenplay that i have to commend as one of the best i have seen, but it lost in the Oscars to the movie The Cider House Rules.
Frank Darabont was also in charge of directing the critical acclaim The Shawshank Redemption which also earned him a nomination of best Adapted screenplay in 1994.The high point of this movie will be the whole movie itself; i happen to have read the book before seeing the movie so watching a well adapted novel on the silver screen made me feel like i was reading the book all over again.The movie plot and the story itself are based on a flashback of a tale Paul Edgecomb was telling an old friend about his time as a corrections officer in charge of death row inmates in the Cold Mountain Penitentiary in 1935.The cell block Paul (Tom Hanks) worked in was called the "Green Mile" because the condemned prisoners walking to their execution are said to be walking "the last mile".
The other guards which were Paul's friends in the movie were Brutus "Brutal" Howell (David Morse), Harry Terwilliger (Jeffery DeMunn), and Dean Stanton (Barry Pepper).In addition to the guards was Percy (Doug Hutchison) an arrogant misfit who took pride in terrorising the inmates.Everything in the cell block was as usual until the guards got a visit from two inmates who changed their very view of life itself.One of the inmates that visited was John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) a giant of a man who had some weird miraculous power ability to heal and feel the pain and sufferings of others and the other was "Wild Bill" Wharton (Sam Rockwell) who was a psycho, murderer and paedophile.Their arrival was plagued with chaos miraculous healings and with the addition of Percy it became a handful for the other guards.The Green Mile is a movie i have seen over and over again, and i believe you will enjoy watching it too.www.lagsreviews.com.
He encounters a once in a lifetime experience when John Coffey, played by Michael Clarke Duncan, is sent to the Green Mile to await his execution.
Percy lashes out on another inmate, kills him, and then releases his "infection." Percy, in the end, ends up going to a mental hospital.My Review:The Green Mile, starring Tom Hanks, David Morse, and Michael Clarke Duncan, is a brilliantly written and produced piece of work.
This film is, by far, one of the best movies that I have seen in a very long time.
The performance of the cast of The Green Mile was above and beyond my expectations of a film that deals with a prison setting.
"The Green Mile" is a movie that made me think long and hard about supporting the death penalty.
"The Green Mile" is a movie that made me think long and hard about supporting the death penalty.
The acting was great, and it was really good how they made the executions looked realistic.Even though the film was three hours long, I was able to sit through it because you wanted to find out what happened..
Featuring rich, gripping performances by David Morse, Michael Duncan, Doug Hutchison, and of course Tom Hanks, this movie presents the human struggles with good and evil, justice and law, and our ultimate fate.
With this movie Tom Hanks proves why he is one of the all time best male actors that shook the world with their abnormal amazing acting roles.
Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan were wonderful and the supporting cast was fantastic.Based on a serial novel by Stephen King, the Green Mile is about Paul Edgecomb, a officer in charge of prisoners on death row and everything was the same as usual until the day that John Coffey (Clarke Duncan) was brought to the mile.
There is also a lot of irony here with good guys who are evil and bad guys who are good.Director Frank Darabont, who missed out on an Oscar with Shawshank Redemption' (also by Stephen King) to Forrest Gump' must have decided he wasn't going to beaten by Tom Hanks again and secured him for this film with wonderful results.
True, a powerful performance was given by all characters in the film, some roles more than others, but after sitting through 2 of the 3 hours of the movie, I was growing listless and wanting to leave.
Darabont successfully re-creates the dark and brooding atmosphere that was the standard in prisons of that time, although I feel that this movie was a letdown compared to Shawshank.In wanting to get more from the movie, I took the liberty of buying the six book set of The Green Mile, by Stephen King.
I was not surprised from what to expect from this movie.Having seen Darabont again,i new the result would accomplish my expectations.The film was tender full of hidden messages and all the actors have given the best abilities to the roles.The biggest surprise was Michael Duncan's role as John Coffey, and i think he deserves the second role academy award this year.As for Mr Tom Hanks, the only comment is that all his latest works have all won an Oscar nomination!
Resurrection has the best ending to any movie I have ever seen so Green Mile is in good company.
The Green Mile was a very good movie.
Much superior to "The Shawshank Redemption", "The Green Mile" is one of this years best films that relies on great writing with potent acting.
Overall this is some of the finest ensemble acting this year.Tom Hanks has good instincts for picking great roles in very good films and "The Green Mile" shows him at the peak of his career.
I admit I never read the novel,'The Green Mile' and have never really liked many "Stephen King" based movies. |
tt1320244 | The Last Exorcism | The Reverend Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his wife (Shanna Forrestall) and son (Justin Shafer). Marcus is accustomed to performing exorcisms on "possessed" individuals, but his faith has waned after reading of an autistic child being killed during an exorcism, reminding him of his own disabled son. He comes to realize that he attributes the healing of his son to science, and not to Jesus Christ. He agrees to take part in a documentary designed to expose exorcism as a fraud, working with a film crew consisting of producer/director Iris Reisen (Iris Bahr) and cameraman Daniel Moskowitz (Adam Grimes). At random, he chooses a plea letter from an individual seeking an exorcism leading him to the farmhouse of Louis Sweetzer (Louis Herthum), a man who claims to have a possessed daughter named Nell (Ashley Bell). Prior to the exorcism, Marcus plants hidden speakers and electronic props so he can bamboozle the family into believing he is driving out a demon. After the ritual, Marcus and his film crew leave believing they have cured her of a mental state that was misdiagnosed as a possession by a powerful demon Abalam.That night, Nell mysteriously appears in Marcus' hotel room. The team tries to contact Louis to get permission to film her, to no avail. Wishing to prove his point, Marcus admits Nell to the hospital for testing, hoping to receive a medical or psychological diagnosis proving demonic possession is not the cause of her illness. The doctor concludes that Nell is in perfect physical condition. In the morning, her father takes her home and chains her in her room for slicing her brother Caleb (Caleb Landry Jones) in the face. While Louis takes Caleb to the hospital, Marcus and the camera crew further investigate Nell and the home. They find Nell and release her. That night there is a disturbance in the house, and Marcus and the crew hear the cries of a baby. They find Nell standing in a hallway. As they try to confront her, she heads into a bathroom, where she is found submerging a baby doll in water. After she comes out of her trance, the crew finds a drawing of a dead and bloodied cat.That night, while Marcus and the crew are asleep, Nell steals their camera and goes into her room, placing the camera on a dresser as she pulls and distorts her face. Nell goes into her father's barn where she corners a cat, beating it to death with the camera. She returns to the house and raises the camera over Marcus's head, ostensibly to beat him to death with it. The rest of the crew stops her, unaware of what transpired. They discover two more paintings of Nell's. The first depicts someone who appears to be Cotton standing before a large flame, holding up a crucifix. The second shows what appears to be the dead bodies of all three visitors to the Sweetzer farm: Cotton being consumed by the flame he was shown battling in the other picture, Iris hacked to pieces with an axe, and Dan decapitated.Louis comes home and listens to an answering machine message from the hospital stating that Nell is pregnant. Marcus thinks Louis might have committed the act of incest, which he denies, insisting that Nell is a virgin and has been defiled by the demon possessing her. Tempers flare as Marcus insists that Nell needs psychotherapy instead of another exorcism. Louis orders the crew to vacate his property. While contemplating whether they should take Nell, noises are heard upstairs. They discover Nell has climbed atop her dresser. As they try calming her she slashes Marcus's hand with a knife and runs outside. The crew decides to leave; as they enter their van they see Nell sitting on her porch. While approaching her, Nell tackles Marcus, attempting to harm him. The struggle leads inside as Louis chases them with a shotgun. Attempting to keep Louis from killing Nell, Marcus agrees to attempt another exorcism.They relocate to the barn where Nell killed the cat. The demon takes Nell again, making her bend backwards and break two of her fingers. She tells the crew that Nell is "in the fire", and that Louis will soon join her. "Nell" asks Marcus to let her give him a 'blowing' job. Marcus informs that this is not the correct term for such thing and therefore believes Nell is not possessed. Upon confronting Nell with this, she breaks down and admits to having sex with a boy named Logan and committing her violent acts out of shame of her pregnancy.On their way home, Marcus and the film crew detour to the coffee shop where Logan works. Logan tells the crew that the only contact he had with Nell was a brief conversation six months ago; he insinuates that he is gay and, therefore, would never have had sex with her. Marcus and the film crew wonder why Nell would lie, and Marcus immediately realises one of the things the devil is known as is "The prince of lies". The film crew follows as he returns to the Sweetzer's farmhouse. They enter the house to find numerous pentagrams and demonic symbols scrawled on the walls, but Nell and her family are missing. Marcus and the film crew wander into the woods where they see a large fire and a congregation of hooded occultists led by Pastor Manley (Tony Bentley), the Sweetzer's estranged Protestant minister. Nell's father is bound and gagged on a pole while hooded figures pray around an altar, which Nell is tied on top of. Marcus and the film crew watch as Nell gives birth to something that is not of the human race. Manley throws it into the fire, which causes the fire to grow rapidly while demonic voices grow louder. At that moment Marcus' faith is resolved as he grabs his cross and rushes towards the fire in a frenzied attempt to combat the evil. Iris and Daniel are discovered and run away. Iris is tackled by a member of the occult congregation who murders her with an axe. When Daniel pauses to catch his breath, Caleb rises out of nowhere and mortally wounds him. The camera falls to the ground and the scene fades to black. | good versus evil, cult, murder, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt0104990 | Newsies | The film takes place in New York City in the year 1899, focusing on a group of newsboys. Of this group, the focus is on Jack Kelley (Christian Bale),who one day dreams of heading out west to the wide-open spaces of Santa Fe.One day, Jack meets Les Jacobs (Luke Edwards) and David Jacobs (David Moscow), two brothers who've turned to selling newspapers to support their family, after their father was fired when a machine accident left him unable to work. Jack soon teaches Les and Jacobs some interesting lessons about how to sell papers (such as sensationalizing headlines).Shortly afterwards, the boys are challenged when the 'World' newspaper's owner, Joseph Pulitzer (Robert Duvall), raises their purchase rate by 1/10 of a cent. Though seemingly a drop in the bucket for Pulitzer (who hopes to use the added funds to keep competing with his closest competitor, William Randolph Hearst), the increase is a significant price gouge for the Newsies. With David supplying input and ideas, Jack becomes the leader of the group. The boys then go to other parts of New York to rally other newsboy groups, with Jack and David going to Brooklyn to recruit Spot Conlon (Gabriel Damon) and his group. Even with David's enthusiasm, Spot is still doubtul about joining them.At the same time, the boys catch the eye of Bryan Denton (Bill Pullman), a reporter for the 'New York Sun.' Denton soon becomes the boy's champion, making the 'Sun' the only newspaper in New York covering the newsboy strike.In one incident that gets Pulitzer's attention, the boys cause havoc at a newspaper distribution center, that calls the police to the scene. One of the newsboys, Crutchy (Marty Belafsky), is captured and taken to a place called 'The Refuge,' which is operated by Warden Snyder (Kevin Tighe). While told to be a place to rehabilitate young boys, it is actually a place where its keepers take advantage of the system, pocketing extra money for every boy they bring in, as well as not allowing the boys to partake in more nourishing food. David is informed that Jack was once placed in there, and one day, Governor Theodore Roosevelt (David James Alexander) visited, and Jack rode out of the refuge with him in the Governor's carriage. While a number of newsboys believe this, David is quick to question if it happened.Shortly afterward, Jack and the newsboys lead another charge on the distribution center, only to find armed thugs waiting to greet them. The boys appear outnumbered, until Spot Conlon and his gang from Brooklyn arrive, fighting the thugs back, and seizing the day. Bryan Denton is on hand, and his article and a picture of the boys brings them front-page glory on the cover of 'The New York Sun.' Filled with enthusiasm, the boys decide to hold a newsboy rally, inviting all the newsies in New York.The publicity does not go unnoticed by Warden Snyder, who recognizes Jack in the newspaper photo, and after meeting with Joseph Pulitzer, gets permission to arrest Jack, along with a group of thugs.At the newsboy rally, Snyder shows up with cops and thugs, and a large riot breaks out, at which Jack is apprehended. The newsboys are also brought before the judge, being fined either $5, or 1 week's stay in the 'House of Refuge.' Bryan Denton pays the boy's fees. Jack on the other hand, is given a harsher sentence. It is here that Snyder 'represents' Jack before the judge, revealing Jack's real name to be Patrick Sullivan. Snyder convinces the judge to allow Jack to stay in the care of the 'Refuge' until he's 21.Afterwards, Denton and the newsboys meet at a cafe, where Denton explains that due to a 'print ban' on the strike material, no mention of the riot was published. It is then that Denton drops the big news: The 'New York Sun' has reassigned him to become a war correspondent, and are sending him away from New York. Denton apologizes to David, and gives him the news story that he had written about the riot. With Jack gone, David takes command, and vows to get Jack out of the 'Refuge.'David and several other newsboys sneak over to the 'Refuge,' only to see Jack being taken out in a horse-drawn carriage, with Snyder close by. They follow it to the mansion of Joseph Pulitzer.Inside, Jack meets up with Pulitzer, who promises that he can free Jack from his sentence in the 'Refuge,' and offers to pay him to work for him again. Jack balks at this, but grows worried when Pulitzer mentions that he has the power to lock the other newsboys in the 'Refuge,' including David and Les.Upon leaving Pulitzer's house, David appears, and encourages Jack to run. The two get a ways away, before Jack reprimands David for trying to help him. Jack demands David leave, with David unaware of what Jack heard from Pulitzer.The next day, the newsboys protest outside the distribution center, but are shocked when Jack emerges dressed in good clothes and a stack of papers under his arm. David angrily reprimands Jack for what he's doing, with Jack saying he only cares about doing this to earn enough money to finally leave for Santa Fe.One day, David, Les and their sister Sarah (Ele Keats) are assaulted by some thugs from the newspaper distribution center. Jack rushes in to protect his friends, and ends up sending the thugs running, promising to report the incident to their employer. Incensed, Jack, David, Les and Sarah go to visit Bryan Denton. Denton further explains that there's more to the newsies strike than they think. Much of the city thrives on child labor, and word is some people are scared that the strike could spread to other parts of city-wide business. After sometime, the group manages to persuade Denton to join them and distribute their own paper, which will print the riot story that was suppressed by 'The Sun.'Jack manages to sneak the group into the distribution center where they find an old printing press in the basement. Working diligently, they print out their own paper, and get the other newsboys to distribute the papers all over town. An article is even written in regards to the treatment of the boys in 'the refuge.' Denton delivers this news personally to Governor Roosevelt.Jack, now back in league with the Newsies, is surprised when their paper sparks an enormous crowd to gather in front of Pulitzer's office. Jack and David are then brought to appear before him. Pulitzer chastises Jack for continuing on with such a foolish venture, while David chastises Pulitzer in turn: everyday that the strike continues, distribution stays down and millions of dollars are spent, all over the 1/10 of a cent increase. Pulitzer ignores this reasoning and calls for the police to enter the room. Incensed at Pulitzer's attitude, Jack flings open the windows, and the cries of the people down below reach his ears, with Jack mentioning that 'people have voices, and they need to be heard.' Pulitzer is further upset when he finds out the strike-related material was printed on a press that he owned.Shortly afterward, Jack and David emerge, with the news that the 1/10 of a cent increase is repealed. As they cheer, Warden Snyder can be seen with a wagon approaching. Jack is prepared to run, when Bryan Denton appears, telling him he doesn't have to anymore. Before their eyes, the wagon's rear door opens, and a number of newsboys who were in the 'Refuge' (including Crutchy) are released. Snyder is then herded into the wagon, and taken away.Denton and Crutchy explain how the paper that was written sent Governor Roosevelt to the 'Refuge,' which caused the release of the newsboys. Denton says that the Governor is willing to give him a ride, and Jack decides to take Roosevelt up on his word, and go to the train yards, to head off to Santa Fe.After the crowds disperse, the newsboys return to business, with David taking Jack's lead. However, they are further surprised when Roosevelt's carriage returns with Jack, who has decided to stay in New York with his friends. A raucous welcome is had by all, and David greets his friend who has returned to them, as they head off into the future along with the other newsboys. | cult, melodrama | train | imdb | null |
tt0047811 | All That Heaven Allows | Act 1: Golden RaintreeThe film opens up with a sprawling view of the town and subsequently zooms to a suburban home. The scene then opens up as a woman Sara Warren crosses the lawn to speak with Cary Scott, the films protagonist. The two chat and Cary expresses how much free time she has these days, after her husband has passed. Sara and Cary were supposed to have lunch, but Sara hasnt the time and came to return dishes and Sara comments on the fact that Cary is lucky she isnt a country club woman (whom would be entirely busy). Sara invites Cary to a country club dinner and suggests shell invite Harvey, another widow like Cary herself who would accompany her. The young gardener, Ron Kirby, introduces himself to help Cary with her boxes back to the house. Subsequently, Cary invites Ron to sit and share the lunch she had prepared for herself and Sara. They strike up a conversation about gardening and his fathers passing and his eventual hope to go to agricultural school. Cary asks about the trees that she has, in which Ron responds that she has a golden raintree where it only thrives near a home of love. Ron leaves in order to get back to work as Cary holds on to the piece of the tree he was describing.Act 2: Egyptian Tomb
The next scene opens up with Cary at her dresser getting ready for the country club dinner that night. Her son Ned and daughter Kay have returned home for the weekend from their schools. She explains shes been invited out to dinner and being picked up by Harvey. The children give each other a look of deviousness as Ned goes to the living room to prepare drinks for Harveys arrival. Kay then proceeds to talk about Harvey and how is an okay match for her widowed mother. Kay then talks about the Egyptian Tomb where wives were walled up with their husbands, and how the community made sure that this happened. They venture downstairs as Ned is preparing drinks and remarks at his mothers stunning red dress. Harvey arrives and they sit in the living room and chat and he remarks on her stunning appearance and remembering her late husband, as they were once friends. The two finally leave for the country club dinner.Act 3: Stoningham Country ClubHarvey and Cary enter the dinner only to be accosted by many club members who pay compliments to the widow. We are then introduced Mona who goes on and on about Carys youth and red dress. Another married member, Howard, asks to dance with her and they talk about their families. He expresses his love for Cary as they dance out to the patio where he tries to kiss her and she resists him knowing full well he is a married man. Cary storms off from the patio disgusted with Howards comments.Act 4: Championship vs. Romance
The scene cuts back to Carys home where Kay and one of Neds high school Friends Freddie is trying to be affectionate with her although his advances are cut short due to Kays Freudian theories of attraction. Subsequently her mother returns home with Harvey and he proceeds to walk her to the door. He blatantly asks Cary if he'll consider marrying him since they are both alone anyways and assumes she would only want companionship, not love at this point in her life. Cary is left at the doorstep pondering his question but also quite disappointed. Meanwhile, Kay is still trying to explain her theories of love and attraction and they begin to kiss. Cary retreats to her bedroom where she looks down at the pieces of golden raintree Ron had given to her earlier in the day.Act 5: Glass House/The Old MillSaras blue car drives up to Carys house where Ron is seen still working on Carys property. Cary speaks with Ron since he had been gone the last several weeks and invites Ron in for some coffee, however, Ron has to finish up his work since this will be the last year he will be doing this job. Hell be growing trees as a full time job. While wishing him goodbye, Ron invites Cary over to his place to show her the different trees he has. Cary at first declines, but changes her mind and decides to go along with him. They drive out to a colorful countryside where an old mill sits next to his garden house. Cary is surprised to learn that he lives in such an earthy place but also admires him for it. They venture over to the broken-down mill which fascinates Cary and she picks up a broken Wedgwood teapot and wants to put the pieces back together for it. Cary continues looking around the mill and goes up the stairs only to be frightened by a bird and she falls into the arms of Ron as they share a romantic gaze. She suggests to Ron that he work on the mill and make a home out of it. Ron gets closer to Cary and they embrace in a romantic first kiss. Flustered and confused about her emotions, Cary and Ron exit the mill and he returns her back to her home. When Ron drops Cary off, he insists that they will see each other again once he returns from his trip, still flustered from their kiss, she adheres to his insistence.Act 6: Two InvitationsSara is seen walking towards Carys home and she enters the house in order to invite her to dinner at her house where the gossip queen Mona will also be attending. Sara insists that she get a television as a companion since she is now a widow. The doorbell rings and Ron is at the door. He invites Cary with him to his friends place where they would most likely stay for dinner as well. Cary introduces Sara to Ron and only barely obliges him continuing with her invitation about dinner that night. Cary declines the invitation to dinner at Saras and decides to go with Ron instead. She gets her coat and they leave for Rons friends place.Act 7: Walden ClambakeThe two drive up to Rons friends home where Cary is introduced to Mick and Alida Anderson. Mick used to be advertising executive and when he met Ron he had shown him the way of nature, as it were. They sit down with some drinks and toast. The two men exit to the wine cellar to prepare for their evening dinner party while Cary and Alida are left alone and she inquires more about Ron and what he is about. Cary picks up a book on the table by Thoreau and Alida explains that her husband lives by this book as Ron lives it and also how Ron showed Mick that there was more to life than money and career to make him secure. Alidas young cousin Mary-Ann rushes into the scene and runs down the stairs as she is off to spend the night at a friends, thinking the party will be boring. She meets Ron at the bottom of the stairs as she flirts with him, making Cary a little jealous. After this they return inside and begin setting up for the festivities and Cary is introduced to a variety of culturally and ethnically different people who arrive with their contributions to the dinner. The party flashes forward to the crowd dancing to music in which Ron is singing and playing the piano to Cary. The two then dance the night away just in time for dinner.Act 8: Wedgwood TeapotThe scenery transitions into wintertime as Cary is getting ready to leave as a television salesman asks her about being interested in one (since Sara had mentioned it to him). Yet she declines saying that she isnt interested in it. Carys car arrives at Rons mill where he shows her the work he has done so far on the place. As Ron takes off Carys boots, she discovers he has put the Wedgwood teapot back together for her. He informs her that the reason he started working on the place was for the both of them as Carys face is stunned at the idea he then asks her to marry him. She is reluctant at first because she hasnt thought about marriage and how it would be impossible and she implies that there are other things that are in the way such as her children and her insecurity about how Ron lives his life and if she can fit into that same mold, unsure of whether it would work out or not. However, Ron is sure of his love for Cary. She is afraid of a different life that doesnt follow the mold of the country club scenario she is used to. Upset at Ron for not understanding, she begins to leave and knocks over the Wedgwood teapot breaking it to pieces once again. Ron says it doesnt matter and he throws the remains into the fire. She walks out the door but has forgotten her boots and she breaks down and confesses her true love for him and they embrace. They rest by the fire as Cary contemplates how hard it will be for the community and especially her children, to accept them as Cary and Ron gaze out the window of the mill together.Act 9: Butcher ShopThe scene opens as Mona is walking down the street to the Stoningham Butcher Shop where she sees Cary through the window getting meat. Mona enters as the butcher relays information that he missed her on the weekend and Mona inquires as to where she has been. Cary insists that she went away for the weekend since the children would be out of town, yet Mona senses something that she isnt telling her. However, Mona sees Cary enter Rons car and she worries that Mona will spread the word fast. Cary is concerned as to why it is so difficult for two people who are in love to express themselves and Ron replies that it isnt unless you make it to be. Ron suggests that they tell the children as soon as possible instead of waiting. The scene cuts to Cary back in her home as Mona has already spread the news and Sara is there because she doesnt believe a word she said, but Cary insists that their relationship is real. While Sara tries to be supportive, she expresses to Cary all of the different reasons that people will criticize their relationship infusing into Cary all of these preposterous scenarios making her even more worried; especially about her children. However, Cary takes a stand and doesnt want to let anyones spiteful hatred ruin her relationship. Sara, in order to incorporate Ron (for acceptance), invites them to a cocktail party at the club.Act 10: Fathers TrophyThe following scene cuts to the train station where Ned has returned home for the weekend. He enters the home as Cary has been putting things away in the basement, rearranging. Ned wonders about his mothers mysterious news that she has for both he and Kay. They convene in Carys bedroom and she tells them she is going to get married and they are thrilled, however, they think it is Harvey and are shocked to learn that she meant the gardener, Ron Kirby. Ned blows up at his mother after she insists its not a joke and Kay begins to rationally analyze the situation as Cary becomes more and more worried about their reactions to the news. Cary informs them that they are going to the cocktail party and that Ron will be stopping by so they could meet. The children begin to make conclusions about Ron and who he is and how their relationship will never work out. The doorbell rings and they all go downstairs and asks them to give him a fair chance. They all transfer into the living room as Ned prepares his signature Martinis reluctantly. Ned notices that his fathers trophy is missing from the fireplace mantle and he gets worked up over the absence of it. He wonders what else his mother will replace in the home. Ron tries to explain that they wouldnt live in their home and Ned is angered at the fact that the home has been in the family for many years. Next, Kay paints her mother into a conventional role, as her desires of that of group approval would be more important. The children leave Cary and Ron in the living room feeling empty and unwanted. However, Ron explains to Cary that they arent used to a man like him and that they will eventually come around giving her a sense of hope and security. The two then make their way the cocktail party.Act 11: Saras Lovely HouseThe cocktail guests are all gathered around the windows, impatiently awaiting the arrival of Cary and her new beau as they gossip about what he must be like. The two enter the party, as everyone seems to be staring at them. People make very snide comments about Carys age, her marriage, and Rons career. Ron is invited off for a drink with Saras husband and she runs into Howard, who had previously tried to kiss Cary. Howard follows Cary into another room and once again inappropriately constrains her and kisses her and Ron intervenes threatening Howard as all of the party guests flock to the scene. Ron and Cary decide to leave the party immediately as the guests whisper and dramatize the event making Ron out to be the bad guy for accosting Howard.Act 12: A Good-looking Set of MusclesThe scene unfolds as Cary and Ron make their way back to the house where Ned can be seen through the window anxiously pacing in the living room. Ron ensures Cary that nothing is more important than their relationship as she reluctantly agrees and leaves to the door by herself. Ned corners his mother and tells her that meeting Ron has not changed his feelings and says that someone has to think straight in this family. He reminds Cary about giving up the home and about the tradition and how it is going to affect what people think of Cary and their family. Cary informs him that she is going to go through with the marriage and Ned tells her that he wont come visit anymore because of his disapproval and disgrace for his mothers decision. Ned hastily leaves the home in anger, leaving Cary disheveled.Act 13: Rose WindowThe next morning Cary is at her phone speaking with Sara about the previous nights events as Kay comes running up the stairs crying into her room. Cary enters Kays room to console her daughter wondering what the matter is. Kay had been at the library with Freddie and someone made a remark about her mother saying that she had been seeing Ron even before their father had passed away. Kay left the library in tears and on the way home she and Freddie had a fight as she said she didnt care what people thought about her mother, but that in actuality, she does. Cary says she cant bear to see the two of them so distraught and Kay promptly asks if she would ruin all of their lives just for the love of Ron. Cary tries to relate with her daughter about her understanding different people like Ron, but Kay admits that she doesnt really understand and the situation her mother is in makes her upset. Cary looks away once again conflicted and seeing that something must be done for the sake of her children.Act 14: A Local SensationCary drives over to the mill to see Ron as he is working on their new home. She informs Ron that her children have not accepted their relationship and asks him to wait awhile to get married. Cary insists that they wait so that Kay and Ned can get used to the idea and that the town chatter will eventually die down. Ron is heartbroken and doesnt understand and conjures up a scenario where he finally gets accepted into the country club and theyll be invited to all the dinners, assimilating into the society which Ron lives against. Cary wants to make things easier, but Ron sees that he could easily change and does not want to live that lifestyle. He questions Carys responsibility for her children into an assessment of Carys own insecurities about fitting in. Cary retaliates with Rons ability to only follow his own rules and not accept anyone elses and making her choose between her or the children. Yet Ron tells her that she is the one making it a difficult decision. Cary chooses to end their relationship as Ron stares stupefied at her decision and she hastily exits the mill leaving Ron heartbroken.Act 15: Telephone and TelegramThe next scene opens up to Sara sitting in Carys home as she shuts the door of the house-cleaning lady who is vacuuming. Sara insists that Cary has done the right thing by ending their relationship for the sake of her children. Sara tells her that shell be able to return to the fold of the country club likeness despite the event. Sara consoles Cary by telling her that everything will go back to normal and that she still has the children. Ned telephones and Cary informs her son that she has decided not to get married. He is distracted and is content but doesnt make a fuss about it, only happy that she made the right decision leaving her emotionally confused. Cary ventures to the train station to pick up her children for their weekend home. While she is there, Cary runs into the town doctor and informs him that shes been meaning to stop by for frequent headaches shes been having of late. However, neither Ned nor Kay get off the train and she is informed by telegram that they were too busy to make it home leaving their mother alone and abandoned.Act 16: Silver-tipped SpruceCary walks back through the town center where Christmas trees are being sold in the lot. She browses through the trees and runs into Ron there helping Mick deliver trees. They have a heartfelt moment together as Cary inquires about Mick and Alida and her remembrance of the silver-tipped spruces. However, Mary-Ann, Alida's cousin, interjects as she has come to fetch him. Cary looks disappointed and decides to take the regular, ugly-looking tree rather than the nice one and she leaves as Ron looks on.Act 17: TelevisionThe next scene is within Carys living room where she is decorating the tree she had purchased. Cary stares out the window, now alone, listening to the carolers and contemplating. Ned and Kay arrive home for Christmas and Cary is overjoyed to see them. Ned wonders where his mothers present is and needs to make a phone call about it. Kay takes off her glove and informs Cary that Freddie has proposed to her, Cary is skeptical because she is so young, but Kay reminds her mother that she too was young when she got married. Cary is saddened since she feels it is too soon. Kay consoles her mother by saying she was being childish when she overacted about her and Rons relationship. Ned enters the room once again and informs Cary that they should sell the house since they will both be away for the year and too busy to come home. Cary is dumbfounded and at his idea since he had been so adamant about keeping the house. The doorbell rings and Kay once again consoles her mother who comes to the realization that cutting off her relationship with Ron was pointless and Kay apologizes for hurting her mother and informs her that it isnt too late if Ron loves her. Ned enters the room again with a new television set that they had gotten for her for Christmas.Act 18: Pheasant HuntRon is shown walking through the woods near his mill with Mick hunting pheasants. Mick tells Ron that he hasnt been the same since he broke up with Cary and Ron asks him what he should do about it. Mick tells Ron that he should just call her and make up with her or do anything to get back with her and says that women want men to make up their minds for them. Ron decides to continue hunting as Mick heads back home. The scene then cuts to Cary having visited the doctor she spoke to earlier and he informs her that nothing is physically wrong with Cary. He tells her that shes punishing herself because of Ron. He tells Cary that she should just marry Ron and that shell continue having headaches until she does so. He helps Cary realize that she is giving up something as precious as love and mustnt let anyone tell her otherwise. She thinks it is too late and leaves the doctors office.Act 19: Accidental EncountersOn her way out, she sees Alida driving and stops to chat with Cary and inform her that her cousin Mary-Ann is getting married to a boy from New Jersey she had been seeing. Carys mood changes, as she is happy to hear that Ron is still available. Cary bids Alida farewell and is elated and decides to head to Rons place in order to confess her true love. Although when she arrives, she hesitates, Ron sees her and calls out to her but she doesnt hear. Ron runs towards the mill, but looses his balance on the mountain and falls down unconscious as Cary drives away.Act 20: Bedside vigilNow back at home, Cary hears the doorbell ring and Alida answers informing Cary that something terrible has happened to Ron. They hastily leave back to the mill where Ron is being looked at by the doctor and a nurse. The nurse informs them that they are unsure of how he is and tells her that Ron should not be disturbed, as he lies asleep on the couch. Cary notices that the mill house that Ron has been working on is completed and Alida tells Cary that he never gave up hope for their relationship. Cary finally understands now what it means to not place importance on unimportant things and feels ashamed for not realizing it earlier. But Alida tells Cary that it takes time like it did for her and Mick to understand the meaning of life. Cary pulls up a chair next to Rons side and stays with him, eventually falling asleep beside him.Act 21: DeerThe next morning the doctor has returned and tells Cary that hes had a concussion and should not be moved. He tells her it will take time for him to recover and Cary insists that she wont run away to help him make a full recovery. A deer enters the backdrop of the window as Cary stands beside it. Ron begins to stir and Cary rushes to him. Ron is happy to see Cary and tells him that she has come home. The last shot is of the lone deer wandering outside their window. | melodrama | train | imdb | null |
tt2088003 | Big Game | The film opens with 13-year-old deer hunter, Oskari (Onni Tommila), and his dad, Tapio, looking at the wall full of picture frames of a man as a deer hunter. Oskari picks one of the picture frames, that is his dad as a hunter when he was teenager.Somewhere in Finland, the Kimmo's Safari's helicopter carrying the terrorist named Hazar. After they land the helicopter, the Kimmo's Safari's helicopter pilot realized that the men he carrying are the terrorists. Hazar told the helicopter pilot to run for his lives. However when the helicopter pilot is in about one mile distance, Hazar fires bazooka to him as a missile test. Hazar sends his fellow terrorist a text message that the missile test was successful.In the mountains, Oskari takes a test of strength of pulling of a bow string (without an arrow), however, he failed to reach its full strength. The leader of the deer hunting says that he will not ready to be a deer hunter but his father asserts that his son is ready to be a hunter. The leader addresses to his men about his bravery of being a hunter and inside the forest. Oskari drives his small tractor through the woods for hunting.Meanwhile, aboard in the Air Force One, U.S. President William Alan "Bill" Moore (Samuel L. Jackson) is heading for Pre D8 Summit is Helsinki, 45 miles left. Suddenly, the control room receives an alert of a possible missile shot down in their plane. However, both plane and jet escorts were unable to countermeasures because someone's jamming their control. The men quickly brought the President to an escape pod and it deploys out safely. The rest of the service agents are parachuting down from the plane but Morris (Ray Stevenson) shoots a secret agent after curiously asked that there is something wrong to them - their parachute not deploying. Few minutes after Morris parachuting down, the missiles fly past to him and hit the Air Force One.Oskari is driving his small tractor in the woods when he sees the bright light flashes in the sky. In horror, Oskari quickly runs away from the bright light which is actually the downed Air Force One is on fire. Its debris almost struck Oskari.Morris was landed into the woods, turns out to be traitor, he alerts the terrorist that the plane was down. Oskari then sees a pod and suspiciously approaches to it. Upon approaching, Bill writes the combination (which is "1492" ) - for opening the door - in the moisturized window. After Oskari enters the combination, he quickly runs away from it, believing that the pod was came from other planet. Bill goes out and yells to show himself. Oskari shows himself and suspiciously aims his bow to Bill. When Bill tells him that he is the President of the United States, Oskari proves him by showing his passport. Oskari now trusts him.Meanwhile, in the farmhouse somewhere in Norway, a farmer sees the beacon landed outside his house. Shortly, the helicopters arrive but when they searched it, it is not escape pod. The escape pod and the beacon must been separated.Morris, Hazar and his men found the escape pod. As Hazar opens it, they find empty. Bill wants to go to the nearest town using his small tractor but Oskari not allows Bill to drive himself in. Instead, Oskari drives and tells him to sit in the wagon while they heading to the place that is marked by X on his map. Morris sees the small shoe footprint, stating that someone helped the President out. Morris also tells Hazar that the bullet was buried 2mm from his heart (as we see his scar in the chest in the beginning of the film) and if something hits it, it will kill him.Bill and Oskari arrives in the place and he calls it, "a perfect place to hunt". They will camp here all night until morning and they chat each other. The next morning, it's Oskari's birthday and time for him to hunt. Bill suddenly wakes up when he hears Oskari imitating deer sounds. Oskari sees a shoe that is belong to Bill (the shoe was fell after the AF1 was shot down). Oskari then sees a freezer and when he opens it, inside is the dead deer and the note embedded in the arrow. The note says happy birthday from his dad. Upon Bill climbing through rocks, he sees his three dead men, turns out the cable ties preventing the parachute from deploying. Bill now realizes that Morris betrayed him. After he retrieved the gun from a dead man, Bill sees Morris and his men and he hides behind the rock.Oskari is disappointed when his father killed the deer for him as birthday. Oskari told Bill that he is not ready to be a hunter. Bill then puts a badge onto Oskari for rescuing and protecting him, and it's a reminder for him. Bill realizes that his plane is not an accident, it is shot down and Morris and his men are there for hunting him. In case he is being hunted, he told Oskari to go in separate ways but Oskari worries about his safety. Shortly, Morris approaches upon them. Bill decides Oskari to go away for lives. Bill tries to shoot Morris but he forgot to cock the gun. Morris manage to fight Bill.Meanwhile, in the Pentagon Headquarters, they find the President and the terrorists who known by one of the President Secret Service Agent, Herbert (Jim Broadbent). All throughout, they're being tracked for their safety.The men forces Bill to get in the freezer. However, Oskari oversees them and the President being put in the freezer. The freezer was carried by the helicopter. Oskari manages to save the president. Oskari jumps off the cliff and stows away to the freezer. A pilot sees stowaway boy in the freezer, trying to save the President. The helicopter descends its altitude to get the boy away from it. Oskari loses the freezer but manage to chase and he cut the rope, allowing it to escape. Morris, in the helicopter, shoots them and Oskari quickly gets in to the freezer. The lid of the freezer protecting them from raining bullets. Oskari decides to roll down the freezer into the cliff just moments after Morris gets on the ground. They ended up in the middle of the lake.Both Bill and Oskari think that they lost them. Shortly, they found the wreck site of Air Force One near them. In the Pentagon, they found the AF1 crash site. Herbert gives the coordinates of the crash site to Hazar and gives a plan to him to kill the President.Bill and Oskari sees the helicopter approaching upon them and they manage to enter the wrecked plane. The plane inside is almost quite intact (the lights are still on and some computers in the control room are still on also). Afterwards, they hear pounding and creaking sound coming from the roof. Suddenly the explosive blown to the roof, allowing Hazar to infiltrate the plane. Hazar then activates a bomb to six minutes left. The fight progress between Bill and Hazar. Hazar manage to strangle Bill to death but Oskari pounds Hazar in the head. Hazar then tries to shoot Oskari using the same gun (that Bill uses and forgot to cock), but also he forgot to cock it. Bill kicks him, throwing a gun onto Bill, this time allowing him to shoot Hazar. Almost 90 seconds left in the bomb, Bill and Oskari manage to escape from the plane through ejecting in the pilot's seat. As they deployed the parachute in their seats, Morris - in the helicopter - is in front of them. Oskari then fires an arrow and hits his chest. The arrow pulls the bullet - buried inside his chest - into his heart, Morris fall to his death and accidentally fires a gun onto the pilot. Shortly, the bomb goes off.Meanwhile at the same time in deer hunters' camp, the US Navy forces the hunters to held hostage until the President reportedly alive. Afterwards, they sees the parachute landing in the background. It is Oskari followed by Bill climbing at the top of the rock. Oskari introduces the President to his dad and the rest of the hunters recognize the President is in the newspaper.In the Pentagon, all of the employees rejoicing the President's salvation. Herbert reveals that Hazar knew him for 15 years and he is a former CIA operative. In order to not to trace back with him, Herbert kills the vice-president by shoving him in the feet. But before he leaves the restroom, Herbert puts some liquid soap in his shoe and in the floor to give the impression that the vice-president was slipped on the floor.The film ends with the hunting leader takes a picture of Oskari and Bill. Oskari's hero of saving the President become known in the press. The newspaper article of Oskari saved the president are putted in the picture frame in their house. | comedy, murder | train | imdb | Samuel L Jackson is the disgruntled President of the United States who is the target of an attack that leaves him crash landed in the forest of Finland aided only by Oskari, a Finish boy trying to prove himself as a hunter and as a man.
Looking at the other reviews, there seems to be a miscommunication about what type of film this is.So this reviewer will be crystal clear: from the moment film first went into the camera, this project was intended a family/kids film destined to appear on cable channels all over the world either on a Saturday matinée or in the after-dinner hours.Aside from Sam Jackson (whom I have been calling in my reviews since the 1990s "the most overexposed actor in film history") everyone else is second tier B movie material.This is not die-hard "puberty edition." This is about fathers and sons and everything else is secondary to that.So, now that we are crystal, it is really not bad.
Jackson is the President of the United States and is shot down in Finland where the men and real men and the 13 year old boys are out in the wilderness trying to prove that they are real men.The President of the US of A is just a foil for this Finnish story about Oskari who, on turning 13 must go out into the wilderness to bring back some game.
His grandfather killed a bear at the same age, but maybe Oskari is not up to the task?But then the President of the US of A turns up while being hunted by terrorists and Oskari is there to prove that being strong is not about muscles but about willpower.So finally we get a story where the US is not all powerful, but seriously doesn't Finland have an air force that could scrambled to search the area?
An adventure film, clearly aimed at a younger audience, with Air Force One crashing down somewhere in a Finnish forest and with the US president trying to saving himself with the help of a Finnish boy who just happens to undergo a local ritual so he can prove himself to the male population.
And he is the only reason I found it mildly entertaining, even though he could not save the movie.Samuel Jackson (does he actually take ANY role that is pitched to him?) is far from his best and his character behaves highly inconsistent.
The ones who play the villains stay campy as they should, and there is a surprising amount of other great actors here who aren't nearly as memorable as its stars, but they did their job solidly, anyway.Big Game is a lot of fun, with a variety of amusingly odd ideas that come off great for a mindless action experience.
It's no coincidence since Cliffhanger was directed by the first and so far only (but not for long, seems like it) Finnish-born Hollywood action director Renny Harlin, and the writer-director of Big Game, Jalmari Helander (whose second feature film this is), Finn himself, was a young man dreaming of becoming a filmmaker when Harlin had his heyday in late 80's and early 90's with movies like Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger, and Harlin was a big deal in Finland (and I guess in Hollywood too) at that time (not so much anymore).Big Game is a love letter to the movies of Helander's youth.
Yes, it's predictable, clichéd and formulaic but at the same time heartfelt, joyous and mostly fun (also relatively short with 90 minutes with no really dragging moments), and part of the fun comes from being familiar with the tropes the movie plays with and the willingness to embrace them earnestly**.It's a film made by someone who watched Hollywood action movies as a kid and played the scenes of those movies in forest with his friends with sticks as machine guns*** and Big Game is direct continuation of that kind of childlike attitude to movies.
What are your feelings towards these kinds of old school action movies and whether you are willing to embrace the cliché and take a more childlike perspective to the movie will probably determine whether you will appreciate Big Game or not.I personally thought it was fun to watch, even if it didn't bring anything really new to the table (in fact it found the old leftovers and served them with fresh dressing).
Movie like this could be really stiff and boring if done poorly (it has actually pretty impressive action scenes with such small budget), or armpit-fartingly tryhard and unfunny (Snakes on a Plane), but thanks to the cast - especially Samuel L.
Jackson ("Get these *beep* terrorists out of these *beep* Finnish mountains!)**** and young Onni Tommila whose unexpected relationship carries this movie through the more cliché-ridden landscapes - and the earnestness of the director, it managed to breathe some life into the already-done-to-death tropes of the genre and gave the world what it didn't know it needed: Spielberg-flavored Renny Harlin!6/10 (little above average, fun to watch)*Co-produced with UK and Germany and shot in Germany, with largely German crew.**Clichés are not clichés (used too often) without a reason.
Though his role in the film should see this kind of cinema reach a wider audience which can only be a good thing .When you have 90 minutes to spare and feel like some mindless entertainment you could do much worse than thisIf you enjoy this film then seek out Rare Exports you will be rewarded with some great cinema.
Finnish director Jalmari Helander's action-adventure throwback to the 80's and 90's, Big Game is a hugely enjoyable film for all ages.When Air Force One is shot down by terrorists leaving the President of the United States William Allan Moore (Samuel L.
Jackson) stranded in the wilderness of Finland, there is only one person around who can save him: a 13-year-old boy called Oskari (Onni Tommila), who is coincidentally in the forest to prove his transition from a child to a teenager by hunting down a deer and showing it to his kinsfolk.
Of course, under the circumstances, the two characters meet.What follows is an entertaining if preposterous and campy action film complete with mega explosions & wide panning shots and plenty of character moments too, particularly in the comparatively slow first half.The pairing between Onni Tommila and Samuel L.
However, one thing that doesn't work is the political drama/backstabbing in the Pentagon, which ends up feeling unnecessary and needlessly convoluted.Overall, while the action tends towards the preposterous, Big Game charms and beguiles for a satisfying movie experience..
On route to a pre-G8 summit meeting, the U.S. president's plane is brought down by a seeming act of terrorism into the dense, mountainous Finnish Lapland, played here by the German Alps much like Norway substituted for Finland in writer-director Jalmari Helander's debut feature RARE EXPORTS.
Jackson) finds his only hope of escaping the mountains and forest is a 13-year old boy (Onni Tommila, the star of RARE EXPORTS) undergoing his first solo hunt as a rite-of-passage into manhood.
The boy, we're shown, doesn't share his father's legendary skill for hunting—his talent with a bow and arrow tending to land shots well short of their targets—but when it becomes apparent that the president is being stalked, MOST DANGEROUS GAME style, by a team of slick big game hunters led by a Saudi psychopath (Mehmet Kurtulus) who has paid an exorbitant sum of money for the privilege of stuffing and mounting his prize, the duo must both learn that being tough is equally as crucial as looking tough.Meanwhile, back at Pentagon HQ bunker, the vice president (Victor Garber), his aide (Felicity Huffman), a top general (Ted Levine) and an intelligence expert (Jim Broadbent) pound their fists, actually shout lines like "Dear GOD!", order in Chinese take-out, analyze a wall of gigantic satellite monitors and generally deliver Helander's shallow, wholly-derivative and often groan-inducing dialogue with as much professional aplomb as they can muster.
With actors like these, all of whom Helander was no doubt able to attract on the charming eccentricity of RARE EXPORTS, audiences bring a lot of subconscious baggage to the table when watching them on deliver mostly and unnecessarily expository dialogue, having seen them play countless similar roles over the years, in effect filling in the blanks left by the writer.
As a first performance starring alongside a legend like Samuel L Jackson definitely isn't a bad thing and he does a pretty decent job.
He pulls off the president really well actually, i can believe this guy would make a good president.At the end of the day Big Game is a fun throw back to 80s action movies that isn't perfect but serves as an incredibly enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes.
Despite some super cliché scenes/dialogue, Big Game mostly works.It was better than I expected and although, it's not as good as Jalmari Helander's previous effort Rare Exports, BG delivers on it's B-movie premise with a blockbuster amount of grandeur.
Comic book violence with gleaming visuals apart, this Finnish action-adventure has doses of ridiculousness scattered all over the place.A young lad (Tommila) from a pre-modern Finnish hunting community bumping into POTUS (Jaskson) who has just been betrayed by his security chief, and rescuing him from the clutches of those who seek him is not called coincidence, but a result of a brainstorm conducted by few half developed brains that were enticed with the prize of big money.The plot is hardly convincing, let alone logical.
There are some other minor stretches of belief, mainly for the sake of action scenes and establishing the alpha characters, but not enough to ruin the film, just lesson the immersion.The end result is a more realistic, hunting-based, less fantasy-based coming of age story for a boy becoming a teen..
Big Game is an action movie directed by Jalmari Helander and stars Samuel L Jackson, Ray Stevenson, Onni Tommila.
Gosh they make you love this kid ,, the movie has a sensational emotional and catchy story , yeah it felt a bit short (The writer here does mostly writes a short movies) like i kinda wanted to see more of that kid's bravery but still it went all fine,, the plot is really good ,they don't spoil it all in the trailer like most of the new movies ,, okay you know they eventually save the president but they wanted you to more engaged with the How of the story itself and that's what actually happen, and you will see the thrill, you'll see the action and you'll see just the proper amount of Samuel L.
The story is simple yet delightfully far-fetched and over-the-top: 13-year-old Oskari is in the middle of performing a traditional Finnish manhood ritual when Air Force One gets shot out of the air on its way to Helsinki and crash-lands near the boy's hunting turf.
I've just wasted 2 hrs of my life or at least that's what it feels like this film is not cliffhanger this film is not Spielberg either like some have said its not fun either...not sure were some of these reviews come from but they are that far from the truth its laughable ...anyway watch it at your peril, the acting is very budget the fight scenes if any are worse than budget in fact this film is lower than budget terrible i could not give the film a higher score than 1 because i feel i have been cheated into believing this was a good watch now my brain feels numb...Jackson please be careful on your next choice of films bud or you will loose your street cred.
Should be more careful, no excuse.One cliché upon another, comic book dialogue, a series of stupid moves from the bad guys, endless reinforcement of the idea that "we, the US, are the most powerful country," a bland middle-eastern villain, lack of motif for the terrorists' (that word has been mentioned 100X) actions...Common.I can see a 11 year old buying this, but even so there's just too much junk.The music feels transplanted from sci-fi and epic films, Alien meet LOTR...Inapropriate.Down right condescending, and what an Unbelievable waste of 8.5m dollars.
Overall Big Game was a fun action movie, very enjoyable.
Instead, it was muddled by too many scenes of the American actors, too little character development and way too much action for what the movie was supposed to be: a forest adventure and a clash of cultures.
S. president from terrorist.Though most action movies have a large amount of cheese flavored into it, you can't help to break out the Kool aid smile watching a 13 year old boy name Oskar roam around the forest like Rambo, jumping onto moving helicopters, and taking on terrorist.
Not that I have not seen him sort of do it in Django and Old Boy but that was slightly more comical than this role as the man who should not have been president, according to the terrorist.Though a kid is the protagonist, the movie is for anyone who loves a good action movie that does not take itself too seriously, like the Expendables.
Thankfully, the poachers in this action movie are far from Internet access.When terrorists shoot Air Force One down over a forest in Finland, President Moore (Samuel L.
Obviously, he is sorely in need of money, or else he lost a bet (or both.) I cannot image any other possible explanation for why he would participate in a ridiculous film like this one.I understand that this film, about a young Finnish boy defending the President from assassins, was intended as a family-friendly version of "White House Down," and so the violence and language would be greatly toned down from the usual Jackson level (although he does manage one interrupted "mother f**ker," his apparent signature phrase.) But getting rid of blood and f-bombs does not mean one also must abandon common sense and good writing.This train wreck comes CLOSE to the "so bad it's good" category, but doesn't even manage that.
This film is an effort by Europeans to produce something in the vein of "Air Force One" or "White House Down": a work written and directed by a Finn (Jalmari Helander), shot in Finland and Germany, pairing a well-known American actor (Samuel L Jackson playing it by numbers) with an unknown child Finnish actor (a strangely inert Onni Tommila), and music from a Slovak orchestra.
The Finnish twosome have followed it up with this ultra cheesy B-movie action flick that feels like it was devised as DIE HARD in the Finnish wilderness.The film features an always engaging Samuel L.
One of the most 80's like films of recent times, Jalmari Helander's (director of the fantastic Xmas horror Rare Exports) Big Game is the type of movie John Carpenter would've made in his heyday and would've made well but in the year 2016, Big Game sadly doesn't feel either that big or doesn't bring enough game to take the film forward for a touchdown.Taking far too long to get into the stuff we paid money to see, Big Game's simple set up of the president as played by the typical Samuel L.
Jackson finding himself stranded in the Finnish wilderness after Air Force One has been shot down only to find himself teaming up with young hunter Oskari (played by the conveniently fluent in English Onni Tommila), only flirts with acting upon its premise of high explosive thrills and kills and for a majority of the films runtime you'd be wishing that people would stop talking and let the action speak for itself.When Helander lets the action do the talking, Big Game can all of a sudden showcase some impressive visuals and neat action ideas but for a film with such an over the top premise the over the top action sometimes feels to far removed from reality whether its Oskari's ability to jump onto moving cargo being carried by a helicopter or bad guys all of a sudden not being able to aim their guns, Big Game's set pieces often peter out into uninteresting scenarios despite the seemingly ripe opportunities to be a true action blast.One of those Samuel L.
The President of the United States of America emerges from an escape pod that was jettisoned upon the destruction of Air Force One. They are forced to work together when terrorists enter the forest to capture their own special prize.'Big Game' rises above your average run of the mill action film.
Anyway, he done a good job by making the film feel very authentic but there just wasn't enough elements to the storyline.Budget: $9million Worldwide Gross: $4.6millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their action/adventure movies about a young boy who helps the president fight against terrorists after his planes crashes in the Helsinki wilderness.
It might be (again) a trend in "Hollywood".Anyway this is a movie that actually delivers in terms of action and the satisfaction of the audience.A 13 y.o. boy follows the tradition of his village in northern Finland and as apart of an initiation he must camp in the woods and bring a big game (like a deer) back to his father who is a great hunter.
Jackson as the President of the United States, then the Finnish-produced action throwback, Big Game, will be worth your time.
Time you could have spent re-watching Showgirls.Take a couple big name stars, give them a script written by a sixth grader about POTUS getting shot out of the sky and rescued by a loser Finnish kid and you have the movie.The story is that of the President of the United States being shot down in Air Force One over Finland.
If you liked "Air Force One" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," you'll like "Big Game" because it starts off as the former and morphs into the latter.Generic bad guys are hunting Jackson, who is President of the United States, and a fourteen-year-old Finnish boy through the dank and chilly forests and over the gray rocks of Never Never Land.It's not worth much attention. |
tt0814255 | Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | The movie begins with the camera panning over New York City, past Coney Island and along a pier. Water rises from Brighton Beach and coalesces into the form of a huge being looking like a man-- the god Poseidon (Kevin McKidd). Poseidon strides through the water along the pier, glancing nonchalantly at a gawking fisherman, and steps onto the streets of New York, shrinking to human size and his garments changing to resemble normal contemporary attire. He arrives at the observation deck of the Empire State building and meets another man there, similarly attired-- his brother Zeus (Sean Bean), king of the Greek gods. Zeus asks Poseidon to look to the sky. Poseidon notes heavy thunderclouds, and Zeus points out there is no lightning-- his master bolt, which gives him control over lightning, has been stolen. Zeus gets directly into Poseidon's face and tells him that he is convinced that Poseidon's son is responsible for the theft. Poseidon insists that his son doesn't know who he is, and warns Zeus about crossing a line, and that if Zeus harms Poseidon's son, he will be in for the fight of his life, but Zeus does not back down. He tells Poseidon that unless the bolt is returned to him by midnight on June 21st, the summer solstice, there will be war.We then see young teenager Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) sitting calmly at the bottom of a swimming pool. On surfacing, he is told by his best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) that he had been underwater nearly seven minutes. Hardly possible for most people, Percy thinks little of it. Being under water helps clear his mind and is one of the few places he can think.Percy and Grover are at school at the Yancy Academy, and we see that Grover uses crutches. They walk through the halls, disgusted as several students fight openly in the halls before it is broken up by faculty. In class, there is a substitute teacher, Mrs. Dodds (Maria Olsen), writing a quote from Othello on the blackboard. She asks the class if anyone can explain the quote. Several students raise their hands, but Mrs. Dodds notices Percy glancing away and calls on him. He looks at the blackboard, blinking as the letters seem to twist and dance around confusingly in front of his eyes. Finally he says he doesn't know the answer.Percy arrives home, kissing his mother, Sally (Catherine Keener), hello. She asks him about school and he is clearly very frustrated. Percy suffers from both dyslexia and ADHD, impairing his school performance. He thought the Yancy Academy was supposed to make things better. Sally tries to assure him that one day, everything will make sense, but he is very dubious.At that moment the door opens and in walks Gabe Ugliano (Joe Pantoliano), Sally's husband and Percy's stepfather. Gabe is bald, paunchy, and dirty, with granny glasses attached to a chain around his neck. He sits at the table and asks where his beer is. Sally says it's in the fridge, but Gabe clearly expects her to bring it to him. Sally complies without a word of complaint, much to Percy's disgust. He insists that Gabe show some respect to Sally. Gabe gets up and leans against the wall close to Percy, and says that it's his house and Percy is the one who needs to show some respect.Gabe retreats to his room and Percy asks Sally why she stays with him. Gabe Ugliano is a crass, crude pig of a man with foul armpit stench, who cannot hold a steady job because of his demeanor and smell. Sally tries to insist that Gabe is good to her and Percy in 'ways he doesn't understand.' Percy can only say that Sally is right-- he doesn't understand.Percy is going with his school class to a museum to look at a gallery of ancient Greek and Roman exhibits. A voiceover from Poseidon tells Percy that everything as he knows it, is about to change. Percy glances around, and Poseidon is seen looking at him across the street, though Percy does not recognize him as he has never seen Poseidon before. A bus moves past Poseidon, in front of him, and he's gone.At a gallery showing sculptures of the Greek gods, a teacher named Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan) is lecturing on them. Mr. Brunner is in a motorized wheelchair, his legs covered in a blanket. Mr. Brunner explains how the gods often came down to Earth and had love affairs-- and sometimes children-- with mortals. He asks Percy if he can tell the class what these children were called. Percy correctly replies, 'demigods.' Mr. Brunner says that many of these demigods became great heroes, such as Hercules and Achilles. He then asks Percy to name another, giving him a hint: he has something in common with this hero.Percy happens to glance up at a wall mural above Mr. Brunner's head. The Ancient Greek writing seems to dance and twist around before Percy's eyes, and to his surprise, he can read it: Perseus. Percy realizes that his own name is similar to Perseus.As Mr. Brunner begins to explain the labors of Hercules and his victory over the Nemean lion, Mrs. Dodds quietly asks if she can speak to Percy alone, away from the other students. She opens a door into an adjacent, unfinished room, and enters behind Percy. But when he turns around, she is standing high up on a scaffolding.In a harsh, grating voice, Mrs. Dodds demands, "Where is it?" Percy is completely confused, and then confounded as Mrs. Dodds changes into a hideous winged beast with long fangs that swoops down and demands that Percy give her the lightning bolt he stole. Percy is horrified and with no idea as to what is going on. The creature swoops again and seizes Percy, lifting him high up in the air and threatening to bite his heart out unless he returns the stolen lightning bolt.Grover and Mr. Brunner burst into the room, The creature turns, recognizing Mr. Brunner, who demands that it release Percy or he'll tear the creature to pieces. The winged monster drops Percy and crashes through the window, flying off.Percy is sick with disbelief at what happened-- and then even more so as Mr. Brunner turns to Grover and curses himself for not having realized that a "Fury" was concealed in their school. He asks Percy what the Fury wanted from him, and he shrugs and says that she said something about him stealing a lightning bolt. Mr. Brunner says in a very worried tone, "they found him," and Grover looks horrified, confusing Percy even further. Mr. Brunner tells Grover that Percy is no longer safe, and they should move him to "the camp." Percy confronts them on talking about him, right in front of him, without talking TO him. Mr. Brunner only hands Percy an object, telling him it is a powerful weapon and he should guard it well. Percy stares in amazement at what, to him, appears to be an ordinary writing pen. Mr. Brunner instructs Grover to bring Percy to Sally and not to take his eyes off of him. Grover nods and urges Percy to come with him. Neither Grover nor Mr. Brunner offer Percy any further answers, so for now he goes with Grover.Hurrying down the street, Grover warns Percy to simply keep walking and not to look at anyone. Percy demands to know why Mr. Brunner wanted Grover to watch Percy, and Grover only says that he is Percy's protector. He insists he is quite capable of doing this despite apparently being on crutches.At Percy's house, Gabe is playing poker with friends while Sally waits on them uncomplainingly. Percy comes in with Grover and urgently tells Sally they need to talk. Gabe crudely tells Percy to beat it, and Percy calls him a bald-headed freak. Gabe jumps up to hit Percy, but Grover slams a crutch down onto his foot and then hits him in the groin with it, which impresses Percy. Grover tells Sally that Percy has to leave immediately. Sally acquiesces and hurries out of the house with him.Driving across a bridge, Sally is no more straight with Percy than Grover or Mr. Brunner had been. She only tells him that she's bringing them to a "camp for really special people." She says it's about Percy's father-- his true father.As they drive on, Sally starts to tell Percy about how she met Percy's father... a man she never addresses by name. She says she was truly in love with him, and he loved her and Percy in turn. She admits that Percy's father left, but insists that he was forced to do it, and didn't abandon either of them.As they drive past a field with cows, one horned head rises up, looking much larger than the other cows' heads. Grover suddenly shouts urgently for Sally to watch out. She gapes in horror as the corpse of a cow is suddenly thrown into the road right in front of them. Sally loses control of the car and it flips over.The sound of heavy, ponderous footsteps begin to approach them. Percy stares as Grover removes his pants, revealing that his legs are those of a goat, complete with hooves. Grover uses them to smash through the car windshield so they can all get ouf of the car. The crutches, as he hurriedly says, are "just for show--" Grover can walk and run perfectly well, without them. The three of them flee from the approaching horror-- a huge bull-like humanoid. The monster picks up the car and hurls it at them.They arrive at a stone arch surrounded by torches, which Grover says is their destination. As Percy stares up at the arch, Greek lettering dances around before his eyes to form recognizable words: "Camp Half Blood." He and Grover dash through the arch... but Sally is unable to pass through; some kind of barrier repels her. She urgently tells Percy that she cannot pass through the gate because she is "not like him." Percy refuses to leave without her but Sally begs him to do so. Just then, the huge minotaur grabs Sally from behind, and Percy watches in horror as the monster holds her aloft in one hand. She begs him to run, saying he's safe inside the gate, but Percy insists on facing the monster down. Grover shouts for him to take out the pen Mr. Brunner gave him, and click it. Percy does so and is shocked to see it transform into a Greek sword. The minotaur squeezes Sally and she screams briefly before disappearing in a flash of smoke and gold-colored dust.Enraged, Percy charges at the minotaur, swinging the sword. The minotaur dodges and hurls a punch that blasts Percy into a tree. It charges at him on all fours, and he jumps away. One of the minotaur's horns lodges in the tree, and part of the horn breaks off when it tries to pull it loose. Percy grabs the broken-off horn as the minotaur charges again, and drives it into the monster's middle, killing it. Percy faints and collapses into Grover's arms.He awakens lying in a cot with Grover watching over him. Grover is now clad in a leather vest with a dagger sheathed at his hip. He tells Percy that he is in the camp infirmary and has been unconscious for three days. He asks what Percy remembers. Percy thinks he awoke from a crazy dream, but then glances down and sees Grover's goat-legs and hooves. Grover says that he is a satyr. Percy breaks down in misery realizing everything was real, and his mother is gone. Grover tries to comfort him, saying he feels responsible as it's his job to protect Percy, although he is just a junior protector and doesn't have his horns yet.Grover begins to take Percy around Camp Half Blood. People are seen in a mixture of modern and ancient Greek attire, and are training in combat with Greek weapons-- swords, shields, and bows. Grover finally begins to explain the truth about Percy, much to his continuing disbelief-- Percy is a demigod; one of hundreds throughout the world. Camp Half Blood is where demigods learn to harness their abilities, and while many go to lead "normal lives," many go on to become great leaders and heroes, though Percy cannot see himself as a hero. Grover then explains Percy's dyslexia and ADHD-- written letters and words seem to twist and dance around before his eyes because his brain is hardwired to read ancient Greek, not modern English; like back at the museum when he was able to read the Greek writing. And his ADHD is his divine battle reflexes. He was never able to be still, and this is what allowed him to survive-- and prevail, in his battle with the minotaur. As Grover says, no "loser" (as Percy thinks of himself) can defeat one.Grover brings Percy to a field along a river where the students do most of their battle training. Percy stops and watches a beautiful young woman with long brunette hair battling several students at once-- and winning handily. She wields her sword with a grace and agility that Percy thinks he can only dream of. Percy asks Grover who she is, and he just laughs and warns him that the girl could tear him apart. But he says the girl's name is Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), and she is the daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom. Still holding her sword at the throat of her last opponent, Annabeth happens to look in their direction, her expression unreadable as she look at Percy, almost as if recognizing him.Grover leads Percy to another field where he sees another amazing sight-- several centaurs engaged in a running exercise. But what's even more amazing is the lead centaur-- Mr. Brunner, or as he explains, here in this world, he is the legendary teacher, Chiron. He apologizes for hiding his true form, but he needed to keep an eye on Percy.As they continue through the camp, Grover is called to by a group of daughters of Aphrodite, goddess of love. Chiron smirks as Grover goes to join them, suggesting to Percy that he knows where it will lead. Chiron brings Percy into a house which he says is Percy's quarters at the camp. The house is filled with nautical objects, and includes a heavy trident. Picking up the trident, looking at it, Percy realizes that some of the walls are carved with a symbol resembling the trident. Understanding dawns on him-- Percy is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. Chiron says this has been kept from Percy for all these years for his own safety-- for a child to be sired by one of the "big three" Greek gods (Zeus, Poseidon and Hades) is exceptionally rare, and as the son of Poseidon, Percy is one of the most powerful of the demigods, which makes him a threat to the Olympian gods. Chiron then explains that Sally knew all of this, and the reason she married Ugliano was that his foul armpit stench hid and masked the smell of Percy's blood from anything that the gods could have sent to eliminate him. Percy is quiet and thoughtful as he realizes how much Sally sacrificed for him-- why she tolerated Gabe's treatment of her so gracefully.Chiron then finally tells Percy about the reference to him as "the lightning thief--" Zeus' lightning bolt is the most powerful weapon ever created. Zeus' belief that Percy stole it centers aorund a very valid worry that it could pose a threat to Zeus' station as ruler of all the gods. Chiron warns Percy in a dire tone, that in ten days, if the bolt is not returned, the resulting war between Zeus and Poseidon would force all of Olympus to choose sides, and Earth would be torn asunder. Chiron plans to bring Percy to Olympus and make an appeal directly to Zeus as to Percy's innocence. As to why they can't go right now-- outside the gates are dangers; the Fury and the Minotaur being only the beginning. First, Percy needs to train so he will be able to handle these dangers.Grover and Percy are heading to the training field; Percy suited up properly in leather and mail armor and feeling very awkward in it. Chiron orders all the students to fall in and gather around him. He introduces Percy to all the other students and says he will need a team. Stepping forth to volunteer to take him, is Luke (Jake Abel), son of Hermes and camp leader. Luke is a bit cocky and a bit of a jokester but takes to Percy right off. He gives Percy a helmet and welcomes him to his team-- the Blue soldiers. Chiron then orders all the students to prepare for game of Capture the Flag-- Ancient Greek style.The two armies rush forth on command, swords and shields clashing. Luke tells Percy that he knows where the enemy flag is and to follow him. Ambushed by several Sons of Ares fighting for the red team, Luke and Percy fend them off, Percy amazed at having knocked out two of them. Luke urges Percy to hurry to the red flag while he holds off the rest of the Sons of Ares.Percy hurries to a stream, where he removes his helmet and kneels to take a drink. But before he sips the water, he looks up and sees the red flag, completely unguarded, just across the stream. Grabbing his sword, he rushes in delight over to the banner.But one red soldier is there to meet him-- Annabeth. The daughter of Athena quickly deals Percy several slash wounds and knocks him about the stream bank, seemingly toying with him. Chiron, Grover, Luke and a number of soldiers from both teams find their way there. Annabeth slashes Percy again and again, and kicks him down to the ground. The red soldiers cheer and gloat as she walks back to them.Suddenly Percy hears his father's voice telling him to go to the water, and it will give him power. Slowly, painfully, he crawls to the stream. Everyone turns and looks as he dips his hand into the water. Curiosity turns to surprise and then shock as the water flows up his arm and shoulder, and over his whole body, healing all his wounds. Percy climbs to his feet, surging with new power and strength, and makes a beeline for Annabeth, easily swatting aside all Red soldiers that try to stop him. Quickly the tip of his sword is at her throat, and she looks at him in amazement. Regaining her focus, Annabeth bats Percy's sword aside and they fight once again. But this time Percy matches her, strike for strike, parry for parry. They grapple at close quarters and Percy wrests her sword from her grip, putting its blade to the back of her neck, and the point of his own sword to her throat as Grover and Chiron clap excitedly.Annabeth surrenders, looking at Percy with a mixture of surprise at her defeat and admiration for the power he wields. He returns her sword and marches to the red flag. Nobody stands in his way as he plants his sword in the stream bank and lifts the red flag up high over his head in victory, the blue soldiers all cheering and applauding.In the evening at dinner, Percy is approached by several nymphs inviting him to a party at their quarters. As he fills his cup, Annabeth comes up to fills hers, and they talk. Annabeth explains to Percy that her mother and his father have been long time enemies for many centuries. She says she has strong feelings for Percy, but hasn't decided if they're amicable or hostile yet.The dinner feast is interrupted by the arrival of a massive, terrible winged demon appearing through a bonfire-- Hades. Hades calls Percy out and tells him that Sally is alive and well, but she is his prisoner, and he will release her to Percy only if he brings Hades the lightning bolt.After Hades vanishes, Percy wants to travel to the underworld to negotiate Sally's release, thinking Hades will have no reason to hold her once Percy explains he didn't steal the ilghtning bolt and doesn't have it. But Chiron warns him that Hades doesn't work that way, and will kill both him and Sally. He insists that Percy stick to the original plan of appealing directly to Zeus first, and then they can formulate plans to rescue Sally.Later that night, Grover finds Percy preparing to leave camp to set out for the Underworld, determined to rescue his mother. When Grover finds he cannot dissuade Percy, he insists on coming along, this being his job as Percy's protector. Annabeth also wants to come along. She's trained many years at the camp, but that's all she's done-- she's never embarked on an actual quest and hardly gotten to see the outside world. In addition, she's won a great many more battles than Percy, so her experience will come in handy. Percy is reluctant at first but then assents to their going with him.The first puzzle is reaching the underworld... none of them knows how to get there. But Annabeth believes she knows who would.The three of them visit Luke at his quarters, finding him playing video games. Luke's quarters are decked out with a lot of amenities from the modern world, including electronics, which he prefers over the "Renaissance Fair" decor of the camp. Annabeth knows that Luke's father, Hermes, as the messenger of the gods, has traveled to the underworld many times, and she asks if he knows anything about how to get there. Luke says he doesn't speak to his father and doesn't at all care for him ('we all have daddy issues,' he explains), but he says he broke into his father's house once and has some things that may help them. One is a pair of flying winged shoes, one of hundreds of pairs Hermes owns and uses to travel. Another is a map that will help locate three of the Pearls of Persephone. Luke explains that Persephone is more a prisoner of Hades than his wife, and she is miserable there. For comfort and companionship, she has many paramours and lovers. She gives them the pearls as a means of leaving the underworld unnoticed by Hades-- one needs only to crush a pearl underfoot and concentrate on where to go.The map will help them find three of the pearls that are hidden in the United States. It shows one pearl located in a Garden Emporium owned by someone named Auntie Em, and located in Leeds Point, New Jersey. When the pearl is found, the map will show the location of the next one. When all three pearls are collected, the map will show where they can find a secret entrance to the underworld.As a final gift, Luke asks Percy to take his favorite shield, saying it will be of help to him.Percy, Grover and Annabeth catch a bus and make their way to Auntie Em's garden Emporium. They find it seemingly unoccupied and nearly delapidated; what appears to be an icebox with free soft drinks only contains a nest of rats. There are a lot of stone statues around. Annabeth notices a stone fountain with a number of Greek gold drachmas, meaning they're on the right track. She gives them to Percy. The three decide to split up and search the whole Emporium, hoping to find the pearl.Annabeth walks past more statues, eerily carved as if cowering in terror from whatever they are pointed to face. Suddenly a strange, middle-aged woman rushes up out of nowhere, hysterically begging for her help. Barely coherent, she only manages to get out that she and her husband stopped for directions. She grabs Annabeth's forearm, hysterically begging for Annabeth to come and help her.Grover finds his way to a shed where one of the statues is of a satyr, which strongly resembles his uncle Ferdinand. In fact, it's a near perfect stone replica of him, right down to the mole on his forehead. Grover muses, deciding it can't be his actual uncle, because he was killed by...Grover freezes in horror. His uncle was killed when he was turned to stone by Medusa. Auntie *EM's* Emporium... M for Medusa. Frantically he rushes to find Annabeth and Percy. Percy hears Grover's frantic yells that they are all in trouble. He grabs his pen and activates it as his sword and rushes to rendezvous with him. Meanwhile, Annabeth is still being pulled by her wrist, by the hysterical woman, who is screaming that they have to leave before "she" finds them... a woman who turned her husband to stone.The scene switches back and forth a few times between Percy and Grover, running through the Emporium grounds trying to find each other... and find each other they do, literally running smack into each other. Grover tells Percy that they're in Medusa's lair. They still need to find Annabeth.Annabeth is still being pulled along by the hysterical woman, who realizes she is lost on the Emporium grounds and is terrified they'll never get out alive. Suddenly they stop short, Annabeth saying not to move. Standing right in front of them, a turban-like cloth wrap over her head and dark shades over her eyes, is Medusa (Uma Thurman).Medusa speaks slowly and seductively, telling how she creates her 'statues' which serve as her only company in such a 'lonely' place. Suddenly she addresses Annabeth as 'daughter of Athena,' showing Medusa recognizes her for who she is. Medusa explains that she once had the same beautiful brown hair as Annabeth. Toying with a few locks of Annabeth's hair, Medusa explains that she was desired and courted by many suitors, which made Athena jealous, and led her to curse Medusa.Medusa steps back and removes her headpiece, revealing the snakes that serve as her hair, as Annabeth urges the hysterical woman not to look. Both of them snap their eyes shut as Medusa's tone turns stern, saying that eyes are the windows to the soul, and she hopes they find hers attractive. She removes her dark shades, revealing her terrible blue eyes with the power to turn people to stone. Her tone turning seductive again, she gently whispers for them to 'sneak a peek' at her eyes.The lure proves too much for the hysterical woman, who looks at Medusa's eyes and promptly turns to stone; her now-stone hand still locked around Annabeth's wrist.Percy and Grover arrive, behind Medusa, and she isn't yet aware of their presence. Percy knows that they can look at her reflection safely, and takes out his iPhone. Grover says he'll get Annabeth away.Medusa cockily puts her sunglasses on the hysterical woman's left wrist and gets very close to Annabeth, taunting her that she will eventually open her eyes. Medusa gets close enough that her hair-snakes flick through Annabeth's hair and across her cheeks. Annabeth trembles in fear, desperately fighting to keep her eyes tightly shut.Hearing Medusa speak, Percy calls out, trying to give Annabeth resolve to keep her eyes closed. Medusa hears Percy's voice and whirls around, realizing that the new arrival is another demigod. She heads toward the sound of where Percy's voice came from. Percy runs, leading Medusa away from Annabeth, using the reflection in his iPhone to keep track of Medusa. As Percy pauses behind a statue, Medusa stops, recognizing Percy by the smell of his blood as the son of Poseidon. She remarks that she used to date Poseidon before pushing one statue down, causing it to topple a line of statues like dominoes; the last one landing on Percy.Annabeth struggles futilely to free her wrist from the now-stone woman's grasp, still not daring to open her eyes. Grover comes up and uses a crutch to smash the woman's arm off, freeing Annabeth. The two rush to rendezvous with Percy.Trying to crawl out from under the statue, Percy reaches for his sword, but Medusa kicks it away and lifts Percy by the scruff of his neck. Percy jams his eyes shut as Medusa holds him close to her face and tells him that she hears he has the stolen lightning bolt. She leans her head in close and tells Percy that her 'hungry babies' can open Percy's eyes for him if he doesn't do it himself. She sweetly says that he can stay with her always; all he has to do is look.Medusa's soft and seductive whisper almost has Percy about to open his eyes when Grover and Annabeth arrive on the scene, driving the pickup truck owned by the hysterical woman and her husband (they don't need it anymore). They smash through several statues, knocking Medusa down.Medusa hisses angrily, looking about for Percy. She finds his iPhone and peers curiously at it. Distracted, she doesn't hear Percy coming up behind her. She spots his reflection in the iPhone too late-- Percy beheads her with a swift stroke of his sword.Grover and Annabeth exit the truck, tapping fists in celebration of vanquishing Medusa. Though Grover is repulsed at the idea, Annabeth says they need to take Medusa's severed head with them. If they open her eyes, their power to turn living beings to stone still works. Percy asks Grover for his jacket so they can wrap up the head. Grover gives Percy his hoodie instead.After giving the head to Grover, Percy happens to look again at Medusa's headless body and realizes that she is wearing a bracelet with the pearl set into it. He pries it free and the three of them drive off in the pickup truck.As they head down the road, Annabeth wonders why Luke didn't warn them about Medusa (why indeed....) Grover asks Percy to open up the map so it will show them where the next pearl is. The map reveals the location as a replica of the Greek Parthenon... in Nashville, Tennessee (much to Grover's disgust; he hates country music).It is late at night and they are still on the road. Percy and Annabeth are fast asleep, and Grover starts to nod off at the wheel. The blare of an eighteen-wheeler's horn jolts them all awake and Grover barely swerves away. The three of them, shaken, decide to stop for the night. They make their way to a roadside motor inn and get a room.Just before sunrise, Percy is in the swimming pool, sitting on the pool floor as he loves to do. An image of his mother, and Hades holding her prisoner, flashes through his mind. He looks up and notices Annabeth standing at the poolside, watching him. He surfaces and she sits down, her feet in the water. Percy notices the bruises on Annabeth's wrist from the woman who was turned to stone by Medusa. Gently taking her arm, he heals the bruises for her through his connection to the water. He climbs up and sits beside her at the poolside and asks why Poseidon and Athena are enemies. She explains it started when they vied for patronage of Athens and the people of the city chose Athena. Percy asks what Athena is like, but Annabeth doesn't know-- like Percy and Luke, she's never met her divine parent. Percy is surprised, wondering if any demigod has ever met their divine parent. Annabeth explains that this is forbidden by Zeus himself... he decreed that all gods were prohibited from having any physical contact with their half-mortal children. Both agree that the law is ridiculous, though Annabeth tells Percy that she believes she hears her mother speaking to her in her mind in times of trouble, giving her advice. Percy realizes that's the same as the voice he hears in his head, and Annabeth says that's Poseidon talking to him.An urgent shout from Grover recalls them to their room. A news article on TV has listed Percy as a missing person... and a suspect in the disappearance of Sally. To Percy's revulsion, Gabe Ugliano is interviewed in the news segment, spouting lies about Percy having been on drugs and alcohol; and five nights ago, Percy tried to kill him and threw Sally on the ground, before Percy's 'cripple friend' attacked Gabe from behind (Grover gapes in astonishment at the preposterous story), and Percy kidnapped Sally and took her away. Percy shuts off the TV in disgust, figuring he is now a fugitive.Grover goes to the bathroom to pee and groans as he sees that Percy placed Medusa's head there. He holds it up and admonishes Percy for putting it there. A maid working at the motor inn passes by the window and sees, and screams as she rushes away. Grover curses himself for having left the curtains open. Annabeth realizes they have to leave right away.They arrive in Nashville at daytime. making their way to Centennial Park where the replica of the Parthenon is located. Inside, they stand before a huge statue of a Greek warrior woman. Percy is able to read the Ancient Greek on the nameplate and sees it is a statue of Annabeth's mother, Athena. Annabeth gazes up at the statue, wondering if her mother really looks the way she is depicted, and she smiles when Percy assures her that they'll find out. Grover looks up at a golden headdress set on the statue's head and notes that the pearl is set into the centerpiece of it.This presents a problem-- how to get up 30 feet in the air, especially while the place is filled with tourists. Percy has an idea to the solution. The three of them hide in bathroom stalls, standing on them so their legs and feet aren't seen, and wait for the place to close for the night. An hour after the park closes they come out, with the plan being for Percy to use the flying shoes to get up to the head of the statue. But although the park is closed, the Parthenon isn't quite empty... night custodians are there, cleaning the place. Annabeth loads a hand crossbow and darts between pillars, stealthily and quickly taking the custodians out with drugged darts. Grover drags the sleeping custodians to one side of the Parthenon as Annabeth sets up her wireless laptop and makes a conference call to Luke, to get instructions on activating the flying shoes. Luke quickly explains that Percy needs to get a running start and build up speed, and that it will take some practice. But Percy proves more adept than this, and although he nearly loses his grip on the statue, he is able to climb back up the pry the pearl out from the headdress. Guided by the shoes to an easy landing on the ground, they all tap fists and Annabeth hugs Percy, telling everyone to gather up their things.But they're not out of the woods yet... the custodians have recovered and form a line in front of the exit. Grover tries to bluff them by acting like he's a Park Recreational Services manager. But it quickly becomes apparent that these custodians are not ordinary people. They address Percy by name and demand the return of the lightning bolt. Percy sighs in exasperation, but his protest that he doesn't have it falls on deaf ears. One custodian coughs a puff of fire, and then all five of them merge into a giant monster... the five-headed hydra. Percy, Annabeth and Grover rush behind pillars as the middle head spews a cone of roaring flames. Percy's jacket is ignited, and when he shakes his arm to quell the flames, he loses his grip on the pearl, which flies across the Parthenon, resting on top of a flood drain grille. Activating his sword and shield, Percy takes to the air, and despite Annabeth's urgent warnings, he begins slicing off the heads of the hydra.The hydra collapses as the last head is severed, and Percy and Grover start to high-five. But Annabeth admonishes them that Percy only made the problem worse. She's the only one of the three that remembers that when one head of the hydra is cut off, two more grow back in its place.A terrible roar and the ground shaking prove the point of Annabeth's admonishment as the hydra rises again... now with ten heads; two of which spout flame. Percy tells Annabeth to distract it while he retrieves the pearl. Annabeth draws her bow, loosing several arrows to harass the hydra. But although one head is hit squarely in the eye, the hydra still turns as Percy dashes for the pearl, and the two central heads spew gouts of fire. Percy dives away, using his shield to protect himself, but the shield is thrown from his grasp several yards away. As the hydra closes in, Percy notices emergency fire hoses. Reaching out and concetrating, Percy summons the water from its holding tanks to form a wall between himself and the hydra. The wall of water also acts as a shield against the hydra's flaming breath, and allows Percy to retrieve the pearl. He dashes for the door, Grover and Annabeth right behind him... but they realize the hydra will reach them before they can get the door open. Grover gets an idea and rushes back toward the hydra, grabbing Percy's backpack. He grabs the head of Medusa, and snapping his eyes shut, points the face at the hydra and removes the shades from Medusa's eyes. Quickly the eyes begin to flash and the snake heads begin to thrash about. The flames stop short of the head and the hydra turns to stone.The three adventurers make their way to an all night diner to eat. During the meal, they see a special news bulletin on the TV where scientsts are at a loss to understand a single storm cloud that has grown so massive as to spread over much of Europe and Asia. The cloud is expanding westward toward the United States, and much of the world's coastlines are experiencing gale-force winds and massive surf waves. Annabeth realizes the gods are angry, and they need to get the last pearl quickly. They examine the map and find that it is in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Lotus Hotel and Casino.As they approach the casino, they need to fight to remind themselves that they're only there for the pearl, not for any form of entertainment. Right away a casino employee tries to make them accept a casino fun book, and they have to assert themselves that they aren't checking in. Grover figures that since the cocktail waitresses are all wearing green dresses, perhaps one of them has the pearl.Several waitresses quickly surround them, holding trays filled with cookies that they call Lotus Flowers-- the casino's signature dish. Tentatively, the three of them each try a sample. They find the cookies exquisitely delicious... not even noticing the psychedelic effect the 'lotus flowers' have on them. They start to laugh and giggle in growing excitement as they continue to look around them. In half a minute they've forgotten what they're there for, except to have fun and enjoy themselves. The decision to stay-- perhaps as permanent fixtures of the casino-- is a no-brainer.Percy, Annabeth and Grover all start to partake in the casino's festivities-- gambling, dancing, partying... and of course more of the delicious lotus flowers. But finally, just as Percy is about to eat one, he hears his father's voice admonishing him not to. The flowers dull their senses and keep them prisoner in the casino. Crinkling his brow, he excuses himself from Annabeth to walk around, and leaves the lotus flower uneaten on the bar. He begins to walk through a video arcade, declining all the waitresses who swarm around with their flower trays. Poseidon's voice guides him, telling him to focus. He passes a young man playing a pinball machine themed after the movie, The French Connection. The young man asks if Percy's seen it, and Percy is stunned when the young man doesn't understand him when he says he's seen it on DVD. Quickly he realizes that the young man thinks that the year is still 1971; the year the movie was first released. Percy starts to snap out of it, guided by Poseidon's voice. He realizes the cocktail waitresses are redoubling their efforts to serve him more lotus flowers and starts to understand the entrapment effect of them. Then he walks past a roulette table and sees that the roulette ball is the pearl he came for. This jolts him completely back to his senses. As he walks away from another waitress trying to make him have another lotus flower, a bellhop turns and speaks into a headphone: 'Percy Jackson's awake.'Percy hurries back to Annabeth, finding her dancing with several young women. He grabs her and herds her to where Grover is being tended to by a group of gorgeous young women. Pulling a satyr away from beautiful women is hard enough when Grover is sober, but Percy manages to do it. Raising his voice to an urgent pitch, he finally gets through to them that the lotus flowers are putting them in a trance and making them want to stay and party. The sight of security guards converging on them helps break the trance on Annabeth and Grover. Together with Percy they must now fight their way through the guards back to the roulette table where Percy grabs the pearl. Rushing to a car on display as a prize that can be won, they use it to escape from the casino.Racing down the street until they feel a safe distance away, they recollect their thoughts. Annabeth realizes the casino is the lair of the Lotus Eaters-- and the 'casino' is where they have trapped people since ancient times. Even more dire is Grover passing a large display LCD calendar sign... the date is no longer June 15th, but June 20th... they'd spent five days and nights in the Lotus Casino's trap. The deadline being only a day away, they consult the map, finding the entrance to Hades is in Hollywood. Grover nods grimly, saying he can get them there in four hours.As they pull up before the famous Hollywood hillside sign, the radio gives a news report that the storm clouds have covered most of North America. Several states are ordering evacuations as the weather grows more severe. They run along the sign's letters, pausing as Percy notes that some of the graffiti appears to be written in Ancient Greek. Quickly he reads it: 'Woe to all depraved souls.'Quickly a patch of ground beside the letter opens up, revealing an entryway deep underground... which closes up behind them as they walk in.They make their way down a subterranean tunnel with torches and lots of skulls in the earthen walls. Presently they come to a mysterious man in a long hooded robe, standing in a canoe float in a dark river beside the platform. Approaching him, they see he is the ferryman who brings souls to Hades' kingdom. The ferryman refuses to bring them to Hades because they are still living. He tells them to come back when they are properly dead. Grover tries to bribe the ferryman with several bills of American currency. But, looking at them curiously, the ferryman burns them to ash in his hand, letting the ashes fall through his fingers.Percy realizes Grover was on the right track but used the wrong kind of currency. He gives the ferryman the gold drachmas taken from the fountain in Medusa's lair. This, the ferryman accepts, and takes them across the legendary River Styx, which is filled with centuries of broken human dreams and sorrows; wishes and hopes that never came true.Percy, Grover and Annabeth walk into the entrance to Hades' palace. They are promptly greeted by three hellhounds that guard their master's domain. THe hounds are called off by Persephone (Rosario Dawson) who brings them to Hades. The three adventurers are surprised to see that Hades has taken on human form as well (played by Steve Coogan). Hades reveals he is seeking Zeus' lightning bolt because it would allow him to overthrow his brothers and escape from the underworld, where he was exiled by Zeus. If Zeus and Poseidon destroyed each other in a war, he would be able to take over Olympus.Percy tries to explain that he doesn't have the lightning bolt, but Hades doesn't believe him. He picks up an orb and shatters it on the ground, revealing that this was where he had been keeping Sally imprisoned. Percy rushes forth to hug Sally, grateful that she is alive and well.But slowly everyone starts to become aware of Hades staring intently at Luke's shield, which Percy had dropped to the ground in order to hug his mother. The handgrip of the shield has opened up after being dropped, to reveal a secret compartment inside it. Inside this compartment is the missing lightning bolt.Percy, Grover and Annabeth realize that Luke was behind the theft of the lightning bolt all along, but none of that matters to Hades. He only cares that he has what he wanted. Picking up the bolt, he breaks his word to Percy and orders Persephone to feed Percy, Grover, Annabeth and Sally to 'the souls.'Persephone gestures and a grille over what looks like a fireplace, opens up... but behind this grille is no mere fireplace, but a furnace of damned, burning souls that start to writhe outward, smelling the living souls they are about to receive. Persephone then calls the hellhounds to herd the three adventurers toward the flames. Hades gloats with wicked glee at how he will rule the gods. Persephone grins wickedly and grabs her husband for an amorous smooch.Or not so amorous, as while Hades is distracted, Persephone snatches the lightning bolt out of his hands and zaps him with it, knocking him unconscious. Quickly she calls off the hellhounds and closes the furnace gate. Kneeling over Hades, Persephone gloats at how he will remember nothing of all these recent events when he wakes up. Although grateful, Percy is curious as to why Persephone is helping them. She explains that Hades treats her like dirt, and all she has to look forward to while in his domain, is her alotted time back on Olympus. A war of the gods would destroy all that, and leave her alone with only Hades for company-- the worst kind of company she could dread havinag to keep. She gives Percy the lightning bolt and tells him to take it, and Sally, away.But as Percy takes out the pearls, it quickly becomes evident that there is a problem. There are three pearls, and three members of Percy's party (himself, Grover and Annabeth)... but Sally makes a fourth person, and each pearl only grants egress to one. This means one of them has to stay behind in the underworld. There is a brief argument between Percy and Annabeth, both of whom feel they should be the one to stay... until Grover says that as Percy's protector, it's his duty and job to take on the burden. Persephone is delighted at this and promises to "take very good care" of Grover.Percy, Annabeth and Sally use the pearls to take them to Olympus, but Percy is confused when they arrive at the observation deck of the Empire State Building. Annabeth points out the terrible storm clouds above-- Zeus and Poseidon preparing for battle. Sally assures Percy that they are in the right place and shows him an entrance to a service closet that contains the secret entrance to Olympus.But Percy is not quite home free yet. There's ten more minutes until the midnight deadline, and Luke has arrived, wearing another pair of his father's flying shoes, to make sure Percy misses that deadline. Questioned by Percy, Luke reveals that when Percy, Grover and Annabeth came to see him about traveling to the underworld, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to dupe Percy into the very role Hermes normally performs... messenger of the gods. Luke hid the lightning bolt in the shield and gave the shield to Percy, so that Percy could unwittingly deliver the bolt to Hades. Reminding Percy that he bears as much animosity toward his divine parent as nearly all the demigods have for theirs, Luke wants to see them go to war and destroy themselves, believing that the demigods could then take over and rule the world as they see fit.Swooping at Percy, Luke knocks him to the ground and seizes the lightning bolt. Drawing a dagger, Annabeth engages him and fends him off, although she cannot defeat Luke while he has the lightning bolt and the flying shoes. Luke takes off into the skies. Percy reaches into his backpack and takes out the flying shoes Luke had given him, and takes off in pursuit.Luke is about to cast lightning at a passing helicopter when Percy dives at him. They wrestle in mid-air until Luke breaks free and tries to blast Percy with lightning. There is a brief cat-and-mouse game through a skyscraper's interior until Percy catches Luke by surprise and wrests the lightning bolt from him. Now it is Luke pursuing Percy, trying to recover it.Percy is almost back at the Empire State Building when Luke hurls a knife that slices the wings off of Percy's flying shoes. No longer able to control his flight, Percy tumbles to a hard landing on a rooftop. Luke picks up the lightning bolt, and questions Percy's heritage as son of Poseidon. Percy sees several water towers atop nearby buildings and concentrates, breaking the tanks open and gathering the water to deluge Luke. Gathering some of the remaining water and shaping it into a trident, Percy says that he must be the son of Poseidon after all. Hurling the trident, he catches Luke across the throat between two of the prongs, taking Luke clear out of his flying shoes and casting him into the river.Donning Luke's shoes, Percy arrives back at the Empire State building with the lightning bolt. Sally and Annabeth flip several switches in a control box in the service closet, which acrivates the hidden secret elevator that takes them all up, far past the roof of the building, into the heavens before the gates of Olympus. Sally, as a mortal, is unable to venture forth onto the divine ground. Annabeth and Percy rush to the hall of the gods.Inside the hall, the deities of the Greek Pantheon are engaged in heated argument until Zeus demands silence and crosses to a time-dial in the center of the great hall. Poseidon and Athena, despite their enmity, both make a final appeal to Zeus to avoid war. But as the time-dial signals the arrival of midnight and the passing of the deadline, Zeus is about to pronounce judgement of war. Just then, Percy and Annabeth rush into the hall bearing the lightning bolt. Zeus demands its return, and Percy does so. The bolt grows to its true size in Zeus' grasp. He says that Percy is wise to betray his father. Percy retorts that he was never working with or for Poseidon's benefit, and he reveals Luke as the true lightning thief (to the great surprise of Hermes (Dylan Neal)), explaining that Luke resented all the gods for not caring about their children, and he wanted them to destroy each other so the demigods could rule Olympus. The gods all look around at each other, seeing how they had been played and pitted against one another. Zeus accepts Percy's explanation and declares peace. Athena (Melina Kanakaredes) smiles at Annabeth and tells her she's very proud of her.Percy mentions that he and Annabeth escaped the Underworld only because Grover stayed behind. Zeus smiles cynically as he realizes that Percy wants him to return Grover to the world of the living. However, he agrees to the request. Zeus declares the convening of the gods to be adjourned. Poseidon makes a plea to his brother that he be allowed to speak to Percy, and Zeus consents-- but just this once.Percy is naturally resentful that Poseidon was never around, and that he never got to even meet him. Poseidon acknowledges that Percy was only seven months when he left him and Sally. He says that being with him and his mother, Sally, made Poseidon start to forget his duties and become more human, which Zeus didn't approve of. Percy is surprised on hearing that Poseidon's siring him was what led Zeus to pass the divine rule prohibiting the gods from having any contact with their children. Poseidon manages to come to terms with Percy, saying he never wanted to leave him or Sally, and was in fact always with him in heart and spirit; Percy acknowledging he heard Poseidon's voice when he spoke to Percy. Poseidon promises that while he might not get to see Percy again, he will always be there with and for him-- in his heart, in his thoughts, and in his dreams. Percy forgives his father and shakes hands with him.Sally brings Percy back to Camp Half Blood, where he can fulfill his destiny as a demigod. Although she will miss him, she says it's where he belongs. She also says, to Percy's great relief, that she is finally kicking Ugliano out of the house, now that he has served his purpose and she doesn't need him anymore.Percy is welcomed by everyone back at the camp, and Grover shows him that he's been promoted to senior protector, and has finally gotten his Satyr horns. Chiron starts to admonish Percy for disobeying his orders and leaving camp without permission, but then says that this is why Percy is now his favorite student-- many times he simply has to follow his own instincts. But hero or not, Percy is, to Chiron, still one of his students, and He sends Percy to suit up for more training.As Grover and Percy walk through the training area, Grover amuses Percy with stories of Grover's time in the underworld as Persephone's paramour. They find Annabeth in the same manner in which Percy first set eyes on her-- she is taking on several other students in swordplay at the same time, holding her own and more. Grover pats Percy's shoulder and tells him that he can handle this on his own now. After defeating the last of her opponents, Annabeth calls for the next one, and Percy steps up to volunteer. Annabeth puts a hand on his neck, welcoming him home and leaning in as if to kiss him. Suddenly with a mischevious look, she surprises Percy by swiping his sword out of its scabbard and pointing her own at him, telling him that he must never be distracted by an opponent. Percy grins and motions for his sword back. She returns it and they square off. The camera slowly pans back as Percy and Annabeth begin their battle, and the credits start to roll.Midway through the credits is an extra scene showing Sally telling Gabe to take all his things with him. He goes to the kitchen in disgust for a beer and finds the refrigerator locked, with a note from Percy on the door, warning that the refrigerator door must never be opened again. Annoyed, Gabe smashes the lock off and opens the door... and finds the severed head of Medusa inside. Fade to black as the snake heads lunge out, and the credits resume. | good versus evil, fantasy, action, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0075614 | Sette note in nero | Dover, England, October 12, 1959, 11:45 AM. A distraught young woman (Elizabeth Turner) drives to a scenic cliff-top overlooking the English Channel and throws herself off. At exactly the same time in Florence, Italy, the woman's young daughter Virginia (Fausta Avelli) has a vision of her mother's gruesome fall.Italy, 1976. A grown-up Virginia Ducci (Jennifer O'Neill) happily bids farewell to her new husband Francesco (Gianni Garko) as he leaves their house for a business trip abroad. After dropping him off at a small airport and driving home, Virginia experiences a number of confusing, fragmented visions while driving through dark road tunnel; a broken mirror in a dimly lit room; a lamp; a yellow cigarette burning in an ashtray; a magazine with a young woman on the front cover; a stuffed bird; the blood soaked corpse of an old lady; a fresco of The Madonna and Child; the footfalls of a man with a limp; a blinking red light; a yellow taxi; and someone being walled up in a dark hole.Virginia turns to her friend Dr Luca Fattori (Marc Porel), who has an interest in the paranormal, and she describes to him what she has seen. Afterwards, Virginia drives over to a rambling villa owned by her husband. The recently married couple intend to redecorate and move into the dusty building, which Francesco hasn't used for four years. Alone, Virginia experiences a mounting unease as she removes the drapes of the living room to discover items from her vision. Recalling a hole in the wall, the finds traces of a plaster over recess, and attacks with a pickaxe and uncovers skeletal human remains.The police are curious as to how Virginia found the body, which was very well concealed. She describes her vision to them, but they remain skeptic. The police maintain that the dead person was a young woman killed between January and June 1972, and she was only 25 years old when she died. Back at the villa that evening, Virginia sees what she takes to be an apparision of the dead woman from her vision (Veronica Michielini) standing outside. When Virginia gives chase, the old woman runs away into the dark. Francesco returns from his business trip where Virginia updates him on everything that has happened. He urges her to dismiss the matter from her mind, but she instead grows more and more obsessed with learning this mystery.The police led by Commissioner D'Elia investigate further and they identify the entombed victim as Agneta Bignardi. Virginia recognizes her from a photograph; she's the girl on the cover of the magazine in Virginias vision. Francesco, already a suspect, can only provide an alibi for himself in half the possible murder period. After he admits that he did have an affair with Agenta back in 1972, he gets arrested.Virginia discusses the case with Francesco's sister Gloria (Evelyn Stewart), and Melli (Riccardo Parisio Perrotti), a lawyer friend of Glorias. Virginia notices that Gloria smokes distinctive yellow cigarettes which are a French brand called Gitanes, identical to the one in her vision. Virginia accepts an extra pack from Virginia to smoke, and the two women go to the old house to investigate. Gloria says that her brother left for a business trip to America in April 1972, and that she was the one who changed the furniture of the place. The room with the walled-in corpse had been Franceso's bedroom, but was the Gloria whod bought the furniture that Virginia saw in her vision, after Francesco's departure.Luca's secretary, the resourceful Bruna (Jenny Tamburi) discovers that there were only 16 yellow taxies operating in Rome in 1972. Luca and Virgina make contact with a driver (Francesgo Angrisano) who remembers taking a girl in the police photo to a picture gallery, and that her gentlemanly chaperone has a pronounced limp. At the gallery, Virginia recognizes a Vermeer painting from her vision. The superintendent of the gallery, Emilio Rospini (Gabriele Ferzetti) watches them as the leave. He is the man in Virginia's vision.A few days later, Virginia buys a magazine which runs a picture of the murdered woman on the front cover, the exact same magazine from Virginia's vision. When Luca notices that the magazine has only existed for a year, it becomes apparent to him that Virginia has experienced a premontion, not a vision of past crimes. Virginia and Luca find more evidence that appears to clear Francesco, allowing him to get released on bail. Gloria, in the meantime, gives Virginia a watch, one that plays a haunting tune on the hour.Details from the promotions start to occur in front of Virginia with greater and greater frequency. Virginia takes a yellow taxi, with a blinking CB radio light, from Luca's office to her home. The mysterious old woman calls Virginia, leaving a message on her answering machine, offering information about the case. When Virginia arrives at her house, she finds her dead (in the same position from Virginia's vision). Rospini appears and Virginia flees in panic. Grabbing a vital letter featured on a coffee table in her vision, Virginia escapes down the road to a neighboring church that is undergoing repairs. Virginias hiding place is given away when her wristwatch chimes go off. Rospini tries to reach her on a wooden scaffold, but slips and falls to the marble floor, many feet below.Virginia runs back to her husband's old villa nearby, and phones him at his office to come see her right away. When he arrives, Virginia is alarmed by his limp, which he claims to have twisted his ankle just a few hours before. They go inside to the fateful room. Francesco puts down a copy of the magazine with Agneta on the cover, right on the table as described in the vision. Growing more nervous, Virginia starts smoking one of Glorias yellow cigarettes, and places it in an ashtray also featured in the vision.At the hospital, the police talk to the badly injured Rospini, who can barely gasp out his explination of the events. Back in 1972, the old woman, Signora Casati, had an illicit buyer for a valuable painting in a nearby gallery. Francesco, Rospini and Agneta Bignardi had all bee involved in stealing it. Rospini killed a guard, a fact mentioned in a letter Agneta wrote to Casati. Rospini was not trying to kill Virginia, but only trying to retrieve the letter. Casati was already dead when he arrived, having been killed by Francesco, who sustained a twisted ankle after jumping out of a window. It was Francesco who murdered Agneta all those years ago after she enraged him by trying to make off with the painting alone.Alone with her husband, Virginia becomes more and more frightened by the gradual confluences of elements from her vision. The last crucial link in the chain occurs when Francesco sees the incriminating letter on the dresser. Virginia claims that she hasn't read it, but he refuses to believe her. He suddenly attacks his wife with a fireplace poker. His first blow misses as she ducks and it smashes a mirror. The next blow strikes her dead on the head. As she lies on the floor, bleeding profuesly, he prepares to wall her into the excavated hole in the wall. Finally, all the details of room fit with the vision: Virginia was foreseeing her own death.A little later, Luca figures out from the magazine cover about the real location and time which Francesco could have murdered Agneta Bignardi. He then races over to the Ducci villa, while being chased by two motorcycle cops who are trying to arrest him for speeding. He manages to keep their fingers off his collar long enough to elaborate his suspicions. Francesco invites them all into his house and into the room, expressing concern at his wife's dissapearance. Despite a war of nerves, Luca cannot break the sociopath Francesco's bland of self control. As Luca turns to leave, escorted by the police, everyone hears a haunting tune, like a music box chime, emerging from the wall.... | mystery, paranormal, cult, horror, violence, flashback, insanity | train | imdb | The Psychic finds Italian film-maker Lucio Fulci in a decidedly more restrained mood.
There is an early scene where a character falls off a cliff resulting in their face being bloodily shredded by rocks as they fall - basically a scene repeated from Fulci's earlier giallo classic Don't Torture a Duckling (1972) – but apart from this, there is no real excessive blood-letting at all.
The story is essentially about a psychic woman who experiences premonitions about mysterious murders, before long she finds herself in the midst of a dangerous situation.The atmosphere of this one generates a real sense of dread.
Don't let the lack of gore stop you from renting this, though, because this movie is well worth it.The story is as follows: A clairvoyant of sorts has a vision of a murder taking place in the house in which she lives.
It should be noted that the major plot twists are given away on the back of the box, so avoid reading it if surprise is wanted."The Psychic" is one of Fulci's few technically competent movies, containing few plot holes and a great storyline.
"Seven Notes in Black"/"Murder to the Tune of the Seven Black Notes" of 1977 is a close second on my list of the greatest Fulci films, and it also ranks among the true greats of the Giallo genre in general.
One day, she has the disturbing vision of a gruesome murder, in which a woman is being walled in...I do not want to go deeper into the plot, because this brilliant film is filled with clever twists from the very beginning.
"Seven Notes in Black" contains no sleaze and hardly any gore, but has an incredibly intriguing and suspenseful plot containing ingenious red herrings and unpredictable plot twists, and is filmed in an incredibly beautiful yet unspeakably creepy visual style.
Murder to the Tune of Seven Black Notes is the last of Fulci's pre-gore flick Giallo's, and it has to be said that it's the lowest quality of the bunch.
Having already done straight murderers with A Lizard in Woman's Skin and Don't Torture a Duckling, Fulci has resorted to a supernatural plot line for his fourth Giallo feature and the plot draws its mystery and intrigue from it.
Clairvoyance is the reason for finding the skeleton, and naturally it isn't long before the husband is put under suspicion for the murder given that the body was uncovered inside his house; and he finds himself on the inside when it turns out that the body belonged to one of his ex-lovers...Despite the fact that this film serves as something of a prelude to the latter half of Fulci's career, there is a surprising lack of blood and guts, and this film isn't even as gory as the earlier Don't Torture a Duckling.
It's nice when the main character of the giallo you're watching receives all their clues in one huge psychic download five minutes into the film.Psychic lady, who has already remotely viewed her mother's suicide when she was a child (the only truly gory bit of the film), gets her vision when driving away from the airport after dropping off her new hubby (the always great and glary Gianni Garko of I Am Sartana, I will Kick Your Arse fame).From then on out it's up to psychic lady to figure out all the clues.
It's difficult to review gialli without ruining them so I'll stop there.I've seen this reviewed as Fulci's best film and his best Giallo, but personally I'd rate Lizard In A Woman's Skin higher (it's more surreal for starters).
Fulci has a reputation as one of the kings of gore but here yet again he is restrained in that department, there's very little blood or gore and positively no nudity, but this film shows yet again that he could make really good films, "Duckling", "Lizard" and One on top of the other prove that he is a legend in the history of the giallo, Great story, Great score, Great ending, Superb Film!.
Well, I won't say more because I don't want to ruin it for you--but the ending comes as quite a surprise--and I appreciate that.Overall, this is a strong suspense/horror film whose only real weakness is the sloppy opening as well as too many sound effects used by the lead.
Jennifer O'Neill is a great leading lady who sees visions as she travels through a very dark tunnel in her car of a murder scene.
This underrated giallo is probably Lucio Fulci's best movie.
Without his usual gorie style, the film is about a clairvoyant woman, Virginia (Played by Jennifer O'Neill- Scanners), who has a vision of a murder that happened years ago.
But she doesn't think the same and does everything possible to prove he's innocent, so she start to investigate (giallo style of course)- Sadly ignored at the time of it's release (Maybe because it has almost no blood and no nudity), the film is filled with suspense, especially after the hour mark.
The score deserves a special mention as it is arguably the best giallo music ever, even beating Goblin's Deep Red. Recommended to anyone who likes the giallo genre, Lucio Fulci's fans and people who think he's a hack.
Overall, a fine giallo from Fulci and highly recommended, but keep in mind it's quite different from most Italian horror movies of the time..
Lucio Fulci is best known for his surreal and graphically gory horror movies of the early 80s {i.e.Zombie,The Beyond} but some of his most interesting work was made before.
Fans of Kill Bill will recognise one of the pieces of music used.Opening with a graphic but very unconvincing scene of a suicide off a cliff,the head bashing on the rocks,the film does not continue that way,but becomes a slow but intriguing supernatural mystery,with the suspense gradually building and Fulci showing himself quite capable of handling a relatively complex plot.
Nevertheless, Fulci really proves himself with a really exciting and suspenseful scene near the end where O'Neill is pursued by the killer,and there is clever and evocative use of props throughout.Interestingly,where most Italian films like this are dubbed by different actors,this one looks like it was dubbed by most of the actual cast,and unfortunately a couple of major plot revelations are hard to make out!
Although he is often considered a top tier director of Italian horror/gialli, I found his films to be nothing more than exploitative and shameless, capitalizing on violence and sex to appeal to nothing but the viewer's carnal desires while providing little (if any) intelligence for the viewer's mind and cognitive thinking.Imagine my surprise when I found this not only to be a *good* movie, but also quite possibly one of the best gialli I have ever seen (second only to some of Dario Argento's best work).Despite a rather unnecessarily violent and gory opening (which is more laughable than shocking), the film is very subtle and restrained, with no nudity and very little violence, focusing upon its labyrinthine mystery to provide the thrills rather than anything visceral.And the mystery is superb, playing out very much like a jigsaw puzzle.
Not to mention, the very last sequence in the house will also have you on the edge of your seat.And the story isn't the only thing that makes this giallo work so well - the direction by Fulci (I can't believe I'm saying this) is magnificent, with such stunning sequences of camera movements and edits that just draw the viewer into the action.
The opening scene, as mentioned earlier, is entirely out of place, and the plot, while complex, is strangely predictable once you begin to understand what's happening.Despite this, the plot is tight, focused, and clever, with genuine suspense, which makes it one of the best giallo films ever.Essential viewing for not only giallo fans, but also any lover of a good mystery..
Ever since her mother's suicide when she was a child,interior designer Virginia(Jennifer O'Neil)has had psychic abilities.Newly married she is heading out to her husband's old country estate to begin a surprise restoration.But on the way to the house she has a vision of a woman being killed and walled up by a limping assassin.When she arrives to the house she discovers the skeleton of a woman behind the living room wall..."The Psychic"/"Seven Notes in Black" is easily one of the best and most underrated Fulci's films.The film has wonderful dreamlike atmosphere and is reminiscent to Edgar Allan Poe's classic story "The Black Cat".The pace is pretty slow and there is virtually no gore,but the plot is extremely intriguing and full of twists.Fans of Fulci or Italian horror in general should see as soon as possible..
American actress Jennifer O'Neill ("Summer of '42") headlines this entertaining Giallo from Italian cult favourite Lucio Fulci, his last in this genre before beginning the gory horror movie phase of his career.
A skeleton is found walled-up inside the old family house of her husband (Gianni Garko, the "Sartana" films), and she becomes determined to solve the mystery.Once again, Jennifer is absolutely lovely, but doesn't register all that strongly.
Average (and surprisingly tame) Fulci giallo which means it's still quite bad by normal standards, but redeemed by its solid build-up and some nice touches such as a neat time twist on the issues of visions and clairvoyance.The genre's well-known weaknesses are in full gear: banal dialogue, wooden acting, illogical plot points.
Although this movie suffers in comparison to Fulci's other gialli like "A Lizard in Woman's Skin" and "Don't Torture a Duckling", it is somewhat underrated and easily better than anything he made in the 1980's after his famous zombie quadrilogy ("Zombie", "The Gates of Hell", "The Beyond", and "House by the Cemetery").
Brazilian-American actress Jennifer O'Neil is a psychic who moves with her husband to a house in Italy, where she begins to think she is having visions of a murder that was committed there in the past.
n Kill Bill: Vol. 1, the score heard as The Bride is about to attack and kill Buck is taken from 'Murder to the Tune of the Seven Black Notes'.No, there are no zombies, and this is a mystery, not a gory thriller, even though the fall of a woman from a hill is gruesome.It is a methodical film with repeated visions and clues to lead the way to the murderer of a woman found during a vision.
Fulci's tendency to try to outdo his rivals in disgusting scenes ("L'Aldila") is not a problem in this film.This is a suspenseful story ,with an elaborate screenplay à la Argento (note the importance of pictures in both directors' works ,photographs or paintings)and special effects with make-up kept to the minimum level.Combining a subject dear to Edgar Allan Poe with a whodunit a la Agatha Christie and supernatural facts (O'Neil is some kind of medium) ,with a good supporting cast featuring Gabriele Ferzetti (Antonioni's "L"avventura" ) and French Marc Porel (sadly to die prematurely ) as a shrink whose assistant is smarter than him,"Sette Note In Nero" is worth seeing.Like this?Try these..."Eyes of Laura Mars" Irvin Kershner 1978 "Dead zone" David Cronenberg 1983.
Lucio Fulci does a pretty good job here bringing us a Giallo, but not one littered with crazy deaths or violent murders.
For a Fulci film has a lot less gore than his usual movie.
Believe it, or not - Aside from The Psychic's awful soundtrack music, the fake-looking blood, and the wooden performances by all - This 1977, Italian, Mystery/Thriller actually did have some promising potential, in the long run, to be something of a worthwhile view.But - The Psychic's one unforgivable flaw (that lost it some major points) had to do with the apparent "vision" that character, Virginia Dacci had in regards to her "psychically" witnessing a brutal, (and, of course) bloody murder.In this "vision" - Virginia sees everything (and, I do mean "Everything!") taking place in this murder with the most acute attention to detail that you could ever imagine possible.
But, of all the details revealed to her - There's one thing that Virginia's "vision" doesn't show her.Well - As I'm sure you can easily guess - The omission of this one detail was just an annoyingly cheap ploy by director, Lucio Fulci to keep the viewer wondering until this film's final climatic moment when (surprise!
Seven Notes in Black (1977) ** (out of 4) Italian giallo about a woman (Jennifer O'Neill) who sees a vision of a woman dying.
Although director Lucio Fulci had excelled in the early '70s with such marvelous gialli as "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" and "Don't Torture a Duckling," his 1977 offering, "The Psychic," is not really a giallo at all.
With a cleverly executed plot, Fulci & Co. bring all their great talents together to create one fairly suspenseful stew...especially as Virginia slowly begins to realize that her visions may not necessarily be of events already transpired.
Truly a masterpiece of giallo genre and one of the best Fulci movies!
It is truly sad that title is changed for international release :(From start to end, this little gem will force you to watch it with constant "brain work" about finding connections between visions and situations that happens around main characters.Hard Fulci fans would be disappointed because of very little gore scenes - but this movie doesn't need gore - it is "light" giallo with suspense, atmosphere and nice twists and turns and that's enough to see that Fulci can make something good even without buckets of blood.Highly recommended!.
The young Virginia is clairvoyant and almost 20 years later, she has a similar vision in which she witnesses a woman getting walled up in the house belonging to her husband.
With having been trying to find a Bollywood Giallo to introduce my friend to the fantastic sub-genre for a good while,I was thrilled when I found someone on the IMDb Horror board talking about a Bollywood Giallo remake called 100 Days.Reading up the plot outline for the "unofficial" remake,I was really surprised by the the plot,due to it sounding like a very Hitchcock inspired film,which seemed to be the complete opposite of Fulci being called "the Godfather of Gore".Due to now being very interested in seeing Fulci take on a Hitchcock style thriller,I decided to rush and get my hands on it,with a good feeling that I made be about to see something pretty special from Fulci..The plot:1959:As Virginia Ducci's mother commits suicide by jumping of a cliff in England,Virginia makes the painful discovery that she has a psychic ability,due to being able to "see" her mothers suicide, whilst staying at a school in Italy.Years later:Driving her car to a new mansion that her partner has recently brought,Ducci's "visions" come back with a vengeance,with Virginia seeing small glimpses of what looks to be a murder being done on an old woman.Arriving at the mansion (on her own),Ducci gets a strong sense that,although the interior of the building is vast,something seems to be trapped inside the walls.Breaking one of the walls down,Virginia discovers a skeleton which looks like its been there for a good number of years.After having gotten hold of the skeleton,the police become pretty uninterested in taking the investigation farther (which may be due to the superintendent of the police force,having had an affair with the deceased victim,shortly before she was reported "missing")Luckally for Virginia,her best friend/psychiatrist says that although he does have some doubts over the "accuratchy" of her visions,he is still extremely keen in getting to the bottom of the mystery of the skeleton girl,and Ducci's visions of a murder.Slowly,as the psychiatrist and Virgina start to find information about the skeleton girl,the psychiatrist begins to fear that Ducci may be putting her life in great danger,due to him beginning to suspect that her "visions" are not of a murder that has taken place in the past,but one that is going to take place in the near future...View on the film:Although Lucio Fulci is most famous for being a very gung-ho director,with some real eye-popping flair,here he astonishingly goes into the opposite direction.For the many,chilling scenes of Virginia being on her own in the disused mansion,Fulci stunningly uses the vast environment around Ducci to create a strong sense of Foreboding fear,that with all the emptiness around her,suggested that something (or someone) could pop out of nowhere at any moment.For the last 30 minutes of the film,Fulci and co-screenwriters Roberto Gianviti and Dardano Sacchetti turn the film into a (almost) dialogue –free blazing thrill-ride!,with Lucio delivering amazingly precise,stylised camera moves which could make even the Giallo genre's star director (Dario Argento) look on with envy,as Fulci delivers a classic Giallo with chilling atmosphere.Along with the mesmerising directing,and the brilliant supernatural-tinged Giallo screenplay,the film also includes some terrific performances,with lead actress Jennifer'O Neil doing really well at showing the increased pressure that Ducci puts herself under,as she begins to feel that her visions of murder are about to become true.For the last section of the film,O'Neil smartly avoids the character turning into a "Dumb Blonde",by having Virginia attempt to run away/fight back against the killer,which helps to give the film a tremendous edge of the seat rush to the finishing line.
Final view on the film:A gripping,atmospheric Giallo mystery/thriller,with a great tense screenplay,very good performances and absolutely stunning directing from Lucio Fulci..
In 1959 Virginia Ducci (Jennifer O'Neill) has a vision of her mother's suicide.
When Francesco is accused for the murder Virginia must find the proofs, for her husband's freedom, thought her vision.This is the plot of this terrific giallo of Lucio Fulci.
The plot is great showing a simple murder mystery story with suspense all of its 95 minutes.
The unexpected change in the plot is great just as the end.First the film is about one murder mystery with Virginia relating all to her vision but later her vision doesn't agree with the case and we realize that she saw the future.
The climax and the end are just excellent and it was because of the music that Virginia was saved or at least we like to imagine that.Conclusion: I love this film that was just a terrific introduction to Lucio Fulci.
Every single frame is important.I've seen a few Lucio Fulci films over the years, and this is one of his best-made. |
tt0037793 | House of Dracula | Count Dracula (Carradine) greets the castle's owner, Dr. Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens). The Count, who introduces himself as "Baron Latos", explains that he has come to Visaria to find a cure for his vampirism. Dr. Edelmann agrees to help. Together with his assistants, Milizia (Martha O'Driscoll) and the hunchbacked Nina (Poni Adams), he has been working on a mysterious plant, the clavaria formosa, whose spores have the ability to reshape bone. Edelmann explains that he thinks vampirism can be cured by a series of blood transfusions. Dracula agrees to this, and Edelmann uses his own blood for the transfusions.
That night, Lawrence Talbot (Chaney Jr.) arrives at the castle. He demands to see Dr. Edelmann about a cure for his lycanthropy. Talbot is asked to wait. Knowing that the moon is rising, Talbot has himself incarcerated by the police. A crowd of curious villagers gathers outside the police station, led by the suspicious Steinmuhl (Skelton Knaggs). Inspector Holtz (Lionel Atwill) asks Edelmann to see Talbot, and as the full moon rises, they both witness his transformation into the Wolfman. Edelmann and Milizia have him transferred to the castle the next morning. Edelmann tells him that he believes that Talbot's transformations are not triggered by the moonlight, but by pressure on the brain. He believes he can relieve the pressure, but Talbot must wait for him to gather more mold from his spores. Despondent by the thought of becoming the Wolfman again, Talbot says he wants to kill himself and jumps into the ocean. He ends up in a cave below the castle.
Edelmann searches for him and finds that Talbot survived the fall, but has turned into the Wolfman. The Wolfman attacks, but suddenly returns to his human form. In the cave, they find the catatonic Frankenstein monster (Strange), still clutching the skeleton of Dr. Niemann. Humidity in the cave is perfect for propagating the clavaria formosa, and a natural tunnel in the cave connects to a basement of the castle. Dr. Edelmann takes the monster back to his lab, but considers it too dangerous to revive him.
The Count tries to seduce Milizia and make her a vampire, but Milizia wards him off with a cross. Edelmann interrupts to explain that he has found strange antibodies in the Count's blood, requiring another transfusion. Nina begins shadowing Milizia, who is weakened by Dracula's presence; Nina notices that the Count casts no reflection in a mirror. She warns Edelmann of the vampire's danger to Milizia. Edelmann prepares a transfusion that will destroy the vampire. During the procedure, Dracula uses his hypnotic powers to put Edelmann and Nina to sleep; he then reverses the flow of the transfusion, sending his own blood into the Doctor's veins. When they awake, Dracula is carrying Milizia away. They revive Talbot and force Dracula away with a cross. Dracula returns to his coffin as the sun is beginning to rise. Edelmann follows him and drags the open coffin into the sunlight, destroying Dracula.
Edelmann begins to react to Dracula's blood, and becomes evil. He no longer casts a reflection in a mirror. Falling unconscious, he sees strange visions of himself performing unspeakable acts. When he awakens, his face has changed to reflect his evil nature just like in his vision, then he returns to his normal self.
Edelmann performs the operation on Talbot. Afterwards, he transforms again into his evil self and brutally murders his gardener. When the townspeople discover the body, they chase Edelmann, believing him to be Talbot. They follow him to the castle, where Holtz and Steinmuhl interrogate Talbot and Edelmann. Steinmuhl is convinced that Edelmann is the murderer, and assembles a mob to execute him.
Talbot is cured by the operation, but Edelmann again turns into his evil self. He revives the Frankenstein monster, but the monster is very weak. Nina is horrified by Edelmann's transformation, and Edelmann breaks her neck and tosses her body into the cave. Holtz and Steinmuhl lead the townspeople to the castle. The police attack the Frankenstein monster, but the monster subdues them. Edelmann kills Holtz by accidental electrocution. Talbot shoots Edelmann dead. Talbot traps the Frankenstein monster under fallen shelving. A fire breaks out, and the townspeople flee the burning castle. The burning roof collapses on the Frankenstein monster. | gothic, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | House of Dracula is another of the series of all-star monster extravaganzas produced by Universal in the 40s.This one deals with The Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.) and Dracula (John Carradine) coming to scientist Onslow Stevens for a cure for what ails them.
At least "Frankenstein" was a fresh idea at the time, while "Dracula" repeats the old formula again and reveals that our favorite cherished monsters had reached their limitations.Dracula (John Carradine) arrives at the home of the kindly Dr. Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) to seek a cure from his vampirism.
Throw in a pretty "hunchback" nurse and you've got what the ads curiously touted as "FIVE Monsters!" What "House of Dracula" has going for it is more of that vintage Universal atmosphere and soothing music soundtrack, and a superb dual performance from Onslow Stevens as the scientist.
John Carradine turns in another fine rendition of his suave Count Dracula, but Lon Chaney's werewolf is pretty much by the books at this point, although the end of the movie contains an interesting little twist for a change.
Overall, this film won't do much for anyone that isn't a fan of Universal horror; but as silly monster movies go, House of Dracula is worth seeing..
Stevens is very enjoyable as Edelman; the plot moves fast; a certain character gets his first happy ending; and it's fun to imagine that the real reason Frankenstein's monster is angry is that he sees the movie is almost over and he hasn't even done anything yet..
The story is simple: Dracula and Wolf Man Lawrence Talbot are both seeking cures for their supernatural states from Dr. Edelman but the way it plays out is far from being simple because there are quite a few problems with curing both creatures.This wonderful film has three of the most iconic Universal Monsters: Dracula, Wolf Man and Frankenstein's Monster.
Carradine played Dracula quite well (imo), Chaney Jr. is great as Talbot/Wolf Man as usual and Strange makes a great Monster although his part is way to small.
Stevens portrayed the "Mad" Scientist turned Vampire so perfectly well.Someone said the only thing wrong with this film was that The Monster was not in it long enough and I do agree with that and is the only reason I'm not rating this movie a perfect 10 (but almost).Watch the House of Frankenstein first then follow up with House of Dracula to see them in order.
In fact, Dracula (John Carradine) does little but lust after the female assistant of the 'celebrated' doctor (Onslow Stevens) who's supposed to cure his vampirism; though Lon Chaney Jr., returning as The Wolf Man, changes a couple of times in the film, nothing ever comes of these - but, for once, we do get a happy ending for him here; the Frankenstein Monster (Glenn Strange) doesn't appear until half the film is over and, till the very last sequence, is strapped to an operating table (still, his final rampage and come-uppance, though partly lifted from THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN [1942], is effective enough).The film, however, belongs to Onslow Stevens who manages both facets of the doctor's personality - the intellectual, rather cold scientist who finds logic even in the supernatural and, when infected with Dracula's blood, the prowling Hyde-like menace who re-activates the Frankenstein monster (whom he just happens to come across in a cave, by the way) for his sinister purposes...but these, needless to say, are thwarted by the nth stomping of the castle grounds by the angry villagers, led by a dignified Lionel Atwill and zombie-like Skelton Knaggs!
This movies marks the final appearance for the famous classic horror characters; Dracula, The Frankenstein creature and The Wolf Man. Well yes, of course those characters would later appear in many other horror movies over the years, in many different forms and ways but this was the last official Universal Pictures horror movie with those classic monsters.
Basically the only well known actors from the good old days in this movie are Lon Chaney Jr. and Lionel Atwill.John Carradine once again reprises his role as Dracula and he is surprisingly better than he was in "House of Frankenstein".
Lon Chaney Jr. perhaps plays his best Wolf Man role in this movie and his character gets the most satisfying ending of all the monster characters (Whether he dies or not, or gets cured finally am I not going to spoil for you.).
Eventually the good doctor also wants to help his hunchbacked nurse-assistant (Jane Adams), the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney), and Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange).
While it's never on the level of the originals, "House of Dracula" recovers that charm that Universal Studios horror films used to have, and Kenton makes sure that at least for a last time the monsters receive a chance to shine.The cast is very good this time, with Carradine, Chaney and Strange reprising their roles (although Strange's role is considerably smaller) with more enthusiasm than in the previous film.
A small cameo by Lionel Atwill and the presence of Skelton Knaggs as the creepy Steinmuhl complete one of the better cast Universal horror films has had in years."House of Dracula" is a nice addition to the series, specially after the mediocre "House of Frankenstein".
In one of the many times when all three major monsters meet, "House of Dracula" has the count (John Carradine) arriving at Dr. Edelman's (Onslow Stevens) house to request the doctor's help in getting rid of the vampire curse.
This time round a kindly doctor played by Onslow Stevens agrees to help not only Dracula with blood transfusions and the like but also Larry Talbot, played again by Lon Chaney.
This creepy sequel to 'House of Frankenstein', has a doctor (Onslow Stevens) trying to revive the monsters (Glenn Strange and Lon Chaney, Jr.) after becoming infected with the blood of Dracula.
The last of the sequels,not counting Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein which was more or less a spoof.this time count Dracula (John Carridine)takes center stage seeking a cure for his vampirism from a kindly doc(Onslow Stevens).well good ole Larry Talbot(Lon Chaney Jr)shows up also seeking a cure.the good doc succeeds in curing Larry's werewolfism,but Dracula tricks the doc and ends up contaminating his blood and makes the good doc a crazed lunatic.oh and all this time big Franky(Glenn strange)lies on a table awaiting his electricity fix so he can wreak some havoc.this was kind of a short movie,around 70 minutes and some change,but the action is there,and the great actors are there as well.Lionel atwill turns up as a police inspector,heres some trivia,Lionel atwill appeared in son of Frankenstein,ghost of Frankenstein,Frankenstein meets the wolf-man,and house of Frankenstein.
But in spite of the title that would indicate a Dracula thriller, the house in question happens to be the residence of a scientist named Edelmann.In the previous horror fest, Count Dracula (John Carradine) meets his doom after facing the rising sun; Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) is shot and killed by a silver bullet; and the Monster (Glenn Strange), who carries the wounded mad scientist, Doctor Niemann (Boris Karloff), each come to their ends when pursued by torch-wielding villagers, forced into the forest and walking into and sinking slowly beneath a pool of quicksand.
After destroying Dracula by opening his casket during the sunrise, Edelmann, who had earlier received contaminated blood transformation from Dracula, gradually becomes insane in the manner of Jekyll and Hyde, committing a series of murders by night, and being his simple self by day.Unlike the horror thrillers made by Universal in the 1930s, HOUSE OF Dracula plays more like a kiddie matinée, this being the least of the combined monster cycle that began with FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943).
Besides the actors and special effects, HOUSE OF Dracula includes many dark scenes to give this particularly segment a "film noir" feel.While "House of Dracula" was reportedly supposed to have ended the Universal monster horror cycle, Drac, Wolfie and Franky returned for one more encore in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948).HOUSE OF Dracula, which runs at 67 minutes, is available for viewing on video cassette.
Sort of a Betty Ford Clinic for the classic Universal monsters, notably in the case of Larry Talbot, who finally gets cured by the mad doctor of the piece, Dr.Edelman (Onslow Stevens).
Count Dracula (John Carradine) and the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr) seek a cure for their afflictions; meanwhile, a hunchbacked woman (Jane Adams), a mad scientist and Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) have their own troubles.Somebody at Universal thought it would be a good idea to combine Dracula, the Wolfman, Frankenstein's monster, a hunchback and basically a knockoff of Jekyll and Hyde.
House of Dracula was made towards the end of Universal's horror cycle of the 1940's and I've seen this a couple of times.A mad Doctor, Edelman is breeding plants for a serum that cures people.
Talbot, now cured and one of Edelman's female assistants are safe though.Like a lot of movies of its kind, we have a hunchback assistant and thunderstorm to keep it moving.The cast includes Universal horror regulars Lon Chaney Jr (The Wolf Man), John Carradine (House of Frankenstein) and Glenn Strange as Frankenstein's monster.
Plot basically involves Dracula (Carradine) & Larry Talbot/Wolf Man (Chaney Jr) turning up at Dr. Edelmann's (Stevens) mansion seeking a cure for their respective creature afflictions.
Finding a convincing way to team up Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and the Wolfman can't be an easy task, which is probably why the plot for House of Dracula is so completely preposterous.In this, the creatures' second Universal Studio outing together (after 1944's House of Frankenstein), Dracula (John Carradine) and lycanthrope Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) arrive at the castle of Dr. Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens), both apparently seeking a cure for their respective afflictions.Dracula, however, isn't being entirely truthful with the good doctor (now there's a surprise): he is intending to seduce Edelmann's loyal assistant Miliza (Martha O'Driscoll) and make her his immortal bride.Fortunately, the evil Count is destroyed by Edelmann, but not before the doctor is infected with the blood of the vampire, which turns the poor guy into a Jekyll & Hyde type character who is torn between good and evil: when he is not trying to cure Talbot and help his pretty hunchback nurse Nina (Jane Adams), he is committing far more nefarious acts, such as killing innocent villagers and attempting to revive Frankenstein's monster, whose body he has discovered in the network of caves beneath his castle.Eventually, Edelmann is pursued by an angry torch wielding mob to his castle, where Frankenstein's monster goes on the rampage, killing Nina (Jane Adams) and causing the castle to go up in flames.Despite the occasional spot of inspired direction from Erle C.
This round has regular Lon Chaney,Jr. as the Wolf Man, at his usual best, Glenn Strange (boy, that dude was big) as Frankenstein's Monster, but for a change of heart there's Onslow Stevens as the mad scientist and my all-time favorite John Carradine as Count Dracula.
Kenton returns to direct this final entry in the "Frankenstein" & "Wolf Man" sagas(not counting the farcical "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein") Here, through an unfortunate case of lazy & indifferent writing, both Dracula(again played by John Carradine) & The Wolf Man(played by Lon Chaney Jr.) are alive again without explanation, seeking the aid of Dr. Edelmann(played by Onslow Stevens) to finally cure them of their maladies, though Dracula is insincere, and will once again be destroyed by sunlight.
Sadly, Dracula poisons the good doctor with his blood, causing him to become a killer, forcing a most tragic end for him and his hunchbacked assistant Nina(played by Jane Adams).Poorly written and paced film is a most disappointing end to the series, though it was nice to see Larry Talbot finally cured, the lack of explanations here is annoying, and the plot incredibly contrived and coincidence driven, leading to a rushed and abrupt ending.
"Universal" studios could have made a better film in which to finish their stable of monster characters."House of Dracula" is a disappointment in many ways: Onslow Stevens acting a bit on the hammy side when he becomes a mad scientist (he is better when playing his character in a more benevolent manner), Glenn Strange has nothing to do other than destroy the laboratory, it's rather obvious that footage is used from previous horror films by the studios, Lionel Atwill shouldn't have bothered appearing in this film as he is clearly rather ill during filming (he died only months later), Lon Chaney Jnr should have had more screen time as the Wolf Man and the reduction in budget is there for all to see.John Carradine makes another effective appearance as Count Dracula though and he wisely has a fair amount of screen time.It's a bit disappointing that this film marks the last time we see the old Eastern European village set on the backlot..
"House of Dracula", while not quite a classic, still delivers a good show that is good fun for any fan of the Universal chillers of the 1930s and 1940s.The film begins as Count Dracula (John Carradine), calling himself Baron Latos, arrives at the home of eminent physician Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens), seeking to be cured of his vampirism.
Chaney is as sympathetic as he's ever been, Carradine is wonderfully smooth and sinister as a dapper Count Dracula, Lionel Atwill is great as the local police inspector, the distinctively featured Skelton Knaggs is delicious as an angry citizen, and the beautiful Jane Adams is just luminous as Edelmanns' other nurse - a lady who happens to be a hunchback."House of Dracula" isn't as atmospheric or spooky as the best of the Universal product from this time, and it's resolved rather quickly and gives the Frankenstein monster almost nothing to do.
The shamelessly hammy John Carradine reprises his role as Dracula, the ever-self-pitying Lon Chaney Jr. stars as Lawrence Talbot, and Glenn Strange moves about in yet another robotic performance as the Frankenstein Monster.
(Also, there's flashback footage of that character as previously played by Boris Karloff and Chaney himself so that may confuse some viewers who can tell the difference!) There is also some fine support by Onslow Stevens as the good doctor, Martha O'Driscoll as one of the nurses who Drac takes a fancy to before she also gets involved with The Wolf Man's alter ego Lawrence Talbot, and Jane Adams as the hunchbacked nurse though it may take a while to notice that since she's so gorgeous!
This Finale to the Highly Popular and Entertaining Universal Monster Series is an Underrated and Creepy Spook Show that has Moments of Horror and Terror and takes Itself, Surprisingly, very Serious Indeed.The Usual Suspects are Gathered in Dr. Edelmann's (Onslow Stevens) "Cure-All" Castle as Dracula (John Carradine) enters the Doctor's House and makes it His Own. Coffin in Tow (with the essential layer of home turf) the Count Politely asks for a Cure.Things Quickly become less Polite and more Terrifying as the Movie Progresses.
This is another Universal fun filled fright fest.Many people want to compare it to House Of Frankenstein.Even though it has similar cast and the same director it can stand on its own.(It does appear that Erle C Kenton directed most of the Universal horror films of the 40's).The plot recap:Baron Latos appears at the home of Dr Eidlemann seeking a "cure" for his vampires.Larry Talbot (who somehow survived House OF Frankenstein) also shows up at the good doctors door seeking a cure for his affliction.After a failed suicide attempt Talbot and the doctor find the Frankenstein monster.
This is another Universal fun filled fright fest.Many people want to compare it to House Of Frankenstein.Even though it has similar cast and the same director it can stand on its own.(It does appear that Erle C Kenton directed most of the Universal horror films of the 40's).The plot recap:Baron Latos appears at the home of Dr Eidlemann seeking a "cure" for his vampires.Larry Talbot (who somehow survived House OF Frankenstein) also shows up at the good doctors door seeking a cure for his affliction.After a failed suicide attempt Talbot and the doctor find the Frankenstein monster.
This is a very underrated performance.Chaney brings even more life to the Wolf Man in his 4th appearance in that role.The monster isn't given much to do this time.Just lay on the table until the end(some stock footage from the Ghost Of Frankenstein is used).At least in House Of Frankenstein he was up and around a bit.Yes this does stick to the basic Universal pattern complete with the angry village mob running amok with torches.But it isn't a bad way to spend an hour and ten minutes.It gets a low 8..
This is a very underrated performance.Chaney brings even more life to the Wolf Man in his 4th appearance in that role.The monster isn't given much to do this time.Just lay on the table until the end(some stock footage from the Ghost Of Frankenstein is used).At least in House Of Frankenstein he was up and around a bit.Yes this does stick to the basic Universal pattern complete with the angry village mob running amok with torches.But it isn't a bad way to spend an hour and ten minutes.It gets a low 8..
House of Dracula (1945) ** (out of 4) Dracula (John Carradine) and the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.) want to be cured but Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) wants life.
Chaney, Carrradine and Strange returned for their respected reprisals of the Wolf Man, Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster and were shoved in the background in favor of Onslow Steven's (excellent) portrayal of Dr Edelmann's 'Jekyll/Hyde type' character.
Not counting the Abbot and Costello abuses of them, of course.Here we have once again, John Carradine playing Dracula (no explanation of how he got better from being skeletonized in "House of Frankenstein") and Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man (again, he got killed by a silver bullet then, but is much better now.) They all meet in the house of Dr. Adelman, who apparently thinks there is no monster he can't cure from his affliction.
Lon Chaney Jr, John Carradine and Glenn Strange all reprise their roles as the Wolf Man, Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster respectively. |
tt0779982 | Black Sheep | On a farm in New Zealand three young boys, brothers Angus (Eli Kent) and Henry (Nick Fenton) Oldfield and Tucker (Sam Clarke) are rounding up sheep. Angus, who wears a leg brace and walks with a limp, kills Henry's pet sheep Dudley and terrifies him by dressing up in the dead sheep's carcass. This torture is interrupted by the housekeeper, Mrs Mac (Glenis Levestam), telling them that their father has died in an accident.Many years later an adult Henry (Nathan Meister) takes a taxi to the farm. His traumatic experience has left him with a terrible fear of sheep.Meanwhile two animal rights activists, Grant (Oliver Driver) and a young woman called Experience (Danielle Mason), sneak into the farm to take photos of a research laboratory. Grant impulsively steals a container of waste and runs off. Grant trips and breaks the container. A small but feisty sheep foetus emerges and bites him, then crawls off and bites an adult sheep.Angus (Peter Feeney), now a gentleman farmer, rehearses for the presentation of his new sheep breed, The Oldfield. He meets Henry, and gives him a cheque for two million dollars to buy him out of his farm. Henry is about to leave but Mrs. Mac insists he take a run up to the top of the farm with Tucker (Tammy Davis), to help him get closure over his father's death.Henry and Tucker drive up the hill but their way is blocked by a sheep with a bite on its nose. They get out to deal with the sheep. Experience sneaks up and grabs the rifle from the truck, demanding to know where Grant is. Meanwhile in the woods vegetarian Grant has developed a sudden appetite for meat and rips the throat out of a fluffy grey bunny.A farm worker is cooking up a feed in his shed and reading "A History of New Zealand", but is interrupted by a noise outside. When he goes out to investigate he is killed (offscreen).Tucker easily disarms Experience. He and Henry give her a ride in the truck. They see smoke coming from the farm worker's shed. Going to investigate they are confronted by a killer sheep. They lock the door but the sheep tries to break in. Henry's sheep phobia kicks in big-time. Experience tells them the sheep have been affected by Angus' genetic engineering program. The sheep headbutts through the wooden door and Tucker kills it with a couple of head-shots from his rifle.Henry, Tucker and Experience try to escape in the truck, but a sheep jumps into the cab and attacks Tucker, biting through his gumboot. He jumps into the back of the truck, leaving the sheep at the wheel. The trio jump off the back as the truck goes over the cliff and ends up shattered on a beach below. It is revealed that this is where Henry's father fell to his death. They decide to make a run for the car back at the farmhouse, but have a long way to travel.At the research lab the killer sheep attack and kill the lab assistants. Grant, obviously suffering from the sheep-foetus bite, is wandering the hills, and encounters Angus who is driving up to the research lab. A confrontation over Angus' animal research ends with Grant biting Angus on the hand and running off.As Henry, Experience and Tucker walk down the hill Tucker takes off his gumboot and discovers that his sheep-bitten foot has turned into a sheep's hoof. A large pack of sheep attacks them and they take shelter in the research lab. Inside the lab they find an opened-up sheep, still alive, suspended from the ceiling. They are confronted by the head scientist Dr. Rush (Tandi Wright), her assistant, and Angus. Tucker holds Angus at gunpoint but Dr Rush blindsides him by injecting him with a paralysing drug.Henry and Experience run out of the building and try to escape the herd of killer sheep by entering a fenced-off area around an offal pit. Angus follows them and expresses his scorn at Henry's fear of sheep. The sheep do not attack Angus. A sheep startles Henry and he falls into the offal pit, dragging Experience with him. Fortunately she has an aromatherapy candle with her for light, and they make their way through a system of caves that leads back to the woolshed.Back at the lab Angus talks soothingly to his prize sheep. Grant's bite on his hand looks rather infected. Angus' assistants have been torn apart and are being eaten by the killer sheep. Inside the lab Dr. Rush sees Tucker's sheep-foot and enthuses about the spontaneous cellular transferral. Angus tells her to stay in the lab while he presents his new sheep to the public. Dr. Rush resentfully implies that Angus' interest in the sheep has been rather personal.Down in the caves a killer sheep is heard chasing Henry and Experience down the tunnel. Henry uses Experience's own chakra meditation techniques to calm her down. They manage to climb out of the cave, with a sheep biting at Henry's foot. They set fire to the sheep with the candle. It burns rather well.Down at the farmhouse Angus is trying to keep it together but is emitting spontaneous Baas.Henry and Experience emerge from the cave near the woolshed. They hear someone shearing inside. It turns out to be Grant who has transformed into a seven foot tall Weresheep and is trying to shear himself. The weresheep is remarkably strong, flinging Henry across the room with one blow. Henry tries to cut its throat with a shearing comb but fails. They flee using the woolshed gates to slow the weresheep down. Experience scolds weresheep-Grant for eating meat ("Was it even organic?") and he looks guilty for a moment but resumes his attack.In the lab Dr. Rush plans to use the amniotic fluid from an artificial sheep-womb as a vaccine to transform Tucker's sheep-foot back into human form. Before she has a chance to inject him he starts to undergo a violent
transformation into a were-sheep. The vaccine restores him almost instantly to human form. Dr. Rush takes off to give Angus a shot of the vaccine, leaving Tucker tied to a bench. Outside the lab Dr. Rush is attacked by sheep, flees through the trees but is caught and killed by one.Angus is presenting his new sheep breed to an audience of international investors, but he is losing his composure as the sheep genes take over. When he uncrates "The Oldfield" sheep, it calls out to all the other sheep on the farm. A rumbling is heard as masses of sheep head straight for the gathering. The sheep start ripping out the throats, lips, and guts of the crowd. They leave Angus alone though and he realises that his bitten hand has turned into a hoof.Mrs Mac turns up in her Morris 1300 and rescues Henry and Experience. They go into the house to try to phone for help but Weresheep-Grant find them and attacks. They distract him with Mrs Mac's haggis while Henry fetches
a shotgun, but the weresheep overpowers him. Hippie girl paralyses the weresheep with a needle in an acupuncture point.Night falls and the sheep surround the house.Henry finds Angus upstairs, who appears to have been having sex with his favorite sheep. Henry says "that's a pretty f**ked up idea of animal husbandry". Angus reveals that the sheep were genetically engineered using the Oldfield family DNA.The sheep break into the house. Henry takes his father's Golden Shears Award statuette and exits. Outside everyone bitten by the sheep is turning into a weresheep.Angus walks unharmed through the sheep to the barn to escape on his plane. Henry realises he has been bitten by Grant. Henry says goodbye to Experience with a kiss. He dresses up in a sheepskin and crawls through the mob, but an amorous sheep blows his cover. However the sheep do not attack him, because he has been infected.Mrs Mac and Experience escape in the car with Experience blowing away a few weresheep with headshots from the shotgun.Angus, intending to escape in his biplane, starts the plane's engine but then begins the weresheep transformation before he can board. Henry finds him in his transformed state. Angus attacks him. Henry stabs him with the Golden Shears. It appears Angus is dying, but then he transforms into a full weresheep and resumes his attack. Meanwhile the biplane has started moving around the field. Henry discovers that weresheep can be controlled by a sheepdog, and holds Angus in position so that the biplane's propeller can slice and dice him. This does not quite kill Angus, but then Tucker shows up with the sheep amniotic fluid vaccine in a drenching gun and cures both Henry and Angus.They use sheepdogs to round up the killer sheep and weresheep, but they do not have enough amniotic drench to deal with them all. Angus, now in maimed human form, offers himself up to the assembled sheep, who tear him apart. The sheep are farting copiously and Henry realises the inflammable methane can be used to blow up the entire mob of sheep, and throws a lighter at them. Big sheepy explosion.Epilogue: Henry and Tucker drench the final weresheep. It turns out to be Grant, who is mortified that he's eaten a rabbit. Mrs Mac turns up with a snack of mountain oysters (sheep's testicles). Experience eats one thinking it to be seafood and much hilarity ensues. Up on the hillside a sheepdog, surveying the scene, suddenly lets out a "baaa". Credits. | cult, comedy, murder, violence | train | imdb | Written and directed by Jonathan King (who is also writing the Raintree produced movie The Tattooist), Black Sheep takes the well-established genre of zombie movies, and with its fusion of local flavour, presents its own worthy take in giving us the attack of the killer sheep.Meh!It's a crazy idea, but heck, I admit it was sheer wicked and twisted fun watching the usually docile (and may I say dumb?) animals turn the tables on us humans, and start going on a berserk rampage to munch on our flesh.
The film fast forwards to the adult brothers, where the latter is planning to unveil his new "perfect" Oldfield sheep, and selling off the farm - why need the space when you can genetically engineer them?Before you say, oh this is yet another movie which warns about the dangers and questions the ethics behind tinkering with genetics, you would probably think again when it made the environmental activists folks look like social outcasts, and totally bumbling, indirectly contributing to the zombie sheep phenomenon.
And I'd bet you'll never look at another sheep, especially the baby ones, in the same light again, ha!The plot's fairly straightforward to follow, with its villains (the scientists and of course, the raging sheep) and its heroes clearly spelt out - Henry, his farm hand Tucker (Tammy Davis), housekeeper Mrs Mac (Glenis Levestam), and an activist with an interest in Asian fengshui and zen sayings, called, check this out - Experience (Danielle Mason), who together actually form quite a lovable team whom you'll root for to get out of this mess.With the animatronics and special effects done by Weta Workshop, you can expect some top notch gore, though I thought that despite it being a zombie flick, it lacked copious amounts of blood splatter.
Transformational scenes were also fun yet eerie to watch, and if you think you've seen the best of these scenes from various werewolf movies, wait till you get a load from this one!Black Sheep makes no apology to its violence, sexual innuendoes or toilet humour.
The characters and issues related so well that even the Aussies couldn't claim it as their own- well, except maybe the sheep shagging jokes.It certainly doesn't take long to adjust to hearing Kiwi accents on the big screen and start relishing in the subtle humour, grotesque effects and brilliant performances by some underrated New Zealand talent.King's first feature film has taken the zombie flick back to grass roots level.
"Black Sheep" has that same kooky, OTT vibe of the mad scientist/monster flicks of the Fifties and Sixties with a more post-modern sensibility, much in the same affectionately twisted tone adapted by similar movies like "Tremors", "Feast", "Slither", the often-mentioned "Shaun of the Dead", and the film that this will be most compared to (and rightly so) - "Dead-Alive", the splat-tastic horror/comedy opus created by fellow Kiwi filmmaker gone "big time", Peter Jackson.
And all quarters deliver fabulously, resulting in a great, loopy time at the movies that will have you giggling, gasping or gagging, sometimes all three simultaneously.With the right frame of mind, I think that most horror fans or just casual viewers who like the occasional off-beat entertainment should find something to like here.
Packed full of clichés and homage's to other films, look out for the 'American Werewolf in London' take off, it is at times quite funny but ultimately the story is nothing new and only just manages to hold your interest between sheep attacks.
It is not really for intellectual heavyweights, but if you want to be entertained for an hour and a half, then this is definitely one to watch.It certainly stereotypes New Zealanders in a way I bet will annoy them no end, but it probably points to the maturity of their nation that they can get away with sheep-sex jokes without it causing too much angst.There were some great one-liners, and the special effects were quite sophisticated too.
Black Sheep is the sort of film that will appeal to fans of Pete Jackson's and Sam Raimi's early horror comedies - especially Braindead and Bad Taste (Jackson) and the Evil Dead series (Raimi).
Since the film consistently parodies low-brow, low-budget horror films, the film-makers were able to very nicely exploit the gimmickry of these films without losing any artistry or credibility along the way.Black Sheep is the story of two brothers from a New Zealand sheep farming family.
And when it came to the merciless slaughtering of humans, this vicious beast would be the one who couldn't be stopped so easily - No - Not like to others.And besides all of that - I don't care one bit if the creature is literally gnashing its teeth and foaming at the mouth like a lunatic - Dull, innocuous barnyard animals (such as sheep) make for the lamest, most unconvincing movie-monsters imaginable.Set in the beautiful New Zealand countryside - Black Sheep's story deals directly with what happens when genetically altered sheep develop a rabid thirst for human blood and go on a murderous rampage, attacking one and all with a vicious frenzy.Yes. Black Sheep was horrific and gruesome.
I love this movie, something so out of the blue & something you never thought you see, Killer Sheep's.When I first saw the trailer, I thought it was kind of silly and a fan made trailer, from you tube but at thd same, it look like it could be a lot of fun to watch, I knew I was going to like it anyway, but when I saw it I bloody loved it.Meanwhile two animal rights activists, Grant and Experience sneak into the farm to take photos of a the laboratory.
that how it all stated.Anyone who get bitten by the sheep, will turn into some kinda of Sheep zombie.Jonathan King did great job on this, everything was great in this movie, it had some great jokes, it had some really good funny ( and gory at the same time) scenes.this movie is awesome, 10/10.
Obviously connections between Jonathan King's horror-comedy BLACK SHEEP, a ridiculous little film about genetically-engineered sheep that bleat to a murderous rampage, and the early works of Peter Jackson can easily be made.
Nathan Meister's fear of sheep is a little too forced and the obligatory romance between his character, Henry, and that of Danielle Mason's lacks any sort of chemistry, genetically-engineered or not.What was missing from the film is the element of pure sarcasm; an event where the actors can almost get away with winking to the audience in shared knowledge.
I have had hoped that New Zealand film was reaching some kind of maturity, but this was like stepping back 15 years only with a little more budget (I said a little) from the film commission to spend on guts.With a mixture of clichéd and very weak jokes, unconvincing characters, and dialog that was tiresome at best, we are left with a horror comedy, with little horror (blood by itself is not very scary) and less comedy.The score however is quite good, though a little Danny Elfman, and hopefully can be re used for a dark drama.A classic example of a film receiving government funding because its viewed as culturally "New Zealand", its basically a New Zealand version of a much over used formula, not done particularly well..
Black Sheep, written and directed by Jonathan King is a wonderfully kooky horror comedy filmed out of New Zealand.
This is now already the fourth part of my little review series: Movies that are way better than you expect."Black sheep" is a very funny and extremely entertaining horror parody that comes from New Zealand.
I must admit that I haven't laughed watching a movie a long time ago and this movie must be one of the most hilarious ones I have ever seen.Take the most innocent animal on earth which is a sheep and make a monster out of it that transforms egoist, capitalist and ignorant managers, scientists or farmers into were-sheep that begin to act and talk in a weird manner.
You will be entertained every single moment and live a movie that sticks to the roots of great horror flicks and its parodies but that still offers many original ideas in a unique context coming from an exotic country.As I have never seen a better horror parody, I give a quite high rating for it even if there is a lot of easy toilet humour, some excessive gore passages and a many stereotypical characters in it.
Here I can picture a scenario where a couple of dudes said "Hey lets make a movie about killer sheep" and after having cracked up laughing for a couple of minutes someone said "No, really." and came up with a script about 15 minutes later....And here we have it, Black Sheep: The movie, a one gag film that falls flat pretty early on and then just relies on the FX of Weta Workshop to carry it the rest of the way.
Black Sheep knows that there is little-to-no point in creating rehashes of films such as Alien or The Thing here and now in the early years of the 21st Century; instead, it does something very creative and very appealing with the premise of bloodthirsty beasties roaming around a locale picking off its inhabitants, that is to say, takes it down a route of very funny and very effective comedy about killer sheep on a New Zealand located farm.
He practises in front of rows of empty chairs where the forthcoming visitors are to sit, and while the composition of many-an empty chair carries with it a sense of foreboding, it is here we put two and two together regarding the premise before realising with a devilish laugh that sheep-fodder is up and on it's way.Angus' dabbling in "agricultural sciences" will eventually come to see all manner of nastiness break out, writer/director King pushing the boat out and experimenting with all sorts of black comedy and hellish laughs; symptomatically inserting all manner of humour, creativity, energy and pulse into a premise long since worn into the ground by films that are merely homage posing as something much more than a technical exercise.
Here, the activists unwittingly release a lamb embryo loose amidst the grounds; King allowing the audience to teasingly hear the results of what happens when one of these fully grown things gets close to a human without actually showing us what happens.It isn't long before Angus and his team of cold, mechanical and somewhat uncanny looking team of barn-dwelling scientists each end up endangering the lives of everybody on the grounds; Experience and our lead Henry coming to form the core pairing as he attempts to deal with his morbid fear; she attempts to deal with the situation of volatile animals trying to harm her and both of them having to deal with each other as best-of-initial-enemies.
This woolly New Zealand splatter comedy hasn't got quite the same wit and originality as Jackson's Braindead, but in itself, it's a fun ride, no matter whether you love sheep or detest them.The director finds the right balance between spoofing the genre and taking it seriously, which results in scenes being both mordantly funny and comically repulsive at the same time.The plot's mere window-dressing to present one hilarious sheep incident after another.
Lots of beautiful New Zealand scenery is featured here, and I didn't recognize any of the cast, but was still pleased with their performances.This movie was released not long after "Snakes on a Plane", and it seems both films are campy ones, with deliberately hokey special effects, and are not meant to be taken seriously.
Even my first viewing of "Black Sheep" was better than that one viewing of the venomous snake movie, and like I said, my second viewing of this film showed an improvement after the first.
Just last night,I finally managed to watch this movie on Cinemax,since I've never gotten a chance to see it before.I was very pleased with the outcome of the movie.It had plenty of humor,great gore effects,and zombie sheep.This movie kinda reminds me of 'Shaun of the Dead' because of the fact that there's more humor and gore than horror.I'm fine with that.If I knew anyone in the cast,I would mention their names,but I don't.But that doesn't change the fact that everyone in this movie did an excellent job when it comes to defending yourself from zombie sheep.So prepare yourself for this ultra gory and funny movie that just can't be missed..
Now these sheep's are hungry for blood and Henry along with an animal activist (Danielle Mason) & Henry's buddy (Tammy Davis) has no choice to stop them.Written and Directed by Jonathan King made an genuinely twisted black comedy/horror/ fantasy with plenty of laughs and some wildly imaginative ideas.
"Black Sheep" is certainly a lot of fun to watch that recalls some of Peter Jackson's earlier movies.
You get this "were-sheep" (if that even exists) picture which is actually lots of fun.I laughed all the 85 minutes this movie goes on, and really had a good time.
Obviously, this movie is not to be taken too seriously, and it manages to remind you that all the time; it is packed with a lot of crude jokes about ambientalism, farming, vegetarianism, New Age and, of course, sheep!
Hey everyone, i've seen some parts of the film and i must say it looks brilliant, although i didn't see it at all yet, i somehow amuses me in a way, KILLER SHEEP for a concept in a movie now that is rich and a class idea, but the best bit is the sheep transformation in the movie, it was like the 80's type tf's no cgi and all done in costume, but i recently saw this scene on youtube and i had faved it.But what could happen is another one Black Sheep 2, with the virus spreading to another country in the world and people try to survive until the aid comes to stop it, featuring more weresheep, some fights with humans, and also add in a person who is infected but controls himself in the transformation process through out the movie.But top notch film, and great job for it.
At the same time, two environmental activists sneak onto the farm, to discover what Angus is up to with the sheep, only for one of them to be bitten by a mutated lamb.....This horror/comedy is from New Zealand, and is similar to the early work of another Kiwi, Peter Jackson.
Black Sheep was like a bad 1980's Gore movie.
The odd funny killer sheep wrestling moments early on subside to a 'horror by numbers' movie full of late 1970's special effects.
There is just something very odd and uniquely distinctive to the movie, and that is what makes it work out so nicely.Sort of think "Shaun of the Dead" meets a New Zealand sheep farm, then basically you have the outlay for "Black Sheep".
Plus the characters in the movie are nicely fleshed out as well.This horror-comedy is a definite must watch for fans of the genre.You will never look at a sheep in the same way again after having seen this movie....
I had high hopes for this Kiwi comedy/horror: the website was fun, early feedback was promising, and the fact that Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop was providing the film's effects meant that I could expect something that would at least be visually impressive.Unfortunately, visually impressive is all that the film was.Director Jonathan King's tale of genetic tampering gone wrong takes a promisingly silly premisesavage sheepbut fails to make the most of it; the film's central gagthat a creature as docile as a sheep can become a man-eating monsterquickly becomes tiresome, and any other attempts at humour generally fall flat, leaving the film only memorable for its rather juicy gore (the woolly terrors gut, dismember and chow down on many a poor victim).Once the basic story has been set-up, King's movie wanders aimlessly (like a lost lamb), introducing more silliness in the form of man/sheep mutants (the result of a human being bitten by one of the ferocious farm animals).
Set in my home country of New Zealand I must say some of the sheep shagging jokes weren't offensive and just added to the overall experience.This is a must see for anyone who enjoys the horror, zombie and comedy types of films..
Black Sheep has been around a while, straight out of the beautiful lands of New Zealand!With a cast who seemed to enjoy playing things for laughs, and the skills of the WETA effects house who were responsible for Lord Of The Rings and more, we are highly entertained with plenty of stupid comedy, lots of gore and FX, and armies of sheep that seem to be having a ball.While not perfect, Black Sheep is the kind of film you could watch once every five years for a chuckle.It isn't gripping, it isn't Oscar worthy, but its pure fun and entertainment which is what movies are all about!Reminiscent of Peter Jackson's amazing early work, Black Sheep is worth a watch at least once and guaranteed to put a smile on your face..
Black Sheep (2006) ** (out of 4) New Zealand delivers another gore-filled blend of horrors and laughs with this attempt to re-capture the heart and soul of Peter Jackson's DEAD ALIVE.
Now another New Zealander director is copying that formula, Johnathan King with his debut feature Black Sheep and even uses Weta Workshop (the special effects company that Jackson used for Lord of the Rings).City boy Henry Oldfield (Nathan Meister) returns to his family farm to sell his share to his brother Angus (Peter Feeney).
New Zealand has always been a treat to watch in movies and 'Black Sheep' does not let the country down.
The general plot itself is highly humorous, some good laughs come from the fact that film contains scenes of sheep taking down people and feasting on them and it always contains a fun line about the situation which is nice in and of itself. |
tt0082288 | Dragonslayer | Dragonslayer opens with a small group of villagers journeying to a lonely tower in a place called Cragganmore. This tower is home to a powerful and kindly old sorcerer named Ulrich (Sir Ralph Richardson). Ulrich's manservant, Hodge (Sydney Bromley) answers the knock and turns them away. He tells them he knows that the villagers have travelled far and are on urgent business but Ulrich will still not see them. One of the villagers asks the leader of the group, a young man named Valerian (Caitlin Clarke) what they will do now. From the villager, it is implied that Valerian is the one who was certain that they could turn to Ulrich for help with their problems and organized the small group to come to the tower.Valerian boldly steps forward and shouts out to Ulrich that he and his group will not leave the doorstep of the tower until they are heard. Glancing to his right, Valerian spots Ulrich's apprentice, Galen (Peter MacNicol) looking back at the group through a window. Galen goes to his master, who is in a magical trance, and rouses him from it, telling him they have visitors. Ulrich responds that he knows they are there, and that the business they have come on is truly dire. He then shares a bit of disturbing news with Galen: Ulrich has foreseen his own death.Valerian and his group are brought into the tower while Ulrich and Galen prepare to greet them. Ulrich and Galen talk as they attire themselves appropriately. Ulrich says his outfit is the same as that worn by his own master before he died, and he had once changed lead into gold, a feat Ulrich could never duplicate -- Galen would stand to inherit a fortune. Galen is disturbed by Ulrich's prattling, because he doesn't want to see his master die. But Ulrich says he welcomes it. His life as a sorcerer, he feels, has accomplished little. He asks Galen how his studies are going and if he truly still wishes to be a sorcerer. Galen says he wishes it more than anything.Ulrich and Galen appear before the villagers with a lot of pomp and circumstance that leaves them a little non-plussed. Ulrich asks Valerian to identify himself. Stepping forward, Valerian starts to explain why they are here, and Ulrich says he already knows that the group has traveled from Urland to see him. Ulrich sits at a stone table and asks to see the artifacts.Valerian slides a pack to Ulrich, who pulls out a couple of scales. He asks Valerian how he came by them, and Valerian says he found them at the foot of 'the lair.' Ulrich asks what else Valerian brought, and the young man pulls out what he says is a claw-- this 'claw' being nearly as long as Valerian's forearm from elbow to wrist. Ulrich stares in surprise and says that the object is no claw, but a tooth. He asks if the villagers truly expect him to do battle with the creature the villagers fear-- a dragon. Valerian listens to the short list of wizards and sorcerers that Ulrich suggests and flatly responds that they are all dead. Ulrich is the only one left.Valerian goes on to state that twice each year, at the spring and autumn equinoxes, the king of Urland selects a new 'victim--' a young maiden at the cusp of young adulthood, still virgin, and offers her to the dragon as a sacrifice. Ulrich knows that the selection is done by lottery, calling it barbaric. He muses how the dragon leaves the villages of the kingdom live in peace in return for these sacrifices, and says the king has made a pact with a monster.In response to Valerian's challenging question on whether he fears dragons, Ulrich says that it is because of sorcerers that dragons exist. The skies used to be dotted with them, and they were noble, majestic creatures. He knows the dragon to whom the scales belong-- it is called Vermithrax. Looking over the scales closely, he explains why Vermithrax forces Urland to sacrifice virgins to it in return for not destroying them-- Vermithrax has reached a venerable old age, older than many dragons normally live to, and has grown feeble and decrepit. It lives a life of constant pain, which has made it spiteful and vengeful toward anything that lives.Ulrich has donned a traveling pack and taken up his staff, to journey with Valerian and his fellow villagers back to Urland. But an unpleasant surprise is waiting for them outside the tower-- Tyrian, captain of the royal guard (John Hallam). Valerian is immediately confrontational with Tyrian, who says he doesn't question Valerian traveling, even far from Urland-- his concern is the visit to a sorcerer. He knows that Valerian has come here to ask for Ulrich's aid in slaying Vermithrax. Tyrian claims to have no love for Vermithrax, but before he consents to an attempt to slay the dragon, he wants assurances that Valerian has found a suitable challenger. He gives a long diatribe about how and why sorcerers don't prove their true power in front of a doubter.Ulrich determines to silence all argument. He doffs his amulet and orders Galen to return it to the conjuring room, and then bring out a dagger that is there. He then tells Tyrian that he will have his test. Galen tosses the dagger out of the conjuring room's window, where Ulrich hands it to Tyrian. who satisfies himself that the dagger is sharp. Giving a brief incantation, Ulrich opens his tunic and puts the point of the dagger to his chest, where his heart is. He is offering Tyrian to test him by stabbing him through the heart with the dagger. Seeing this, Galen starts to rush out of the tower, but all the doors and windows quickly shut, trapping him inside. Outside, Ulrich assures Tyrian that he cannot hurt him. Tyrian stares at Ulrich for a moment, then takes hold of the sorcerer's shoulder to brace himself, and thrusts the dagger home.Everyone stares for a minute as Ulrich simply looks up at the window from which Galen tossed out the dagger. Then, slowly, without a word, he falls to his knees and then to the ground, dead. Disgusted but also smug, Tyrian signals to his soldiers, who leave the tower wordlessly. Inside the tower, Galen slumps in grief, seeing his master slain. He is oblivious to the tower windows and doors all re-opening.The Urland villagers watch as Galen tends to his master's funeral, properly attiring the body and burning it on a pyre. The villagers look at the fire for a moment, seeing that it burns green. Then, as one, they turn and start to hasten on their way.Hodge gathers the ashes into a pouch, showing he has quickly lost all faith in Ulrich having ever been a true sorcerer. Galen goes through his chores in the conjuring room, still in shock over his master's death. He finds Ulrich's amulet on the table beside him, which is baffling to the young apprentice because he put it in a small chest. He opens the chest, finding it empty, and puts the amulet back inside, placing a rock over the lid. Resuming his chores, he finds the amulet suddenly in front of him again.Galen and Hodge are walking through the countryside, Hodge rambling a series of complaints about his treatment over his long years of service. Galen uses a few magic feats to silence him. He tells Hodge he had plenty of respect for his master, but he is the one who is master now.The Urland villagers are camping for the night while en route back home. Greil (Albert Salmi) is very bitter at all that has transpired, tearing into Valerian for having led them to Cragganmore. Valerian, on the other hand, does not defend himself; he feels Greil is right. He led Greil and the other villagers to Ulrich for nothing.Suddenly the villagers react to some disturbance, though they cannot identify it just yet. A flash issues from the campfire, and Galen and Hodge are there. Galen boldly tells the Urland villagers that he will fulfill the task they came to Ulrich for; as the inheritor of Ulrich's craft and knowledge, he will serve their needs as the sorcerer they sought.The need of the Urland villagers is then shown as group of royal guard are bringing Vermithrax another sacrifice (Yolande Palfrey). She is dressed in a white gown with a garland of white flowers around her head, and she is chained with heavy steel manacles. The horse pulling the cart carrying the woman stops and fusses incessantly, refusing to proceed further. Soldiers place a hood over the terrified young woman's head and half-pull, half-drag her to a tall ceremonial stake driven into the ground. A ring in her shackles is placed through a hook at the top of the stake, so her arms are raised above her head, as the king's minister recites a proclamation about her sacrifice being for the greater good of Urland, and her father will be recompensed for the loss of his daughter by being exempt from royal taxes for five years. Midway through the diatribe, the ground begins to shake, prompting everyone to flee, leaving the frightened sacrifice to her fate-- and leaving the hapless horse that drew the cart she was transported in, as well.The young woman manages to pull the hood off of her head as the soldiers, servants and minister clear away from Vermithrax's lair. Struggling in desperate terror against her manacles, she manages to wrench one wrist free, nearly shattering it in the process. But it is too late-- one massive claw emerges from the entrance to the lair. Then the dragon's massive head. Thrashing and pulling wildly, the young lady finally wrenches her other wrist through the manacle, crushing her wrist and hand, and turns to flee from the dragon. But even in its old age and decrepit state, Vermithrax can cover far more ground with each step than the sacrificial victim. Overtaking her easily, the ancient dragon arrests her flight with its tail. The petrified girl can only huddle against the lair wall and scream in anguish as Vermithrax incinerates her with a blast of its fiery breath.Valerian awakes abruptly at daybreak and quietly steps away from the camp. Galen awakes a short bit later and wanders over to a nearby lake to bathe. He finds Valerian there, ordering Galen away urgently. Valerian is very insistent on not sharing the lake with Galen, or being seen while bathing. Galen dives into the water and is swimming toward Valerian underwater. Drawing close, Galen finds out why Valerian was so intent on driving Galen away. He shoots up to the surface, choking on water at the shock of what he'd seen-- Valerian is in fact a young woman, not a man. Still overtaken by the shock, neither of them notices Tyrian lurking nearby. Tyrian does not notice the secret Valerian has been hiding, but he notices Galen there, and he isn't pleased. He orders a retainer to fetch him his bow.Galen and Valerian are dressing, and Galen is trying to promise he will tell nobody what he's seen. Valerian only blames her own carelessness. She mentions that nobody has ever known the truth about her, except only her father, since the day she was born. Galen realizes she's referring to the lottery-- daughters are chosen, but sons are not. Valerian then remarks that noble families, paying enough in bribes, are never entered into the lottery-- to say nothing of the king's own daughter, Princess Elspeth (Chloe Salaman). Valerian's father, on the other hand, is a simple blacksmith, and poor... as are many of the fathers of eligible young women.As Valerian leaves the lake, Galen notices a small flock of birds startled by something. Looking around, he gazes into the lake's reflective surface, and sees a vision of Tyrian approaching on horseback with soldiers, and Tyrian drawing his bow in ambush. Galen rushes back toward camp, frantically calling to Hodge... but it is too late; Hodge has been shot through the chest with an arrow and is mortally wounded. As he dies, he cryptically tells Galen to take the pouch with Ulrich's ashes, find a lake of burning water, and throw the ashes in. Galen tries to use his amulet to save Hodge, but fails.Galen and party sail in a small boat back to Urland. As they disembark on the Urland shore, Tyrian and his men are still following from a distance and watching. The party continues along a trail on foot, Valerian impatiently trying to get Galen to keep moving. But when she mentions they are near Vermithrax's lair, Galen stops and moves off the trail, saying (over Valerian's protest that they are safe if they keep moving) that he wants to see the lair. Valerian and Greil must reluctantly gather the rest of the villagers and follow.Poking around the lair's entrance, Galen finds the chains that had been used to bind the sacrificed maiden, and dripping water around the entrance that becomes steam as it hits the floor. He inquires if there are other entrances, and is told there are none. Valerian and Greil angrily try to convince Galen to leave Vermithrax alone, but Galen pays no attention, starting to venture into the cavern. He picks up another shed scale and then hears a brief rumble. A gout of smoke from deeper in the cave satisfies Galen that Vermithrax is in the lair. Emerging quickly, Galen drops his cloak to the ground and pulls his amulet out from under his shirt. Holding it up, he recites an arcane chant. At first, nothing appears to happen, but Galen continues to concentrate and his amulet begins to glow. Slowly at first, several rocks begin to fall from the top of the cliff face. A full scale rockslide is triggered, burying the entrance in tons of rock and rubble. Everyone is forced to leap for cover as the rockslide collapses the cliffside, further sealing off the entrance to the lair. As they all emerge, Valerian excitedly shouts that Galen has done it-- he's saved Urland.Back at the village, a celebration is underway regaling its hero. Galen performs some slight-of-hand tricks to amuse the village children. Dragon effigies are burned, musicians play, and the villagers dance and make merry... all except one.In the attic of her home, Valerian is holding up a mirror in front of herself... and holding a dress against the front of her body. As she turns the mirror for a better view, her father notices and hurries to get her to put the dress away back in the trunks in the attic, warning that she might be seen.Being seen is exactly what Valerian now wants. Tired of continuing the masquerade, Valerian dons the dress, with a headdress and sandals, and boldly steps outside into the village as her true self. The celebration stops, everyone turning and staring as some of the children start to gather around Valerian, trying to touch her arms as if not quite sure that what they are seeing is real.Galen quickly comes up to Valerian and takes her hand. He calls out to the musicians, who begin to play again. Galen takes Valerian's hand and leads her into a dance. Slowly a few of the villagers start to join, and then more, and finally the celebration resumes in full swing. Greil, drinking with a friend, is thoughtful; wishing he'd been as clever as Valerian's father. Greil is also wondering how it is that a priest came to the village at the very moment of Galen's triumph.The village's celebration is cut short at the arrival of Tyrian and several soldiers. Tyrian announces that King Casiodorus (Peter Eyre) wishes to meet Galen in person. Galen is deeply suspicious as to the nature of the 'gratitude' that Galen says the king wishes to show, but Tyrian (a bit sternly) says that if he'd been sent to kill Galen he'd have done it already-- the king wishes merely to meet Galen and speak to him.Galen is brought before the king and his court in the royal castle, to give a demonstration of his skill in sorcery. King Casiodorus is neither amused nor impressed at the paltry display of tricks, and finally starts to explain to Galen about his brother, King Gazerick. Gazerick assembled a whole army and rode out to do battle with Vermithrax, but the dragon slaughtered the entire army and then went on a rampage across the countryside, incinerating whole fields and villages. Death and famine followed in the dragon's wake until Casiodorus instituted the lottery and began offering the sacrifice of young maidens. Vermithrax became appeased and ceased its attacks on the villages.Casiodorus notices the bulge under Galen's shirt and pulls the amulet away, angrily confronting Galen for toying with such a dangerous beast. He justifies the lottery and the sacrifices by pointing to the hundreds of lives that are saved in the process. But Galen, adhering to his master's beliefs, tells the king that he cannot make a shameful peace with a monster like Vermithrax, which, as Galen insists, is now dead. Casiodorus merely says, 'we shall see' before ordering that Galen be imprisoned in the royal dungeons.At the dragon's lair, rocks and stones all about the destroyed cliff face begin to smoke and smolder.Galen draws a small pentagram in chalk on the floor of his dungeon cell and tries to use his magic to escape, but fails. Suddenly he hears a voice behind him; translating his words-- it is Princess Elspeth, who, as she tells Galen, is schooled in both Latin (the language Galen spoke in) and Greek. Elspeth begs Galen not to view her father and royal court as the same kind of monsters as Vermithrax. She insists that despite the loss of life and seeming cruelty of the lottery, her father, as king, must protect his people. But Galen counters by pointing out that Casiodorus is also protecting Elspeth. He confronts her with his knowledge that the wealthy noble families pay bribes so that their daughters are exempt from the lottery. He is surprised to find that Elspeth truly knows nothing of her father's plans -- her protests to the contrary sound very genuine. Elspeth excuses herself as the countryside begins to experience tremors.Elspeth goes to confront her father on what she's learned. She had thought that her name had been included in every lottery since she came of age. Casiodorus, busy trying to study Galen's amulet and trying to turn lead into gold, pays only minimal attention to his daughter and his attempts to assure her that she had been in every lottery the same as all other young women in the village, are all in vain-- Elspeth sees through him immediately and confronts him for lying to her. Angry at Elspeth, Casiodorus snaps his head up to confront her... but the whole kingdom is struck by an earthquake that tells everyone that all is anything but well.Elspeth goes back to the dungeon and opens up the cell so Galen can escape. Tyrian promptly spots Galen and organizes his men to try and stop him. Galen acquires a horse and escapes through a wall that collapses in front of him. He passes by Casiodorus, who calls him a fool-- the earthquake can only mean one thing... Vermithrax is still alive... and very angry.The priest, Brother Jacobus (Ian McDiarmid) leads the Urland villagers to the buried lair and tries to lead them in prayer, asking God to throw Lucifer back down into the depths of Hell, but the prayer is useless -- fire erupts from the ground as Vermithrax emerges. Everyone flees except Brother Jacobus, and Greil, who hides behind a rock and watches Vermithrax emerge through a fissure in the ground. Brother Jacobus brazenly confronts Vermithrax, who is completely unimpressed with the priest, proving so with a blast of fiery breath that burns the man to death.Vermithrax then flies out to punish the village and its people. Galen sees the village being set ablaze as Vermithrax unleashes its wrath before flying off again.Morning comes, and Tyrian and his men ride into the village. Knowing that Galen was brought to the village by Valerian, they storm her home, looking to see if Galen is being sheltered there. Tyrian tells Valerian's father that since his 'son' has proven to be a daughter, she will now be entered in the next lottery, which the king has called for immediately in an attempt to appease Vermithrax. Valerian, however, is unafraid. Feeling guilty at all the maidens who died while she lived, she is determined to face the jeopardy and risk with all the other eligible maidens.The soldiers do not find Galen anywhere in the blacksmith's home, and leave. The one place they didn't check is a secret alcove underneath (and concealed by) the blacksmith's anvil. Valerian and her father tilt the anvil with iron rods to let Galen out, and he asks Valerian's father if he has ever forged a great weapon.The blacksmith has indeed forged a mighty weapon... one he has kept hidden away at the bottom of a waterfall. He goes to retrieve it and finish perfecting its edge so Galen can try to slay Vermithrax properly this time. The weapon is a huge, masterfully crafted spear that the blacksmith has named Dragonslayer. He shows that the weapon's blade is capable of shaving metal off of a horseshoe. Valerian, however, is still not satisfied. Vermithrax is far more than mere flesh and blood, and nobody has ever wounded it before. Galen says that she is right. He needs the amulet.Nighttime comes, and all the villagers gather at the castle for the lottery. Valerian is taken and placed in a roped-off section where all the nervous young women wait to see which of them will be chosen to die. The lots are all placed into a massive iron cauldron and stirred with a long rod. The king's minister, Horsrik (Roger Kemp), pulls a lot and recites the royal proclamation as precursor to identifying the chosen sacrifice.However as Horsrik prepares to read the name, he suddenly freezes and falls silent. The villagers impatiently chant for him to read the name on the lot. Casiodorus calls for silence and tells Horsrik to read the name. Swallowing nervously, Horsrik announces that the chosen sacrifice is... Princess Elspeth, the king's daughter.King Casiodorus leaps to his feet, taking the lot from Horsrik, stammering in a completely unconvincing tone that Horsrik misspoke; the name on the lot is in fact illegible and he will personally draw a new lot. The whole of the villagers, following Valerian, all protest that no mistake was made and the name should stand.Ignoring the outraged cries from Valerian and the other villagers, Casiodorus draws another tile, staring at it in shock. At that moment the most unlikely of saviors steps forward... Elspeth herself. Taking the tile from her father's hand, she raises a hand to quiet the villagers and says that there is no mistake; the name on the tile is her own.Now desperate, Casiodorus rummages through the cauldron. All of the tiles bear only his daughter's name and none others. Outraged, he declares the whole lottery invalid... but Elspeth demurs. She declares to the whole of the kingdom that she has replaced the names of all the maidens in the kingdom with her own, but this does not make the lottery invalid, but valid; she has learned that her father has secretly excluded her from participation in the lottery. Her heart aching for all the young girls who died while she lived on, she is seeking to atone by stepping forth and laying her own life down as the next sacrifice. Everyone is still and silent as they look up at the Princess. Some are sympathetic, some are sad, but all admire and respect the bold sacrifice she has chosen to make.Back inside the castle, Casiodorus makes a desperate appeal to Tyrian, saying that if not for him, to do something for the good of the kingdom. But Tyrian says simply that loyalty to the kingdom is his first duty, and that is not the solution to his king's troubles... but the crux of it.Having snuck into the castle during the lottery, Galen searches for his amulet. His search proves fruitless-- and costly, as Tyrian and his men suddenly swarm into the throne room and surround him. Casiodorus orders them to stand down. Over the protests of Tyrian and Horsrik, the king speaks to Galen not as ruler of Urland, not as heartless executor of the lottery... but as the loving father of a young daughter who is about to die. There was one element to the lottery that Casiodorus desperately hoped would work to the favor of the whole of the kingdom... time. He knew that Vermithrax was an extremely old dragon. The lotteries and sacrifices were meant to wait it out until Vermithrax finally died from old age, whereupon the lotteries could be stopped and no more maidens had to die. But now the king has run out of time; his own daughter is the next sacrifice. He has placed Galen's amulet around his own neck. Removing it, he returns it to Galen and begs him to save Elspeth.Galen is with Valerian and her father, preparing for battle. The blacksmith muses about Elspeth's being the next sacrifice, clearly in admiration of her. He is stoking the fire in his forge to temper Dragonslayer. But Galen says the forge fires will not suffice. He draws out his amulet and recites an incantation that heats the blade of the spear until it glows brilliantly with heat. As the spear's blade is rested on the anvil and the blacksmith begins working on it with his hammer, neither he nor Galen see Valerian discretely taking up a basket and quietly leaving the workshop. She goes to Vermithrax's lair and begins gathering more shed scales. She starts to venture into the outer mouth of the lair itself... and as she bends to take another scale, something lunges out of the shadows at her.The blacksmith has finished tempering the spear, and Galen finds it can shear off the anvil's solid steel horn. He and Galen have noticed by now that Valerian is gone, and they think she simply didn't want to be there when Galen left for what was likely the last time. The blacksmith gives him an emotional farewell, offering to say goodbye on his behalf, to Valerian.Galen takes up Dragonslayer and goes to Vermithrax's lair. He is met there by Valerian, who has sewn the dragon scales she collected together into a shield, which she hopes might offer protection from the dragon's terrible fiery breath. Valerian's farewell to Galen is far colder than the one her father gave. She believes that Galen is going to be ripped apart by Vermithrax and she'll never see him again, and he'll have accomplished nothing. She also has found out that Vermithrax is not alone in the lair... it is raising and nursing a small brood of baby dragons, which Galen knows will also have to be killed.Valerian asks Galen, bluntly, if he is in love, and he says he is. Valerian responds that she understands and doesn't care-- she, too, admires Elspeth's bravery and acknowledges her striking beauty. Moreover, she believes that Galen will by dead by the end of the night, and Valerian herself might be dead soon after-- Vermithrax will go on another rampage, more lotteries will be held, and she has abandoned her masquerade of living as a young man... and as a virgin she is eligible for the lotteries. Galen sits down beside her and tells her that she is mistaken about one thing... he is in love, but not with Elspeth. He leans in toward Valerian and begins to kiss her.Night falls. The sacrificial stake is being hammered back into place as the wagon arrives with Elspeth, adorned in the sacrificial white gown and garland of flowers; her wrists in heavy steel manacles. She shakes her head no as Horsrik approaches with the black hood; she wishes to look the beast in the face. The ring in her chains is placed on the stake's hook as Horsrik begins to read the proclamation of sacrifice. He barely gets past the opening of it when the parchment flares blue and begins to burn, forcing him to drop it. This was no dragon fire, but magical fire... conjured by Galen. A cloud of smoke flares in front of Elspeth, and Galen is standing in front of her, spear and shield at the ready. Horsrik and the royal retinue all flee at Galen's presence.All except one... Tyrian. His first loyalty is to the kingdom of Urland, and he still believes in the necessity of the lottery. He is ready to defend Elspeth's sacrifice with his very life; Galen must kill him if he wishes to save her. But Galen says he doesn't need the sacrifice to want to kill Tyrian-- he has plenty of reasons for killing him that have nothing to do with Elspeth or the dragon. Casting aside his shield, he readies his spear, as Tyrian draws his sword. Elspeth shouts in vain for Galen to withdraw. She also believes that her sacrifice is necessary for the good of the kingdom. She proves this in no uncertain terms when Galen suddenly disengages from Tyrian and swings his massive spear toward her manacles, slicing through the chains, and ordering her to run. But Elspeth, taking advantage of the battle, turns and bravely marches straight into Vermithrax's lair. The princess is heard uttering a brief scream that is quickly silenced, and Tyrian, leaning against the sacrificial stake, mocks Galen for his failure. His scorn comes at the expense of Tyrian's own life, as Galen suddenly thrusts Dragonslayer forward, smashing clean through the thick wooden stake and impaling Tyrian.Taking up the shield again, and a torch, Galen ventures into the lair. He doesn't get very far when he finds, to his dismay, the terrible fate of Princess Elspeth. He finds one of her slippers in the outer mouth of the lair. Further in, Elspeth lies dead on the ground; Vermithrax's young chewing on her body. Although nauseated, he kills them all before venturing forward.Deep inside the lair, Galen finds a huge underground lake; fire burning all around as if the very water itself was burning. As he jumps across a path of stones jutting from the lake, the water behind him begins to bubble. Looking down, he catches a reflection in the water's surface and whirls to find himself face to face with Vermithrax. Rising up to a size that towers well above Galen, the ancient dragon spreads its wings and draws its head back. Galen ducks down and huddles behind his shield as Vermithrax releases its blast of fiery breath at the young sorcerer. The shield sizzles and smokes but protects Galen from harm.Looking to get into a better position, Galen leads Vermithrax on a chase through the lair. Vermithrax tries more than once to destroy the trespasser with its fiery breath, but the shield fashioned of its own shed scales continues to protect Galen. But Galen makes a bad mistake when he rushes past Elspeth's body with Vermithrax still in pursuit. The dragon pauses, turns, and notices its young, freshly killed by Galen. The dragon is enraged and rushes in pursuit of the one who slaughtered its offspring.Vermithrax finds Galen's shield propped up against a rock face. Thinking Galen is hiding behind it, the dragon moves forward for the kill. But Galen has set a trap-- he is standing on a ledge well above the tunnel that Vermithrax is emerging from. As Vermithrax's head and long neck begin to poke into the cave, Galen leaps right onto the back of Vermithrax's neck and plunges the spear deep into its hide. He stabs Vermithrax repeatedly as the massive beast thrashes about wildly. It manages to pitch Galen off and down to the floor, and snakes its massive head out to bite him in half. But Galen is ready with Dragonslayer, and drives the massive spear blade into Vermithrax's throat. Vermithrax bellows in agony as it pitches and flails about. The dragon's thrashing breaks the steel head of the spear off of the wooden shaft, leaving the blade still firmly lodged in its neck. Galen snatches up his shield, backing out toward the mouth of the lair as Vermithrax looses another massive blast of fire at him.Valerian is sitting outside the lair when she feels the ground shake. Going to investigate, she finds the shield and the broken shaft of the spear. A short distance away is Galen; bloodied, eyes closed, unconscious... but to her profound relief, he opens his eyes slowly and tells her that he's still alive, but Vermithrax is as well.Valerian brings Galen back to her home and nurses his wounds. Growing emotional, she begs Galen to leave Urland with her. If he truly loves her, as he says he did, their best hope to be happy together is to give up their current lives and travel to another kingdom to begin over again. Valerian's father agrees with her, telling Galen that magic and sorcery are dying out, which will naturally bring about the end of dragonkind, and he is happy with it. Galen and Valerian cannot hope for any kind of good life in Urland.As the two begin to set out, Valerian's father gives her a final gift: A small metal crucifix on a leather thong for her to wear around her neck. She hugs him gratefully as she and Galen set off. Greil, having joined the priesthood after the death of Brother Jacobus, rings a bell calling all the villagers to prayer, and the blacksmith turns and goes to pray with the other villagers.Galen and Valerian are getting on a small rowboat with the few belongings they've brought with them. Galen suddenly pauses, looking up at the sky. Valerian follows his gaze to a curious sight she doesn't understand; the planets are coming into a rare alignment, and the moon is approaching the sun for a solar eclipse. Looking down suddenly, Galen sees the reflection of the sun on the water; as if the huge lake was burning. Suddenly he begins to understand. The burning water and lake of fire, as Hodge had said before he died, was all part of Ulrich's plan. He races back toward Vermithrax's lair, Valerian running behind him, completely bewildered and frightened.As they run, back in the village, Greil, leading the people in prayer, asks the village to come together and appeal to God to strike down Vermithrax.As Galen arrives at the dragon's lair, Valerian leaps suddenly, grabbing at his legs and tackling him to the ground, to try and stop him from killing himself. Galen finally explains that Ulrich, old and growing physically weak, couldn't make the journey to the lair on foot... so he had them make the journey for him.Inside the lair, Galen lights a torch. Valerian insists on coming along with him, although the sight of Elspeth's body, partially eaten by Vermithrax's young, shakes her courage. Galen makes his way to the lake of fire where he first encountered Vermithrax, and opens the pouch containing his master's ashes, scattering them into the burning water with an arcane incantation. The fire all throughout the cavern chamber goes out, and Galen's amulet begins to glow. A small patch of green flame rises from the water and begins to move slowly toward Galen. The flame begins to spin around in a small vortex that coalesces into a shape. Ulrich appears inside the flame and approaches Galen.Overcome with relief at being reunited with his master, Galen sadly tells Ulrich that he believes he's failed. He feels he hadn't been strong, as Ulrich said he would be... but Ulrich disagrees, saying he'll be stronger yet. But for now, they have much to do.As if to lend emphasis to Ulrich's words, Greil, back in the village, begins baptizing the villagers as Christians. Two young children peek outside and find Vermithrax flying through the air, readying itself for battle.Valerian finds her way out of the cave and spots Vermithrax perched on a high outcropping of rock. The dragon sniffs the air as Ulrich and Galen start to emerge. Vermithrax knows that it must fight for its life. It catches sight of Ulrich from afar and the two stare at each other briefly before Vermithrax takes wing again.Valerian finds her way back to Galen, finding Ulrich returned. He looks at her knowingly, recognizing her for who she was when she first came to see him, as he fingers the crucifix she now wears. Ulrich tells Galen that he has one more dire task ahead of him. He must destroy the amulet... and Ulrich along with it. Galen brought Ulrich back from out of the flame, and he must also send Ulrich back. Ulrich tells Galen that he will know the right moment, and must act while Ulrich still lives. The solar eclipse darkens the skies as Ulrich teleports up to the top of a mountain to face Vermithrax.Standing high on the mountaintop, Ulrich raps the ground with his staff, summoning a storm. Massive dark clouds cover the already dark sky as lightning and wind begin to rage. Galen and Valerian climb partway up the mountain and find a small alcove for shelter. They see Ulrich gesture, and the winds suddenly begin to calm as Galen's amulet begins to pulse. Vermithrax appears in the sky, at first so distant he appears as a mere speck among the clouds. Ominously he swoops down and begins to soar around the peak where Ulrich awaits.As Vermithrax swoops past Ulrich, the sorcerer barely ducking out of reach of its terrible talons, Valerian picks up a rock and puts it on the mountain face, telling Galen to smash the amulet as Ulrich told him. But Galen says that Ulrich also told him he'd know the right time... and he knows this isn't it.Vermithrax loops around for another dive at Ulrich, who points his staff and gestures, causing lightning to streak out of the clouds and smite the ancient dragon. Vermithrax is briefly knocked from the sky, falling ponderously, before recovering and regaining flight. It dives and rakes Ulrich with a claw, knocking the sorcerer to the ground; his shoulder bloodied. Ulrich struggles to his feet, looking at his wound, when suddenly Vermithrax is hovering in the air behind and above him. The dragon blasts Ulrich with a gout of fiery breath. Ulrich barks an incantation, and is unharmed by the flame, but his staff is burning, and Ulrich casts it aside.Valerian, seeing this, grabs the amulet from around Galen's neck and puts it on the rock she's prepared. She picks up another large stone and raises it above her head to smash the amulet. Galen grabs her arms and they struggle briefly over the rock; Galen urgently telling Valerian, 'Not yet.'Vermithrax climbs high into the skies, above the heavy tempest clouds, obscuring him from view. Ulrich waits on the mountaintop for it to strike again. Finally Vermithrax turns and dives, air rushing past its massive wings like a gale. Ulrich faces the beast down, spreading his arms wide-- just as Vermithrax seizes the aged sorcerer in its claw and soars back up toward the clouds with him.Pulling the rock away from Valerian, Galen goes to the amulet. He lifts the rock, hesitating briefly as he looks on it. Ulrich, still grasped in Vermithrax's claw, calls out to him. Taking a breath, Galen smashes the rock down on the amulet, destroying it.Ulrich's body detonates in a massive explosion that destroys Vermithrax in mid-air. Galen and Valerian watch as the dragon's body plunges from the sky, deep into a great lake. The force of impact and the heat from the dragon's still-smoldering corpse leaves a massive crater that displaces the water from the lake basin. Slowly the cloud cover breaks and the eclipse passes, brightening the skies once again.As Galen and Valerian make their way back down the mountain, they find Greil leading the villagers to the site of Vermithrax's body. Greil takes the dragon's death as a sign of deliverance by God. As the priest leads the villagers in prayers of thanks, a royal coach arrives bearing King Casiodorus. Taking up a broadsword, Casiodorus goes to Vermithrax's body and drives the blade of the sword into the remains of the great beast's head as Horsrik calls out for all to hail Casiodorus Rex, Dragon Slayer. With the king taking credit for the death of Vermithrax, and the people of Urland turning to God and embracing Christianity, the age of magic-- and dragons-- has come to an end.Galen and Valerian have resumed their journey out of Urland, to find a new life together. Galen has resigned himself to his new life as an ex-sorcerer and common man. Valerian knows he will miss Ulrich; not just as his master, but as a great friend and father figure. But unlike Galen, Valerian is very glad that the amulet is destroyed and gone. She tells Galen that he may not be a sorcerer anymore, but it matters nothing to her, as long as she has him. Galen takes comfort in her love for him... but then wishes that the two of them just had a horse.No sooner does Galen voice this wish when a beautiful white horse trots into view behind them over the edge of the hill. Valerian turns and stares, completely dumbfounded, as Galen can only give a huge, goofy grin. Dragonslayer comes to a close, the credits beginning to play as Galen and Valerian ride on the horse's back, continuing on their journey. | cult, fantasy, violence | train | imdb | As an SF/fantasy buff, I've seen my share of dragons on film, but there has never been one like Vermithrax Perjorative.
Other film dragons look like animated clay figures, or lizards with wings glued on, or CGI effects (impressive, but still obviously computer-generated).
With the name Disney attached to a sword and sorcery/fantasy romp, many genre purists might be filled with immediate consternation as they visualise in horror the possible 'cute' connotations.Fortuitously, the understandable apprehension that this may well induce actually proves to be entirely unfounded however, as this movie is about as far from Pete's Dragon or any other Disney fare as is humanly imaginable!What we do have here, is an excellent movie with top notch production values, awesome special effects, a fine cast, and a very dark story.The dragon itself is without doubt the best ever committed to celluloid (a much better design than the CGI one in Dragonheart) and proves to be hugely menacing and destructive as it incinerates everything in it's path.The actors to, all put in excellent performances and it's particularly great to see such a fine piece of casting in the form of the late great Sir Ralph Richardson as the wizard Ulrich.
In fact for such a role there has surely never been a more appropriate choice of actor other than of course, Peter Jackson casting Sir Ian McKellen to play Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.For fans of sword & sorcery and fantasy movies in general, this really is an absolute must see!.
There is not much humor in it, but that only adds to the overall weird tone.The story is of a wizard apprentice called Galen (a very young Peter MacNicol) who goes on a quest to slaughter a Dragon terrorizing the people of Urland (Ireland maybe?).
In fact, the film treads the whole good-evil line rather lightly; Ulrich displays a certain respect for Vermithrax, even while planning the dragon's demise.
Even though the effects are somewhat dated, Dragonslayer is still a great movie for those who like dark fairy tales.
There is a lot of plot here, more than really necessary, and the movie could have used a quicker pace, but these are minor flaws to an otherwise great adventure movie with a VERY menacing dragon, wonderfully grim and foreboding scenery and an ambiguous ending that makes you think.
All I can think to say is, `That's just THE way a dragon is supposed to look!' Although an older movie with dated special effects, Dragonslayer is a breathtaking feat of 80's movies and a great job by good ol' ILM.I sat down to write this comment since I just watched the movie playing on television and enjoyed it yet again.
Unlike the disappointing size-shifting Draco of Dragonheart done with much higher quality special effects, the dragon of Dragonslayer was well proportioned throughout the entire movie with marginal size differences.
And fantasy buffs should enjoy it for its detail and plot for setting up a medieval movie with sorcerers and dragons!
How can Galen, who still isn't even a real wizard, beat the dragon?This movie coming from Walt Disney, I was worried it might be too lighthearted to be a really good fantasy film.
The result is a good if nearly-forgotten tale of a sorcerer's apprentice and his reptilian nemesis--a monster that still stands head and scales above any other cinema dragon in terms of sheer ferocity and menace.Though peopled by terminally obscure actors (apart from Sir Ralph Richardson), the film is solidly plotted, and the Dark Ages production design details alone are worth the trip.Dragonslayer is a good movie that seems to want to be great.
Entertaining and fun movie with acceptable special effects bringing the dragon to life .
This co-production between Walt Disney Pictures and Paramount was efficiently directed by Matthew Robbins and it was more mature and realistic than most Disney films of the time .The picture belongs to Fantasy/Dragon sub-genre ; other important films dealing with Dragons are the following : ¨Dragonheart¨ by Rob Cohen with Dennis Quaid , Dina Meyer , Jason Isaacs and Julie Christie ; ¨Dragonheart , a new beginning¨ with Chris Marterson , Figueroa and Harry Von Gorkum ; ¨Dragom Storm¨ (2004) by Stephen Furst with Maxwell Caufield , Angel Boris , Tony Amendola and John Rhys Davies ; and other latter day movies and belonging to this Dragons sub-genre are ¨Reign of fire¨ (2002) by Rob Bowman with Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey , Izabella Scorupco , and Gerard Butler ; ¨Eragon¨ (2006) by Stephen Fangmeier with Edward Speleers , Robert Carlyle , Sienna Gullory and John Malkovich ..
The Special Effects team (FX for all you young people) did a superb job of bringing a totally believable dragon to life in this movie, you cannot be disappointed.
It is simply a realistic fantasy, crossing over from a made up story to something special that makes you look out your window to see if there is a malevolent dragon lurking in the shadows.
There is an unusual "realism" to the film as well, both in the behavior of the dragon and the battle with the creature by the hero.Highly recommended, and I honestly believe that even those that are not great fans of fantasy may enjoy this because of the interesting character interactions and drama at play..
Good fantasy/adventure movie, great dragon.
It has a good story and the best movie dragon.
This includes a good script, excellent costume and set design, and visual effects that still rival most creature animation done today.My biggest grief with the film is that it is not yet on DVD.
More of the dragon would have been welcome (although Vermithrax gets a decent amount of screen time), and DEFINITELY more of Sir Ralph Richardson (Ulrich) working some acts of great wizardry!
But I'm not complaining too loudly, because "Dragonslayer" is a great film in its genre, a classic of high fantasy.
(Why don't all those virgins just escape their dragon problem the old-fashioned way?) Treating Early Christianity as an upstart, and not always too effective, form of magic is interesting.
It has some cheesy effects, some hokey magic words, some so-so acting, and a bunch of stereotypes.But it is a fun enough movie, has a few laughs, a few moments of excitement, and has a better plot than "Legend" or other films that turned fantasy into a joke (before "Lord of the Rings", that is).One thing that it *does* have is one of the best cinematic dragons of all time.
A fun enough film, a great dragon, but lacks a lot in plot, script, acting, etc.Barky.
So, instead of a great tale set in the Forgotten Realm's, you get, Galen Bradwarden, wizard's apprentice, in what freaking country is this again?But they managed to keep it looking enough like a real D&D setting by avoiding too much cultural identity.You have the fighter, and the rogue, the wizard, and the only epic failure was the cleric.But it's good that the setting had to remain Earth, because the wizard could use a shield and a spear.
Both totally contrary to conventional canon play.Another movie not too hard on girls and showing the capable nature of females as individuals of varying ranges.Yes, they had those in the 1980's.A great movie with lots to love, and my favorite dragon in cinema before the masterpiece, Reign of Fire.I wish they do a remake, just to get the RoF boys back behind the computers, but stick to the old movies feel and wardrobe esthetics.
I remember waching this movie as a kid, and I always remembered it a simple story of the people in need for a wizard to take down a dragon.
2) The dragon is by far the best stop animation creature ever created and as a creature itself is better than other modern incarnations of the beast like the ones seen in "Dragonheart" and "Reing of fire".
Disney tried to market it as a childrens movie, but quite obviously this isn't one.As an interesting side note, this film stars the early Peter "Biscuit / Ally McBeal" MacNicol in the lead role..
Too high as it turned out.'Dragonslayer' features some incredible special f/x; particularly the creation of Vermithrax the dragon, but its paper thin characters get lost within a story that is told without even an ounce of energy or flourish..
These young victims are chosen by lot from the poorer families in the kingdom while the names of important ladies of society are strangely withheld, more especially the king's own daughter!An old classic tale is brought to the silver screen with more respect than most fantasy sword movies.
This movie seems to think that being aloof and noncommitted is the road to enlightenment rather than involving oneself in the "hypocracy" of the community and orginized society).Many have complained that it is slow, boring and drags, but people interested in the subject matter and enjoy seeing a period piece set in the dark ages won't feel that way.
I wouldn't recommend Dragonheart or Dungeons & Dragons to anybody!The special effects, which were better than Ray Harryhausen's in Clash of the Titans, out that same year (no disrespect to Ray or that movie), are a welcome sight after being bombarded with CGI images in movies such as Fellowship, Two Towers, and the new Star Wars flicks.
It is much better than movies in which people act and speak just as they do in modern times, only with the historical costumes and sets around them.However, the real star of this movie is the dragon, which was created by George Lucas's prestigious ILM outfit.
I kind of liked this movie for the atmosphere and special effects, the Dragon is very well done and impressive, even considering the movie originates from the early eighties.Yet the main character is a bit of a tedious person and I found it a bit hard to feel lots of sympathy for him ,let alone identify and feel with him.
Dragonslayer is the best fantasy film of the 1980s (amazing that I would give this label to a Disney movie) because it doesn't rely on many of the failing elements of other efforts.
Infinitely superior fantasy movie from those days where the cinema was the real cinema...Dragonslayer has a very clever plot using all elements and formula to reach a success,an Old Sorcerer played by Ralph Richardson is very convincing...the young hero has a natural charisma,the villain is bad than ever,the girl is beauty,and one most funny character is Sydney Bromley as an old gentle Hodge who is unfortunately killed in the travel,by the way all cast is marvelous and finally the Dragon is unique well made using the tools allowed that time...the atmosphere of fear is terrific,the final battle is great example to new ones!!fantastic fantasy!!!
The extras, supporting cast, costumes, sets and landscape look hand picked and right for the era they were portraying.The plot is so well thought out and imaginative in how it portrays and deals with the menace of the dragon as well as how it ties together commentary on class and socioeconomic issues and a coming of age awareness of its youthful hero.
A lot of people have written and gave admirable reviews on this movie; I wish to add something that only a small handful have mentioned.The modern CGI and other types of computerized special effects in use nowadays is in some cases exceptional, while in other (if not most) cases lacks the 'luster' and grace of ones from the pre-digital age; this is very true.
One of the earlier comment writer even made the comparison to the dragon of "Dragonheart" as a special effects flop over the compared to the one from "Dragonslayer".A short side note here: as most f the comments have suggested, the acting, plot, ironies, settings and sceneries, and of course the movie itself; all were superb.the movie was nominated for how many awards?
Peter MacNicol ("Ghostbusters II"; "Addams Family Values"; and, I guess, "Sophie's Choice") gives a fantastic performance as Galen, an ambitious and cocky apprentice to a sorcerer (the always-great Sir Ralph Richardson) who has been hired to slay Vermithrax, a brutal dragon.Great performances highlight this film from its other major stars, as well as a fantastically realized cache of creatures.
20+ years later, I still make time to watch it when it comes on TV.I would put this in a similar genre to Legend, with this movie being more about the magic and special effects than focusing on the love aspect as Legend did.
Good dark ages romantic fantasy tale of magic and dragons.
Well, the medieval setting, the wonderful sets and backgrounds, the locations where they filmed the movie, the dragon and the sorcerer - I could go on, but you should take a chance on this one.
"Dragonslayer" is a 1981 fairy tale film about dragons, magic and sorcery.
One is the slaying of the dragon and the other is the magic and sorcery itself - especially as practiced by Ulrich.Ralph Richardson plays the master wizard and his antics are the best part of the movie.
My six stars are for the superb special effects, design of the dragon, and Richardson's magic scenes.
No, in fact if it weren't for sorcerers there wouldn't be any dragons." I saw this movie in the theater as a kid and I've watched it a dozen times since on television.
The music by Alex North is enjoyable, the production design and cinematography are most atmospheric, and the special effects are, for the most part, pretty damn good, having been done in old school, practical fashion.Peter MacNicol, in his feature debut / first starring role, plays Galen, the apprentice to a sorcerer named Ulrich (the great Ralph Richardson).
You have to give credit to "Dragonslayer" for what it does right; the special effects are quite good, the principal characters are compelling and the story is never predictable.
The story follows Galen (Peter MacNicol) who has only limited magical skills, little confidence in himself and all-out hostility from King Even with the help of a young woman (Caitlin Clarke), there isn't much hope for the apprentice, particularly with magic clearly dying out in the world.I'm going to start with the positive aspects of the movie.
You would expect her character to be a typical damsel in distress considering the wizard combating the dragon that wants virgins thing, but she's actually a tough character that holds her own and in some ways is much more confident and stronger than our actual hero.I also have to give credit for the film's special effects, particularly whenever you get to see full shots of the dragon Vermithrax.
It is very good - especially the visual effects (amazing for the time era).The story is sorta reminiscent of "King Kong" or "Clash of the Titans" (among other films) in the way there is a beast of sorts after a helpless woman and a young dashing hero out to rescue her.
If you are into movies about dragons, wizards and heroes then give Dragonslayer a try.
Dragonslayer is probably the very best medival/dragon film of all time.
The story is great, the acting is, at least, very good, the costumes and sets are top-notch, the special effects are incredible and the animation of the dragon is second to none!
If you like Films with dragons , you will love Dragonslayer .
Also the music is a reason to watch Dragonslayer ( The great Alex North composed it ) .Even you NOW don`t believe in dragons , after you`ve seen this Film , you`ll do it .
I think Dragonslayer is the best Dragon - Film , which was ever made ..
Even if films like "Dragonheart" get amazing results using computer animations I have yet to see a dragon portrayed as well and as dramatically as the one in "Dragonslayer".
While special effects have come quite a ways since Dragonslayer, this dragon is just as well designed as any monster from a movie today.
Dragon movies are rare, which is why it is good to see a film like this every now and then.
When the King's daughter is picked for sacrifice, the monarch employs a sorcerer's apprentice, Peter MacNicol, to slay the dragon."Dragonslayer" takes the "Jaws" route by not fully showing the beast until well into the second hour of the film.
Mathew Robbins directed this fantasy adventure that stars Ralph Richardson as an aging wizard who, along with his young apprentice(played by Peter MacNicol) answer the plea of a besieged village which has been forced to sacrifice young virgin girls by lottery for many years to appease a dragon.
Granted it was rather dark at times and while there is a great fight between the hero and the dragon at a point in the film when he was trying to save that one girl who rigged the lottery so she would get chosen the ending fight was nonexistent.
Like I said the dragon looks rather good and the one scene of the apprentice going to the lair is good too, but to often the movie bogs down and feels sluggish.
Still, overall it was a somewhat good film that features a dragon so it was doomed to fail like so many other dragon movies..
Peter MacNicol stars in an early 80's film that drags on until the dragon is killed.
Anyone bored with modern CGI should check this out - I can't help but wish that ILM had gone back to these kind of effects for at least some of the special effects shots in the Star Wars prequels.Ultimately, Dragonslayer was a brave attempt to do a realistic fantasy movie, being set as it is in the real world and concentrating on character development for long periods of the film (the dragon hardly features in the first hour).
I must say that this time around I found the story more interesting and the effects hold amazingly well for a 26 year old movie. |
tt0098844 | Law & Order | Law & Order episodes are typically segmented into two parts, roughly at the halfway point; the first part follows police and detective work, and the second follows the legal and courtroom proceedings of the case. The show dwells little on the characters' back-stories or social lives, focusing mainly on their lives at work.For most of Law & Order's run, the cold open or lead-in of the show began with the discovery of a crime, usually a murder. The scene typically began with a slice of everyday life in New York City. Some civilians would then discover the crime victim, or sometimes the crime would occur in a public place and they would be a witnesses or a victim of a crime. The only exception to this are in the early seasons, mostly Seasons 1 & 2, the crime would usually be discovered by a pair of patrol officers or beat cops or in later seasons when the cold open was replaced with rapid cuts of the victim's final moments, similar to Law & Order: Criminal Intent.The police are represented in the show by the New York City Police Department 27th Precinct homicide department (in the show it is common that the detectives also investigate other cases, like kidnappings and rape, but in the real world these cases are handled by other units and divisions), with two homicide detectives, a senior detective (usually a veteran cop) and a junior detective (usually a young but capable detective), who report directly to their boss at their precinct either a Lieutenant or a Captain depending on rank of the Precinct Commander. During the preliminary crime scene examination, the featured detectives make their first observations and will come up with theories followed by a witticism or two, before the title sequence begins.The detectives often have few or no good cluesthey might not even know the victim's identityand must usually chase several dead ends before finding a likely suspect(s).They start their investigations at the crime scene by talking to any witnesses at the scene whilst the Crime Scene Unit (CSU) forensic technicians start processing the scene by collecting the necessary evidence. The CSU personnel have many tools at their disposal including the materials needed to develop fingerprints, cast footwear and tire impressions, follow the trajectory of bullets fired through windows and the chemicals necessary to observe blood under special lighting conditions that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye, all of which might provide clues to help the police later. The Medical examiner (M.E.)'s office will also be shown to collect the body from the crime scene.Later the medical examiner will perform an autopsy on the victim, offering more clues to the victim's cause and time of death (sometimes obtaining the victim's identity from dental records or fingerprints) which the detectives will read about in the M.E.'s autopsy report and by talking to the M.E. who performed it. When the detectives know the victim's identity they will inform their relatives or loved ones of their death and attempt to get more information on the victim's life and possible suspects.The detectives continue their investigation by interviewing witnesses and possible suspects, all the while tracing the victim's last known movements and victim's state of mind (by talking to the victim's family, friends and co-workers). Sometimes they will have someone they suspect of the crime and will trace their last known movements and state of mind by talking to the people in the suspect's life, until they are either ruled out or dead certain of their guilt. They also visit the crime laboratory to submit and view evidence (e.g. fingerprints, DNA and ballistics, etc.), they may also look into any background information such as financial details and criminal history on both the victim and lead suspect. In some instances, psychologists and/or psychiatrists are called in for insight into the criminal's behaviour or modus operandi. All the while, the detectives report to their commanding officer, keeping them informed and being advised on how best to proceed next.When the detectives are certain they have the right suspect(s), the police will take the case to their boss, who decides if there is enough for a search and/or arrest warrants (though sometimes the commanding officer will consult with the New York City District Attorney's office to see if the case is strong enough) and whether or not any back-up (such as uniformed officers or armed tactical team) is needed. The detectives will then arrest the suspects(s), with sometimes the police having to chase the accused through the streets of New York. The scene then shifts to the interrogation room where the detectives interrogate the suspect(s), until they ask for a lawyer, their defense attorney shows up and asks the suspect not to talk anymore or the Assistant District Attorney from the D.A.'s office decides they have enough to press charges.Towards the middle of a show, the police will begin to work with the prosecutors to make the arrest, though sometimes the Assistant District Attorney will appear earlier to arrange a plea-for-information deal or to decide if the detectives have enough evidence for search warrant(s) and/or arrest warrant(s) before arresting the suspect or suspects. An arraignment court scene will follow, in which the defendant(s) plead (usually not guilty) and bail conditions are set.The matter is then taken over by a pair of representatives from the New York County District Attorney's Office, an Executive District Attorney and an Assistant District Attorney. They discuss deals, prepare the witnesses and evidence, and conduct the People's case in the trial. The District Attorneys work together and with the Medical Examiner's office, the crime laboratory (including fingerprint analysts, DNA profilers and ballistics analysts), and psychologists and/or psychiatrists (if the defendant uses an insanity plea), all of whom may be needed to testify in court for the prosecution. The police may also reappear to testify in court or to arrest another suspect, but most investigation in the second segment is done by the D.A.'s office, in consultation with the District Attorney for advice on the case, as the D.A., being an elected official, sometimes brings political considerations to bear concerning decisions to prosecute various alleged offenders. If the case is very weak then the police would re-investigate.Unlike many other legal dramas (e.g. The Defenders, Matlock, Perry Mason and L.A. Law), the court proceedings are shown from the prosecution's point of view, with the regular characters trying to prove the defendant's guilt, not innocence. After the arraignment of defendants the D.A.s proceed to trial preparation, including legal research and plea negotiations. Some episodes include legal proceedings beyond the testimony of witnesses, including motion hearings, (often concerning admissibility of evidence); jury selection; and allocutions, usually as a result of plea bargains. Many episodes employ motions to suppress evidence as a plot device, and most of these end with evidence or statements being suppressed, often on a technicality. This usually begins with the service of the motion to the D.A. team, follows with argument and case citations of precedent before a judge in court, and concludes with visual reaction of the winning or losing attorney.Many episodes use outlandish defense scenarios such as Diminished responsibility (e.g. "Genetics"/"Television"/"God"/"the devil made me do it" and intoxication defence) and temporary insanity (e.g. "Black Rage"/"White Rage"/"Sports Rage"). Some episodes revolve around moral and ethical debates including the right to die (euthanasia), the right to life (abortion), and the right to bear arms (gun control). Episodes usually ends with the verdict being read by the jury foreperson and a shot of both the winning and losing parties. The scene then shifts to the District Attorney's office, where the team is leaving the office to go home while contemplating either the true guilt of the accused, the defense scenarios that were used, or the moral or ethical issue that was central to the episode. | murder | train | imdb | Dzundza left because he preferred to live and work where it was warmer and his character, (played by his stand-in), gets bumped off in the first episode of the second season.1991-92: Paul Sorvino plays his replacement, nice-guy Phil Cerretta.
The show actually began the next year with the same cast but Sorvino wanted to leave to become an opera singer so poor Phil got shot by a black-market arms dealer in November, 1992 and was replaced by the classic dog-faced flatfoot, Jerry Orbach as Lenny Briscoe.
She later told a newspaper reporter that she had "watched enough "Law and Order" episodes to know suspicious behavior when she sees it." She got out her camera-phone and starting taking photographs of the man and the license plate on the van.
Very simple at first, but it is the complex relationships between the regular cast, as well as the quirks of the guest stars, that make the show what it is.Like any long-running television series, Law & Order has had its ups and downs.
All good things must come to an end, even if many would prefer a bad Law & Order to a good Survivor.Aside from the cast dynamic, the stories are what makes the show truly work.
Although many of the stories are uniquely American in nature, a fair percentage are of the kind that could literally happen anywhere.Another aspect that sets Law & Order apart is its ability to show that even the simplest of cases do not always have a happy ending.
In recent years, L&O has lost some of the grittiness that made it so compelling, and I do miss actors such as Steven Hill, Michael Moriarty, Chris Noth, Jill Hennessy and now Orbach, but the show is still far superior to the majority of what passes for prime-time programming.
It has stayed at the top of the viewing public's taste because of the intelligent way it presents the criminal justice system and the issues of the day.The typical Law And Order episode will have a murders the cops will investigate and arrest their suspect and then the District Attorney will take over.
But not always, defense lawyers do win, it's why they command the fees they do and folks this is not Perry Mason.The show's concept has struck a resonating tone with the public, it has to be the concept because no other show in the history of television drama has undergone as many cast changes as Law And Order.
I have to hand it to you Americans - when it comes to decent TV shows, you have us Brits beaten, hands down; Sopranos, Six Feet Under and this, Law & Order.It's an excellent show which makes for firmly compulsive viewing, with great scripts and solid acting.
Even though recently new characters that have been coming into play (almost the entire cast has changed in just the last 3 seasons leaving Lt. Van Buren and new DA Jack McCoy as the only long standing characters with Detective Ed Green's sudden departure last season)the show is still going strong and is still interesting.
The second half focuses on trial of the suspect and thus the prosecutors, the D.A. himself/herself in small doses, and large doses of the executive and assistant D.A.'s.There have been almost thirty people play the six starring roles in this series over the years with probably the door revolving the most in the person of the assistant D.A., which is what you would expect in real life.
Special mention has to go to a few of the long-timers though - Sam Waterston first as executive D.A. and then D.A., as well as Jerry Orbach who played the role of Lennie Briscoe, the "old cop" from 1992-2004 and probably the most beloved character in the series' history.
I much prefer the other Law and Orders where the actors use more restraint.I've watched the original L&O for about 10 years.
Even if the feeling isn't always a politically correct one.McCoy,Briscoe,Logan,and Schiff will always be my favorites.Their comments were always the best and face it Briscoe and Schiff could be hilarious at times.Hopefully the writing will stay interesting and the characters rich.So far this show has managed to skirt being to redundant.Which is a big feat for a show that's been on 15 years.Here's to many more years of a great show.
Sam Waterston of the bushy eyebrows plays the heroic prosecutor, assisted by a rotating cast of severe young supermodels.When, in the mid 1990's, this show crossed-over with "Homicide: Life on the Street", its actors reported that they had a much better time on the lower-rated detective show.
"Law & Order" is entirely about the cases, rather than any of the individuals involved; "Homicide" was about the people and the effects of crime.So, what's the appeal of a show with no suspense, and no character development?
It's genius in it's simplicity (30 minutes with the detectives followed by 30 for the courtroom drama complete with a last minute twist), excellent in it's realism (even if it's shaded by Politically correct BS in later years as the stories it "ripped for the Headlines" always seem to change the skin-tone of the perp).
And even though most episode are interchangeable with any other given episode due to the episodic nature of the show, discernible only by who the Detectives happen to be that year, it's still makes for a highly compelling and engrossing, I still feel "Homicide" a show this one crossed over with a number of times, is the best detective show of the '90's, however that's more a personal preference as I prefer long, intricate story lines.
With that said this show is FAR from chopped liver and is endless much more intelligent than the dumbed down flashy CSI franchise.My Grade: A Season 1 DVD Extras: The Creation of Law & Orderder with Dick Wolf (14 minutes, 15 seconds); and a trailer for the L&O: Dead on the Money video gameSeason 2 DVD Extras: A 30 minute featurette that features interviews with cast members of the first & second seasons, plus Jerry OrbachSeason 3 DVD Extras: Deleted Scenes; a tribute to the gone before his time and dearly missed Jerry Orbach & Jerry Orbach profileSeason 14 DVD Extras: Profiles of Actors Jesse Martin and Fred Thompson, a set tour with Jerry Orbach; and Park Dietz interview.
Once upon a time, there was a great show called Law & Order that had a neat, fresh premise--show a murder case from the discovery of the crime all the way through to the end of the trial.
I just thought Jerry Orbach did a very good job of portraying him, he didn't always depict him as a tough guy, the audience could sometimes see a soft side to him.What I think the writers have a talent for is being inspired by real life cases that are shown on television and they have turned them into something totally different, there are times when I watch it and I remember hearing about the case but I find myself surprised at how the plot has gone in a completely different direction that I didn't predict.Another positive to the show is that you get 2 for the price of one.
Meaning the programme doesn't just focus on police investigating the crime scene or lawyers prosecuting the cases, you get to see how the two sides work in their own ways to convict the guilty and you see how both sides have problems in their investigations and use their police knowledge or the law to trap the guilty people.The actors and writing just make this programme a joy to watch and it is never predictable and has many twists and turns which adds to the edge of the seat tension and you get caught up in a piece of fiction, hoping that the person who has committed the crime won't get away with it..
I wish I could rate each season individually, as "Law & Order" began as a 10 star television series in 1990, but gradually deteriorated into virtually unwatchable by the time it left the air.This series, created and produced by Dick Wolf, took the formula first appearing in the 1963 series "Arrest & Trial" and honed it to perfection.The original cast was wonderful.
Only with Sam Waterston's emergence in season five would Dick Wolf again find a character that would benefit the series for the better.Sadly, it was in season four that NBC, in their infinite wisdom, decided to stick their fingers into the formula and start "Law & Order" on its slow but steady decline.
She was replaced after two seasons by Fred Thompson, whose character was an obnoxious blow-hard, just as the actor playing him.Lennie Briscoe's (Jerry Orbach's) sidekick changed a couple of times over the years as well.
The series was finally killed after 20 years, but should have been put out of its misery about 5 years earlier."Law and Order" will still go down in television history as one of the greatest dramas of all time.
But sadly, like series such as "The Andy Griffith Show" (which went three seasons too long), it too will be remembered as a series that would have been more of a classic if it had quit while it was ahead.I thoroughly recommend catching "Law & Order" in reruns if you did not see it during its original run.
For years he was one of my favorite actors, until I saw him on "Law & Order" where he at times seems more ruthless and cold-hearted then some of the criminals he is prosecuting!
To make matters even worse: by the end of this episode in question it turned out that the death was the tragic story of two mentally ill people where *he* had assisted in her suicide out of his love for her, so Waterston's character dramatically changed his view and let the guy of with 6 years in a mental institution.
A good start!"Law & Order" deserves credit for being the show that seemed to turn the tides in TV drama, putting the realism back into TV entertainment, a turn for the better that would eventually result in great productions like "Homicide", "The Third Watch" and "The Shield", but as far as "Law & Order" is concerned: it has outstayed it's welcome..
And I suppose plenty of you people do just that.I remember reading another review of this show where someone said: "as any attorney would tell you, this is as realistic as t.v. gets".Which is funny, because I was on a jury at a real criminal trial a couple years back, where in one of the depositions for the DA, the DA said, and I quote, "I usually can't watch shows like those, because things just never happens like that.".
Over the numerous episodes I have seen, only a handful make the audience fail to question where they stand on harsh issues like abortion, the death penalty, and insanity pleas.Choose any given season and you can have a retired nun accidentally killing a child in a botched exorcism, a liberal politician attempting to cover up his indiscretions, an AIDs-infected teenage boy deliberately passing on the illness to as many girls as he can, and a suburban housewife going homicidal on a complete stranger.
"Law & Order" premiered in 1990 as the anti-"LA Law." It follows one case per episode from the streets through the courts, without getting into the characters' personal lives.It was never the highest rated series, and it doesn't bag 10 Emmies every year, but it is currently the longest drama on TV (now in its 13th season).
But if you're looking for great writing, acting, and in-depth drama aimed at grownups, "Law & Order" is on NBC Wednesdays at 10, and nightly on TNT..
Law and Order deserves the praise it has received, but every time I watch it, I'm disturbed by the negative way in which the defense is presented.
After watching this episode of Law & Order SVU, I didn't like this idea of young Teenagers getting Pregnant either.
Like most fans I have watched all the episodes of LAW AND ORDER.
After similar efforts have passed into the cloud of mediocrity, Law and Order will remain the award winning series that lives on as an acclaimed example of the very finest dramas television has ever offered..
I must admit, I haven't seen the show recently - it's drowned out by the platoon of CSI shows here in Belgium - but when I lived in Canada, it was regular evening fare.A thoughtful, well-paced show that takes a crime from inception to denouement, be it good, bad, or somewhere in-between (those are the shows I usually like the best), that gives you a fly-on-the-wall look at the some of the decisions that have to be made by the people involved.
He admitted to things under duress and was never allowed an attorney before questioning, the same way you hear the police on "Law and Order" act like they are angry when a suspect "lawyers up" and act as if it is a bad or wrong thing.
Law & Order like other shows have the run it's course at least 8 years ago.
Both, original Law and Order and SVU are for me the most consistent on quality level...of course it all has to do with pretty similar set up in every episode in terms of plot construction but still - you can watch 200- 300 episodes without feeling that show drop on quality level too much.
("Perry Mason" is the all-time classic of that genre.) "Law & Order" is unique in that it traces a criminal case (usually a homicide) from the police investigation all the way to the courtroom.But more than just the basic premise, L&O is a consistently intelligent, fast-paced, thought-provoking hourly series, packed with seemingly authentic detail and snappy dialogue.
"Law & Order" (as envisioned by creator Dick Wolf) is one of the best cop shows I have ever seen.
I've been hooked on the dynamic characters and ripped-from-the-headlines plots for almost five years now, and every episode is pure delight.Ever since I first saw the original "Law & Order" during the summer of 2001 on A&E (it has since moved over to TNT), I have realized I am watching one of the greatest hours in entertainment.
The second half of the program, "Order" - is dedicated to the judicial process - as the lawyers attempt to prosecute the defendants (you can pick Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, Sam Waterston, Angie Harmon, Elisabeth Rohm, Annie Parisse and their superiors Steven Hill, Dianne Wiest, Fred Dalton Thompson).Each plot is varied, deep, and involving.
Suffice it is to say, there were a lot of different Detectives and A.D.A.'s in and out during the course of the series run, which continues as this is being written!But it was also style and quality of writing and formatting that makes LAW & ORDER so watchable, habitual even.
Whereas other series,e.g.HOMICIDE:LIFE ON THE STREET(1993-99)is more character driven, LAW & ORDER relies more on story.
Hey I was just looking on the page for The Sopranos and I realized that just about every single actor and actress that's on The Sopranos has been in a Law & Order episode.Michael Imperioli's going to star in the next season.
In the ten years or so that LAW & ORDER has been running, it has remained focused on the crimes being solved, and never succumbed to the temptation to go off on soap operatic side trips about the sordid details of the characters' personal lives..
When L&O tries to break new ground, it goes into ridiculous territory, like tonight's episode about breaking international laws to pursecute a murder suspect.Now, the show was great when Chris Noth and Michael Moriarty were the stars.
Chris Noth in the earlier episodes alongside Paul Sorvino and later the late Jerry Orbach (he was and will always be Law & Order) was pretty good.
Years from now I'm sure there will be a show about this decade on VH1 like what has been done with the '70s, '80s, and '90s called "I Love the '00s" and the "Law & Order" franchise will definitely be mentioned.
If something came up that completely ended the "Law & Order" franchise today, it wouldn't matter because years from now the reruns would be playing on TV and more and more generations would definitely be interested in it.
"Order" is a leisurely paced series, wrapped in Mike Post's now classic score and punctuated by a simple 2-chime sound effect that will probably be an instinctive signature of the series long after it is off the air - if that ever happens.In the first half we have the criminal investigation, with our two detectives (of an oscillating cast, with Jerry Orbach, the perfect rugged, smart-alec New York cop, as the standout) on the case.
"Law & Order" doesn't have the time to build even its main characters.
There have been a lot of strong performances during this show's run,with--and these are standout performances IMO--Jerry Orbach,Chris Noth,Paul Sorvino,Jesse L.Martin and S.Epatha Merkersson doing the police work,and Michael Moriarty,Sam Waterston,Jill Hennessey,Elisabth Rohm,Steven Hill and Fred Dalton Thompson adjudicating the cases.If you haven't caught any of these shows,you either don't watch much NBC or you don't get basic cable,and my suggestion is that if you appreciate good,dry-bones topical drama television,you should give this one a try..
As a student of Criminal Justice, I have run into more police professionals who believe that "Law and Order" is the best crime drama both in production and (in many cases) ever made.
I began watching "Law & Order" about three years ago, long after the series had been established as a success.
I have watched no other television program as avidly as this one."Law & Order" is perhaps the finest of the television crime dramas. |
tt3882082 | The Boy | In the opening scene, we see Greta Evans (Lauren Cohan) riding in a limousine. The path leading to the house is secluded, with forest all around. The limousine driver knocks on the window, and she wakes with a start as she has fallen asleep during the drive. Greta gets out of the limousine and looks at the manor in awe. The limousine driver tells Greta he has already taken her things inside for her since she was asleep. He asks her to go inside and wait in the parlor before he gets in the limousine and drives off.Greta goes into the house and is about to go in before she figures she should take off her shoes. She sets them by the door and calls out. No one is in the parlor and no comes to greet her, but she hears a rustling upstairs so she decides to check it out. She hesitantly goes up the staircase a bit and calls out again. Along the stairs is a huge painted family portrait of the Heelshires. It's clear they are a very regal family.Hearing nothing, she moves on to a room filled with old-fashioned toys. She picks one up and laughs a bit before being completely startled by a noise behind her. It's Malcolm (Rupert Evans), standing at the doorway. Hes the grocery boy that comes weekly to bring produce for the Heelshires. They introduce each other, and he asks to have her help in packing the groceries away. They chat, and he's obviously already smitten by Greta, but she remains polite. We find out that Greta is an American, who has moved to the UK for the first time to work for the Heelshires.He tells her his grandma reads tea leaves, and his mother reads palms. When she asks what he reads, he replies "with gum." Playing along, she gives him the gum she's been chewing on. He makes a cliché reading that doesn't impress her very much. He tries again with a second, saying that she is running from a bad past. This evidently hits close to home, as Greta instantly shutters. He tries to play it off, but Greta pushes past it and asks Malcolm what the Heelshires are like, as no one have made an appearance yet.He says they are nice enough and very generous. He starts to say something about Brahms, but he is stopped by the arriving of Mrs. Heelshire (Diana Hardcastle). She doesn't look kindly upon Greta and instantly notices her sock-clad feet. Greta says she left her shoes by the front and not wanting to displease Mrs. Heelshire, runs to get them.However, her shoes are gone. Mrs. Heelshire waves it off, saying Brahms likes to play. She asks Greta to put other shoes on, and they will meet the rest of the family. On the way, Mrs. Heelshire says she hopes that Greta works out because they have tried with other nannies in the past. She notes that Greta is much younger and prettier than the others, so hopefully Brahms will take a liking to her. Before arriving at the parlor, they can hear Mr. Heelshire talking softly to Brahms, telling him to behave. When Mr. Heelshire stands up, Greta sees that Brahms is just a life-like porcelain doll.They introduce her to Brahms, and she just stares disbelievingly at the doll before laughing, thinking its a joke. However, her amusement dies off upon the very serious looks of Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire. Malcolm, however, steps in and tells the Heelshires that their food is packed, and he will be back next week. He steps past Greta, and takes Brahmss doll hand and shakes it, telling him that he will see Brahms next week. Upon the interaction, Mrs. Heelshire smiles dotingly. Malcolm leaves, but not before shooting Greta a look that says just play along.Greta takes the dolls arm and says with a forced smile that she hopes they can be friends.Mrs. Heelshire shows Greta around the kitchen, saying that they never dispose of leftovers. They have a special area that they put in, some sort of portable fridge container off to the side. Mr. Heelshire takes her outside and tells her about the traps around they have to trap vermin. He doesn't think its necessary but tells her Mrs. Heelshire is worried about rats in the walls. He also mentions all the windows are painted shut, as in accidentally (but it doesn't sound like it). At the end of the walk, Mr. Heelshire has a very serious moment with Greta and tells her things are not always what they appear to the outside (or something like that). Its supposed to reassure her.In the study, Mrs. Heelshire says that music very important to Brahms. During all this, she holds and coddles the doll, which is off-putting to Greta. Mrs. Heelshire puts the needle on the record, and extremely loud operatic music plays. In the bedroom, Mrs. Heelshire tells her that Greta is to wake Brahms up at 7 am every day and to change him. She wants Greta to do it, but her movements are clumsy on account that its a doll.The family puts Brahms to bed. While Greta watches from the doorway, the Heelshires pray. Mrs. Heelshire turns to Greta and asks for privacy. Mr. Heelshire shuts the door on her. She can hear hushed talking from the two for a minute before the door abruptly opens. Mrs. Heelshire tells her with a tremulous smile, Brahms has chosen you.In her room, Greta talks to Sandy (a close friend or sister) from home. She explains the extremely creepy situation to her. Sandy agrees that it is weird but tells her to stick with it because Greta needs this second chance. This segues into Sandy saying that Cole stopped by her house again, demanding where Greta is. Greta panics a little but Sandy told her she didn't tell him anything. Obviously, someone from Greta's bad past.The next day, the Mr. Heelshire explains he and his wife are going away on a mini-vacation that they have wanted to go on for awhile, but couldn't since there wasn't a caregiver for Brahms. They tell Greta "it is very important that you follow these rules". They give Greta a printed schedule of activities to do throughout the day with Brahms, as well as the list of the rules.Some of them are:No guests (no boyfriends).
Don't cover his face.
Save meals in freezer.
Dress him each morning.
Never go in the attic.
Help with studies.
Never cover his face.
Read a bedtime story.
Play music loud.
Never leave him alone.
Clean the traps.
Don't forget to feed him.
Kiss goodnight.Before they go, Mrs. Heelshire hugs Greta and tears up, strangely whispering to her, "I'm sorry." As soon as they leave, Greta puts Brahms on a chair and apologizes before tossing a blanket over him.There is not much to do in the house, so Greta makes herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and pours some wine. She throws the food waste in the trash. She settles in the parlor to read some magazines. It starts pouring rain outside. She walks past the covered doll a few times when she refills her drink. She heads upstairs to go to bed and glances down the hall where the doll is, but this time, the blanket is off the doll. She's a bit unnerved and, annoyed at her reaction, roughly puts the doll in the bedroom and locks it.Greta goes to bed but wakes upon hearing what sounds like a child wailing. She takes a candle and goes downstairs to check it out. On the way, she stops to look at the portrait and focuses on Brahms's painted human face. She leans in close when an arm shoots out and reels her in.Greta wakes up in a sweat. It was just a nightmare. She hears the muted wailing noise again. She peers in the Brahms bedroom, and the doll is how she left it. She leans in close and sees the dolls cheek is wet, like tear tracks. Greta is officially freaked but notices water dripping on it from a ceiling leak. She laughs it off.She notices an attic in the ceiling when she goes out in the hallway and tries to open it with a large fire poker thing leaning against the wall but is unable to get the latch to come down. There's a knock on the door, and she leaves it be.It's Malcolm, apologizing and also bringing Greta's first week of pay in an envelope. She tells him she wishes he had warned her about the doll, but he tells her he doesn't even know how to explain it. They take a walk outside around the manor and Malcolm brings her to the actual Brahms' grave. He lived from 1983 to 1991. Malcolm says not much is known, but Brahms passed away during a fire on his 8th birthday. Soon after, the doll showed up, and Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire have been taking care of the doll this whole time. Greta feels immediate sympathy and notes that Brahms would be Malcolm's age had he lived. She says she can't believe that Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire have been living like this for 20 years. During all this, we get the impression that someone is watching them from the house.Malcolm invites her out of the house tonight to get away from the oppressive manor. Greta is unsure, stating she just got out of a thing (Cole), but Malcolm talks her into it. She agrees and they part ways to meet up later.Later, Greta starts to get ready picking out clothing while talking to Sandy. Sandy is happy she's moving on and tells her she needs this (opportunity). Greta mentions the doll's backstory and Sandy tells her again that she needs the money, which is really generous. Sandy reminders Greta that one week's pay is more than what Sandy makes in a week. Sandy also mentions Cole again and how persistent he is being. Sandy reveals that Cole asked Sandy's 10-year-old son where Greta is so he can write and apologize, and her kid told Cole where Greta is in the UK. Sandy apologizes, but Greta assures her she will not read anything from Cole. In Brahmss room, we are focused on his porcelain face, and we realize he can hear everything as there is a system set up where the sound is amplified in his room so the doll can hear EVERYTHING.Greta is starting to get excited about going out. She sets a coral dress aside in the bathroom along with her necklace before stepping into the shower. As she showers, something removes the dress and pulls the necklace away. Greta gets out, wraps a towel around herself and looks in the mirror. She notices that one end of her hair is a little shorn. Before she can freak out about it too much, she sees that her things are gone. She rushes into her bedroom to see all her drawers opened and all her clothes gone. She hears something and spins around. The attic is open, and the stairs are down. She takes the fire poker thing resting on the side and goes up, clutching her towel. As soon as she makes it past, the ladder lurches up and the attic slams shut. She is unable to open it.She hears Malcolm's car pulling up and tries to get his attention. However, she is so far up he cannot hear her. She tries to make noise by banging the iron poker against the walls, but its far too muted for him to hear. She can barely see him through the thick wooden boards (remember every window is pretty covered up or shut). She keeps trying until he leaves. Dejectedly, she looks around a little in the dark before a figure pops up at her. She is so startled she falls back and knocks herself out. In the morning, Greta wakes. She goes around and sees that the figure that startled her was just a suit that is hanging against the wall. She also sees that the ladder is down and the door open.She calls Malcolm over to comb over the house. He looks at the attic stairs, and he barely touches it before it snaps upward and closes. He figures that's how she got trapped up there. They spend some time together and play some pool. They go to the study to talk where she asks more about what Brahms was like. Malcolm isn't entirely comfortable and tells Greta that there is people talk and pub talk and that the truth is somewhere in between.The people version is that Brahms was a very nice lad. The pub version is that Brahms was very, very off. Malcolm tells Greta about how one time he came over, it was actually Brahmss birthday. Mrs. Heelshire was opening presents with the Brahms doll while Mr. Heelshire was in the study, drinking heavily. Malcolm was heading to leave when Mr. Heelshire begs company with Malcolm. Mr. Heelshire was muttering about how he cant go on like this anymore (the doll thing). Malcolm took the opportunity to ask what Brahms, the actual Brahms, was like and Mr. Heelshire just replied with, odd.Malcolm wants her to leave again, but Greta assures him she is ok. He leaves for the night, and she heads to bed. She calls Sandy again and leaves a message for her to send more magazines or anything over as there's no internet, or TV or barely anything electronic in the manor. She hangs up, and the phone rings again immediately. Thinking it's Sandy calling back, she picks up instantly but just hears breathing. She hangs up, unnerved.The next day she goes through the motions and notices the doll in bed where she has left it all that time. The list of things that she's supposed to do daily with Brahms lays nearby. The phone suddenly rings outside, and when she answers it, she hears the same breathing. This time, there's a small tinny voice, like a child, calling her name and asking her to play. She starts crying and screaming, asking who this is! She hears footsteps and runs to her room and locks it. From the bottom of the floor, we see the porcelain feet walking across. Greta watches hysterically as she hears Brahms, asking her to come out. She sees something being placed down and after a while goes outside and sees it is a tray with a PB+J sandwich. She picks its up and starts laughing/crying hysterically. She looks across the Brahms' open room, where the doll now sits on a bed, facing her. She goes to the door and stares at it, and then looks at the list, now knowing what Brahms wants.Over the next couple of days, she takes care of Brahms. She talks to him and makes food for him (throwing it as instructed in the container). She plays his music and pretty much follows the list.We cut to the Heelshires on their trip. Mrs. Heelshire is writing a note to Brahms, apologizing for them leaving him. At the bottom of the letter, it says the girl is yours now. They head to a coastline, picking up rocks and putting it in their pockets. They walk, hand-in-hand, drowning themselves.One day, Malcolm comes over earlier than usual to deliver the food to check up on her. He notices the doll sitting at the table with them. He asks her out again and Greta glances over at the doll, thinking she better not. Malcolm takes it in stride and takes Brahms' hand and asks to take Greta out, also playing Brahms' approval in reply. Greta just looks and is not comfortable. She then starts to tell him that Brahms is HERE here. Malcolm doesn't believe her, and she takes him upstairs.Apparently, Greta has been experimenting. She places the doll in a sitting position on the ground in Brahms' room. She takes some chalk and erases her previous lines. She draws a rough outline around the doll. They head back to her room, and Malcolm still thinks its crazy. She says she got the idea from when he mentioned how Brahms in real life was extremely shy. So the doll will only move behind closed doors or out of sight. They wait a few beats. Greta knocks on the wall, and they go back to Brahms' room. The doll is exactly as she left it. Malcolm tells her its okay; he believes her.Greta wants to try one more time. She hugs the doll and tells him that she needs Malcolm to see it, so she will not be alone. She also says that she would have to go if he doesn't move and that she needs Brahms to do this for her. They go back to her room, and when they head back, the doll is gone. Malcolm is shocked.Greta is ecstatic that someone else is experiencing this and that she's not crazy. She hugs him elatedly, and they almost have a moment when she spots Brahms creepily staring at them from behind the door. She picks Brahms up and praises him for a job well down.Greta and Malcolm walk outside the grounds and have a talk. They figure it must be a spirit in the doll. Malcolm is still a bit creeped, but Greta mentions that she understands the Heelshires more. She explains her past and her long relationship with Cole, who was sometimes abusive. She became pregnant but lost her baby when Cole got violent with her. So she can relate to the Heelshires because they lost a baby too. Malcolm comforts her, and they kiss. They go back inside to her room. Someone is watching from the keyhole. They start to undress when they hear the loud opera music, interrupting them.They go downstairs and find the doll in the study. Greta figures he is not happy and puts him back to bed. Malcolm is unnerved. He talks to Greta about something 20 years ago that he held back because he didn't want to scare her. There was a girl that would play with Brahms every week. On the day of his death, the girl went missing while they were playing. Afterward, the house burned up, and Brahms died. They later found the girl's body in the woods, her skull completely crushed in. Malcolm isn't completely sure if the doll is holding a good guy ghost spirit. Greta knows Brahms wouldn't hurt her. She asks Malcolm go home for now (remember the No Guest rule?). While Greta puts Brahms to bed, she whispers, "You wouldn't hurt me, would you Brahms?"The next morning, Greta is making breakfast when she hears the billiard balls clacking from the study. She picks up Brahms and heads over, thinking its Malcolm. Its Cole! Greta tells him he shouldn't be here. He chides that he just wants to say hi to the kid. Greta clutches Brahms to her protectively, and Cole realizes its a doll and laughs. Greta admits that they pay her to take care of a doll. She makes dinner and seats Brahms with them. Cole talks about how he found her a job back home. He keeps trailing off by the doll's stare on him.Malcolm comes by, and he and Cole have a mini-standoff. Malcolm peels her away by asking her to look at the groceries. They talk about Cole, who should not stay here, as he will hurt her. Greta denies either would happen and tells him she will take care of it. Malcolm gives a curt goodbye to Cole and leaves. He doesn't leave, but parks outside a ways and keeps watch.Greta brings blankets and pillows for him which Cole takes to mean he won't be sleeping in her bed. Before she leaves, Cole holds her painfully and tells her hes not letting her go again. He expects her packed by the morning and that they are leaving. Greta tears up and leaves.Greta puts Brahms to bed, hugging him. She whispers tearfully that she needs his help before she goes to bed and falls asleep. Cole wakes in the middle of the night to blood dripping on his head. He wakes up and yells for Greta. She comes downstairs and sees a bunch of the rat carcasses from the traps and a bloody message written on the walls above that says 'Get Out'.Cole thinks Greta did it, which she vehemently denies it. They then spot the doll in the corner, and she runs to him, saying "Brahms! What did you do?!"Cole is angry and grabs the doll. Greta backtracks and now tries to tell Cole it was her that did it. Cole seems to believe the doll had something to do with it, especially because hes been creeped out by it from the start. Malcolm hears the commotion and runs in to see what is going on. He sees Cole waving the doll around. Greta is frantic, and they both try to grab the doll away from Cole.Cole eventually smashes the doll into the ground on purpose, shattering it into pieces. Immediately, the walls start shaking and the house starts "groaning". All three of them begin to panic. Malcolm wants to leave, but Cole shushes him. Cole puts his ear against a mirror on the wall, following the noise as it quiets.Suddenly, the mirror shatters and something bursts from the walls. It is a huge figure with a porcelain mask over his face. The figure immediately goes for knocked down Cole. Malcolm and Greta try to stop it, but the figure knocks them both aside and stabs Cole in the neck with a shard from the broken doll. Greta tries to get Malcolm back up, and the figure starts to go after them.Greta and Malcolm head to the front door, which is blocked off by the figure. He is finding quicker routes to possible escape routes. They run upstairs to hide in her room, locking the door. The figure stands at the doorway. Greta finds a panel in the wall, and they both go through a pathway in the walls. Greta finds some stairs that lead up and into some small room beside the attic. It is OLD and has a fridge and very rough living accommodations. There's a patchwork, lifesize figure on the bed which is a fabric doll wearing Greta's missing coral dress, along with her jewelry and the head has her shorn locks attached to it.We now realize the truth, which is that Brahms never died. He's psychotic (probably since even before murdering the girl). He has been living in the walls for 20 years, and Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire has been enabling everything in order to keep their son. They used to interact with him through the doll.Greta finds the letter written by Mrs. Heelshire and realizes that they were leaving her to take care of him forever. She is hysterical, realizing the adult Brahms was watching her every movement while Malcolm keeps trying to find another path out. He finds one, and has Greta go through first while Brahms bursts through. There's a part where they have crawled through, but there's a hatch that leads outside! Brahms follows through, holding a bigger shard in his hand and Malcolm tells Greta to move on. Greta doesn't want to leave him, but he runs at Brahms to hold him off. Brahms is huge and overpowers Malcolm. He smashes his fist in Malcolm's head, and Malcolm is knocked out. Brahms heads towards Greta, telling her in a small child voice for her to stay. She finally gets it open and leaps through. Brahms can't catch up due to the part where he has to crawl and screams after her that if she doesn't stay he will finish off Malcolm and kill him like he did everyone else!Greta runs and makes it towards the gates before she stops and turns back. She is facing her abuser, and she wants to save Malcolm. She heads to the door and pockets a long letter opener she finds. She goes towards Cole's dead body where Brahms is standing. The mask completely covers his face except his eyes and large tufts of facial hair is visible around it.Greta tells Brahms she told him she would come back and she would never leave, so she is keeping her promise. Brahms reaches for her and Greta stops him still when she uses her nanny voice, telling Brahms its time for bed. It triggers something in him, and he follows obediently. She puts him in bed, and he whispers, Kiss but she retreats, saying "no kiss" as his punishment. She pulls away, and he grabs her and says kiss again, a bit more forcibly. She haltingly presses her lips to the porcelain mask and Brahms starts to pull her closer. She takes the letter opener and stabs Brahms in the stomach. He recoils and throws her off him on the wall. He immediately starts to strangle her and Greta almost passes out, but she manages to grip the letter opener and push it in more. Brahms collapses, and Greta runs past him to the hidden pathways to see if Malcolm is okay. Part of Brahms mask is shattered, and we see the burned skin underneath.Malcolm is alive and wakes with some large contusions on his face. She gets him out of there, and they drive off from Heelshire manor.The final shot cuts to someone painstakingly piecing the doll back together. Brahms is still alive, presumably. He then looks into the camera, whole - as if none of this ever happened.The End | murder, flashback | train | imdb | Most horrors are standard genre films that rely on cinema clichés to frighten us and audiences have become immune to plots with spooky dolls, isolated nannies and scary mansions.
Poor Brahms becomes the unwanted child in some high-tension scenes but predictably the doll gets its revenge.Although not a great fan of horrors, this one kept me engaged until the final quarter where a tired old stock-standard formula is used to tie the narrative ends together.
I give it an 9 stars because the end kind of sets it up for a sequel, but hey, the rest of "The Boy" is beautifully stylized and paced similar to the spooky, suspenseful and disturbing '60's British made thrillers like Betty Davis' "The Nanny"and Debra Kerr's "The Innocents" only with an added surprise ending and faster pace.From the trailer this movie is not what you think it is and not one of your run of the mill "Child's Play" Chucky doll revenge type '80's flicks.
I sort of knew this going in just from the fact smart actors such as Lauren Cohan rarely make bad decisions on movie choices such as this and by god she makes it all believable just as she does in "Walking Dead".This is a very maturely written, photographed and acted movie reminding me of a really good Twilight Zone episode that gradually unfolds revealing the layers of mystery in this case on the reasons for why an elderly couple would be caring for a life size boy doll which is disturbing on its own right from the get go.There'll be more questions than answers as the movie progresses where the end will allow the viewer to fill in the blanks with an implied causality from connecting the dots looking back which is the best way to write a movie and view it.
But you'll soon find out that insanity is only one possible explanation for the unusual behavior of various characters and the many strange happenings throughout this very entertaining film.Greta Evans (Lauren Cohan) is a young Montana woman (around 30) who is restarting her life.
This film skillfully blends some elements of earlier horror movies like "The Shining" (1980), "Child's Play" (1988) and "The Others" (2001), but has a fresh and even more modern feel to it.
so obviously a great concept that feels like it's been tampered with by studio committees and producer interference to dumb it down to certain level that can only be described as "lowest common denominator." At times I could even swear that the film feels like it was the product of two or three different scripts that were haphazardly mushed together in a last- ditch effort to try and make it more of a broadly-appealing (aka "generic") thriller than a unique spine- tingler.The film follows Greta (the adorable Lauren Cohan), an American woman who has been hired to act as nanny for a prim and proper older couple's child overseas in the UK.
But when she begins to stray and ignore the rules set for her, strange things begin to happen, and it becomes all too clear that the doll might just be more "real" and "alive" than she could have imagined.The film works for the most part mainly due to the charm of the two lead cast-members, and for the well-executed visual storytelling.Cohan is a lot of fun as our lead, and she's a great choice for the role of Greta...
Even though I never heard of anyone who acted in this film, I think they did an amazing job delivering, and making the movie more intense and entertaining.
I watch a lot of horrors, I've rated about 800 so far (and probably seen about 300 more at the very least).And although this is not one of the better horrors I've seen I'd say it's still definitely above average.It's a mystery so I can't really talk too much about the movie without hinting at spoilers and such so I'll keep that to a minimum.It's basically a creepy doll movie but not overly silly made like for instance 'DEAD SILENCE (2007)' or a slasher-doll movie like the Chucky- movies it takes it's time to develop and keeps the mystery going for quite some time, which makes it feel a bit like a psychological thriller and keeps us wondering what's going on and what's next.Lauren Cohan who plays Maggie in the TV-series 'The Walking Dead' handles the lead well, and the cinematography is stunning.So yeah if you're looking for a new horror movie to watch this is a valid choice..
The Boy (2016) had a simple thriller vibe going on, it wasn't great but it wasn't bad either then all of a sudden they through in the "let's hurry and destroy a movie" vibe and well the end.If you watch The Boy (2016), watch your clock and once it hits 1 hour turn the film off to leave with a feeling that you watched something fairly done, the ending made us wish we'd never have watch it..
I will begin by saying this movie set a high standard for horror films for the year 2016, truly a thought provoking film which keeps the viewer hooked on the screen from start to finish.The trailer basically outlines the plot of the movie, in which an American women gets a job at babysitting a boy, with a desirable pay as well, however she is shocked to see that the boy is a doll and the parents of the boy have every reason to believe that the boy is alive and as seen in the trailer a chore list is made for the nanny and is strictly ordered to follow the rules, but like any other sane person would do she ignores the list and that's when the plot really starts to get interesting.Not to spoil the movie but the plot twist towards the end is probably in my opinion the high point of the film in which the viewers' jaws drop.over all an excellent movie, with great character development, great acting, clever cinematography and stays away from the common horror cliché's, truly a film worth watching alone or with a friend.I rate it 7.5.
For me, The Boy is a perfect example, so I'll make sure to separate my personal opinions from what I perceive to be the makings of a fine Horror film.I've always been a big fan of the Supernatural sub-genre, with a special liking to films portraying evil dolls (films like Dead Silence or Annabelle, NOT Chucky).
Even still the ending is exciting and surprising but very short lived.Over all "The Boy" is a lackluster movie sure to NOT BE the next classic horror film of this century..
Cohan performance is uneven, the first hour is tortuous and tense and fails her fully know what happens , unfortunately like all horror movies today , the real excitement starts in the last half hour where the film takes a turn I look that even innovative and irreproachable, also feels like a disappointment..
I do not want to spend much time giving this sad excuse for a movie a review however, I would like to encourage anyone thinking of seeing this "horror /thriller" to reconsider.
No Confidence in the "Real Life" Scenes, that should be a Clue.Because the Film is as Lifeless as "Brahms" the Porcelain "Boy" with the Actors showing about as much Expression and Concern to what is Happening with Blank Looks and barely a Raised Eyebrow with the Dialog mostly in Monotone with Mid-Range Volume Throughout.The Movie Plays Out from Here to There but is Hardly Playful.
The film stars Lauren Cohan and Rupert Evans.Plot: Greta is a young American woman who takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village, only to discover that the family's 8-year-old is a life-sized doll that the parents care for just like a real boy, as a way to cope with the death of their actual son 20 years prior.
After violating a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring Greta's worst nightmare to life, leading her to believe that the doll is actually alive.Plus Points: 1)Plot: Movie's plot has enough potential to scare audience.A plot which involves dolls are regular but babysitting a doll is awesome.Trailer of the movie itself raises expectations.2)Acting: Acting by actors is decent without flaws.Minus Points: 1)Climax: Climax of the movie is not at all satisfying.It got a twist but bit forced.2)Screenplay: Screenplay is not interesting but has few scary scenes.Movie does not satisfy our urge for horror.So The Boy is horror movie with great plot but average execution6/10.
I went to see a horror movie but instead feel like I watched a drama or thriller that contained little to no real suspense.
Instead of taking care of a real child she is paid to look after a life-like doll and pretty soon she begins to think that it's actually alive.I must admit that I'm a little surprised that THE BOY has gotten so many positive reviews because I found it to be rather lame in most spots.
I think there's a great movie here but sadly it is buried behind a bunch of cheap and rather annoying jump scares that are never actually scary.There are moments in the film where it actually works and this is when there's more of a psychological nature where we really don't know if the doll is alive or if perhaps the nanny is just losing her mind.
The Boy is a story about an American babysitter who takes a job in England for an old couple with a son who turns out to actually be a doll.
As strange things begin to happen in the house our heroine, played by Lauren Cohan, starts to believe that the doll may have a life of its own.The film attempts to create an atmosphere of suspense but frankly I found it far more funny than scary.
It stars Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, and James Russell.An American nanny is shocked that her new English family's boy is actually a life-sized doll.
After violating a list of strict rules, disturbing events make her believe that the doll is really alive.I truly loved The Boy. This was one of the funniest and most original movies I have ever seen.
The Boy is a combination of all those variants, and even though the quality of the mixture occasionally fluctuates, I found it entertaining thanks to William Brent Bell's efficient direction and the competent performances from the whole cast, starting by Lauren Cohan in the leading role; her character isn't very well written, and she's assigned a turbulent past which will unavoidably come back in order to terrify her in the most absurd way.
Regarding the "horror", The Boy achieves good moments of tension, but the final twist is too predictable, something which decreases the impact of the whole story.
But if it's the other way around, don't waste your 90 minutes to watch this movie unless if it's for that hottie woman in The Walking Dead.The first 10 minutes was pretty engaging but nevertheless, it just went down the hill just until the climax scene appeared.The final scene came back with a good plot twist.
Usually, this kind of a movie is predictable and the story begins or let's say first third of the film, I though I knew what was going to happen next and it kinda did, but I could not really imagine the end of the film , so when the twist occurred, I was surprised positively.The whole boy/doll thing was interesting and kinda creepy.
Even though there are some scares and some killings, they are 'less horror and bloody' than million others in dramas and thrillers.Although the twist towards the end is a big plus, as I did not see it coming, the very end of the film is kinda a bit of a let down as I expected that the boy story be explained...
The Boy is a film directed by William brent bell and it is a decent horror film that has a lot of nerving mystery to it.An American nanny {Lauren Cohn} comes to an old home in England to care for a 8 year old boy who turns out to be a life-sized doll, When she breaks several of the rules given to her horrific things begin to happen.The direction by William brent bell is done well and he brings a lot of tension and mystery to the film, Lauren Cohn and Rupert Evans deliver decent performances, The great thing about this film is it is more heavy on mystery than mindless jump scares and gory violence.Overall the boy is much better than I thought it was going to be and it proves that decent horror films can still be made.
& Mrs. Heelshire, to take care of their child, while they are on holiday, at their isolated English mansion; but the premise of William Brent Bell's (The Devil Inside, Stay Alive) new horror film, The Boy, is not entirely that straightforward.
However, my buzz deflated a few scenes into The Boy due to its lack of suspense, leaving us nothing to anticipate, instead we watch a catalogue of second-hand genre banality.Greta originally does not treat Brahms like a human-being.
The movie was not awful like other early year horror movie, and makes some good and some bad choices in its direction and storytelling.On the positive side, there is a creepy enough atmosphere in the movie and it does succeed to create genuine suspense.
If you read a few of the other IMDb reviews you may be confused about whether this film is a quality production, let alone if it is a "good" horror movie.
"The boy" is a thriller-horror movie about an American nanny who has to take care of doll whose owner treats it like their son and claims that it is really alive.Well, idea of movie was a little different but there was something missing in screenplay.Maybe it was horror content as there were not many frightening scenes.There's a nice twist in the end of the movie but even it was also not able to save movie completely because I have seen that in another movie also whose name I can't reveal.I feel that story and screenplay could have been better.But in spite of all these limitations,The Boy is nice movie but don't watch it with higher expectations(especially as a horror movie).Overall I give it 7/10..
Now, I do watch and like "The Walking Dead" quite a lot, but I just wasn't particularly thrilled that it was Lauren Cohan that was in the lead role, because she is not a particularly good actress in my opinion."The Boy" sure did have a good story, right up until the reveal of what is really going on.
The idea of a posh and bratty English lad reincarnated in a large porcelain doll is unsettling, and director William Brent Bell mounts the atmosphere and tension quite professionally, through a steadily slow pacing, good use of the old house filming location, hinting at the tragic events that overcame the real boy Brahms and the wise decision never to animate the doll or make it move individually.
The Boy is a thriller-horror movie that was released in 2015; a young American nanny travels to England to escape her past and babysit a young couple's son whilst they go on holiday - only for the son to be a doll.
Continuing on from the usual paranormal activity, that isn't really original in the doll horror genre, everything gets turned on it's head when the plot is twisted, and the film becomes even more terrifying, just for the more realist aspect of it.
Although I have no idea how she kept her cool, having to act most of the scenes with a doll - I would have been in hysterics most of filming.The Boy was absolutely chilling, and I would recommend this to any horror lover..
oh boy, this movie totally changed my opinion on horror films.
The Boy (2016)I've done watching it.It's story about Greta Evans (Lauren Cohan) are paid to babysitting a doll named as Brahms.While she alone in the house with Brahms,she found something is wrong with Brahms.Nice thriller movie with some good jump scare.I thought the movie is just like another doll movie such Annabelle.But this movie is more than you expected.Lauren Cohan did it!
Very good film, recommended for anyone It keeps the suspense from beginning to end Great performance by Lauren Cohan.
over all an excellent movie, with great character development, great acting, clever cinematography and stays away from the common horror cliché's, truly a film worth watching alone or with friends.
The way the movie turned out ( the twist) was exactly how horror's from 2000 to maybe 2005 were like which was never my kind of taste (not going to give it away).
You may not like it but it's there to hit you when you least expect it
For the different story and the least expected twist ever this is quite good.And I must say this is creepy little film where I found myself living in the scary home with the lead character.
Rated 7/10 for a good typical spooky doll thriller, with great acting throughout- however I didn't find this film scary which was slightly disappointing as I expected more jumpy scenes.
Throughout the film you will make see 3 jump scares at best, so do not watch this movie for the horror of it, there is none.
She is surprised that the child she is to take care of is not a real child but a doll, named Brahms.The Boy really for the most part is a wonderful treat for those who like spooky goings on but don't like psychological horrors where half of the film is just about investigating the past.
For me it was just entertaining but I never had the horror feeling like I have whilst watching other movies in this genre. |
tt0896534 | Deadgirl | Rickie and J.T. are two high school seniors who gaze at the girls they wish they could get, especially Joann, the object of Rickie's affection, whom he has known since he was a child. One day, they decide to cut class and end up in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. They discover a mute, naked woman in the basement, chained to a table. While J.T. is interested in raping her, Rickie refuses and leaves. J.T. confronts Rickie the next day, and the two return to the basement where J.T. reveals that the woman is undead, which he discovered after attempting to kill her three times.
Rickie finds that J.T. invited their friend Wheeler to rape the woman, nicknamed "Deadgirl", as well, and decides that it is time to free her. He is able to cut the chain on one hand free before he hears J.T. and Wheeler approaching. He runs to hide, and J.T. begins to rape the woman. After he notices that her hand is free, the woman attacks him and scratches his face.
During gym class one day, Rickie asks Joann out on a date, knowing she has a boyfriend. She rejects him, and that afternoon, Joann's boyfriend Johnny and Johnny's friend Dwyer beat up Rickie and Wheeler. Wheeler rebuts that they "have their own pussy now" and don't need to hit on Joann. Johnny throws Rickie and Wheeler in his trunk, and he and Dwyer drive to the asylum to see Deadgirl. Rickie convinces Johnny to force Deadgirl to perform oral sex on him, and Deadgirl instead bites Johnny's penis, infecting him. The next day, Johnny races to the bathroom during class and his intestines burst out of his body, leaving him in the same undead state as Deadgirl.
Having figured out that this is an infectious, rotting disease, J.T. and Wheeler decide it is time to make a new Deadgirl with a fresh body. They lie in wait outside a gas station for a female victim. After an unsuccessful kidnapping and recovering from their beating, Joann shows up to confront them about Johnny. J.T. and Wheeler capture her and take her to the basement. Rickie heads to the basement with a machete to free Deadgirl and finds Joann and Deadgirl tied up to each other, encircled by J.T. and Wheeler. J.T. tries to convince Rickie to let Joann be bitten while Wheeler starts to feel up Joann. Rickie defends her by slicing Wheeler's hand off while Joann unties Deadgirl who feasts on Wheeler, then J.T.
Rickie and Joann flee through a stairwell door but cannot escape through the locked exterior entrance at the top of the stairs. Rickie runs off to find an escape route, and when he returns, Joann is not where he left her. Rickie returns to the basement and finds Deadgirl, who is about to attack him. She runs into him, knocking him down, breaks open the door and escapes to the outside. Rickie then sees Joann, who is about to collapse. He catches Joann as she falls, then sees that J.T. has stabbed her in the back. J.T. urges Rickie to let him bite her so she will live as undead. Rickie holds her for a moment, assuring her that he loves her and will save her. She coughs blood into his face, tells him to grow up, and asks for help. Later, a cleanly dressed Rickie lives normally as he walks outside in the direction of the asylum. There, in the basement, surrounded by soft lights, tied lying in bed wearing clean lingerie, is his Deadgirl, Joann. | cult, boring | train | wikipedia | And so is Deadgirl.Basically what you've got here is the story of two disaffected teenage boys who come across a (sort of) dead girl in an abandoned hospital.
Two teenagers JT and Rickie skip school and decide to go to an abandoned mental asylum.They horse around for a while destroying property before exploring the basement.In the cellar our heroes find a girl chained to a table with a plastic bag over her head.They touch her and it is revealed that she is alive.JT decides that they should keep her and use her as a sex slave.The problem is that the woman can't be killed and she is the living dead.First of all I really enjoyed "Deadgirl".The film is quite controversial when it comes to its dark necrophiliac subject matter.There are some moments of gore and violence and seriously twisted climax.The moral ambivalence of the film is actually the most disturbing thing about it.The main performances of Shiloh Fernandez and Noah Segan are very strong and my highest respect goes to Jenny Spain,who spends nearly every scene she is in naked and tormented.Fans of extreme cinema will no doubt enjoy "Deadgirl".7 out of 10..
Unlike typical "horror girls," she evolves into the most profoundly disturbing idea that contemporary horror has given us: a fever dream of narcissistic-sexual pathology, trauma-based-attachment-porn made flesh.Also, the context of the story, an abandoned asylum is rendered abstractly enough that one may read it equally as a metaphor than as simply a place in the real world; an image of the rotting mind where deviance waits - normally it's just a spooky old building when used in horror.The characters enter such a bottomless pit in terms of real human behavior that whether intentional or not, a sense of allegory provides grounding for the audience.
She's undead.Soon, she becomes a sex tool for J.T and his high school friends.The conflict between the two life-long friends simmers the entire movie until it boils over in the end as we reflect on just what it means to be human.Lots and lots of blood and zombie action, not so much sex.
Let me start - Two guys that look like they are pushing 30 are high school students walking through steam tunnels of what one would assume a college, turns out they stumble on a naked zombie girl that wont die.
If you want to see a great and disturbing fun movie watch Bad Taste or Dead alive by Peter Jackson.
While partying in / trashing an old abandoned asylum, two high schoolers (Rickie and JT - Shiloh and Noah) discover something sealed away in the basement: a naked woman strapped to a table who is alive but appears to be brain dead.
It starts out well with good intentions but around half an hour into the movie it just turns into a 'rape-fest' nothing but a movie about teenagers having sex with a dead girl which is the most disturbing movie I have ever seen (and I've seen a few disturbing movies)I don't see how anyone could enjoy such a movie.
The writing may have been a little better to explain some of the pre and post story, but hey, how plausible are 99% of other horror films anyway.Bottom line, if you can stomach it after the first 15 minutes, then this is well worth the time to watch if you are into real horror.
A movie that essentially gives you all the depravity you need to believe the story, but then does not follow through by rewarding your patience and iron-stomach.The film is just not powerful enough to be really art and ends up just being a disturbing visual that leaves you really really wishing for more and then just being upset that the writers just dropped the ball so bad.The film fails hard enough that the ride of the disturbing situations and having to think that any man would do the things in this movie is just not worth it.
The writers do no reward the audience with any substance and spend far too much time on the horrible situation without writing anything in that could say anything other than "man can be horribly, unbelievably evil".I do NOT recommend you watch this movie at all, no matter what you think you're going to get from this, you just won't.
the fact that people view this film and don't feel disturbed by the scenes of teenage boys repeatedly raping a dead girl (because dead girls can't have thoughts or feelings-- objectification anyone?) chained to a bed is sickening to me.
I think the acting was pretty decent for an indie and the whole build up was quite captivating in a sick and twisted kind of way and the film will definitely stay in your mind for a while because of its shocking nature.
It has a lot of things going for it like suspense, twisted humor, some chilling scenes and intriguing ideas but the strong lack of explanation to make any sense of the situation made me disappointed and was a pointless horror lesson in desperation and the dark flaws people can have if placed in that situation.
Initially wearing its indie/art-house origins on its sleeve and getting off to a slightly slow start, DEADGIRL is the story of two high school-age friends, Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez) and JT (Noah Segan), both awkward losers, who, while ditching school, go to the local long-abandoned mental institution to drink warm beers and commit vandalism, and in its deepest tunnels they discover a beautiful naked woman (Jenny Spain), covered in plastic and chained to a medical gurney.
Once the dead girl is no longer a commodity known solely to the two friends, things escalate into incredibly warped territory and offers up what may be the most disturbing coming of age story yet committed to celluloid.Despite its obvious horrific elements, DEADGIRL is at its heart a realistic drama about the fears and disillusionment of adolescence, to say nothing of shedding light on the darker aspects of the young male psyche and how it can run rampant without supervision or guidance, providing a telling allegory about how some young men are raised to view and treat women.
It's all about the having of power or the complete lack thereof, and believe me when I say that it rings all too true.Sick, dark, twisted, and highly morally questionable though it may be, DEADGIRL is an excellent piece of not-afraid-to-go-there cinema, and comes from out of nowhere to stand right next to the original DAWN OF THE DEAD as my favorite zombie movie.
For a horror movie, "Deadgirl" is a rather tame experience, but the story might just actually make it worth a watch, if you haven't already seen it.
In a parallel universe, where a vacationing John Hughes (the definitive chronicler of '80s youth who needs no introduction) happened upon the set of Pier Paolo Pasolini's legendary endurance test "Salo: or the 120 Days of Sodom," the director of such light-yet-crushingly-truthful fare as "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club" might have steered his sensibilities toward a script like "Deadgirl." Many of the core Hughes facets remain intact in this tale of two high-school buddies (Shiloh Fernandez and Noah Segan): one seeking the company of a long-lost crush; the other looking to get laid, and both paradoxically fascinated and repulsed by notions of their own sexuality.
The script, by Troma veteran Trent Haaga, is brutally frank and unapologetically profane when it comes to teenage male notions of the opposite sex and all that women entail; when our duo, in the midst of trashing an abandoned mental hospital, stumble upon a nude woman chained to rusted basement piping, their sexual awakening becomes a descent into almost unbearable horror.
(Don't get me wrong, this film HAS blood, sex, and violence, but it's really pretty peripheral to the story.) Just before watching "deadgirl" (yes, that's how it's spelled in the end credits) I watched "End Of The Line." After the stupidity of EOTL, it was actually refreshing to watch an interesting and fairly well-made horror movie.Recommended for those who like horror that's a bit out of the ordinary, but not because of excessive gore..
The main reason is that it is good and bad at the same time: some scenes and ideas are great and others are just stupid - and as a result we have an interesting but greatly unbalanced movie.The movie itself is something between zombie horror and psychological drama.
"Deadgirl" is a brave and extremely sickening tale about two boys, one of whom looks like Robert Pattinson (steady girls) who find a zombie woman in the bowels of an abandoned mental asylum.
Some people have criticised the film over the fact that it just so happens that five high school boys all are rapists, but you'll have to gloss over that fact to watch the film.Just because there isn't much action or gore, don't be lulled in thinking that this film isn't a horror movie.
The film's violence is frequent and brutal, its sexuality (which is based in the idea of zombies as sex slaves) is graphic, repulsive, and omnipresent, and its characters are recognizably real and brilliantly acted.The film begins with the discovery by two social outcast teenage boys of a naked girl who is chained to a table in the basement of an abandoned hospital for the mentally ill.
Watch for the scene in which two middle class jock bullies encounter JT and his zombie sex slave in the abandoned hospital basement; they've beaten up plenty of people in their time, but both of them, even armed with a baseball bat, are scared to death of JT.
I watched it without really knowing anything about it barring a (very) short synopsis on the Horror channel, and it did take me by surprise, I must admit, in a good way though.The film begins by following two rebellious (and incredibly annoying) high school lads, who opt to skip class one day to go and hang out in a disused asylum, getting drunk, smashing things up, and the like.
The acting by and large is good (big hand must go to Jenny Spain, the titular Deadgirl, who spends virtually the entire film being naked and brutalised in some form or another), there are not too many moments of graphic gore but what is there is done well, and the both suggested and visual sexual scenes are quite shocking.
Aldo, you have the second of our duo who is repulsed by what he is seeing, but he doesn't actually do anything about it, short of limply trashing his room in one scene, or constantly going back to the basement to talk to his clearly deranged friend, whereas one call to the police would have solved everyone's problems.That said, I did enjoy the film overall for its originality and its thought provoking nature.
JT quickly becomes obsessed with the dead girl and when other people are brought into it, things take a turn for the worse.A uniquely twisted coming of age story that takes the concept of zombies and the taboo topic of necrophilia to whole new levels, while managing to touch upon numerous underlying topics.
However - delivering more than just a gore-porn horror flick, Deadgirl stuns me as a powerful and disturbing examination of the human psyche.The film revolves around several high school students who found a zombie-like girl and decided to use her to quench their sexual urges.
So, after reading some reviews I gave it a try and I was totally blown away, not because of the horror, but because of its deep and disturbing content.Deadgirl tells the story of two teenage misfits, Rickie (Fernandez) and J.T.
We all know that many zombie films have explicit gore, and Deadgirl is no exception, but in this movie they only show glimpse of gore that only last seconds, but are enough to stay in your mind for days.Final thoughts Deadgirl is new, original, dark and disturbing, but even with that it's not a movie for everyone.
This film reminded me of a movie called "The Girl Next Door" which is based on the true story of Sylvia Likens, where teenage boys abused, raped, and torture her leading to her death.
Just when you thought there was no originality left in cinema, along comes Deadgirl - a film that takes influence from the zombie genre, and manages to craft something new and totally disturbing out of it.
The pair begins to argue and after Rickie leaves, JT decides to act out his sick desires on the seemingly lifeless girl.It has to be said that Deadgirl is not a film for the weak stomached as the main themes of the story are completely sick and twisted, and the film has the ability to keep on shocking the further it gets into the horrific plot.
but what does happen is still seriously twisted and sees JT pimping out his zombie sex slave to stoner pal Wheeler (Eric Podnar), convincing jock bullies Johnny (Andrew DiPalma) and Dwyer (Nolan Gerard Funk) to double-team the dead girl, and ultimately help his best bud to realise his dreams and finally get together with first love Joann (the gorgeous Candice Accola).Of course, Deadgirl requires suspension of disbelief above and beyond that of simply accepting the notion of a living dead woman: the viewer is also expected to believe that virtually all teenage boys would jump at the opportunity to gang-bang a zombie 'babe', despite the obvious health risks and the sticky issue of sloppy seconds, thirds, fourths etc..
Lovely!If you're bored of zombie films offering the same-old siege set-up and want to see the subject treated in a refreshingly different manner, or you simply want to watch teenage perverts boffing a stiff, I highly recommend Deadgirl—it's dead good!.
Anyways this movie is about 2 boys finding a zombie girl in a mental hospital and one of them have big ambitions with the dead girl and want to use it as a sex slave.
Luckily, 'Dead Girl' was actually a real surprise.The film centers around a group of high school stoners (Ricki, JT and 'Wheeler') who skip school to get drunk in an abandoned mental hospital and come across a girl in the basement who is chained to a table.
The horror movie; 'Deadgirl' is a highly provocative and disturbing film about two teenagers who find a girl chained up in the basement of an abandoned asylum.
I can't exactly say that I liked the movie, but I was disturbed by It, and I think that is the intention of the people who made the film.
There's something wrong with this woman, so wrong that you might not even consider her a human (and I don't think you're Intended to) but this discovery reveals a terrifying nature about J.T., and some of the other high school students that will leave Rickie and you shaking.The set up is an original take on a zombie film, setting the dead girl more as a victim than a threat and setting up a conflict that both the characters and the audiences will have to confront: just because it looks and used to be human
does that mean that it is one?
J.T tells Rickie the next day when they return to the basement where J.T. reveals that the woman is already dead.I did not like the first half of this movie at all, it just went on far too long for me but the second half of the movie got a little more interesting and little bit more gory (which I really liked)I could not help but laugh at Toilet scene (3x lol ) for some reason I found that scene really funny I did not care about of the people in this movie at all, I wish all of them were killed.The ending of movie as they try to make you feel sorry for them as I hated almost everyone in the movie that sad ending did not work for me at all!5 out of 10 (This movie was recommend to me 12 times!
I bought this movie from my cable TV company, it didn't give too much info about the story line other than it was a zombie found in a building by two teenage boys.I like horrors but I see them as fantasy so they doesn't disturb me.
To get into this movie you have to believe:1)that there are NO authoritative figures ANYWHERE 2)when presented with a dead{zombie} girl, the first instinct is sex 3)everyone has the IQ of peanut butter 4)"saving" somebody in the most complicated way is heroic 5)watching as someone is raped/beaten/shot/stabbed while doing nothing is heroic 6)that anyone can seriously get it up for this zombie, especially at the drop of a hat {and commonly in front of each other} 7)morality doesn't exist 8)that people just turn into monsters for NO reason, at allDid i mention they don't even bother to explain anything?
Horror films, at their best, provide some fun scares, and a chilling moment or two, but bottom line: "It's a zombie girl getting raped for two hours." So if that sounds like a fun time for you, have at it.
A very interesting premise whose potential unfortunately meant nothing to the imbeciles who wrote and directed this.The idea of a dead/undead zombie-like woman (not girl) being found in a run-down abandoned old building could have been turned into an excellent horror film.
Last night I watched what on the front end looked like a perfectly good horror movie.
Overall, this is a movie that's only classed as horror for the kind-of dead/zombie girl.
Why then did we need a film where guys think it's OK to rape a zombie woman?
I love a good horror flick with dead people chasing you and some bloody gore (you know entertainment) but this was a filthy, gross movie (Luckily I only watched part of it).
And story ends in the manner that now good guy made his crush, a dead-girl, as his sex slave.It's not worth watching this movie. |
tt0010323 | Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari | As Francis (Friedrich Feher) sits on a bench with an older man who complains that spirits have driven him away from his family and home, a dazed woman named Jane (Lil Dagover) passes them. Francis explains she is his "fiancée" and that they have suffered a great ordeal. Most of the rest of the film is a flashback of Francis's story, which takes place in Holstenwall, a shadowy village of twisted buildings and spiraling streets. Francis and his friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski), who are good-naturedly competing for Jane's affections, plan to visit the town fair. Meanwhile, a mysterious man named Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) seeks a permit from the rude town clerk to present a spectacle at the fair, which features a somnambulist named Cesare (Conrad Veidt). The clerk mocks and berates Dr. Caligari, but ultimately approves the permit. That night, the clerk is found stabbed to death in his bed.
The next morning, Francis and Alan visit Dr. Caligari's spectacle, where he opens a coffin-like box to reveal the sleeping Cesare. Upon Dr. Caligari's orders, Cesare awakens and answers questions from the audience. Despite Francis's protests, Alan asks, "How long will I live?" To Alan's horror, Cesare answers, "Until dawn." Later that night, a figure breaks into Alan's home and stabs him to death in his bed. A grief-stricken Francis investigates Alan's murder with help from Jane and her father, Dr. Olsen (Rudolf Lettinger), who obtains police authorization to investigate the somnambulist. That night, the police apprehend a criminal in possession of a knife (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) who is caught attempting to murder an elderly woman. When questioned by Francis and Dr. Olson, the criminal confesses he tried to kill the elderly woman, but denies any part in the two previous deaths; he was merely taking advantage of the situation to divert blame onto the real murderer.
At night, Francis spies on Dr. Caligari and observes what appears to be Cesare sleeping in his box. However, the real Cesare sneaks into Jane's home as she sleeps. He raises a knife to stab her, but instead abducts her after a struggle, dragging her through the window onto the street. Chased by an angry mob, Cesare eventually drops Jane and flees; he soon collapses and dies. Francis also confirms that the caught criminal has been locked away and could not have been the attacker. Francis and the police investigate Dr. Caligari's sideshow and realize that the 'Cesare' sleeping in the box is only a dummy. Dr. Caligari escapes in the confusion. Francis follows and sees Caligari go through the entrance of an insane asylum.
Upon further investigation, Francis is shocked to learn that Dr. Caligari is the asylum's director. With help from the asylum staff, Francis studies the director's records and diary while the director is sleeping. The writings reveal his obsession with the story of an 18th-century mystic named Caligari, who used a somnambulist named Cesare to commit murders in northern Italian towns. The director, attempting to understand the earlier Caligari, experiments on a somnambulist admitted to the asylum, who becomes his Cesare. The director screams, "I must become Caligari!" Francis and the doctors call the police to Dr. Caligari's office, where they show him Cesare's corpse. Dr. Caligari then attacks one of the staff. He is subdued, restrained in a straitjacket, and becomes an inmate in his own asylum.
The narrative returns to the present, where Francis concludes his story. In a twist ending, Francis is revealed to actually be an asylum inmate. Jane and Cesare are patients as well; Jane believes she is a queen, while Cesare is not a somnambulist but alive, quiet, and, apparently, not dangerous. The man Francis imagines to be "Dr. Caligari" is in fact the asylum director. Francis attacks him and is restrained in a straitjacket, then placed in the same cell where Dr. Caligari was confined in Francis's story. The director announces that now that he understands Francis's delusion, he is confident he can cure him. | avant garde, gothic, murder, psychological, violence, flashback, good versus evil, insanity, psychedelic | train | wikipedia | Remembered mainly for its stunning sets, which featured crooked buildings and twisted landscapes, "Cabinet" also boasts one of the first attempts at a twist ending, something quite new and shocking for its time.Told mainly from the point of view of Francis, a young man who lives in the small village of Holstenwall, Germany, "Cabinet" tells the tale of murder and madness which seems to accompany the arrival of a carnival.
Francis and his best friend Alan go to the carnival and are presented with the sideshow attraction Cesare the Somnambulist, a gaunt and hideous young man who spends his life sleeping in a coffin-like cabinet and seems able to predict the future when awake.
The camera, stationary as in most early features, uses the mise-en-scene effectively, letting us identify with characters such as Francis and Jane, and disjointing us from Caligari, and the Criminal.The use of lines and stripes, not only in the sets but in small places like in the good doctor's hair and on his gloves, adds to the telling of the character.
The photography is beautiful and so crisp that it creates an eerie sense that this hellish scene is actually the real world, and that our everyday lives are the delusional Technicolor dream of a madman.While there are many better movies made in this period, I feel that this one is the pinnacle of the imagery that is characteristic of the expressionist art form.
Using violent contrasts of light and shadow, surreal settings and distorted camera angles to represent madness, chaos and psychosis, its influence is still seen even today in the likes of John Carpenter and the emerging actor and director Stephen Armourae, who has been also influenced by the film in his artwork and as the composer Stephen Armourae-Perry.
Right from the very opening scene, seemingly suspended in an otherworldly dimension, maybe somewhere in between life and death, in which the first line spoken is: "There are spirits everywhere", you realise you are in for a spooky ride (this is the ultimate Halloween movie, come to think of it!) Having studied theatre set and costume design at Rome's art school for a year before going to university, I was obviously completely fascinated by the set design choices here.
I am 23 years old and am rapidly becoming extremely bored with modern Hollywood.I am not a film student, I only came across this because I was going through the top 250 on here and was amazed at the year of this one, so I picked up the DVD.I would love a time machine to see something like this being made.It transcends time, and one could argue it has been "borrowed" from throughout this past century.Well worth a few slow moments, the plot style is years ahead of its time.
I'm sorry if this makes me sound ignorant, but today it plays rather slow-paced and un-scary, even compared to some of the other greats of Weimar cinema (such as "Nosferatu").Not a bad film by any means (I would recommend it), but "Caligari" seems more something of historical value and academic study to me..
Francis (Friedrich Feher) tells the story of Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss), who hosts a sideshow exhibit at a local carnival featuring Cesare (Conrad Veidt), a somnambulist who has been asleep for 23 years.
One of the great displays of German Expressionism, I especially felt the score (though added years later) was quite moody, bringing out all of the emotions one should experience in a film like this.
The result is a unique look that has the paranoid essence of nightmare, and the story links with the visuals to remarkable effect.A carnival has come to a small German town, and among its attractions is Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) and "sonambulist" Cesare (Conrad Veidt).
Because this somewhat weird, German-Expressionist film (with its original colour tinting) is now 94 years old, I really did try to be lenient and cut it some slack with my overall rating of it.But, with that said, I'm sorry to have to tell you ('cause I'm not going to lie), the best that I could ever possibly give as a score for this silent-era freak-show would only be a measly 3 stars, and that's all.
But of course the main reason that this and a handful of other early expressionist works from Germany continues to hold a tight grip over cineasts worldwide is that it's distinct style makes for a fascinating watch.Here the expressionist style is taken to extremes, and most of this early horror movie plays against a background of twisted and tortured buildings and labyrinthlike streets.
billed as "the first true horror film" by critic Roger Ebert, Das Cabinet is the first in the list of horror and Halloween-themed films i've watched this October to make me dread my own mortality, for the prospect that i might never view it again the settings are mesmerising and create the sense that you're looking at a feature-film-length stop motion Expressionist painting.
if i'd known nothing about it and you'd presented it to me as early Tim Burton, whose stylised settings and character designs bear strong resemblance to German Expressionist cinema of the 1920s, i'd have believed you and credited it as by far his best work inspired by the screenwriters' experiences during World War I and subsequent mistrust of authority, with Dr. Caligari representing, in the words of Hans Janowitz, 'the authoritative power of an inhuman state gone mad', the story is compelling even without the political subtext: a psychiatrist obsessed with an 18th century Italian mystic (Caligari) tries to emulate him by using a pathological sleepwalker to terrorise a German town i highly recommend the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung's 4K restoration with hypnotic musical accompaniment by composer John Zorn that's sure to leave a lasting impression pairs well with Gorilla Glue #4.
Despite the imitations, and despite (or in spite) or those who would dare to be inspired by the work (Tim Burton springs to mind without a flinch), it stands tall as a mammoth work - surprising since it's only 70 minutes long - by creating its own view of humanity and the world, of the way a civilization and houses and roads and places can or should or would ever look, and giving its own characters a mood of dread and the Gothic.
In fact, it's hard to tell which actor gives off the more horrifying aura: the scientist (Krauss, with a great crazy head of hair and catalog of evil facial expressions) or Veidt's cool demeanor.Another scene I should mention, which is simply one of the greatest scenes ever filmed and should be seen by anyone with a pulse: it's when Cesare, after seeing Jane Olsen come into the doctor's place to try to find her father and the two make bizarre eye contact, drifts into her bedroom at night.
I would watch this scene over and over, though it's not the only one that would continually fascinate.Cabinet of Dr. Caligari doesn't carry the same weight of its director's name as Murnau or Lang in German cinema (sadly, Wiene made only a handful of other films seen outside of his native country), but with one film and its standing in the expressionist movement (or, I would also add, surrealist to the degree of its importance in dream/nightmare cinema) it's just as important, and potent today.
This wonderfully radical German Expressionist work from director Robert Wiene is unusually wordy for a silent film but then it has quite an intricate plot with a surprise ending.
Which might be why this film is remembered as both an important milestone in the development of both art house fair and escapist entertainment pieces: its relevance as the first German expressionist film and its intellectual depth are well known but equally important is its role as a pioneer horror film; bringing all the Gothic shadows, psychological terror, and even giving birth to the famous "twist" ending.
In addition there are several special features of high quality, including an additional score, an image gallery, two featurettes detailing the before mentioned film restoration, and an excellent German documentary of the history of expressionism and how Germany went from the seat of modern art and culture to the tyranny of Hitler and how Caligari more or less predicted this would happen.
Well, just have a look at Cesare (Conrad Veidt) how he do his performance and go compare it with Peter Murphy.Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari is out there and from now on full uncut, restored and full of extra's on the Masters Of Cinema series, the best you can get for those old classics and a classic it is...Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 5/5 Story 5/5 Comedy 0/5.
From films of its day all the way to Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas", the German expressionist art movement put to film creates a strong impression in the stark black and white.The sets are what really make this film.
A German Expressionist classic with warped sets, lots of shadows, and heavy makeup, this is one of the first modern horror films.It is also one of the first serious films with a "twist" ending.
When a completely new killer is caught red-handed, it seems like everybody wants to get into the act
"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is one of the most outstanding film productions of the silent era.
The perverse geometry of the expressionist age kicked into full swing here and would only survive for a decade or more and in the work of many an ace film-maker (like fellow German Fritz Lang, who could carry the form to new heights of symbolism): Tim Burton owes his crazy Gothic style to Caligari's demented visuals.What distinguishes this film from those that emulated it is that not only was it the first to explore a new visual style, it also did so in a way relevant to its plot (one must see the film to fully appreciate this).A pioneering work, from an age where just about anything was possible in cinema..
Born in the middle of the difficulties of post-WWI Germany, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" was part of an artistic movement known as "German expressionism", where highly symbolic and surrealistic imagery was used to create a highly theatrical and experimental form of film-making.
The challenge of low-budgets and the poverty of the studios ended up creating a visually arresting experience that became the trademark of films like "Der Golem", "Nosferatu", and specially, this now legendary movie.It all begins as a young man named Francis (Friedrich Feher) begins to tell what he claims to be, is the strange experience he has ever lived.
As probably the most representative of the "German Expressionism" movement, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" presents us a shockingly different interpretation of the world with its irregularly distorted set design and the highly artistic use of light and shadows, creating for the first a time a movie that defies reality by becoming probably the closest one can be to watching a moving painting.
While the credit for this brilliant display of creativity is almost never given to director Robert Wiene (due mostly to his irregular career), he makes an truly efficient job directing this movie, as if he was destined to do it.The brainchild of Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, the nightmarish tale of Dr. Caligari is still one of the most inventive and influential story of mystery ever put on film.
While the visuals are often the first thing that one notices in "Caligari", the screenplay is as influential (maybe even more) as the design, as the way the story is built (as a flashback), the thrilling climax and the even more surprising conclusion of the tale are now often imitated classics plot devices in suspense films.
Francis' story of madness and horror revolves not only around the mystery of Caligari's actions, but also around the suspense of who will be the next victim of the unknown serial killer."The Cabinet" is really one of the best acted silent films ever made, with an effective cast that makes a considerably subtler performance than what was the norm in the highly theatrical days of silent movies.
In fact, Wiene's bash has gone as far as it's often said that Wiene added the first and last scenes in order to please the government when in fact that addition was suggested by Lang himself.Probably nobody will ever know how exactly Robert Wiene achieved this marvelous movie, but what is know is that "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" went on to became the most important achievement of the "German Expressionism" movement and a movie that even now continues inspiring and influencing artists across the world.
Think that this was before the concept of travelling was even developed.Concerning the plot, yet it's true that it isn't really the great thing and that many people now a days find it boring, I got to enjoy it, further than its aesthetical function (I even got to laugh in a couple of scenes), and I highly recommend it, as a good old piece of art from which many of today's film makers may take some good lessons on how to approach movies.
Well, I was right, CABINET is not as good as any of those, but is still a very well-made film and is as stunning as it was in 1920.A man sitting in a park tells the story of Dr. Caligari and how he visited a small German village with the fair and terrorized the citizens of the city by sending out his somnambulist, Cesare, to kill people.
one of the greatest films featuring german expressionism, this film mixes a psychological theme with strange surrealist settings, an idea that has been copyed ever since.the lack of sound no way interfered with the story and it almost seemed impossible to not look at the set and it's edgey unproportioned and warped edges.a great psychological thriller from the past in a time when this kind of stuff was amazing and awe inspiring..
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari seems to have set the standard for how a horror film should look and feel.
The uses of colors, framing, lighting, makeup, shadows, are all perfectly executed in order to give life to a nightmarish atmosphere.It is also important to note that it has the honor to be the film that founded the German Expressionist Movement, which would give us other treasures such as Nosferatu, The Hands Of Orlac, and Metropolis.Superb are also the performances, especially Conrad Veidt as Cesare and Werner Krauss as his master the doctor, who are already very creepy not only by their physical appearance, but also because they imbue an aura of mystery.And last but not least, the final plot twist (being also the pioneer film in using this device) encourages debate, and (why not?) further viewings.
By combining elements of romantic writings with expressionistic art this is a movie which really stands the test of time.Even more so since it has been restored and digitally scanned to shine in 4k resolution with new soundtrack and toned images like it was originally intended.Even if the cinematography may seem slow or even archaic to today's audiences "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari" can be seen as influential as its gets..
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 1920 German film directed by Robert Wiene, written by Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz, and starring Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, and Friedrich Feher - about a creepy old man and his freaky fair sideshow and the mysterious murders taking place during their presence.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is among the greatest films of the silent era and one of the most influential films in the early years of the horror genre.
One of the most influential German silent movies from the 20's tells the story of Francis, who in his turn tells the story of Dr. Caligari, an insane director of a mental institution.Expressionistic designs and an interesting non-linear telling of the tale makes it a treat to watch, although some will lose interest after a while.
Robert Wiene's 1920 classic is one of the main representatives of German Expressionism, a movement that revolutionized film-making, and has influenced many later masters of the world cinema.
The avant-garde arts had arrived to the movie screens too, in the end, and the results achieved here could not be ignored ever again.So strong was the impact this film had, on audience and insiders alike, that many later directors drew inspiration from Caligari for their work.
This all-out expressionistic approach could easily have gone very wrong in lesser hands, but here it becomes an ideal way to set off the rest of the picture."The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" repays viewers who watch attentively, and who have an eye for subtlety, even more than most silent films do.
I don't like horror, but I show "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" in my film architecture seminar, because the filmmakers hold graphic violence in check, present a good story well told, and conjure a brave visual work of art.Most of all, I like how this silent 1920 surreal thriller illustrates the unity of what I call Form & Story—a concept that helps me design my screenplays and my books, paintings, and buildings.Let me set up my commentary by laying some theoretical groundwork, using terms and concepts I've devised in my practice of architecture.Architecture is a silver coin.
Films like "Nosferatu", "Faust", "Metropolis", "Sunrise", and "The Golem" are all classic examples of this movement, but perhaps the most important entry of the German Expressionist movement is the haunting horror classic "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari".With a surreal set design that truly adds to the strange beauty the film creates, it clearly has inspired the work of filmmaker Tim Burton, among many others.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is an early German Expressionist film in which the main character, Francis, recounts his experiences with Dr. Caligari and his pet somnambulist, Cesare.
It played a huge part in establishing the horror genre(along with 'Nosferatu), and the unique language of silent film in general.Most of all, this is pure film ART.The distorted, painted sets, strange camera angles and even stranger plot contribute to Caligari's reputation as a true classic. |
tt0093822 | Raising Arizona | Out in the Arizona suburbs, a young man named Herbert 'H.I.' McDunnough (Nicolas Cage) lives his life as a petty criminal with an apparent addiction to robbing convenience stores. He is constantly in and out of jail but is repeatedly paroled because he never uses live ammunition in his robberies. Each time he returns to prison, he is booked by young policewoman named Edwina 'Ed' (Holly Hunter). H.I. flirts with her during the booking process until one day when he comes upon her crying. She confesses she lost her fiancé (being lower class-like she mis-pronounces it fy-ance) who ran off with a cosmetologist student. H.I. angrily retorts, saying that the man made a bitter mistake and his valiance creates a spark in Ed. An unlikely romance blossoms and H.I. proposes to Ed once a free man again. They begin a new life in a trailer home.H.I. gets a legitimate job working in a factory while Ed continues her police work until they decide they want to have a child. However, Ed learns that she is infertile and their attempts to adopt are foiled by H.I.'s criminal history. Ed is devastated and H.I. feels helpless until a small ray of hope emerges: a story appears in the paper celebrating the birth of the 'Arizona Quints', quintuplet sons born to local furniture magnate Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson) and his wife Florence (Lynne Kitei). Figuring that the Arizonas have "more than they can handle", Ed and H.I. resolve to take one of the babies as their own.One evening, with Ed urging him on, H.I. takes a ladder and scales the Arizona house to the window of the nursery. Though the energetic babies prove troublesome for H.I. to handle, he manages to keep four in their crib and takes whom he believes is Nathan Jr. (T.J. Kuhn). Though Ed has some reservations about upsetting Nathan Jr.'s mother, she and H.I. are overjoyed to finally have a family. Upon taking a family picture, Ed makes H.I. swear that he will be a caring and supporting father. That night, H.I. suffers a nightmare about a demonic figure he fears he's brought upon himself as Florence discovers Nathan Jr. missing the next morning.Nathan Sr. enlists the local police to investigate his son's (Nathan Jr., he thinks) disappearance but the officers seem inept at conducting a proper inquiry. Frustrated by the poor functionality of the police, Nathan Sr. is approached by an intimidating man named Leonard Smalls (Randall 'Tex' Cobb), a bounty hunter armed with a shotgun and a pair of baby booties (the same biker from H.I.'s nightmare). He rides to the Arizona estate on his skull-laden motorcycle and offers to find the baby for twice what Arizona is offering as a reward, but Nathan Sr. refuses after Smalls demands a high price of $10,000. When Nathan Sr. accuses Smalls of kidnapping his son himself, Smalls leaves, intent on finding the baby anyway to sell on the black market.Meanwhile, H.I.'s prison buddies, brothers Gale (John Goodman) and Evelle (William Forsythe) Snoats, emerge screaming from the rain-soaked mud outside of prison, having just tunneled their way out. After cleaning themselves, and with much hair grease, they arrive at H.I.'s trailer for refuge. H.I. is excited to be reunited with his old buddies but Ed sees them as a bad influence and refuses to allow them to stay more than a day or two out of respect for H.I. The brothers are somewhat suspicious when they see the baby, leading a bumbling H.I. to struggle with a story to explain his spontaneous birth.H.I. and Ed attempt to ease into 'normal' married life and invite H.I.'s supervisor, Glen (Sam McMurray), and his family over for a picnic. The outing becomes more than H.I. can bear; Glen's children, most of them adopted and disheveled looking, are rude take pleasure in breaking things around the apartment or scribbling on the walls while Glen's wife, Dot (Frances McDormand), bombards Ed with all the things, some excessive, she needs to do to keep Jr. healthy. On a walk around the trailer, Glen, already an annoyance with a penchant for horrible jokes, reveals to H.I. that he and Dot are swingers and suggests a wife swap. Infuriated and stressed, H.I. punches Glen in the face and demands that he leave.H.I. keeps this from Ed, however, as they go out that night to run some errands. H.I. leaves Ed and Jr. in the car while he enters a large convenience store... and proceeds to don a legging on his head before he takes a bag of diapers off the shelf and a gun out of his pocket. The porn-obsessed, geek store owner, however, flips a silent alarm before Ed sees H.I. from outside. Enrage, she yells at him before driving off just as the cops arrive. H.I. flees the store and a hilarious chase throughout the neighborhood ensues as the trigger-happy geek store owner and a policeman chase H.I. Hearing gunshots, Ed resolves to drive back to fetch H.I. and picks him up, though a seed of doubt that H.I. could ever change his ways is planted in her mind.The following morning, and while Ed is out, Glen arrives at the trailer and tells H.I. that he's fired and blackmails his cooperation by threatening to go to the police; dull, though he is, he deduced the baby's true identity. Gale and Evelle overhear this from within the trailer and decide to take the baby to claim the reward themselves. They attack H.I. and leave him tied to a chair in the trailer before leaving. Gale and Evelle then decide to rob a convenience store. However, during their escape, they discover that they've accidentally left Nathan Jr. behind in his car seat outside in the parking lot.Ed returns to the trailer and she and H.I. immediately pursue the Snoats to rescue the baby. Clad in her police gear, Ed admits that it was irresponsible of her to take the baby in the first place but all that she cares about is getting him back. She doesn't care if she and H.I. even stay together, she just wants Nathan Jr. safe.Meanwhile, Leonard Smalls follows up on a lead of a recent prison break and tracks Gale and Evelle to Ed and H.I.s trailer. There, he finds clues of Nathan Jr.s presence and follows the trail into town.The pair decides to rob a bank while they're at it and take Nathan Jr. with them to a hayseed bank in town. Though their lack of coordination inspires some confusion from the bank patrons, the robbery goes successfully otherwise. Exept.... They've left Nathan Jr behind AGAIN in his car seat!As they speed back into town, a canister that was placed in Gale and Evelle's money bag explodes, covering them in blue dye and disorienting them. H.I. and Ed catch up to them and demand to know where Nathan Jr. is. Gale and Evelle confess and Ed and H.I. race into town. However, Smalls has beaten them to Nathan Jr. and he latches the baby's car seat to the front of his motorcycle. Ed manages to retrieve Nathan Jr. from his car seat while H.I. distracts Smalls, enduring a brutal beating in the process. However, just before Smalls can finish H.I. off by shooting him, H.I. manages to pull a pin from a grenade on Smalls vest. The resulting explosion obliterates him and Ed and H.I. return home.They decide to return Nathan Jr. to his real parents and sneak into the nursery where Nathan Sr. finds them. Thinking them a kind couple who have found Nathan Jr., he offers them the reward but Ed and H.I. want nothing of it and admit that they are leaving one another. As he watches them admire Nathan Jr., Nathan Sr. deduces that they are the ones who took the baby in the first place. However, he is sympathetic to their wishes to have a child of their own and advises them to stay together before giving up hope completely. He assures them that he won't call the police and allows them to leave.That night, back at their trailer, H.I. has another dream. He dreams that Gale and Evelle voluntarily return to prison. H.I. imagines that they weren't ready to come out into the world just yet. He dreams that Nathan Jr. receives a football as a Christmas present one year from a loving couple who wish to remain anonymous and is watched by said couple as he grows up, becoming a football star in high school (Todd Michael Bogers). An elderly couple is seen living happily together as their children and grandchildren come to visit them for a holiday meal. In a final voice-over, H.I. surmises that, if it wasn't Ed and himself he was dreaming about and if that isn't wishful thinking, then it must be of a couple who come from a land not too far away.... maybe Utah. | comedy, allegory, cult, good versus evil, psychedelic, humor, satire, plot twist | train | imdb | Naturally, the father (Wilson) goes all out to find the culprits, even enlisting the aid of a "tracker" (Cobb), who is kind of an existential bounty hunter with a good nose.From this deceptively simple story line, the Coens create a dreamscape that is mesmerizing, serpentine, loaded with all matter of visual input, deft one-liners and characters that are so off-the-wall that it's hard to forget them and the situations they get into.Coen Brother stalwart John Goodman plays yet another flaky loon - this time an escaped con - who, along with his little brother (Forsythe) complain that the prison "had no more to offer them".Of course, the chases, fight scenes and getaway scenes are elaborate, well-choreographed and exciting, as well as funny.
If your sense of humor is a bit on the dry side and you love fancy camera work and Fellini-esque characters, it's your kind of movie.Trust me.Ten stars and a complimentary pack of Huggies for "Raising Arizona", the best Dadaist head trip film with kidnapped babies, exploding bunnies and Frances McDormand in the desert you'll ever find...that has a fight in a trailer..
"Raising Arizona" is one of what I consider to be the five instantly classic films by the team of Ethan and Joel Coen, the others being "Blood Simple", "Fargo", "Oh Brother Where Are Thou", and "The Big Lebowski".
What results is an ongoing, fast-paced, hilarious set of misadventures, complicated by the appearance of a ruthless, heartless outlaw named Leonard Smalls (Randall "Tex" Cobb) Nathan Arizona hires to find the missing baby, and two felon friends from H.I.'s past (John Goodman and William Forsythe), who make a childbirth-like escape from prison.
She's a very talented actress, in both serious and comedic roles.Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter made a great on screen couple, Cage with his hair standing out in every direction, looking like a hapless, browbeaten puppy half of the time, and Hunter as his diminutive firecracker of a wife who loves him and tries to keep him honest (oh yeah except for that little kidnapping excursion).
Another great Coen comedy is "The Big Lebowski" (1998), which also includes my favorite singer/songwriter Aimee Mann in a brief cameo, and boasts a cult following that has resulted in an annual "Lebowskifest" for fans of the film."Blood Simple" (1984) is probably my favorite film noir modern-day classic tale of lust and betrayal, and is my personal second-favorite Coen brothers film.
RAISING ARIZONA (1987) ***1/2Starring: Nicholas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, William Forsythe, and Frances McDormand Director: Joel Coen Written by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen Rated PG-13 (for violence and language) By Blake French: "Raising Arizona" is one of the best, most sunny and uplifting comedies I have ever seen.
The film stars Nicolas Cage as a criminal named H.I., who recently married a police officer named Ed (Holly Hunter), after meeting her in prison.
Despite my expectations before watching this early Coen brothers film, I was somewhat disappointed with this screwball comedy with strange characters.
It's definitely one-of-a-kind.The wacky characters and outrageous story, of course, are the attractions here but I also enjoyed the low camera angles employed here by the directors, the Coen brothers, and I've always enjoyed Nicholas Cage's strange dialog in the narration.Everyone in this film - everyone but the little babies - are totally insane, beginning with the lead people, the husband-and-wife team played by Cage and Holly Hunter.
I got most of my laughs, however, from the supporting cast of John Goodman and Bill Forysthe as escaped convicts, Trey Wilson as the father of the quints and Randall "Tex" Cobb as "Leonard Smalls." For a pro boxer, Cobb turned out to be a pretty good actor.If you're looking for something different, something really far out and funny, look no further..
Made in their formative years, Raising Arizona is the second Coen film, following up the largely decent Blood Simple.In and out of prison for armed robbery a number of times over a period of some years, repeat offender "Hi" McDunnough begins to gradually fall for police photographer "Ed".
Upon discovering the infertility of Ed, they opt to steal one of five babies born to local furniture salesman Nathan Arizona.Any film which numbers Nicolas Cage among its cast is a big risk for me.
Before the Coen brothers made Raising Arizona, they wrote and direct a very dark and violent neo-noir film, Blood Simple, which was released three earlier.
Not only the film's humor made me laugh, but toward the end of the movie, there's a bittersweet sense that ties the movie together with the characters trying hard to have a family.The writing by the brothers is very funny and even the performances by Cage, Hunter, Goodman and even Forsthye are excellent.
Ex-con H.I McDunnough (Nicolas Cage) and ex-cop Ed (Holly Hunter) end up married (as unlikely as that sounds), but when they learn that Ed is unable to conceive they make the bold and somewhat misguided decision to kidnap one of the 5 babies fathered by wealthy furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson) on the basis that him and his wife have 'more children than they can handle.' However, when Nathan puts up a $25,000 dollar reward to anyone who can successfully return his missing child back to him this gains the interest of several rather different parties...I watched this film this evening based on its rating and on its write up, but other than that I knew very little about this film.
Despite this though Raising Arizona is still something of a weak offering...The tone is perhaps the biggest problem with this film; they take a serious subject matter (a couple being unable to conceive) and turn it into some kind of goofball chase picture which unfortunately generates few laughs.
Having said that, Raising Arizona does at least show that Cage could act a bit (and at this point in his career he probably still cared about what films he appeared in).
So yes Raising Arizona has the Coen Brothers distinctive style all over it, but sadly like a lot of their films I found this one disappointing, unfunny and over-rated.
film I read the comments and the rating for RAISING ARIZONA here when you listed the 10 films.I was very disappointed in this movie was mildly entertaining , but barely ..two louts screaming as loudly , did not strike me as funny , not funny ...Makes me wonder about what people thought was even good , not to mention "great" about this bomb.Makes me hesitate to see the other Coen movies,..
I like comedies, and I love Cage, Hunter and Goodman, but for some reason this movie didn't work for me.
This is the kind of movies I really like to watch from time to time, they won't overload your mind, won't demand lots of thinking, they are light on your heart, and will definitely make you chuckle and laugh, moreover they have a point, and Raising Arizona does just that.
Perhaps the least restrained movie the Coen Brothers have ever made, this is brimming with OTT performances and memorable sequences such as John Goodman being born from the Earth, the two leads falling in love over a police camera, and of course the baby in the road.
This classic piece of comedy has as many memorable moments as the other greats: Planes, Trains and Automobiles and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation -- and they are truly better when watched again.The story telling and acting of Nicolas Cage is highly entertaining and perfectly in character.
He's still got that renegade actor quality to him, that over-the-topness that's not quite honed enough, but it fits the material perfectly.The film is in the tradition of their goofball charmers like "The Big Lebowski" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" -- not as hilarious as the first, and not as episodically plotted (or clever) as the second.The pleasures here are in the innocent sight gags and dialogue -- Cage's grungy, just-about-mullet and mustache, Goodman's sideburns, Frances McDormand's quick appearance as a white trash wife to Cage's boss.
This is the first step onto the slippery slope for Hi, who quickly finds himself back in a life of crime, but this doesn't compare to the problems that could face him if the bounty hunter employed by the baby's real father should ever catch them up.Having watched a few recent Coen Brother films where they do seem to be very aware of what is commercially acceptable it is nice to come to a film that is good fun but also seems to be off the wall in the way that the Coens can easily be.
Goodman and Forsythe are good fun in simple roles but Wilson, McDormand, McMurray and the great Tex Cobb (as well as a few others) that all had me amused and interested.Overall this is not a perfect film and people coming looking for a straight comedy will likely not be won over by a film that relies more on exaggeration that actual jokes but it is still quite good fun.
Raising Arizona has been hailed as a classic comedy film by the Coen Brothers, for in part of their comedic deliver and tone.
Normally,I have a problem with any film or TV series that depicts child endangerment,but Raising Arizona is the exception to this.At it's core,the story is a fairly serious one,but there is so much wall to wall silliness permeating the film that it is impossible to take seriously,so all is forgotten there fairly quickly.Each character has his or her own unique quirkiness which adds to the humor.It was perfectly casted with very well known actors and actresses willing to take a chance on these newcomers,the Cohen Brothers,who were still fairly new to Hollywood at the time.The gamble paid off.We have a winner here..
Raising Arizona has a lot of great and funny performances, the highlight being Nicolas Cage.
When 'Raising Arizona' starts, even if you don't know what is it about, you realize in the same minute it's a Coen Brothers' film.
Ethan and Joel Coen write an unpredictable and crazy script, with even more better characters appearing on screen.When 'Raising Arizona' came out, its two leads, Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter weren't famous at all, he had only been in his uncle's (Francis Ford Coppola) pictures, and she did inexpressive films.
The supporting cast has names like John Goodman and Frances McDormand, two actors that would become regulars on the Coen Brothers' films, both doing a nice job.
William Forsythe is also brilliant, so is Randall 'Tex' Cobb, in one of the most funny character I've ever seen in a Coen Brothers' movie.Joel Coen does an excellent job directing this picture.
Unable to conceive, police officer Ed McDunnough (Hunter) and her ex-con husband H.I (Cage) steal a baby from a wealthy businessman, only to encounter numerous problems.After the successful Blood Simple in 1984, The Coen brothers maintained their rise into the cinematic universe with this sharp and tactically astounding piece of film-making with a well scripted plot and some sharp direction to make a wonderful watch.Starting off with a surprising and diverse approach to the prison world, H.I is in and out of prison more than The Dude is out of the bowling alley.
Whenever you watch a movie by the Coen brothers one thing is sure; you never know what will come next.This film with Nickolas Cage (The Weather Man, Lord of War) and Holly Hunter (Thirteen, The Piano) was a laugh-a-minute riot of fun and excitement.With colorful characters like John Goodman, who played a character reminiscent of his role in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and William Forsythe (The Devil's Rejects), and Frances McDormand (Laurel Canyon, Fargo), who had a too small role, the film was funny from start to finish.Ant Coen brothers film is worth watching for pure fun, but when you put a cute baby in it, it just soars..
Plus, there is a wildly lavish amount of chemistry between both Cage and Hunter.Raising Arizona is an innocent film from The Coen Brothers, which remains something that almost anyone is bound to fall in love with.
The fact that it is going to be a comedy is apparent as soon as we see Nick Cage, who as Hi, sports hilarious 'bad hair'; he is great in the role and Holly Hunter is equally good as Ed. These are two likeable lead characters despite the fact that they have stolen a baby.
This is the second movie of Coen brothers,and i thought gonna get action and twisted drama but this story just so warming and get me a good laugh.A story about parents relationship with a baby and a parents are.Nic cage give some of the best acting he got,and that lady Ed sure know her way as well,to bad France mcdormand didnt had much amount of screen time..
Raising Arizona follows HI McDunnough (Nicolas Cage) and Ed McDunnough (Holly Hunter) a married couple of an ex-con and ex-cop who can't have or adopt a child.
The Coen brothers are great with dark comedy and it really shows in this film.
This film also has a wacky Nicolas Cage performance, an early performance that offers a shadow on what is to come.This early Coen Brothers film is a heist movie within the deserts of Arizona.
If you are fan of the Coen's work you will see a lot of familiar faces (John Goodman and Frances McDermond in supporting roles), but it was the lead roles from Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter that truly surprised me.
I felt the comedy does lack slightly in the sense of big chuckles but the film is more of a good crime movie too with well I won't ruin it but two incidents of crime which make the story thrilling as well as quite funny.Nicolas Cage in this is possibly his best acting role, a string of bad performances from the man seem to vanish in this where he actually seems to fit in with the crazy going's on and plot.
We get a great prologue at the beginning of the film as we find out about Hi and Ed's past and how they came to their solution with funny jokes on the way.As well as the direction, Raising Arizona is blessed with a top cast who give both comic and sincere performances.
Cage worked well with his supporting cast as they assemble a top cast: John Goodman being a particular highlight as one of the escaped prisoners.The Coens Brothers' direction is frantic through the film, using fast paced editing, hand-held cameras and tracking shots, amplifying the comedy, showing this maniac universe and gives Raising Arizona a distinctive visual style.
The Coen's regular composer Carter Burwell also supplies a great score for the film, particular the use of a country/folk like guitar score which was a perfect fit for the film.Raising Arizona is a very entertaining, funny and heartfelt comedy that can stand along some of the best works the Coen Brothers have had to offer.
This one definitely is worth watching because the seriousness with which Cohen brothers make frivolous movies is best and this time.Busy throughout the film to make the foreground absurd or to the characters or to the situations in which they fall in, the two filmmakers get us into the world of attracting of opposites.
Filled with great direction,an amazing cast,a wonderful screenplay,truly beautiful cinematography and an unforgettable score,Raising Arizona is The Coen Brothers at their best and greatest.Raising Arizona tells the story of H.I. McDunnough(Nicholas Cage),a criminal and repeat offender and police officer 'Ed' Edwina(Holly Hunter)who fall in love and after falling in love decide to get married and have kids.
When H.I and Ed take Nathan J.r and want to raise him as their own wild and hilarious things happen in their lives.Raising Arizona is one of the all-time great classic Comedies from The Coen Brothers that came after their amazing film debut Blood Simple.
One of the reasons Raising Arizona is excellent and truly hilarious is because The Coen Brothers have given us a flawless film that combines great laughs with style and substance where everything in the film is over the top and exaggerated to the point of going over the top beyond belief.
Wonderful score by Burwell.In final word,if you love The Coen Brothers,Comedies or films in general,I highly suggest you check out Raising Arizona,a truly hilarious,funny and unforgettable Comedy and film classic that you can watch again and again.
I also love Holly Hunter in everything but who was also real great in this movie was big man John Goodman, who always seems to be at his best, from a comedy perspective, in a Coen brothers movie.
Even Nicolas Cage, in his only exceptional performance, adds a lot to the movie.Much like other Coen comedies, Big Lebowski/O Brother, this also has a very interesting and complex plot.
I think "Raising Arizona" is more a comedy in that you are in awe of the complete stupidity of every one of the Coen brothers' characters.
The Coen brothers first successful comedic film is pretty much a stranger version of their later comedies, taking a small time crook story and expanding it in terms of weird.
Most criminals aren't smart or clever and the Coen brothers let you know that for sure.In the film, Nicholas Cage plays a repeat convict named H.I. McDunnough who convinces a cop named Ed (Holly Hunter) to marry him somehow.
In retrospect, the offer doesn't sound so ridiculous: Burton's take on the Dark Knight is as much a freak show as Raising Arizona, though it is more about the sombre mood than surreal humor, which is the Coens' most notable strength.The absolute lunacy in this film comes in the form of H.I. McDunnough (Nicolas Cage), a convict who is absolutely incapable of doing any good whatsoever, and his wife Edwina, nicknamed "Ed" (Holly Hunter), a prison worker who married him after his latest stay in jail. |
tt3774114 | Snowden | Hong Kong - Monday June 3, 2013Documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo) meets with columnist Glenn Greenwald (Zachary Quinto) at a hotel. They are met by Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in the lobby. Snowden brings the two to his room to begin documenting everything that has led up to this moment.In a flashback to 2004, Snowden was enlisted in the Special Forces as a candidate. Although he was persistent, he suffered an injury when he broke his legs after landing on them during a drill. The doctor tells Snowden that his legs were broken for weeks but only now have sustained a more serious injury. He warns Snowden that the bones in his legs will turn to powder if he lands on them again, so Snowden is discharged from the military.In 2006, Snowden began training for a position at the Central Intelligence Agency. He started a class under Corbin O'Brian (Rhys Ifans). One of Snowden's first tests is to solve a problem using a sequence. Snowden finishes first, and O'Brian checks his work to see what mistake he made. Snowden explains that he solved the problem by going out of order in the sequence, to the surprise of not only O'Brian, but the rest of the class as well.Snowden befriends a professor named Hank Forrester (Nicolas Cage), who appears to have had an influence on Snowden far more than O'Brian.Outside of work, Snowden chats online with a girl named Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley). They finally meet up one afternoon and go for a walk around the park. Lindsay takes several photos of Snowden, and they end up having their first kiss.In the present day of June 4, 2013 in Hong Kong, Snowden, Poitras, and Greenwald are joined by Ewen MacAskill (Tom Wilkinson), an intelligence reporter from The Guardian. MacAskill reports to editor Janine Gibson (Joely Richardson) in regards to the story that Snowden is telling them.In a flashback to 2007, Snowden is stationed in Geneva, Switzerland to maintain computer network security. Lindsay joins him on his trip. He meets with a CIA agent (Timothy Olyphant) who guides him through his task.Snowden and Lindsay are at a party with a number of diplomats and other special guests in attendance. His task is to find a banker for surveillance purposes. With Lindsay's help, Snowden meets a banker named Marwan Al-Kirmani (Bhasker Patel). Later on, Snowden learns through his colleague Gabriel Sol (Ben Schnetzer) that Al-Kirmani's name is being looked up to gather personal information on him, and that the program the CIA is developing allows them to spy on people through lenses even when they are not being used. Snowden and Gabriel find out that Al-Kirmani's daughter is with a man who is seeing another woman, and is, along with his mother, living illegally in the United States.Snowden and the agent later meet up with Al-Kirmani in a hotel. Al-Kirmani appears distressed after he tells the men that his daughter's fiance and his mother got deported. The man gets drunk, and the agent encourages him to go home. After seeing how morally bankrupt the people he works for are, Snowden decides to quit the CIA. He expresses his feelings to Lindsay over the notion that he would have been responsible for the lives of millions.In 2009, Snowden begins working at Dell as a supervisor on NSA computer system upgrades. He is assigned to an airbase in Tokyo, where Lindsay follows him again. In Tokyo, he works as a subcontractor and instructs top officials on how to protect their systems from Chinese hackers.In the present day 2013, the journalists hit a bump when Janine is hesitant in publishing Snowden's documents, clashing with Greenwald in the process. MacAskill tries to keep her on their side so that they may get their work done.In 2012, Snowden works for Booz Allen Hamilton. With their ties to the NSA, Snowden begins to observe work that he finds disturbing, in which he realizes that the government is actively spying on people through a number of programs, including PRISM. He starts to collect the documents he uncovers in a dossier, all containing information on the NSA's surveillance practices.Snowden seizes his opportunity to get the documents when one team causes a problem with their work. While everyone is distracted, Snowden downloads the files onto his drive and manages to get everything he needs before someone sees. Afterward, he hides the drive in the square of a Rubik's cube and tosses it to one of the men at the gate as a friendly gesture to avoid setting off any alarms. When that's done, he walks away proudly.With his story finished, Snowden's documents are published by The Guardian. It soon gets sent to news outlets all around the world. The reports on the NSA scandal become global news. Snowden is forced to leave the country and say goodbye to Lindsay, and he is seen by many as either a traitor or a hero.The last scene is in an auditorium where Snowden makes an appearance through a remote-controlled monitor to an audience of college students. He says he would hope to return to the United States for a fair trial, but he knows now is not the time for that to happen. The moderator asks him how his life has changed since doing what he did. We then see the REAL Edward Snowden saying that he has given up a lot of things since he became a whistleblower, but he has no regrets because he knows in his heart that he was doing the right thing. The audience applauds him, and the film closes on Snowden smiling.The final text states that Edward Snowden has been living in Moscow since 2013 in hiding, and Lindsay Mills flew over there to join him. | historical, flashback | train | imdb | Going in I was worried that the movie would turn into an action thriller or a love story that would cloud what really happened.I was pleasantly surprised to find a step by step account of real events with a deep look at what goes on behind the scenes at the various spy agencies.Personally I would have liked a little more time spent on the politicians (and other behind the scenes players) and how they acted before and after the Snowden revelations, but maybe that's a topic for another movie
I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in modern history and geopolitics.
Only this time, Oliver Stone has upgraded his latest film's look and tone to make it seem more digitally advanced, which is fine because it fits the story of Edward Snowden and we're living in this day and age where every millennial's favorite series happens to be "Mr. Robot." SNOWDEN, as you've guessed it, is a thriller about the whistleblower and former intelligence contractor, Edward Snowden, played in this film by the talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
This film dramatizes the events that led Snowden to becoming one of the most wanted men in the world.First, I have to give praises to Joseph Gordon-Levitt who I think went above and beyond in not only capturing Edward Snowden's mannerism and the way he speaks but my goodness, Gordon-Levitt's performance in this film is so calculating and precise, you can see his brains constantly work itself out, just by looking at him.
And Shailene Woodley gives her most mature performance yet, because this film is more than just about the whole surveillance controversy, it's also about how that negatively affects Snowden & Mills relationship and I think it's fairly handled, both aspects don't take away or diminish each other's importance in the process.When it comes to the film's dramatizing the U.S. and British global surveillance program, I'm sure there'll be questions as to how authentic the portrayal is, as far as the headquarters are concerned, for example, some may see it as a bit too much like a Bond villain's secret lair, but you'll be entertained by some of the visual effects that the film applies to showcase hacking and how one person can connect to another person and to another person and what's most fascinating about it is that there's a programmer watching the whole thing the entire time.So SNOWDEN is essentially part conspiracy thriller, part relationship drama, and to a certain extent, part heist.
Its focus is the impact of Snowden's highly secretive, demanding work on his home life – and particularly on his relationship with his girlfriend, Lindsay.The Snowden story is so bloody interesting – which makes this film interesting, thought-provoking and definitely worth a watch.
By far the biggest story of U.S. government malfeasance was uncovered in 2013, when a young man named Edward Snowden leaked out to the media and the world at large that his employers at the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, besides spying on other countries, and terrorist organizations around the world, were also spying on all the electronic communications of everybody in the United States itself.
And unsurprisingly, it was Oliver Stone, the director best known for his critiques of American political behavior with PLATOON, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, JFK, and NIXON, who stepped into the breach of this, maybe the most important political story of our time, with SNOWDEN.Based on Luke Harding's book "The Snowden Files" and Anatoly Kucherena's book "Time Of The Octopus", SNOWDEN stars Joseph Gordon-Leavitt as a young man who, both as an intellectual conservative and a patriot, worked his way up into the highest circles of the U.S. intelligence community during the first decade of the 21st century and the War On Terror, which involved less about stopping terrorism with military force but with the force of electronics and surveillance.
He winds up at Moscow International Airport just a few days after his story hits the Internet in June 2013, and in exile, a fugitive from what passes for American justice in the 21st century.Rather surprisingly, given his penchant for doing extremely controversial movies in his career, Stone was initially fairly reluctant to touch the Edward Snowden story in any way, shape, or form.
Although Stone had been well-known for doing films with quick-edged MTV-inspired montage sequences, including his notorious 1994 film NATURAL BORN KILLERS, he avoids doing much of that in SNOWDEN, instead concentrating on the inner workings of Snowden's work, and how much harm he may have been creating in the name of National Security, as opposed to merely keeping us "safe" from any more 9/11-type terrorism.The subject matter that is broached by Stone in SNOWDEN, even with a relatively limited amount of violence and nudity (compared to other films of Stone's), is not easy to watch; nor is it necessarily easy to grasp in a lot of ways how the American people themselves, in the panic that followed September 11, 2001, basically acquiesced and allowed such mass surveillance to take place.
Oliver Stone delivers thought provoking film again, and the entire cast, as well as the writing, is stellar.For those who made up their mind about Ed Snowden through what was reported in mass media, I would simply say, watch this with an open mind.
He was Edward who saw NSA's SKYNET program, a real tool used to automate drone murders with surveillance metadata.Saying it took guts to blow whistle on corruption within the world's largest intelligence establishment is a complete understatement.While some people like Silas Davis here seem to think no large terrorist attacks must mean mass surveillance, works, The Intercept has done extensive reporting on how not only this is false, but that FBI has had to provide resources on troubled people just to get them arrested.Privacy is a universal human right, but having to hand it away for the sake of security reduces it to a a mere privilege.
It's a great Oliver stone movie, seems right up his alley to do a film About a conspiracy and about questioning the government.It's weird when people do movies about such recent events but hey that's how fast the media works these days.It's a great ensemble cast as Stone tells the story of Edward Snowden who discovered that the government was spying on us weather we did anything wrong or not and decides to let us all know.Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Snowden as a very likable guy, even if he was a Bush supporter, but most importantly he was a dude who loves his country and felt what they were doing to its citizens was wrong.As Snowden, Levitt had the biggest chunk of screen time in a film filled with well know actors taking small, but important roles, like Zachary Quinto who played the guardian journalist chosen to tell Snowden's story and Nicolas Cage who's character acted like a mentor for Snowden's at the CIA.Stone's fairness to the whole situation is painting a lovely portrait of the whistle blower himself.
Together with three experienced journalists, he's about to tell the story of his life, how it all started and how it managed to get so wrong in the end.This movie, inspired from real facts, depicts the power of the American intelligence agencies which were spying on people in order to protect them from terrorist attacks, but it all got much deeper than intended.
It's a very interesting movie, captivating I must say, which describes in detail the life of Snowden and what happened behind the scenes of the notorious intelligence agencies, who's programs were doing a lot more than invading privacy.It's very well presented, alternating present and past events, very well played by its cast and very well executed overall.
I thought that took a lot away from the real story, being that Edward Snowden was one of many ordinary government employees and what made him different is that he had the courage of his convictions to speak up and become a whistle-blower when he saw that our government was acting against the democratic principles for which this country was founded upon.The real Edward Snowden shows us that even everyday Americans can become true patriotic heroes by speaking up when they see something they know is wrong.
Considering this is a contemporary issue with an on-going raging debate about his actions, a popular movie showcasing Edward Snowden as a hero will no doubt influence the public perception whoever doesn't watch it with an open mind.Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a patriotic youngster who joins the army to serve his country.
Shailene Woodley adds a very emotional and personal touch to Snowden's complicated ordeal and is a great supporting actor in this role.Oliver Stone manages to stay true to the accounts and tells the story of what goes on in the CIA and NSA and hopes to open our eyes and start questioning our governments in regards to our personal privacy and existence.
Oliver Stone has given expression to the millions of progressives who have applauded the supposedly treasonous acts of Edward Snowden and in a lot of ways this is his greatest career accomplishment yet.As a movie, the first half is fairly miraculous given the technical nature of the action.
Based on the true events of former NSA/CIA employee Edward Snowden who became the center of equal praise and angst when he leaked thousands of classified documents to the press detailing the illegal surveillance tactics of the agencies, Stone attempts to tell the story of how Snowden eventually came to the crossroads in his life that lead him to be labelled as one of the biggest traitors in US history.Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Snowden and his voice and mannerisms seem to capture the real life character to a tee.
Along the way, Snowdwn meets Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley) who will become his female companion traveling the globe to stand by her man even as she is kept in the dark as to exactly the job description to which Snowden is fulfilling.The film's pulse pounding moment comes when Snowden attempts to copy and extract from the secure intelligence facility, the files that when published showed to the world how surveillance works outside the confines of both US and International Law for benefits that could never be accounted.
Even with the result never in doubt, Stone is able to lay the groundwork for some tense moments leading to Snowden's escape.This marks the second film in as many years where actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a real life character following his role as Phillippe Petit in Robert Zemeckis' under-appreciated The Walk.
But this also marks the second time Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a real life character in movie that is inferior to the documentaries that threw both stories into the spotlight.
As you could know, Oliver Stone will lean more on representing Snowden as a Hero, but not in a way that judges those who, at the end, still think of him as a traitor.Joseph-Gordon Levitt did an Oscar worthy performance as he portrays Snowden perfectly, from the physical side (his voice included) to the psychological side.
All of the rest of the cast were good too (Quinto, Ifans, etc.)I strongly suggest you to watch Citizenfour to fully capture what happened to this modern hero (imo)If you liked Oliver Stones previous movies, or you want to discover Edward Snowden, this is a great movie for you !
A Truly Excellent Film With Surprises -- A Must See. Great actors, great cinematography, great set design, great script, great direction, fascinating and meaningful story line.This movie was a heck of a lot better than I ever expected from Oliver Stone.
I expected a good film and that's pretty much what I got.Oliver Stone, someone notorious for directing political and thought provoking films in the past, tells us the story of Edward Snowden from Snowden's point of view, and how he came to eventually leak the vast amounts of intel he had access to during his time working for the U.S. government.
It's a story of the emotional struggles Snowden went through, including his relationship with his wife, his personal moral conflicts regarding the doings of the NSA and other government agencies and how his opinion on his country and government shifts over time.The acting, both by Gordon-Lewitt and the supporting cast, is on point and I was particularly impressed with Nicolas Cage in the role of Hank Forrester, as I am not someone who is too fond of Cage's works.The film delivers a very interesting insight into what happens behind the scenes and how frequently rules are broken by the government without the masses having any idea.
With Snowden, Stone tells the story of one of the biggest National Security leaks in American history.Stone's film chronicles the life of Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), from when he joined the CIA in 2004 up until 2013, when he leaked classified information regarding the illegal surveillance of American citizens to journalists working for The Guardian newspaper.Snowden struggles with the morality of techniques he's asked to deploy while working for both the CIA and NSA, while also struggling to juggle those pressures with maintaining a stable relationship with Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley).Snowden is by no means a bad film but I just couldn't help but feel that it should have been better.
The film works best when we see Snowden and the three journalists holed-up inside a Hong Kong hotel room discussing how they can get the story out before they're found by the American government, but we don't get enough of that.Coming to the performances, Snowden possesses a very good lead in Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Shailene Woodley heads the supporting cast as Snowden's love interest Lindsay and she does a fine job but my favourite supporting cast member was Zachary Quinto as Glenn Greenwald, one of the journalists Snowden meets with, which is probably why I wanted there to be more scenes in that hotel room.One of the worst decisions made by Oliver Stone was to have Edward Snowden himself appear in the film right at the very end.
The movie follows the life of Edward Snowden (Gordon-Levitt); from his time first serving his country (in the U.S. military), until he was labeled a traitor, by some, and a national hero, by others.
Edward Snowden Uncoveres the beginning of a "Dragnet on the whole world." The Film is Anchored by Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Smooth and In-Skin Performance while Surrounded by Responsibilities that are so Severe His Epilepsy Emerges as He is on a Trajectory that can't be Stopped.The Enormity of the Consequences of both Edward Snowden and the Governmental Agencies "Spying" on "Everyone" is what is at Stake in this "Real-Life" Story that Modernity has Yet to get a Handle.Snowden's Story is Now Well Known and the Director goes Deep in the Psyche of "Snowden" and His Personal Life as it Relates to the Stresses and Consequences of His Job as a Government Contractor, CIA and NSA Analyst.The Movie can be real Creepy at times, especially when He is with His Mentor Corbin (Rhys Ifans).
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a highly underrated actor, does such a good job playing Snowden that at times it feels like a documentary.
There is enough information so that anyone who has been living under a rock, or for someone too young at the time to know what happened, will understand the storyline.This was moving for me to watch because people like Edward Snowden are most definitely the heroes of our world.I believe that Oliver Stone, being the film maker that he is would have kept this as straight and factual as the reality of the situation; another film maker may have tweaked here and there and ruined what needs nothing extra to make it a sensational part of history.A must see..
For those, including me, that have seen "Citizenfour" and followed this case in the media, we already know a lot about Edward Snowden and why he did what he did.I got to say, this film reminds me of the glory days of Oliver Stone, with great films like "Platoon" and "JFK".
After a long time, Oliver Stone returned with his own trademark after "Savages," four years before "Snowden" and he still on his own as well as "Platoon," "JFK," and "Born on the Fourth of July," Anything about a Vietnam war and America.Even though I think you know a lot about the chronology of this story after his last existence for hiding in Hong Kong and moving from place to place ended in Moscow, some popular media such as The Guardian and The Washington released important yet secret documents from secret spy programs run by the NSA and the government after 9/11, the United States more tightened its defenses and had to spy on its own citizens.
It came from fear because let 9/11 was the first and the last time but the steps they took weren't good enough to spy on the society's private information and the world.There is a little nuance about Oliver Stone that feels quite a thriller like other hacker movies.
Generally speaking we all love our country and are patriotic but this film really questions who is the good guy and who is the bad guy .This is a well documented true story so there's no spoilers here but what is great about Oliver Stone's movie is story behind the story - great storytelling about the background to how Ed Snowden got to be where he was and there was no doubting his patriotism right from the start but in the end the machine ( being the government ) like skynet turned on its owners and started to spy on those who were their ultimate paymasters without their authority without their knowledge and what he did by being a 'traitor' was an act of heroism depending upon how you feel a government should be allowed to go in the pursuit of knowledge about ordinary folk under the false pretence that it is in the name of national security , rather than an inability to keep one's hands out of the cookie jar . |
tt2975590 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | Eighteen months after the destructive battle with General Zod in Metropolis in Man of Steel, Superman has become a controversial figure. Billionaire Bruce Wayne, who has operated in Gotham City as the vigilante Batman for nearly two decades, sees Superman as a potential threat to humanity. After learning of Batman's form of justice, Clark Kent, Superman's alter-ego, seeks to expose Batman via Daily Planet articles. Wayne learns that Russian weapon trafficker Anatoli Knyazev has been contacting LexCorp mogul Lex Luthor. Meanwhile, Luthor unsuccessfully tries to persuade Senator June Finch to allow him to import kryptonite retrieved from the Indian Ocean following Zod's terraforming attempt, claiming he wants to maintain it as a "deterrent" against Kryptonians. He instead makes alternative plans with Finch's subordinate and gains access to Zod's body and the Kryptonian scout ship.
Wayne attends a party at LexCorp, where he meets an antiquities dealer named Diana Prince, and retrieves encrypted data from the company's mainframe. While decrypting the drive at the Batcave, Wayne dreams of a post-apocalyptic world, where he leads a group of rebels against a fascist Superman. He is snapped out of the vision by an unidentified being who warns him of Lois Lane's crucial role in the future, and urges him to find "the others" before vanishing. Wayne later discovers that Luthor is not only experimenting with kryptonite, but also investigating metahumans. One of them is Prince herself, who is an immortal warrior. Wayne admits to Alfred Pennyworth that he plans to steal the kryptonite to weaponize it, should it become necessary to fight Superman.
At a congressional hearing, as Finch questions Superman on the validity of his actions, a bomb goes off and kills everyone present but Superman. Believing he should have detected the bomb, and frustrated by his failure to save the people, Superman goes into self-imposed exile. Batman breaks into LexCorp and steals the kryptonite, planning to use it to battle Superman by building a powered exoskeleton, and creating a kryptonite grenade launcher and a kryptonite-tipped spear. Meanwhile, Luthor enters the Kryptonian ship and accesses details of a vast technology database accumulated from over 100,000 worlds.
Luthor kidnaps Martha Kent, Clark's adoptive mother, to bring Superman out of exile. He reveals to him that he manipulated Superman and Batman by fueling their distrust for each other. Luthor demands that Superman kill Batman in exchange for Martha's life. Superman tries to explain the situation to Batman, but instead Batman fights Superman and eventually subdues him. Before Batman can kill him with the spear, Superman urges Batman to "save Martha", whose name is also shared with Wayne's late mother, confusing him long enough for Lane to arrive and reason with Batman. Realizing how far he has fallen and unwilling to let an innocent die, Batman rescues Martha, while Superman confronts Luthor on the scout ship.
Luthor executes his backup plan, unleashing a genetically-engineered monster with DNA from both Zod's body and his own. Prince arrives unexpectedly, and revealing her metahuman nature, she joins forces with Batman and Superman to fight the creature. It becomes clear that the creature can absorb and redirect energy, and outmatches Prince, Batman and Superman. Realizing that it is vulnerable to kryptonite, Superman retrieves the kryptonite spear. With Batman and Prince's help containing it, Superman impales the monster, killing it. In its last moments, the creature fatally stabs a weakened Superman with one of its bone protrusions.
Luthor is arrested and Batman confronts him in prison, warning Luthor that he will always be watching him. Luthor gloats that Superman's death has made the world vulnerable to powerful alien threats. A memorial is held for Superman in Metropolis. Clark is also declared dead, and Wayne, Lane, Martha, and Prince attend a private funeral for him in Smallville. Martha gives an envelope to Lane, which contains an engagement ring from Clark. After the funeral, Wayne reveals to Prince that he plans to form a team of metahumans, starting with those from Luthor's files, to help protect the world in Superman's absence. After they leave, the dirt atop Clark's coffin begins to levitate. | suspenseful, murder, violence, flashback, good versus evil, insanity, revenge | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0054189 | Plein soleil | In Rome, we see Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) and Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) at a cafe table together; Tom is writing postcards. They chat about Philippe's girlfriend Marge, who he is having trouble with. Philippe gets up when he sees his friend Freddy (Billy Kearns) and invites him to join them. When Tom is away at a bookstore Philippe tells Freddy that Tom has admitted that it was Philippe's father who had Tom go to Italy to bring Philippe home to America with the promise of a handsome reward. Philippe has no intention of going. Freddy is uneasy about Tom and soon leaves; Philippe has Tom pick up their tab. As they walk down the street Philippe bumps into a blind man. He gives him money, then on Tom's suggestion buys the blind man's cane and gives him money for the taxi home. When Philippe pretends to be blind and stumbles into a car, a young woman takes pity on him and guides him across the street, and she ends up spending the evening with both men in a horse carriage, only later discovering that Philippe is not blind. Full of laughter, she buys the cane and has the carriage stop so she can try walking like a blind woman; she asks them to wait for her, but they instead proceed to a night club. Meanwhile Tom has seen fit to steal some of the lady's jewelry.Next, Philippe and Tom arrive by boat in the coastal town of Mongibello, where Philippe lives. At a local ballet company pre-premiere nerves are on; we see Philippe and Tom bring back a drunken man, O'Brien (Frank Latimore), the company director. Then they pay a visit to the guitar-playing, Fra Angelico-studying Marge (Marie Laforêt), who is upset with Philippe for leaving town for several days. They soon make up on the sofa, while Tom goes to the next room, discovers some of Philippe's clothes and puts them on. He looks into the mirror and pretends to be Philippe, but is interrupted by Philippe at the door. Later when Philippe is on his way to the bank for a cash withdrawal, Tom comes to him with a letter from Philippe's father, who is disappointed that Philippe does not seem intent on returning home and consequently discontinues his financial arrangement with Tom. Tom seems haunted and begs Philippe to go to San Francisco so he can get his hands on his father's money.Philippe, Marge and Tom go on a sail boat to join Freddy at Taormina. It's high summer, the sun is hot and the ocean is blue. During a meal Tom talks about how he used to adore Philippe when they were kids, and how Philippe's father didn't want them to be together because Tom wasn't of good enough family. Philippe sends Tom to the steering wheel while he and Marge have some time alone, but Tom overhears Philippe saying to Marge that he is not fond of Tom and that they will soon leave him behind so they can be alone. Tom is upset and deliberately makes the boat shake. Philippe comes up and, faking concern for the boat, tricks Tom into the safety boat, which he lets float after the ship, and retires to the cabin. But the rope breaks, and Tom drifts off. When Philippe discovers this he sets out to find Tom, and he and Marge bring the sunburned Tom aboard again. When Marge blames Philippe for treating his friend in this way he says that in fact he and Tom never spent their childhood together. When Philippe looks for a shirt among Tom's things he discovers some of his own bank statements hidden, though he keeps his discovery from Marge. Marge asks Tom to leave them behind and go home when they reach land.One night, we see Tom hide the earrings he stole earlier in the pocket of some of Philippe's clothes. The next day the two men have a conversation about the bank statements, and Philippe guesses that it might have been Tom's intention to pretend to be Philippe and claim his money as his own. Philippe and Marge have a row involving the earrings Marge has found among Philippe's clothes, and when Philippe tosses her Fra Angelico writings into the ocean she demands to be set ashore. Philippe and Tom continue alone. They continue their conversation about the bank statements, and Tom details how he would have killed Philippe to claim his money, and admits that he planted the jewelry. Philippe is repulsed and fascinated by Tom's behaviour. The two men play a hand of poker; Philippe wagers money, Tom the pocket watch Philippe's father gave him. When Tom discovers that Philippe tries to cheat in order to lose, Tom is upset. He says a few thousand dollars is no longer enough when he might have it all. He decides the game in Philippe's favour and stabs him in the chest as Philippe screams, "Marge".Tom Ripley must struggle with the boat against the wind, but he covers Philippe's body in a sack, then ties it to the anchor and dumps it. He accidentally falls in himself, but struggles back onto the boat and steers the boat to harbour in Mongibello. He goes to visit Marge, claiming that Philippe does not want to see her again. He collects some of Philippe's items from the house and from the boat. Claiming to be Mr. Greenleaf he goes to a boating agency to sell the boat, then leaves for Rome. There he buys equipment to fake a passport and learns how to convincingly fake Philippe's signature. He speaks to Marge on the phone, successfully convincing her that she is speaking to Philippe. He types Marge a letter and brings it personally to Marge. She takes him with her to Naples to show him the city. While she writes a letter to Philippe at a cafe, he takes a walk and looks at the market stalls. Back at Tom's hotel in Rome, he must escape notice from Madame Popova (Elvire Popesco), who knows Philippe from Mongibello; he soon gets an apartment for himself. Philippe's friend Freddy comes to visit after learning about the address and is suspicious when he finds Tom there wearing Philippe's clothes. Tom comes to see Freddy as a threat to his secret and gives him a fatal blow with an antique statuette. At night when the building is quiet he carries the body down the stairs and into the street where his car is waiting to help him dump the body. Soon after he is about to leave the apartment behind when the police come by; he narrowly escapes in a taxi. He goes straight to the bank to withdraw a large sum from Philippe's account, then telephones the apartment identifying himself to the police as Tom Ripley and desiring to speak to Philippe. A police officer, Riccordi (Erno Crisa), comes to Tom's pension to question him about the murder in which Mr. Greenleaf is a suspect, but Tom is, of course, unable to help.The next day Tom is present at the morgue to identify Freddy's body, along with Marge and others. They go to a restaurant and discuss Philippe's whereabouts, though they all believe him to be innocent. While at the table, Tom almost slips up when he quotes one of the letters Marge has written to Philippe, but he comes up with a lie and says that he met with Philippe the day before, and that Philippe is now in Mongibello. As soon as he can Tom travels to Mongibello to make it appear as if Philippe has been there and left a suicide note, the money Tom withdrew and a will leaving all the money to Marge. He leaves the house through a window just as Marge enters with the police. Back in Rome the next morning, Riccordi comes to Tom's pension room to ask him questions and reveal certain suspicions, but without result. Next, Tom is back in Mongibello, coinciding with a religious festival. He knocks on Marge's door, but there is no answer, and when he visits Mr. O'Brien and Madame Popova they tell him they have not seen her for weeks. The next morning Tom finds a way into the house and finds Marge still in mourning over Philippe's death. He tries to convince her that Philippe did not truly love her. He announces that he will return to America and kisses her goodbye, but she stops him and asks him to stay. He has her play the guitar for him, and we see the two in bed together.One day soon after, Tom and Marge go swimming. Philippe's father comes to town to meet Marge and sell Philippe's boat. Tom stays by the beach while Marge goes to meet him. When they investigate the boat, they discover that from a rope tangled in the engine hangs the rotten corpse of Philippe Greenleaf. The police come to the beachside cafe and have the waitress call Tom Ripley to the telephone. As Tom goes to take the call, he smiles to himself. | murder | train | imdb | Minghella casts Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, a rather invisible actor in every way and although he's pretty good here, he's not good enough to overshadow his rival: Jude Law. Clement casts Alain Delon as Ripley and you will be with him all the way, you'll go where he goes you will turn out to be as amoral as he is - at least I did, I just wanted him to get away with it and why?
Clément's camera is always in some unexpected place that enhances the drama and tightens the suspense; Alain Delon makes an excellent Tom Ripley.
He shares that talent with Orson Welles (meaning the Welles of "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons," not, say, "Lady from Shanghai"), who also made decisions that are surprising yet invariably right.Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) and Phillipe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) are lately inseparable friends.
The script is brilliantly adapted from Patricia Highsmith's terrific suspense novel, "The Talented Mr. Ripley": the dialogue is always bringing the themes of duplicity, love, self-love, the nature of identity, ruthlessness and murder to the surface where they are given a brilliant sheen by Clément and his cinematographer Henri Decaë.
Alain Delon and Maurice Ronnet play a fascinating duet of savage cruelty in this tense beautifully crafted Rene Clement thriller from Patricia Highsmith's pen.
Anthony Minghella remade it as "The Talented Mr Ripley" with a more polished script and some startling character development but "Purple Noon" has an unbeatable extra gear in Alain Delon's portrayal.
Purple Noon with Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet,and Marie Laforêt, is the chilling original to The Talented Mister Ripley.
This original of The Talented Mr. Ripley is far different from the more recent movie, with Delon being more believable as Tom Ripley, his unbelievably handsome face hiding an evil mind, willing to do whatever it takes to trade places with Philippe Greenleaf.There are some gratuitous shots here for 1960, and I wasn't real impressed with Maurice Ronet,who seemed too old for the part of Philippe, but on the whole, an enjoyable experience with great plot development and cinematography.
Tom envies his friend's easy life and also his pretty girlfriend Marge Duval who sails along with them and finally he kills Philippe and takes his place as a rich man by achieving the sinister and carefully plan he has developed with such purpose.
Things get complicated for the killer from then on but he manages to go on with his profitable impersonation and sentimental approach to the dead man's girlfriend.The film is skilfully handled by director René Clement and interest doesn't fall till the end, the colorful and beautiful Italian coast on the Mediterranean sea brings a great background to the story and the final sequence when Tom's perfect plan is spoiled is excellent and memorable.Alain Delon renders one of his best performances ever as the resentful and no scruples Tom, well supported by Maurice Ronnet as Philippe and Marie Laforet as Marge.
The three leads (Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, and Marie Laforet) are all convincing in their roles.I have not read the Highsmith novel on which the screenplay was based.
Rene Clement's "Plein soleil" offers a young Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, a character known to more recent audiences as the hero of the Anthony Mingella 1999 "The Talented Mr. Ripley." It is nice to note that both films hold their own well, with the Mingella providing more character and background information than the Clement version.Delon, who was to become a favorite actor of Visconti and other fine French and Italian directors, renders a skillful performance, along with Maurice Ronet as Phillipe Greenleaf (known as "Dickie" in the later Mingella opus).
Although Anthony Minghella's "The talented Mr. Ripley" (1999) seems to be closer to Patricia Highsmith's novel, I must say that "Plein soleil" ("O sol por testemunha", its title in Brasil) is far more enjoyable for itself.The atmosphere is sublime and the setting nothing but wonderful.
Alain Delon stars as Tom Ripley in "Purple Noon," an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley." There is another filming of the same book in 1999 starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow, which I didn't care for.Patricia Highsmith was happy with all of this film except for the ending, which differs from her book, the first of a series.
Delon is one of the great matinée idols, really at the height of his fabulous looks here.Unlike the Minghella version, which I found preposterous, this story makes more sense and becomes absolutely riveting once Ripley gets rid of his rival Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) and steals his identity.
The camera work is excellent throughout and a little unusual.I, too, did not care for the ending, which was not Highsmith's.One thing i've never bought about this story is the fact that Ripley hung around the same area as Marge and Philippe's friends after becoming him.
Though I still don't understand it, it was easier to take in this film.Like the Minghella version, Purple Noon is glorious to look at, with a more European flavor than The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Sun-swept adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel "Monsieur Ripley" involves two French playboys in Rome--one a millionaire's son, the other a ne'er-do-well who worships money and the people who have it--who come to an impasse at sea, resulting in tragedy and an elaborate cover-up.
The film's American counterpart, 1999's "The Talented Mr. Ripley", played up the thriller aspects of Highsmith's story, while Clément is more interested in letting the scenes unfold through careful pacing and detail.
Purple Noon (1960)It might be hard to see "Purple Noon" with the eyes of someone in 1960, when it was released, especially if you have seen the other famous movie based on the same book, the 1999 "The Talented Mr. Ripley." But in fact they are rather different films, even though a few scenes are quite similar.
It's worth avoiding too much of that "which is better" comparison by remembering that the early film is distinctive as it spends much of its time as a kind of elevated mind game between to very good looking young men.
It's Jude Law in the later film who is the pretty boy, playing Mr. Greenleaf, and in the earlier French version we have Maurice Ronet, who at least has the advantage of looking a lot like Delon.There are some weird flaws in "Purple Noon." One I couldn't accept at all was when Ripley calls Greenleaf's girlfriend, Marge, pretending to be Greenleaf, and Marge can't tell the difference.
If you've seen the Damon/Law version of the two main characters here in action, you should enjoy the contrast of Delon/Ronet in the same roles.
In scenic Italy, criminally handsome Alain Delon (as Tom Ripley) has become friendly with hedonistic Maurice Ronet (as Philippe Greenleaf).
Although it drifts too far from the source, this version still rocks the boat.********* Plein soleil (1960-03-10) Rene Clement ~ Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, Marie Laforet, Billy Kearns.
Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) is a handsome and unassuming young man that hides a dark secret, he's a talented forger, impersonator and all round conman and opportunist.
I guess the better known adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's Mr Ripley novel these days is Anthony Minghela's The Talented Mr Ripley, which is a shame as this is a super version of the story.
Ripley is a despicable character is many ways, but because its Delon playing him, this viewer was almost rooting for him to succeed and get way with his dastardly plan, its hard not to take to him as he sits astride a yacht, bronzed body, wind blowing in his hair like some Greek God returning to Olympus, its only his blood stained hands that blows this myth.
Rene Clement's 1960 adaption of the Patricia Highsmith cult novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is like a Hitchcock film, made in Italy.
The story is about a Mr. Thomas Ripley (a miscast Alain Delon) who is sent from San Francisco (in the book it was New York) to retrieve a millionaire's son Philippe (in the book it was Dickie) Greenleaf (well acted by Maurice Ronet) from his leisure life of boating in Italy.
In the book, you tend to see through the eyes of Tom Ripley and can easily justify (like he does) the crimes he commits as a necessary evil to get where he needs to go.This is what "Purple Noon" is great about capturing, and where the remake kind of fails (though don't get me wrong, I quite love the remake as well).
There are good performances from Laforet, in her film debut, and Ronet, but this is Delon's movie.
I liked PLEIN SOLEIL but as with the recent THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY film, this early French adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's book is still not right and the perfect Tom Ripley film has yet to be made.
But even with all these faults, PURPLE NOON is light years better than the Matt Damon/Minguella crappy production (see my IMDB review) and it is one of the best looking films I've ever seen.
It must be said that Delon was a bit too pretty to accurately portray Tom Ripley, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the cinematography, the mood ended up far different from the novel.
Mr Ripley was played by a Alain Delon so good looking that I wouldn't care if he took Mr Greenleaf life.
This is the original: actors Alain Delon, Marie Laforet and Maurice Ronet young and beautiful, the amazing South of France settings, the twist in the story.
This is the first version of Highsmith's "the talented Mister Ripley".I have not seen the new film yet and I will avoid any comparison.
Clement's work is awesome:he teamed two ideal actors,Alain Delon and Maurice Ronet,the former playing a life-lover but broke guy and the latter a rich one.He directed anthology scenes as that of the murder of Ronet on the boat.For the second murder-the big fat American- Delon had to carry the body all down the way to the car.His sweat was not a fake one!Delon is impressive as well, when,after having killed Ronet,he begins to take his victim's personality to latch on to his dough.Henri Decae's photograph is also an asset.
For the people who read the book,there are a lot of differences though: the brunette Marie Laforet is not Marge at all,neither physically(G.Paltrow seems a better choice),nor intellectually .In Highsmith's novel she's a bubblehead girl,whose main obsession is not to lose her lover in favor of Ripley whom she suspects of being a fag:he is not,in the book either,he may be bisexual,but Highsmith remains ambiguous.As for Clement,in France of the late fifties,it was impossible to allow some doubt:hence the love affair with Marge,totally absent in the novel(Ripley despises Marge,he nearly tries to kill her ).But the main difference is the ending:Ripley takes all the money and run in the book,but then again,a "moral" ending" was necessary on the screen.I will not spoil this conclusion,that packs quite a wallop!.
Too often people are reacting to adaptations as if they should follow the mind of a reader, or rather ANY reader of the novel, although any film enthusiast know that a so-called faithful adaptation almost always will make a lousy movie.Hitchcock was one of the first directors to point this out, and he had in fact some experience with Patricia Highsmiths material (Strangers on a Train (1951) and an episode of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" called "Annabel", although the latter not directed by him, but by Paul Henreid).
Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) is a talented mimic, moocher, forger and all-around criminal improviser; but there is more to Tom Ripley than even he can guess.Roger Ebert gave "Purple Noon" three stars (compared to the four-star review he gave to the 1999 version of "The Talented Mr. Ripley"), writing that "the best thing about the film is the way the plot devises a way for Ripley to create a perfect cover-up".
"Purple Noon" (1960, original title "Plein soleil") is French director Rene Clement's take on Patricia Highsmith's "The Talented Mr. Ripley".
Highsmith's novels have been favored by a number of international directors, including Hitchcock and Wenders and more recently Minghella's own attempt to get at Mr. Ripley.There is much to like about this movie visually.
Alain Delon plays Tom Ripley- a petty criminal who entraps a rich man, kills him and takes his place.
The film is based on the Patricia Highsmith novel and anyone who has seen the American films based on the Ripley books will know that everyone from Matt Damon and John Malkovich to Dennis Hopper has played the psychopathic character- each with their own unique interpretation.
The film is based on the Patricia Highsmith novel and anyone who has seen the American films based on the Ripley books will know that everyone from Matt Damon and John Malkovich to Dennis Hopper has played the psychopathic character- each with their own unique interpretation.
A tale of murder, lust and homosexual undertones (some of the interplay between actors Alain Delon and Maurice Ronet is crackling with sexual feelings).The movie is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.
Having seen the remake version of 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' first several years ago when it came out and now seeing the original adaptation, I must say that both have their pluses and minuses.'Purple Noon' has the problem that it jumps right into the story, rather than building up Tom's background, as the latter version did.
Delon was absolutely smothering hot as Tom Ripley, a gorgeous psychopath who is intent on taking over the life of his friend, Dickie Greenleaf, his money and his girl.
Film is loosely based on the 1955 novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith.A mysterious young man has been sent to Italy to persuade his wealthy acquaintance to return to the United States and take over his father's business.
I'll bet that many fans of Anthony Minghella's excellent The Talented Mr. Ripley never watched René Clément's Purple Noon, the first cinematic adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel.
Few situations invoke tension and fear like the illusive peacefulness of the sea because, as Clémént shows, nature doesn't choose sides and can quickly become an obstacle to a well-planned murder.Alain Delon, younger than I've ever seen him in a movie, plays Tom Ripley.
The movie eschews the study of identity and class differences and makes Ripley a more traditional murderer, who kills a man for money and for a girl.The character of Marge (Marie Laforêt) gives to the movie little other than her beauty and a reason to pit between Tom against Philippe.
Years later I would read Highsmith's "Talented Mr. Ripley" and realize that, the screenplay of the movie had some fortunate differences from the book.
I like Minghella's recent version of "Talented Mr. Ripley" much less than the Highsmith's book and Clement's film version of it.
When the snoopy friend of Phillipe, Freddy Miles (Bill Kearns), chases Phillipe, Tom Ripley feels pressed and also kills Freddy, using Phillipe as escape goat for the murder and Marge to reach Phillipe inheritance.The cult "Plein Soleil" is the movie that projected the great French actor Alain Delon to the world.
His easiness in Ripley's role is amazing;dressed up,dogged and sharp.Yes,but how almost equally good is the rest of the cast!And Delon is seconded by the upbeat and ambiguous,easy-going,cruel and injudicious "Philippe" and the hearty "Marge".The sordidness of the facts is intact.As narrative,Full Sun is a wonder of economy.There is a powerful stream of fresh eroticism,beginning with the fat and lovely blonde picked out by the two friends,Tom and Philippe.The violence and insanity are of a Hitchcockian precision and force.These are the innards of violence and iniquity.And these are the artistic things as one would like to see them always.The execution is flawless and the showmanship is impressing.How interesting and thrilling this movie is,how well narrated.The score is fine and the photography is physically delighting.The movie is a feast for the intelligence.On the other hand,this kind of algebra is the product of a lively perspicacity.For the connoisseurs,Full Sun is matchless.And one of the best movies of the '60s.As such,it reunites these three privileges:to be one of the best ten thrillers ever;to offer Delon's best role;to be one of the very best '60s movies.The atmosphere is one of the main kudos of this suspenseful and lapidary film.Its director did know cinema.For me,Full Sun was an astounding experience :one of those films that are so good that surpass all previous expectations.So,movies do not have to be stupid,clumsy and trite and insipid;on the contrary,Full Sun shows how they ought to be always:bright and beautiful,of a striking beauty,with much gusto and having something to say and straightforward..
Patricia Highsmith's intelligent thriller, The Talented Mr. Ripley, first introduced us to Tom. He was poor then but willing to be rich.
Rene Clement's Plein Soleil (Purple Noon), with an incredibly young and handsome Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, was the first filming of Tom's murderous and successful career.
Under the Sun, a film about the story of Mr Tom Ripley.
Two stars of the French cinematography, Alain Delon and Maurice Ronet, combined their efforts in this excellent film, which showed good views of Rome and Italy in its first half.
I saw this gem again last night after seeing "The talented Mr. Ripley" a few months ago, and with all my admiration for the excellent art direction in the Minguella film, Rene Clement's is far much better even with the liberties it takes with the novel's original plot.
Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley is a great movies criminal, and this Plein Soleil is famous most of all for bringing to world wide exposure Alain Delon in his first complex and dark role as the criminal later played by such followers as Matt Damon or John Malkovich.
Alain Delon as poor Tom Ripley gives a perfect innocent looking but coldly calculating young lad who would do almost anything to live a life of riches. |
tt0382077 | Hide and Seek | Following his discovery of the body of his wife (Amy Irving) in a bathtub after her apparent suicide, Dr. David Callaway (Robert De Niro), a psychologist working in New York City, decides to move with his 9-year-old daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) to Upstate New York. There, Emily makes an apparently imaginary friend she calls "Charlie". Her friendship with Charlie begins to disturb David when he discovers their cat dead in the bathtub, whom Emily claims was a victim of "Charlie". Meanwhile, David suffers from nightmares of the New Year's Eve party that occurred the night before his wife died.
When a family friend, Dr. Katherine Carson (Famke Janssen), comes to visit David and Emily, Emily reveals that she and Charlie have a mutual desire to upset her father. Soon, they meet Laura (Melissa Leo) and Stephen (Robert John Burke) who are their neighbors. David is wary of their unusual interest in Emily. He later discovers that the reason for this is that the couple had a daughter who recently died from cancer and looked like Emily. Later, when David visits Laura, she nervously and ambiguously implies that her husband has begun abusing her in response to their child's death, emotionally and perhaps even physically.
David meets Elizabeth Young (Elisabeth Shue), a local woman, and her niece, Amy, who is roughly the same age as Emily. Hoping to cultivate a new, healthy friendship for Emily, David sets up a play date for her. Amy is anxious to become friends immediately, but the play date is spoiled when Emily cuts up Amy's doll's face. After Amy runs out of the house, Emily tells David that she doesn't need any more friends.
Despite the unsuccessful play date, David and Elizabeth hit it off. David invites her over to dinner one night, where Emily acts increasingly hostile towards her. Some time later, Elizabeth visits the house, hoping to make peace with Emily. When Emily tells her that she is playing hide-and-seek with Charlie, Elizabeth indulges her by pretending to look for Charlie. When she opens the closet, someone bursts out and pushes Elizabeth out a second-story window to her death.
After the police discover her car crashed near David's house, David asks Emily what happened. Emily claims Charlie caused her death by pushing her out the window and forced Emily to help him move the body. She tells David the location of her body. A terrified David discovers Elizabeth's body in the bathroom in a bathtub full of blood. David asks Emily where Charlie is, and Emily tells him that Charlie has "just left".
David, armed with a knife, goes outside, where he meets the neighbor who has become friends with Emily. David assumes that his neighbor is Charlie and begins to act aggressively. Becoming suspicious that David has killed his own daughter, the neighbor asks to see Emily, but David cuts the neighbor with his knife. The neighbor then calls the police.
Back in the house, David finds that, although he has been in his study many times (listening to his stereo and writing a journal), the boxes were actually never unpacked after the move. With this, David realizes that he has split personality and that Charlie is not imaginary at all, but that in fact "Charlie" is David himself. Whenever "Charlie" would emerge, David was in his study. Charlie was actually in control. David also realizes that under his Charlie personality, he killed his wife and then made it appear to be a suicide. He also fully recalls the events of the New Year's Eve party the night before his wife's death. Immediately after the countdown to midnight, David noticed his wife slip away. He followed her and caught her having sex in a stairwell with another guest. "Charlie" was created as a way for David's rage to destroy his wife, something that the docile David himself was too decent to do. Emily knew the entire time about her father's split personality, but did not tell him because she was unsure which personality murdered her mother, suspecting David until "Charlie" killed Elizabeth.
Once Charlie's identity and horrible deeds are realized to David, he becomes completely consumed by Charlie, leading him to murder the local sheriff (Dylan Baker), who arrives to investigate the previous altercation. Emily calls Katherine for help.
Katherine arrives and is pushed down the basement stairs by 'Charlie'. Charlie/David, determined to play a hideous game of hide-and-seek with Emily once again, starts counting. Emily dashes and hides. She tricks Charlie and manages to lock herself in her room. As Charlie tries to break in, she climbs out from the window and runs into the cave where she originally met Charlie.
Meanwhile, Katherine takes the gun from the dead sheriff, breaks out of the basement, and finds Charlie looking for Emily in the cave. Charlie pretends to be David and attacks Katherine when she lowers her guard. Katherine begs for David to come out and fight his murderous other personality. Charlie tells Katherine that David no longer exists; from the minute David discovered the truth about himself, this enabled Charlie to fully take over. Emily emerges from her hiding place, begging Charlie to let Katherine go. Her distraction allows Katherine to shoot Charlie, killing him at last.
Sometime later, in one of several endings, Emily is preparing for school in her new life with Katherine. But Emily's drawing of herself with two heads, suggests that she might also suffer from dissociative identity disorder. | plot twist, psychological, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0070723 | Soylent Green | In the year 2022, the population has grown to 40 million people in New York City alone. Most housing is dilapidated and overcrowded, and the homeless fill the streets and line the fire escapes, stairways of buildings, abandoned cars, subway platforms, etc. Unemployment is at around 50%. Summers are oppressively hot and humid with temperatures over 90F degrees during the day and night due to Earth's recent climate change resulting from the Greenhouse Effect. Food, as we know it in this present time, is a rare and expensive commodity. Most of the World's population survives on processed rations produced by the massive Soylent Corporation, including Soylent Red and Soylent Yellow, which are advertised as "high-energy vegetable concentrates". The newest product is Soylent Green: small green wafers which are advertised as being produced from "high-energy plankton". It is much more nutritious and palatable than the red and yellow varieties but, like most other foods, in short supply which often leads to weekly food riots.Robert Thorn (Charlton Heston) is a New York City Police Department detective from the 14th Precinct who lives in a dilapidated, cramped one-room apartment with his aged friend and roommate, Solomon "Sol" Roth (Edward G. Robinson, in his last film). Roth is a former college professor whose job is to sort through the now-disordered remnants of written records and books to help Thorn's investigations. Roth and his like are known as "books." He tells Thorn about the time before the ecological disaster and population crisis of the early 2000s, when real food was plentiful, although Thorn is generally not interested in the stories, finding most of them too hard to believe.Thorn is assigned to investigate the murder of William R. Simonson (Joseph Cotten), a 68-year-old wealthy lawyer living in a luxury high-rise apartment building called Chelsea Towers West. At the crime scene, Thorn first talks with the building superintendent Charles (Philip Stone) about discovering the body. Charles leads Thorn to the 22nd floor and to Simonson's apartment which is 22A. Thorn finds Simonson lying in a pool of blood after having been struck multiple times in the back of the head with a sharp object which is speculated to be a meat hook or an axe. Instead of looking for clues, the poorly paid detective helps himself to the wealthy man's food, liquor and books and even enjoys taking a shower (with real hot water and soap). He questions Shirl (Leigh Taylor-Young), an attractive 23-year-old "concubine" (euphemistically known as "furniture") who comes with the apartment, and Simonson's bodyguard, Tab Fielding (Chuck Connors), who claims that he was told to escort Shirl on a shopping trip when the attack took place. The sanitation crew led by Wagner arrives to take Simonson's dead body away, as Thorn leaves after collecting a statement from Fielding.Returning to his apartment, Thorn gives Roth the Soylent Oceanographic Survey Report, 2015 to 2019, a two-volume work which he took from Simonson's apartment. Thorn returns to work at the 14th Precinct during that evening where they're hundreds of people lining up to collect death benefit money from recently diseased friends and family members. Thorn talks to his superior officer, Lieutenant Hatcher (Brock Peters), telling him that he suspects it may have been an assassination, since nothing was stolen from the apartment and the murder seemed professional. Thorn also finds it odd that the luxury apartment's sophisticated alarm and monitoring electronics, including the building's security cameras, happened to be inoperative on the night of the murder, and his bodyguard just happened to be out of the apartment at the time. Thorn confides in Lt. Hatcher that he suspects that Fielding might have had something to do with Simonson's murder.The next day, Thorn stakes out Fielding's apartment building and sees him leave. Thorn lets himself into Fielding's apartment where he questions Fielding's live-in "furniture", Martha (Paula Kelly), about his work for Simonson. Thorn returns to his own apartment to eat an evening meal of the purloined food taken from Simonson's apartment that Roth prepares for them. Afterwards, Roth tells Thorn about the research he did on the murder victim and that Simonson was a member of the board of directors of the Soylent Corporation. When he presents Roth with a spoon of strawberry jam surreptitiously palmed from Fielding's apartment, Roth tastes it and declares that Fielding's "furniture" is eating some "$150-a-jar" strawberry jam, which is an out-of-place luxury for the mistress of a bodyguard.Thorn returns to the Chelsea Towers West to question Shirl, who tells him that Simonson became deeply troubled in the days before his death, even taking her to church. Shirl is throwing a party in Simonson's vacant apartment for the other "furniture" girls of the building. Just then, Charles arrives and begins yelling and hitting the women for slacking off until Thorn arrives back in the living room to stop Charles from hurting the girls anymore. After sending Charles and the rest of the furniture girls away, Thorn returns to Shirl and they make love.A little later that same evening, Thorn goes to a local Catholic Church (teeming with hundreds of homeless people) and attempts to question the priest (Lincoln Kirkpatrick) about Simonson's confession, but the priest is almost catatonic with exhaustion and has a hard time remembering Simonson, even though Simonson, as a rich man, would have stood out among the impoverished people who normally frequent the church. When the priest remembers Simonson, he tells Thorn the memory of what Simonson told him was haunting him, and is unable to describe what Simonson said to him because it was "too horrible". The next day, Fielding goes to the church and murders the priest to ensure he never talks again.The next morning, as Thorn begins uncovering more evidence as to why Simonson was murdered, New York State's Governor, Joseph Santini (Whit Bissell), who was once Simonson's partner in a high-profile law firm and who is running for re-election (as shown in the campaign posters on such walls as that of Hatcher's office), instructs Hatcher to close the investigation. However, Thorn continues his investigation into the murder. When Governor Santini learns that Thorn refuses to close the case of the Simonson murder, he orders his chief of security, Donovan (Roy Jensen), and the head of security at Iannhop Corp. to have Thorn murdered.When Thorn is on riot duty during the Tuesday distribution of Soylent Green rations, Simonson's murderer, Gilbert (Stephen Young), a local assassin-for-hire whom was the one that Donovan contracted to murder Simonson, attacks Thorn and fires several shots at him with a silenced pistol as a food riot begins. Thorn chases his attacker into the thick crowd as large dump trucks called "scoops" designed by the NYC Riot Police, arrive to pick up closely packed rioters and "scoop" them into the trucks. But before Thorn can capture Gilbert, who manages to wound Thorn by shooting him in his right calf, the assassin is crushed to death under the "scoop" of one of the riot control vehicles.Thorn goes back to Fielding's apartment and beats him and his mistress Martha for the attempt on his life. Thorn then goes back to Shirl at Simonson's apartment where she removes the bullet and stitches his wound. Shirl tells Thorn that a new tenant will be arriving soon at the apartment and is hoping to move in, but she has romantic feelings for Thorn. Thorn tells Shirl that he will let her know if she wants to stay with him or the new tenant of Simonson's apartment. After resting for about an hour, Thorn leaves the apartment into the evening as sirens for the nightly curfew begin sounding. Sometime later a new potential tenant, a brash high-class businessman, arrives at the apartment and questions Shirl about herself and describes his daily details should he decide move in and want to keep her as "furniture".Meanwhile, Roth examines Soylent's oceanographic reports at the Supreme Exchange, a library and gathering place for fellow "books." The "books" and Roth finally realize that the reports indicate a "horrible" truth which, despite reading it for themselves, they find nearly impossible to believe; Soylent Green isn't made from plankton, it's made from human bodies. Unable to live with what he has uncovered, Roth opts for assisted suicide at a government clinic (in the former Madison Square Garden, which had been converted to a clinic for mass euthanasia), a process referred to as "going home". As Roth is dying, he watches video clips of Earth long ago when animal (sheep, deer, and horses) and plant life was thriving and there was no pollution, while listening to light classical music.Thorn returns to his apartment and finds a note from Roth that he is "going home". Thorn races to the clinic and forces the staff attendant (Dick Van Patten) to allow him to see and talk to Roth. During Roth's final moments, he tells Thorn the secret of Soylent Green, and begs him to follow his body to the processing center, and report back to the "Supreme Exchange".Thorn sneaks into the basement of the assisted suicide facility, where he sees corpses being loaded onto waste disposal trucks. He secretly hitches a ride on one, which is driven to a heavily guarded waste disposal plant just outside the city. The black-clad sanitation drivers are escorted at gunpoint out of the truck where a white-clad plant worker takes over driving. The sanitation worker is escorted to another truck leaving the fortress-like facility to drive back to the city. Once inside the plant, Thorn sees how the corpses are processed into Soylent Green wafers. They are loaded onto a conveyer belt and driven through a large machine about several hundred yards long, and the Soylent Green wafers come out on the other end. But Thorn is spotted by two plant workers and is chased. Thorn kills one and subdues another before he escapes from the plant just when the alarm is sounded.Thorn returns to the teeming city and heads for the Supreme Exchange to report what he found, but is ambushed by Fielding and three other gunmen (all of whom presumably work for the government and are trying to conceal the secret). Thorn manage to get to a police payphone and call Shirl to tell her that he loves her and to stay with the new tenant whom wants to rent Simonson's vacant apartment. Thorn also manages to place a second call to Lt. Hatcher at the 14th Precinct to tell him where he is and that he is being attacked, but then gets cut off when the assassins close in.During a chase through the deserted streets and alleys (cleared of people because of the government-imposed dusk to dawn curfew), Thorn manages to kill all the gunmen chasing him except for Fielding who shoots Thorn in the back. He retreats into a cathedral filled with homeless people and Fielding follows him. After a desperate fight through throngs of sleeping homeless, Thorn kills Fielding by stabbing him with a rusted kitchen knife.When police backup arrives at the church, the seriously wounded and nearly hysterical Thorn confides to Lt. Hatcher the horrible secret behind Soylent Green, while Hatcher looks on with disbelief. As Thorn is being carried away by the police on a stretcher to a local hospital, he urges to Hatcher to spread the word and shouts out to the spectators: "Soylent Green is PEOPLE!! We've got to stop them... SOMEHOW!!!" | bleak, cult, murder, atmospheric | train | imdb | null |
tt0238380 | Equilibrium | Equilibrium is set in 2072 in Libria, a city-state established by the survivors of World War III, which devastated the world, where a totalitarian government requires all citizens to take daily injections of "Prozium II" to suppress emotion and encourage obedience. All emotionally stimulating material has been banned, and "Sense Offenders" – those who fail to take their Prozium – are put to death, as the government claims that the cause of all wars and violence is emotion. Libria is governed by the Tetragrammaton Council, led by "Father", who is seen only on giant video screens throughout the city. At the pinnacle of Librian law enforcement are the Grammaton Clerics, who are trained in the martial art of gun kata. The Clerics frequently raid the "Nether" regions outside the city to search for and destroy illegal materials – art, literature, and music – and execute the people hiding them. A resistance movement, known as the "Underground", emerges with the goal of toppling Father and the Tetragrammaton Council.
John Preston (Christian Bale) is a high-ranking Cleric. His wife, Viviana (Alexa Summer and Maria Pia Calzone), was executed as a Sense Offender. Following a raid, Preston notices his partner, Errol Partridge (Sean Bean), saving a book of poems instead of turning it in for incineration. Preston tracks down Partridge, who is hiding in the Nether region reading the book. Partridge confesses to Preston that he believes he was wrong to serve the government. He acknowledges that the consequences of feeling emotions are a "heavy cost", but remarks, "I pay it gladly" as he slowly reaches for his gun. Preston is forced to execute him.
Preston dreams occasionally about his wife and the day she was arrested. After Preston accidentally breaks his daily vial of Prozium, his son Robbie enters and reminds him that he needs to report the loss and request a replacement, but Preston is unable to before going on the next raid. As a result, he begins to experience brief episodes of emotion that evoke memories, stir feelings, and make him more aware of his surroundings. He intentionally skips more doses of Prozium and hides them behind the mirror in his bathroom.
Preston's partner is replaced with career-conscious Brandt (Taye Diggs), who expresses his admiration for Preston's "uncompromising" work as a cleric. On their first raid, they arrest Mary O'Brien (Emily Watson), a citizen identified as a Sense Offender. To Brandt's surprise, Preston prevents him from executing O'Brien on the spot, saying that he wants to keep her alive for interrogation. Brandt grows suspicious of Preston's hesitation to execute Sense Offenders and destroy contraband. As a result of his new secret emotions, Preston feels remorse for having killed Partridge, and he also develops an emotional relationship with O'Brien. Preston eventually uncovers clues that lead to a meeting with Jurgen (William Fichtner), the leader of the Underground resistance. Jurgen convinces him that Father must be assassinated. They plan to disrupt Prozium production in an attempt to spark a popular uprising.
Preston is brought before Vice-Counsel DuPont (Angus Macfadyen), who reveals that there is a traitor in the upper ranks of the Clerics. DuPont appears to be onto Preston, but then assigns him the task of uncovering and stopping the traitor. Relieved to learn he has not been implicated, Preston accepts and renews a promise to locate the Underground's leadership. He learns of O'Brien's scheduled execution, but Jurgen advises against interfering, which could sabotage plans for the revolution. Jurgen decides to allow the leaders of the resistance to be captured by Preston, so that Preston can gain the government's trust in order to approach Father and assassinate him. Unable to bear O'Brien's execution, Preston unsuccessfully rushes to stop it. Brandt catches Preston having an emotional breakdown in the streets, arrests him, and brings him before the Vice-Counsel. Preston tricks DuPont into believing that Brandt is the real traitor. Following Brandt's arrest, Preston is informed that a search of his home will take place as a formality. He rushes home to destroy the hidden vials, only to find his son – who stopped taking Prozium after his mother died – already has.
Preston turns in Jurgen and others from the resistance, and as a reward, is granted an exclusive audience with Father. Upon arriving, he discovers that Brandt was not actually arrested but was part of a ruse to expose Preston and the Underground. DuPont is also revealed as the real Father; he had secretly replaced the original Father after his death. It also becomes clear that DuPont does not take Prozium and can feel emotions. He taunts Preston, asking him how it felt to betray the Underground. Enraged, Preston fights his way through an army of bodyguards into DuPont's office and defeats Brandt in a katana battle. In a final gun kata showdown with DuPont, Preston wins. DuPont pleads for his life reminding Preston that he represents life and feeling and asks, "Is it really worth the price?" Preston responds with Partridge's last words, "I pay it gladly", shoots DuPont, and destroys the command center that broadcasts propaganda videos of Father. The Underground carries out the destruction of Prozium manufacturing and storage facilities and attacks key points throughout the city. Preston watches the successful revolution with satisfaction from above in DuPont's office, as a smile breaks across his face. | neo noir, murder, thought-provoking, cult, violence, flashback, psychedelic, action, philosophical, brainwashing, romantic, sci-fi | train | wikipedia | I know it's stupid to believe that a futuristic society is dumb enough to believe that the mere existence paintings, poems and sculptures can somehow lead to WW4.I know there's a statue as well as stylish architecture in the headquarters of the people who ban artwork.I know it's stupid to assume that a culture based on taking a drug every morning is not a very secure or feasible idea.I know it makes no sense for a culture with no emotions to still be able to fall in love, choose a spouse and desire sex to create children.I know half the people that Preston attacks are just standing there doing nothing while they wait to get their ass kicked.I know the sets look cheap.I know it's stupid that the "police" seem to die because their helmet glass breaks, when they'd probably be smart enough to have shatter-proof, if not bullet-proof plexiglass in the first place.I know there's no reason random citizens would sit in a square to watch a guy on a big screen giving a speech, re-enforcing what the characters already know.I know it paints a stupid picture of characters with emotion as looking like long-haired Gothic slobs who do nothing but sit in rooms with paintings and LP records and poetry books all day.I know the emotionless characters express emotions and crack facial expressions when they're probably not supposed to.I know Gun-Fu doesn't make much sense as to its practicality.I know this film is an inspired rip-off of "Fahrenheit 451", "1984", "THX-1138", "Brazil", and "Blade Runner".................But I love it.Although it's a mish mash of every "man vs.
Set in a future, post-World War III society where emotions have been outlawed, Equilibrium tells the story of John Preston (Christian Bale), a government agent who begins to have doubts about the policy he is enforcing.Equilibrium is the perfect example why I do not rate lower for derivativeness or unoriginality.
The high-concept material in Equilibrium is handled brilliantly.On its surface, after a brief action-oriented beginning, Equilibrium is basically a progression from a fairly complex sci-fi film (meaning simply that it takes a lot of exposition to get up to speed) to a thriller to a "gun fu"-styled actioner.
The cast does an excellent job of portraying characters who are supposed to be mostly emotionless but with cracks in the stoic armor continually poking through.Wimmer has a harsh view of our society's self-medication epidemic--even the title of the film seems to be a stab at the common claim that drugs like Prozac and Xanax are taken to help one "smooth out", or "equalize", extremes of mood, or extreme dispositions.
While the nay-sayers will say that the film is too unoriginal, borrowing elements of its story and premise from "Fahrenheit 451" and "Brave New World," these complaints can be disregarded as the movie adds enough of its own style and story to make the comparisons plausible in basic premise only.
If you are a fan of such books as Brave New World, 1984, The Giver, or This Perfect Day or movies like the Matrix and Logan's Run--Equilibrium is just the movie for you.
In addition to a terrifying plot set in our very own future, the movie has mind-blowing action sequences that are choreographed beautifully (but not obviously) and shot brilliantly and spectacular acting on the part of Christian Bale.
Whether you love action or a great plot line, this movie gives the Matrix trilogy (especially Reloaded and Revolutions) a run for its money--to say the least..
The matrix (at least the first one) didn't take itself too seriously, but this one did...and I think it lived up to the challenge as much as any action movie set in the distant future with some reality bending.
If I may say so, this is what gun fights in hard core science fiction movies should look like.Many people criticize the movie for being unrealistic or too extreme, altogether forgetting what kind of movie they're watching in the first place.
The characterization may be just a little heavy (Bale's character going from not understanding a question about what he felt when his wife was incinerated to having a soft spot for puppies, etc.), but like another outstanding and equally over-the-top film, Shoot 'Em Up, nothing is out of place.
Something similar happens in this movie.The similarities to The Matrix films are obvious, but limited mostly to superficial things like the fight scenes and some costumes.
This movie has a spectacular plot (post-apocalyptic world war III), and thus a fascist regime in which feelings, emotions, and so forth are abhorred.
John Preston has always been a Cleric, but the failure of his partner and an encounter with a feeler start him thinking and feeling.With sighs of `matrix clone' and `cashing in', I, like many viewers overlooked this film in favour of other things that may have come across as more original.
The concept does fall down a little bit with too much thought but on the surface it works well enough to suffice for a sci-fi action movie - the running time doesn't allow for much more than superficial thought here, although there is enough in this future to be thought provoking.The action is good considering the low budget involved here.
The support cast features Bean, Pertwee, Connelly, Fincher and McFadyen but really it is totally Bale's movie and he does pretty well to make it together.Overall this is not a great film but it is an enjoyable action sci-fi that manages to produce an interesting, if unoriginal plot and some slick and fun action that is no less slick or fun for being a low rent version of The Matrix's effects.
It's set in the future, in the real world, and yet we're supposed to digest the idea that humans can jump 20 feet into the air and dodge the bullets of 20 close-range gunman using "statistical probability."I suppose by now you're thinking to yourself, "This movie sounds awful.
After seeing this movie, ritual seppuku seemed like a fun way to pass the time.This movie will be the low marks on the resumes of actors and actresses like Christian Bale, Taye Diggs, Sean Bean, and Emily Watson.
From what we see its only he and his fellow Grammaton Clerics who are trained to squelch their emotions entirely, as well they might since they are the cruel enforcement arm of their society's vicious goals.Third, Bale deserves a lot of credit for the way this movie succeeds.
The "Matrix" films aren't based in reality; they're based in some crackhead alternate universe where a whole bunch of wacky things happen and the movie tries to make sense of it with a lot of pretentious sci-fi jargon that only geeks of the genre will fully absorb.
It's obvious that the movie didn't had a terribly high budget and I must see that they handled this well and made the best out of it.The fight scene's are fairly good but simply too much over-the-top to find it really entertaining or believable.
Also the ending disappoints heavily and overall the movie leaves a bad aftertaste.Christian Bale on the other hand is simply cool and wonderful in his role and he portrays a good main character/hero.
This movie also had to steal plot elements from "Fahrenheit 451" and "1984." Interestingly, "The Matrix" was stealing elements from Hong Kong action films, which means that "Equilibrium" has second-generation plagiarism going on.There is not a single original thought or idea in this movie.
But you realise after you watch him, every time you read the novel again HE IS Patrick Bateman), a LITERALLY starving and tormented loner (please see The Machinist if only for his PERFECT, ground-breaking work of art, which includes both his acting skills and his beyond-emaciated body), a hopeful gay teenager turned hopeless adult (Velvet Goldmine, where he's amazingly accurate in a minor -as length goes- role and you really believe he's a shy and lively teenager and minutes later you believe he's a weary, melancholy adult), a conflicted superhero (the best Batman by far, followed by Michael Keaton of course) and all sorts of middle-of-the-road characters.
"The Matrix," a movie I (and many, many other people) love, compiled different pieces from countless stories/films/myths around the world.
"Equilibrium," on the other hand, only regurgitates familiar science-fiction ideas, including "Matrix." The result feels like a copy of a copy of a copy: dull and painfully predictable.But I digress, I realized late in the picture I had it all wrong.
The premise is ridiculous, the action is way over the top, and the script is full of absurd buzz words like "Grammaton" and "Gunkata." After borrowing themes from so many other pictures, "Equilibrium" is best enjoyed as a big budget "Plan 9 from Outer Space," as the finished product is so terrible it is actually hilarious..
It's not just the leaders who show emotion, which would be a fine example of hypocrisy, no; it's the folks working the menial jobs that get to run around and wet their pants in fear.The movie also tries to cash in on popular Hollywood-Fu by creating it's own martial arts called Gun-Kata, the name itself already brings back horrible memories of Gymkata and the Gun gimmick isn't any better then the Gymnast on a concrete horse fighting 'crazies'.
Like EQUILIBRIUM, which is one of the most painfully bad movies I've seen in a while (and I've seen a lot of bad movies recently, including COLD CREEK MANOR and JUNIOR...).The whole concept is so ludicrous that I had a hard time watching the film.
And that's the major problem with this film: totalitarian states are not just black and white things, they are as complex, if not more so than so-called free societies.The other problem with EQUILIBRIUM is that the filmmakers actually tried to make the killing techniques look cool and edgy, even if these fighting techniques are basically evil.
Before I write anything, I should state that I'm not sure I've just seen the same film as the majority of people who've written comments here.It was called Equilibrium, and it featured an excellent cast, including Christian Bale and Sean Bean.But it was absolutely no good whatsoever.
This movie has some of the most non-original material ever, the fight scenes are so matrix, with the slow-motion action-real time camera effects.
I really wanted to like this movie, because I think Christian Bale is a great actor and I'm a general fan of of the dystopia genre, but this film just asks too much of us.I can't believe some reviews use the word "original".
I watch a lot of action movies and have seen more or less every good shootout ever filmed, and most of the scenes in Equilibrium are better than any other filmed.
The plot here does the job and is somewhat interesting at one point, and there's a nice little symbolic use of Yeat's poem "You tread on my dreams." I doubt the movie could stand on its own without the action sequences, but frankly kung fu movies aren't supposed to be judged on Story or Characters, so the fact that it isn't cringe-worthy is just bonus.COMEDY) Not really a comedy.ACTION) The director Kurt Wimmer invented a fictional style of martial arts called Gun Kata which all the Grammaton Clerics use, supposedly based on thousands of simulations of recorded gunfights.
There are bits where he mows down stormtroopers, swordfights six clerics, and then that final showdown which is this awesome 1-on-1 Tai Chi/Wing Chun sticky hands (armed!) sequence.The filming is great, just fast enough to be exciting, not so fast or violent that you miss moves (although you will be tempted upon second viewings to frame-by-frame many of the fights, especially the final showdown).The director Kurt Wimmer once complained that in Equilibrium he was saddled with a choreographer who leaned into hard-style Karate when he wanted to go with more soft-style Wushu, but let me tell you there's really no difference.
The Gun-Kata thing is cool and works well, a lot thanks to Bale's execution.If you want to watch a cool and actually thought-provoking sci-fi movie and still have a good time then this is your choice..
'Equlibrium' like 'Minority Report' is one one of the current crop of post-Matrix science fiction = action movies that you'll watch once, yawn, and never think about again.
I could go on about how stupid the Gun-Kata stuff is, or how the movie is built on a paper-thin premise (we have technology NOW to medicate people automatically e.g. insulin, but they can't do this in the future?), or how Taye Diggs' character inexplicably has emotion (What the?) but I can't be bothered, the fact is this is a lame action movie full of plot holes.
This film also makes you think about how important the arts are in our world and what it would be like with no emotion.
The plots share a common sci-fi theme, an oppressed people fighting an unfeeling regime, but Equilibrium is based in solid reality while the Matrix world is illusion.
The thought provoking futuristic view of society actually has some merit when you look at world regime's of the past and their efforts to control the masses, so believability is extremely high as well.All in all, this is one great movie which definitely should have been noticed by more people..
Not at all.Christian Bale gives a great performance- a man who is learning to feel, and at times it's heart-wrenching to watch as a man capable of taking out whole rooms of heavily armed men single handedly becomes in an instant so childlike as he discovers what it's really like to feel.Taye Diggs is a wonderfully unlikeable character and Sean Bean in his small role is the exact opposite.
I was genuinely upset about his fate, even if we didn't really see him for very long at all.This movie has a lot of emotion, and plenty of fantastic Action sequences of Christian Bale kicking some major behind to contrast it.
The action is think and the plot '1984' like (timeless).What made the movie more fascinating for me was the use of 'martial arts' and the way in which the use of guns evolved like the samurai arts of old, replacing the sword with a pistol.The acting was superb and the main character was the icy killer from 'American Psycho', who used his charm and wit as in 'American Psycho' to pull off a superb non-feeling Cleric.There are of course some great fight scenes, utilising guns, samurai swords and empty hands that would make any viewer happy to sit down and watch this film.If you liked 'The Matrix' and love old Samurai movies, try this film, you will feel for it..
While this film may be under writer/director Kurt Wimmer's credit, this work owes more than a little credit to the Bradbury classic, because this film has a lot in common while also not having much in common.Christian Bale, just fantastic as always (he gave the 2nd best performance last year for American Psycho), plays a cop type of guy in a zombified nation where the satirical points in 451 are expressed as thought is forbidden and controlled and anyone else who goes against it is killed.
He follows orders as always, until he meets a woman, played by Emily Watson, who in a way changes his thinking and with that starts to grow emotion.Sounds like possibly a cheap rip off, but the film does cool touches in the story and structure to make it nice and as Bale goes through his change, we are sucked in.
Christian Bale has another great performance and although having a commercial ending, I liked this movie.
wonderful artdesign and really good camerawork, a nice plot, but directed sooooooooo bad, that one could start crying.how can anyone think that showing martial arts in an action movie after matrix with just a 10th of the matrixbudget could work?
I Think So. This film is very similar to 1999's The Matrix with the spectacular visual effects, awesome action sequences and mind-blowing gun fights.
Whe he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders emotion, Preston, who has been trained to enforce the strict laws of the new regime, suddenly becomes the only person capable of overthrowing it.When I was watching this film, I expected a chase movie (if you had read the plot, you would know why).
I also liked the plot twists in the film, although some are obvious.The performance by Christian Bale is fantastic, turning into an emotionless person into a two dimensional character.
Even Sean Pertwee makes an appearance as the face of Father, the secretive leader of a futuristic fascist world where emotions are banned and suppressed by daily injections of drugs.Bale's lead role in this movie is almost a dress rehearsal for "Batman Begins" - the "Gun Kata" action sequences are similar in tone to the "Batman" film but are actually more effective.
It was truly amazing to see Christian Bale in a movie like this, and I think he played the part perfectly.
A great adventure film that makes you think a lot about the value of feelings, how people get away with violence and how human societies are going to be formed in the future.
"Equilibrium" is one of the most passionate and emotional movies I've ever seen, and this comes from a movie that depicts a society that exists based on the concept that emotion and passion are the very things that led to the destruction of humanity, which is why feelings have been banned in the movie.Starring Christian Bale, who in 2002 wasn't really the big name celebrity that he is today, Taye Diggs, Sean Bean, Emily Watson, William Fichtner and Angus McFayden, this movie is classified as science fiction, but there's far more drama than sci-fi and even action. |
tt0054462 | The Wasp Woman | We open in a dusty field with a man in a beekeeper suit searching for a wasp nest. Dr. Eric Zinthrop (Michael Mark) spots a particularly nice specimen. He applies smoke to the nest, breaks the branch off and places it in a box. Zinthrop returns to the beehive area and talks to one of the beekeepers tending one of the many hives. A company representative, Mr. Barker (Gene Corman), arrives at the grove and chats with one of the beekeepers, Renfro (Aron Kincaid) about production quotas and Zinthrop's research, or lack of a report. He is escorted up to Zinthrop's shack. Zinthrop explains his research to Barker on extraction of royal jelly from wasps and its effects on aging. As an example he shows Barker two dogs, the same age, yet one looks like a puppy. Zinthrop has been injecting the smaller one with his formula. Barker fires Zinthrop on the spot.Janice Starlin (Susan Cabot) is chairing an executive staff meeting at Janice Starlin Enterprises, a cosmetics company in New York. Sales for the last fiscal quarter have dropped 14.5 percent. She notes that her competitors have not experienced a corresponding drop and she demands an explanation. An uncomfortable silence accompanies a pan around the conference table. She starts with Paul Thompson (Roy Gordon). He is responsible for Public Relations. Bill Lane (Anthony Fred Eisley) expecting he will be next for a snarky reply from Janice volunteers his assessment. He blames her. He gets up and explains that sales fell because Janice used to be the face of advertising, but because of advancing age, stopped. The meeting is adjourned when her secretary, Mary Dennison (Barboura Morris) reminds Janice that she has an appointment with Zinthrop. Before her appointment, she asks to meet with Arthur Cooper (William Roerick) to discuss royal jelly. She asks his opinion about the rejuvenating effect a more powerful version from the queen wasp might have on humans. Cooper advises, strongly, against it. Zinthrop is finally told he can meet with Miss Starlin. He enters her office and is told curtly that she doesn't have much time for him. He tells her he has ten maybe fifteen years for her. She demands proof, so they go down to a lab for a demonstration. He shows her two old guinea pigs in a cage. He injects one and places it back in the cage. To her amazement, one is now younger. She tells Zinthrop, "I don't believe it, it isn't not possible." Anticipating her response, Zinthrop injects his formula in the second lab animal, with the same results.After the demonstration, Janice is convinced of the potential and asks Zinthrop about terms. Zinthrop asks for a lab and a percentage, but he demands "full credit for my discovery, that is most important to me." Janice agrees to all terms and makes one of her own--she must be the experimental subject, in her own words, "Janice Starlin will be your next guinea pig." She also confides in Zinthrop that she's about to lose her business if his formula doesn't succeed.At her next staff meeting, she introduces Mr. Zinthrop to her senior staff and explains that he has a free hand on his special project and will report directly to her. He begins his work in earnest. Bill Lane and Mary Dennison debate Zinthrop's motives and expertise. Lane believes Zinthrop is a con man. They leave for the afternoon and have a date for dinner together. They are joined by Cooper, who believes Zinthrop is more dangerous than a mere confidence man--he thinks Zinthrop is a quack, and that can be fatal.Secretaries Jean Carson (Carolyn Hughes) and Maureen Reardon (Lynn Cartwright) are gossiping when Zinthrop inquires as to Miss Starlin's availability. He wants her to visit the lab, but is told she is in conference and not to be disturbed. Zinthrop returns to the lab and sometime later Janice arrives and is shown another test animal--a cat. But this time it is a kitten and Zinthrop is satisfied that the formula is ready and it is time for Janice to get her first injection.Janice is talking on the phone with the accounting department. She directs Mr. Gleason to pay all invoices and not to question any of Zinthrop's expenditures. She doesn't know Mary is eavesdropping on the other line. Mary immediately calls Bill Lane to tell him that Zinthrop just spent $2,300.00 on enzyme extracts.By the third week of her treatments, Janice is becoming impatient and can't see any progress in her own rejuvenation, despite Zinthrop's examination and assurance that the treatments are working. She asks about an increase in dosage, but he tells her that patience and care is required. He tells her that he has a newer, stronger formula, but that is isn't quite ready yet, and will need to be a topical treatment.Mary takes something from Janice's desk, then goes to lunch with Lane and Cooper to disclose the contents of Zinthrop's letter to Janice Starlin. Cooper wants to do a more thorough investigation of Zinthrop.That evening, Janice leaves her office and goes to Zinthrop's lab. She secretly injects herself with the new, but untested, formula. The next morning when Janice arrives for work she is visibly younger, even Maureen, one of the secretaries, comments. At her next senior staff meeting she unveils her new look and a new campaign for Janice Starlin Cosmetics.Zinthrop arrives in his lab and hears a crazed cat. It attacks him, he kills it. He realizes the formula isn't ready for use, but is unaware Janice has been secretly using it. He is also unaware that Cooper plans to break into his lab and examine his notes. After disposing of the cat's body, Zinthrop leaves the building for lunch. While crossing the street he is struck by a car and is seriously injured. While he's out Cooper does break into Zinthrop's lab, examines his notes, but is interrupted from a further investigation by the arrival of Janice Starlin knocking at the locked door. She uses her key to enter the lab, but discovering his absence, leaves. Cooper continues his snooping.When Zinthrop fails to return from lunch, Janice meets with a private investigator, Les Hellman (Frank Gerstle) and demands that Zinthrop be found and that time is crucial. She won't explain why. She has very little personal information to aid the investigator, then remembers his letter in her desk. She checks her desk, but can't find it. She remembers something Mary said and calls and has her return to the office and explain taking the letter. The investigator canvases the city and finally locates Zinthrop in a local hospital. The doctor (Roger Corman) explains it was a head injury and there was brain damage, but they can't determine the extent at the moment. Janice demands the best doctors available and that she will be financially responsible. Three days later Janice tells Cooper that if Zinthrop fails to recover he is to take over the lab. Janice sneaks down to the lab for another treatment. Cooper examines Zinthrop's notes and realizes the formula has a problem. When he examines the vials he is interrupted by a buzzing sound and the appearance of a wasp headed female figure. He tries to attack it, but it overpowers him. The night watchman (Bruno Ve Sota) begins his evenings rounds. Janice, now herself again, finishes injecting herself with the experimental formula and notices the vial is almost empty.At the next executive staff conference, Janice is taken ill. She ends the meeting early. She realizes she is now dependent on the injections, like a drug addict, and the supply is running very low. She decides to move Zinthrop into the building while he recuperates, and has a rollaway cot placed in her office so she can be close to him. A private nurse accompanies Zinthrop to an office that has been converted into a hospital room. Cooper's absence has been noted by Bill Lane and Mary Dennison, but Janice explains that Cooper is entitled to take a little time for himself.The night watchman hears something outside Zinthrop's lab during his rounds. He enters and is attacked. His scream wakes Zinthrop, but the nurse convinces him it was just a dream, although she also heard the scream. The next morning Janice is told about the disappearance of the night watchman, but she dismisses the discussion. Bill and Mary break into the lab while Janice meets with Zinthrop. His brain injury and memory loss frustrates him, as he tries to explain that there is something important he must tell Janice. Bill and Mary find Cooper's pipe and are now convinced he's in the building and possibly dead, along with the night watchman. As Zinthrop looks at her, Janice metamorphoses into the wasp creature. The nurse walks in at that moment, and the wasp creature attacks and kills her. Zinthrop collapses back in bed. Bill and Mary head for Zinthrop's room to question him and notice the room in some disarray and the nurse missing. Janice heads back to the lab for another injection. Mary goes up to warn Janice and Bill remains with Zinthrop. Mary implores Janice to call the police. Meanwhile Zinthrop explains to Bill that Mary is in great danger. Janice is the wasp creature and will kill Mary. Mary tells Janice what she and Bill have discovered so far. As she does, Janice transforms into the wasp creature and attacks Mary. They struggle and Mary is dragged off to the lab to be devoured. Bill takes the stairs up to the lab, as Zinthrop waits for the elevator for the same destination. Bill confronts the wasp creature in the lab, and as Zinthrop enters the lab is set upon by the wasp creature. Bill picks up a lab stool and attacks the creature. Zinthrop grabs a bottle of carbolic acid and throws it. The bottle breaks hitting the creature on the head. As the acid fumes and the wasp creature is temporarily dazed, Bill grabs the stool again and pushes the creature out the window. Bill finds Mary in the lab, dazed but otherwise well. We close gazing on the wasp creature's face while it transforms into a shot of a bee colony. | murder | train | imdb | null |
tt0118866 | Clockwatchers | Iris (Collette) is a shy young professional who doesn't want to rock the boat at the office where she temps. Margaret (Posey) is the polar opposite, and serves as a catalyst to help Iris become more assertive. Paula (Kudrow) eagerly awaits post-work happy hours and the chance to flirt with attractive men. Jane (Ubach) is engaged to marry a jerk who is already cheating on her. Margaret hopes to become a permanent employee as an assistant to Mr. Lasky (Bob Balaban), but her dreams are thwarted when he suddenly dies. The four temps form a camaraderie which assists them in getting through their boring and tedious days at work.
A series of thefts occur in the office and suspicion falls on the temps, particularly Margaret. When Iris finds a plastic monkey inside Margaret's desk that she had thought was stolen, Iris loses faith in Margaret and believes that she is the office thief. Margaret suggests a one-day strike from work due to mistreatment and being under appreciated as temps, and her friends halfheartedly agree to join her, but on the appointed day Margaret is the only one who does not come to work. As a result, the company's officious head of human resources (Debra Jo Rupp) fires Margaret, and management micromanages the remaining three temps. Iris, Paula and Jane's friendship comes to an end as result of the stress, ending the camaraderie among the temporary workers, and eventually they all go their separate ways. Paula is upset when she learns of Jane's wedding from a newspaper announcement, to which she was not invited, and leaves to work in another department.
It is later discovered that another employee (a rich girl who was hired as a permanent employee after her first day) was the thief and that Margaret simply had a similar toy in her desk. Iris confronts the thief when her diary disappears; Iris later receives a new diary and note of apology.
When Iris is not hired for a permanent job she really wanted, she quits the temp pool. A senior executive agrees to sign a letter of recommendation for Iris. Iris takes advantage of the fact that executives rarely learn the temps names, and she tells the executive that her name is Margaret, so that Margaret can finally receive the recommendation she had been striving for as a temp. Iris then mails the letter of recommendation to Margaret with a note. | psychedelic, humor | train | wikipedia | The only thing that I can think when reading the negative comments left for this movie is that the people who wrote them have *clearly* never temped.
As someone who spent four years of his life wasting away in other people's cubicles, I can tell you with complete authority that this movie gets every mind-numbing, insulting, and degrading aspect of the experience dead on.
I suppose you should be thankful if you can't relate to what's going on in this film because it probably means you've never had to tip-toe into some middle manager's office on a Friday afternoon to get a signature on your time card.As for those who think "Clockwatchers" is "dull" or "boring," it's called subtly.
Inappropriately marketed as a comedy, Clockwatchers is actually a sad, almost disturbing slice-of-life concerning the empty lives of four office temps and the realistic and/or idealized ways they seek to escape their individual predicaments.
Early in the film, Margaret comments on how `a person can just drift through life like they're not connected to anyone or anything.' Later, Iris admits that `even if a person wanted to break free, they could find out they've got nowhere else to go.' Ultimately, the Sprechers' four-character quasi-study can be applied to everyone, every day.
This is a really provocative movie that is artfully filmed.Good art often offers commentary on the times.
Work/friends/family are all portrayed as villains and allies wielding this loyalty Sword of Damocles.One IMDB reviewer said this film was a good way to kill time after work.
Toni Collette plays the ultra-shy newcomer to Global Credit, the ultimate transnational corporation, who slowly comes to realize that the doomed bond she makes with three other temps is an extremely sacred event in her life.
Iris comes full circle at the end of the film, confronts one of her many bosses whom plot against her, and atones for not standing with Parker Posey, who is the life of the party as Margaret.
Ms. Sprecher and her sister Karen wrote a delicious movie that is on the one level a satire about the way "temps" are used in an office, and it's at the same time, a character study about these four souls at the center of the movie.Each one of the young women in the film has a problem.
Iris is the one that stays the longer and she is the one that discovers the mystery of the missing things in the office, but alas, it's too late, because at that time she leaves the temp job.Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow and Alana Ubach, are perfect as the four temps.
Helen Firzgerald, who only has a few lines, cast a giant shadow as the creepy new employee that wants to make friends with Iris, only to be ignored.The Sprecher sisters created a film that feels real a situation one has seen is prevalent in the office setting..
She is at once obnoxious, brash, funny and fun...and yet, very vulnerable, struggling so hard to be recognized and very terrified of where her life is headed.I could give similar praise to the performances of Toni Collette, Alanna Ubach and (believe it or not) Lisa Kudrow.Director Jill Sprecher (I will have to watch more from her) has aimed her dart at office politics: The pecking order, the self-absorption, the pointlessness of it all, the feeling of "Oh, how I would I love to leave this place but where would next month's rent come from?"...and Jill has hit the bullseye!.
Blistering black comedy co-written by Jill Sprecher (who also directed) and Karen Sprecher, "Clockwatchers" gives us a suffocating office setting so vivid and real I half-expected my own co-workers to show up in it.
The office politics, the way the permanent workers "look down" on the temps, the menial and mind-numbing tasks, the good old boys (mostly white males, at that time) who were in charge and above it all.
I saw this on cable last night, just 2 days after seeing the Sprecher sisters' latest film, 13 Conversations About One Thing - that was the reason I stayed up til 2:30 a.m. to watch it, in fact (please read my review of 13 Conversations, posted yesterday).
This film is linear - one scene following the other chronologically - and therefore not as challenging to the viewer as 13 Conversations, but it does leave its mark (as one character in the movie has been told to do).
Toni Collette's face is still in my memory - her terrified-to-do-or-say-the-wrong-thing rabbit eyes, her rapture at feeling connected to her 3 fellow temp workers (and specifically, seeing her nose crinkle the way it does when she smiles), the desolation of seeing their bond destroyed by wretched but inevitable bone-chilling office politics and fear.
If you are looking for a wham-bam laugh out loud work movie, go see Office Space.
For some reason I'd been resisting seeing this film until a friend thrust it into my hands and said, "C'mon, Toni Collette and Parker Posey, how can you go wrong?"Maybe I was resisting because I didn't want to see my life up there on the screen.
Certain moments threaten to veer into David Lynch-style self-conscious surrealism, but the director reigns these moments in, in the nick of time.It's a film about small things happening in an enclosed space, and the friendships that grow between the most unlikely of people, due mostly to proximity.
it was typical 80s we're-all-gonna-get-rich pie-in-the-sky dreck and I forgot most of the movie by the time I passed the popcorn counter on the way out.Enter Clockwatchers - the 90s take on corporate life where the central characters aren't even granted the luxury of being employees of the company.
But with excellent performances by Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow (who I usually can't stand) and Bob Balaban it's well worth a view..
Saying this is a movie about a bunch of office temps is like saying "American Beauty" is a movie about a man going through mid-life crisis.
I'll give you a hint, Lisa Kudrow's character has Bulimia Nervosa.Guess who has OCD?"Never ignore the Obvious and Never over-look the Obscure"A great Movie!
This, along with demonstrations of wasting time at work, were meant to give the audience a taste of what office life is like.
I think it succeeded rather well, that is EXACTLY what many office environments are like.I'm sort of mixed on Parker Posey, I like her but I'm still waiting for her to develop a new character.
When the credits started for "Clockwatchers" - Toni Collette, Parker Posey and Lisa Kudrow - the senior citizens around me in the art house theater complained they hadn't heard of anybody.
This is a great movie for those of us in unsatisfactory office cubicle jobs - ideal for those in temp hell.
Not necessarily laugh out loud funny all the way through but biting social satire about office life today for those at the bottom end of a ladder that doesn't go anywhere.Collette's central character is almost too bland and vacant towards the end as there's no ringing conclusion just some small revenges, but it's all in character and place.
Kudrow gets to be a bit nastier and practical life-facing than her usual roles.Clearly the sister creators of this movie have spent some time as temps!
I'm surprised how many people see this as a boring film that does nothing but chronicle the minutiae of modern-day office life.
'Clockwatchers' is a relationship film which also examines the lives of the new breed of second-class citizen in the late 20th century workplace, the temp.Iris (Toni Collette) is a meek temporary hire who stands out about as much as the Muzak at her new assignment, a large credit firm.
The office drama is played out in great detail, and the solidarity of the temps is one of the war's casualties.This is a fine, above-average first effort from director Jill Sprecher, who wrote the screenplay with her sister Karen.
I have never worked as an office temp before, but after seeing this movie, I have a very clear image as to what it must be like.
The film does a perfect job of making the viewer feel like part of the office community (which isn't always a good thing to want to feel).
I have known so many people like this character - quiet, shy, someone who lets life go by without making his/her mark.
This movie successfully "marries Kafka with Dilbert." The visual beauty and serenity of this film is astonishing and mirrors the dreamlike drift of the film's plot, a wry look at the lives of 4 women lost in a vapid corporate office where they are temp workers.
Maybe it's Cleo the full-time worker, or Barbara the officer Rule Bitch, or---the situation that the company puts them all in, hoping to assign blame, not unlike what I was considering.I related more strongly to this movie having been an office temp worker than I suspect I would have if I'd never taken on such work.
CLOCKWATCHERS gets the tone of temp life down pitch-perfectly; no matter how good being a temp can be, it's a lower caste in the office system, period.And the last few scenes, where Iris pulls off a downright brilliant plan to help her friend at last, is a perfect capper here.
Quiet temp Iris Chapman (Toni Collette) starts work at a cold, soulless office.
The main characters are four women who entered the working world with hopes of making a life for themselves that would set them apart from the rest of the rat race, but had their dreams dashed when they realized that in today's crowded job market they had to take what they could get.
A very realistic, funny and well directed movie about 4 women who are trying to make a career with the limited, thankless position of a temp in a large corporation.Everything from the sea of cubicles in a blandly colored floor, to the ridiculous elevator style music playing continuously is typical of a large business in any city, USA.
Tony Collette and Parker Posey give stellar performances and the supporting cast of the office supply watchdog (Stanley DeSantis), and Bob Balaban as the obsessed corporate climber, pained a very real picture of the office politics and emotional, self centered wrecks people turn into when fighting for their chance of recognition..
If you want to watch a movie that makes fun of office work and is funny...this is the movie for you..
You can really feel the quiet desperation of each character and can almost taste the deadening atmosphere of this lifeless corporation.This film will be boring to those people who find it difficult to pick up on subtlety and those who have trouble with "getting" social satire.
And like everyone has said, if you have ever worked in an office, it all rings painfully true--this is where some of the humor comes from....definitely not laugh-out-loud humor, but we all have Office Space for that....Everything from the camera angles to the usage of silence is so well done in this film.And, can you ever go wrong with Parker Posey?
For anybody who simply sees this film as a boring comedy about office work, I think you missed the point.Clockwatchers tells the story of four young women, and their experiences temping in an office setting, but their job is a metaphor for life, and their office is the world around them, and around us all.
if you can hang on for ten quiet minutes, Parker Posey's character splashes into the calm of the heroine's life and makes things interesting for her and for us.
The friends of mine who really like this movie - well, they have lived this lifestyle (temp workers).
When "Clockwatchers" was over, I actually found myself depressed, and menaced by the possibility that my life could turn out like the characters'.
Watching this film was like reliving the jobs I had in my 20's - waiting for 5 o'clock, looking busy, trying to impress people who didn't give two hoots about you, and the dreams...ah, the dreams...This is a very believable study of working life for the bottom rung female.
But I have had the same transient sort of friendships, and the ease with which the women forgot their bond made me feel strangely depressed.From playing office chair games (spinning, going up and down) to stacking all my highlighters, to putting a stupid little plastic toy on my desk to cheer it up, I found myself laughing or smiling with recognition.I did think the characters were awfully, awfully bleak, though, which of course was the point of the movie.
Anyone who has worked as an office temp can appreciate this movie.
I think this movie is good.It has some nice camerawork, considering the limited potential of an office for filming.The actresses rock.
I think office life is very intriguing, so this film satisfied.Good flick for Parker Posey fans..
Having her assisted by actresses like Posey, Kudrow, and Ubach are something of an indie miracle.In addition, there is smart, believable focus on the people who work outside of the girls' circle in the office.
There are serious truths about the white collar world - how dehumanizing workers is a regular event, how the overworked are undervalued, and the constant fear of replacement never subsides - and Clockwatchers explores it maturely and, to some even, in an eye-opening manner.Starring: Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow, and Alanna Ubach.
Parker Posey is OK and Toni Collette has always something to offer in any movie she appears.
Interesting, humorous, real-to-life film, "Clockwatchers" offers a powerful and kind of pessimistic view of modern societies' anxieties, relationships and friendships that cannot last in an "Orwellish" job environment.
I liked a lot about this movie, especially the transformation of Collete's character, the sarcastic Parker Posey, but ultimately this Dilbert-esque satire amounted to little more than a couple of staples and a pad of Post-It notes.
OK, so there were a lot of people who said this was boring, but some people also said this film was funny and brilliant.Many people said that this film's humor was subtle, and that's why many people didn't "get it." I admit that this film seems true-to-life, but simply making a movie about real life isn't funny - because a bunch of women coping with office life isn't funny!
I saw this movie for Parker Posey, and she didn't disappoint, playing another one of her headstrong characters, but with a little more sadness to her manic side.
This movie allows you to look in on the challenges and small triumphs of four female office temps as they struggle to just get through the day.
I promise.Strong performances from the entire cast but Toni Collette and Parker Posey really shine.The strength of the film is how it somehow reveals the corporate world for what it is: completely de-humanizing.
Clockwatchers was more than just a film about how it's like to be a temp worker.
Clockwatchers is similar to my own perception of what it would be like to work at an office: sporadic moments of excitement in between periods where nothing really happens and occasionally boring.
Iris represents the new temp, while Margaret is the sardonic temp less than happy with her surroundings (and I also noticed: Margaret acts insulted when she is considered as the possible office supplies thief, yet early in the film she takes a set of shot glasses from a bar without much thought.), Lisa Kudrow plays an aspiring actress, and Jane is the meek worker.Also in Clockwatchers are the people around these four characters, all of whom seem weathered by the monotony of office life.
In addition to being boring, it provides another question: When the film is over, are the workers going to realize the waste office work is and stop ignoring the temps?
The cast alone was more than enough to make me switch on the TV and watch it, but what we have here, is a classic case of wasted talent.Toni Collette ('The Sixth Sense'), Lisa Kudrow ('Friends'), Parker Posey ('Scream 3'), Alanna Ubach ('The Brady Bunch Movie') and Jamie Kennedy ('Scream') all star in this low-brow drama.I thought the story was actually very boring, and the script seemed lifeless.
This is a very bleak film...if you're looking to unwind from work, this is exactly the wrong movie to watch.
Why make a film about office work?.
(This is the movie that made me fall in love with Toni Col. A Great Indie Film.
"Clockwatchers" begins as a cute little comedy about a group of four female office "temps" working in a corporate cubicle colony, living life by night and blending with the graywall by day.
Contrary to some perspectives, this movie deftly covered what it is like both to be a temp, and to deal with office politics.
While I was thinking it would be a big comedy because Lisa Kudrow and Toni Collette appeared in it, it is actually a drama with a good dollop of satire on business life.Parker Posey is as wonderful as ever, and while the end of the movie drags a little bit, Toni Collette gets to have a moment that is priceless as she confronts Cleo, the recently hired permanent secretary..
After recognizing all the female leads (okay, I couldn't ID Parker Posey), I thought this might be a good movie.But I kept waiting for something GOOD to happen.Yes, I enjoyed watching it, but it basically was about the mundane life of being a temp.I enjoyed the performances..
One has to wonder what actors with such talent as Parker Posey and Lisa Kudrow were thinking when they agreed to star in this film.
Toni Collette, with Parker Posey are temps for the "big" company, Global Credit.
Clockwatchers tries to compensate by having office-temp Iris, played by Toni Collette, deliver overdubbed soliloquies about life at the edges of total human anonymity. |
tt0436339 | G-Force | The film revolves around a special team of trained secret agent animals, equipped with advanced tools that allows the mammalian members to talk to humans. The primary field team consists of star-nosed mole Speckles (cyber intelligence) and Mooch (Reconnaissance). The unit's leader Ben, orders an unauthorised infiltration of the residence of home electronics and appliances magnate, Leonard Saber, the owner of Saberling Industries, who has been under FBI investigation. The team is able to retrieve sensitive information about a sinister scheme that is set to occur in 48 hours. However, when Ben's superior Kip Killian arrives for his evaluation, his astonishment at the team's capabilities and technology is overcome by his indignation at Ben's unauthorized mission and the fact that the downloaded intelligence appears to be useless information about Saber's coffee makers. As a result, the government agent orders the unit shut down, the equipment seized and the animals to be used as experimental subjects to be killed. With the help of their human compatriots, Darwin, Juarez, Blaster, Mooch and Speckles escape with hopes of stopping Saber's scheme, but find themselves in a pet carrying case bound for a pet shop.
Trapped in the store's pet rodent display case, G-Force meets Hurley, a laid-back guinea pig, Bucky, an irascible hamster, and three sycophantic mice. Although Blaster and Juarez manage to get themselves sold to a family with plans to return to extract their comrades, Speckles' own attempt to escape by playing dead ends disastrously when he is thrown into and supposedly crushed in a garbage truck. Meanwhile, Mooch manages to return to Ben to tell him where his mammalian agents are, but Darwin escapes with Hurley before he can arrive to collect them.
While Blaster and Juarez escape their new owners to return to Ben, he and his assistant Marcie discover that the discredited intel has a destructive computer function that apparently hid the scheme. At this time, Darwin and Hurley make their own way to their superior. En route, Darwin sees a Saberling coffee maker and decides to investigate it, but his examination of the machine makes it come alive as a dangerous fighting robot that he and Hurley are able to defeat by making it run right into the path of an oncoming pickup truck. Later Darwin and Hurley transport the wreckage to Ben by a skateboard. However, upon arrival, Ben confesses the shattering information that they are not special genetically enhanced animals as previously told, but ordinary ones Ben took in and trained for the team; Juarez was a delicacy at a roadside tapas stand in Pyrenees, Blaster was found at a hair and cosmetics lab where a hair gel was being tested for allergic reactions, Speckles was found before his family was killed and his home was destroyed to build a golf course, during which he became blind and had to wear special glasses to help him see, and Darwin was adopted from the pet store after his parents abandoned him because he was the runt of the litter. However, Hurley lifts them from their despair by reminding the team of the astounding feats he has seen them do and the fact that they obviously made themselves extraordinary on their own.
Emboldened but with little time to stop the scheme, Ben provides the field team with the means to infiltrate the Saber residence and plant a virus in the computer mainframe. Unfortunately, FBI agents are ordered by Killian to capture the animals dead or alive, forcing the team to elude them with an extended pursuit thanks to a high speed vehicle especially designed for them called the Rapid Deployment Vehicle (dubbed the RDV by Darwin) and Mooch acting as their camera in the air. During the chase, one FBI SUV gets trapped by moving trucks, while another SUV crashes into a RV, and the last one gets caught in the middle of a fireworks display, though none of the agents are harmed. After the team infiltrates Saber's mainframe, they encounter a bomb trap but they manage to avoid it because of their size. Meanwhile, Hurley notices a Saberling microwave oven, which transforms and attacks. In an appliance store, all of the machines also transform into killing machines and begin combining with each other. The microwave tries to kill the 3 guinea pigs but is destroyed by the bomb trap. The team takes on the monster, and the resulting battle separates the group, leaving only Darwin and Mooch to take the mainframe down. At the same time, Leonard Saber is shocked to discover that his appliances have become killing machines, expecting them to simply be able to effectively communicate with each other.
Meanwhile, Killian leads his men to take advantage of this obvious pretext to finally openly move against the industrialist thinking that he was the mastermind and interrogate him in the command truck. Ben and Marcie arrive at the scene and they watch Darwin trying to infiltrate the mainframe and shut it down. When Darwin reaches the mainframe, he finds out that Speckles, who actually faked his death and somehow obtained another pair of glasses after his original one was taken away earlier, is the mastermind of the plan. Speckles explains his masterstroke: to cause a massive planetwide bombardment of space debris pulled from orbit to make the planet surface uninhabitable, admitting that he snuck into Saber's base and planted the control chips into the devices and used Sabersense as a cover for his plan, and that he was the one who sabotaged G-Force's presentation to ensure that they didn't find out about his sinister plot. He also explains that the reason behind his plot is because he wants revenge on the human race for the death of his family. Speckles promptly amalgamates the various appliances in the vicinity into a giant walking robot, which, combined with a localised bombardment of orbital debris, soon overpowers the police force and grabs the command truck, with Marcie, Killian, Saber, and Ben inside. During the fight, Speckles summons one of his robots to kill Darwin (who loses his parachute and the PDA in the process), but Darwin manages to persuade Speckles that his new family is with the rest of the team and Ben, who had taken them all in. Speckles concedes, and realizing that he has gone too far, tries to shut it down, but he has lost control and the machines continue their onslaught. Darwin uses the computer virus on his PDA (which was recovered by Mooch earlier) to take it down, destroying the robot and nearly killing Hurley while the FBI take Saber into custody to presumably find out information from him.
The guinea pigs are personally commended by the FBI Director who also appoints them special agents of the FBI. Furthermore, G-Force is reinstated as a unit of the Bureau and expanded with Hurley, Bucky and the mice inducted as new recruits. Meanwhile, Saber makes the largest product recall in history, Speckles is given the punitive duty of personally removing the malicious chips from all Saber products, which number into the tens of thousands, and Agent Killian is relocated to an FBI base in the South Pole as a punishment for capturing G-Force. | entertaining | train | wikipedia | And though they appeared for a total of a little over few minute, Bucky the hamster (who is a quarter ferret) and the three mice were adorable.I'll recommend this movie to anyone looking for a good laugh on a lazy afternoon.
I thought this film was great,i don't understand why it didn't get a higher score.The storyline was fast paced, the animation and effects superb and the guinea pigs were generally funny.I thought the cast really made the characters come alive,I would definitely recommend this for families and children,the people giving it a bad review are not those whom it was made for.
It is simply just a fun action film for kids, its's not trying to be a tarentino masterpiece, Disney did a great job on making another great flick for the family!
The voice work from everyone was top notch, but if I were to hand it to anyone, it wold be cage for his transformation to the unknown.The animation is well done, the final action sequence does feel like it comes straight out of transformers, but it looks neat.
These are talking guinea pigs after all.The film is entertaining and the kids will most likely enjoy it.
The story is just about adequate, but the writing/dialogue is generally just dull dull dull.There seems to be no intelligence or flair to it at all, leaving children at best just entertained by cuddly animals talking, and at worse adults wondering why they're having to endure such boredom.I've seen a number of 'kids films' at the cinema and this has got to be the only one I've watch feeling so un-entertained by.
'G-Force,' Disney's new animated 3-D movie experience is a wonderful and fun film that kids as well as parents can enjoy.
My wife who is in her 40's loved it and laughed intensely throughout the film, particularly, at Tracey Morgan's guinea pig character 'Blaster'.The story is about a team of specially trained secret agent guinea pigs that take on a mission for the US government.
There used to be a time when the Disney moniker stood for quality, originality, intrigue and fun, sadly, with the help of a tiny group of guinea pigs this quality of leadership has withered away.Competing with the kiddie market with animated / live action films as Warner Bros.
There was a time when Disney's reputation took them far and wide with respectability, with the animated / live action film as Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), for example, there was an era when quality mattered.Kids should find this entertaining, fun even, but this is a film that should be seen on the "Children Television Channel", as this certainly is not one for the older kids, the attention span may just be tested, and older kids just may find this a rather dull affair.
G-Force should be titled C-Forced for "cute forced"—a witless, partially animated adventure about a team of talking guinea pigs working for the FBI to stop a billionaire from ruling the world with Jerry-Bruckheimer-like household appliances, currently patterned after Mr. B's transformers.If the plot doesn't anesthetize you, the wasting of Bill Nighy as the crazed mogul will depress you because he has not one line to capitalize on his considerable sardonic delivery.
And except for a fly buzzing in and out of the 3-D frame, that process doesn't distract from the banality of the film.I suppose a few in the preview audience laughed occasionally, but I was too preoccupied with the feeling that g-forces were strapping me into the seat so I couldn't bolt before the next near-cute animal came onto the scene.At least now I know the difference between a guinea pig, a gerbil, and a g-string, or I think I can identify at least one of those.So it's summer--Kristin Dreyer Kramer reminds me kids need mindless entertainment once in a while in the summer, too.
As such, Yeatman's main contribution remains the directing - efficient, precise, professional.Of course, the great fun are the characters - but, attention: NOT the human ones, which remain simplistic and full of clichés (in a deliberate but sparkless way, attempting to keep the movie at the facile level one supposes it's appropriate for children), but the rodents: credible, amusing and endearing portraits, responsible for the permanent joyous smile (also marked by a few laughs) that follows from start to end this enjoyable new 3D experience..
I took my girlfriend to see this film as she loves guinea pigs and i have to be honest i wasn't expecting much from it.But I couldn't of been more surprised when i actually saw it.
It is, and, if it were not for the insistence on wallowing in long shots of "name" actors, superhero movies could be this way to!It is a little too adult in parts - the female guinea pig's romantic playing of her two male colleagues and some pet shop scenes among others - but this signs the cheque that lesser films like 'Cats vs.Dogs' and 'Snow Dogs' promised, mainly by weaving the fact the animals can talk into a major plot device.Better than both 'Fantastic Four' movies, with a more credible and better rounded villain than most "adult" action movies, this is a winner!.
So i expected a pretty good movie cause it was Disney it was in 3-D But after 10 minutes of a dumb plot this film falls under the bottom of terrible movies I've seen.
After seeing another, excellent, movie, I decided to do a little illicit theatre hopping and moved over to see G-Force.It was worth just what I paid to get in.I would list the plot holes, inanities, and just plain stupid parts, but this review is limited to 1000 words...However, some of the more memorable (sadly): Yes, the funniest scenes are in the trailer.
I accepted to suffer the torture watching G-Force because I was impressed by the animation technique which had been shown on the trailers and because I wanted to see a movie in 3-D.On the special effect field,the movie fulfilled my expectations.However,this is a very bad movie which absolutely lacks of ingenuity,substance or intelligent humor.I guess that G-Force was born after the "creative" mind from a Disney executive who was trying to re-imagine para-military penguins from Madagascar.In order to avoiding the infraction of copyright,this hypothetical fool looked for another animal whose charm and natural tenderness would be funnily incongruous with a heroic and organized behaviour : guinea pigs.After that,this movie was added with a generic soundtrack,a few comedians to take the human roles,famous actors lending their voices in order to have their names on the poster and hiring a legendary special effects supervisor as a director,in order to guarantee the quality of the animation.In other words,another typical strategy from Disney,where the people are experts in selling commercial products but inept at the time of creating interesting stories.The most irritating things from this movie are the absolutely antipathetic characters,the human cast (making Bill Nighy to bring a boring performance is something very difficult!) and the huge number of fails from the screenplay.The only thing which adds a few points to this crappy movie are the amazing special effects.The animation is simply perfect : the integration of the characters to real scenarios surpasses anything I have seen so far (with the possible exception of Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen,which has some similar scenes to this movie,by the way),and the hair simulation is extraordinary.Director Hoyt Yeatman is one of those artisans of the special effects who are legend on the field but unknown to the general spectators.His brilliant work started on the prehistoric era of optical composition as a photography assistant (on movies like E.T.,Blade Runner or The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension),and after that,he evolved as a visual effects supervisor on films like the remakes of The Fly,The Blob and Mighty Joe Young,where he showed his skillful assimilation of the digital tools which on a big way replaced the practices from the "old school".Although he does not appear on the credits of the special effects field from G-Force,it is easy to note that he put some of his hand on them.I have to congratulate the studio Sony Picture Imageworks and Yeatman for the extraordinary work they did on the special effects.However,I think Yeatman should only stick to the special effects,because the direction of G-Force is horrible because of all the continuity problems and the inability for finding a good rhythm and tone.With the exception of the special effects,G-Force is a very crappy movie which does not offer any positive elements.I would not recommend this movie even for the children,because there are hugely superior family action movies (among my favourite ones,I can mention Sky High,The Incredibles and Spy Kids)..
Simple, because the movie was full of fun effects that a kid can love and a predictable spy- thriller script that no kid can understand and every parent knows buy heart.One possible redeeming factor for blasé parents was the disturbing character of a sociopath, selfish hamster, with the voice of Steve Buscemi.
I'll take talking toys, bugs, bears, penguins, fish, you name it -- but an elite force of special unit guinea pigs in a live action setting is not something that screams fun for the whole family.
No doubt that kids will get a kick out of mindless physical humor with chase scenes, explosions and high-tech gadgetry, but considering 2009 was full of terrific animated movies from "Coraline" to "Up" to "Cloudy with a Chance Meatballs," "G-Force" is a complete waste by comparison.A team of genetically enhanced talking guinea pigs works for a secret division of the government.
When their plan to stop a mad man (Bill Nighy) goes sour, they're shut down and the guinea pigs end up at a pet store, where planning their escape and still managing to stop the bad guy will be their toughest challenge yet.Written by The Wibberleys ("National Treasure" co-writers), "G-Force" is another being a hero story only with balls of fur and consequently a lot of "that's because I'm small or furry or an animal" jokes.
As a result, the film just looks worse and they cause themselves problems such as why the guinea pigs are talking CGI creatures but the dogs and squirrels in the movie are ordinary dogs.
That's what the producers were probably banking on most: people would just adore talking hamsters, mice, and guinea pigs.There was some effort put into the production of this movie but in the end that just didn't work out for me.
But I'm not sure that ten-twelve year old kids are interested in a movie about guinea pigs.
However, it is nothing more than a flat kids movie for the little ones who will find the guinea pigs cute..
For me it is a movie 1)with originality (guiny pigs saving the world, excuse me, if looking at this you still go to the theater, means you think like me.
Although, I should say animating rodents to both look like real rodents and also expressive characters is impressive.I can think of lots of kids movies worse than this one.
Good Family Fun. another good jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster.G-Force is a good film for adults and possibly great for kids.Sam Rockwell,Tracy Morgan,Penelope Cruz,Nicolas Cage and Jon Favreau play the voices of the little heroes called G-Force who have to save the world from destruction.basically this is a film kids will love and adults will enjoy because the characters are cute and funny and kids love that while adults prefer more smarter jokes than just funny lines.I Liked The film because it's funny and has some good action and i think this saves the film.It's A Good Film For The Family.I Rate It 7/10Next Comment:This Is It. Fun kids movie that adults may want to bring a book to..
Before you laugh at me for watching this obviously made for children movie, I thought it was somewhat interesting to observe how a Jerry Bruckheimer produced film, his first 3D one at that, would have fared should it have gone up against his long time director Michael Bay in the summer blockbuster stakes.
In my opinion, yes G-Force is way better than Transformers.Perhaps it was somewhat refreshing for me to sit through a G-rated live action film that didn't take itself too seriously, and comes with a very simple, direct plot aimed at kids so that they can enjoy this action-adventure with nary a swear word, revealing clothes, and sequence that serve to confuse by throwing everything on-screen.
Think of it as the animal version of the Impossible Mission Force, where Ben's proudest achievement is to have 3 guinea pigs in Darwin (Sam Rockwell), Blaster (Tracy Morgan) and Juarez (Penelope Cruz) as field operatives, fly Mooch as a surveillance agent, and a mole Speckles (Nicolas Cage) as their systems expert.
Their plan is to dig for hidden secrets of a conglomerate's CEO Leonard Saber (Bill Nighy) whose consumer products seem to have more than meets the eye, but things go awry, and G-Force soon find themselves battling against the Feds who want to shut them down, and fighting against time to stop whatever sinister plans Saber has for the extermination of the world.The novelty of the CG talking animals go beyond just that of the G-Force team, as if to demonstrate the level of complexity achievable by technology in having speaking hamsters, mice and the likes gelled perfectly with their live-action counterparts.
Thankfully this angle didn't get played up too often, as the team does spend some time in the middle act apart, before coming together for a wham-bang finale.I have to admit I was pretty much entertained by G-Force, probably because I had went in with zero expectations other than wondering how it managed to get its voice talents to perform for the film, and even then, I suspect some tinkering had been done because the familiar voices do sound like they've been modified, and it only took the credits list to piece together who did which role.
It's something done for the kids, but if you have one still inside your heart, then I would recommend you give these little animals in G-Force a chance.Oh and one more thing, don't just go out buying guinea pigs as pets just so because you liked how they look in the film.
A good children's movie would be fast moving, with an engrossing story, interesting characters, great animation or effects, and some plot points/one-liners/devices aimed at the parents with "a nudge and a wink".G-Force is fast moving, but the rest of my criteria?
The only ones who discovered the plan are the guinea pigs and they spend the rest of the movie proving their worth vs the human FBI agents and the bad guys.The 'adult' humour was dialed way too low to teen level.
I watched it because I was babysitting, and the kids wanted to watch this movie, they thought it was a lot of fun.G-Force is about a bunch of guinea pigs who are specially trained to stop a billionaire from taking over the World.
It is just a shame that the special effects were dimmed down by all the all too silly scenes.The guinea pigs were very cute and fun, and the movie has a lot of action scenes.
The movie was cute--what else can be said about a team of guinea pigs that try to save the world from domination?
You can tell it wasn't the Pixar people behind this film.I really expected to laugh and enjoy the FX ride, but the action sequences left me bored and I didn't fall in love with the characters.
It is seriously worth viewing at Christmas time with the family as I'm sure the kids will love it and will want the toy guinea pigs that have just come out..
Darwin (voiced by Sam Rockwell) leads a team of highly trained, and apparently "genetically engineered" guinea pigs (unfortunately, I am not kidding) who are trying to become FBI special agents under the guidance of humans Ben (Zach Galifianakis) and Marcie (Kelli Garner).
Yes, I realize I just described the personalities of CGI rodents, but these early moments of the film make any cynically minded film fan wonder why they doubted this insane idea for a movie in the first place.But as the second half begins, with the team stuck in a pet store alongside chubby farting guinea pig Hurley (Jon Favreau) and zany bipolar hamster Bucky (Steve Buscemi), the film comes to a screeching halt.
I think Rockwell and Cruz could have done a bit more, but the almost totally unrecognizable Cage adds yet another character to his bizarre resume.G-Force will not please everyone, but its imaginative attempt at originality makes it a worthwhile film to watch.
G-Force is a movie about an elite squad of CGI guinea pigs (plus a computer nerd mole) who are pitched against tycoon Bill Nighy's nefarious kitchen appliances taking over the world,, and it comes in flat and 3D versions.
There's a lot of action, most of it eye-catching, particularly in 3D (and it's nice to see a film with a fair amount of real-world 3D, not just CGI).Having said that, the CGI critters are the main characters of the movie - the real-life characters are not high profile at all, whereas the voice talent for the hamsters includes Sam Rockwell, Penelope Cruz, Steve Buscemi and Nicolas Cage (doing an unrecognisable voice).G-Force is by no means brilliant, but it passes the time amiably enough and the 3D is eye-catching..
It can be good for kids, and the animation is decent, but this is the kind of movie where you see it once, and never want to see it again.
G-force is a good kids movie.
And in that way, the movie didn't surprise me at all.It all starts with a scene where it's fun to see that a guinea-pig can talk.
Yes, you will want to buy a guinea pig/mouse/hamster after watching the movie. |
tt0047834 | Animal Farm | Manor Farm is a formerly prosperous farm that has fallen on hard times, and suffers under the now-ineffective leadership of its drunken and aggressive owner, Mr. Jones. One night, Old Major, the prize boar and the second-oldest on the farm, calls the animals on the farm for a meeting, where he compares the humans to parasites and encourages the animals to break free from their tyrant's influence, while reminding them that they must hold true to their convictions after they have gained freedom. With that, he teaches the animals a revolutionary song before collapsing dead mid-song to the animals' horror.
The next morning, Jones neglects to feed the animals for breakfast, and they decide to break into the storehouse to help themselves. When Jones wakes up and attempts to intimidate them with his whip, the animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible Mr. Jones away from the farm, renaming it "Animal Farm". They set to work destroying every trace of the farmer's influence, mainly the weapons used against them. The people of the surrounding area rally against them, but are beaten back after a fierce fight. A subsequent investigation of the farmhouse leads them to concede against living there, though one of the head pigs, an antagonistic boar named Napoleon, takes interest in the abandoned house, and even more so in a litter of puppies left motherless.
The Seven Commandments of Animalism are written on a wall of the barn to illustrate their community's laws. The most important is the seventh, "All animals are equal." All the animals work, but the workhorse, Boxer, his friend Benjamin the donkey, and the film's protagonist, put in extra work. Snowball attempts to teach the animals reading and writing; food is plentiful, and the farm runs smoothly. The pigs elevate themselves to positions of leadership, and set aside special food items ostensibly for their personal health. Napoleon takes the pups and trains them privately.
When Snowball announces his idea for a windmill, Napoleon opposes it. Snowball makes a speech in favor of the windmill, whereupon Napoleon has his dogs chase Snowball and kill him. Afterwards, Napoleon declares himself leader with fat pig Squealer as his propagandist, and makes changes. Meetings will no longer be held, and instead, a committee of pigs will run the farm. The animals eventually work harder, with the promise of easier life, once the windmill is completed.
During this time, the pigs also decide to start altering their own laws. "No animal shall sleep in beds" is changed to "No animal shall sleep in beds with sheets" when the pigs are discovered to have been sleeping in the old farmhouse. Before long, Napoleon's greed drives him to negotiate with a local trader named Mr. Whymper for a supply of both jellies and jams. The price is all of the hens' eggs. When the hens discover this, they attempt to revolt by throwing their eggs at the pigs during an attempted seize by force. To instill fear, Napoleon holds a "trial", and a sheep and duck join the hens accused as traitors. They are taken outside and murdered by the dogs, with their blood used to edit a commandment "No animal shall kill another animal" to "No animal shall kill another animal without cause". After their deaths, the revolutionary song is banned because Napoleon claims the dream of Animal Farm has been realized, and the revolution is over. He also threatens that the penalty for animals caught singing the song is death.
Growing jealous of Whymper's financial success due to his trading with Animal Farm, a hostile group of farmers attack the farm, and Jones, shunned for his failure and drunkenness, uses blasting powder to blow up the windmill. Though the animals win the battle, they do so at a great cost of lives, and Boxer is wounded. Boxer continues working until he collapses one night, while working on rebuilding the windmill. Napoleon sends for a van to take Boxer away, which Benjamin recognizes as the "death wagon" from Whymper's glue factory. That night, a supply of alcohol is delivered. The next day, Squealer delivers a phony speech, claiming to have been at Boxer's side at his deathbed, and states that his last words were to glorify Napoleon. The upset animals see through the propaganda, and recognize how dictatorial Napoleon has become, but are driven away by the snarling dogs before anything can be done.
Years pass, and the pigs have now learned to both walk upright and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single phrase: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Napoleon holds a dinner party for a delegation of outside pigs, who congratulate Napoleon on having the hardest-working and lowest-consuming animals in the country. Napoleon gives a toast to a future when pigs own and operate farms everywhere.
Benjamin, overhearing the conversation, imagines the faces of all the pigs assuming into the likeness of Mr. Jones, as he realizes the similarity between the two. Realizing that things have become "worse than ever for ordinary creatures", all of the animals unite together to overthrow Napoleon. The animals march upon the farmhouse, Napoleon roars his guard dogs for help, only to see the dogs are now drunk, the pigs are unable to overpower their infuriated attackers. Napoleon, now helpless, unable to defend himself as his fellow pigs are trampled underfoot to death (Off-screen). Benjamin standing in grim triumph as he and his fellow animals retake the farm. | allegory, psychedelic, satire, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1071804 | Ink | The film begins with a businessman, John Sullivan (Chris Kelly), in a hurry to get into his car. He appears to be severely stressed as he begins driving down the city streets. When he goes through a lighted intersection he is broad sided by another driver that is distracted by hot coffee in his lap. As he becomes unconscious, he dreams of playing with his young daughter, Emma (Quinn Hunchar). Emma pretends to be kidnapped and tells John to "save" her from the "monsters", although John seems exasperated and tells her to have her mother do it instead. Eventually, however, John gives in and runs to "save" his daughter, while Emma laughs and embraces him.
It is revealed that dreams are controlled by beings from an alternate plane of reality. The beings are spirits of deceased people from earth and are divided into distinct groups: Storytellers (bearers of good dreams), Incubi (cause of nightmares), and Drifters (those in a state of limbo who cause neither good or bad dreams). As the Storytellers and Incubi perform their daily work in the night, a Drifter known as Ink goes to Emma's room and removes her soul from her body. Although a number of Storytellers try to prevent the action, Ink escapes with the girl's soul into the dreamworld, leaving Emma's body unconscious. However, in the dreamworld, Ink is unable to open a portal to the Incubi's headquarters, where he intends to take Emma's soul. He is told that he must find and barter with two other Drifters to acquire parts of a code that will enable him to achieve entry into the headquarters.
Meanwhile, John, whose life has attained a sense of repetition and perfection, faces turmoil when an account he has been working to acquire is about to be swept out from under him. Soon after, Ron Evans (Steve Sealy), John's estranged father in law, comes to inform John that Emma is in a coma and has been placed in a hospital. Although Ron begs John to go and see the girl, John refuses and berates Ron, saying that the father-in-law turned the world against him. Shortly after, Ron is ordered out of John's office. It is revealed that Ron and his wife were given custody of Emma after the death of John's wife Shelly (Shannan Steele) in a car accident, due to John's grief-induced addiction to alcohol and drugs.
At the same time in the dreamworld, the Storytellers Allel, Gabe, and Sarah (played by Jennifer Batter, Eme Ikwuakor, and Shelby Malone, respectively) work to find a way to awake Emma. In order to do this, they receive the help of Jacob (Jeremy Make), an eccentric blind spirit known as a "Pathfinder". Meanwhile, a Storyteller named Liev (Jessica Duffy) confronts Ink and attempts to discourage him from delivering Emma to the Incubi. After Ink threatens to murder Emma if Liev continues to pursue him, Liev surrenders to Ink as a prisoner. It is revealed that Ink is taking Emma's soul to the Incubi in order to become one of them and cease to be a Drifter. Soon after, Ink successfully barters with two Drifters for parts of the code. As Ink's prisoner, Liev tries to bolster Emma's bravery in order to thwart Ink.
During this time, the Pathfinder Jacob unveils his abilities to the Storytellers: tapping into the "beat of the world" in order to cause physical changes that affect the course of time. Through a chain of events, Jacob causes several small accidents that culminate in a truck running a red light and crashing into John's car, revisiting an opening scene of the film. Due to his injuries, John is taken to a hospital, which turns out to be the same hospital where Emma is checked in. After recalling his happiness before his wife died, John walks to Emma's room, guarded by Allel as an unseen battle ensues between the Storytellers and Incubi.
In the dreamworld, Liev discovers that Ink arrived after his human counterpart committed suicide, and that he, being ashamed of his hideous and scarred appearance, believes the Incubi will help him. After making their way to the stronghold of the Incubi, Ink offers Emma and Liev as his payment to the leader. As Liev attempts to stand up to the leader of the Incubi, she is mortally wounded. While dying, Liev pleads with Ink to "remember". Suddenly, Ink has a revelation: he recalls that Emma died in the hospital without her father's presence, and John, driven to further depression and regret, shot himself in despair, when his soul entered the dreamworld and became the Drifter known as Ink. Ink understands that he is, in fact, John Sullivan's soul from a future in which Emma dies and he does not visit her at the hospital. In this realization, Ink rushes at the Incubi and kills them to rescue his daughter, mirroring the dream scene in the beginning of the film. After the fight is over, Emma's soul embraces Ink, realizing that it is her father. In the normal world, Pathfinder Jacob activates a device that calls the other Storytellers as reinforcement, with the onslaught of Storytellers defeating the Incubi. John finally makes his way to Emma's room. The film closes as Emma awakes to find her father at her bedside. | good versus evil, psychedelic, alternate reality, flashback | train | wikipedia | I admit, for the first 20 minutes or so of the film I did not enjoy it, and was thinking to myself, "oh, this is going to be one of those movies that no one understands with gaping plot holes and a messed up timeline that is nearly impossible to follow." It quickly turned around.
The film is absolutely outstanding for an independent production, with solid acting from the whole cast, BEAUTIFUL cinematography, a good script, and excellent music.
When a Storyteller (part of the race of people who bring us good dreams) encounters Ink trying take the last step to becoming a full-fledged Incubus by kidnapping a little girl, a great battle ensues.
And those critiques are too small to mention here.Ink has proved to me what can be done on a low-budget and with limited resources when you have a great script and take the time to do it right.
Ink looks, sounds and feel like what we all hope for when going to see an indie: a "real" movie.Folks, you are going to be hearing about this one.
The use of off-color green was effective and quietly disturbing, as was the black ink-like flow covering the protagonist at specific moments throughout the film.
It doesn't let it's budget get in the way of a great story, startlingly impressive special effects (car crash scene is top-notch), visionary directing, and chameleon acting.
In fact, if you're reading this post and are interested in watching it, try to find it legally - only because it's worth the purchase and it lets investors see audiences appreciate intelligent independent film-making.
It's slow starting, but give it a chance and the film is inescapable and deeply affecting.I've seen enough movies of all sorts that I genuinely appreciate when a filmmaker shows me something entirely new and different.
Ink is a nicely done low-budget indie film with an interesting visual style.
The basic premise is good , if only they had executed it better , and made it watchable rather then risible.Avoid at all costs , if you want weird quality film making watch City of Lost Children instead..
A friend recommended this as being an exceptional film with great characters and a wonderful, intelligent plot; at least I now know not to trust his opinion again!There is simply nothing good in this film.The script seems to have been written by a twelve year old, the dialog is stilted and unconvincing and generally only one step away from being completely moronic.The "special effects" are terrible, if you can't afford good effects then don't use any, cheap and nasty soap opera effects are annoying and distracting.On the soap opera theme, the acting was bad soap opera quality, none of the cast seemed at ease or delivered anything of note, maybe that's the fault of the script but surely they could have tried harder.To tie this all together the direction was also awful!
Furthermore, the characters are all either one-dimensional or archetypes that have been recycled too many times and in better films.To say that the acting is subpar, would require a Ghandi-like generosity of spirit that I simply do not have.
(Dark City from which Ink stole the portrayal of the incubus had far superior special effect over ten years ago.) The pacing of the film is unnecessarily slow.
You've no doubt already read the summary, now hold on a second and hear me out: I'll start by stating that I like many others had heard the comparisions and praise this film has been receiving, so I decided to stoke my curiosity, bad idea.
The film lacks dialoge too, for the slow pacing you would expect some dialoge to keep things moving, but all you get is a mediocre score that only aids the snail-like pace of the movie.So why did I even bother giving it a 3?
Ink is unlike any other movie I know.Its definitely the most original movie I have ever seen and visually, it is quite stunning,the special effects really enhance the film.They're not state of the art GCI but they are tremendously effective.The soundtrack is wonderful and very suiting.The acting was good, specially Quinn Hunchar,this little girl is not only beautiful but she played her role with a maturity way beyond her age.The story its kind of a grown up fairy-tale and has an epic feeling to it,unfortunately it gets too confusing and complex at times,its one of those films you have to watch more then one time to fully comprehend everything that happened.My other complaint is the following: I think the movie is a bit all over the place.It has many great ideas and elements but it ends up being a bit messy.Having said that I'm amazed by what this director was able to accomplish with a low budget and probably not many resources.I see a LOT of great ideas here and I see a lot of potential.If Jamin Winans can do a film like this with this budget, I could only imagine what he would do with a Hollywood budget.
In conclusion,Ink is a crazy and surreal journey that deserves to be seen.A very original and refreshing piece of work and the director is one to watch!7/10.
I think that the demographic of movie watchers that go for this kind of dribble are also the sort more likely to write reviews, so it ends up being a lopsided thing.
How can the disparity be so great?On the plus side though, I found the soundtrack of the movie, seemingly done my the film's director, to be a quite decent affair, with plenty of moving electronic string pads soaring away.
And the nightmare baddies with TVs for faces actually looked rather good.In summary, I feel slightly guilty for not liking this move, as it is clearly a small independent affair, and movie makers have to start somewhere I guess.
I also watched this movie because of the good reception this movie got, and sadly it was a waste of time.I watched the whole movie, which was pretty difficult sometimes, and I had to split it up in two days, because it was so damn boring.But well, let's start with the good things: The effects are astonishing for this low budget, some scenes are really great, there are a some good ideas in this movie (first fight scene), soundtrack is OK and the little girl and her father played their roles very well.However, that's the whole good stuff.
You can watch a second movie at the same time and still know at the end what Ink was about.
The story executed in this movie is poor (I don't talk about the idea), the dialogs non-existent and action not available (fight scenes look ridiculous), the story and the characters have just no depth and the background music in dialogs too loud most of the time (maybe so we don't notice how poor the dialogs really are).It was one of the most boring movies I've ever watched.
The film on a whole is slightly above the quality of entries you would find on Youtube but not nearly as original as some.I am not telling you not to watch this movie but I write this review to temper the over abundance of propaganda..
First off, for a low-budget indie production, this movie is great, no doubt.
The movie raises questions about family values, moral obligations, self-esteem and shame, all of them well developed and executed.The actors are mostly doing a good job, although some of the supporting actors' (one actress in particular) emotions are a bit too extreme to be believable, but this does not really disturb the illusion and is merely a minor inconvenience.The effects are worth their money and quite impressive for a low-budget production.What ultimately makes this movie worth watching, however, is the truly great ending.
In fact you won't understand it and it will only aggravate you, but it will provide you some time to pull out some unwanted nose hairs and then conclude by posting your review here and rating this movie 1-5 stars.On the other hand if you are a person with a multidimensional mind who believes in the complexities of life and the hereafter and the effects of your choices this film will portray a unique example in its characters, cinematography and story-line.
I do not want to tell you too much about the story but will say it involves like a alternate dimension with good and bad dream weavers of some sort.The only complaints I have are the movie moves a little slow at times, which is common for new directors.
And some of the acting is a little rough...but still good for low budget actors.Anyway...this is the kind of Independent movies that should win awards.
But what sets Ink apart is that it is simply a beautiful film, founded on highly original storytelling, that doesn't get caught up in trying to be too cool for its own good.
This film reminded me of why I always loved to watch movies as a child and in my adult life.
This movie shows us why we live in the world so full of fear,war,hate and lie.Because at the end of the day we choose the wrong side, unlike what John does at the end of the movie.We let the ego/pride to control us though we choose money,position and power over our happiness and we think we didn't have another choice!Clearly every element of this movie is well done.(Acting, Music, Story line, CGI,...) and they made a synergy altogether.One of the "Must see" movies.
At one point a character says "anything can look good in the right light." This film proves otherwise.Most of the what's bad about the film has been mentioned in other reviews, but I just wanted to add that the fact that the film has a low budget ($250,000 apparently - not as low as I would have guessed after seeing it), doesn't excuse the terrible performance, directing and technical execution of the film.Waste of time for all involved.
Truly awful.The only thing that could have possibly redeemed this movie for me would have been if Tim Curry came out in the final scene dressed in drag and lead the cast in a rousing rendition of "The Time Warp", thereby letting the audience know that the movie was supposed to be ridiculously pretentious and cheesy.On second thought, not even Dr. Frank-n-Furter could have saved this movie.That said, I will probably watch this movie again.
However, if you've seen Waking Life, or Donnie Darko, or films like Martyrs and Irreversible, Ink is a must-see..
I don't justify an indie movie's success to me personally by their budget, I justify an indie movie's, or any movie's success by how it captivates me as the viewer.My girlfriend and I are avid movie watchers, and we both agree when it comes to movies when we're picking one that we want one that respects our intelligence as the viewer.Ink did not.Ink exploits so many borrowed rhetorical devices to make this seem like an allegory, when in reality, a good allegory occurs when you have actors that play a character you care about on top of an elegantly (or even decently) constructed plot that is delivered in an intelligent way, and the components left out to make it an allegory are left out for you to construct your own theories about, but it only works the story has elements for which you care about.About 40 minutes into the movie, my girlfriend literally turns her head into the couch and falls asleep.
This is one of those movies that some may simply not like because the way it makes you think...
I would definitely recommend it.This is one of those movies that some may simply not like because the way it makes you think...
The dark forces in this movie were creepy as hell to look at; probably one of the weirdest creations I have ever seen in film.
The one semi-good review I read had someone stating that they "got" the movie, but that it was "too difficult", so it basically made them angry that they had to try so hard.Look, if you just want some cheap thrills, go watch the latest Nightmare On Elm Street movie.
Don't sit down to watch an independent film where the funds are lacking and the only OPTION is to fill the movie with moving and meaningful material in order to obtain an audience.
At least two of the one star reviews I read, the people said they didn't even watch more than 20 minutes of the movie.
Although the story takes a while to "take off", we're rewarded at the end with the idea that cinema deserves it's place along with other art forms such as painting, sculpture or music, due to films like these...
I really don't want to leave any spoiler in this review, but only to help others to understand that you can't call yourself a movie lover if you haven't seen Ink. The story is so creative, the soundtrack so well chosen and the direction so amazing that you have to see it to believe it!...
This is the type of movie we would like to see with the budget of lets say a Matrix Revolution which was horrible btw, but had all the money and the great actors.
If you are looking for something a bit more thought provoking and different then you will love this film like i did.
So, at the end I want to say thank you very much Jamin Winans for this masterpiece, not like many Hollywood commercial movies.
I realize it might not be for everybody, if you're into the 'normal' big-budget films you probably won't like this.It's kind of an artsy film, but really not in a bad way (I don't like that kind of movies that just seem to be artsy because the directors think it makes them look interesting).
This low budget movie is a good example for indis.
The direction excellently frames the story, while the amazingly executed cinematography, sound, and editing complete the film.Please watch this movie: it is a true pleasure..
My Son and I just watched "Ink" and it is beyond a doubt the BEST movie we have ever seen.
Ink really does the best it can with the small budget and it becomes a really heart felt, genuine, unique and overall interestingly good movie.
It is definitely not every day that a film like Ink is made.
It is very unusual for filmmakers to openly point out the struggle indy films experience on the market these days – even the problems with getting paid by the already established bigger distribution companies – and go out of their way to make their film available to those who films are actually for.The film is a celebration of creativity, fantasy, a never-ending game of lights and film-making experimenting all wrapped into a story everyone understands and can relate to: When Emma, a little girl, is taken at night by a creature called Ink, into a different world that exists parallel to what we can see and comprehend, a fight between good and evil unfolds for the girl's life, a result of which largely depends on the path her father chooses.Apart from some of the weaker performances by some of the actors and actresses and the little slow of the pace in the second half, the film is just one big spectacle of what I call a film-making art.I was so reminded of Aronofsky's The Fountain and Requiem for a Dream from the first till the last shot, which, surprisingly, did not bother me at all.
I had no idea I was in for a treat.The story itself is quite imaginative and unique in it's own way, from the movies I've seen anyway.
If you like those types of movies I think you will love this movie.It has a great plot twist at the end and is emotionally touching.I give it a 10/10 for originality and great film making on an independent budget.I have watched this movie several times.
OK now the good stuff.Watching this movie was like listening to Mozart play while staring up at the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.The special effects were beautiful.Maybe they were just tricks of the light and cameras but 50 years ago thats all they had and those tricks still work.The soundtrack captivated me.I have never see has ten minutes of people looking sad been made magical simply because of the music.Finally the plot I'm not gonna ruin it but when it came together it brought a tear to my eye.From start to finish it paints a picture and you wont know what it is until the end.Maybe not even then.Just think real hard or watch it again!.
If "Donnie Darko" had been filmed for less money, it might have looked something like "Ink".This is a movie that will divide people.
At first it may seem hard to understand but it's a more complex film than what you usually see in theaters, however if you actually watch the whole movie it all comes together and it's quite heartwarming.
I have watched this film 4 times now and, much like Eternal Sunshine, it get exponentially better with each viewing.
I really wished I saw this at on the big screen.It's stylish beyond words, as many have pointed out, it's so bold, ambitious & confident that it feels so natural.The story and message is so simple yet it's told in such a poetic way that you can't help but think about your own life.I really wish there were more movies like this.
At the end I felt like I was a slightly different person to when I started watching, and my mood was certainly different.I don't know how, but the film seems to reach inside of you and pull on all those personal bits that make you feel something. |
tt0433416 | The Namesake | The novel describes the struggles and hardships of a Bengali couple who immigrate to the United States to form a life outside of everything they are accustomed to.
The story begins as Ashoke and Ashima leave Calcutta, India and settle in Central Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Through a series of events, Gogol becomes the main character's official birth name, an event that will shape many aspects of his life in years to come. Throughout the story, Gogol fights an internal battle to find himself. He struggles trying to balance between American versus Indian culture and appreciating friendship more than family. Continuously in the novel, the author, Lahiri, uses different appeals of argument to show the reader that family should always be valued and help the reader connect with the story. Pathos in particular forces the reader to connect emotionally with the story, specifically of how Gogol's name came about and Ashoke's tragic accident.
=== Summary ===
Ashima Ganguli is a young bride about to deliver her first child in a hospital in Massachusetts. It is 1968, and her husband, Ashoke, is an engineering student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). New to America, Ashima struggles through language and cultural barriers as well as her own fears as she delivers her first child alone. Had the delivery taken place in Calcutta, she would have had her baby at home, surrounded by family. The delivery is successful, and the new parents are prepared to take their son home when they learn they cannot leave the hospital before giving their son a legal name.
The traditional naming process in their families is to have an elder who will give the new baby a name, and the parents waited for the letter from Ashima's grandmother. The letter never arrives, and soon after, the grandmother dies. Bengali culture calls for a child to have two names, a pet name to be called by family, and a good name to be used in public. Ashoke suggests the name of Gogol, in honor of the famous Russian author Nikolai Gogol, to be the baby's pet name, and they use this name on the birth certificate. As a young man, Ashoke survived a train derailment with many fatalities. He had been reading a short story collection by Gogol just before the accident, and lying in the rubble of the accident he clutched a single page of the story "The Overcoat" in his hand. With many broken bones and no strength to move or call out, dropping the crumpled page is the only thing Ashoke can do to get the attention of medics looking for survivors. Though the pet name has deep significance for the baby's parents, it is never intended to be used by anyone other than family.
Entering kindergarten, the Gangulis inform their son that he will be known as Nikhil at school. The five-year-old objects, and school administrators intervene on his behalf, sending him home with a note pinned to his shirt stating that he would be called Gogol at school, as was his preference. By the time he turns 14, he starts to hate the name. His father tries once to explain the significance of it, but he senses that Gogol is not old enough to understand. As Gogol progresses through high school, he resents his name more and more for its oddness and the strange genius for whom he was named. When he informs his parents that he wishes to change his name, his father objects to the idea but reluctantly agrees. Shortly before leaving for college, Gogol legally changes his name to Nikhil Gogol Ganguli.
This change in name and Gogol's going to Yale, rather than following his father’s footsteps to MIT, sets up the barriers between Gogol and his family. The distance, both geographically and emotionally, between Gogol and his parents continues to increase. He wants to be American, not Bengali. He goes home less frequently, dates American girls, and becomes angry when anyone calls him Gogol. During his college years, he smokes cigarettes and marijuana, goes to many parties, and loses his virginity to a girl he cannot remember.
As he is going home for the summer, Gogol's train is suddenly stopped and temporarily loses electricity. A man had jumped in front of the train and committed suicide, and the wait for the authorities causes a long delay. Ashoke, who is waiting at the train station for Gogol, becomes very concerned when he calls the train company and hears of this incident. When they pull into the Ganguli's driveway, Ashoke turns off the car and finally explains the true significance of Gogol's name. Gogol is deeply troubled by this news, asking his father why he didn't tell him this earlier. He starts to regret changing his name and his identity.
After graduating from Columbia, Gogol obtains a very small apartment in New York City, where he lands a job in an established architectural office. He is rather stiff personality-wise, perpetually angry or else always on the lookout for someone to make a stereotypical comment about his background.
At a party, Gogol meets a very attractive and outgoing girl named Maxine, with whom he begins a relationship. Maxine's parents are financially well off and live in a four-story house in New York City, with one floor occupied entirely by Maxine. Gogol moves in with her, and becomes an accepted member of her family. When Maxine's parents visit her grandparents in the mountains of New Hampshire for the summer, they invite Maxine and Gogol to join them for a couple of weeks.
Gogol introduces Maxine to his parents. Ashima dismisses Maxine as something that Gogol will eventually get over. Shortly after this meeting, Ashoke dies of a heart attack while teaching in Ohio. Gogol travels to Ohio to gather his father's belongings and his father's ashes, and in attempting to sort out his emotions, Gogol gradually withdraws from Maxine, eventually breaking up with her. He begins to spend more time with his mother and sister, Sonia.
Later, Ashima suggests that Gogol contact Moushumi, the daughter of one of her friends, whom Gogol knew when they were children, and whose intended groom, Graham, broke up with her shortly before their wedding. Gogol is reluctant to meet with Moushumi because she is Bengali, but does so anyway, to please his mother.
Moushumi and Gogol are attracted to one another and eventually are married. However, by the end of their first year of marriage, Moushumi becomes restless. She feels tied down by marriage and begins to regret it. He also feels like a poor substitute for Graham. Eventually, Moushumi has an affair with Dimitri, an old acquaintance, the revelation of which leads to the end of their marriage. With Sonia preparing to marry her fiance, an American named Ben, Gogol is once again alone. He is nonetheless comforted by the fact that Ashoke, prior to his death, finally told his son why he had chosen that name for him. Gogol comes to accept his name and picks up a collection of the Russian author's stories that his father had given him as a birthday present many years ago. | boring, sentimental, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0266308 | Batoru rowaiaru | The story opens with a frantic news broadcast about a young girl being brought back to mainland Japan after she wins the latest "Battle Royale", a contest that pits high school students against each other in a fight to the death on a remote island. While being filmed, the girl smiles.Shuya Nanahara, a Japanese middle school student, attempts to cope with life after his father's suicide by hanging. Meanwhile, schoolmate Noriko Nakagawa is the only student attending class -- 3-B. Their teacher, Kitano, quietly leaves upon her tardy, apologetic arrival, but is attacked by student Yoshitoki Kuninobu and resigns after recovering from his wound.One year later, class 3-B takes a field trip after completing their compulsory studies; however, the class is gassed on their bus. They wake up in a "briefing room" on a remote island, wearing strange electronic collars. Kitano explains that the class has been chosen to participate in this year's Battle Royale as a result of the BR Act, which was passed after 800,000 students walked out of school. The orientation video cheerfully instructs the class to kill each other for three days until only one student remains. Students resistant to their rules or entering one of the randomly placed "death zones" for each day are to be killed by the collar's detonation. One of the 42 students, Fumiyo Fujiyoshi, interferes with the video by whispering to her friends; Kitano kills her on the spot with a thrown knife. While a shocked class is subdued by soldiers, Kuninobu openly confronts the viciousness of Kitano and the teacher slashes him with a knife (in the back of leg - the same area Kuninobu attacked Kitano two years earlier) before detonating his collar while Shuya, his best friend, watches in horror. Each student is provided a bag of food and water, map of the island, compass, and one item containing either a lethal weapon (firearm, kama (sickle), knife, potassium cyanide) or an item apparently worthless toward survival (paper fan, binoculars, coat hanger, saucepan lid). The weapons are supposed to eliminate any natural advantage any one student might have over the others.The program's first six hours see twelve deaths, four of which are suicides. Brazen, mute "exchange student" Kazuo Kiriyama and quietly deranged classmate Mitsuko Souma soon become the most dangerous players in the game, while another exchange student, Shogo Kawada seems somewhat more merciful. Shuya promises to keep Noriko safe for Kuninobu because he was in love with her, but never told her. Other students have various goals in the game: Shinji Mimura and his friends plot to hack into the military's computer systems and destroy their base of operations; Hiroki Sugimura searches for his best friend Takako Chigusa and his love interest Kayoko Kotohiki. Chigusa runs into Kazushi Niida, who is sexually obsessed with her; Chigusa kills him after he attempts forcing himself on her, but is herself killed by Mitsuko. Kawada teams with Shuya and Noriko, and reveals that he won a previous Battle Royale at the cost of his girlfriend, Keiko; he now swears vengeance. The trio are forced to separate when Kiriyama attacks, and Sugimura rescues Shuya, assisted by his assigned "weapon," a GPS tracking device.Shuya awakens bandaged by Yukie Utsumi in the island's lighthouse, where she helps reorient him to the events of the past 14 hours; five other girls on the school's cheerleading squad have also been guarding and hiding out in the building, apparently since the beginning of the program. Utsumi gathers the girls around the dining table to weigh in on a possible method of escape from the island which Shuya has informed her of. Yuko Sakaki, thinking that Shuya murdered a friend of hers, attempts to poison Shuya's food, but it is inadvertently eaten by one of the girls, killing her and sparking a massive, fear-fueled gunfight resulting in all the girls' deaths -- except Yuko. She realises the enormity of her paranoia and commits suicide, jumping from the deck of the lighthouse.Shuya returns to Noriko and Kawada, and they set out to find Mimura's group. To a small warehouse, Sugimura tracks down Kotohiki, who panics and kills him shortly after; Sugimura professes his love before dying. Kotohiki cries in despair, and is found and killed by Mitsuko. Watching from the rafters, Kiriyama then guns down and kills Mitsuko after she sadly dispenses some fitting advice to her two (dead) classmates.Upon the rapidly-consecutive deaths of Sugimura, Kotohiki and Souma, all of the seven students remaining are either preparing or willing to completely subvert the operations of the "game" - save for the psychopathic Kazuo. "The Third Man", a hacker group consisting of Mimura, Iijima and Yutaka, successfully infiltrate the military's computer system and prepare to destroy the perimeter using a truck converted into a fire-bomb. However, at the last second they are found by Kiriyama, who kills them all, but one of them manages to detonate the truck, seriously injuring the killer. When Kawada, Noriko and Shuya arrive at the hackers' burning base, Kawada confronts and kills the shrapnel-blinded, Uzi-armed Kiriyama with his SPAS-12 shotgun.On the morning of the final day, Kawada, aware of the collars' internal microphones, takes Shuya and Noriko aside and fakes their deaths. Suspecting that Kawada has won through manipulation of the BR system, Kitano ends the game and dismisses the troops before establishing final protocol, intent on personally killing the young man. Kitano realizes that Kawada, and not Mimura, has hacked into the game's intranet system months beforehand, and has now disabled Shuya and Noriko's tracking devices. Kitano unveils a homemade painting of the dead students, with Noriko indicated as the winner. He reveals that he was unable to bear the mutual hatred between him and his students, having been rejected by his daughter, Shiori. He also confesses that he always thought of Noriko as a daughter. He asks the confused, reluctant Noriko to kill him, but is quickly shot by Shuya after he threatens her at gunpoint. As he falls, Kitano shoots, and it is shown that the weapon in his hand was a mere water-gun. Suddenly, his phone rings, and Kitano sits down to answer it, telling Shiori that "if you hate someone, you take the consequences" before finally dying. Shuya, Noriko and Kawada leave the island on a boat, but Kawada dies from injuries sustained in his gunfight with Kiriyama -- "glad" that in the end, he "found true friends."Shuya and Noriko are declared fugitive murderers, and last seen on the run in the direction of Tokyo's Shibuya train station. | dark, cruelty, murder, cult, violence, flashback, good versus evil, psychedelic, satire, romantic, tragedy, revenge, storytelling | train | imdb | Adults and children alike read comics by the droves, and sometimes pops up a strange, not-too-well-hidden undercurrent of pedophilia.This movie takes the heavily cliquish, often childish, and often incomprehensible (to me) social system of young Japanese boys and girls and gives them guns.
From a frustrated and humiliated teacher; to students killing each other over seemingly unimportant squabbles; to the overly-cutesy, peppy training video that perfectly mimics nearly any show on NHK these days -- this film subtly and brilliantly comments on half-a-dozen issues that weigh heavily on the minds of Japanese people today.
What it is, is a commentary about "perceived" (real or otherwise) problems among Japanese teens in the late 90's.In one review, someone basically likened it to a movie involving young Japanese girls running around in school uniforms acting violent....DUH, thats the whole point.
Yet it was a film that the US mainstream could never have conceived making.Firstly to get it out of the way I will say that I loved this movie, although at no point did I feel comfortable while watching it.
For those that don't know, the film focuses on what happens when a group of high school students are sent to an abandoned island to kill each other.
The Battle Royale Act annually sends a randomly-selected class of high school students to an uninhabited island where they are compelled to kill each other until only one of their number survives.The reasoning behind this bizarre piece of legislation is perhaps the weakest part of the plot - but the Director deftly causes us to suspend disbelief by drawing us surely and touchingly into the feelings of the young cast.
Unlike many western movies which trot out a body count of simplistic characters who are only there to die horribly for our entertainment, Battle Royale somehow manages to rapidly introduce us to the story's potential victims and make us care about them.You will read reviews that describe this film as excessively violent.
I watch this film just saying, "this is what would happen." That is what the entire film is based on, the crazy idea of 'this could happen.' The whole tag line of the movie is, "could you kill your best friend?" The question is so spooky, I don't even know if I could answer it.
"Battle Royale" is one of the most controversial and challenging movies ever made.The film is very gory and violent,but it's also witty,satirical and thought provoking.The concept of "Battle Royale" is pretty simple.The act of Battle Royale decrees that once a year a class of 9th graders is chosen at random,stranded on a small island,and armed with random weapons.The kids are also outfitted with strange necklaces that monitor their locations and life functions,and explode if more than one student is alive at the end of 72 hours.The kids are forced to become savage killers,and the movie provides them with interesting personalities and human reactions to the horrible situation in which they find themselves.The acting is brilliant and the violence is horrific and merciless.The film is very exciting and well-photographed.A masterpiece that needs to be seen by every fan of wonderful Japanese cinema!.
All students are forced to wear a metal collar with a radar so that their teacher is aware when a rule is being broken.The film is set in Japan and is in Japanese (and if you do come across a dubbed version, dispose of it immediately because it's only worth it to watch the original).
But putting those two aside, the acting WAS splendid, just as the directing of (sci-fi/Japanese gangster movie director) Kinji Fukasaku was.I thought that the story was very haunting and compelling, and that you should read the novel or the comic book before watching the movie because just the use of your imagination and attachment to the characters while reading the books is so much more real.
Usually the humor from Japanese movies can escape me, but I liked the humor here quite a bit, at least until the action and killing started.The premise of the movie is that, due to escalating violence in schools, a law is passed which allows the military, or some kind of militia, to take one troubled class and turn them all loose on an island with the object of killing each other until one is standing.
Go figure.Even if killing 40, random students out of 800.000, rewarding the most violent and traitorous of them could have some deterrent affect on the rest of the student population
first they had to know about it and every single student in that class seamed surprised to hear of this BRact (bet you next time they'll read the fine print in their registration form).Technically the film is not so bad, very good photography, competent music and sound track, good editing to.
There is a mix of actors ranging from the very good to the "thank God he died so I don't have to see his acting again).Despite the actors effort the characters are poor, with 1 or to exceptions we know nothing about them, what makes them run
or fight
or just scream scared.In short if you are looking for a gore/slash movie and you have nothing better to do go for it.
it would be inconceivable to show this to the age group that the film actually deals with...one needs to view this movie (armed as it is with some arresting shots and provocative ideas) with the question: what is it trying to say once the plot of the story has been established?...
The first ten minutes is kind of cool and does a decent job (or rather not) of setting up what unfortunately turns into the most baffling mess of a movie I've possibly ever seen.A bunch of annoying brats with 30 second characters (theres like 100 of em) let loose and run around babbling about nothing while acting scared.
As for bad violent movies, like Battle Royale, I guess I have seen enough of them (hasn't everyone?) to be able to sit through two hours of teenage slaughter without being touched at all.
It was a good story, with great characters and great writing that gave a lot of psychological insight on the characters.Based on how popular and loved this movie is, I was expecting it to be a great adaptation but after watching it, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed with it all.
There are also several changes in the motivation of some characters and the whole concept of battle royale shifts from an oppressive government to some sort of "adult vs kids" thing which, despite the fact that I'm aware of the problems japan has with the youth, doesen't make a whole lot of sense-Anyway, not a bad movie.
I enjoy gallows humor, but it doesn't feel appropriate here, no matter how ridiculous the situation may be, and most importantly because the rest of the film is taken very damn seriously.Equal parts disturbing and viscerally thrilling, Battle Royale doesn't offer anything in the way of good, clean fun.
After 15 min you can guess the rest.In fact, after the Battle Royale concept has been presented, the whole film is just a long series of killings and screen updates like "6 AM 2 dead - 34 to go" 3) The acting is not convincing.
I have absolutely no problem with films portraying violence- watch a genuine slasher or horror movie they're far more entertaining.
The description showed good potential, reminding me of works like 'Das Experiment' and 'Lord of the flies'.Sadly, the film turned out to be utterly disappointing: the violence is there just to shock as many people, the 'scenario' is almost non-existent and shows some impossibilities (the IMDB guidelines advise me not to say which, but it won't be hard to find out yourself) and the acting is totally over the top - Takeshi Kitano being one of the very few exceptions.For me, most of the time, giving opinions on the IMDB stops at rating the film.
In fairness to the book, I have not read it and I may well try to find it now because I imagine that the satire is more evident there than here and those that hold up this film as 'one of the best satires' they have seen have, well, have simply not seen enough satire.That said, the situation (well founded or not) is still good enough to set up a good thriller/horror movie.
It is not a good ending (although the final few moments are better than the 15 before them) and it is further evidence that the film is not as intelligent as it would like to be.The cast are roundly good and all are believable school children it is easy to see this made in America with a 'teenage' cast of people in their twenties who look 17 at best!
Beat Takeshi was a great bit of casting and he makes a good character even if the film only uses him well in the early scene where he welcomes his class to the island where they will nearly all die.
A future Japanese fascist government has forged a new program for dangerous students,broadcasting live like a reality television movie .In this fictional universe,a class of junior-high school of 42 students is randomly selected and sent a bleak island during three days.There a former professor(Takeshi Kitano)rules a revolutionary survival game called Battle Royale.The abducted class are given a bag with different arms,a map and a few rations of food and tied a collar explodes when they break the rules.They're dispatched to the inhospitable island and sent off to murder each other into a survival game .Someone decide to play the game to death like the psycho assassin teen,while others commit suicide themselves and another are attempting to encounter a way out to get off the empty island where exist a special danger zones.The violent death match game originating an authentic body count to be continued until solely one single winner remain.The film contains action,thrills,rare black humour,blood and is plenty of graphical violence.Excellent action sequences with bloody attacks and violent and blistering fights.The movie displays strong exploitation elements with realistic battles and some characters aren't well defined or one-dimensional but the grisly violence is continuous .It turn out to be a blending about a teens group on abandoned island such as¨Lord of flies¨,the game to death from ¨Running man¨and the tyrannical control by the government of ¨1984¨.Takeshi Kitano or Beat Takeshi is an appropriate villainous teacher in a powerful performance,he's splendid as actor(Gohetto)as director or both(Hanna-Bi,Sonatine,Kikujiro,Brother,Zaitochi).Little known actors ,exception of Chaki Kuriyama(Azumi 2,Ju-on),she's especially famous for his role the teenager killer in ¨Kill Bill vol.
There is no discernible plot line, it suffers from clichéd direction, the acting is awful and the effects are as cheap looking as early-eighties straight to video horrors.The whole film is an excuse to show Japanese girls in really small skirts with the added bonus of having high-school children shoot at and kill each other.
no they decide to send them to an island to kill each other, there is no point.also the acting in the film is laughable, all the deaths in the film made me laugh like crazy as there is near to no character development behind each one, that means that instead of feeling for the character you just find it funny...also there is that feel of "infinite bullets" now this normally happens once or twice in every action film but in this one it happens all the time.all these small imperfections makes the movie fell very cheap and unrefined.
the point is...its not a very good movie.the only thing i did like was the ending i don't want to give it away so...i wont.however i would recommend seeing this film to see what all the hype is about.
Okay, the first 30 minutes are pretty freakin' sweet, I will admit, and I made a mental note when I was watching them..."the rest of this movie will either get extremely awesome or extremely disappointing." Sadly, the second one was true.Battle Royale was a brilliant concept, only so poorly written it hurt.
There's 1 similar element, the survive and kill or lose game, but the rest is a melodramatic piece of "pro" wrestling style action film with lots of teens in school uniforms.At best, you can say it's an interesting idea.
I'm personally sorry I watched Battle Royale at all, and I have watched "Men Behind the Sun" - with sadness at the worst atrocities war has ever known - but that was a very important documentary about something very few know much about.The reduction of modern society to a "King Rat Rules" social Darwinism MAY be seen as a some redeeming commentary on this film, but the forced abuse of c14 year old school children in this film just made me feel sick and severely depressed.I've also read and seen Lord of the Flies, but the comparison in terms of feeling is like one bee sting vs being covered with killer bees..
I know that it's hard to fit a 600 page book into 2 hours without losing some of the depth, but I just felt like this movie was about nothing more than all of the kids killing each other.
Well, I'm pretty sure that this has nothing to do with Japanese youth, I know for certain this because I traveled several times there.I have to reject this absurd line of argument showing teens as potential assassins whose biggest problems are crushes and gossips between them, becoming even more unreal when you are facing such a disturbing situation like encountering the death of your fellow classmates.In every alternative reality film there is a thin line: the plot has to be always plausible.
A great movie, though in Japanese (yes, you will need to read subtitles.), Battle Royale is amazingly done and realistic (in my opinion).
If you don't like blood and gore, it might not be for you, but even so, it's a great film that is also a beautiful social commentary on what it means to be an adult, to be a child, and to trust other people.Although, if you are into watching people get hacked apart and dying other various fun ways, you can just ignore all that stuff...
But there is a depth here; stabbings, suicides (of which Japan has one of the highest rates in the developed world) and the all-encumbering importance of high school are real elements of Japanese society.But there are one too many ridiculous notions in the film that ruin this depth: the internet access on the island, the cheap use of classical music to paint scenes, the one-dimensional characters and the way almost everyone gunned down, regardless of how many bullet wounds they receive, has enough energy for another bout of fury, or even to calmly make a phone call.
Not only that, but a political message is also present in a vague sort of way; in the beginning scene of the movie you are shown a crowd of reporters and people rushing to see the winner of the battle Royal, all eager to see who survived the 3 day long bloodshed; i thought that this showed the thirst for blood modern man has, the urge to witness violence.The director did a great job at keeping the violence low key (there's not a lot of major gore) but nonetheless capturing it in high intensity; most of the deaths in the movie are very emotional and some of them lightly disturbing.
Although some people may laugh or dislike the love stories that are sketched into the film, i thought they were actually touching in a lame Japanese sort of way (no offense to anybody that is Japanese, i simply meant that the vocabulary and choice of words made by the characters are not all entirely American sounding.) Another good aspect of the movie is that the acting is mostly genuine in my opinion, and plus all or most of the actors were actually high schoolers (give or take a couple of students and teachers/soldiers.) On a final note, i urge anybody who is interested in this movie to just WATCH IT and stop hating on it about it's plot, the plot is original, a tad bit over the top (which in my opinion is interesting when it comes to films), and influential.
Tellingly, the characters of Battle Royale have become disconnected from their parents, cast adrift in a world that they're ill-equipped to understand and as a result unable to cope with the pressures that their adult society has put upon them.Here, the allusions to Lord of the Flies are developed with the idea of children out of control, but contrasted further against the lurid, pulp sensationalism of a film like The Running Man (1987); in which the socio-political fears of the Japanese government are exploited by both the commercial corporations and the media into producing scandalous entertainment.
It's easy to dismiss this film as some kind of glorified school student snuff film, but look under the surface and the movie is rich in it's themes.Much like "Lord of the Flies", Battle Royale is a coming of age film where the veneer of civilized society is brushed away to reveal the dark heart of human nature.
If you've watched the movie and think that you've been shocked, seen a great vision on what humans are capable of in life and death situations, how far dictatorship can go, the expression in extreme of Japanese and generally Asian culture's current dangers/problems then READ THE BOOK and you'll find that half of it is missed in the movie..
And having said that, I must also add that the movie is a very poor remake of the book."Battle Royale" is about a class of teenagers who have to kill their classmates in order to survive.
So to people who like watching movies with killing and blood. |
tt0097216 | Do the Right Thing | Mookie (Spike Lee) is a 25-year-old delivery man living in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn with his sister, Jade (Joie Lee). He and his girlfriend, Tina (Rosie Perez), have a son. He works at the local pizzeria, but lacks ambition. Sal (Danny Aiello), the pizzeria's Italian-American owner, has been in the neighborhood for 25 years. His older son Pino (John Turturro) intensely dislikes blacks, and does not get along with Mookie. Pino is at odds with his younger brother Vito (Richard Edson), who is friendly with Mookie.
The neighborhood is full of distinct personalities, including Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), a friendly local drunk; Mother Sister (Ruby Dee), who watches the neighborhood from her brownstone; Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), who blasts Public Enemy on his boombox wherever he goes; and Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith), a mentally disabled man, who meanders around the neighborhood trying to sell hand-colored pictures of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.
While at Sal's, Mookie's trouble-making b-boyish friend, Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito), questions Sal about his "Wall of Fame", a wall decorated with photos of famous Italian-Americans. Buggin' Out demands that Sal put up pictures of black celebrities since Sal's pizzeria is in a black neighborhood. Sal replies that it is his business, and that he can have whomever he wants on "The Wall of Fame". Buggin' Out attempts to start a protest over the Wall of Fame. Only Radio Raheem and Smiley support him.
During the day, the heat and tensions begin to rise. The local teenagers open a fire hydrant and douse the street, before police officers intervene. Mookie and Pino begin arguing over race, which leads to a series of scenes in which the characters spew racial insults into the camera. Pino and Sal talk about the neighborhood, with Pino expressing his hatred, and Sal insisting that he is not leaving. Sal almost fires Mookie, but Jade intervenes, before Mookie confronts her for being too close to Sal.
That night, Buggin' Out, Radio Raheem, and Smiley march into Sal's and demand that Sal change the Wall of Fame. Raheem's boombox is blaring and Sal demands that they turn the radio off, but they refuse. Buggin' Out calls Sal and sons guineas while saying that they're closing down the pizzeria for good until they change the Wall of Fame. Sal, in a fit of frustration, tells him he will "tear his nigger ass," then destroys the boombox with a baseball bat. Raheem attacks Sal, leading to a huge violent fight that spills out into the street, attracting a crowd. While Radio Raheem is choking Sal, the police arrive. They break up the fight and apprehend Radio Raheem and Buggin' Out. Despite the pleas of his fellow officers and the onlookers, one officer refuses to release his chokehold on Raheem, killing him. Realizing that Raheem has been killed in front of onlookers, the officers place his body in the back of a squad car, and drive off, leaving Sal, Pino, and Vito unprotected.
The onlookers, enraged about Radio Raheem's death, blame Sal and his sons. Mookie grabs a trash can and throws it through the window of Sal's pizzeria, sparking the crowd to rush into the restaurant and destroy it, with Smiley finally setting it on fire. Da Mayor pulls Sal, Pino, and Vito out of the mob's way. Firemen and riot patrols arrive to put out the fire and disperse the crowd. After police issue a warning, the firefighters turn their hoses on the rioters, leading to more fighting and arrests. Mookie and Jade sit on the curb, watching in disbelief. Smiley wanders back into the smoldering building and hangs one of his pictures on what is left of Sal's Wall of Fame.
The next day, after having an argument with Tina, Mookie returns to Sal, who feels that Mookie betrayed him. Mookie demands his weekly pay, leading to an argument. They cautiously reconcile, and Sal finally pays him. Mister Señor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson), a local DJ, dedicates a song to Raheem.
The film ends with two quotations expressing different views about violence, one from Martin Luther King and one from Malcolm X, before fading to a photograph of them shaking hands. | atmospheric, comedy, murder, violence | train | wikipedia | 90% of Spike Lee's masterpiece Do the Right Thing is a perfectly developed character study of a wide range of model personalities who all happen to be in Bedford-Stuyvesant on the hottest day of the summer.
Drawing from two incisive but different comments on violence from Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, Lee extrapolates his story and the ideas he wants to explore by showing us characters that are as real as they are exaggerated and somewhat unpredictable events that they create, are swept into or actively or passively participate in.
Well acted (Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Spike Lee and Richard Edson really stood out for me) and very nicely soundscaped, Do the Right Thing is the perfect film for a solitary night of reflection or for sharing with an intelligent group of friends.
In all likelihood Spike Lee's most important achievement - as director, writer and actor (though to my taste Mo' Better Blues is just as good a picture) and one of the strongest films you'll see about race relations, 'Do The Right Thing' looks dated at times, but it lost none of its impact and relevance.
The movie takes place in a particularly hot day in a primarily African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn, and follows the various personalities who live there throughout the day; the center of the story is Sal's Famous Pizzeria - its owners, some of the few white people living in the neighborhood: Sal (Oscar nominated performance for Danny Aiello) and his two sons (John Torturro and Richard Edson), and Mookie (Spike Lee himself), the black delivery boy.
Spike doesn't put as much emphasis on the characters themselves as he does on the relationships and the tension between them; and in this image of a very specific and small frame in time and place, makes a strong and important message about racism and race relations in general.
From the uninhibited anger of Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) on one side and Pino (John Torturro) on the other side, to Jade (Joie Lee, Spike's sister in the film and in real life) and Vito (Richard Edson), who are trying to connect and live at peace with the other side, to Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), in his isolated but peaceful state of mind, living in complete peace with the world around him, and Smiley (Roger Smith), living in his own isolated existence.
It is Mookie and Sal, in fact, who ultimately play the main part.Do The Right Thing is not an easy watch; it's a mesmerizing, tense, difficult film that breaks many taboos and slaughters many holy cows.
Do the Right Thing is a masterpiece in both style and substance, and Im hard pressed to think of a more powerful, earth-shattering film.But first, let's talk about the style.
While it should be applauded for taking on the subject of race without Hollywood's usual heavy-handedness, simply presenting a topic doesn't automatically mean anything is actually being said about that topic.Whatever problems there are with the content, Do the Right Thing is still great film-making.
Lee also manages to out-Altman Altman by presenting a large cast of characters without it ever becoming confusing or disjointed.Taking place over the course of one scorching day in Bedford-Stuyvesant, most of the action occurs in and around a pizzeria run by Sal (Danny Aiello) and his sons Pino and Vito (John Turturro, Richard Edson).
But the entire neighborhood is featured as the film intercuts between various exchanges, many of them tinged with racial overtones: while Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) challenges a white tenement owner when he feels slighted, down the street three men debate the right of a Korean to own a variety store in "their" neighborhood.There are personal moments as well: Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) continually attempts to soften Mother Sister's (Ruby Dee) opinion of him, while Mookie (Lee) juggles time between his job at Sal's and his increasingly aggravated girlfriend (Rosie Perez).
Although Lee doesn't have the time to make all his characters three-dimensional, he avoids sentimentalizing or demonizing any one group; there are both blacks and whites who are sympathetic (Sal, Da Mayor) and troublesome (Pino, Radio Raheem).
Lee made a movie about racism; but we're so starved for challenging works, for thematically mature movies, we've embraced a film that ultimately says nothing more than "racism is bad" and "no one person or group is to blame."The simplistic ideals of Do the Right Thing are most evident in four scenes: 1) Love Daddy lists practically every major black musician from the last fifty years; 2) in an overly contrived sequence, Mookie gets Pino to admit that his cultural heroes are all black (Magic Johnson, Eddie Murphy, and Prince); 3) Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan are all mentioned; 4) the words "Tawana Told the Truth" appear spray painted on a wall (a reference to the Tawana Brawley controversy of 1987).
In fact, the film can be best described as a cinematic materialisation of Martin Luther King's famous "an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind" speech.For this movie, Spike Lee has put together a terrific cast, that includes many actors that have gone on to become big names in the movie industry, people such as Samuel L.
The cast comes together excellently and the neighbourhood that Spike Lee has created for this film feels very real, and through the multiple personalities that inhabit it, it manages to stay interesting and realistic throughout.
Spike Lee delights in showing us many different people, and at different times - including their reactions to certain events and their interactions with each other, and it all helps to build up both their own characters and the neighbourhood that they live in.
This proves to be invaluable to the film as it has no real plot and therefore relies on the characters and the neighbourhood that it has created to build itself, it's scenario and therefore it's message, up.Do the Right Thing is a portrait of how multiple cultures live together in modern day America and it also succeeds in being a stark and potent portrayal of how violence never gets anyone anywhere.
Seen through many points of view Spike Lee paints a convincing and critical picture of tensions in the most diverse city in the USA.The film's strength is its ability to ring true to many sets of ears and especially if you frequent or live in a big city.
If a situation gets out of hand and you have people throwing slurs at each other there is that famous expression: "he crossed the line." Well even with critical hindsight, this "line" isn't always visible and when it is, it's faint.Spike Lee manages to show that very well and with a lot of diverse characters, hence the film being able to ring true with an equally diverse audience.The only problem is that in today's America the issue is more about class and not just race, though race and class are intertwined.
SPOILERSI saw this movie recently, and I found myself disturbingly reminded of why I hate this film so much.Now maybe some who have praise for this film are a little perplexed by this, so let's look at a few points: we have a black man who goes into a pizzeria and decides to incite a riot because there are no pictures of black people on the wall.
The directing is surprisingly inept, the cinematography is overrated, the acting from the majority of the characters in the film is laughable and unbelievable, the script is flimsy, and the dialogue is utterly groan-worthy.Speaking of groaning, anytime where there is a scene that they decide to use the incidental music composed for the movie (which is probably about five times during the course of the movie, and often if the scene involves either or both ML and Mother Sister) I dare you to try not to groan.
One of them is Mookie, played by director Spike Lee, who works at an Italian pizza place with Sal(Danny Aiello) and his sons(John Turturro plays the more promiment one)and hangs out with fellows like Radio Rasheen, a creepy thug who blasts terrible music from a radio he takes with him everywhere, Smiley, a "nice" retarded fellow with an annoying stutter, and Buggin' Out(or something like that) a beyond obnoxious and beyond loathsome fellow who does not like Sal's pizzaria because he only hangs up pictures of white people.
Anyway, somewhere along the film, Mookie is told by a gent called Da Mayor(Ossie Davis)who old veteren of the slummy neighborhood he lives in that he needs to "do the right thing," which I guess would mean get his life in gear.
That would make it seem like it was going to be some character study completely centering around Mookie, but instead the film primarily focusses on about five different subjects: Mookie and his job at Sal's, Mookie's relationship with his girlfriend(the useless subplot), those terrible friends of Mookie and their crusades around the neighborhood(they try to lobby for that stupid protest and act awful to everyone who passes by), some heat wave(don't ask me why) and racial issues.
I also didn't really mind what they did to Radio Rasheen, though I'm sure I was supposed to.And I can go on and on about my dislike for this film, but it would probably go long over the 1000 word limit, but just trust me, this is one to be avoided because even slightly redeeming factors in this movie(like Ossie Davis's character) get old very quickly.
Spike Lee's use of unstated stereotypes constructs particular kinds of racial landscape which in turn inform the kinds of interactions different characters have throughout the movie.
This film has tremendous acting performances by a number of actors and actresses, and Spike Lee's involvement in this movie is sensational!!
Right there, we listen to rap music, saying "fight the power"; and when we see Spike Lee in his character Mookie, we know there's something about Lee's life.
It's a sunny day; Mookie goes to work and bumps into a lot of people: Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and his friends Cee (Martin Lawrence), Punchy (Leonard Thomas) and other girls, the retarded Smiley (Roger Smith) Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) attempting to conquest Mother Sister's (Ruby Dee) heart, Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) spreading style all over, Tina (Rosie Perez) waiting for his man, three old men sitting in the street talking about life
This is black territory all the way through.But there's also "Sal's (Danny Aiello) Famous Pizza", hated by his son Pino (John Turturro), who works there with his other brother Vito (Richard Edson), but loved by the entire neighborhood.
When Da Mayor tells Mookie: "Always, always do the right thing", and Buggin tells Sal that he is planning to boycott his place
You feel something; like the way I felt as I watched "It's the rage".
"FIGHT THE POWER!" I think Spike Lee did a great job with this film and I enjoyed his character who sat on the fence of controversy and watched it destroy his neighborhood.
One of Spike Lee's best (and most discusses) films- Do the Right Thing, tells the story of the community in the small yet important Bedford-Stuyvesant and the different characters and situations that come together in some way or another on the hottest day of the summer.
Written, directed, acted and photographed with pizazz and with a superb quality about it, Do the Right Thing shouldn't be ignored, and should be watched if only to get a better understanding of what Spike Lee did for a breakthrough.
The major characters' name are Mookie, Da Mayor, Radio Raheem, Sal, Pino, Vito, Buggin out, Jade, Mother- Sister, Samuel, and Mister Senior Love Daddy.The theme of the movie is going the right thing.
This movie isn't good due to good acting though, it's more due in part to the question that the film poses and at the end you'll find Spike asking you who you thought did the right thing?.
Do the Right Thing is a Spike Lee classic film.
The 1989 film Do the Right Thing directed by Spike Lee, is by far one of the first films that showed both spectrums of the racist card that is still played in America today.
The main characters in this film are; "Mookie", who is played by Spike Lee himself," Da Mayor", who is played by Ossie Davis, "Mother Sister, who is played by Ruby Dee, "Radio Raheem", who us played by Bill Dunn, "Jade" (Mookie's sister) who is played by Joie Lee, "" Smiley", who is played by Roger Guenveur Smith ,"Buggin Out" who is played by Giancarlo Esposito, and "Sal", who is played by Danny Aiello.
Spike Lee's film Do the Right Thing, is a wickedly intense story of inner city racial tensions and the problems ethic groups struggle with every day.
The rest of the predominately black neighborhood rightly views him as an idiot.Spike Lee himself plays Mookie, the closest thing to a protagonist in the film.
Spike Lee himself does a good job as Mookie, the film's central character, though one can't help but wonder if there might have been a more established actor who might have been stronger in the part.
"My job is to put the spotlight on race relations in this country" says director Spike Lee, referring to his film Do the right thing.Do the right thing is political film which does not force a view on the responder, however, represents different characters from diverse races who are all "acting according to their own version of the right thing" The film is loosely based on 'the Howard Bech incident of 1986' which sparked growing racial tensions in New York.
Spike Lee certainly does not overestimate the power of film saying "no films going to change things overnight" however he uses various film techniques, (mise en scene) clever cinematography, and amazingly convincing performances of the American under class as a vehicle to bring into focus very serious racial and economic issues.The Hollywood film delivers a disturbing political message, and is an Obvious "wake up call" to society.
Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing, is the most masterfully crafted movie that I have ever seen.
Not even Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird would have anything to say about this and even his character is among the top heroes for thinking racism is bad.Our hero is no other than Mookie (played by Spike Lee), a young man who's working at a dead end job delivering pizzas so that way he could support his wife (Rosie Perez) and child.
Vito (Edson) is the only son who shows generosity to those around him like his father, where Pino (Turturro) has the hatred for black people and even Mookie gives him a lesson by asking him all the questions from favorite entertainers and all of his answers are African American entertainers (Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan).There are different characters in this film from Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn of Spider-Man) who carries his boom box everywhere as his heart and soul.
Jackson, in a small and good role, plays Mister Senor Love Daddy, Brooklyn's voice where not only does he start his music at six in the morning but is the voice of reason for everybody to chill out.While there are some moments were you will laugh, there are scenes that make you think about what goes on including a montage where Spike directs scenes of different actors saying about how they feel about the races around them.
"Do The Right Thing" is an early Spike Lee opera which takes place during one hot summer day in a Brooklyn neighborhood where the weather brings the people out into the streets and in contact with each other.
(not unlike the racial reversal Travolta film 'White Mans Burden')Of course you can go on forever talking about how racism is bad, and stereotype this and negativity that, but as Mookie shows us what he doesn't learn, it all comes down to (money?) doing the right thing.
Full of style, color, and humor, Spike Lee's masterpiece "Do The Right Thing" takes place during the hottest day of the year in a Brooklyn neighborhood.
But, it's still a very heavy film at times as well.Spike Lee portrays racism in a very powerful and meaningful way, and he doesn't just show whites oppressing blacks, which is refreshing to see, since it's a cliché in a film about race to show that all of the black characters are saints who don't have prejudices of their own.
Which is what I think Spike Lee wanted us all to feel watching this movie.
I suppose people can see what they want to see in the film, but the movie is much more complex than simple Black/White issues.
African-American Mookie (director Spike Lee) works at Sal's (Danny Aiello) pizzeria.
Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing is a powerful film with a phenomenal cast.
The tensions between white and black America was brewing and then Spike Lee dropped the bomb with "Do The Right Thing".
Then there's the Spike Lee character who works for this white people and tries to "do the right thing" by working yet he turns into one of the "animals" at the drop of a hat?
Each character is given just the right time to ease their self in our mind allowing us to believe that even after the movie ends, the neighborhood continues to live.Why I think do the right thing is important is because even after the civil rights movement, people thought racism was coming to an end.
In this way, you can consider the characters of "Smiley" and ""Radio Raheem" as a clumsy attempt to demand more rights and tolerance towards black people."Do the right thing" is probably Spike Lee's most accomplished movie and one of the finest movies devoted to racism..
"Do the Right Thing" excels in every way a movie can; engaging story, great characters, a stellar cast with brilliant performances and beautiful cinematography. |
tt0052549 | The Alligator People | The movie opens with title and credits shown over a scene of a mangrove swamp. A Chrysler Imperial with Louisiana MD license plates pulls into a parking lot. It is the Doctors Only lot of the Webley Sanitarium. Doctor Eric Lorimer (Bruce Bennett) exits his car and enters the office of Dr. Wayne MacGregor (Douglas Kennedy). MacGregor is a neuropathologist. Eric is joining Wayne as a consultant on an interesting case. The case involves a nurse, Jane Marvin. Wayne explains, "That's the name she's using." Wayne is conducting research in narco-hypnosis techniques. Wayne calls his nurse to come into the office. Wayne introduces his nurse, Jane Marvin, aka Joyce Webster (Beverly Garland) to Eric Lorimer. Jane rests on the couch and Wayne injects her with a mild sedative and asks her to count backwards. The Pentothal acts quickly. In addition to a tape recorder, Wayne has a polygraph, or lie detector, set up to record the session. Wayne asks her name, and she replies, "Joyce Hatten...Joyce Hatten Webster." When he asks her if she is married she admits, "I was. I was Mrs. Paul Webster." Then she admits she is not sure. Wayne asks her to tell them her story. She starts by saying, "I met Paul overseas. He was a lieutenant. I was nursing in a hospital. We made plans to be married after we were both discharged." The tale is told in flashback.On a moving train, Joyce and her new husband, Paul Webster (Richard Crane) are sitting in a sleeping car. A train Porter (an uncredited Dudley Dickerson) opens a bottle of champagne and pours it into two glasses. Paul tips the Porter before he leaves and the happy couple share a kiss. Paul admits he was in an aircraft accident, but dismisses stories of how serious it was. Joyce tells him, "You wouldn't believe what that hospital doctor told me when I called. Well, according to him, you were more dead than alive. Almost every bone broken: completely torn, mangled, smashed." She notes that he has no marks or scars, therefore it couldn't have been that serious. Paul admits it was serious. He screws up enough courage to tell her the truth about why he waited so long to tell her the story. The Porter returns with telegrams of congratulations. Paul reads one telegram and is visibly upset. He folds it up and then exits the cabin. He asks the conductor (an uncredited Hal K. Dawson), "When's the next stop?" The next stop is in 35 minutes, but a very short mail pickup stop is coming up right now. Paul needs a telephone, but the conductor advises against leaving the train. It is a 30 second stop. Paul refuses to tell Joyce what is bothering him. The train pulls away and Joyce is frantic.We are back in Dr. MacGregor's office and Joyce is still telling her story under hypnosis. She tells the doctors she got off at the next stop and went back to the platform, but there was no sign of Paul. She talked to his friends and checked prior addresses. She spoke to police, hired private detectives, and spoke to the Army. Since Paul had never mentioned family she had no clues. Months later she contacted his college, via his fraternity. It was Louisiana State University, and the only address, when he enrolled, was in Bayou Landing, a place called the Cypresses. She went on the train and was the only person at the station. There was a large crate on the platform addressed to the Cypresses that had a large label indicating the contents: Cobalt-60. She sat on the crate waiting for someone to pick it up. A scruffy gentleman with a hook hand drove up and told her he was driving out to the Cypresses. Manon (Lon Chaney, Jr.) had come for the crate and invited Joyce for a ride back to the plantation house. Manon stops to clear a fallen branch that is blocking their path. Joyce witnesses two men wrestling an alligator in the swamp. She is visibly disturbed by the sight. Manon hates gators, and tells Joyce, "Dirty, nasty, slimy gators." A large one crosses the road in their path and Manon deliberately runs over the creature. He shows her his hook hand and explains a gator took it off. She exits the truck at the front door and knocks. The butler, Toby (an uncredited Vince Townsend, Jr.) answers the door. Mrs. Lavinia 'Vinnie' Hawthorne (Frieda Inescort) descends the stairs with a cane in hand. Lavinia directs the butler to admit Joyce into the house. Joyce tells Vinnie her story of her search for her husband. When Joyce tells the older woman her name, Mrs. Paul Webster, Vinnie tries to stifle a surprised response. Vinnie then accuses Joyce of playing some game and making up a story. She introduces herself as Mrs. Henry Hawthorne, a widow, and then asks her to leave at once. Toby reminds his boss that the next train is tomorrow. Vinnie reluctantly agrees to put Joyce up for the night. She tells the maid, Louann (an uncredited Ruby Goodwin) to show the lady to the guest room upstairs. Vinnie insists Joyce not leave her room under any circumstances.That evening, Joyce hears shots being fired outside. Vinnie orders Toby to tell Manon to stop shooting at the gators. That is when Joyce realizes she has been locked in her room. Down in the swamp, a very drunk Manon screams and shoots at the alligators. Louann will not give Joyce any information, but warns her to leave as soon as possible. The phone rings and Vinnie answers. It is Dr. Mark Sinclair (George Macready) calling. He stands next to a very large alligator strapped down to a table. Vinnie tells Mark, "She's here, Mark. Paul's wife." She tells the doctor shell be right over and they can decide what to do about this complication. Joyce watches Lavinia drive off in the station wagon. Vinnie drives up to the house Sinclair is using as a lab and hospital. A figure in a bathrobe struggles with three male nurses (uncredited: John Frederick, Ken Kane and Lee Warren). Dr. Sinclair enters the room as the nurses manage to get the patient under control and back to bed. We see the doctor inject the patient in the arm. The skin is reptilian in texture. Vinnie enters the lab and calls out to Mark. He explains that he had an emergency with number six (an uncredited Bill Bradley). Apparently Sinclair and Vinnie were not successful in covering all references to Paul. Sinclair explains he needs more time to test before he can proceed. Mark promises to stop in the morning and talk to Joyce.Paul, dressed in a trench coat, enters the plantation house. Joyce is upstairs in her room. She managed to steal the key from Louann earlier. She hears the piano being played downstairs and goes to investigate. She quietly enters the darkened room and sees the face of the man playing the piano. His face has a reptilian texture. Paul runs from the room leaving very strange footprints. Vinnie drives back to the house and Paul stops her on the path and demands, "What's she doing here?" They both agree she must leave the next morning.The next morning Dr. Sinclair drives his swamp buggy to the plantation house. Joyce is pacing outside on the porch. He introduces himself and waxes philosophical about the swamp. Joyce introduces herself as Mrs. Paul Webster, then carefully examines the doctor's face for any sign of surprise or recognition. He feigns ignorance, but Joyce calls him on it. Mark Sinclair departs. One of the nurses unpacks the Cobalt-60 and loads it into the X-Ray machine. At the house, Joyce looks through Vinnie's desk. Vinnie catches her and demands to know why Joyce abuses her hospitality. Joyce tells Vinnie, "I'm not leaving here until I get the answers to the questions that brought me here." Joyce bluntly accuses her hostess of lying to her. Vinnie finally admits that she is Paul's mother.Paul returns to the house. He enters and goes to the parlor to talk to his mother. He asks his mother if Joyce has gone, but Joyce gets up from the chair that hid her face, and responds, "No, Paul, she hasn't. Paul what is it? What happened?" Paul runs from the house, and Joyce chases him into the swamp. She calls to her husband, and Manon hears her calls and goes out after her. Manon rescues her and takes her to his cabin. He gets her a glass of moonshine, and then tries to take advantage of her. She screams and he slugs her, knocking her out. Paul enters the cabin and sees Manon starting to undress his wife. He attacks the drunk. Paul carries his unconscious wife back to the plantation house. Manon comes to and vows, "I'll kill you, alligator man! Just like I'd kill any four-legged gator!"Toby and Louann take Joyce upstairs to the guest room. Vinnie tells Paul they can't keep the secret any longer. Paul is becoming despondent over his condition but his mother is hopeful. Paul goes back to the lab and talks to Mark. Mark confirms the Cobalt-60 arrived, but any treatment using the radioactive element is months away. Paul insists the treatment begin immediately. X-ray combined with Gamma radiation has the chance of a complete recovery, but Mark argues, "And it might kill you!" Mark relents, and agrees he will proceed the next night. Mark informs Paul he will tell Joyce the whole story in the morning.Joyce goes to see Dr. Sinclair the next morning. An alligator is strapped down on the X-Ray machine and Mark exposes it to the treatment. The gator hisses during the exposure. Joyce tells Dr. Sinclair she is a nurse. Mark explains his research on hormones, specifically with hydrocortisone. He notes that some lizards can grow a new tail, or replace an entire limb if lost. His research was financed by Vinnie and alligator extracts were used on dying men and women. The recovery was remarkable, but there was a side effect. Patient number six presents with an emergency, so Mark invites Joyce to witness the side effect first hand. She sees Patient Number Six with the skin texture of an alligator. The man is suffering brain damage and responds to a sun lamp, "As a depressant on reptiles, it makes them lethargic, dormant." Joyce finally realizes what her husband is becoming: an alligator. Mark tells Joyce that Paul will be treated tonight. Joyce insists on seeing Paul and witnessing the treatment. That evening Paul arrives at the lab, and Joyce confronts him. He reluctantly agrees to discuss his condition. Vinnie and Mark arrive and preparation for the treatment begins. Joyce begins to cry and Vinnie comforts her. Vinnie admits, "I'm sorry for the way I treated you. Paul was so desperate to keep you from knowing. We did everything we could."A drunk Manon enters the main house with a gun. He demands to know where Paul is located. Toby convinces him Paul is not in the house. Manon concludes he must be in the lab and leaves the plantation house. In the lab, Paul is strapped to the X-Ray table. The exposure interval is 30 seconds, no more or it could be lethal. Mark tells Paul to relax and keep his eyes closed. Treatment begins and Mark times it with a stop watch. Manon breaks into the lab demanding to see Paul. One of the male nurses and Vinnie demand he leave. Manon enters the shielded area and knocks Dr. Mark Sinclair out while the treatment is under way. The machinery begins to overheat and the exposure lasts too long. Manon sees a man on the table with the head of an alligator. Manon is disappointed his quarry is not there, "No, you ain't him." Paul hops off the table and growls at Manon. Manon snags his hook in the X-Ray machine cables and is electrocuted. Paul exits the X-Ray room and faces his wife and mother. Joyce screams and Vinnie faints. Paul runs out of the lab and into the swamp. Joyce chases after her husband calling his name. Mark comes to just as the lab explodes. Paul sees his reflection in the water of the swamp. He wades into the water and attacks an alligator. Joyce follows and witnesses the struggle. Paul falls into quicksand and is pulled under to his death. She screams and we return to MacGregor's office.Wayne turns off the tape recorder and asks Eric what he thinks of the story. Aspects of her story check out. The problem the doctor faces is that Jane has suppressed the story and lives a happy life. So, what to do? Let her listen to the painful story or just leave well enough alone? Jane enters the office and tells her boss she is going off duty. Wayne and Eric decide not to tell Jane/Joyce. We close with a shot of the tape recorder running. | flashback | train | imdb | Anyway, this very unusual plot offers a scientist (George Macready who was the villain in the 1945 Columbia serial THE MONSTER AND THE APE) who believes he can help crippled people to grow new limbs by injecting them with serum from alligator glands.
Beverly Garland plays a newlywed wife named Joyce who despairs when her husband (Richard Crane) ducks off the train they're honeymooning on to make an urgent phone call, and then is never heard from again.
His mother (Frieda Inescort, who's pretty bad in this) tries to discourage Joyce in her search and at first does not give her a welcome reception.Miss Garland is quite believable and sincere in her part, and this is a nice-looking black and white film shot in the cinemascope process, showing off some nice imagery in the land of alligators and snakes.
Chaney is also involved in a violent rape sequence, which is pretty shocking for those times.The scaly makeup for Richard Crane in its early stages is pretty effective, but when he emerges in full alligator-headed form later on, the first instinct is usually to laugh.
But even if it was filmed at some other Louisiana location, I suppose I will continue to adopt this analogy.If you're like this reviewer, you will watch this movie and all of its seemingly ancient special effects and rubber costumes with a wide-eyed wonderment.
"Starring" the totally under-appreciated Beverly Garland (a scream queen of the 50s) and Tuesday Weld's mom in PRETTY POISON in the 60s, this sly "gator" tale is walked through Cajun swamps into unknown realms where George MacReady and Lon Chaney, Jr. live every day.
One has to be patient in some of these classic films, as many of them begin rather slowly.....but there is a reward if you stick with it.This story is told in flashback as a woman "Joyce Weber," played by Beverly Garland) is given an injection and relates to two doctors the amazing story of what happened to her and her missing husband.Garland did well and looked terrific.
She has a long resume of movies and TV shows.Lon Chaney plays a goofy role, a man who is obsessed with shooting alligators after one had the nerve to eat his hand.
George Macready, whose best days were behind him, too, ("Gilda" is my favorite film of his) is the other doctor, who is there to witness "Joyce's" story as it is told under some sort of truth serum.Lesser-known Richard Crane plays the "Paul Crane," the alligator man.The title of the film is a bit misleading.
It's all part of a man-plays-God experiment in which the good doctor is trying to help people who are desperate straights.Without giving the last 25 minutes away - which was very good - along with particularly excellent ending that had some intelligent twists to it - suffice it made up for the earlier slower moments..
The idea of the Alligator serum being able to rejuvenate damaged tissue is a good one (although the writers could not have known it at the time, there actually is something in Crocodilian blood which greatly accelerates the healing process and halts the spread of infection).The movie is worth watching, because Beverly Garland is always worth watching..
The newlywed bride(Beverly Garland)tracks her husband down in a Louisiana bayou getting injections of a serum from alligator glands.
Not gonna bother much with the plot for you b/c if you bother to see this you'll see that they enjoy explaining crap to you over and over again (seriously, how many times does Lon Chaney explain the reason he has a hook hand?)
which actually kinda makes it an unintentionally funny film and most definitely hokey.
The special effects are not very special at all and the only redeeming quality other than the so bad it's good acting is Lon Chaney's portrayal of a drunken Bayou man who lost his hand to an alligator and has a big beef with them reptiles.
Now you can't take this movie seriously.The acting is fine especially Lon Chaney as Manon, the evil hook handed worker.Bev Garland is very convincing.(She went on to play Mrs Steve Douglas in My Three Sons.So who cares, right?).The swamp is very oppressive ,realistic set.The alligator suit is a howl.
The Alligator People is really a good horror movie that doesn't disappoint!My favorite actor Lon Chaney jr.
The rest of the cast is great too but Beverly is really shines here.There is a bit of a mystery that plays out in this one, over the course of the film you will find out what really happened to Joyce's husband Paul and why it has happened.The ending may not be exactly what you would expect but it's an interesting way to end a movie - in particular one of this nature.Worth watching if you like the older b-grade sci-fi horror films.
The Alligator People (1959) *** (out of 4)Fun monster film has a wife (Beverly Garland) goings into the swamps to try and find out what has happened to her missing husband.
Once there she's pretty much greeted with coldness but soon she realizes the terror that has happened to her husband and it's only going to get worse.THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE is a pretty fun monster film that manages to have a nice cast doing fine work and there's just an overall good feel to the entire thing.
This was obviously done in the same mode as THE FLY and like that film there are certainly some flaws to be found but overall there's no denying that monster fans should have a good time with it.I honestly think the best thing in the picture are the performances with Garland doing an extremely good job in the role of the wife.
Lets face it, horror films are often victim to actors just phoning in their performances but that's not the case here because Garland really does the dramatics good and especially when she realizes that her husband is turning into an alligator.
I also thought Lon Chaney, Jr. was very good and certainly entertaining in his role as the swamp man with a hook for a hand.
The Alligator People is one of the last sci fi movies made by 20th Century Fox in the 1950's.A woman goes searching for her missing husband and she tracks him down at his family's estate in the Bayou.
To complete things, there is a drunk who has had one of his arms replaced by a hook after an alligator eaten it.The unusual looking alligator suit is quite impressive.The movie stars 50's sci fi regular Beverley Garland (It Conquered the World), Lon Chaney Jr.
(The Wolf Man) as the hooked drunk and Bruce Bennett (The Cosmic Man) who turns into the mutant alligator.I enjoyed watching this movie and is a treat for fans of monsters and 50's sci fi.Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5..
As a kid, I couldn't bring myself to look at the Alligator People, but now that I'm more resilient, I'd like to say: Ms. Garland was a fine actress who definitely added dignity and class to whatever film she was in (and sad to say, she was in some stinkers), and the rest of the cast are top-notch.
Even today, I think that "The Alligator People" has an eerie ambiance that belies its B-movie origins: the hypnotism therapy, the mysterious plantation, Lon Chaney Jr.'s gators, and the tormented lead character.
Beverly Garland, in the role of the wife of the crocodile-man, and Lon Chaney Jr., in the role of the guy with one hand eaten by crocodiles, are both very good, convincing, perfect actors.
Also starring Lon Chaney Jr (with a really great accent) and Olympic silver medalist Bruce Bennett.The film is somewhat cheesy with the hook hand and the hypnosis, but this is a B-movie and by B-movie standards it sits as a fairly well-constructed story with some solid makeup effects and scientific gadgets.
The medical charts and animal diagrams that define 1950s sci-fi / horror are present for those who want to see the muscle structure of an alligator.There is a good bit of fun here, and there really never is a bad film when Lon Chaney (senior or junior) appears.
Like the fact that her newlywed husband has turned into an alligator man.Mad scientist George MacReady who keeps his lab on the sassafras and magnolia plantation of Frieda Inescourt is doing all kinds of experiments looking for disease cures.
Recounting a traumatic experience, a woman tells how her search for her missing husband leads to a scientist in the Everglades and his past experiments with him, eventually finding that he's been turned into a half-man, half-alligator monster who she must keep from getting loose.There's not a whole lot here that's really impressive about this one, making for a pretty disappointing effort.
Roy Del Ruth directed this Gothic horror yarn that stars Beverly Garland as Joyce Webster, who is being hypnotized by two doctors, who then tells her story about how, years ago, she was on her honeymoon with her husband Paul(played by Richard Crane).
Things however do not go well...Lon Chaney Jr.(over)plays a crazed Cajun determined to kill Paul.Despite some good atmosphere, cast, and (black & white) cinema-scope direction, this fails because of unintentional humor, since the alligator costume is inadequate and inflexible, though film is still worth some camp value, with an interesting modern day framing device..
The missing husband's trail leads to Louisiana swamps and strange goings-on.I grew up thinking Beverly Garland was just naturally attracted to monsters of one sort or another—and she was so pretty.
Joyce Webster (Beverly Garland) searches for her husband Paul (Richard Crane) who inexplicably abandoned her on their wedding night.
Paul Webster (Crane) disappears suddenly on his honeymoon, and his wife (Garland) spends years searching for him, finally ending up at a mysterious (and very damp) plantation called The Cypresses in the bayous of Louisiana.Frieda Inescort plays The Cypresses' tyrannical matron, and is accompanied by her unhinged hired hand Chaney (who else?), the local "swamp doctor" Macready, and an assortment of other household helpers.
At the critical moment during the treatment, Chaney bursts in, punches out the doctor, and manages to electrocute himself on Macready's space-age equipment, but not before Crane has been turned into a true "gator-man": big alligator head and scaly chest.
Chipper newlywed Joyce Webster (a typically fine and robust portrayal by the ever lovely Beverly Garland) gets dumped by her husband Paul (dashing hunk Richard Crane) on their wedding night.
Lon Chaney, Jr. contributes a lively turn as gruff, hearty, lecherous hook-handed local yokel troublemaker Manon, plus there are nice supporting performances by Frieda Inescort as Paul's stern, but loyal mother Lavinia Hawthorne, George MacReady as earnest physician Dr. Mark Sinclair, and Douglas Kennedy as helpful psychiatrist Dr. Wayne MacGregor.
The central narrative is unnecessarily framed – and, consequently, slowed down – by scenes in which heroine Beverly Garland recounts her incredible experience to a couple of psychiatrists: on the night of her marriage to a young man who had miraculously survived a plane crash, he runs out on her without so much as a word; she starts looking high and low for him until she stumbles upon an enigmatic address situated deep in the swamplands of Louisiana; of course, she goes there and is met with outright hostility by the lady of the house (Frieda Inescort) who claims to have no knowledge of the man in question!; since Garland has nowhere to stay, Inescort is forced to put her up for the night – with the condition that she doesn’t stray from her room and that she leave the next morning; however, that night, the heroine sees her host leave the mansion in a car at dead of night and, then, hears someone playing the piano downstairs (a silly sequence, and such a cliché!) – so, she determines to stay and unravel the mystery of “The Cypresses”; the morning after, she meets a local scientist (George Macready) sent by Inescort to find out just how much Garland knows.Needless to say, before long, the leading lady comes face to face with the awful truth: Macready’s cure involving a serum extracted from the hormones of alligators(!) has the unfortunate side-effect that its recipients’ skin starts to turn scaly and their countenance becomes generally reptilian – to be fair to the doctor, his aims were humanitarian rather than morbid curiosity (such as was the case with the somewhat similar SSSSSSS [1973], in which a man is turned into a Cobra).
Predictably, just when Macready is trying the newest and most dangerous experiment to try and revert the transformation, Chaney bursts in and, as per the norm in this type of flick, literally brings the house down: Macready is knocked out, the hero’s over-exposure to radioactivity turns him into a full-fledged croc (at which sight Inescort – his mother – obviously faints), while Chaney is electrocuted when he tries to attack the monster (eventually causing the lab to explode); the latter flees into the night (with Garland following), fights a host of real alligators, and finally drowns in quicksand!
It seems that the movie probably had a bit bigger budget than usual for the genre, as the special effects were a tad better than I'd expected.Beverly Garland stars as a young woman determined to discover what happened to her husband who disappeared on their honeymoon.
As one who likes this silly genre, I was definitely not disappointed--enjoying all the silliness you'd expect from this sort of thing.By the way, at the end when our fated hero is fighting with the alligator in the swamp, look carefully.
Newlywed Beverly Garland finds out that, as a side-effect of an experimental drug treatment, husband Richard Crane is slowly turning into an alligator.
In a mad frenzy Manon blew up the entire place killing himself as well as Dr. Sinclair and Mrs. Hawthorne and turning Paul into a man in an alligator suit who ends up, after having it out with the bayou's head alligator, going underwater in the swamps never to be seen or heard from again.Agog and shocked of what they heard from the sleeping and hypnotized Jane the two doctors, back at the Webley Sanitarium, decide to keep what Jane Marvin told them to themselves and not have her know what she had so successfully kept hidden from herself all this time, a good idea on the doctor's part..
If you can look past the crazy "man-gator" suit that pops up at the very end (admittedly, that may not be easy to do), you will find "The Alligator People" to be an original and even haunting B-movie with a very tragic edge to it.The film's greatest advantage is heroine Beverly Garland, who has never been lovelier or more sympathetic than she is here as Joyce Webster.
The only real villain of the piece is the drunk, hook-handed gator-hater Manon, played with over the top zeal by a badly out of shape Lon Chaney Jr. If it wasn't for his bungling interference, the story might have ended differently.The ending,too, shows compassion, as Joyce's horrible memories of the ordeal remain suppressed.The movie is directed by veteran Roy Del Ruth, whose career went back to the silents.
She claims she tracked him down to a plantation in a Louisiana swamp where she discovered the terrifying truth behind his sudden disappearance amidst scientific experiments gone horribly wrong...Directed by Roy Del Ruth this fun if somewhat underwhelming late 50's Creature Feature was made by 20th Century Fox hot on the heels of their recent monster film smash hit The Fly (1958) the year before & the two share more than a few similarities.
The whole half human half animal hybrid monster of the title, the whole story which is told in flashback by a woman who turns out to be the wife of said half human half animal monster & the whole scientific experiments for the good of mankind by a well intentioned scientist going horribly wrong means both The Fly & The Alligator People have near identical plots.
The acting is better than usual for this pedigree of film, horror veteran Lon Chaney Jr. appears as a bitter hook handed Alligator hater.The Alligator People is a fun & entertaining late 50's Creature Feature that feels a lot like the The Fly but if your going to steal you might as well steal from the best, right?
Have to admit the first time watching,it was to catch my favorite villain of all time,George Macready in action.But was I totally amazed,getting past the ridiculous scenes with the psychiatrists,at how impressed I was with the acting and the movie in general.Dr Mark Sinclair,financed by our heroes mother to experiment with alligators,to provide a "cure" for her horribly injured son,injured in a plane crash.He marries,and while on his honeymoon,receives a telegram from Dr Sinclair regarding complications of the treatment.His wife spends much time and money trying to locate her husband,and finally does in the bayou country.Was surprised to learn that a former "leper hospital" in Louisiana was site used for filming.My favorite scene is with Macready in the "swamp buggy",he's just so cool in it!Rivals the sports car he drives in THE GREEN GLOVE.Love him and Frieda Inescort best,Bev Garland superb also.Everyone deserves praise in this gem..
Recounts the story of a mentally disturbed woman (while under treatment recounts her distress to her psychiatrist) was over her lost husband who was experimented on by a mad geneticist that turned her husband into an alligator man and died in the swamp.*Special Stars- Lon Chaney, Beverly Garland, George Macready, Bruce Bennett.*Theme- Don't mess with Mother Nature.*Trivia/location/goofs- B & W.
Lavinia confides in a scientist, Dr. Mark Sinclair(George Macready), about a series of mysterious experiments involving alligators and soon Joyce discovers they concern her beau, Paul(Richard Crane). |
tt0093105 | Good Morning, Vietnam | With the war in Vietnam escalating in 1965, Airman Adrian Cronauer arrives in Saigon to work as a radio host for the US Army. He's met at the airbase by Sgt Edward Garlick. Garlick takes him to the radio station where Cronauer is introduced to Lt Stephen Hauk and Sgt Major Dickerson. Cronauer has been brought in as a comic host for the morning show, having worked on the island of Crete and gaining popularity with American servicemen there.Dickerson and Hauk both lay out their agenda for Cronauer: the boisterous and wisecracking Cronauer will follow their programming to the letter. Cronauer immediately finds himself at odds with both officers who will not let him play rock n' roll music (it's considered too subversive in the war environment) and will read only censured news from the teletypes -- news items first have to be examined by twin servicemen who use red pens to block out any news that may be considered upsetting to US servicemen. Cronauer launches into his 1st broadcast with his catchphrase "GOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNG VIETNAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!" and the show is an instant hit with the young soldiers with the host spouting scatological humor, odd characters of his own creation, criticism of the war effort and American elected officials (including Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson) and celebrity impressions and blasting rock n' roll music in defiance of station rules. After his 1st broadcast, Cronauer receives accolades from all of his colleagues but derision from Hauk, who thinks the new upstart is too intense.Garlick takes Cronauer to Jimmy Wah's, a local bar popular with US soldiers. After meeting the gay Wah himself, Cronauer catches sight of a young local woman dressed in white. Garlick tries to tell Cronauer that fraternization with locals is forbidden but Cronauer buys a couple of bicycles & sets off after her. She goes to a local school where another US soldier is teaching a group of Vietnamese citizens how to speak English. Cronauer, hoping to get a date with the young lady, bribes the teacher to let him teach the class. Cronauer breaks from the lesson plan and teaches the class American rock songs, American slang & how to curse in English as well. After the class ends, he tries to talk to the young lady, who is of a traditional Vietnamese family. Her brother, Tuan, tries to explain things to Adrian but Adrian is persistent and tells him that he appreciates his honesty & respects him. Tuan decides he'll help Cronauer meet his sister. Cronauer later meets her for a date but, in accordance with her traditions, her whole family shows up as chaperones.Cronauer's on-air antics continue to annoy Hauk and Dickerson but the host's popularity with the soldiers continues to grow. Cronauer joins his colleagues at Jimmy Wah's after work and is able to finagle the attention of a few local prostitutes away from a few soldiers at the bar. When Tuan shows up and is invited to sit with Cronauer's group, the soldiers harass Tuan. Cronauer tries to talk the men down and a fight breaks out which causes injuries and damage. Dickerson chews Cronauer out for the incident, saying he has one strike.One day, as Cronauer tries to leave for the day, he's stopped by Hauk who orders him into a long editing session for the interview conducted with Richard Nixon. Cronauer, aggravated that Hauk wouldn't let him leave to get lunch, edits the footage with himself as the interviewer asking Nixon very offensive personal questions. Hauk and Dickerson are not amused and cut off the recording.While Cronauer enjoys some time off at Jimmy Wah's, Tuan suddenly appears & tells him to come with him to meet his sister. As they walk away from the bar, it explodes, killing three US servicemen and injuring many on the street. Cronauer helps carry the injured out of the place. He marches straight back to the station and the teletype room, grabbing the printed report of the bombing to the broadcast booth. He's stopped by Dickerson who harshly orders him to give up the report. Cronauer appears to comply until he gets on the air. Unable to do his usual comedy routine, he suddenly launches into an "unofficial" announcement of the bombing. Dickerson orders the broadcast to be cut off.Cronauer is placed on temporary suspension. Hauk takes over the broadcast, promising to be funnier than Cronauer but fails miserably. Hate mail arrives at the station condemning Hauk and Taylor orders the lieutenant to reinstate Cronauer. Cronauer returns from Tuan's village where he'd been invited for a few days of convalescence. While there, Tuan's sister tells Cronauer that they can't have a relationship because of her family's tradition.Dickerson places a phone call to the Army intelligence office about a road leading to a small village called An Loc. He's informed that the road is held by the Viet Cong and is an unsafe. Dickerson orders Cronauer and Garlick to drive to An Loc to interview locals. En route, their Jeep hits a mine and they're forced off the road. Both of them emerge from the wreck uninjured but they become lost in the jungle. A small detachment of Viet Cong find their jeep and begin to track them. In Saigon, Dreiwitz sees the report about the road to An Loc and later meets Tuan at the entrance to the base. Tuan tells him that Cronauer has been gone for hours. When one of the guards at the base tells him that Cronauer and Garlick went to An Loc, Tuan sets off looking for them. He steals a small delivery wagon and drives out to An Loc. He finds Cronauer and Garlick hiding out. Unable to start the truck that Tuan stole, they set off in the jungle and walk until a small unit of Huey choppers finds them.Cronauer becomes further despondent with his superiors and tells Garlick that he's sick of being told what he can & can't say on the air and that he's thinking of quitting. Garlick is able to convince Cronauer to stay when they're stuck in a Saigon traffic jam and are surrounded by US soldiers in trucks, headed for a battle zone. Garlick identifies Cronauer to the men and an initially reluctant Adrian entertains them for several minutes until the traffic clears. He later dedicates the Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" to them.In another meeting with Dickerson, Cronauer is informed that Tuan is actually a Viet Cong operative named Phan Duc To. When Cronauer scoffs at the notion of his friend being a spy and terrorist, Dickerson reminds him that Tuan rescued him from almost certain death twice -- at Jimmy Wah's, Tuan got Cronauer out moments before the bomb went off and disappeared almost immediately. On the An Loc road, Tuan was able to travel it without calling attention to himself or coming to harm from the Viet Cong. Dickerson further emphasizes the accusation by showing Cronauer pictures of Tuan's friends who were executed as terrorists. Dickerson tells Cronauer that he's forcing him out of his unit & that he'll have to leave the country. When Cronauer asks Dickerson why he's making an issue of his friendship with Tuan, Dickerson tells him straight that he doesn't like him, his on-air personality & antics & his attitude. As he leaves, Adrian openly insults Dickerson, who angrily follows him. He's stopped by Taylor who tells him he's transferring Dickerson to Guam. When Dickerson protests, Taylor tells him he's "just mean & this is only radio."Cronauer finds Tuan's sister and demands to know where he is, telling her that Tuan is being hunted by Army intelligence and will be summarily executed. She takes him to her brother, who immediately runs. After a short chase, Cronauer finds him in a shady section of the city. Tuan angrily and sadly tells his friend that his country has been torn apart by war and that many of his family have been killed by American forces. Tuan disappears.As he's being taken to the airport to leave, Cronauer gathers his English-language class for a game of baseball. He humorously teaches them all to play. Cronauer also gets the soldiers escorting him to join in as well. After the game is over and Cronauer is flying out of the country, Garlick plays a pre-recorded broadcast from Cronauer bidding farewell to his audience. | anti war, violence, comedy | train | imdb | Vietnam without a doubt was a dark period in our history.Any comedy film surrounding Vietnam would indeed have to be done delicately.This movie pulls it off.What amazes me most about the film is the flawless, improvisational radio dialog from Robin Williams.This,as most of you may know,was completely unscripted to allow Williams an opportunity to work his magic.Also,it had to be timely,for the movie is,of course,set in 1965.The fact that he was able to do this is nothing short of amazing.The supporting cast was also incredible,with great performances by Forrest Whitaker,Bruno Kirby,and the late J.T.Walsh as "Sergeant Major Dickerson",the man you love to hate.Although some of the horror that was Vietnam is here,it's only giving you a taste of it,as it concentrates more on the Williams character's quest to make our beloved soldiers forget their horror,at least for a while.Highly recommended..
I'm glad I got refreshed.In 1965,Airman Adrian Cronauer(Robin Williams,in the first of his four Academy Award nominations)is brought on to do an Armed Forces Radio stint in Vietnam.
His combination of off-the-wall humor,impressions,sound gags and quick wit,mixed with his love of free-wheeling Rock music of the era,is pretty much welcomed in the area,save for a few angry sorts: a Napoleon-complexed intermediate CO named Hauk(Bruno Kirby,unrecognizable but for the voice) and a stiff-lipped,quietly vindictive middle commander named Dickerson(J.T.Walsh,so good here it would seem like this typecast him).
As this is going on,Cronauer becomes smitten with a local girl(Chinatra Sukapatra,spelling?)and befriends her brother(Tung Thanh Tran),which leads the popular DJ down a road of self-discovery.With excellent support from Forrest Whitaker(one of my favorites!he ends up sort of counter-balancing Williams' manic frenzy with nerdish normalcy as his buddy/assistant/guide),Richard Edson,Noble Winnigham,Robert Wuhl and Cu Ba Nguyen(as the oily GI bar proprietor)among others,this film,directed by Barry Levinson(whose work hasn't been this good in what feels like forever,certainly not since Avalon or Rain Man) and written by Mitch Markowitz,it is arguable one of the deftest films to create and maintain a balance between the horrors and inhumanity of war and the humor and pathos that are very much present in it.
They look at the conflict, without getting in too deep.A superb cast as well including Bruno Kirby and the late great J.T. Walsh gives a solid backdrop, and are beautiful foils to Williams.Overall, a wonderful movie, add it to your collection..
A few laughs from a comic genius was necessary to get them through the day in their very cockeyed world.Adrian Cronauer was a real life person, but if he didn't bear a resemblance to Robin Williams, he should have.
He's a tough, but compassionate military man, the exact opposite of J.T. Walsh whom he has to reign in.Good Morning Vietnam is a frank portrayal of a war experience told with humor and irony through the eyes of Robin Williams.Preston Sturges would have absolutely adored this film..
And I think that's what it intended.For those who don't know, it's worth adding that the main character, Adrian Cronauer, was a real person, and still is—he's a staunch Republican (Williams was not, to be sure) and an innovator in radio in Vietnam.
Good Morning, Vietnam does not ignore its comedy roots either and gives us genuinely entertaining disc jockey rants from Williams who shines with his animation and ad-libbing, further reminding us of a later film of his, Aladdin, and how he really was the star of that piece.The best parts of Good Morning, Vietnam actually raise issues to do with oppositional reading.
It is a battle that the oppositional readers loose since morale falls drastically after Adrian is taken off and he is forced to be reinstated because of this.Good Morning, Vietnam carries a pumping soundtrack which is what you'd expect for a film about a DJ and an emphasis on radio and its constant referencing to popular culture, gliding from The Wizard of Oz to Eleanor Roosevelt makes Williams' scenes consistently fun to watch.
GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM / (1987) ***1/2 (out of four)By Blake French: Robin Williams is about as good as they come at doing stand up comedy, and in "Good Morning, Vietnam" director Berry Levinson gives him everything he needs to make the film go above and beyond the average satire.
Who can resist the awakening voice of Williams on the radio yelling "Good Morning Vietnam." This is a film that conquers the test of time.
"Good Morning, Vietnam" tells the story of a lively disc jockey who gets a job on Armed Forced Radio during the Vietnam War. Robin Williams is the fast-talking Adrian Cronauer, and who better to play the part than he.
"Good Morning, Vietnam" is merely a portrait of Robin Williams releasing his perennial comedy, and unfortunately that does happen to get old quite quickly; the majority of an audience can only watch the humor for so long until it becomes old and somewhat stale.
"Good Morning, Vietnam" is definitely not a flawless film, but we do empathize for the main character, the scenes effectively capture the attitude and mood during the war, and the dialogue and writing feel accurate and involving.
Entertaining and fascinating movie about a frenetic Disc Jockey during Vietnam War. An unorthodox DJ begins to shake up things when he is assigned to the US Armed Services Radio station in Vietnam ; it is based on real life Adrian Cronauer .
An impulsive new Disc Jockey named Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams), on whom story was based , is shipped from Crete to Vietnam to bring humor to Armed Forces Radio.
Robin Williams stars as Adrian Cronauer, an Air Force Dee-jay who has been brought to Vietnam to be on the airwaves there, ostensibly because he was funny when he was a Dee-jay in Crete.
Once Cronauer gets settled, the story centers around two themes: 1\ his battle against the uptight stations owners, played beautifully by J.T. Walsh (See Breakdown - great bad guy) as the Sgt Major and Bruno Kirby as Lt. Haulk who desperately wants to be funny, and believes he is, but no, he's just not.
They also throw in a love interest for good measure in the form of Trinh (Chintara Sukapatana), a wholly lifeless woman whom Williams refuses to stop pestering.Williams is never funny during his radio broadcasts, however the film repeatedly tells us otherwise, showing us scores of characters struggling to hold back their tears of laughter.
Both characters aggressively impose their superior ranks on Williams and the other men, reminding me of the great Machiavelli quote – 'It is not titles that make men illustrious, but men who make titles illustrious.' Quite frankly, the quote is wasted on a trivial little film like this.It sometimes attempts to be a drama or 'dramedy' with moments of perfunctory war moralising, but ultimately Good Morning, Vietnam is preoccupied with indulging Williams's penchant for shouting incessantly rather than achieving anything approaching credible commentary or pathos.
GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM (1987) *** Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tung Thanh Tran, Bruno Kirby, Richard Edson, Robert Wuhl, Floyd Vivino, JT Walsh, Noble Willingham.
Loose biopic about Vietnam seen through the eyes of Armed Forces Radio d.j. Adrian Cronauer (loose cannon Williams, nominated for an Oscar) who entertains the American troops with his on-air anti-authoritarian antics and learning about the people of Saigon.
It's funny, but at the same time shows the war from the eyes of our protagonist Airman First Class Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams).
At the time this movie was released, most viewers went to it expecting a straight comedy film because Robin Williams was a star on the hit sit-com Mork & Minday.
The film is called " Good Morning Viet-Nam " and is purported to be the story of Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) the Disc-jockey who was transferred from the isle of Create to serve in Viet-Nam. Once there, the exuberant and happy-go-lucky DJ, becomes the troops' favorite, boosting moral and actively seeking feminine company.
His career up to this point paralleled Steve Martin's in many ways, because his past career as a stand-up comic - and let's face it Mork and Mindy just had him basically doing stand-up on the four year run of that TV show - had pigeon-holed him into doing films like "The Survivors" and "The Best of Times" where he was doing straight comedy with mediocre scripts.This role was tailor made for Williams, because when he does his thing as the morning DJ, it is his own impromptu brash brand of fast talking comedy that made him famous.
For evil you have to go to J.T. Walsh as Sgt. Major Dickinson, who threatens and actually seems like he would enjoy sending Cronauer to his death in the jungles of Nam.Robin Williams gets to do some serious acting when he runs into the extreme censorship of the news that is done by the army - he doesn't get to report anything that isn't completely positive.
Released in late 1987 when Vietnam films were popular, "Good Morning, Vietnam" chronicles the real-life story of Airman Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) as a DJ in Saigon, 1965.
Forest Whitaker plays Cronauer's friend at the station while J.T. Walsh and Bruno Kirby play his nemeses.While categorized as a war comedy, "Good Morning, Vietnam" is more of a war drama with amusing touches, simply due to Williams' antics.
"Good Morning, Vietnam" is one of Robin Williams' best movies and was one of the first to really showcase his improvisational abilities.
While Robin Williams does get to let loose in several hilarious scenes as Air Force DJ Adrian Cronauer, there is an undercurrent of seriousness which seeks to examine the effect of the Vietnam War on Vietnamese citizens, as well as what the US troops endured.
I can't praise the cast highly enough here, Forest Witaker, Bruno Kirby, JT Walsh, Robert Wuhl, Noble Willingham are all superb, as is Tung Thanh Tran and Chintara Sukapatana as some local people Williams befriends.The soundtrack is a great asset to the movie, featuring The Beach Boys and James Brown to name a few and Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" is an absolute show stopper!
It revolved around a Vietnamese woman who became Cronauer's love interest and her brother, who became Cronauer's best friend until he was discovered to have been a Viet Cong member.This is, perhaps surprisingly, a reflective movie at times, giving the opportunity for the viewer to think about the Vietnam War through a number of scenes.
The story is loosely based on the experiences of Armed Forces Radio DJ Adrian Cronauer.By playing the DJ, Williams could free-wheel it on the mic, provide laughs and annoy the authorities in this case Bruno Kirby who certainly does not get his humour.
These two certainly did not want soldiers to be happy.As the story progresses you get some drama, but it's not quite the horrors of the Vietnam war in the way films such as Platoon would show it.After all this is still a comedy and the drama is secondary.This was Williams movie where he could be anarchic.
Good Morning, Vietnam is one of the best movie that Robin Williams has made.
Delivering both laughs and emotion, I would recommend Good Morning Vietnam to anyone looking for a good comedy, drama or war film.
"Good Morning Vietnam" is the story of Adrian Cronauer - well, that's how it started out - until Robin Williams got his hands on it.
But I'm sure he was very happy to have a star such as Robin Williams interested in his story.In the '60s, Cronauer is assigned to the US Armed Services Radio station in Vietnam and finds it pretty dull with a lot of boring music playing.
Slowly, Cronauer sees more of the war, meets soldiers going into combat, and learns the hard way that he can't trust everyone, and he gets a big-time reality check.Filmed in Thailand, Good Morning, Vietnam is a really excellent film that combines comedy with drama, improvisation with a solid script and manages to show the horror of war and its effect on the citizens and soldiers.Williams, who improvises all of the radio shows, is marvelous as Cronauer, here a man who uses humor in his life until he is faced with some harsh truths -- and even then, in one of his darkest moments, he finds his sense of humor again.
As Lt. Steven Hauk, Bruno Kirby is brilliant as a delusional man who thinks his groan-worthy sense of humor and Mantovani music is just the ticket for a radio show.Well worth seeing by baby boomers for the nostalgia value (though not all good) and by anyone to appreciate the skills of Robin Williams as an actor and comic..
It's amongst the best I've seen from the 80's, a high-class film.'Good Morning, Vietnam' would've been a mark short if Robin Williams didn't appear in it.
and I loved it whenever he starts his show by yelling «Gooooooooooood Morning, Vietnam!», as well as whenever he pretends to be a teacher.Robin also puts nice music in this film, such as Beach Boys, James Brown's "I Feel Good" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World".
He does, in more ways than one, and as the madness of the war takes hold, Cronauer, his superiors and those closest to him, are all about to get taught some life lessons.Based on the story of real life army disc jockey Adrian Cronauer, Good Morning Vietnam plonks us straight into Saigon in 1965.
It's very effective.Essentially, though, "Good Morning Vietnam" is a hilarious comedy starring the master of improvisation, Robin Williams.
The GIs love him, but the military's top brass (especially Sgt. Major Dickerson, played by J.T. Walsh) is up in arms.Interesting enough, by the end of "Good Morning Vietnam", we learn so much more about the characters— except Adrian Cronauer (Williams).
Memorable performances come from Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, and J.T. Walsh, and Williams even got an Oscar nomination for his performance.To conclude, "Good Morning, Vietnam" is an interesting (to say the least) mix between wartime drama and comedy, aside from being plain old hilarious..
GOOD MORNING, Vietnam!Those are the words that open up DJ Adrian Cronauer's (Robin Williams) broadcast to all soldiers in southern Vietnam during the war, the beginning of a time block filled with hilarity and setting a humorous tone to a very harsh war.
The conflict with Cronauer and those telling him he's wrong is probably the more effective of the drama compared to commentary on the war."Good Morning" is still a film that should be watched.
Good Morning Vietnam is a wonderful film that knows how to balance the comedy of Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) with one of the most serious and tragic events in American history..
Good Morning Vietnam is an excellent film that is extraordinarily funny thanks to the comedic genius of Robin Williams.
Well, maybe not everyone's has one or two of the top ranks aren't too pleased with such quips as "the Big Dick is here!..." when referring to a visit from Vice-President, Richard Nixon.When you see Williams,as Cronauer, perform the comedy routines on, and off, the Airwaves, all you can do is watch in hilarious wonderment and ask just exactly what kind of brain are we witnessing here.'Good Morning, Vietnam' is billed as a Comedy/Drama, but it was the Drama aspect of it that for me, certainly shone through as much as the hilarity side of the script.
I have watched more than a few movies in my time but this one still stands out as one of the best.Robin Williams stars in one of his best roles as a Radio DJ amidst the horror of Vietnam.
One thing about this movie is that it is probably one of the best movies of the 80-s.Another true fact is that Barry Levinson, Robin Williams and late J.T. Walsh will be remembered in 40 years time primarily because they made GMV!.It IS very funny (do not be tempted to watch in any other language but original!) yet is a very serious film - definitely not Arnold and Dolf type.
That DJ is funny man Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) and we are talking 1965, Vietnam.
Although I didn't like the character, a man who really was a DJ in the Vietnam war, I admired Robin Williams.
Robin Williams plays Adrian Cronauer, a real-life DJ stationed in Vietnam.
Good Morning, Vietnam was one of Robin Williams' first movie roles and perhaps one of his best.The reason for this really is the fact that the character he plays allows him to channel both his manic stand up comedian side and also allow him to show just how good a dramatic actor he could be given the chance.This film manages to combine that humour without being neglecting the story of the war that was going on at the time.
Good Morning, Vietnam is a spectacular blend of uproarious comedy and emotional drama with an outstanding performance from Robin Williams.
Not all of Williams' films were great, and as was the case with Dead Poets Society, when you break down Good Morning, Vietnam to the basics, it's simply a story about a raunchy radio DJ pissing off his superiors.
Good Morning, Vietnam is often a funny and witty movie thanks to the fast-speaking talent of Robin Williams.
His off-air scenes were good, but they were more considered melodrama than comedy.Overall, Good Morning, Vietnam is a very funny film thanks to the presence of Robin Williams.
There were a lot of things I liked in this movie, all centered around Robin Williams' performance as Adrian Cronauer, an army DJ during the early Vietnam War.
Though the movie is set during the Vietnam war, that does not tone down the comedy that Williams brings to it.
For the most part I did enjoy GOOD MORNING VIETNAM but I can`t help feeling that it would have been a great film if there was a more cynical darker edge to the comedy with more lines like " You mean we should escalate the war so we can get bigger names ? |
tt0119738 | My Best Friend's Wedding | Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts), a 27-year-old New York City restaurant critic, receives a call from her lifelong friend Michael O'Neal (Dermot Mulroney). In college, the two made an agreement that if neither of them were married by the time they turned 28, they would marry each other. Three weeks before her 28th birthday, Michael tells her that in four days, he will marry Kimmy Wallace (Cameron Diaz), a 20-year-old University of Chicago student from a wealthy family.
Julianne is disappointed that Michael will marry someone so wrong for him, and someone he has known for such a short time. She realizes that she is in love with Michael, and heads to Chicago, intent on sabotaging his wedding. Soon after arriving she meets Kimmy, who asks her to be the maid of honor. This sets off a subplot in which Julianne must pretend to be the dutiful maid of honor while secretly scheming ways to prevent the wedding from happening. She engages in petty sabotage—for example, taking Kimmy and Michael to a karaoke bar after discovering that Kimmy is a terrible singer—and later asks her gay friend and editor George Downes (Rupert Everett) to pretend they are engaged, hoping to make Michael jealous.
When these tactics fail, George persuades Julianne to do the obvious: tell Michael she is in love with him. One morning, Michael gets Julianne alone and tells her that it'll be the last time they ever get to be alone. He expresses some skepticism in marrying Kimmy, explaining that he and Kimmy don't share a special song like he and Julianne do. Michael discreetly gives Julianne the invitation to tell him she's in love with him, but she lets the opportunity pass. Michael starts singing their song as he grabs Julianne and holds her while they dance one last time. Julianne's unauthorized use of Kimmy's father's computer to forge an email message to Michael's employer causes further problems for Michael and Kimmy, to the point where they are on the verge of calling off the wedding.
The next morning, the day of the wedding, Julianne tries to sabotage the situation further; as Michael and Kimmy are not speaking to each other, they communicate through Julianne, not realizing she is trying to manipulate them into breaking up for good. In spite of this, Michael and Kimmy decide they do love each other and want to get married after all. Julianne and Michael then take a walk, with Julianne finally confessing her love to Michael. She asks him to marry her instead, and passionately kisses him. Kimmy witnesses this, and runs off, but Michael chases her.
Julianne pursues Michael, but finally realizes he loves Kimmy. Julianne finds Michael at Chicago Union Station, where he is looking for Kimmy, and confesses all to him. Despite his anger at her deception, Michael forgives Julianne, and they split up to look for Kimmy. Julianne then tracks down Kimmy in the bathroom of Comiskey Park (Kimmy's family has a private viewing box at the stadium). Kimmy, rightly furious with Julianne, confronts her, while the other women watch, immediately siding with Kimmy and are disgusted with Julianne's dirty tactics. Julianne, however, apologizes and explains to Kimmy that she kissed Michael unexpectedly, but he didn't kiss her back because he was in love with Kimmy. Julianne declares that Kimmy has won, and that she accepts Michael's decision. Kimmy and Julianne reconcile with each other while the witnesses applaud.
After the wedding, at the reception, Julianne tells Michael that he and Kimmy can use their special song until they find one of their own, essentially acting like a true best friend. Julianne wishes them well, and she and Michael share their goodbyes, both of them finally moving on with their lives. Later, Julianne is surprised by George showing up at the wedding reception. The movie ends with the two of them happily sharing a dance together. | thought-provoking, revenge, intrigue, comedy, romantic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0095956 | Rambo III | The film opens with Colonel Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna) returning to Thailand to once again enlist the help of Vietnam veteran John J. Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) whom has settled in the country since the events of First Blood Part 2. After witnessing Rambo's victory in a stick fighting match in Bangkok, Trautman visits the construction site of the Buddhist temple Rambo is helping to build and asks Rambo to join him on a mission to Afghanistan. The mission is meant to supply weapons, including FIM-92 Stinger missiles, to Afghan rebels, the Mujahideen, who are fighting the Soviets in the Soviet-Afghan War. Despite showing him photos of civilians suffering under Soviet military intervention, Rambo refuses and Trautman chooses to go on his own.While in Afghanistan, Trautman's troops are ambushed by Soviet troops while passing through the mountains at night. Trautman is imprisoned in a Soviet base and coerced for information by Colonel Zaysen (Marc de Jonge) and his henchman Kourov (Randy Raney).Rambo learns of the incident from embassy field officer Robert Griggs (Kurtwood Smith) and convinces Griggs to take him through an unofficial operation, despite Griggs' warning that the U.S. government will deny any knowledge of his actions if killed or caught. Rambo immediately flies to Peshawar, Pakistan where he meets up with Mousa Ghanin (Sasson Gabai), a weapons supplier who agrees to take him to Khost, a village deep in the Afghan desert, after Rambo threatens him, close to the Soviet base where Trautman is kept enslaved.The Mujahideen in the village, led by the village's main leader Masoud (Spiros Focas), are already hesitant to help Rambo in the first place. When their village is attacked by Soviet helicopters after one of Mousa's shop assistants has informed the Soviets of Rambo's presence, they agree to help him. Rambo shows his fighting skills when he mans a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and uses it to shoot down one Soviet helicopter. However, the village is mostly devastated.Aided only by Mousa and a young boy named Hamid (Doudi Shoua), Rambo makes his way to the Soviet base and starts his plan to free Trautman. The first attempt is unsuccessful and results not only in Hamid getting shot in the leg, but also in Rambo himself getting wood fragments in the side. After escaping from the base, Rambo tends to Hamid's wounds and sends him and Mousa away to safety, before cauterising his own wound with gunpowder and an open flame.The next day, Rambo returns to the base, after scaling a cliff on the fort's perimeter to avoid detection, just in time to rescue Trautman from being tortured with a flamethrower. After rescuing several other prisoners, Rambo steals a Mil Mi-24 helicopter and escapes from the base. However, the helicopter is damaged as it departs and soon crashes, forcing Rambo and Trautman to continue on foot.After a confrontation in a cave, where Rambo and Trautman eliminate several Soviet Spetsnaz commandos, including Kourov, they are confronted by an entire army of Soviet tanks, headed by Zaysen. Zaysen warns them to drop their weapons and comply to his orders saying that they cannot escape and he wants to take them back alive. To which Trautman says to Rambo "what do you say, John?" and Rambo replies, loading his gun, "Fuck 'em". Just as they are about to be overwhelmed by the might of the Soviet Army, the Mujahideen warriors, together with Mousa and Hamid, ride onto the battlefield by the hundreds in a cavalry charge, overwhelming the Soviets. In the ensuing battle, in which both Trautman and John are wounded, Rambo somehow manages to kill Zaysen by driving a tank into the Soviet colonel's helicopter, which he first tried to damage with a Molotov cocktail, handed to him by a man on a horse. Somehow, Rambo survives the explosion and gets out of the tank.At the end of the battle Rambo and Trautman say goodbye to their Mujahideen friends and leave Afghanistan to go home. The movie ends with two quotes: "This film is dedicated to the gallant people of Afghanistan." and "I am like a bullet, filled with lead and made to kill"However, this was a not the original quote in the movie. Prior to the American war in Afghanistan, the ending quote of the movie read "This film is dedicated to the brave Mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan". This was then edited to read "people of Afghanistan" during the post 9/11 era. | revenge, cult, action, murder, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt0086636 | Zeder | In 1956, Gabriella (Veronica Moriconi)—a girl with apparent psychic powers—is brought to the enormous house of Dr. Meyer (Cesare Barbetti) in Chartres, France. Meyer intends to conduct an experiment testing her abilities. He takes her into his basement, where the youngster abruptly falls to her knees and begins digging into the dirt. "This is where you're hiding, isn't it?" Meyer yells. He rushes upstairs for help from his assistants and leaves Gabriella by herself. She is attacked by something unseen and is taken to the hospital. In the basement, further digging reveals a rotted corpse, with a nearby wallet identifying the dead man as Paolo Zeder. Dr. Meyer realizes that the earth in which Zeder was buried was a 'K-Zone'.
In present day Bologna, Stefano (Gabriele Lavia), a novelist, is given an old typewriter as a birthday present by his wife Alessandra (Anne Canovas). One night, after Alessandra has gone to bed, he discovers a series of typed letters on the typewriter's ribbon. As he reads the ribbon, he finds it is an essay written by scientist Paolo Zeder discussing the existence of K-Zones—areas where death ceases to exist. According to Zeder's essay, bodies buried in these zones can return from the dead.
Stefano investigates the message left on the typewriter ribbon. He encounters people who make it clear that they do not appreciate any questions relating to Paolo Zeder or K-Zones. However, the resistance he experiences intrigues him even more. He becomes obsessed with getting answers to the mystery and temporarily abandons his wife. His investigation leads him to a huge old property, ostensibly abandoned but protected by electrified fences. A nearby service station attendant tells Stefano that French investors are building a gigantic hotel on the property, but no work is ever seen being done.
Stefano sneaks onto the property, and discovers surveillance equipment with numerous monitors showing the dead face of a man buried in a coffin. Stefano watches the monitors. The dead man is Don Luigi Costa, an ex-priest who abandoned his vows after contracting an incurable disease. Continuing Zeder's work, Costa had himself buried on the property, a suspected K-Zone, and his rebirth from the dead is caught on camera. Stefano manages to elude the conspirators involved in the experimental work, but finds his wife has been murdered by them. At night, Stefano buries her in a K-Zone located on the abandoned property. She revives and approaches her husband. In the darkness, Stefano begins screaming horribly. | paranormal | train | wikipedia | To my knowledge this was not supposed to be a zombie film nor was it marketed as a gory zombie, living-dead-type picture as some people may think.
Great movie but definitely a thinking man's horror,not for teenage zombie addicts..
More of a horror-mystery than anything else, a writer follows a trail of strange events that lead him to a secret society of occultists who are experimenting with some ancient, highly secret ways of returning the dead to life.
A young journalist buys a second hand typewriter and finds that he can read the imprints on the ribbon,revealing what was last typed on the machine.He pieces together the story of the scientist Paolo Zeder,who discovered K-Zones,areas in which the dead are restored to life.Stefano later encounters a group of scientists who are trying to prove Zeder's theories."Zeder" was directed and co-written by Italian maestro Pupi Avati,whose "House with the Windows That Laugh" is often regarded as one of the masterpieces of Italian horror.In "Zeder" Avati masterfully mixes a genuinely creepy atmosphere with intriguing metaphysical concepts.Unlike Lucio Fulci's gorefests it features little if any gore.There is plenty of an ominous atmosphere of unsettling dread throughout,even when not much is happening.You seldom see zombies,except in occasional glimpses.Overall,"Zeder" is weird and unusual enough to hold interest.A must-see for fans of Italian horror.8 out of 10..
Ignore Grade Z,he gave Blair Witch a good rating,any true genre fan didn't even waste their time w/ that dreck.But if yer big into Bava,Argento,Soavi,Baino and the like this film will knock you out.Genuinely creepy in a Very Italian way.American directors just can't get the atomosphere like these guys can.An incredible film that deserves to be Much more widely seen!!!So if Deep Red,Blood and Black Lace,House w/the windows that laughed and Cemetery Man are yer thing,ya gotta check this out!.
I bought this movie as "Revenge of the Dead", the cover had zombies rising out of the ground.
If you were referred to this movie via a search for a classic 'zombie' action/gore-er and are expecting something fast paced with a lot of cool deaths that border on action over drama and mystery - you've been misled by the title.
I'm not sure the director intended us to receive this as a 'Dead/Zombi' type title, but it seems that it was marketed over here that way (and who can blame them?)It's a pretty moderate to slow paced mystery that borrows a lot and innovates a tad (can't expect any more.) There are some cool sequences of discovering various types of secret doors inside dated structures etc.
Pupi Avati (of The House with Laughing Windows fame) opts for a story-driven piece here and thus forgoes all the gruesome (and much beloved) trademarks of early 80's Italian horror and instead focuses on atmosphere and suspense.
The Avati brothers cleverly combine this theory with a living dead subplot and in the process craft a very unique take on the zombie mythos.However Zeder is far from your typical flesh eating romp.
Pupi Avati's ZEDER, is a different take on the undead genre, but is not a zombie film outright.
Rather than being all out 'dead rising from the graves and feeding on the flesh of the living' the film takes its time to build up tension and atmosphere, that adds a genuine sense of creepiness to the films tone.
A young journalist, given a typewriter as a present from his girlfriend discovers some text written on the ink ribbon, and threw this mysterious text he uncovers a past story of a scientist called Paolo Zeder, who discovered areas of terrain that can revive the dead.
Avati isn't normally a director of mystery films, but in his career he did two or three of them ("The House with the Windows that laugh" and another one, pretty grotesque), always set in the same area (the Emilia region, near Bologna).I think that many Americans who saw this film were disappointed, but it's their premise that is mistaken: they criticise this film chiefly because it's not what they expected, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't have its merits (to me, it sure does)..
With the title "Revenge of the Dead" and the zombie-heavy box cover art, this flick is presented as a zombie attack movie, but it's not.
It's actually a bizarre mystery movie with an interesting plot about a far-reaching conspiracy to revive the dead by burying them in "K Zones" (not to be confused with "K-Y Zones", which are naughty).
The film is a fairly interesting mystery about a man who gets a typewriter from his woman and happens to look at the used ribbon and stumble upon something which bears amateur investigation.
As a die hard zombiphile, I rate this film as the worst zombie movie of all time.
Please check out films directed by George Romero, Lucio Fulci, Lamberto Bava, or Jorge Grau for movies that actually have zombies in them..
However, Pupa Avati can't be pigeon holed in the same way; despite making films in popular Italian genres such as zombies and Giallo, his films are by no means cheap and trashy and certainly not rip-offs either.
Anyone going into this film expecting a zombie movie along the same lines as 'The Beyond' will be sorely disappointed, as Avati's film prefers to take the slow and thoughtful approach.
He soon notices that there's something written on the ribbon and after deciphering it, he uncovers the story of Paulo Zeder; a scientist from the 1950's who discovered that certain types of ground, which he calls "K-Zones', have the power to resurrect the dead...A lot of people have called this film "thinking mans horror" and while that could be said of it, the argument that the film is boring does carry a little bit of weight also - needless to say, this film is not what springs to mind when one thinks of an Italian zombie film!
There are moments in the film that are boring, and this is problem; but Pupa Avati, as he proved with his earlier film The House With the Windows that Laugh, certainly has a penchant for slow burn horror and the overall film does manage to remain interesting for the duration.
There are some good ideas on display, although I'm not sure if this really should be called a "zombie movie" as it's more along the lines of a mystery thriller.
A good synthesizer score cannot make up for the fact that this anemic horror film is dull as the dirt the dead rise out of.
Its a creepy little thriller.The plot of this film has a guy running down what was previously typed on a typewriter (he looked at the ribbon to see what the person before typed) and ends up dropped in the middle of a rather strange mystery about places where time stops and the dead come back...I had read about this in the Italian Zombie movie book and was intrigued.
Trust me, as some one some what versed in and tired of what is called typical Italian horror, ie films that make no sense and which are very gory, Zeder is a breath of fresh air.If you're in the mood for something off beat and unexpected in your horror films I'd say rent Zeder, you could do a hell of a lot worse...And for those pondering the Pet Semetary angle...both this film and Stephen King's book appeared at about the same time.
Hours later (as in film time) of boring and pointless dialouge and scenes he goes to the place and finds the researchers killed with some of the worst gore and blood i've ever seen since I was 9 and I went to a halloween party.
Why anyone , anyone at all (and I thank you people who gave it the review it deserves a bad one) would praise this film or even dare say its scary must haven't seen any horror movies or atleast real ones by Dario Argento , George Romero , etc.
Unlike most other contemporary horror directors from Italy, Pupi Avati always attempted to make his films rely on more than just graphic gore and gratuitous sex.
"Zeder" regretfully isn't as good as "House
", but you can still clearly notice that Avati wanted to approach the popular zombie sub genre in an entirely different and innovating way.
I won't go into further detail because A) the plot twists are numberless and impossible to summarize and B) I'm not even sure I fully understood everything.In all honesty, "Zeder" is too talkative and the entire lack of zombie action is pretty difficult to forgive, even if you like horror that is mainly story-driven.
Fulci gets a lot of credit for "atmosphere", and I have to agree: Even when his films lacked a plot or a point, movies like Gates of Hell were just amazing because they gave off this weird, uncomforting feeling.
I think that perhaps this film is some kind of experiment to make the viewer feel like a zombie.
I watched the version that had the title "Zeder" on the box, and described it as a serious horror film.
Half-way through you realize that once again you've been suckered into another Italian thriller about some guy who for no reason sets out on a complicated investigation, which throws in the occasional macabre scene to try to convince you that it is a horror film.
I like good horror like the next guy,I don't ask for a whole lot but I do expect a decent film to keep me entertained for 90 minutes.
See this film plays out more like a mystery about a priest who walked away from God to choose a higher power,that being to rise from the dead.
So on that account I must say that director and writer Pupi Avati didn't really deliver where it mattered.I gave up on "Zeder" (aka "Revenge of the Dead") after an hour of suffering and sitting through what felt like a mixture of random nothingness.
He learns about a doctor who might know a burial ground where the dead can rise up so Stefano begins an investigation.ZEDER is an Italian horror movie that is hated by many but not because of the film's fault.
The poster featured a great looking zombie creature with rotting flesh and a tagline warning "The Dead Shall Rise." Well, that led a lot of people to believe they were about to see something like a Lucio Fulci zombie film and simply put, that's not what ZEDER is.If you're expecting any type of graphic violence or gore then it's best you forget about that because you're not going to find any of that.
Director Pupi Avati does a very good job at building up the atmosphere and this here makes the film quite memorable.There's one major flaw with the picture and that's the fact that there's really not too much that happens.
With that being said, ZEDER is an interesting horror film that is quite different from the rest of what Italy was giving us during this era..
Still, a recommended movie for everyone that likes a horror-themed mystery.To all the zombie apocalypse fans giving this movie bad reviews: Stop punishing this film for not being what you expected based on the misleading advertising of its American distributor!.
There are some genuinely creepy moments (the dead priest, Don Luigi, seen coming back to life from a camera in his coffin is probably the film's most chilling moment) and, surprisingly, very few of the cheap scares usually seen in this kind of movie.That being said, the story does get slow in spots and watching the whole thing requires a little patience.
I'd recommend this for those who in general enjoy Italian horror films but, again, don't go into it expecting lots of blood and gore and armies of the walking dead.
*Plot/ending analyzed*This is a very un-typical horror film which makes it quite refreshing and interesting.
However, it is a highly atmospheric and original cinematic experience, and a film that my fellow fans of Italian Horror definitely should not miss.The writer Stefano (Gabriele Lavia) gets an old typewriter as a gift from his wife Alessandra (Anne Canovas).
Avati's film is rather slow-paced, but it oozes atmosphere from the beginning to the end, and the plot is fascinating.
Overall, it should be said that "Zeder" is not a film that should be approached expecting a gore-drenched Zombie massacre.
While the pace may be a little slow, the film is an intelligent, eerie and highly atmospheric wholesome that no true lover of Italian Horror cinema should miss.
...in an historical period like the end of the 70's/beginning of the 80's when the Italian horror panorama was dominated by gore and splatter cannibal/zombie B movies Avatu chose to make very different movie, not based on gruesome and cheap FXs, but on Gothic atmospheres and darkness.Surely the result was light years far away from Fulci's Zombie 2 or worse trash like Zombi Holocaust, not just in "philosofical" terms but also as final result: Zeder (I refuse to use the silly title used by the American distribution) is one of those rare movie that effectively creates a sensation of tension and a climax of fear and emotional cliffhanger from the beginning to the final scene, showing in front of the camera very, very, few.
Less is more.From certain points of view the movie shows the typical weaknesses of the Italian production (especially Argento's) of that time: the series of unfortunate events that leads Stefano little by little to the central theme of the movie doesn't work well and it's totally unrealistic, performance of the two main characters, Stefano and Alessandra, not really persuading to be at the required level (Stefano is quite wooden and looks lunatic, I wonder why a "light" woman should be able to live with a man of this kind, while Alessandra never seems to realize what's happening and the dangers of their situation so she always reacts in a silly way), the music sometimes is disturbing but contributes to build up thrilling little by little.The most amazing fact behind this movie is without doubt the "coincidences" (not to use a stronger term) between Avati's plot and Stephen Kingìs "Pet Semetary", later in 1989 a movie but published in 1984.
Atmosphere 9 - With no music and with the protagonists often left alone, the movie surely makes your flesh creep.Story 3 - The movie begins with witty dialogue and Stefano (Gabriele Lavia) discovering an obscure message inside the typewriter (which leads him to investigate on the K-zones, grounds in which the dead are said to come back and drag the living to their world).
Not a zombie movie but very close, we never get to see the formula the revives the dead, but i assume they bury them in a sacred ground and they come back to life like zombies.The movie is more a thriller, about scientist who try to hide the secret, and kill anyone who comes close to it, the movie ends like the old fashion Italian movie like you would expect.All in all it was a long but good movie, do not expect lots of action, gore, horror because its really not that kind of movie there are all parts of this in the movie but they are space to far apart..
As for the zombies, well they pop up at the beginning and the end to offer some good scares, but the majority of the movie is simply an atmospheric and spooky detective-thriller as the lead investigates the mystery and becomes caught up in a conspiracy with lots of shady characters.The film begins as it means to go on with an apparently possessed girl attempting to dig up a basement.
The sight of the dead pushing their way up from below the ground is also effective, as are hands emerging from walls, and the film's final downbeat twist may have possibly influenced Stephen King's PET SEMATARY.The actors are as poorly dubbed as usual and the cast is of unknowns (even for an Italian movie).
(The off camera screaming we hear at several points in the story is in some ways the most upsetting part of the film.Still, the movie is a little too slow for my American tastes.
But if you are a fan of horror and want to see something different from your run of the mill zombie/ghost story, you owe it to yourself to see this..
I've seen HOUSE WITH THE LAUGHING WINDOWS and liked that one enough-but although ZEDER has a decent concept (which as others have noted, Stephen King almost definitely stole for Pet Cemetery...)-what actually happened in the film just wasn't enough to hold my interest.
Like so many others I smiled when I looked at the cool box cover and thought "Cool, another gory Italian zombie flick." Creature Features had previously released The Gates of Hell and Night of the Zombies and I enjoyed them and that led me to think I would enjoy Revenge of the Dead.
Unlike those films, Revenge of the Dead is only a zombie movie in the last 2 or 3 minutes of it's 100 minute running time...and believe me, the trip to the end is no fun AT ALL!!!!POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!A writer gets a typewriter as a gift from his wife and discovers a message on it talking about K-Zones.
Maybe it really wasn't meant to be a gory zombie movie, but it sure didn't have to be extremely dull.Boring, terrible story, and acting, but a good beginning and ending.
"Zeder" is essentially a complex mystery with a supernatural premise and just a few zombie/horror scenes thrown in at the very beginning and the very end.
Again, not naïve but ideal writing for film fans that have seen only 3 horror films (including "Monster House") prior to this one.The setting up of the mystery isn't bad, i.e. the movie is not dull, but the story ultimately makes little sense, the ending being incomplete and leaving a few loose ends. |
tt0452608 | Death Race | In 2012, the collapse of the US economy and the subsequent increase in crime rates leads to the rise of privatized prisons. One such prison is Terminal Island Penitentiary, whose warden, Claire Hennessey, earns her profits by broadcasting a modern gladiator game participated in by the prisoners. In the game "Death Race," the racers, along with their navigators, compete in a 3-part race over 3 days on a closed track. The track is littered with pressure plates that activate either the cars' offensive weapons, defensive equipment or deadly traps. Any racer winning 5 races will be granted freedom.
Towards the end of one race, a masked driver nicknamed Frankenstein is nearing the finish line, pursued by his rival Machine Gun Joe. His navigator, Case, reports that all his defensive equipment have malfunctioned. Against her protest, Frankenstein refuses to let Joe finish first. Case ejects herself out of the car just before Joe destroys it.
Industrial worker and former NASCAR driver Jensen Ames struggles to support his family. When the factory he works at is closed, he and his fellow angry workers are attacked by the arriving riot police/SWAT team, forcing them to fight back. He returns home to his wife and their new-born daughter, Piper. A masked assailant knocks him unconscious. Jensen wakes up with a bloodied knife in hand, and his wife lies dead nearby, just before policemen storm into his home. He is arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment, while Piper is placed in foster care.
Six months later, Jensen is transferred to Terminal Island Prison. He immediately gets into a fight with Pachenko and his Aryan Brotherhood gang. Hennessey's right-hand man Ulrich calls Jensen to her office. She tells him that Frankenstein died from his injuries after the previous race, and offers to let Jensen go free if he impersonates Frankenstein to win one more race (as Frank already won 4). Jensen accepts the offer and meets Frankenstein's maintenance crew consisting of Coach, Gunner, and Lists.
On Day 1, Jensen meets his navigator Case. Jensen's defensive equipment again mysteriously malfunctions. Under attack by Travis Colt, one of the other competitors, Jensen improvises and spills napalm over Colt's car, and Case ignites it with the cigarette lighter. Colt's car is then run into by Machine Gun Joe's. When Jensen sees Pachenko doing the same hand gesture as the masked assailant, he is distracted and is hit by Joe, coming in last place. Day 1 ends with 3 racers dead (Siad, Grimm and Colt) and 6 remaining. After a conversation with Hennessey and another fight with Pachenko, Jensen deduces that Hennessey ordered Pachenko to frame Jensen, so she can have a replacement for Frankenstein.
On Day 2, Jensen confronts Case about the malfunctions. Case admits she sabotaged Frankenstein's car to keep him from winning and leaving Death Race, in exchange for her release papers. Jensen tricks Pachenko into crashing, then leaves his car and kills Pachenko by snapping his neck. Hennessey then unleashes the Dreadnought, a newly-built heavily armed 18-wheel tanker, to thin out the racers and boost ratings. The Dreadnought kills three racers (Carson, Riggins and 14K), leaving only Frankenstein and Joe alive. Jensen contacts Joe and the two work together to trigger a trap which destroys the Dreadnought, much to Hennessey's shock and anger.
Aware that he knows her angle, Hennessey asks Jensen to consider staying and racing as Frankenstein, in exchange for a life of comfort, but he refuses. She orders Ulrich to plant a bomb under his car, in case he wins. Knowing Hennessey has no intention of letting him go, Jensen plans an escape and talks to Joe.
On the final race, Hennessey deliberately keeps Jensen from activating his weapons and allows Joe to activate his. Jensen, Case and Joe destroy and drive through a weakened wall, which they discovered by examining footage of the previous race, and head for the bridge to the mainland. Hennessey activates the bomb, not knowing that it was removed and neutralized by Coach. The cars wreck the pursuing police cruisers, and a furious Hennessey dispatches attack helicopters. After the cars make it to the mainland and split up, the helicopters follow and corner Jensen's car. Case reveals that she had already received her release papers. She wears Frankenstein's costume, and Jensen jumps out of the car. Case is captured while Joe and Jensen escape on a freight train.
Hennessey, although furious about the losses, is happy about re-capturing "Frankenstein" and the race' success. She opens a congratulatory present, only to find the bomb planted on Jensen's car. Coach, the sender, detonates the bomb, killing Hennessey and Ulrich for good. He then turns to the camera and, breaking the fourth wall, admits that he "loves this game".
With Hennessey and Ulrich's deaths, Jensen's name was cleared, then six months later, Joe and Jensen are shown working in Mexico as mechanics, and have been reunited with Case and Piper. | violence, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0058385 | My Fair Lady | Act I
On a rainy night in Edwardian London, opera patrons are waiting under the arches of Covent Garden for cabs. Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, runs into a young man called Freddy. She admonishes him for spilling her bunches of violets in the mud, but she cheers up after selling one to an older gentleman. She then flies into an angry outburst when a man copying down her speech is pointed out to her. The man explains that he studies phonetics and can identify anyone's origin by their accent. He laments Eliza's dreadful speech, asking why so many English people don't speak properly and explaining his theory that this is what truly separates social classes, rather than looks or money ("Why Can't the English?"). He declares that in six months he could turn Eliza into a lady by teaching her to speak properly. The older gentleman introduces himself as Colonel Pickering, a linguist who has studied Indian dialects. The phoneticist introduces himself as Henry Higgins, and, as they both have always wanted to meet each other, Higgins invites Pickering to stay at his home in London. He distractedly throws his change into Eliza's basket, and she and her friends wonder what it would be like to live a comfortable, proper life ("Wouldn't It Be Loverly?").
Eliza's father, Alfred P. Doolittle, and his drinking companions, Harry and Jamie, all dustmen, stop by the next morning. He is searching for money for a drink, and Eliza shares her profits with him ("With a Little Bit of Luck"). Pickering and Higgins are discussing vowels at Higgins's home when Mrs. Pearce, the housekeeper, informs Higgins that a young woman with a ghastly accent has come to see him. It is Eliza, who has come to take speech lessons so she can get a job as an assistant in a florist's shop. Pickering wagers that Higgins cannot make good on his claim and volunteers to pay for Eliza's lessons. An intensive makeover of Eliza's speech, manners and dress begins in preparation for her appearance at the Embassy Ball. Higgins sees himself as a kindhearted, patient man who cannot get along with women ("I'm an Ordinary Man"). To others he appears self-absorbed and misogynistic.
Alfred Doolittle is informed that his daughter has been taken in by Professor Higgins, and considers that he might be able to make a little money from the situation ("With a Little Bit of Luck" [Reprise]).
Doolittle arrives at Higgins's house the next morning, claiming that Higgins is compromising Eliza's virtue. Higgins is impressed by the man's natural gift for language and brazen lack of moral values. He and Doolittle agree that Eliza can continue to take lessons and live at Higgins's house if Higgins gives Doolittle five pounds for a spree. Higgins flippantly recommends Doolittle to an American millionaire who has written to Higgins seeking a lecturer on moral values. Meanwhile, Eliza endures speech tutoring, endlessly repeating phrases like "In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen” (initially, the only "h" she aspirates is in "hever") and "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" (to practice the "long a" phoneme). Frustrated, she dreams of different ways to kill Higgins, from sickness to drowning to a firing squad ("Just You Wait"). The servants lament the hard "work" Higgins does ("The Servants' Chorus"). Just as they give up, Eliza suddenly recites "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" in perfect upper-class style. Higgins, Eliza, and Pickering happily dance around Higgins's study ("The Rain in Spain"). Thereafter she speaks with impeccable received pronunciation. Mrs. Pearce, the housekeeper, insists that Eliza go to bed; she declares she is too excited to sleep ("I Could Have Danced All Night").
For her first public tryout, Higgins takes Eliza to his mother's box at Ascot Racecourse ("Ascot Gavotte"). Henry's mother reluctantly agrees to help Eliza make conversation, following Henry's advice that Eliza should stick to two subjects: the weather and everybody's health. Eliza makes a good impression at first with her polite manners but later shocks everyone with her vulgar Cockney attitudes and slang. She does, however, capture the heart of Freddy Eynsford-Hill, the young man she ran into in the opening scene. Freddy calls on Eliza that evening, but she refuses to see him. He declares that he will wait for her as long as necessary in the street outside Higgins's house ("On the Street Where You Live").
Eliza's final test requires her to pass as a lady at the Embassy Ball, and after weeks of preparation, she is ready. All the ladies and gentlemen at the ball admire her, and the Queen of Transylvania invites her to dance with her son, the prince ("Embassy Waltz"). Eliza then dances with Higgins. A rival and former student of Higgins, a Hungarian phonetician named Zoltan Karpathy, is employed by the hostess to discover Eliza's origins through her speech. Though Pickering and his mother caution him not to, Higgins allows Karpathy to dance with Eliza.
Act II
The event is revealed to have been a success, with Zoltan Karpathy having concluded that Eliza is "not only Hungarian, but of royal blood. She is a princess!" After the ball, Pickering flatters Higgins on his triumph, and Higgins expresses his pleasure that the experiment is now over ("You Did It"). The episode leaves Eliza feeling used and abandoned. Higgins completely ignores Eliza until he mislays his slippers. He asks her where they are, and she lashes out at him, leaving the clueless professor mystified by her ingratitude. When Eliza decides to leave Higgins, he insults her in frustration and storms off. Eliza cries as she prepares to leave ("Just You Wait" [Reprise]). She finds Freddy still waiting outside ("On the Street Where You Live" [Reprise]). He begins to tell her how much he loves her, but she cuts him off, telling him that she has heard enough words; if he really loves her, he should show it ("Show Me"). She and Freddy return to Covent Garden, where her friends do not recognize her with her newly refined bearing ("The Flower Market/Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" [Reprise]). By chance, her father is there as well, dressed in a fine suit. He explains that he received a surprise bequest of four thousand pounds a year from the American millionaire, which has raised him to middle-class respectability, and now must marry Eliza's "stepmother", the woman he has been living with for many years. Eliza sees that she no longer belongs in Covent Garden, and she and Freddy depart. Doolittle and his friends have one last spree before the wedding ("Get Me to the Church on Time").
Higgins awakens the next morning to find that, without Eliza, he has tea instead of coffee, and cannot find his own files. He wonders why she left after the triumph at the ball and concludes that men (especially himself) are far superior to women ("A Hymn to Him"). Pickering, becoming annoyed with Higgins, leaves to stay with his friend at the Home Office. Higgins seeks his mother's advice and finds Eliza having tea with her. Higgins's mother leaves Higgins and Eliza together. Eliza explains that Higgins has always treated her as a flower girl, but she learned to be a lady because Pickering treated her as one. Higgins claims he treated her the same way that Pickering did because both Higgins and Pickering treat all women alike. Eliza accuses him of wanting her only to fetch and carry for him, saying that she will marry Freddy because he loves her. She declares she no longer needs Higgins, saying she was foolish to think she did ("Without You"). Higgins is struck by Eliza's spirit and independence and wants her to stay with him, but she tells him that he will not see her again.
As Higgins walks home, he realizes he's grown attached to Eliza ("I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"). He cannot bring himself to confess that he loves her, and insists to himself that if she marries Freddy and then comes back to him, he will not accept her. But he finds it difficult to imagine being alone again. He reviews the recording he made of the morning Eliza first came to him for lessons. He hears his own harsh words: "She's so deliciously low! So horribly dirty!" Then the phonograph turns off, and a real voice speaks in a Cockney accent: "I washed me face an' 'ands before I come, I did". It is Eliza, standing in the doorway, tentatively returning to him. The musical ends on an ambiguous moment of possible reconciliation between teacher and pupil, as Higgins slouches and asks, "Eliza, where the devil are my slippers?" | romantic, entertaining, clever | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0466399 | Ten Canoes | The film is set in Arnhem Land, in a time before Western contact, and tells the story of a group of ten men hunting goose eggs. The leader of the group, Minygululu, tells the young Dayindi (Jamie Gulpilil) a story about another young man even further back in time who, like Dayindi, coveted his elder brother's youngest wife. The sequences featuring Dayindi and the hunt are in black and white, while shots set in distant past are in colour. All protagonists speak in indigenous languages of the Yolŋu Matha language group, with subtitles. The film is narrated in English by David Gulpilil, although versions of the film without narration, and featuring narration in Yolŋu Matha, are also available.
Minygululu tells a story of the great warrior Ridjimiraril, who suspects a visiting stranger of kidnapping his second wife. In a case of mistaken identity, Ridjimiraril kills a member of a neighbouring tribe. To prevent all-out war, tribal laws dictate that the offending tribe allow the offender to be speared from a distance by the tribe of the slain man. The offender is allowed to be accompanied by a companion, and he takes his younger brother. Whenever one of the two is hit, the spear-throwers will stop, and justice will have been served. Ridjimiraril is hit and mortally wounded but survives long enough to return to his camp, where he is tended to by his eldest wife. After he finally succumbs, the elder brother's kidnapped second wife finds her way back to the camp. She reveals that she had been kidnapped by a different tribe, much farther away and had taken this long to return. She mourns her lost husband, who had attacked the wrong tribe, though now she and the elder wife take his younger brother as their new husband. The younger brother, who was only interested in the youngest of the three wives, now has to care for all of them, and satisfying their many and constant demands is much more than he bargained for.
Minygululu tells this story in the hope that Dayindi learns of the added responsibilities of a husband and elder statesman in the tribe, and in the end we see Dayindi withdrawing from his pursuit of Minygululu's young wife. | comedy, violence, revenge, murder, storytelling | train | wikipedia | They are a part of an Aborigine's "dreaming" and come to life in the stories indigenous Australians have told through the ages.
Playfully narrated by Australian icon David Gulpilil, Ten Canoes, directed by Rolf de Heer (The Tracker) and Peter Djigirr, tells a dreaming story that acts as a lesson for a young man in the tribe who feels that the youngest wife of his older brother should be his.
The story has elements of kidnapping, sorcery, and revenge but is mostly about values: how a community living in a natural environment before the coming of the White man developed laws and systems to guide its people.
The cast consists of indigenous residents of the Arafura region and many of the visuals recreate the photographs of Donald Thompson, a Melbourne anthropology professor who spent time in the 1930s with the Yolngu people of the Arafura Swamp.Set a thousand years ago in central Arnhem Land near the Arafura Swamp in northern Australia, east of Darwin, a group of Ganalbingu tribesmen embark on a hunt for magpie geese, a wild bird used to sustain the tribe.
When he discovers that Dayindi (played by Gulpilil's son, Jamie) has a crush on his third wife, he tells him a story set in a mythical time after the great flood that explains how his people developed laws to govern their behavior, the same laws used by the tribes today.
To distinguish between the past and the "present", De Heer uses muted color to show the ancient landscape and black and white for the more modern story.In the beginning, Ridjimiraril (Crusoe Kurddal) lives with his three wives, Banalandju, Nowalingu (Frances Djulibing), and Munandjarra in a camp with others, including Birrinbirrin (Richard Birrinbirrin), an overweight elder whose sole pleasure in life is to eat honey.
Ridjimiraril's younger brother, Yeeralparil (Jamie), who lives in the single men's camp, fancies the beautiful Munandjarra and spends much time stealing visits to the other camp, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
Through myth and illuminating visuals, Ten Canoes generates a greater awareness and understanding of indigenous Australian culture and acts as an impressive counterweight to the argument that Aborigines should give up their past and join the modern world.
The film documents Aboriginal culture, history and humor in a way that I have never seen on-screen before.
This film extends the genre onto a higher plane.The narrator tells a story about men hunting for goose eggs in canoes while one tells a story from the ancient times.
(At least, it seemed that way to a white guy from Boston.) I don't know if any are actual actors.If you have interest in any aboriginal culture or anything Australian, you should see this movie.
Jacques Rousseau, on the other hand, in direct contradiction of Christian theology, was convinced that man had been born good, and that primitive man was indeed the "noble savage".Rolf de Heer, a maker of small, quirky and interesting films ("Bad Boy Bubby", "The Old Man Who Read Love Stories", "The Tracker"), probably doesn't subscribe to either notion.
In this exquisitely photographed tale from the mythical past he lets the aboriginals of the Arafura wetlands, Arnhem Land, tell their own story.
Apart from the voice-over, all the dialogue is in the local aboriginal language (don't worry, there are sub-titles).While on a goose egg hunting trip, Older Brother , who has noticed his younger brother's interest in one of his wives, tells Younger Brother a story from a much earlier time, of another younger brother who yearned after his older brother's wife.
His language means little to us, but his expression everything.The scenes on the goose-hunt, which book-end the main story, are in black and white, a tribute to earlier photographers in Arnhem Land, but most of the film is in colour, which does full justice to the landscape.
He is a Dutch immigrant to Australia whose unique look at this country has now produced a superb library of films each different, that contribute to a fascinating movie spectrum of impressions of Australian life.
At this time in a new century we are now blessed with a sequence of Australian aboriginal themed films I encourage you to find and view in their production order: JEDDA directed by Charles Chauvel in 1956, WALKABOUT d: Nicolas Roeg in 1970, STORM BOY in 1976, THE LAST WAVE d: Peter Weir in 1977, RABBIT PROOF FENCE d; Phil Noyce in 2003, THE TRACKER d Roldf De Heer, and now TEN CANOES.
Even if you see TEN CANOES and find the journey into the Australian stone age initially difficult, you will be astonished at the visuals presented and in awe of the fact this was ever captured on film with such humor and accessible humanities..
"Ten Canoes" tells three stories: That of the storyteller himself, that the of hunt for geese and their eggs, and that of the ancestors -- especially their troubles and the consequences of their actions and relationship to the law.
Midway through the second story, which bookends the mythical one, that interior storyteller (Elder Brother) states that Younger Brother is beginning to learn a lesson from the telling itself -- patience.
Such patience is also required of the viewer, for the pace and structure of both the "today" story and the "mythical" have their an organic unfolding (metaphor: a growing tree) that is quite unlike that of most contemporary Hollywood movies, with their fast call to conflict and continuous conflict.I was struck by the transition of "today's" story from color to black and white as the mythical story is told, the showing of the mythical tale in color (which helped to separate it from the today story), and the dissolve to color in today time as the mythical telling ends.Water is the core of the story, as the river, the swamp, and rain are the images that open and close the movie.
This technique has the dual effect of allowing director Rolf de Heer to duplicate scenes from black and white photographs taken in the area by an anthropologist in the 1930s (photographs that motivated the making of this film), as well as helping the viewer keep the stories straight.The cast consists of a few dozen modern day aboriginals playing the parts in the two stories.
It would not be a stretch to recast these stories in a modern setting.The photography of the landscape is beautiful and sensuous; it contributes greatly to the stories by showing what an intimate relationship early peoples had with the land and its fauna.This movie helps us better appreciate where we came from and what we are..
Australia's 2007 Oscar entry is a wry gem of a film that translates our contemporary values schema into a morality play set a thousand years ago in an indigenous tribe settlement somewhere near the Arafura Swamp in Australia's Northern Territory.
Iconic Aborigine actor David Gulpilil (of "Walkabout" and "The Last Wave" fame) eloquently and drolly orates the film's triple narrative of native Australian lore that concerns itself with coveting, revenge, sorcery and even a dash of penis envy.
Possibly venturing to rail against critics of the noble savagery belonging to the Aborigines, "Ten Canoes" allow us the positive enlightenment that comes from observing a different and alien culture operate on levels familiar to us..
Yes, these scenarios, and the changing between colour and black and white, exposed the movie for what it was - a movie - but they took me back, in my mind, to a truly innocent time, when my mum could tell me a story and the scenarios played out so clearly in my head that I really did believe there was an ankle grabber under the bed.
The film looks great, and the narration with David Gulpilil is too important to miss, obviously, as I found it very difficult to keep up with the extremely complex set up/story.
When hearing a new language such as this it is important to hear things clearly - sadly the capacity of the Adelaide Festival to screen the film was lacking on this front.That said, the film is filled with compelling visuals not unlike one of the earlier films of de Heer, and it has some very quaint (albeit base) amusement wrapped into the story.Set a 1000 years ago before white fellas came to Australia, this is a dual story, one told in the immediate black and white/sepia world of reality, and one told in the rich color of the Aboriginal dream time...
both stories are pretty much the same, and the roles are played by the same actors in each, so there are points where it's easy to get a little confused by who is doing what and when - but over all this is what you'd call a worthy film - it has the look of an old documentary at times, and that's not a bad look.I enjoyed it despite the technological problems of this screening..
He is telling the story of the younger brother, who in reality, as an actor in this film, is his own son.
He plays his own ancestor in the story which his older brother tells him about a time very, very long before, when the people were different, yet acted the same and a younger brother coveted one of his older brother's wives.
I would highly recommend this film for those who are interested in Australian aboriginal culture, but also for just about anybody who wants to see a different movie.
As the narrator, the great David Gulpilil, says, it's a different story, but still a good one.
After a chuckle the narrator tells us he has no idea how it ends.Ostensibly, the story is told by the off-screen narrator, of a hunting party of aboriginal men, who make ten bark canoes and go hunting and gathering in the swamp.
The Tracker, Alexandra's Project, Bad Boy Bubby, The Old Man who Read Love Stories; these are some of the best films this country has ever produced and he does it here again with Ten Canoes.In the 1930's, Dr Donald Thompson, an anthropologist, lived and worked with the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land in an effort to bridge cultural divisions.
It was the image of ten canoeists hunting for goose eggs in a swamp which inspired de Heer, and provides the setting for the black and white section of the film which stars David's son, Jamie.
There were many other cultural considerations that shaped the entire story and made this the most unique Australian film ever made.
Director Rolf de Heer was inspired by Dr. Donald Thomson who first captured the aboriginal group with an extensive group of photographs, especially one photo of ten men in bark canoes, hence the title.
The story or message could have been summarised in about three or four lines; the characters should have been rounded out more; the cinematography was little more than adequate and the narration by David Gulpilil--a long-time favourite of mine--lacked impact.
The elder corners him as he knows the young fella has his eyes on his youngest wife, and wants to tell him a story from the time of his ancestors that should put him off making a move.
It's always good to see a truly unique film come out of Australian cinema, and, once again, Netherlands-born Australian director Rolf de Heer proves that he's probably the most exciting filmmaker working in the local industry at present.
Along with first-time director Peter Djigirr, de Heer has produced an invaluable cultural document, telling a tale of Australian aboriginal life in the time long before Europeans ever arrived, which instantly sets it apart from most other works of Aborigine-related Australian cinema {such as 'Walkabout (1971)' and 'Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)'}.
'Ten Canoes (2006)' is also unusual in that it is the first to be filmed entirely in an Indigenous Aboriginal language {though David Gulpilil's narration is available in both English and the language Yolŋu Matha, I chose the latter for the sake of authenticity}.
}.The way in which the narrative of 'Ten Canoes' is structured is very clever, cutting between two time periods as though the narrator/storyteller (David Gulpilil) is simply passing on the ancestral history as his people have done for hundreds of generations and thousands of years.
This segment is told in a straightforward, documentary-like manner, as a wizened Aborigine leader finds out that his younger brother, Dayindi (Jamie Gulpilil), covets the youngest of his three wives.
During a coming-of-age, goose-hunting trip, the older brother tells Dayindi a story to teach him the consequences of jealousy.
This story-within-a-story takes place years and years earlier still, not too long after the The Dreamtime, during which the patterns of life were laid down, and is presented to us in vibrant colour, making full use of the beautiful Northern Territory wilderness.This earlier tale recites the story of another young Aborigine, Yeeralparil (Jamie Gulpilil), who also desires the youngest of his older brother's three wives.
While the black-and-white segments of the film have the tone of a historical documentary, the colour narrative has the fantastical mysticism of an old Dreamtime story, particularly evident in the Makaratta ("spear-throwing") ritual, and the Death Dance.
"Ten Canoes" resembles a National Geographic documentary with dramatic overtones and is sometimes hard to follow due to the thick accent of the narrator but it's nevertheless absorbing due in part to its very oddness, being a story about aboriginal Australians (though written, directed and shot by a Caucasian team headed by director Rolf de Heer).
As a commercial film with a solid depiction of something from the multiplex cultures of Native Australian Aborigines, it is delightful to watch and fascinating to observe these people in the act of being themselves..
Ten Canoes (2006), directed by Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr, is the first movie I've seen that portrays only Australian Aboriginals.
The entire story is about Aboriginals, and no non-Aboriginals intrude.The film is set in pre-colonization Australia, with flashbacks to a far earlier time.
What is unique about this film is the manner in which the plot unfolds, and the glimpse it gives us into (presumably authentic) Australian Aboriginal culture.The film is definitely worth seeing, and will probably work well on DVD if it's not playing at a theater close to you.
The best film I've seen about the aboriginal culture of Australia.After watching this film for 10-15 minutes, the viewer either will be intrigued by the story, acting & cinematography or convinced that it's not to their liking.
If you enjoy cinematic art, you will be rewarded richly by De Heers' respectful portrayal of the indigenous people their humor, hunting and gathering expeditions, and everyday life in the lands where they and their ancestors lived and died for centuries.The aboriginal cast speaking in the native language of Ganalbingu adds a degree of authenticity that few film makers ever capture and that enriches the viewing experience.
Ridjimiraril gets up and does the last death dance with music and songs being played all around him.There is a lesson that is passed on from centuries through such wonderful stories in the Aboriginal tribes of Australia that teaches people to differentiate from good and bad; and obviously it keeps the tradition alive.The narrator is the famous aboriginal scholar artist David Gulpilil.I was totally mesmerized by the movie.
The story is about the older generation teaching the younger generation some life lessons via the method of story telling, so the film ends with a not overtly stated "the moral of the story is"
along the way you get to see some beautiful back country..
Which makes you wonder is there no advance checking of the print whatsoever or were we a test audience to see how the film would play without subtitles.I think most people found it fascinating because this was the first time ever to see an Australian aboriginal film story played out and the beautiful cinematography and ambient sound (and/or brilliant foley) and indigenous music on the soundtrack made it a magical experience regardless.Director Rolf de Heer gave very thorough and enthusiastic replies to audience questions at the Q & A afterwards after having only been in Toronto 2 hours from his flight from Australia.
It seemed that he could have told anecdotes for hours about it and overall I think he gave the most detailed replies that I have ever heard a director give at TIFF (and I've seen probably a few hundred films there over the years).Still, I wish we had gotten to know the jokes and the 50% or so of the story we missed.I'm giving this a 7/10 with the sense that it could easily be an 8 or 9 once I've seen a version that I can completely understand..
"Ten Canoes" does something different by telling a story set in Australia's aboriginal past, before the first white men arrived in the country.
All the actors are Aborigines, and the dialogue is in the language of the Ganalbingu tribe from what is today Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.The structure of the film is quite complex, and makes use of what is called in German "Rahmentechnik", or framework technique, the setting of a story within a story.
When Ridjimiraril is killed, Yeeralparil, as his younger brother, is obliged under tribal law to marry all three of his wives, not only the beautiful Munandjarra but also Nowalingu (who has returned to the tribe and, it turns out, was not kidnapped at all) and the third wife Banalandju, neither of whom he really fancies.The narrative structure of the film may be complicated, the underlying folk-tale-like story is a simple one.
For a country whose notion of Indigenous Aboriginal culture comes up to The Dreamtime and dot paintings, Ten Canoes might well serve as a lovely refresher course, never mind how Hollywood might react to it. |
tt0094947 | Dangerous Liaisons | In pre-Revolution Paris, the Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) plots revenge against her ex-lover, the Comte de Gercourt, who has recently ended their relationship. An amoral, sexually ravenous schemer, Merteuil amuses herself by manipulating men out of boredom, and her resentment of the subservient status of women in 18th-century French aristocratic society. To soothe her wounded pride and embarrass Gercourt, she seeks to arrange the seduction and disgrace of his young 18-year-old virgin fiancée, Cécile de Volanges (Uma Thurman), who has only recently been presented to society after spending her formative years in the shelter of a convent.Merteuil calls on her old friend, the rakish and similarly unprincipled Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich) to do the deed, offering him her own sexual favors as the reward for a successful conquest. Valmont declines, claiming that it is too easy, plus he has a seduction of his own in progress: Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer), the virtuous wife of a member of Parliament. Merteuil is amused and incredulous at Valmont's hubris. She asks him how can he ever hope to bed a chaste, devoutly religious woman like Madame Tourvel. Never one to refuse a challenge, Valmont modifies the proposal: If he succeeds in sleeping with Tourvel, Merteuil must sleep with him as well. Merteuil accepts, on the condition that he furnish written proof of the liaison.At the estate of Valmont's aunt in the countryside, Madame de Rosemonde (Mildred Natwick), where Tourvel is living as a guest while her husband is away on state business, Valmont employs every trick in his considerable repertoire in a vain attempt to attract Tourvel's attention. His first attempt to proposition to Tourvel fails when she refuses his advances. She reveals that she knows all about him and his reputation; that he seduces and corrupts young women for his own twisted enjoyment. Tourvel claims that a friend has been writing her letters which explains all about Valmont's seduction tactics.Searching for leverage, Valmont instructs his page Azolan (Peter Capaldi) to seduce Tourvel's maid Julie (Valerie Gogan) so that Valmont can intimidate her to gain access to Tourvel's private correspondence. Later, Julie gives one of the letters and it is from Madame de Volanges (Swoosie Kurtz), Cécile's mother and Merteuil's cousin, warning Tourvel that Valmont is a cad, and a generally nefarious and untrustworthy individual. On reading this, Valmont returns to Paris and resolves to do Merteuil's dirty work after all, seducing Cécile as revenge for her mother's only-too-accurate denunciation of him.Meanwhile, Cécile meets the charming Chevalier Raphael Danceny (Keanu Reeves) at a local opera house where she frequents. Danceny becomes Cécile's music teacher and slowly, with a little coaxing from Merteuil (who knows that Danceny, a poor commoner, can never qualify as a bona fide suitor), they fall in love.Valmont's connived seduction of Cécile is rapid and unsubtle. After gaining access to her bedchamber on a false pretense, he forces himself upon her as she pleads with him to leave. The following night he attempts to enter her room again, but she has barred her door. On the pretext of illness she remains locked in her chambers, refusing all visitors. A concerned Madame de Volanges calls upon Merteuil to speak to her. Cécile, naively assuming that Merteuil has her best interests at heart, confides in her. Merteuil advises Cécile to welcome Valmont's advances; young women should take advantage of all the lovers they can acquire, she says, in a society so repressive and contemptuous of women. The result is a perverse "student-teacher" relationship between Cécile and Valmont; by day she is courted by Danceny, and each night she receives a sexual "lesson" from Valmont. In the meantime, Merteuil seduces Danceny and begins an affair with him.Ever mindful of Merteuil's challenge, Valmont's principal target remains Madame de Tourvel, and during his time as Cécile's "teacher" he somehow manages to win Tourvel's heart..... but at a cost: Valmont, the lifelong bachelor playboy, falls in love, after spending his first night with Tourvel. In a fit of jealousy, Merteuil mocks Valmont for having succumbed to Tourvel's charms. She also refuses to honor her end of their agreement, since Valmont has no written proof that the relationship has been consummated. Valmont, faced with Merteuil's threat to trash his reputation by revealing himself as a carefree gigolo, abruptly dismisses Tourvel with a terse excuse: "It is beyond my control". Cécile, meanwhile, after a particularly rough night in Valmont's bed, miscarries his child.Tourvel, overwhelmed with grief and shame, retires to a convent where her health deteriorates inexorably, and she eventually dies from cholora. The Valmont-Merteuil toxicity/war escalates. Valmont learns of Merteuil's seduction of Danceny and warns him of her perfidy. Merteuil retaliates by informing Danceny that Valmont has been sleeping with Cécile. Danceny challenges Valmont to a duel, and mortally wounds him. On his deathbed, Valmont asks Danceny to communicate to Tourvel.... by now also at death's door.... his genuine love for her. He then gives Danceny his collection of intimate letters from MerteuilA few days later, all of Paris learns the entire, grisly range of her schemes and depredations. Booed and humiliated at the opéra by her former friends and sycophants, Merteuil flees the city in disgrace for places unknown. Cécile, guilt-ridden, returns to the convent whence she came to become a nun. | tragedy, revenge, cruelty, romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt0051744 | House on Haunted Hill | Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) is an eccentric millionaire who has rented a Gothic stone house on a hill overlooking Los Angeles for a "haunted house" party that his fourth wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart) had decided to throw. Over the opening credits, five people arrive at the house being driving in "funeral cars". They are: test pilot Lance Schroeder (Richard Long), magazine columnist Ruth Bridges (Julie Mitchum), psychiatrist Dr. David Trent (Alan Marshal), the house owner Watson Pritchard (Elisha Cook Jr.), and secretary/typist Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig). Except for the owner and for Dr. Trent (who wants to investigate the supernatural), they were all chosen because they wanted/needed the $10,000 that Loren was offering to anyone who could stay one night in the house. Add these five to Frederick and Annabelle Loren, and there are seven people in all -- three women and four men. Of course, some of them had underlying motives, too.During the gathering in the parlor, Watson Pritchard claims that seven people, three women and four men, including Watson Pritchard's brother, have been murdered in the house. Parts of the bodies were found all over the house, but the heads have never been found. Pritchard himself spent a night in the house and was found almost dead the next morning. He claims that the heads can be heard at night whispering to each other.Fredrick Loren enters who introduces himself and claims that he invited them to spend one night the house, with the stipulation that the power will be out and all doors will be locked at midnight, allowing no accessible escape. Anyone who stays in the house for the entire night, given that they are still alive, will each receive $10,000.He explains the rules of the party and gives each of the guests a .45 caliber pistol for protection. Loren's wife tries to warn the guests that her husband is psychotic, causing them to be very suspicious of him, especially Nora Manning, who becomes convinced that he's trying to kill her when she keeps seeing mysterious ghouls, including the ghost of Annabelle, who had hanged herself after being forced to attend the party.After being driven into a fit of hysteria by the ghosts haunting her, Nora shoots Mr. Loren, assuming he is going to kill her. Dr. Trent, another guest, tries to get rid of the body by pushing it into acid, but the lights go out, and when they come back on, both of the men are gone.Annabelle emerges, having faked her death with the help of Dr. Trent, and having apparently tricked Nora into killing Loren. Suddenly, a skeleton emerges from the acid accompanied by the voice of Loren. The specter approaches Annabelle as she recoils in terror. In this panic, the screaming Annabelle accidentally backs into the acid herself. The real Mr. Loren walks out of the shadow, holding the contraption that he was using to control the skeleton of Dr. Trent. In his triumph, he watches Annabelle disintegrate."Good night, Doctor. Good night, Annabelle," Frederick Loren says to himself. "The crime you planned was indeed perfect, only the victim is alive and the murderers are not. It's a pity you didn't know when you started your game of murder that I was playing, too." Loren turns himself over to the other guests, informing them that Nora's gun was loaded with blanks and that Trent and Annabelle were conspiring to kill him.In the final scene, Prichard looks into the acid vat and says, with a terrified expression on his face, "Now there are nine. There will be more...many more. They're coming for me now. And then they'll come for you." | murder | train | imdb | This classic version of "House on Haunted Hill" is one of the most entertaining examples of the low-budget, black-and-white horror films that used to be such a mainstay for movie fans.
It has few frills, but it does have some thrills, and in particular it has a cleverly written story that is told at a brisk pace, with a good deal of interesting and pleasingly macabre detail.Horror legend Vincent Price is in his element as the mysterious millionaire who invites a houseful of guests to spend the night in a supposedly haunted mansion, and his performance will give his fans everything that they expect.
William Castle has made several wonderful horror films; some obviously better than others, but at the top of the list are "Thirteen Ghosts" and "House on Haunted Hill." This movie might though have been all but forgotten if not one plucky guy recently remade this movie in to a much more gory movie.
Vincent Price plays Frederick Loren, an eccentric millionaire that invites five very different people to a haunted house for a party, and offers them $10,000 if they can stay the night...
The rest of the cast is largely made up of unknowns and b-grade actors, but they also all perform to relatively high standards in their respective roles.House on Haunted Hill's best feature other than the legendary Vincent Price, is undoubtedly the atmosphere of the house.
The walking skeleton is hilarious, though and worth watching film for alone.Overall, House on Haunted Hill is a lovely little b movie; it's creative, it's atmospheric and it stars Vincent Price.
William Castle liked to promote his films with gimmicks, and the gimmick for THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL was Emerg-O: at the peak of the action, a glowing skeleton "emerged from the screen" and flew out over the audience on a wire.
Millionaire Price and his wife Carol Ohmart give a "haunted house party" for five strangers chosen at random and promised ten thousand dollars if they last the night.
Of all the Castle films, THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL is my personal favorite, and it should rate very high with fans of cult, camp, and Vincent Price.
If one looks at things this way, "House on Haunted Hill" can be seen as the quintessential horror film.Start with having Vincent Price in it, hopefully no arguments there.
He plays Frederick Loren, the affluent host of a "party" in which he invites five people, not including himself and his wife, to a haunted mansion on a hill in a challenge for each person to win $10,000 (at today's value, about $100,000) if that person stays in the mansion all night.
William Castle, the Master Promoter of Low Budget Horror films of the 50's and60's , takes a step closer to immortality with this tasty little thriller starring Vincent Price and Elijah Cook Jr. Not a great movie by any means, but the performances and screen presence of the top two are well worth your time.
Like I said, it's somewhat lost it's edge, but still 'till this day, House on Haunted Hill will always remain a great movie to watch any stormy night.Five strangers have been invited to a house on Haunted Hill, they are being offered by Vincent price $10,000 each, the catch?
They have to spend the night at that house that has been cursed, thinking it's just a good old fashioned haunted party that Vincent's wife is throwing, they go along with it, especially since they could easily have $10,000.
I personally think that 1958's "House on Haunted Hill" is one of Vincent Price's best scary movies that he made over his long and storied career.
Directed by the incomparable shock master, William Castle, it has all the elements for a good scary movie.Vincent Price portrays Frederick Loren, a wealthy businessman who has rented out a haunted house that has been the scene of several murders for an all night party for several people.
Ghosts, an old woman who looks like a wicked witch, a walking skeleton, an acid pit in the dark and creepy basement and a suicide by Loren's beautiful wife Annabelle (played with frosty efficiency by Carol Ohmart) or is her death really a murder?
There are several good supporting actors such as Richard Long and Carolyn Craig who help keep the movie entertaining.The 1999 remake of this classic film simply cannot hold a candle to the original.
This is the real deal.Vincent Price is Frederick Loren, a reclusive millionaire who offers 5 people $10,000 each if they can survive one night in a creepy old house with a history of murders in many of the rooms.
Notable turns include Carol Ohmart as Annabelle Loren, Frederick's sexy wife; Elisha Cook, Jr. as Lawrence Pritchard, the expert on the house's history; and Carolyn Craig, the token screamer.I have loved this movie for years and always will, especially the intricate plot, the house itself being a prominent character, and the cliches that seem oddly new when presented here.
Vincent Price does his usual over the top great performance,, his is witty, and charming,, his wife on the other hand is cold , calculated , and cunning,, plot goes like this 5 strangers are invited to spend the night at an eccentric millionaire's house, if they survive they will be paid 10,000 dollars, not a bad offer, but apparently the house is very haunted, and people seem to have a bad habit of dying there,, each of the house guests are given one last chance to leave , but the caretakers take off a few minutes early so the house is thoroughly locked down,, the windows even have bars on them, and you just have to love all of the doors in the house,, and the acid pit,, that is just the cream of the crop ladies and gentleman..
Price said of William Castle: "He wasn't a great filmmaker, but he knew how to make this kind of film." His respect for the material shows, and he nails the part of the mysterious, morally ambiguous Fredrick Loren with every word that comes out of his mouth.
Castle's horror movies would become well-known for the innovative tricks it used to scare the audiences, however, his next film "House on Haunted Hill", showed not only an improved gimmick, but also a huge improvement in terms of the overall quality of the film.
Vincent Price is Frederick Loren, an eccentric multi-millionaire that decides to give a horror-themed party for his wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart) in a very bizarre way.
As the challenge begins, strange events begin to happen and soon everyone wonders if there may be some true in the legend of the House on Haunted Hill.Written by Robb White, the story may be clichéd, but it's filled with excellent black comedy and has some very clever twists that give the film its very special charm.
To expect a terrifying horror experience is to watch the film with the wrong attitude, as "House on Haunted Hill" moves more on the lines of subtle dark comedy with a dose of campy fun instead of graphic horror.
Despite this tone, the film plays very good with the mystery that represents the House and the murders, and the ending still is one of the best surprises on film.William Castle directs this film following the conventions of the Gothic horror to the letter, but even when may had been a businessman first, he still was an artist, and shows off a very clever use of the camera to create mood an atmosphere.
The rest of the cast is somewhat effective, with Carolyn Craig and Richard Long playing the "heroes" of the story with good results, although some other members of the cast are pretty average when compared to the previously mentioned actors.The biggest mistake one can make when watching "House on Haunted Hill" is to expect a fright-fest, as this is not a movie to watch for the scares (as they play along the camp humor the film has), but to enjoy with its witty written black comedy and the excellent deliver of the cast.
House on Haunted Hill (1959) is a horror film directed by William Castle, written by Robb White, and starring Vincent Price as eccentric millionaire Fredrick Loren.
Released in 1959, "House on Haunted Hill" stars Vincent Price as the host of a "party" at a mansion where several people are invited (e.g. Richard Long and Elisha Cook Jr.) and offered $10,000 to stay the night.
But there's more: The corny floating heads; the overacting and over-screaming (mostly by Carolyn Craig); the fact that the house (actually a veritable castle) only has one door; and the ridiculous skeleton at the end that was shorter than Annabelle and was supposed to be the remains of Price's towering character.
Guthrie is the cinematographer.Eccentric millionaire Fredrick Loren (Price) and his latest wife, Annabelle (Ohmart), have invited 5 people to their house on Haunted Hill for a party.
But doing so will not be easy, because once midnight arrives they are trapped in the house, alone with each other, the ghosts and other unknown terrors.As the 1950's headed into its final straight, William Castle seized upon the idea to reinvigorate the horror genre with creepy films and cheapo gimmicks.
One such film is House on Haunted Hill, camp and at times funny, it still makes for a creepy night in by the fire with all the lights turned off.
Both of these scenes terrified me for years later.It is probably a good thing I didn't see this movie with William Castle's special Emergo effect (a skeleton would descend into the theater during an appropriate black-out section in the movie) because I would have created a new exit at the movie house.The basic plot of the movie is about a very rich man inviting several strangers to his wife's birthday party at a haunted house.
He's backed up by a solid cast that includes good turns from Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal, and Elisha Cook, Jr. Carolyn Craig spends the whole movie scared out of her wits, screaming right and left.
To me that would be fun if offered that deal...knowing that it was a set-up and that all the "scares" and ghouls would be awaiting.But, then part way into the movie real murders start happening and waiting to see who is behind them is almost like a ghostly film noir.
velvet curtains and wallpaper, candle-filled chandeliers, big old wooden doors everywhere, lots of creepy dark corners, not the kind of place you'd want to spend the night alone, especially not after its owner tells you it's haunted, and that there are a couple of unaccounted for heads bouncing around the place..Okay so what makes a bad film so good?An awful lot of screen time is spent following the seven characters (the five guests, Price and his bitchy wife who wants his fortune) go in and out of bedrooms, up and down hallways, down to the basement, into closets, behind mysterious curtains..
A moody, atmospheric and surprisingly comedic chiller, this horror classic is an old-movie lover's dream come true: Terrific sets, great use of music, an intelligent and layered screenplay, a charismatic leading man in Vincent Price, and some intricate and downright unpredictable twists along the way.
Wealthy Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) invites five strangers to a party for his wife Annabelle in a haunted house.
It's also camp fun in a terrible kind of way but again what would you expect from a movie with Vincent Price in the lead and a ham-fisted cast that includes Carol Ohmart, Elisha Cook (at his hammiest) and Alan Marshall.
A melodramatic and wildly entertaining example of both fear and of camp, William Castle's 1959 release "House on Haunted Hill" is an indisputable classic of the horror genre.
With a low-budget charm, phenomenal performances from the likes of Vincent Price and some of the greatest old-school scares ever committed to film, it's still well-worth checking out for horror fans old and new alike.We follow eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren (Vincent Price), who at the urging of his spoiled wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart), throws the most peculiar of parties late one night.
He rents out a supposed haunted house where seven people have been murdered, and offers a small group of guests $10,000 each if they can "survive the night." As the hours dwindle by, things begin to take a dark and twisted turn as doors open and close on their own, mysterious body-parts begin to appear...
And so begins the bat-on-a-string effects, as someone begins trying to scare them to death for their share of the money.This is one of Price's best roles, suave and silkily dangerous ("Do you remember the fun we had when you poisoned me?") The house itself, while it isn't exactly *haunted*, does have a wonderful film noir look about it, elegantly and stylishly dreadful looking, complete with candelabra chandelier, an acid bath in the basement, and an old bat being pulled around on a cart while making faces at the camera.Is it scary?
Well this movie, with the always creepy Vincent Price, follows a group of strangers who are spending the night in a haunted house for $10,000.
The film pays off very nicely in its second half.Vincent Price gives one of his best performances as a seemingly deranged millionaire playboy who is giving his wife a gift she apparently does not want - a night with several strangers locked into an allegedly haunted house which has a tendency to murder its occupants.
In this chilling haunted house tale eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) offers five strangers $10,000 to stay one night in a sinister house with a murderous history.
William Castle's classic haunted house flick is a testament to the quality of atmospheric, low-budget horror films that talented directors were able to produce back in the 1950's and 60's.
This film's plot revolves around Annabelle Loren's crazy slumber party where all the guests must live through the night in the supposedly haunted house, if they survive, her husband Frederick (Price) will pay them $10,000 each.
House on Haunted Hill is a great movie that delivers lots of entertainment,good acting,and brilliant story.Though some scenes of the movie are quite boring,it all makes up for it in entertainment.The movie isnt really all that scary,all the scares mostly come from when characters unexpectadly pop up in a scene,and the ending wasnt really all that good,but it is still a true classic.In the film,not many ghosts pop up,but like I said,the entertainment makes up for all that.For people who like old school suspense movies,watch this,but if your looking for more scares,watch the remake.Great acting,original plot,and great deal of entertainment makes House on Haunted Hill a great movie to watch.10 out of 10..
An eccentric millionaire invites five strangers to a haunted house with each receiving $10,000 if they last the night.This is a William Castle film so you know it's going to be genius.
If they can last the night, he will give them $10,000.Of course, there are signs that the house may indeed be haunted, but everything is not what it seems, and the guests may have more to fear than spooks.Aside from the indelible Vincent Price, the movie also stars Elisha Cook Jr., a character actor who looks like a smaller, traumatised Jack Nicholson, and Julie Mitchum (brother of Robert) in the last film of her negligible acting career.I was a little troubled by the ending, which seems to try for an open-ended lack of resolution, but doesn't quite get there.
A "scream" of laughter, that is.Filmed on a measly $200,000 budget - Directed by schlock movie-maker, William Castle - and - Starring that total Hollywood ham-actor, Vincent Price - Believe me - This demented, little fright flick takes the meaning of the word "cheesy" to a whole new level of unbridled lunacy.As the story goes - Price (with typical fiendish glee) plays Frederick Loren, a mean, sadistic and utterly eccentric millionaire, who offers $10,000 to five people who agree to be locked up in a large, spooky, rented house overnight with him and his "darling" wife.....
One of his most enjoyable roles is in William Castle's House on Haunted Hill, a film that embraces cliché and camp, yet undoubtedly inspired countless haunted house movies that came in the years that followed.Price plays a charismatic millionaire named Frederick Loren who, at the request of his wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart), rents a supposedly haunted house to throw a party.
When the Image did First Appear, Vincent Price and Cook's Disembodied Heads Superimposed Over a Very Cold Looking Architecture (Frank Lloyd Wright), Inviting the Guests to Spend a Night in the House on Haunted Hill, is as Eerie as it Gets in This Type of Thing.
Director William Castle's fondly remembered haunted house film stars Vincent Price as multi-millionaire Frederick Loren, who, along with his current wife Annabelle(played by Carol Ohmhart) invite five strangers(played by Richard Long, Carolyn Craig, Alan Marshall, Julie Mitchum, and Elisha Cook Jr.) to stay the night in the title home and receive $10,000.
Carol Ohmart is great as Annabelle Loren, the wife of Vincent Price in this film.
Are all of the scares just a silly prank, or are the ghosts of the people murdered in the house haunting the living?This is a very fun and creepy little movie.
***SPOILERS*** Spooky haunted house movie with the person who rented it Frederick Loren, Vincent Price, inviting five perfect strangers to spend the night there and getting $10,000.00 each in they in fact survive!
Vincent Price is one of my favourite horror legends, William Castle's a helluva director, and I love haunted house movies.
The title of this review, spoken by the great Vincent Price in his trademark macabre voice, is one of my favorite lines in William Castle's "House On Haunted Hill" of 1959.
Vincent Price plays a millionaire who (for no discernible reason) offers five people $10,000 each IF they survive the night in a haunted house. |
tt0418763 | Jarhead | The film begins with voice-over narration on a black screen, as Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal), waxes philosophically about a soldier whose hands forever remember the grip of a rifle, whatever else they do in life. Swofford is then shown in a U.S. Marine Corps boot camp, being brutalized by a drill instructor in a scene reminiscent of Full Metal Jacket. After finishing boot, "Swoff" is dispatched to Camp Pendleton in 1989, where he is subjected to a cruel joke played on him by the senior Marines. This involves branding onto him the initials of the United States Marine Corps, USMC, with a hot iron. This is a popular tattoo amongst Marines. He faints upon sight of the iron. After regaining consciousness, he realizes to his relief that the senior Marines had switched the hot iron with another room temperature iron. He is greeted coolly by Troy (Peter Sarsgaard), who says to him, "Welcome to the Suck."Swofford comes across the charismatic Staff Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx), a Marine "lifer" who invites Swofford to his Scout Sniper (formally the Surveillance and Target Acquisition) course. After arduous training sessions that claim the life of one recruit, he becomes a sniper and is paired with Troy as his spotter. Shortly after, Kuwait is invaded by Iraq and Swofford's unit is dispatched to the Persian Gulf as a part of Operation Desert Shield. Although the Marines are very eager to see some combat action, they are forced to hydrate, wait, patrol the nearby area and orient themselves to the arid environment. When some field reporters appear, Sykes forces his unit to demonstrate their NBC suits in a game of American football, even under the 112 degree heat. While the cameras roll, the game develops into a rowdy dogpile, with some Marines playfully miming sex acts. Sykes, embarrassed by his platoon's rude manners and poor discipline, removes the cameras and crew from the area; the Marines are later punished by being forced to build and take down a massive pyramid of sandbags in a rainy night.During the long wait, some of the Marines fear their wives and girlfriends at home will be unfaithful. A public board displays the photos of women who have ended their relationships with members of the unit. Swofford himself begins to suspect that his girlfriend is, or will soon be, unfaithful. The most public and humiliating of these befalls Dettman (Marty Papazian), who discovers an innocent looking copy of The Deer Hunter on VHS sent from his wife, which the men are all seated to watch, is actually a homemade pornographic movie tape of her having sex with their neighbor, apparently made as revenge for Dettman's own promiscuity.During an impromptu Christmas party, Fergus (Brian Geraghty), a member of Swofford's unit, accidentally sets fire to a tent and a crate of flares. Swofford gets the blame because he was supposed to be on watch, but had Fergus sit in for him. As a consequence, Swofford is demoted from Lance Corporal (E-3) to Private (E-1) and is forced to undertake the degrading task of burning excrement. The punishments, the heat and the boredom, combined with suspicions of his girlfriend's infidelity and feelings of isolation, temporarily drive Swofford to the point of mental breakdown. He threatens and nearly shoots fellow Marine Fergus.After the long stand in the desert, Operation Desert Storm, the coalition force's ground campaign, begins, and the Marines are dispatched to the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. Briefly before the action begins, Swofford learns from Sykes that Troy concealed his criminal record when enlisting and will be discharged after the end of hostilities. Following an accidental air attack from friendly forces, the Marines advance through the desert, facing no enemies on the ground. Casualties are taken when friendly fire from an A-10 close air support aircraft hits U.S. vehicles. The troops march through the Highway of Death, strewn with burnt vehicles and remains of charred bodies, a product of the bombing campaign. Later, the Marines encounter burning oil wells, lit by the retreating Iraqis, and they attempt to dig sleeping holes as a rain of crude oil falls from the sky. Before they can finish them Sykes orders the squad to move to where the wind prevents the oil from raining on them. While digging new sleeping holes, Swoff discovers Fowler has defiled an Iraqi corpse which drives Swoff to the point of wanting to fight him. However he merely takes the body and buries it somewhere else.Swofford and Troy are finally given a combat mission. Their order is to shoot two Iraqi officers, supposedly located in a control tower at a battle-damaged airport. The two take up positions in a deserted building, but moments after Swofford pinpoints one of the officers in his sights, another team of Marines appears and calls in an air strike. Troy, desperate to make a kill, pleads with the officer in charge (Dennis Haysbert) to let them take the shot. When his pleas are denied, Troy breaks down in a fit of despair and weeps. Moments later the airport is bombed by U.S. warplanes. Swofford and Troy linger at the site in a daze, losing track of time and missing their pick-up. With night falling, they try to navigate the desert but get lost. Distant cries in the darkness frighten them, and as they begin to sense that the sounds are coming from beyond a ridge, they ready their weapons and prepare to descend. They see an encampment in the distance, but on closer look they recognize it as their base camp, and the sounds as Marine voices. The war is over, they learn, and scores of Marines celebrate this amidst a bonfire. In a climactic scene Swofford tells Troy he never fired his rifle, getting a response of "You can do it now". He then fires a round in the air from his sniper rifle and the other Marines, who also never had a chance to fire their weapons, follow suit, emptying magazines into the night sky.On returning home the troops parade through the towns in a jovial celebration of victory. The mood is disturbed when a disheveled Vietnam veteran, possibly suffering from the memories of the conflict, jumps into their bus, and congratulates them all. Soon after their return home, Swofford and his comrades are discharged and go on with their separate lives. Swofford returns home to his girlfriend, but discovers her with a new boyfriend. Fowler (Evan Jones) is seen to be spending time with a girl at a bar, Kruger (Lucas Black) is seen in a corporate boardroom, Escobar (Laz Alonso) as a supermarket employee, Cortez (Jacob Vargas) as a father of three kids, and Sykes continuing his service as a Master Sergeant in Operation Iraqi Freedom. An unspecified amount of time later, Swofford learns of Troy's death during a surprise visit from Fergus. He attends the funeral, meets some of his old friends, and afterwards he reminisces about the effects of the war. | dark, comedy, murder, anti war, violence, flashback, historical, prank | train | imdb | This movie is strictly a story told by the main character about his time serving in the Marine Corps and his tour in the Gulf.
There are many undertones, just none of which are attempting to reassert or defame the current war in the East.See this film if you want to see a humorous, sad, psychotic, intense, and most importantly REAL story..
Following the screening was an audience Q&A with the author (and main character), Tony Swofford.And it was no surprise that the very first question from the audience was, quite ambiguously, "Do you support the military?" When Swofford dismissed the question as too broad and complex to be answered with a simple yes or no, the inquirer followed up with, "Well, do you support the war?" Swofford dismissed this even more readily.To me, this was perfectly representative of how the film handled its potential political implications.As Troy says early on in the film, "To hell with politics.
And while the opening boot camp scenes may seem like Full Metal Jacket Lite, the rest of the film is truly unique.Sam Mendes directs with his usual brilliance, showing once again his affinity for bright, vivid color, even in the largely monochromatic desert.Jake Gyllenhaal gives an excellent performance as Anthony Swofford, complemented by the able talents of Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard.The film's only real flaw is that, like the war on which it was based, it's pretty slow, and not a lot really happens.In the strictest sense, I would have a hard time even classifying this as a war film, and it's certainly not a deliberately political film.But in its own way, it tells an intense, personal story.
A person can pick out a lot of evidence supporting the military, and at times make it look like a recruiting tool, or it can show anti war, anti-Bush, anti everything.
And the dialogue was right on.Having read several of the other comments, it is clear to me that there are events depicted in the movie which may not be clearly understood or properly contextualized by someone who has not served in the Marine Corps infantry.
What happens here is not always pretty, but it is the truth, and the truth should be all we can ask for.The screenplay was adapted by William Broyles Jr., who in addition to some TV work, adapted the recent "Planet of the Apes" remake, and "Cast Away." Personally, I didn't think either of these films were anything special, which is why "Jarhead" is such a surprise.
"Every war is different," says Anthony Swofford as the movie "Jarhead" comes to a close.
"Every war is the same." Looking back on his experience, he sees that the first Gulf War and the Marine Corps have become ineradicable parts of who he is: "Every jar-head is me." The screen shimmers and shifts into a scene of a desert patrol dwarfed by distance and hazed by heat waves.
But the scene in which the soldiers sit down to enjoy a home movie one Marine's wife has made - of herself being humped by their next door neighbor - that, we all agreed, was in the book.
They did say 'Oorah' way too much." Lance Cpl. Josh Rader, 29, of Georgia, said he thought the movie was one of the more accurate portrayals of the Marine Corps, with the only more accurate movie being Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket." "A lot of the training, they dramatize it more," Rader said.
Afterward the author of the novel it is based on held a Q&A.This movie is a bit long, but so are most War films.
It does, however, keep your attention the entire times.This film is not just a War film, it is able to seamlessly mix comedy and drama, with such issues as Mental health and even a bit of ennui.The characters are fully developed, each and everyone has an interesting story that is covered, briefly but perfectly.
You get a broad spectrum of the kinds of men that go to war, what they left behind, and how it effects them when they return.The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and Sam Mendes' direction is pitch perfect.Jakc Gyllenhaal gives an astounding performance, as does Jamie Foxx, but it is Peter Sarsgaard that steals the show, with a heartbreakingly subtle ghost of a performance.This is definitely a must-see..
Gritty story based on the true life experiences of Marine recruit Anthony Swofford, a naive teenager who gets more than he bargained for beginning in basic training, then a long and hellish nightmare of combat after he's shipped off to Kuwait during Operation Desert Shield.
Yet after seeing the movie "Jarhead," Anthony Swofford's autobiographical account of the marines during the first Gulf War, a black eye is the least of the marines' problems.The fundamental theme of Jarhead's portrayal of marine life is that heroes do not exist.
Yet like Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, a movie acclaimed for its supposed depiction of Viet Nam-era marines, none of these men and certainly none of these virtues are to be found.Instead, what one finds in Jarhead are empty men who drift though life, denied of what they truly want, and who choose to make up for it in emotional outbursts and sadistic and debased pleasures.
I served five years in the Marine Corps during the time Jarhead was set and I can certainly recount stories, both humorous and horrific.
There might have been the occasional breach of conduct or character, and some may have even failed miserably in achieving the standard of excellence that is the hallmark of the corps.Yet overall,(and in the metaphysically significant sensethe only sense that matters in art) almost every marine I knew was in the corps for a purpose and that purpose was good, noble, and just.That's why I, for one, was proud to wear the marine uniform, and that's what no Hollywood movie that I know of has ever been able to accurately capture in a film about the marines.
I was so shocked by this movie because American Beauty was one of my favorite films.Awful because it's: Predictable, Boring useless long exaggerated scenes, Useless scenes, The scene endings are not well done, Nothing impressing about it.
But i don't expect it to get better at the end.Again, maybe i was a bit disappointed because i expected much more from this great director, but this movies does not either entertain and make sense to someone looking for an intelligent film..
If you like to watch a bunch of silly kiddish marines that very occasionally have a serious moment then this is a movie for you.For the authors that gave this movie 8 - 10 stars all i can say is you must work for the film maker or somebody that is trying to make money from it.
First off let me start off by saying I loved Sam Mende's two previous works (Road to Perdition & American Beauty), but this movie flat out sucked.
Well boy was he right, I thought this was supposed to be about the Gulf War, instead we hear more about how the main character (Jake Gyllenhaal) likes to masturbate.
Also I hated how they made the soldier's out to be like nothing but a bunch of horny perverts and complete dumb asses, which is far from the truth.All I can say is if you want to see an entertaining movie along with a plot you need to look the other way.
Sam Mendes, director of "American Beauty," the critically acclaimed film that brought him an Academy Award for Best Director, brings to the big screen "Jarhead," a movie based on Andy "Swoff" Swofford's war memoir, which is more or less the same kind of war film we've all seen before.
In it, Swoff is played by "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Jake Gyllenhaal and the film shows in its gritty language and sardonic humor the former sniper's recounts of how they live each day fighting boredom until they go to war.Upon his arrival at the Marine base, Swoff is assigned to C Company.
Itching for some action and increasingly becoming bored creatures in the desert, Swoff narrates their long wait while suggesting some techniques "for the marine to use in the avoidance of boredom and loneliness." Basically the film's first part tackles the hell of a boot camp new recruits have to undergo.
In 'Jarhead' Jake Gyllenhaal plays Anthony Swofford, a new marine recruit who is going to Iraq.
Anthony Swofford was a scout/sniper in a USMC platoon in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during the Gulf War. His book 'Jarhead' tells the story of the events that happened to him and his fellow marines.Though I liked this film a lot, mostly for the realism, it did remind me too much of 'Platoon'.
It's a shame because the film has less to do with the politics of war then the unique personalities that made up a specific platoon of Marines in the first Gulf War. The title of the film derives from Anthony Swofford's very compelling novel about his adventures, a book that in no way demeans the heroism of the young men (and now young women) who live and die in the military.
Several seemed rather disappointed that the film wasn't more openly anti-war than it is; though politically a liberal, I was impressed by the effort to not take that obvious a stand and (for once) let the audience do its own thinking.While the action takes place in a relatively restricted time, place and era, I'm willing to bet that soldiers from any war -- Peloponnesian, Hundred Years or Civil -- could identify with the characters and situations.
Save your time on this one and wait for a real movie of the Gulf War to come out..
Jarhead, from Sam Mendes, is a good, solid movie with interesting characters and almost poetic dialog.
Ladies and gents, I saw the movie very recently and as a Viet Nam era Marine I was particularly disgusted and had alternating feelings between going home and burning everything I had that referred to our Corps or just getting up and asking for my money back (which is what I ended up doing).
Its hard not to compare a blockbuster war movie to "Full Metal Jacket", but I choose not to, because that is a high standard for any film to live up to.
There is almost nothing in this film that accurately portrays military service during the Gulf War. I would not recommend this movie to anyone.
We know how things can get for the guys out there when they're a long way from home, but we don't need to go through their intimate issues chapter and verse.Why didn't the filmmakers take Stan Kubrick's example of how a war film should be done.
Anthony Swoofford(Jake Gyllenhaal) tells the story of his experience while fighting in Desert Storm, beginning with boot camp to his training to be scout sniper to his experiences throughout the war and ending with his life after war.Jarhead probably stuck many as a heat-pounding war-action film and probably left many disappointed.
I'm not saying that Jarhead was not entertaining, because it was extremely entertaining witch constant comic relief from Gyllenhaal and Foxx, but it was not the same kind of entertaining that is found in other war movies.With such an amazing cast of Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsagard, and Chris Cooper, I was not disappointed with the quality of acting.
The boot camp scene in the beginning was excessively similar and twice they used the same little chant used in Full Metal Jacket where the troops said "This is my rifle, there are many like it..." The themes of Jarhead and Full Metal Jacket were also similar, both saying that "War takes average men and changes them into heartless killing machines." Mendes stressed the idea of a marine never being able to change, even after the war.Besides a similarity flaw, the movie was flawless.
Jarhead will surely be considered one of the best movies of the year and also help bring the war genre back to where it was before The Great Raid.
Overall, Jarhead is a great anti-war movie that is quite entertaining but a exceedingly intense at times.
I thought this movie might be past my experiences, but after watching it, I feel that it's a film many people will be able to relate to, not just combat vets (unlike many other more combat-oriented war movies).
Take the time to believe the concepts the film presents (because it's a good account of a real experience), and you'll enjoy the whole thing.Technical: Other than one scene, I thought the events were very technically accurate.
The director did an amazing job putting on film what really happens during war instead of "hey lets blow everything up and kill people".
I felt this film showed a lot of promise- good director, great lead (Jake Gyllenhaal) excellent trailer.Watching the finished article was quite different.
There is no story- this would be OK if there was plenty of character development, but this is also notable by it's absence.For a film that has been compared to Full Metal Jacket and Buffalo Soldiers, this film is very disappointing.Jamie Foxx stole his scenes, but that's not saying much.Maybe it was trying to say that the desolation of the ubiquitous war-torn landscape reflects the soul of modern America.
For the first time in years i watched a movie that gave me this weird feeling when i walked out of the cinema...i felt exactly the same way as the soldiers, Swoff and all the others...more than 200 days of hard training and nothingness and what did they achieve...NOTHING.
I can't deny that Sam Mendes's new film Jarhead has some power to it- that he and his director of photography (Roger Deakins) create some immensely evocative images, or that there isn't a little thought stirring around within the context of the story and premise.
It was constantly beat into our heads that the war could come, and probably would come, very soon and without warning.Put people in this situation, and things like Jarhead depicts do happen.
I liked 'Jarhead' because it was a very good description of the soldier in the gulf war.
It is a real experience of men during the first gulf war and is an important movie to watch.
At times I felt as if he was paying homage to such films as 'Fullmetal Jacket' and 'Platoon' to even a Kurt Vonnegut novel (there are some interesting characters tied with elements of the surreal), however this movie feels differently due to the type of war Operation Dessert Storm was.
I feel Mendes perfectly captures the psyche of these soldiers in the type of hurry-up-and-wait marine mentality of this war, by the time Gyllenhaal sees his first and only action we can feel the tension and release when he gets his call to duty.
He was in the scout/sniper position and was in Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait during the Gulf War. The film shows Anthony's relationship with the other Marines and the sergeants and what they do while they are stationed out there and what they do before they can finally come home.
The other thing that is really good about this movie is it's look and feel from it's great director Sam Mendes.
Now, Sam Mendes comes to us with Jarhead, and it is quite a great achievement and I think after only three films so far in his career that he will win many more awards and he is on the path to becoming one of today's best directors.
I think some may be disappointed in Jarhead, for not being more faster paced or having the battle scenes but for a powerful film about characters and how they react to war and these situations this is a film for you..
Jarhead is an excellent movie that doesn't always have to have action to be a successful film, but the basis of the movie about being a marine hits us with a great note.
Jarhead was one of the worst war movies I've ever seen.
This movie shows the Marine Corp trained by stupid and sadistic leaders, and the troop completely alienated, in a war without seeing the enemy, or knows the country or the costumes of the locals, and even the reasons for their action, being trained like pawns, aiming to kill an enemy.
This was just an anti-war movie that attempted to make the military look like a bunch of "jarheads." I've read reviews from a few supposed veterans who walked away from this movie feeing "proud"?
They made you out to be stupid jarheads.The movie was completely biased and made no attempt to accurately portray the Gulf War, especially from a political point of view.
Like the disappointment that Swofford must have felt, I think the audience also feels that disappointment in the film.Jake Gyllenhaal gives an amazing performance.
This is why his 2005 war film, Jarhead, is such a disappointment.
(We're made to feel like this girlfriend of his is his everything - amusing, considering the character is 20 years old.) At the urging of Seargent Sykes (Jamie Foxx), Swofford becomes a Marine sniper, which he is very good at.
Of course, the fact that the film is based on a book written by the real Anthony Swofford about his own experiences in the Gulf War means that even Hollywood effects can't take away from the back of our minds that much of what we see is real, or at least was.Jake Gyllenhaal has become a very good actor indeed, and holds his own with Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx, whose performance could very well garner him another awards season nod for his supporting role.
In fact, the one real criticism I have about the film is that I would have liked to have known more about each of the men who served so honorably and who were so altered by that experience.Jarhead isn't a war movie per se in the sense that it shows a lot of shoot 'em up action. |
tt0110074 | The Hudsucker Proxy | It's December 1st, 1958 and everything at Hudsucker Industries is going great. Profits and the stock price have never been so high, so it is shocking when President Waring Hudsucker (Charles Durning) runs down the table at the Board of Directors meeting and throws himself out the 45th floor window of the Hudsucker building. Despite this tragedy, vice-president Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman) quickly focuses the board on the problem that Waring's death has left them: With no designated heir his 51 percent share of stock will be sold to the public one month from that day. The board would like to buy the stock and retain control of the company, but at the current price, they cannot afford it.Mussburger comes up with a plan to depress the stock price by temporarly putting an obviously incompetent person in the President's seat. But who can he find that is stupid enough to qualify?Fortunately, for him, Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins) has just arrived in town with a brand new degree from the Muncie, Indiana, School of Business. Barnes has an idea for a new product, which he shows to everybody he meets. Unfortunately it appears to only be a circle drawn on a piece of paper as Barnes has a problem explaining exactly what he has in mind.Barnes is working in the Hudsucker mailroom the morning of Waring's death and as the new boy is given the unenviable task of taking a high-priority "Blue letter" (they are always bad news) up to Mussburger's office. Before delivering the letter Barnes first tries to show Mussburger his idea for his new product and in the process sets an important contract on fire and nearly causes Mussburger to fall out the window. In all this, however, Mussburger realizes he had found the perfect dupe to take the president's job.With a shave and a new wardrobe Barnes is quickly installed in the president's office, separated from Mussburger's own by the works of the massive company clock. It is at this point we meet the kindly clock keeper (Bill Cobbs) and the company repairman. They seem to represent good and evil forces in the film.Newspaper editor (John Mahoney) is suspicious of this move to put a novice at the helm of such a big company and dispatches prize-winning reporter Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to find out what is going on. Approaching Barnes as a poor, unemployed girl from Muncie, Archer gets him to hire her as his secretary. At first she thinks him an imbecile, and writes her story like this causing the stock price to plummet just as Mussburger wants. She soon changes her mind, however, seeing him as a bright and good-hearted fellow who is just totally naive about company politics. They soon start to fall in love.Now that he is the president, Barnes decides to have the company produce his new product. Mussburger goes along with this as he expects it to be a bust further dropping the stock price. As it turns out Barnes's idea, when actually manufactured, is the hula-hoop which soon becomes a big success and pushes Hudsucker stock prices to new heights.Mussburger sets out to totally discredit Barnes by having elevator operator Buzz (Jim True-Frost) claim Barnes stole the hula-hoop idea from him. He also discovers that Archer is actually the reporter that wrote the story bad-mouthing Barnes and accuses him of bad judgment in hiring her. The apparent betrayal by Archer sends Barnes into an emotional tailspin and Mussbuger has psychiatrist Dr. Hugo Bronfenbrenner (David Byrd) declare him mentally incompetent.Archer finds Barnes at a beatnik bar on New Years Eve and tries to apologize to him, but he leaves intending to throw himself out the window of his office. He first puts on the apron he wore in the mailroom and then climbs out on the ledge. He finds he can't do it, but slips and falls anyway. Suddenly halfway to the ground he stops as the clock keeper has wedged a broom handle into the mechanism of the company clock apparently stopping time.While Barnes hangs in space, Waring Hudsucker visits him in the form of an angel. Waring reminds Barnes of the blue letter he never delivered which is still in his apron pocket. Barnes reads the letter which reveals that Waring, despite his apparent success, was never happy because he drove away the woman he really loved. The letter also goes on to state that the 51 percent of the shares owned by Waring will go to whoever the board selects as the next company president (who, at the time, Waring was sure would be Mussburger), so that person will be free to operate without the pressure from the stockholders. Barnes realizes this will save him, if only he can avoid falling the rest of the way to his death.Up in the clock room a fight starts between the good clock keeper and the evil repairman. The broom is knocked out of the mechanism and Barnes starts falling again. A punch from the clock keeper, however, sends the repairman's false teeth flying into the mechanism to stop the clock again with Barnes only two feet above the ground. When it starts again he is uninjured by the short fall and races to the bar to tell Archer that he loves her.Barnes is again in charge of the company and Mussburger, finding out that he could have had everything he wanted - the presidency and the stock - if he only hadn't been greedy, goes off the deep end and is sent off to a sanitarium. With Archer as his girl at the next board meeting Barnes introduces his next big idea for Hudsucker Industries, the Frisbee. The board applauds and the film ends. | comedy, fantasy, stupid, whimsical, dramatic, cult, magical realism, flashback, good versus evil, psychedelic, satire, romantic, entertaining | train | imdb | null |
tt0064940 | Fellini - Satyricon | [The film is loosely based on the book Satyricon attributed to Petronius Arbiter, and dated to the time of the rule of Nero (37-68 AD). The book is considered to be one of the first, if not the first, novels to have been written, but has only survived in fragments. The film imitates this by being fragmentary itself, leaving gaps between events, and even stopping in mid-sentence. However, there is a definite plot. Breaks in the plot representing the missing parts are given below with a double hyphen --]The film opens with the protagonist Encolpio, a student, who is furious with his room-mate Ascilto, who has run off with their boy-slave Gitone. Encolpio tracks down Ascilto to the baths, and during a fight Ascilto admits to having sold the boy to Vernacchio who runs a theatre. Encolpio goes to the theatre and challenges Vernacchio during a performance, and gets the boy back through the intervention of a magistrate who is attending the play.Encolpio and Gitone walk through the streets of Rome to go home. Seeing the magistrate has followed them and is beckoning to them, they dive into a brothel, and escape out of a back door, and then return to Encolpio's apartment. Ascilto returns too, and the two argue and decide to split up and divide their possessions. Gitone, allowed to choose who he goes with, chooses Ascilto. Only an earthquake saves Encolpio from committing suicide.--We find Encolpio in a museum, admiring the works. He bumps into an impoverished old man, Eumolpus, a poet, who is declaiming on the greatness of the classics and bemoaning the wretched state of modern art. Eumolpus takes Encolpio under his wing, and takes him to a feast at the villa of Tremalchio, a rich merchant despised by Eumolpus for his lack of culture. At the villa the guests are bathing before the meal, and Tremalchio seeing Eumolpus praises him as a colleague poet.The guests enter the villa for the meal. During the meal the poet Eumolpus and the host Trimalchio become steadily more drunk, and in the end have an argument when Eumolpus accuses Trimalchio of plagiarism. Trimalchio orders his slaves to throw Eumolpus in the furnace, and a fierce fight follows in the kitchens.Trimalchio gets morbid and takes his guests to the tomb where he will be buried when he dies. He bids everyone to act out his funeral. During the mock funeral a tale is told: a beautiful, newly-widowed woman decides to starve herself to death by her late husband's dead body in his tomb. A soldier who is guarding the bodies of recently executed prisoners, hears her wailing and goes to her. While they are together, the family of one of the executed takes his body, and when the soldier realises this he contemplates suicide as better than the punishment he will get. The widow however offers the body of her husband to hang up in the place of the criminal, to save the soldier's life.Walking home after the feast, Encolpio finds the battered but still living Eumolpus. He stays with him, and they fall asleep by a lake.--Encolpio awakes, and to his shock everything has changed. He has been taken prisoner by Lichas, a treasure seeker who collects beautiful things and people and takes them to the sickly young Caesar who lives exiled on an island. Encolpio is bundled on to a ship, and sees that Ascilto and Gitone have been captured too.During the voyage Lichas's eye falls on Encolpio, and marries him in a ceremony on the deck.
Meanwhile, the young Caesar is overthrown. A marauding party boards Lichas's ship, and kills him.--A war follows as the new Caesar takes power.--We see a man and his wife whose property is to be confiscated by the new Caesar sending their children off to safety. He frees his slaves, and waves his children goodbye, telling them he will see them soon. He then commits suicide, telling his wife not to do the same.Later Ascilto and Encolpio creep onto the now-deserted property, and see the dead bodies of the man and his wife. They go into the house and explore, and discover a weeping slave girl. Seeing them she cheers up, and after a chase through the building, and a meal, the three spend the night together. They awake to the sound of burning. Looking out they see that the suicides have been put on a pyre by soldiers.--Ascilto and Encolpio are travelling with a caravan of people going to visit a hermaphrodite child demi-god at a temple. During an overnight stop they are told that one of the travellers is going because his wife has been beset with nymphomania and he hopes the god will cure her. But in the meantime he will pay them well if they will go and satisfy the wife.--The temple is a centre of pilgrimage for sick people wishing to be cured. The following night a man persuades Ascilto and Encolpio to help him steal the demi-god. They kill his keepers, and run off pulling the boy in a cart. However, the child cannot cope with the heat of the sun out of doors, and the next night dies. The man blames Ascilto and Encolpio and a fight ensues where the man is killed.--Possibly as a result of the theft, Encolpio has been captured, and is thrown into the Minotaur's labyrinth. If he defeats the Minotaur, his prize will be 'love'. He fails, but the minotaur is charmed by him and declares him a new friend, and refuses to kill him. As a result Encolpio may claim his prize, a session of passion with the beautiful Ariadne - in full view of the watching crowd. He approaches her, joins her on the bed, and discovers he has 'lost his sword'. Ariadne pushes him off in disgust and runs off.And there is Eumolpus, now rich, and degenerate just like the Tremalchio he once so despised. He is a rich trader and his ship will be sailing again soon. He will help Encolpio restore his power, and suggests a visit to the Garden of Delights.--At the Garden of Delights, Encolpio fails to be cured. The curator there tells him the story of Oenothea, a woman who was cursed by a wizard for teasing him sexually, her punishment being literally fire between her thighs.--Ascilto and Encolpio travel to visit Oenothea. On the way the ferryman overhears that they have gold with them as payment. Oenothea cures Encolpio, but the ferryman fatally wounds Ascilto in a fight for the gold.--Mourning, Encolpio makes his way to the harbour where Eumolpus's ship will be sailing. But Eumolpus has died. He has left a will that frees his slaves, and grants his riches to those he mentions only if they will eat his body. Some agree to. Encolpio decides to sail with the ship in order to have more adventures.END | comedy, avant garde, cruelty, murder, cult, violence, historical fiction, absurd, psychedelic, satire, philosophical, revenge, storytelling | train | imdb | Fellini engages us through a tapestry of decadence during the Roman Empire with such stunning juxtapositions of exceptional images from a collapsing society that one cannot help but be reminded of our own times and its disconcert morality
The film is freely adapted from Petronius' book, which is the exploits of two young Romans, Ascilto and Encolpio, as they venture throughout the empire, indulging in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships
In the course of this proliferation of sensuality, Ascilto becomes impotent and madly goes for a cure which ends in tragedy for Encolpio
The movie's treatment of the sexual decadence is remarkably powerful without being explicit
In fact, in light of the mental images it presents, it actually puts on view very little on screen
But there is a great quantity of mysterious whores, hedonists, gluttons, and gross indulgence in carnal pleasure
In the midst of this chaos, however, there is a beautifully light reprieve as the young Romans come across a forsaken villa...
If one rates a film on visuals alone, Fellini's SATYRICON would surely be completely off the scale: a phantasmagorical mixture of sensual beauty and the distasteful but evocative grotesque set in an ancient Rome that never was, never could have been, and yet which plays up to every extreme concept we secretly harbor about Roman decadence.
The story is impossible to describe, a series of largely unrelated events in the lives of two impossibly handsome youths (Martin Potter and Hiram Keller) who begin the film by battling over the sexual favors of a slave boy (Max Born) who alternately unites and divides them until all three find themselves sold into slavery and flung from adventure to adventure, most often with sexual (and frequently homosexual) connotations.
Clearly, Fellini is making a statement about the triviality and emptiness of a life lived for physical pleasures alone.But the film is jumpy, disjointed, disconnected; the sequences do not always arise from each other in any consistent way, leaving viewers with a sort of "what the ..." reaction when the film unexpectedly shifts without explanation.
(This is actually in keeping with the original ancient text, of which only portions remain.) In consequence, SATYRICON is ultimately less about any philosophical statement Fellini may have had in mind than it is about sheer pictorial splendor and deliberate weirdness.Whatever its failings, it is an astonishing film, and one that would have tremendous influence on a host of directors who followed in Fellini's wake--although all to often without his style and vision.
Clearly Pasolini, director of such works as SALO, ARABIAN NIGHTS, and CANTERBURY TALES spent the better part of his largely unlamented life trying to out-Fellini Fellini; likewise, it is impossible to imagine how Tinto Brass and Bob Guccione arrived at the notorious CALIGULA without reference to Fellini's SATYRICON.Such efforts to expand on SATYRICON were merely more explicit and less interesting than the original, and I do not really recommend them--nor do I really recommend SATYRICON for any one other than Fellini fans, for with its oddly disjointed feel it is unlikely to please those raised on mainstream.
Literally hundreds of characters parade in front of the camera in this visual orgy of a movie, evoking the memory of lost "Kolossals", or gargantuan budget productions.Fellini's movie was only loosely inspired by its literary source, Petronius's Satyricon.
It tells of a young widow, an oasis of cinematic calm in among the strident cacophony of the rest of the movie.In a narrative passage which is reminiscent of the rhythm of dreams (typical of late Fellini, betraying his Jungian tendencies), Encolpio ends up captured by the pirate Lica, who takes him on board his ship.
His expressive portrait of ancient Rome is a richly ornamented fresco of contrasts; variations within a select kaleidoscope of opposites related to the sacred, the pure, the just, and the beautiful.Reportedly a free adaptation of the now fragmentary writings of Petronius, the film also makes fleeting references to various scattered works and myths of antiquity.
Dialectical discussion and philosophy have been replaced with drinking, vice and monetary greed, thus preventing further creation of works of art at the same pinnacle of excellence as the classics.Later when Eumolpo and Encolpio recline in the open field encased in an early morning mist, the elderly poet bequeaths to Encolpio a series of "natural" phenomena; among them mountains, rivers, clouds, love, tears, joy, sound, song and the voices of man...During the "Matron of Ephesus" scene, a young woman mourning her deceased husband by starving to death in a cave has her chalk white face returned to its natural radiance after accepting the embrace of a handsome soldier.
Their children are sent away to a place free from tyranny which will be "beautiful." Later, Encolpio and Ascilto arrive at the couple's elegant home and enjoy a night of revelry during which Encolpio quotes the "poet" as having said "...as for me I have always lived to enjoy the present moment as if it were the last sunrise..."The tale of the beautiful Enotea and her subsequent punishment after she tricked the wizard who had professed his love for her seems to be a warning to remain "true" to expressions of affection.Following what appears to be his final corruption after having abandoned his idealistic philosophy, Eumolpo proposes an interesting last will and testament.
Later he is forced to battle a huge "minotaur' for the entertainment of a proconsul and his puppet court during the "gladiator prank" sequence.Fellini makes strong use of colour symbolism in "Satyricon." The film opens in what appears to be a large Roman steam bath.
The film did drag here and there (certainly with Fellini letting some vignettes last longer than they should) but overall, the cumulative effect of all the stories creates a unique visceral experience that's seldom seen, back then or since.
My only critique with SATYRICON is that in the end, it feels more like some avant-guard experimental theater experience than an actual film.
Permeated with hedonism and sexuality, highly theatrical, very bizarre and surrealist while still keeping it on the ground and making it more potent and little coherence storywise; its fragments of Petronius classic (which I haven't read) wrapped in Fellinis incredible imagination.Scenography, casting and settings are here of the absolutely highest order.
Besides being visually gorgeous, the film does a very good job of portraying how very different ancient Graeco-Roman society was from our own, and how sex in particular was not seen as shameful or in any way limited to a narrow idea of what's "normal" as it is in America today.
Unlike recent Roman Period movies or shows - such as HBO's "Rome" - which are constantly trying to make the ancient world seem familiar and "just like us." Fellini goes the other direction, and gives the other side of the coin - YES, the Romans were "like us" in many ways, but in other ways, they were also quite Alien, and UN-like modern Americans - VERY unlike..
It's hard to tell what, exactly, the film is or is meant to be: it's a satire and an honest costume drama, a sword-and-sandal epic, a fantasy, an attack on the senses and an art mockery, and a love story.
(Encolpio resembles both Malcolm McDowell -- surely something thought of during the making of "Caligula" -- and a more mature Christopher Atkins in "The Blue Lagoon.") It's also interesting to compare this depiction of Roman society with our current one, and see if Fellini's view of same-sexuality and decadence has any resonance today.
However, the death of Ascilto, Encolpio's alter ego, symbolically represents the death of Encolpio's homosexual desires and self doubts, restoring him to manhood and erasing his impotence.Like the fragmented remains of Petronoius Arbiter's Satyricon, Fellini's film ends as an unfinished sentence.
The plot is told in episodes, where characters move from one scene to another without explanation, where things change and there really is no reason for anyone to do anything.Yet, in that sense, Fellini captured what Ancient Rome was all about.
Like reading Don Quixote, there are stories within the story and we lose our protagonists sometimes, but then they reappear to guide us to the next chapter within the art history book Fellini has created.History, architecture, mythology, painting, poetry: these are the subjects of the movie.
The movie itself features comedy of several varieties -- the simultaneous send-up of the hedonistic ex-slave Trimalchio's pretensions and of the hypocrisy of the philosopher who is one of his meal-grubbing guests; the loss of sexual prowess in front of a jeering crowd of onlookers; the attempt to steal a hermaphroditic "god" from his/her shrine; the escapes from death by the hand of Nero's grim sea-captain (who marries Encolpius in a homosexual sailor parody of a wedding ceremony) and from the Minotaur (who says, "Today I have lost the contest but I have made a new friend").
Satyricon is a slow, bleak and slightly disturbing look at depraved ancient Rome, as two young men fight for the attention of a young slave boy, they are involved in a series of bizarre, erotic and non-linear escapades.
I'm not going to abandon Fellini, having spoken to others who where also bored and puzzled by Satyricon but have enjoyed his other works, I think I may just have to start with one of his earlier films..
I rather read Petronius's book or watch the immortal, impressive, and full of character El Fayum portraits.I prefer more " Fellini's Roma" as beautiful as "Satyricon", it is much more enjoyable, has a subtle message and a lot of heart and magnificent Eternal City is deservingly the only main character of Maestro Fellini's very personal film..
The cinematography consists of either weird stylized shots or extremely sloppy ones - with bad focus and more headroom than non-headroom.The actual plot of the movie is nothing more than a series of unconnected scenes of gay men either A) eating, B) performing various homosexual acts, C) just sitting around, or D) occasionally actually doing interesting stuff like fighting or moving around.
This movie is 2 very,very long hours of "huh?".Gordon Mitchell, Capucine, and George Eastman all in medium-sized roles help elevate this movie a little bit, but they've all been in much more watchable films.I thought I'd never say this, but if you really want to see a movie about the decadence of ancient Rome, watch Caligula instead..
The movie looks like filmed theater; the landscape is cut out and out of place, the sky doesn't fit the shadows and so on (the theater of the absurd?) Of course this was deliberate, given the great (or so I've heard...) Fellini, but I don't see the point.Maybe that's the idea - watch this movie to contemplate its pointlessness or your lack of understanding.
Fellini even had a Jungian analyst on the set while shooting.For those who haven't experienced it, Satyricon is a loose adaptation of the oldest surviving novel of the same name by Petronius Arbiter, a Roman from the time of Nero, who wrote a sprawling series of satirical and bawdy stories .
This is an art master piece that shows what a movie should look like and makes us remember that films can be the most powerful artistic expression.
Petronius' Satyricon, the inspiration for Fellini's masterful, albeit non-linear, eponymous film, has a good claim on being the first novel ever written.
However, Satyricon is stunning visually with striking roman garb and costumes beautifully photographed, and Fellini's direction while not as nostalgic as personal as some of his other films is accomplished.
Fellini takes us on a bawdy odyssey of episodic nature where Encolpio (Martin Potter) in center, together with Ascilto (Hiram Keller), faces the incredible but impossible, world of ancient Rome; the sultry society of Romans who lives luxurious lives in self-indulgence where the nature of moral traditions is constantly pushed to the limit.
The film jumps back and forth in time, and jags its narration with no sorts of explanation, the viewer just has to go along for the ride without never really understanding the plot - Fellini throws a fascinating travelogue who structurally follows the actual work of Petronius.Grotesquely painted, the film doesn't punctuated the everyday life of citizens of the Roman empire as Petronius' actual script, Fellini mainly makes it come to life by its visual opulence and outrageous connotations.
It's a shame to say things as pat about Fellini Satyricon like 'it's meandering' or 'it loses cohesion' or 'I asked 'who is that character again' too much', but they pretty much do apply, even if you are a really big fan of the movie.
At the least, Fellini never makes it a drag to look at, and his production values- the designs and mix of real locations with expansive Cinecitta sets, usage of colors, costumes, props (including severed limbs and heads), and adding to this Nino Rota & company's strange musical accompaniments- are just as superb, if not even more extravagant, than those for his previous color film Juliet of the Spirits.If the visuals and the look and style of the film help make this world of Rome where there's no real authority and sex and power is up for grabs, the actual substance then has to be taken into account.
While Fellini's Satyricon cannot in any way be considered a good film, there are worse.
All of Fellini's films end up in some sort of non-sense apotheosis which take your feeling of being lost to the highest point -- and signals you, at the moment you were thinking you were starting to grasp it, that there's a whole lot more than what you can comprehend.Fellini once said that he loved decadence much more than sound-mindedness, since the former was so much more rich in its imagery and colors..
Made in the late 60's this gaudy and grotesque looking film was Fellini's portrayal of the hedonistic and free-wheeling weirdness of the sixties through a mirror of ancient Roman decadence.
Based on Petronius' Satyricon, the satirical film follows the exploits of Encolpio across the ancient Roman world.
And, believe me, it's not a pleasant stroll (unless, of course, you happen to be a totally depraved glutton for punishment).Set in Imperial Rome during that mighty reign of Nero (in 60 AD), Satyricon is a literal madhouse of non-stop "WTF?" moments that will either deliver great pleasure or else sicken you with its outright repulsiveness.Filled to overflowing with ghastly-looking characters, homosexual overtones, torture and cruelty, Satyricon certainly didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination.Filmed in 1969, Satyricon was directed (with an obvious cynical glee) by Federico Fellini.Personally, I found this film's twisted story of ancient times to be quite an ugly movie-experience that, regardless of its truly weird and bizarre nature, wore out its welcome (and its novelty) within its first 30 minutes..
I recommend Fellini Satyricon for fans of abstract or surreal art and set design who can see past the disturbing plot and appreciate a true masterpiece of cinema..
I find it fascinating to see how Fellini managed it to create such an unusual movie - a film that has nothing to do with all the other pictures of ancient Romans, made in the 60s.
Although Satyricon looks so surreal, it shows us a much better way to understand how these people 2000 years ago actually lived & loved, as it's far away from the antiseptic hollywood-style, where the slightest hint to the real likings of many Romans was kept as a secret (like the cut out scenes in "Spartacus")..
I feel the picture itself;the different scenes,the costumes,the set, characters,all of it,I believe that was Fellini's vision,and I loved every moment of it and will revisit that love as I shall surely watch it again.Things of the past no matter who's perspective they come from always run the same cycle one way or another...and in this particular film the way this cycle ran was not at all structured or even evident.
I first learned of the film while studying Latin and therefore was aware of the fractured nature of the original work and was prepared for the same in the movie, and while some of the action is provocative a fair amount of screen time is just, well, rather dull--its hard to follow and has no translation to modern times or sentiments, still through all the meandering there are moments--moments that are visually stunning, inspire awe, and feel like nothing from this world..
Fellini's films are some of the most visually exciting ever made, and among them SATYRICON stands out as a masterpiece of hallucinatory cinema.
The more we know about Rome, Fellini, and Italian cinema, the more sense we can make.SATYRICON isn't light entertainment.
You will find action in each scene but, more than that, Fellini is probably the only director who has managed, with this film, to create an understanding of what life in ancient Rome MAY have been like for the lower and middle-class ordinary civilians.
Fellini - Satyricon (1969) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Set during the first century Rome, Encolpio (Martin Potter) and Ascilto (Hiram Keller) fight over which one will get to be with a young slave boy (Max Born).
An example of the decadence is when a patrician man rips his servant's hand off, just to entertain his patrician friends.Overall, "Satyricon" is not the sort of movie that you can try to simply describe; like I said, it's deliberately bizarre.
If that is the case, then Fellini has made a brilliant piece of filmography that pretty much captures the sense of our society and our modern mindset.The two parts of the film that stand out is the feast and the slave ship, and I liked those parts simply for the way those scenes were put together.
If you are the type who loved reading "Ulysses" or watching "The Last Tango in Paris," then "Fellini Satyricon" is the movie for you.
Few movies can claim to have one of the greatest lines in the history of film; Fellini Satyricon can. |
tt0213149 | Pearl Harbor | In 1923 Tennessee, two young boys, Rafe McCawley (Jesse James) and Danny Walker (Reiley McClendon), play together in the back of an old biplane, pretending to be soldiers fighting the Germans in World War I. After Rafe's father lands his biplane and leaves, Rafe and Danny climb into the plane and Rafe accidentally starts it, giving the boys their first experience at flight. Rafe manages to stop the plane at the end of the runway, but Danny's father beats Rafe and Danny for climbing into the plane. Rafe stands up to Danny's father calling him a "dirty German." However, Danny's father then reveals that he fought the Germans in World War I, and that he prays no one will ever have to experience what he experienced.
Eighteen years later, in January 1941, Danny (Josh Hartnett) and Rafe (Ben Affleck) are both first lieutenants under the command of Major Jimmy Doolittle (Alec Baldwin). Doolittle informs Rafe that he has been accepted into the Eagle Squadron (a RAF outfit for American pilots during the Battle of Britain). A nurse named Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale) meets Rafe and passes his medical exam despite his dyslexia. That night, Rafe and Evelyn enjoy an evening of dancing at a nightclub and later a jaunt in New York harbor in a borrowed police boat. Rafe shocks Evelyn by saying that he has joined the Eagle Squadron and is leaving the next day.
Danny, Evelyn and their fellow pilots and nurses are transferred to Pearl Harbor. Meanwhile, Rafe flies in numerous dogfights with the RAF against the Luftwaffe, becoming a flying ace, but is shot down over the English Channel and presumed to be killed in action. Danny gives Evelyn the news and she is devastated. Three months later, Evelyn and Danny begin to develop feelings for each other. Danny takes Evelyn on a sunset flight over the harbor and the two begin a relationship.
On the night of December 6, Evelyn is shocked to discover Rafe standing outside her door, having survived his aircraft crash. He goes to the Hula bar where he is welcomed back by his overjoyed fellow pilots. Danny finds Rafe in the bar with the intention of making things right, but the two get into a fight. They drive away, avoiding being put in the brig when the authorities arrive at the bar. The two later fall asleep in Danny's car.
Early the next morning, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese navy begins its attack on Pearl Harbor. The USS Arizona is obliterated when an armor-piercing bomb detonates the ship's forward ammunition magazine, literally lifting the bow out of the water. The USS Oklahoma capsizes after several torpedoes strike her, trapping hundreds of men inside. On the USS West Virginia suffers severe damage. One bomb mortally wounds Captain Mervyn S. Bennion (Peter Firth). Cook Dorie Miller (Cuba Gooding Jr.), with no training with firearms, mans a .50 caliber machine gun and shoots down a Japanese plane. The USS Nevada makes a run for the sea, becoming a primary target during the second wave. Danny and Rafe drive away in search of a still standing airfield, while Evelyn and the other nurses rush for the hospital. The nurses struggle to give emergency treatment to hundreds of injured. Rafe and Danny manage to get in the air in two P-40s. After causing four planes to crash into each other and another getting shot down by ground fire, the two shoot down seven Japanese Zeros. After landing, the two donate blood, rescue the men out of the capsized USS Oklahoma, and try to rescue the men out of the sinking remains of the USS Arizona, but are too late.
The next day, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Jon Voight) delivers his Day of Infamy Speech to the nation and asks the US Congress to declare a state of war with the Empire of Japan. The survivors attend a memorial service to honor the numerous dead, including fellow nurses and pilots. Later, Danny and Rafe are assigned to travel stateside under newly promoted Lt. Colonel Doolittle for a secret mission. Before they leave, Evelyn reveals to Rafe that she is pregnant with Danny's child and that she will remain with Danny.
Upon their arrival in California, Danny and Rafe are both promoted to Captain and awarded the Silver Star. Doolittle asks them to volunteer for a top secret mission, which they both accept. During the next three months, Rafe, Danny and other pilots train with specially modified B-25 Mitchell bombers. In April, the raiders are sent towards Japan on board the USS Hornet, and are informed that their mission will involve bombing Tokyo and then landing in China. However, the Japanese discover them early, forcing the raiders to launch from a longer distance than planned. After a successful bombing run against Tokyo, the raiders crash-land on Japanese-occupied territory in China in a rice paddy. The Japanese Army pin down Rafe's plane, but Danny's crew flies over and shoots the Japanese patrol before crashing. Danny is shot during the attack by Japanese patrols while the other pilots, Red (Ewen Bremner) and Gooz (Michael Shannon), kill the remaining Japanese patrolmen. Danny tells Rafe that he will have to be the father and dies. Back in California, a pregnant Evelyn sees Rafe getting off the aircraft, carrying Danny's coffin. Afterward, Evelyn and Miller are awarded medals and Rafe is awarded his medal by President Roosevelt. Rafe and Evelyn, now married, visit Danny's grave with Danny and Evelyn's infant son, also named Danny. Rafe then asks his son if he would like to go flying, and they fly off into the sunset in the old biplane that his father once had. | realism, murder, dramatic, thought-provoking, flashback, action, romantic, historical, entertaining, sentimental | train | wikipedia | In 1941 it cost the Empire of Japan 147 thousand dollars to stage the three hour attack on Pearl Harbor.In 2001 Michael Bay spent $132 MILLION dollars to film the event, and ran four minutes longer.
The recreation of the attack on Pearl Harbor is some of the best film-making ever - an extraordinary and moving sequence made utterly believable by state of the art special effects.
But like both those other two films, PEARL HARBOR is desperately in need of a decent script to frame the disaster sequence.Okay - I could almost accept the hokey old love triangle romantic plot - certainly the stars are great to look at - but the dialogue really sucked: "I don't think I'll ever look at another sunset without thinking of you".
I mean we all know that America won the war in the end, so did we really need this long epilogue?Personally I'd cut out all the Roosevelt and the Japanese high command scenes and concentrate on the experiences of the people on the ground at Pearl Harbor.
OK the action sequences are fantastic, the music is wonderful & gripping, the Pearl Harbor attack was intense, it was at many points very emotional and made you a bit teary eyed because you feel for all the brave men & women who died on that faithful day in December 1941.
Now lets get down to why this is movie failed miserably: 1.) First off the movie is way too damn long, I mean Jesus I would have to spend have a day to watch it so the makers failed to edit many scenes that didn't need to be in the film.2.) Historical inaccuracies are everywhere.
thousand of good men died that day so tragically in one of the most defining moments of American History and you wanna make a movie centered around fake characters and a cheesy love story.
I knew that special effects technology had advanced enormously since 1970, allowing the filming of things that would have been impossible in the previous big-budget movie about Pearl Harbor, Tora Tora Tora.So I thought "Given all this, how bad can it be?".The answer, unfortunately, is AWFUL.
Both films feature trite, sappy, predictable love stories (with every chestnut in the Hollywood Cliché guide clearly in evidence) layered over a real-life, tragic event.
I am prepared to watch Titanic (while fast-forwarding over the love story bits) just to see the history parts.Pearl Harbor fails this test.
The portion of the film featuring the attack on Pearl Harbor comes off like a video game -- Lots of sound and fury, but no realism whatsoever.
The late Brigadier General Kenneth Taylor, one of the pilots who did in real life what Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett portray on screen described the film as "a piece of trash...over-sensationalized and distorted."Watch Tora Tora Tora instead.
The unconventional romantic relationship and the intimate scenes between the lovers spice up the movie and give a new twist to the plot.If you want to feel the thrill and the emotion of being at war and love at the same time, of being away from home, of being behind enemy lines, and of leading your country to victory, go and watch Michael Bay's extraordinary take on the events leading up to and involving thereof one of the most disastrous catastrophes of the era.Michael Bay never misses a chance to leave his viewers awestruck with his action packed works, with strands of deadly love.
The fact that they advertised this film as one thing (the attack on pearl harbor) and actually gave us another (love triangle drama before, after, and during pearl harbor).So little time was spent on the actual battle and the memorable instances within it that one wondered if they had even bothered to research it.
Sure as hell I won`t be wasting too much time writing a long review .I hated this movie , it`s so full of anachronisms and cliches and I`m so glad everyone else has pointed them out , but the two ones that made me laugh were Josh Hartnett announcing " World War Two has just started " .
This film also features Cuba Gooding Jr. who plays Captain Dorie Miller, the first African- American in history to be awarded the U.S Navy Cross.The bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of the most shocking moments in the history of America, and it makes interesting subject matter to be told on on screen.
Although this movie does manage to paint the horrors that took place during that fateful day, this film does suffer from some flaws that director Michael Bay is often known.
Now with a war movie being directed by Bay, audience should go into this movie expecting abundance of explosions and this film plenty of these during the 40-minute action sequences that takes place during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Along with the whole Japanese attack and its aftermath, audiences are treated with a romantic subplot involving Josh Hartnett, Ben Affleck, and Kate Beckinsale that takes up a good portion of the film.
Pearl Harbor is certainly not one of the best war movies in Hollywood and definitely not the best of what Michael Bay has to offer.
Put extremely attractive young men and women into the fashions of 1941 but with the moral attitudes of the 21st century, add special effects, completely throw out any basis in actual fact in order to get an emotional reaction from the audience (here the film succeeds for all the wrong reasons), add a few rousing speeches, and you have Pearl Harbor.
The only good thing about this film are the special effects, and even then I prefer the more primitively done Tora,Tora,Tora from thirty years before because it actually tells the truth about what led up to the raid in painstaking detail, actually taking the time to show what is going on with both the Japanese and the Americans and the mistakes and misjudgments made on both sides.
Its the sort of movie anyone would expect to be an accurate enough dramatisation of events that actually happened.Instead what we get is an attempt to make another Titanic by including a love triangle that is dominant over the whole history aspect.
They join the United States Army Air Corps in 1941 and both show an ability at being daring pilots while training under the command of Jimmy Doolittle, in Long Island...Their life is changed when they encounter a beautiful dedicated nurse called Evelyn Johnson...Rafe falls for Evelyn and volunteers for service in the Battle of Britain
He continues his love affair by letters with Evelyn who ends up with Danny in Hawaii - Pearl Harbor, where the US Pacific fleet is gathered at rest...
We see hundreds of Japanese planes approaching towards their unsuspecting targets
Sailors sauntering along the decks of their moored vessels when the torpedo planes, armed with special shallow-running devices, headed for the battleships, their prime targets
Bay's cameras move sometimes fast, and sometimes in slow motion to show the savage blow
Scenes, out of focus, evoke the sense of disorientation and fear, also of bravery in the midst of confusion in the island's base hospital...'Pearl Harbor' is a fight between love and glory against a backdrop of America's entry into World War II...
This film was obviously made for an audience that has no conception on what "Pearl" was all about, and will probably never know the real facts due to the politically correct blame America first attitude in contemporary left-wing dominated Hollywood.Basically it's a love story set against the events.
The worst thing about Pearl Harbor is that there are people who will believe that this is how the attack on Pearl Harbor really happened.If you like this movie, you will never be a friend of mine!
In the rush of quasi-historical movies that have come in the past five years (reaching a box-office high with 1997's Titanic), the moviegoing public has demonstrated a willingness to sit through films they may have suffered through in grade school in order to get a better sense of what it was actually like to be there, to see the things that happened, to hear the whistles of bombs dropping in the air, and, above all, to experience what really happened.Michael Bay's presence can be seen throughout the entire movie's content.
The blooming romance between Affleck and Evelyn (Kate Beckinsall), his duty nurse during combat training, begins with a humorous and touching effect, but sooner or later we have to acknowledge the fact that they're in love because there's a war going on rather than any heartfelt connection made within three weeks' time.
This type of pathos demands a lot of feeling for scarcely-viewed characters, and it gets in the way of many of the film's better points.The actual attack on Pearl Harbor is conveyed brilliantly.
How likely is it that an American fighter pilot flying for the British would end up in Hawaii just in time for the "big attack" and then be switched to flying bombers days after the attack.If you want to see a good movie on Pearl Harbor, you have to go back to "Tora, Tora, Tora" or for carriers in the Pacific, "Midway".
I was looking forward to this movie when it came out, because I had studied World War II religiously and I couldn't believe this monstrosity of a film.Ben and Josh play Rafe and Danny, two American boys who grew up together and are in the army.
Eve is pregnant with Danny's baby; but that's the least of their problems when the evil Japenese are thinking about bombing an unexpecting army base, Pearl Harbor.The movie then just turns into nothing but action and makes the audience forget that this was real.
From glossy photography, beautiful wide-angle shots, eye-widening special effects and exceptionally good-looking people playing the lead characters, it offers a lot of eye candy to those who are willing to sit through the long movie.
In fact, it reminds me of a big cake with a recipe in which the makers tried to include all the tried-and-true ingredients of a commercially successful movie: visual treats, humor, drama, action and a story involving love, passion, friendship, vengeance and a good dose of patriotism.
"Saving Private Ryan" is an outstanding example of showing the emotions of war and evoking feelings whilst telling a war story.Or, make the movie about a love triangle and find some minor battle to get in the way of the friendships without being the main event.
Then you have time to develop a relationship between the characters and allow the audience to feel something with them and for them.This movie was ala "Titanic", in the attempt to mix love and tragedy, but "Titanic" was even better able to succeed at mixing the two than "Pearl"..
Never mind the plagiarism of other, better movies; the empty-headed and monumentally annoying love story; the pathetic so-called "acting" (only Dan Aykroyd and Tom Sizemore make any sort of impact); the banal script and laughable dialogue; the cheesy music and rock video editing; or the gee-whizz attitude to violence and explosions.
Of course, if you like laughing at how idiotic Americans are, you have plenty of opportunities, for example, when one of the characters shouts "I think World War II just started" - in 1941.The acting wasn't half bad, but unfortunately the actors had very little to work with.
His best friend played by Josh Hartnet, is also a pilot but he stays in Pearl Harbor and then falls in love with Ben Affleck character's girlfriend.
I thought it was just "bad" after the first time, but now i think that is is simply THE WORST PIECE OF S..T THAT HAS EVER BEEN MADE IN HOLLYWOOD.This movie is an insult to every soldier who fought in Pearl Harbor or any other battle of WW2.
Of course, there is great special effects in the battle sequences and the soundtrack is absolutely wonderful, especially the Japanese-themed music, but that is not enough to redeem this film from the bad points.DIRECTION: Not too impressed.
This script just didn't have enough gas to propel its 3 hour span, even with the love story intertwined.Also, for me, a lot of the fighter scenes looked too "Star War-ish" with the CGs, although using real restored fighters exclusively is understandably cost-prohibitive for even a large-budget Hollywood flick.If you want to see a good Pearl Harbor film, check out "Tora Tora Tora." While not as "pretty" as the 2001 version, the 1970 film has way more substance and authenticity..
I could spend an entire day writing about the historical inaccuracies, the mundane acting, the clichéd story and the disgust that WWII veterans feel when movies like `Pearl Harbor' are made.
Upon exiting the theater after "Pearl Harbor," I was set upon by a man who referred to the American officials portrayed in the film as "bumbling idiots." It's a good thing he said "Americans," because he easily could've been speaking about Rafe, Danny and Evelyn, the trio involved in a love triangle plot that is one of the movie's pitfalls.
Circumstances intervene, and Rafe returns to find that Danny and Evelyn are now lovers, casting the whole relationship into strife just in time for the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese air forces.The movie tries unsuccessfully to balance the love story with historical facts and events.
The movie does well with this entire sequence, not only because of some spectacular special effects, but because the love story characters are left alone to perform their real duties, leaving behind the sap and giving us a real taste of human drama.In summation, "Pearl Harbor" does not live up to the hype surrounding it.
You find the actor Ben Affleck in both movies but he's better in "Pearl Harbor" than in "Armageddon" because he manages to avoid third-rate acting.
The action sequences are certainly impressive but they are crushed by special effects (when Affleck and Hartnett pilot fighter planes against Japanese pilots, you feel that you are inside a video game!).From a historical point of view, the movie only suggests an academic vision of the Pearl Harbor tragedy and we learn nothing new.Nevertheless when the film focuses on the very moving hospital sequences, Michael Bay knows how to create emotion.At the end, the whole gives a heterogeneous, shaky and conventional movie..
Unlike movies like the MUMMY RETURNS the effects characters and script are brilliant.No review would be complete without a mention of Michael Bay a excellent director who makes this film a triumph.10 out of 10.
If you're interesdted in the actual history of Pearl Harbor and/or want to see a better paced, more watchable film, see "Tora, Tora, Tora" instead.
A really bad soap opera!!!!A 1 out of 10.PS the 15 minute Japanese attack scene on Pearl Harbor had good special effects just for that 15 minutes stretch of time.
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsIt was interesting to see how blockbuster meistros Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay would make an action oriented film without all the modern,high tech gadgets,and Pearl Harbor showed the result of this.But it still can't beat the sincere humanity and internal fulfillingness of the best war film of recent years,Saving Private Ryan,released three years ago in 1998.But there are other problems hampering Pearl Harbor as well.The love story is cliched,the acting is hammy and there are long,boring parts.However,during the attack sequence,the special effects,which,let's face it,are what a large majority of the audience have come to see it for,truly deliver.Certainly not oscar worthy,but entertaining eye candy at history's expense all the same.***.
Forget the bad reviews of the critics, judge for yourself!Forget the true history, you are going to see a film not a documentary!Pearl Harbor is a must see, just go and enjoy the special effects, the fictitious story-line and the acting!.
It is so horribly dumbed-down that it no longer is a story about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor an event that plays crucial role on the outcome of the war no no.
Bay directs it like an extended action sequence from "Bad Boys", he doesn't take his time in showing the effects of war on people or showing the darker parts of the bombing (namely blood, gore) no, all he cares is getting that PG-13 rating so that more kiddies will go see it.
That movie isn't as bad as you thought." So I give 0 stars for the first 90 minutes and the dreary love story and 5 for the attack on Pearl Harbor..
That makes me think how silly are people who cannot appreciate this movie.Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Empire of Japan, and the American democracy entered the war to protect its freedom.
It didn't.The story is an American love triangle that gets interrupted by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1942, no I'm not going into more detail than that, as I purely cannot be bothered to waste my time on it.
I didn't know Pearl Harbor was a love story!.
If you watch film to enjoy a quality script, good acting, and necessary action then keep looking.I would like to say that we should all remember Pearl Harbor for what it was, it is a memory we shall never forget.
Pearl Harbor is an excellent action/love story based on a historical moment in time..
I feel bad for hating this film so deeply because the event that it is about is not one that should be screwed around with, and with such a tragic event you would hope that all the people who decide to do stories about it do it with care and respect for the event.Basically what this is is a three way love triangle in which the event of Pearl Harbor just so happens to happen right in the background. |
tt0068505 | Dracula A.D. 1972 | NOTE: Sequel to "Scars of Dracula" (1970).Hyde Park, London, 1872: A coach is seen on a road in the woods of Hyde Park. It is the 'final' confrontation of Professor Lawrence Van Helsing [Peter Cushing] and his arch enemy, the demon vampire Dracula [Christopher Lee], struggling on top while the frightened horses pull the driverless vehicle at high speed. The band around a leather strap securing the horses gives out, causing them to separate from the vehicle, and as Dracula hurls Van Helsing from the coach it crashes into a tree. A stranger (Christopher Neame) on horseback some distance away is catching up to the coach. An injured Van Helsing struggles to his feet. Dracula has been impaled on the exposed spoke of a wheel, but when their eyes meet he still lunges forward to continue the fight. Van Helsing pins Dracula to the ground until the makeshift stake destroys him and he turns to dust. Having completed his task, Van Helsing dies as the stranger arrives, approaches the pile of dust and gathers some in a vial, placing Draculas ring on his own finger. At the funeral for Van Helsing in the graveyard of St. Bartolph's Church, he digs a hole near the gravesite into which he pours some of the dust and uses the wheel spoke to seal it in.The time shifts to early on a Friday night in September 1972, a century later. Teenagers have crashed a party. Jessica Van Helsing (Stephanie Beacham) dances with her boyfriend Bob Tarrant (Philip Miller), while their friends Johnny Alucard (Christopher Neame), Laura Bellows (Caroline Munro), Joe Mitchum (William Ellis), Greg Puller (Michael Kitchen), Anna Bryant (Janet Key) and Gaynor Keating (Marsha Hunt) also enjoy the music of the band (Stoneground) they came to hear. Another teen is painting a group scene on a mirror, and two others make out beneath the buffet table as the homeowners, Charles (Michael Daly)--who is the honoree--and their staid guests look on. Charles tells his mother (Lally Bowers) that he invited only the band to his party and does not know anybody else there. Joe is mildly rude to her, she urges Charles to take action, and he calls the police. The group make bets as to how long it will take the police to arrive, planning to be gone one minute before then. Johnnythe descendent of the stranger from the pastguesses eight minutes because of heavy traffic, but Joe is sure they will arrive in four minutes. The sirens come at four and a half minutes, and the teens file out. Johnny picks up a prized figurine and teases the mother by passing it hand to hand before breaking it and making his exit. The teens under the table are the only ones discovered by the cops.The group gathers at the Cavern coffee bar, where Johnny suggests they try a black mass. He has the perfect location, as St. Bartolph's Church nearby is condemned, and that evening is an insignificant date on the satanic calendar. Jessica is leery, but the others encourage her to join them. At his apartment later, Johnny looks at his inherited ring and vial with the remaining vampire dust inside. Bob uses a carwash before he drives Jessica home, assuring her that they will probably wind up partying instead of trying to raise up Beelzebub. He asks if her grandfather, as an authority on demonology, could help, but she says he is an anthropologist and dismisses the notion. He kisses her and says he will pick her up for the midnight gathering. She enters the house and finds the housekeeper Mrs. Donnelly (Constance Luttrell) is away. She goes to the home library, pulls a book about black masses and sits to read it until her grandfather Lorrimer Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) appears. He asks why she is casually reading a serious scientific work. She dismisses the concept of black magic. He asks if she wants to go out to dinner with him, but she wants to go with her group instead, and she candidly assures him before she leaves that she is only indulging in being with people her own age and has dabbled in beer, but is not into drugs or sex. Putting the book away, Lorrimer looks at an image of Dracula displayed on the wall.Late that evening, Bob pulls up at the fenced-in church and finds a loosened plank for them to enter the churchyard. He comes upon the grave of Lawrence Van Helsing. He thinks somebody has played a prank, but Jessica says it is indeed the grave of her great grandfather. Its inscription "Requiescat in Pace Ultima" (rest in final peace) puzzles her. She also sees that the date is exactly one hundred years to the day after his death. Joe then jumps from behind a headstone in a mask and scares Jessica. Bob is furious, but Jessica assures him she is not deterred. They enter the church to find the group decked out in shrouds Johnny has provided, and Jessica and Bob join them. Joe activates a reel tape recorder which plays a soundtrack of eerie noises and drums, while they all sit at the edges of a satanic circle on the floor and sway to the music (and to any drugs they have taken) as the aura around them takes hold. Johnny encourages them from the altar, reciting summonses to satanic entities as the tape plays out of its reel but the noises continue. Johnny mentions Dracula, and the ground around the spoke in the graveyard moves. He then calls Jessica to help him perform a baptism of blood ceremony, but she refuses. Laura excitedly volunteers. Johnny carries her to the altar and sets a chalice on her chest, pours the remaining ashes from the vial into it and slices his wrist, adding his own blood to reconstitute it. The concoction liquefies, swells and overflows the chalice. Laura screams and jumps off the altar covered in blood, but then finds she is unable to move from the circle. The others flee. Jessica wants to help Laura, but Bob pulls her to the car and they leave. Johnny proceeds to the graveyard and withdraws the spoke, a heavy mist pours out and swirls into a pillar to reshape into the revived Dracula. Johnny says he summoned Dracula, who replies it was his will as he raises his hand to show his reclaimed ring. He enters the church and bites Laura, draining her blood and claiming her as his first victim.As Bob drops Jessica at home, he rejects what they saw, saying they will all surely meet at the Cavern as usual. The group, minus Laura and Johnny, convene at the coffee bar, saying that the event could not have been real. Johnny arrives with the clothes they left behind and tells them he took Laura to the train to see her parents in Ramsgate. Gaynor says they live in Watford, but Johnny insists he is right. He uses a fake blood capsule in a water carafe to show that the ceremony was, in his words, hokum, and says Laura was in on the stunt. When the others leave, he offers Jessica a ticket to a must-see concert, but she refuses and goes away with Bob, so he invites Gaynor instead and takes her back to his place.Several young boys are playing with a ball and kick it by accident into the churchyard. They find the loose plank, enter to find the ball and come upon the mutilated body of Laura in a pile of debris. The police surgeon (Artro Morris), the detective sergeant (David Andrews) and Inspector Murray (Michael Coles) of Scotland Yard confer at the crime scene. The surgeon notes that the body was drained of blood. Jessica tells Bob she is sure Johnny is lying about where Laura went, but Bob urges her to forget it. Murray and the sergeant have identified Laura from arrest record fingerprints, and discuss the dark implications of the case. As they check her file, they see Jessica among the list of her friends. They remember that her grandfather worked with them on a blackmail case with elements of witchcraft, and decide to enlist his help again while trying to find out how Jessica might be involved. They visit Van Helsing at home and discuss vampires, the occult and supernatural phenomena when they bring up the fact that Jessica is slightly linked to the case. Outside Bob is dropping Jessica off and they see the police vehicle. Jessica tries to slip past, but Lorrimer calls her into the study to talk to the police. Though she tries to be flippant and evasive, once she learns that Laura is dead, she breaks down and admits that she and her group were at the church, details what happened, and says that the group is with Joe Mitchum. Murray tells Lorrimer she is involved but he is not sure she is implicated. Outside, he tells the sergeant to accompany him to visit Joe, where there will likely be drugs and, therefore, an opportunity to detain and talk to the others in the group. After they leave, Lorrimer finds Jessica with the phone to warn Joe about the pending police visit, and he dissuades her. He learns that Johnny Alucard, whose name was not on the police list, mysteriously insinuated himself into her group and took leadership.At his apartment, Johnny offers Gaynor a smoke and puts on a record; later they kiss and she soon falls into a stupor. He helps her into his car and drives back to the church to bring her to Dracula. In his study. Lorrimer writes the name Alucard on a piece of paper, reveals it is Dracula backwards, and concludes Johnny is a disciple. The count drains Gaynor of her blood, but he wants Johnny to bring him Jessica. Asleep in bed, Jessica tosses and frets as she has a nightmare in which she seems to witness what happens to Gaynor, and she awakens screaming. Lorrimer helps her settle back to sleep, assuring her the nightmare is over, but she replies that she doubts it. Johnny demands to be granted immortality, and Dracula reminds him that he was chosen to help destroy the Van Helsing family through Jessica. Johnny says vampirism would make it easier to find her and begs to be turned, assuring the count he will get rid of Gaynor afterward. Dracula grips Johnny by the shoulder as he turns his head for the fatal bite. Lorrimer takes out a bible, a silver knife, and a cross which he places around the neck of the sleeping Jessica. Johnny dumps the body of Gaynor out of the car to fall into the river. Later he spots a woman leaving a laundromat and he smiles, revealing fangs, and exits the vehicle.In the morning, Van Helsing goes to Sunday services at a local church and fills a vessel with holy water. Later Murray informs Van Helsing that Gaynor was found dead in Hyde Park. She was not mutilated as significantly as Laura. He also says a woman named Marjorie Baines was discovered. Lorrimer guesses correctly that her body only had two neck punctures, but Murray admits he does not know what he is dealing with. Van Helsing says Dracula had been in London before and could have returned. A phone call comes, informing Murray that the detained group members were bailed out by their parents and accompanying lawyers. Lorrimer says they might be safer in jail, but then assures Murray that he sees a pattern leading back to Johnny, and he can help crack the case, so Murray says he will officially attribute the deaths to a criminally insane killer and asks what to do next. Van Helsing recommends removing the police presence from the church so Dracula can reach his resting place, and to notify him if Johnny is located. Then he mentions possibly making use of the Cavern, but Murray says the police will be shutting the coffee bar down due to suspected drug activity.Bob goes to the Cavern and finds it closed with a police guard in front, so he sneaks in the back entrance to find Johnny, who says he has been waiting for him. Lorrimer walks to St. Bartolph's, finds the loose plank, and leaves. At the house, Mrs. Donnelly finds Bob at the door. He tells Jessica that Johnny has been arrested at the Cavern and the police want her to come join the others to add her statement. She goes with him through the back entrance of the bar to find nobody there until Johnny comes out of hiding. She sees that he is a vampire, then turns to Bob to find he is undead as well. Johnny removes her cross, burning his hand, and Bob is prepared to bite her, but Johnny says the Master wants her, and Jessica faints. When Lorrimer calls in to Mrs. Donnelly, she informs him that Jessica has gone to the Cavern. In a panic, Lorrimer runs there and finds the cross on the floor. He rushes out and nearly collides with Anna in her car. She called his home, spoke to Mrs. Donnelly and wants to help, being the only one in the group alive who has visited Johnny at his apartment. Lorrimer asks her for the address.At the apartment Johnny has a coffin in his living room and is packing a bag with candles and a folding knife when Van Helsing arrives. Johnny goads him, asking if he will give the bride, Jessica, away, and they struggle as the sun begins to rise. Van Helsing wraps the cross around the bible and tosses it into the coffin. Johnny retrieves the knife and slashes Lorrimer in the arm, but a shaft of sunlight reflected in a mirror hits him and he shrinks back, so Lorrimer uses the mirror to repel Johnny. Backing upstairs into his bathroom, Johnny accidentally releases the skylight window shade, flooding the room with sunlight. He falls into the bathtub and grabs the faucet lever, turning it on, and the running water paralyses him. Lorrimer tries to get him to talk, but as Johnny succumbs he says Lorrimer will never find Jessica. Murray and the sergeant arrive. Lorrimer says Dracula has Jessica and asks for one hour at the church as the sun sets with no police, and Murray agrees. The sergeant recommends Lorrimer visit the hospital for his bleeding arm, and Murray says they will follow other leads and visit the church later.A weak and bandaged Lorrimer returns to St. Bartolph's to find Bob has been destroyed by sunlight in the churchyard. Jessica is on the altar inside the church. She is in a trance and will not awaken until Dracula summons her. Lorrimer whispers to her and returns the cross to her neck, hiding it in her bodice, promising he will not be away for long. In the churchyard he digs an immense hole and fills it with handmade upright stakes resembling crosses, covering the trap with grasses. At dusk, Dracula appears and awakens Jessica. When she sits up, the cross appears, and the count cautiously removes it, causing his hand to smolder. Before he can bite Jessica, Van Helsing appears, urging him to remember the past encounter. Recognizing his enemy, Dracula challenges Van Helsing, pursues him upstairs and corners him, but Lorrimer produces the silver knife and stabs him in the heart. The count tumbles over the ledge to the floor below and hypnotically summons Jessica to his side for help. Though Lorrimer yells to Jessica to stop, by the time he reaches the ground floor she has removed the knife and the chase resumes. Lorrimer runs outside, stumbling at the trap, and some of the covering gives way. As Dracula reaches its edge and spots the trap, Lorrimer produces the vial of holy water and, with a quick blessing, flings the water at him, which burns the vampire like acid. Dracula loses his balance, slips on the ledge and falls, landing full body onto the stakes. He lunges back at Van Helsing but is pinned prone and helpless. Lorrimer picks up the shovel and pushes down on the vampire. The stakes impale him through the back and seal his doom as Jessica screams under his fading thrall. Lorrimer watches as the body disintegrates into dust, and Jessica rushes into his arms in time to witness the phenomenon. Lorrimer puts his coat around her shoulders, she sees Bob lying dead nearby and nearly collapses, but Van Helsing assures her gently, "Requiescat in pace ultima," as she sobs in his comforting arms and they turn for home. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.] | good versus evil, revenge, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt0307453 | Shark Tale | In Reef City, an underachieving bluestreak cleaner wrasse named Oscar fantasizes about being rich and famous while making his way to work as a tongue scrubber at the local Whale Wash, a job in which he is following in his father's footsteps. Soon after arriving he is called to the office of his boss, a pufferfish named Sykes, to discuss the fact that he owes "five thousand clams" and has to pay it back by the next day. After explaining this to his angelfish best friend Angie, she offers him a chance to pay back the money by pawning a pink pearl that was a gift from her grandmother. Oscar brings the money to the race track to meet Sykes, but becomes distracted by his dreams of grandeur. Upon hearing that the race is rigged, he places it all on a long-shot bet by the name of "Lucky Day". Such a million dollar bet is noticed nearby by a beautiful lionfish named Lola, who flagrantly seduces an excited Oscar, but Oscar is disappointed when she leaves upon learning that he is a whale washer. Sykes is furious that Oscar bet the money but nonetheless agrees to see how the race turns out. Moments before their betted "horse" crosses the finish line, he trips and falls on the line.
Meanwhile, outside of the reef in the wreck of an old ocean liner a family of criminally-inclined great white sharks has a problem with one of their sons, Lenny, who is a vegetarian and refuses to act the part of a killer, wishing not to have to live up to those expectations. His crime lord father, Don Edward Lino, orders Lenny's more savage older brother Frankie to tutor Lenny in the family business. After the two sharks depart their father, Frankie sees Oscar being electrocuted by Sykes' two jellyfish enforcers Ernie and Bernie and sends Lenny off to attack. The jellyfish spot Lenny and flee, leaving Oscar alone with him. Instead of attacking Oscar, Lenny frees him, upsetting Frankie who becomes annoyed and charges at Oscar. However, Frankie is killed when an anchor falls on him. Lenny flees, overcome with grief and guilt. As no other witnesses were present and Oscar was seen near the body, everyone comes to believe that he killed Frankie, an opportunity that Oscar decides to exploit for fame.
Oscar returns to the city with a new title of the Sharkslayer. Sykes becomes his manager, Lola becomes his girlfriend, and Oscar moves to the "top of the reef" to live in luxury. At the same time, after Frankie's funeral, Don Lino has everyone out looking for Lenny. When several sharks get close to Oscar's neighborhood, Oscar's neighbors expect him to drive them away so he goes and runs into Lenny. Since he does not wish to return home, Lenny forces Oscar to let him stay with him since he is aware of Oscar's lie. Soon, Angie finds out about the lie as well and threatens to tell everyone. Oscar and Lenny convince her to keep quiet, though she is heartbroken by Oscar's dishonesty. Oscar's situation is not helped by the shallowed Lola, who indicates to him that her interest in him extends only as far as he remains famous. With Don Lino planning revenge, Oscar and Lenny stage an event in which Lenny pretends to terrorize the town and Oscar must defeat him throwing him into the depths of the ocean. Though this further cements Oscar as the Sharkslayer, it greatly angers Don Lino. Oscar leaves Lola for Angie after Angie reveals that she had feelings for Oscar even before he became famous, but this leaves the rebuffed Lola determined to get revenge.
Oscar buys some Valentine's Day gifts for Angie, but before he can present them to her, he finds that Don Lino has kidnapped Angie to force a sit-down. Lenny comes along now disguised as a dolphin named Sebastian. They arrive at the meeting to find Lola next to Don Lino, while Angie is tied up and gagged and presented to Don Lino on a plate who prepares to eat her if Oscar does not comply. Lenny grabs Angie into his mouth, but later regurgitates her. When Don Lino realizes that "Sebastian" is really Lenny, he chases Oscar through the reef. Oscar heads for the Whale Wash and ends up trapping both sharks. He is given an ovation by the other fish, but Oscar confesses that he is not a "Sharkslayer" and reveals the truth behind Frankie's death. He then tells Don Lino that everyone likes Lenny for who he is and strongly urges him not to prejudge people before he knows them properly and make the mistakes he made in prejudging his wealth. Realizing that Oscar is right, Don Lino apologizes to Lenny and reconciles with him while making peace with Oscar, stating that he and his gang bear him no ill will. Oscar forsakes all the wealth he has acquired, makes peace with the sharks, becomes co-manager of the Whale Wash (now frequented by sharks, killer whales, and swordfish), and starts dating Angie and enjoys a happy, honest life.
During the credits, Lola tries to find Oscar to make amends, but all she finds is a hermit crab named Crazy Joe, one of Oscar's friends. | cult, entertaining, romantic, flashback | train | wikipedia | Kids may find the sharks a bit frightening, and adults won't find much to enjoy, with the exception of the talented voice cast, such as Angelina Jolie, whose Lola(a very beautiful fish) was one of the better characters, Rennee Zellwegger, who deserved better than she was given and Robert DeNiro, whose shark was just a caricature of the Godfather.
Some gags also work - the pizza ordering Octopus is a gem.But despite playing heavily on racial stereotypes the movie as a whole feels rather bland - as if it was designed by marketers and a committee rather than by people who had a funny tale they wanted to tell.The actors supplying the voices vary in effectiveness.
De Niro makes the movie as Don Lino, shark godfather, and without his presence it would be fair to say that the movie would simply be too weak to sustain interest.The music is very MTV, and the end song sequence is atrocious - though kids will probably love it, parents should bring ear plugs for the time when Oscar releases "Missy and Christina" until you leave the cinema.Shark Tale offers an amusing hour and a half for the children but a rather predictable and only occasionally amusing time for adults.
While that statement had some merit, at the end it turned out that A Bug's Life was a far better movie entertainment-wise, despite cuter characters and simpler story and all that kiddie-like appearance.
Dreamworks builds his scripts on pop-culture references and more adult themes, and while it works sometimes (Shrek was fantastic), at other times it just falls flat.Some say it's unfair to compare Finding Nemo and Shark Tale, them being totally different movies with the only matching characteristic being antropomorphic fish, but it seems that the comparison is inevitable.
Had "Shark Tale" had even an iota of the wit and charm that seems to have little trouble finding its way into Pixar's creations, the movie might have been more enjoyable.
He wishes for a better life, hoping to swim his way to the top of the fish social ladder, though his coworker Angie (voice of Renee Zellweger) thinks he should be happy with who he is, and tries to subtly drop hints that she's quite taken with him.Meanwhile, great white shark and local crime boss Don Lino (voice of Robert De Niro) is planning to turn his family business over to his two sons, Frankie and Lenny.
Now a media celebrity for being a "shark slayer," Oscar rides his status all the way to the top, with Sykes managing his interests and the sharks fuming that their top spot in the food chain is quickly losing its power.Situations soon escalate and Oscar and Lenny reach an agreement: if they fake a battle and Oscar emerges triumphant, he can keep his credibility as a shark slayer and Lenny can start a new life."Shark Tale" openly references "The Godfather" and "Jaws" at every opportunity, which in and of itself isn't too bad except that so little is made of the main plot itself that the whole move feels like a patchwork of other, better movies, just with a meaningless hip-hop attitude.
After "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmarron," "Road to El Dorado" and "Sinbad" all tanked, it's clear that the "Shrek" series is the only good thing the studio has going for it right now.Of course, there's no escaping comparison to that other computer animated fish movie, either, and that's when this film looks most wanting.
with big and well-known names such as will smith, Robert De Nero, Renee zellwegger, Angelina Jolie, Ziggy Marley, and Katie couric involved in this animated film, i felt that this movie was going to at least come close to finding nemo, a masterpiece that is and always will be the leader of the "under-the-sea" type animation.
I however think that this movie will not be loved by young children, they simply will not be able to understand most of the jokes and the movie also lacks some 'likeable Disney type of characters' for them.I never was really interested to go and watch this movie since it got lot's of bad reviews and I thought that the trailer looked horrible and very unfunny.
The movie has your average love story, in which Angelina Jolie's character is really unnecessary and adds absolutely nothing, in my opinion but watching Robert De Niro's character scream and shout and giving orders to Martin Scorsese's character on the other hand was absolutely priceless.Will Smith was a great main character and just as entertaining as Eddie Murphy in an animated movie.I predict that the music in this movie will be absolutely hated in 20 years by now, just as much as I hate '80's music in movies now.
No, I really didn't liked the songs in this movie mainly because in unlike the Shrek movies, they aren't any evergreens.If you plan to buy this movie for your kids, think twice, you're probably better of watching "Finding Nemo" with them.
"Shark Tale" is the latest animated feature from DreamWorks, the same studio that gave us "Antz" and "Shrek." This new story can be called a cross between "Finding Nemo" and "The Godfather." It's no "Shrek," but it's still enjoyable.
The voice talent was well cast, with Will Smith as Oscar, the ambitious "small fish in a big pond" who finds himself an instant celebrity; Jack Black as Lenny, a peaceful vegetarian shark; Robert DeNiro as Don Lino, Lenny's father, the head of a shark mob, etc.
Those who liked Finding Nemo would probably like this movie too..(Although it isn't as good as Finding Nemo) Worth a watch...for kids as well as for adults.Angelie Jolie was a great choice to play the part of Lola.The animation in this film is brilliant...buts thats something v have come to expect of animated films..isn't it!!.
I have to admit going into this review that I didn't at all have the slightest hopes of liking "Shark Tale." From the previews last fall, it reminded me a little too much of Pixar's "Finding Nemo." Not so, as I would later find out.
"Shark Tale" draws much of its inspirations, as noted by critic Roger Ebert, from "Casablanca," "Jaws," and "The Godfather" - all movies that are considered to be modern American classics."Shark Tale" plays out like an amalgam of all three classic films, and has a plot that shares uncanny parallels to the current events debate about morality and homosexuality in America.
He's thought up a number of schemes in the past that have all failed and his closest friend is his boss's secretary Angie (Renee Zellweger), who also has a crush on him.Things become complicated for all the characters when Frankie is accidentally killed by a fisherman's anchor being dropped on his head while he was trying to convince Lenny to be a killer shark by feasting on Oscar, who's indebted to Don Lino for a failed horse-betting scheme.
The fact is that the characters were very entertaining, the animation was brilliant, and the story was great and was sending messages along with it, such as accept your destiny, be happy with who you are, accept others for who they are, and you don't have to live "on top of the reef" to be a "somebody." This movie also exposes us to the pop culture.
(With my son).Others like Nemo, Monsters and other films such as Shrek, Tarzan etc had a quality story if the animation or CGI was not the very best.Shark Tale had quite good CGI but that was all.
A poor mans Finding Nemo was the criticism levelled at it mostly, so after just viewing it what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be!De Niro is superb as the mafioso Shark, as is Scourcese, who proves to be quite a good comic character actor.
There are plenty of gags with nods to such films as Jaws, The Godfather and Analyse This, and the film never loses pace throughout it's enjoyable 90 minutes.My only slight criticism would be that Will Smiths character is basically him as a fish, all wise ass, shades,sneakers etc but I supposed this could be levelled at De Niro, but really this really doesn't detract from an enjoyable movie..
The NYC graphics were fun, character portrayals amusing.Okay, I'll even go out on a reef and mention the "Nemo" word.Sure, that animation was fun...I don't compare Shark Tale to it, just appreciate it equally for its individual personality and the fun it provided to me.
I just don't get how you can hate a good movie like Shark Tale but love bad movies.
But Sharktale gives the audience a story that involves a lot for kids to digest, despite the conventions and clichés of it (little fish wants big things, bets all his money at the sea-horse racetrack and loses, blow-fish boss orders execution, then has a run-in and takes credit for a mobster's son's dead corpse, becomes a celebrity, and is under pressure with the other son who's a bit of a wimp, and with his love interest).
Actors like Will Smith and Jack Black can be funny, but the lines and jokes they pull in the film lie kind of flat in the water.
The latter, though compared to Shark Tale, was a disappointment, it became one of the last last good movies that Dreamworks Animation released.
The animation is superb and the hidden story lines/jokes make a truly intriguing story.This film cant be compared to Finding Nemo due to the fact the films are totally different aside from the fact they are both underwater (it has more in common with spongebob than it does Nemo!) A sign of a good movie is when time flies and the film is in the closing credits before you know it, and thats what this film delivered to me, i felt good at the end of it and I would without a doubt watch it again.'Oscar' is a character a lot of people may relate to, he is in a dead end job, wants to be a character and make people laugh and dreams of living in a far off land getting everything he wants, the film takes us on the ride of what it is like to get it all, and shows its not all we imagine it to be, the rich can be upset to, and again be dreamers, this time of the life they had left behind.Totally worthy of a 'worth see' movie..
The story tells about Lenny (voice by Jack Black), a shark who happens to be a vegetarian, a disgrace for his father Don Lino (Robert De Niro).
It is nowhere in the quality of Finding Nemo, Shrek, or Toy Story 2 but I found it a good time at the movies.
Most of the characters in Finding Nemo were sweet and adorable, in Shark Tale they all have a dark side (with the exception of Jack Black and Renee Zellweger - she's the girl who is truly in love with Oscar).
Not that it's a dark film, but everybody seems to be corrupted in a funny way.The humour of Shark Tale aims more at adults than in Finding Nemo.
The same goes for Martin Scorcese (as Oscar's manager), Angelina Jolie (as the femme fatale) and Missy Elliot and Christina Aguilera (who have a small part singing a song).But in the end Shark Tale is really the big "Will Smith versus Robert DeNiro" show.
Shark Tale has an impressive cast, if this were a live action dramatic film, starring Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Robert DeNiro and was directed by Scoresese, then we might have a masterpiece on our hands.
I still hear people talking about Finding Nemo today, hell even older animated films like Toy Story, but Shark Tale seemed to have faded the next day after the release.
Well, I guarantee you that this is no Shrek, Shark Tale was over all an average attempt at film making for animation, but I have to admit that I still had fun watching it.
While it wasn't up to par with Shrek 2, I still kinda had fun, especially with the cast.Oscar is a fish who feels like the ultimate nobody and Lenny is a vegetarian shark who's father is kind of the Godfather of the shark world, so his dad expects him to be a meat eating rough tough shark.
But when the father wants to see what the sharkslayer is really all about, Oscar may loose his true love, Angie.Well, the jokes were a little off every once in a while and it wasn't as impressive as some other animated films, but I still had fun watching Shark Tale.
Shark Tale is a good cartoon film, better than Finding Nemo.
But Shark Tale was just so funny and overall such a good movie.First of all, everyone seems to be saying that this is a knock-off Finding Nemo.
It's not like Finding Nemo, a good family movie that all ages could enjoy, it's aimed more at the kids.
It was kind of like a pathetic, dumbed-down version of the "Who's on first" thing.I don't really think Shark Tale was a bad movie, but with CGI films increasing and increasing in releases, this will be one that probably won't be remembered as well as some others.
I truly hope that you at least don't think you're any kind of a movie critic, if you look past that its Will Smith I believe you'd agree that Oscar was a cool character.
The key thing to note is that Shark Tale represents solid family entertainment, and will find a special place in the hearts of those who adore the Godfather movies and the TV series "The Sopranos." This is a great animation film, much in the mold of Finding Nemo..
Love this movie it is a classic,Best fish face film i've seen this month.Will smiths voice is even spectacular in the portuguese voiceover.
He also becomes friends with Lenny (voice of Jack Black), Don Linos' wimpy, vegetarian son."Shark Tale" is good entertainment overall, with plenty of amusing character design, and a respectable amount of energy.
Whatever the differences between Disney's Pixar and DreamWorks Studios are in terms of animation and types of stories, I don't think they have been more opposite as when they were fully expressed by the two rival studios when they coincidentally decided to handle the aquatic world, in a one-year interval: "Finding Nemo" in 2003 and "Shark Tale" in 2004.
the story works nonetheless and this is why I'm surprised by Roger Ebert's review, or personal take on the film.The late critic, who could be wrong but not very often, deplored that "Shark Tale" with all its references to classics like "The Godfather", "Goodfellas", "Scarface" and of course "Jaws" (the inevitable one, even parodied in "Nemo" and that grabbed the earlier laughs in that one), there's nothing left for the usual universal and simpler material that can appeal to children.
And I understand that for some viewers, it might get tiresome, once you have played the spot-the-star game and managed to guess Jack Black or Renee Zelwegger; you want the story to grab you a little, and it does, sort of.There are basically two plots: Oscar, a whale washer, is a nobody trying to be somebody with a sort of end-justifying-the-means way, ignoring the cute assistant in love with him, and there is Lenny, the vegetarian shark who disappoints his Godfather- like father, Don Lino.
And all the jokes in the film worked too, especially the in-jokes.Honestly, I've NEVER found this movie to be a "rip-off" of "Finding Nemo" - I like any film about the ocean, as long as they're done RIGHT & tell a good story.
One of the most successful things about "Shark Tale" is the CGI Characters that truly looked and acted like the big Hollywood stars...
"Shark Tale" is basically an good movie for the kids but adults will probably enjoy this the most.
Though there's far more plot and a real dark side to this fish world (shark mafia, anyone?), Finding Nemo did better because it feels more like real life.
All his life, Oscar has felt like an unappreciated "nobody," until, one day, through an utter fluke of fate, he inadvertently finds himself heralded as a fearless "shark slayer," a position that gets him into deep trouble when De Niro and his henchmen descend on the reef looking to stir up a little trouble with the defenseless locals.."Shark Tale" doesn't have quite the sharpness and wit of certain recent animated films, but it is fast-paced and clever enough to keep us entertained for most of its running time.
Shark Tale is a movie you will want to see again and again, just like Finding Nemo.
This movie is great for kids and adults, and it's fine and great like Finding Nemo!!!.
It was so funny I almost wet myself the first time I saw it.One thing I loved about this movie was the fact that all the fish looked like the person in real life.
This movie will be enjoyed by kids and adults.Jack Black and Robert De Niro were so funny.
The movies suffers mainly from three things:* Oscar, the main character, is somewhat ugly designed, looking like a dragon fish with a Will Smith-mask pasted on.
So, I don't think Shark Tale makes a good kid film since they wouldn't get a lot of the jokes.
I liked the look of the sharks from Nemo better than this movie.
Shark tale was an excellent movie which i think any age could enjoy and was funny as hell.
If you liked nemo, you will better watch shark tale.
Shark Tale has got fishes and sharks in the ocean just like Finding Nemo but that is where the similarities end.
The Jelly fish also kick ass!My only little annoyance with Shark Tale is how Oscar looks too much like the guy providing his voice, Will Smith.
Shark Tale is voiced by several stars (Robert De Niro, Jack black, Will Smith, Renee Zellweger) and even with good old Martin Scorcese. |
tt0085995 | National Lampoon's Vacation | Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) is a food processing salesman living in Chicago, Illinois who wants to spend more time with wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and his teen children Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall) and Audrey (Dana Barron). So, he decides to lead the family on a cross-country expedition from Chicago to the Los Angeles amusement park, "Walley World", billed as "America's Favorite Family Fun Park". In the opening scene, Clark and Rusty drive to a local car dealer lot where he decides to purchase a new sports wagon for the cross-country drive. But the conniving salesman Ed (Eugene Levy), tells him that the car he ordered never arrived and scams Clark into taking in its place a more gas-guzzling, technicaly failing, behemoth station wagon called the Wagon Queen Family Truckster. Clark refuses to be conned, but after his old station wagon is "accidentally" crushed by a compacter machine, Clark is left with no choice but to take the Family Truckster.At home, although Ellen tells Clark that she wants to fly to California for their two-week vacation, he insists on driving, so he can bond with his family. The next day, the family packs into their new car for the long drive to California, only to have all their luggage chained to the top of the station wagon fall off after they back out of the garage... a bad omen of things to come.During the first day's drive, Clark and Ellen try to ease the boredom by singing old folk songs including the so-called Wally World National Anthem. Rusty and Audrey take their escape by listening to their radio walkmans of their favorite rock group The Ramones. While stopping for a fill up at a gas station, Clark cannot find the gas tank opening, and accidentally tears off the station wagon's license plate to search for it.Later that same day, the family arrives in St. Louis, Missouri, but after crossing the Mississippi River into the city, they get lost and end up in a rough ghetto area where some local street hoodlums steal their hubcaps and spray paint graffiti on one side of their car while giving them sham directions back onto the local expressway.While driving late at night on the interstate west of St. Louis, all of the family falls asleep... including Clark driving in which their car exits the road and drives through a residential neighborhood before stopping for the night at a local motel.On the second day of the vacation (Day 2), the family arrives in Dodge City, Kansas without further incident where Clark falls victim to another tourist trap when he insults the local bartender at a tavern, and gets shot with a round of blanks. Back on the road, Clark is tempted by a hot young woman (Christie Brinkley) driving a flashy red 1983 Ferrari 308 GTS.That afternoon, the Griswalds arrive at a farm outside of Coolidge, Kansas to visit Ellen's cousin Catherine (Miriam Flynn) and her eccentric husband Eddie Johnston (Randy Quaid), and their five kids, plus one on the way, but this creates more tension among the Griswalds. Catherine and Eddie foist crotchety old Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) and her vicious dog, Dinky, on the Griswolds, asking them to drop her off at her son Normy's home in Phoenix, Arizona. Eddie also asks for a loan of $500 to help him out with numerous debits he owns the local bank and many bill collectors. The kids have better experiences with Eddie and Catherine's eldest kids. Cousin Vicki (Jane Krakowski) shows Audrey her secret pot stash, while Cousin Dale (John Navin) shows Rusty his secret porn magazine collection.The next day (Day 3), the Griswalds along with Aunt Edna and Dinky drive off. During a picnic stop in Colorado, Clark has another encounter with seeing the young woman in the red Ferrari whom is parked and dancing to dance music. The Griswalds stop for the night in a run-down campground in South Fork, Colorado where they survive another tourist trap for the night as well as deal with the vicious dog Dinky.The next day (Day 4), the Griswalds and Aunt Edna pack up and leave the campground for Arizona. But while packing the car, Clark forgets to untie the nasty Dinky from the car's rear bumper before leaving. Clark does not realize his error until he is pulled over by a local motorcycle cop (James Keach) to angrily inform him of his mistake that has led to the apparent death of the dog. Never less, the policeman allows Clark to proceed on his way. During the drive, Clark has another encounter with the young woman driving the red Ferrari while everyone else is asleep, but nearly gets into an accident. But the result has one of the suitcases falling off the car, which contains all of Ellen's credit cards.The next day (Day 5), the family gets lost on a back road somewhere in Arizona where while Clark and Ellen argue, they accidentally drive off the road and get into an accident, damaging the Wagon Queen Family Truckster. Clark hikes off into the desert and spends many hours wondering aimlessly in the hot and aried desert until he finds a gas station... only to find the family there after they were rescued by some local Indians whom had a camel to tow their car to the very station. But after making some half-hearted repairs, the redneck mechanic (Mickey Jones) scams Clark out of all the money he has on him (over $500 for the repairs). But they manage to get to the Grand Canyon Village to check in for the night.The next day (Day 6), the frustrated Clark realizes that in reporting Ellen's lost credit cards to their hometown bank, the bank had frozen Clark's credit cards by accident, and Clark cannot convince the stuffy hotel clerk to take a check to pay for their rooms for the night. With the desk clerk distracted for a few minutes, Clark steals all the cash in the hotel's cash register, leaves behind the $1,000 check, and flees the hotel like a Wild West bank robber, grabs the family away from the scenic sight of the Grand Canyon, and speeds away.During the drive through Arizona, they find that Aunt Edna passed away in her sleep. With little options, they decide to drive to Phoenix anyway and deliver her to her son Normy's house (with the dead Aunt Edna tied to the roof of their car). When they reach Normy's home that evening in a raging thunderstorm, they discover he is out of town, and leave Edna's rigor mortised body on a lawn chair in the backyard.Despite all the events and the begging of Ellen and the kids, Clark is more determined to get to Walley World. They check into a motel for the night where after another argument with Ellen, Clark hangs out at the motel's bar where he has a face-to-face-encounter with the beautiul young woman from the red Ferrari and they make small talk about things. The woman beckons Clark to go skinny dipping with her in the motel's swimming pool, but upon diving in, Clark screams over his reaction to the cold pool water... thus waking up the entire motel, including Ellen, Rusty, and Audrey. When the woman takes her leave, Clark goes back to apologize to Ellen who demands that Clark repay the favor by taking him back to the pool to skinny dip with her.The next day (Day 7), the family finally arrives in Los Angeles, California and arrives at Wally World... only to find that the park is closed for repairs. Clark, slipping into madness, buys a realistic-looking BB gun from a local sporting goods store, returns to Wally World, and demands to a overweight and geekish park security guard named Russ Lasky (John Candy) to take them through the park; Ellen and kids follow him, attempting to placate their father.Eventually a SWAT team arrives along with park owner Roy Walley (Eddie Bracken) and they arrest the whole family. Clark manages to talk to Roy who suprisingly understands Clark's impassioned epitome of the American Vacation, bringing back memories of his own childhood years ago. Roy does not file charges against the Griswolds, and lets the family enjoy the park as his guests, along with the police and SWAT team who are seen riding on the park's top roller coaster attraction in the final shot of the movie.The end credits show various still photographs of the Griswolds enjoying the rest of the vacation at all the various stops they made over the course of the movie, including a final frame of them returning to Chicago via plane... having abandoned their gas-guzzling car in California. | comedy | train | imdb | null |
tt0035854 | The Falcon Strikes Back | The famous detective is framed for murder by crooks running a war bonds racket.Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway) the debonair sleuth known as The Falcon is suffering from a hangover when a young lady Mia Bruger (Rita Corday) bursts into his bedroom begging for his help locating her missing brother. Tom agrees to accompany Mia to a cocktail bar her brother frequents - but when he enters he gets knocked out. Tom wakes in the backseat of his car, which is parked at the side of a country road. But when Tom drives back towards the city he is soon pulled over by a police officer on a motorcycle. The cop (Ralph Dunn) promptly arrests The Falcon for the murder of a bank official. Tom is turned over to Inspector Timothy Donovan (Cliff Clark), he interrogates The Falcon regarding the theft of a quarter of a million dollars in Government War Bonds and the murder of the bank official. He tells Tom that six people witnessed his car leaving the scene of the crime, but Tom tells him that he was with his fiancée - reporter Marcia Brooks (Jane Randolph). When questioned however, Marcia refutes Tom's story.Donovan agrees to go with Tom to the cocktail bar where he was knocked out, but when they enter they find that the 'bar' is now the headquarters of a knitting society. Donovan has now had enough of The Falcon's stories and arrests him, but Marcia and Tom's sidekick Goldie Locke (Cliff Edwards) have followed the Inspector to the bar and The Falcon is able to jump into her car and speed off. Tom sends Marcia to infiltrate the knitting circle back at the bar and she discovers that the leader of the group a Mrs Geraldine Lipton (Wynne Gibson) resides in a resort hotel out in the countryside. When she reports this information back to The Falcon, he and Goldie drive out there to investigate.The Falcon and Goldie frame the hotel detective for theft to get him fired and then quickly persuade the hotel manager Gwynne Gregory (Harriet Hilliard) to replace him with Goldie. Down by the swimming pool Tom spots Mia talking to Rickey Davis (Erford Gage) a criminal that The Falcon helped send to prison years ago. Rickey is posing as a nurse to an invalid, Bruno Steffen (Andre Charlot), who is staying at the hotel. When Tom tries to speak to Mia she pretends she doesn't know him and then dives into the pool to avoid him. As soon as Mia hits the water a shot rings out and Mia is killed. Tom immediately searches the hotel rooms that overlook the pool but the only person he finds is the puppeteer Smiley Dugan (Edgar Kennedy) performing his puppet show. Tom then enters the office of Gwynne, where he finds she is arguing with Rickey. Tom finds a spent cartridge on the rug and covertly takes Gwynne's cigarette case and slips it to Marcia - asking her to go and get it fingerprinted. Tom follows Gwynne when she goes on a cycle ride, but they are both nearly knocked down by a car which Tom discovers belongs to Steffen. This prompts him to break into Steffen's room in search of the missing bonds, but he is bizarrely interrupted by Smiley who begins to rant and rave about waste and extravagance.Smiley alerts Donovan to the The Falcon's presence at the hotel and the Inspector goes there to arrest Tom - only to discover that he cannot do so as it is outside his jurisdiction. Marcia returns with the results of the fingerprint test and reveals that the cigarette case belongs to a notorious thief known as "The Duchess". Tom hatches a plan and phones his houseboy Jerry (Richard Loo) and gets him to come to the hotel posing as the Chinese Trade Commissioner. In this guise Jerry learns from Steffen that he is going to buy some War Bonds from Gwynne. Tom confronts her about the cigarette case but she denies it is hers and just at that moment Mrs Lipton enters and claims the cigarette case is hers. Tom announces that Lipton is "The Duchess" and accuses her of stealing the bonds, but Donovan returns with a warrant for the arrest of The Falcon. He promptly arrests Tom, Marcia, Goldie and Jerry but once again The Falcon manages to give the police the slip and returns to the hotel.There he overhears Lipton and Rickey trying to blackmail Gwynne into selling the bonds to Steffen, Tom enters to stop them and Lipton confesses that it was Rickey who framed Tom in revenge for having put him behind bars. As Rickey enters the room to confront The Falcon a shot is fired and Rickey crashes to the floor dead, a terrified Gwynne confesses that she was married to Rickey and that he was blackmailing her. Mrs Lipton is afraid that she will be the killer's next target and goes to her room while Tom and Gwynne take the elevator down to the lobby. Suddenly the power to the elevator is cut trapping them. Tom begins to suspect that Smiley may be the killer as he is familiar with the operation of the hotel. After getting out of the lift he goes to find Smiley but discovers that his puppet show is automatic - providing the puppeteer with the perfect alibi. The Falcon rushes back to Mrs Lipton's room, where he finds Smiley accusing her of stealing all his savings. When Tom bursts in, Smiley flees and then plunges to his death from a rooftop. Donovan returns to the hotel and finally arrests the right person as he arrests Lipton for stealing the bonds. With the case solved Marcia and Tom are about to return to the city when suddenly a glamorous, foreign lady rushes into the lobby and begs Tom for help. | revenge, mystery, murder | train | imdb | This is the fifth Falcon film, the first with Tom Conway in the role, and the first with a major director, Ed Dmytryk.
An ingenious tracking shot of Conway walking along the edge of a swimming pool talking to a woman who is swimming was replicated in 1985, 42 years later, in 'The Sure Thing' directed by Rob Reiner.
The screenwriters of the previous film have been dumped because they did not provide enough humour, and this time humour is back, and plenty of it.
I taped the whole Falcon series from UK TV in 1988, I guess I must have seen every entry at least 10 times so far since and this is one of my favourites.
It's the usual inconsequential mix of comedy and crime, smart ass one-liners and murders, non-serious but jealous romances, and atmospherically photographed melodrama that can keep you pleasantly occupied for just over an hour, that is if you like the genre.Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway's first solo flight as the Falcon) while recovering from a hangover is disturbed by an exotic woman who's just come in through the bedroom window.
That is the ruse to ensnare and frame him in a USD 250,000 War Bond robbery, his efforts to clear himself from the chasing cops and get the real baddies is the plot.
The search takes him and Goldie via the Volunteer Knitters For America to a rather splendid (studio bound) Pinecrest Hotel, where it seems all of the guests are shifty about something and who deserve watching even old RKO stock slapstick characters.
Favourite bits: the 5 second interchange between the hotel bellgirl, the Falcon checking in and the receptionist an incredible lightness of touch!
Also Inspector Cliff Clark's terse command to give Mr. Wong a bong and bring him along though it wouldn't win praise from the pc brigade today.Overall, a nice watch for fans of 40's b&w b features, one I hope to be spared to watch another 10 times where's the Deluxe Complete Collection Edition DVD??.
An enjoyable entry in the b-movie series that has a consistent pace.
Tom Lawrence gets off to a good start on his own as he wakes up with a hangover but with a sexy Latino lady standing over his bed.
Mia Bruger is her name and she tells the Falcon of her concern for her missing brother.
When he is arrested for a bank robbery and a murder, Lawrence works put that he has been set up and goes on the lamb to solve the crime and why he was set up.In his first film on his own, Tom Conway opens with a typically suave turn in bed, hungover from his night on the town and waking with a beautiful woman in his room.
Much more enjoyable than the previous entry (Falcon's Brother) in this regard, the film is well written and well delivered.After a so-so start in the last film, Conway seems like he was made for the role and within a few seconds of the first scene he is into it and great fun.
Hilliard works well alongside him but, unusually for the series, there are quite a few strong female performances from Randolph, Gibson and Corday.
After Lefty in the last film we get Goldie returning but this time played by Edwards.
Better comic support value comes from the pairing of Clark and Gargan (straight man and stupid man respectively); the simple comic scenes involving them are not imaginative but they do provide a few laughs.Overall then a good entry in the series that is much more assured than The Falcon's Brother had been the year before.
Consistent and with a good pace the film benefits from solid characters and good performances to produce a typically enjoyable film in this famous b-movie series..
First in the series in which Tom Conway stars fully on his own as the Falcon.
Tom starts and ends this movie by being dragged into danger by a beautiful damsel in distress Rita Corday starts her appearances in the series with this film.
Some good comic bits include two tramps telling Tom the time by an improvised sundial (and then commenting on how fortunate they are for their state of affairs compared to Tom).
The basic plot involves a war bond theft, a murder at a swimming pool, and Tom's relationship with Jane Randolph (who swoons to his kiss).
Cliff Edwards' only appearance as Goldie Locke (better portrayed in later films by Edward Brophy).
An early Harriet Hilliard as a resort manager will be more remembered in the Ozzie and Harriet TV series.
Good directing saves this entry into what is otherwise only a fair series..
Great Tom Conway Classic Film!.
Always enjoyed the Falcon series and especially the acting of Tom Conway who acted his part with great easy and especially since he was on his own in this second Falcon film.
In the first series, his brother in real life was George Sanders who played a role with Tom. This film is a typical B film, however, there were great veteran actresses like Harriet Hillard,(Gwynne Gregory), Jane Randolph(Marcia Brooks), and Richard Loo,(Jerry), "The Bamboo Prison",'54, who gave a great supporting role.
Richard Loo was famous for his vicious roles as a horrible Japanese Soldier in many WWII films.
TOM CONWAY, sounding amazingly like his brother George Sanders who originated the role of the Falcon, does a commendable job of mixing sleuthing with romance.Jane Randolph is good as the romantic interest, but Harriet Hilliard offers little evidence of either acting ability or future possibilities as a romantic lead.
She had a much brighter future on TV.The plot has something to do with war bonds but only serves to provide a modicum of interest until the murderer is finally revealed.
Edgar Kennedy has one of his more memorable roles here.A breezy entry in the series, very watchable.
Amusing to see Cliff Edwards (of "Pinocchio" fame) in a supporting role..
The Falcon series on DVD?.
After doing some internet searching it appears that the Falcon series has not been put on DVDs. Does anyone know if there is a reasonable chance that that will happen?
I'd sure buy a DVD set of the series if it were available.The three films we saw were The Falcon's Brother, The Falcon and the Co-Eds and The Falcon Strikes Back.
I read a comment that the earlier George Sanders films had a more film noir atmosphere, in which case we'd definitely like to see those.Thanks,.
One of the best of the Falcon series.
The Falcon films with George Sanders were mostly very enjoyable, with only 'The Falcon's Brother' being lacking.
Tom Conway's first solo outing in the title role is one of the better films in the Falcon series, and Conway is every bit as good as his brother.Faults are few.
One is Harriet Hilliard (or Harriet Nelson), who comes over as a stiff and one-note actress in a pretty limited role.
The other is Cliff Clark, who mugs in a buffoonish manner, makes one miss James Gleason who would have been a much better choice.Conway however is perfectly cast, bringing the very same qualities to the character that Sanders did and is very clearly enjoying himself.
Cliff Edwards is amusingly solid as Goldie (the character making a welcome return after being sorely missed in 'The Falcon's Brother'), a worthy replacement for the admittedly still superior Allen Jenkins.
Jane Randolph and Rita Corday are very charming support, and Edgar Kennedy proves in his splendidly malevolent performance that he is much more than a slapstick stooge.
Edward Gargan's material is much stronger here, and he's fun.Advantaging them all the way are the playful, crackling script, an absorbing story that balances humorous comedy with suspenseful mystery (if occasionally rushed, which is the fault of the short running time) and superior direction from Edward Dmytryk.
Production values-wise, 'The Falcon Strikes Back' is slick and atmospheric, and the music lively.On the whole, very entertaining film and one of the best of the series.
Falcon Strikes Back, The (1943) *** (out of 4) Edward Dmytryk directs this fifth film in the series, which has The Falcon (Tom Conway) trying to track down war bond thieves.
Up to this point in the series, this film here is clearly the best as it deals with a very interesting story and also features Conway in fine form.
The story of the war bonds being stolen adds a great interest and I'm sure it was even more fascinating back when the film was released.
The supporting cast is also in fine form with Cliff Edwards really coming into form as The Falcon's partner.
The film also manages to be quite funny with several neat little twists including a great gag on how The Falcon gets away from the police.
Not a great film, but very watchable and slightly better than average for the genre.
In this episode of the Falcon, Tom Lawrence is investigating a theft of war bonds and murder.
Considering it was made during WWII, it isn't surprising that they added the patriotic angle--something that happened in other similar films, such as some of the Sherlock Holmes and Charlie Chan movies.This is a pretty good Falcon movie that stars Tom Conway (real-life brother of George Sanders who had played the Falcon in several earlier films).
While not his best of the series (for example, I liked THE FALCON AND THE CO-EDS and THE FALCON'S BROTHER just a bit more), it was enjoyable and engaged me.
However, no matter how good this film was, I found myself comparing it to the earlier Sanders films again and again.
While there is a lot of similarity between the actors (both physically and in their melodious voices), the earlier films seemed to have a bit more energy and charm--probably because by now the series seemed a bit formulaic and predictable.
Still, for a B-detective series film from the era, it's slightly better than average and is definitely worth a watch.By the way, the Harriet Hilliard who plays one of the ladies that turns the Falcon's head is the same Harriet from "The Ozzie and Harriet Show".
While competent in the film, she didn't seem especially like the ladies the Falcon usually fell for or rescued..
Good 1940's lighthearted series adventure.
Jane Randolph makes her second and final appearance as a feisty reporter with a yen for the Falcon.
Rita Corday, also very attractive, makes the first of her five appearances in a Falcon film.
In common with all the 1930's and 1940's series movies of this type, the police are portrayed very broadly for comedy.
The period costumes are good, especially on the ladies, and there are a couple of great old cars shown--the Falcon drives a stunning white convertible!
Not as crystal clear as on the Fox Chan films, or the Universal Holmes ones, but still pretty good.
There are some good exterior sets, especially at the country hotel.
The new Falcon tries to help a woman find her brother and winds up investigating murder and theft of war bonds.
Tom Conway eases into the lead role in this series effortlessly.
His style is very similar to his brother George, which helps.
The character of Goldie Locke returns but with Cliff Edwards playing the role.
Cliff Clark and Edward Gargan return as Inspector Donovan and his sidekick Bates.
Jane Randolph makes her second and final appearance in the series as the Falcon's lady reporter love interest.
In addition to Randolph, the lovelies this time are Harriet Hilliard and Rita Corday.
Now that George Sanders had been killed off his real and reel life brother Tom Conway has taken over the title The Falcon, he's even retained the retainer Goldie Locke, in this film played by Cliff Edwards.In this film Conway with the reputation of the Falcon preceding him Conway is neatly framed for the theft of war bonds.
Remember this film made during World War II.The big surprise here is the dramatic performance of comedian Edgar Kennedy famous for his slow burn routine in feature films and a large number of two reel shorts.
He plays a puppeteer with a traveling show and no laughs for Kennedy in The Falcon Takes Over.Fans of the series should be pleased..
Director: EDWARD DMYTRYK.
66 minutes.NOTES: Number 5 of the 16 "Falcon" pictures, and the only one to be directed by Edward Dmytryk.
COMMENT: The cast is four times more appealing and the direction about twice as inventive as the plot, — a lot of meaningless waffle about stolen war bonds.
Dmytryk's direction is likewise smooth, though it only really rouses the rafters in the action spots, e.g. the long tracking shot of Rita Corday swimming the length of the pool; the camera in the driver's seat of a speeding station wagon; the business with the Velma Dawson Puppets, including a "Goofy" puppet, courtesy of Walt Disney.
The movie itself is a fairly routine Falcon.
Seems a war bond scam is going on at the hotel, but who's behind it and how does it tie in with a series of murders.
Leave it to the Falcon to sort out, along with his humorously dim-witted sidekick, Goldie (Edwards).
Note too that the director is Ed Dmytryck who went on to direct such noir classics as Murder, My Sweet (1944) and Crossfire (1947).
Instead, it's the suave Conway, snappy throwaway lines, and, of course, the comely girls, which makes this latter a special treat.(1) The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, (1952-1966).
The fifth film in the Falcon series was directed by Edward Dmytryk.
Directed by Edward Dmytryk, this is Tom Conway's first film as the Falcon and he's got a new sidekick, Goldie (Cliff Edwards), and houseboy (Richard Loo) though he retains his journalist, girlfriend Marcia Brooks (Jane Randolph).
The police inspector (Cliff Clark) and his detective (Edward Gargan) also return from the preceding Falcon film, The Falcon's Brother (1942) (George Sanders' last film in the title role).Mia Bruger (Rita Corday) shows up in the Falcon's bedroom one morning while he's recovering from a hangover.
While he is unconscious, his car is used in a burglary of $250,000 in war bonds and a warrant is issued for his arrest.
When the Falcon regains consciousness, he finds himself in his car and there's a comic scene involving two bums that tell him where he is (out in the country) as well as the day and time, using a stick sundial.The police soon catch the Falcon, who take him to the "bar" only to find that the establishment is now a sewing school run by Gwynne Gregory (Wynne Gibson).
Though still jealous over the bedroom scene, Ms. Brooks helps the Falcon establish his alibi for the police and then reluctantly agrees to pose as a sewing girl to learn what she can about the sewing school.
In the purse of Ms. Gregory, she discovers the name of a hotel in the country (which becomes the setting for the rest of the movie).Shortly after arriving at the hotel, the Falcon and his sidekick humorously "eliminate" the hotel's house detective so that Goldie can be hired to replace him.
Quite a few characters are introduced into the storyline at this point including: a puppeteer (Edgar Kennedy) who is doing charity shows at the hotel, the hotel manager (Harriet Hilliard - Ozzie and Harriet), an ex-con (Erford Gage) that the Falcon helped send "up the river" working as a nurse for a German refugee (Andre Charlot), and even Ms. Bruger and Ms. Gregory turn up again.As is typical, murder becomes part of the plot-line, as do the stolen war bonds (with the aide of the Falcon's houseboy) and a fingerprint laden cigarette case.
But, as usual, he escapes (with the same trick used earlier in the film by his sidekick), returning to the hotel in time to solve the crime ...
except this time, the police inspector actually gives the Falcon some credit.The film ends with a woman's scream and her running to the Falcon for assistance, introducing the next case and/or film in the series.FYI, the very recognizable character actor Byron Foulger plays the hotel clerk in this film..
***SPOILERS*** The high flying "Falcon" Tom Lawrence, Tom Conway, is laid low after a night of heavy drinking and is awaken in his office by Mia Berger, Rita Corday,an what seems like escapee from fascism-Nazi German occupied Europe- begging him to track down her missing brother.
Not in the best shape Lawrence goes to this bar where Mia's brother is known to frequent and not only doesn't find him but is knocked out and left outside town in a car that was involved in the robbery of $250,000.00 of US Government bonds where a number of people were killed!
Arrested on a tip by the police Lawrence, and later after escaping from them,is now more then determined to prove his innocence by finding Mia or whoever she is in order for him to prove he was with her when the robbery occurred.
Things don't look so good for Lawrence when he finds Mia refuses to help him and is later, at the hotel she was staying in, killed by being shot by a sniper while diving off a plank at the hotel swimming pool!
***SPOILERS****Now in real hot water in not only being accused of a robbery of $250,000.00 in US Government Bonds, at the very height of WWII,but the murder of Mia as well Lawrence uses all his wits and savvy to elude the police as well as to get him out of the mess that he now finds himself in.
The killer himself is caught in a trap that Lawrence-the Falcon-set for him using Mrs. Lipton as bate.With Lawrence hot on his tail and having really nowhere to go the killer ends up falling to his death as he slipped off the roof of the hotel that he, using an assumed name, worked at! |
tt1126590 | Big Eyes | The opening title card reads: BASED ON TRUE EVENTS.The opening shot is one of Margaret's paintings, then replicated over and over, in mass production. We read the quote: "I think what Keane has done is just terrific. It has to be good. If it were bad, so many people wouldn't like it, attributed to Andy Warhol."The movie is narrated by a newspaper editor named Dick Nolan (Danny Huston). Opening in the year 1958 in Northern California. Margaret Ulbrich (Amy Adams) packs up her things and takes her young daughter, Jane, away; she is leaving her husband behind, something which was very uncommon in those days. They drive up to North Beach, San Francisco where her best friend Dee-Ann (Krysten Ritter) lives and they move in with her. Dee-Ann tells Margaret about the art galleries in town.Having to support her daughter alone, Margaret applies for a job. She has no work experience but studied at an art institute so she is put to work painting illustrations at a furniture factory. On the side, she draws peoples' portraits at an outdoor art show but is widely ignored. There, Margaret catches the eye of Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), flirting with women and selling his street scene paintings nearby for $35. He encourages Margaret to be more aggressive in her salesmanship, trying to convince a young girl to buy a portrait before realizing she is Margaret's daughter and the model for her work.Margaret and Walter go out to a restaurant; Walter says they wont have to pay because he has given them artwork, revealing he is good at making deals. He tells her about living in Paris and how he studied at an art school there; then compliments Margaret's work saying he wishes he could paint people instead of street scenes.Margaret paints Jane outside the Palace of Fine Arts. Jane points out that Walter's canvas is blank but he says he needs to be inspired before he can start. Walter asks Margaret why she draws eyes so big and she says eyes are the windows to the soul and tells him when she was little, she was deaf for a short period of time and she found herself looking at peoples eyes to read them. A man recognizes Walter and she learns that he is a realtor and not a painter. He tells her that he hates his job and all he ever wanted to do was be an artist.Walter and Margaret share an affectionate moment in her place, much to the annoyance of Jane. When she goes through the mail, Margaret discovers that her husband wants to get full custody of Jane, calling her an unfit mother as a single woman. Walter proposes to her, saying they can raise Jane together. They get married in Hawaii, a place Margaret ends up loving. She paints a portrait and now signs it KEANE.Back in California, Margaret tells Dee-Ann all about Hawaii. Dee-Ann, having promised never to hold back her feelings about Margaret's lovers after her last failed marriage, tells her that Walter has been with every woman on the art circuit. Margaret tells her she's not naïve and that Walter is a good provider. She gets her fortune cookie, which tells her success is about to come.Walter tries to sell his work to an art gallery, in the process interrupting the owner, Ruben (Jason Schwartzman) as he tries to make a sale. Ruben points out that Walter only lived in Paris for a week and wonders why he keeps creating Parisian street scenes. Walter shows him Margaret's Big Eyes paintings but Ruben scoffs at them, saying the eyes are like big stale jellybeans. He tells Walter to leave before the taste police arrives.Margaret and Walter to go an exclusive jazz club with Walter complaining that art's popularity is determined by a committee who meet for brunch and decide what's cool. Margaret argues that art is purchased when it speaks to people but Walter doesn't agree. Walter tries to convince the club's owner to purchase his paintings; when the owner refuses, Walter suggests that he can rent out the walls to exhibit his work.Walter tries to promote the artwork at the club but is stationed by the restrooms and nobody pays any attention to the paintings hanging nearby. A drunk woman is touched by one of Margaret's paintings. Walter is disappointed to hear she's not interested in his own work; nonetheless, Margaret's painting sells. Walter goes upstairs and fights with the club owner about setting him up down near the restrooms. Cameras photograph the fight, in which the owner is knocked over the head with one of Margaret's paintings. It ends up on the front page of the local newspaper.Margaret bails Walter out of jail. He tells her that he let a couple think he had painted the Big Eyes to make a sale. She tells him never to do that again.The next time Walter goes to the club, it is packed with people, looking to get a sense of what has made the news. The club owner is excited at all the new activity and stages a fight with Walter to generate more buzz. Dick Nolan, who has served as our narrator, introduces himself to William he has a celebrity gossip column and wants to know more about Walter's hobo kid paintings.Walter surprises a sleeping Margaret by showing her all the money they've made from sales. He tells her he needs more paintings and that they've become a great team she does what she loves (painting) while he does all the schmoozing at the club. Walter does just that, taking his job as salesman very seriously. Margaret surprises him at the club and overhears Walter trying to impress some women by claiming he painted the Big Eyes. They argue privately he tells her he is just trying to sell paintings and buyers pay more when they meet the artist. She points out she is only staying home because he demanded it. He tells her they should focus on making money and he wouldn't mind if someone else took credit for his Parisian landscapes. She is surprised he can give away credit for his work and has no emotional connection to them. The argument is interrupted when a rich Italian industrialist walks by and wants to know who the artist is. Margaret is torn on how to respond but Walter pipes up, claiming it is him and ends up making a $5,000 sale. Afterwards, Margaret says he is being dishonest but he tells her that they're both KEANE so now they are one and the same.Dick Nolan reports as Walter generates publicity by giving away paintings to the mayor, a Soviet diplomat, Joan Crawford. Walter decides to open up his own Keane Gallery but Margaret feels uneasy about the lie. When they are putting up a poster to promote the opening, Jane tells her mother she remembers when she posed for the painting on the advertisement. Margaret has to convince Jane that she is remembering incorrectly and Walter says he was mimicking Margaret's style when he made it.Margaret goes to confessional and admits she has lied to her daughter, at the urging of her husband, although she is not that kind of person. The priest asks if her husband is that kind of person. She defends him and says he just wants to make money so they can buy a house. The priest tells her as a Christian, she knows that men are the head of the household and she should trust his judgment.The Keane Gallery opens. Dee-Ann is there and she hints to Margaret that she is suspicious about Walter being attributed to the Big Eyes paintings. A man asks Margaret if she paints, too, and she doesn't know how to answer. Walter is asked about his techniques and is caught in a lie when he claims to have done a painting in oils when its actually acrylic. The guy asks Walter what inspires him to paint little girls and he has to make up a loquacious response.At home, Walter is watching Perry Mason. An art critic appears during the commercial break, chastising Keane's work because he's won no awards and is only known because he's publicized by Dick Nolan. Upstairs, Jane almost walks in on her mother painting in the off-limits art room but is sideswiped by Walter, who tells Jane to go get ice cream from a nearby truck. Margaret tells him she hates lying to her daughter but he points out Jane now has a trust fund. He asks her about her work and says he's going to go on television to defend it. She asks him what inspired his Parisian landscapes and if the streets were as lovely as he depicted; he says, no, it was after the war and then gets the angle for why he (allegedly) painted the Big Eyes portraits.On television, Walter claims seeing orphaned children in a war-torn Paris was what inspired his work. The women on the panel are touched. The Keane Gallery gets even more popular - people rip the promotional posters off of poles and ask them to be autographed. Walter gets annoyed that none of these people actually want to buy expensive paintings but realizes that they all want to take posters he starts selling the reproductions for 10 cents each and realizes they can make money off of reproductions.At the supermarket, Big Eyes replicas are on display. Margaret observes a book on Numerology and then is distracted when she starts seeing everyone with GIANT EYES. She goes home and paints a new portrait one with elongated features and small eyes. Walter is confused when he sees it. Margaret tells him she wants to sign it as herself, so that she can honestly tell people she is also a painter. He becomes paranoid and tells her that if she tells anybody, the empire collapses and they have to return all the money because they've committed fraud. She breaks down, saying that she's locked up in the room for 10 hours and that she just wants to have credit for the new paintings.Walter turns this into a new angle for publicity a family of painters, with Margaret's abilities minimized by including Jane in the story, showing off her childish work. Dick Nolan, interviewing for this story, tells Margaret people don't buy lady art but Margaret reminds him of Georgia O'Keeffe. When she talks about Modigliani and painting, Walter shuts her down, telling her to stick to the family angle. The interview is interrupted by Lily, a 10-year-old girl who is revealed to be Walters daughter. Margaret pulls him aside and is angry that he never told her about his daughter; Walter says hes supposed to have visitations once a month but he never enforced this. She asks how he can keep something big such a secret. He tells her he puts up with HER daughter and never complains. She tells him shes going to pretend he didn't say that.At the gallery, a man admires Margaret's work meaning her new style. He asks why she signs it MDH and she explains she loves the number 7, pointing out M is the 13th letter, D is the 4th, H is 8, 1+3+4+8=16, 1+6=7. Walter pulls her aside and chastises her for talking about numerology. Nearby, two snobby men lambast the artwork but admire Walter for turning it into a business, selling reproductions and postcards. Ruben stumbles upon a display of Keane artwork in a store window and says, Christ. Its a movement.Now Margaret and Walter live in a five-bedroom mansion 30 minutes away. Dee-Ann comes to visit, astonished at the size of the estate and mentioning that Margaret has been out of touch. Dee-Ann forces her way into Margaret's art studio, despite her pleas; Walter arrives home then, pretending that they share the space and the artwork on display was produced by him. There is awkwardness between Dee-Ann and Walter at dinner. Later, Walter kicks her out and tells her never to return again. Dee-Ann screams out "fuck you!" and drives off.Jane and Margaret are outside playing. She goes into her painting room and confesses to her dog that she is the one who painted the Big Eyes and nobody knows but him. She decides to paint a new painting of a woman with her dog; while going through a crate to find a blank canvas, she finds a stack of paintings with Parisian street scenes but they are all signed by S. CENIC.Margaret runs into the living room and scrapes off KEANES signature on one of the Parisian landscapes that is hanging there. It is revealed to be originally signed by S. CENIC. Walter later comes home, bragging about all the important people he got to hang out with. He says a dignitary from China is visiting the town and Margaret should paint a big-eyed/slanty-eyed little kid for her. Margaret suggests she give him one of his Parisian street scene paintings but says she might already have a Cenic. Walter is caught in a lie and tells her that Cenic was his nickname in Paris since the other students admired his SCENIC art pieces. She knows he is lying, pointing out that he paints over the name, and realizes that shes never seen him paint even though she thought she had. She asks if hes ever been to Paris. He admits that he always wanted to be an artist but never really had the talent. Later that night, Margaret refuses to let Walter sleep with her, telling him there are three extra bedrooms and he should pick one.Days later, Walter learns of the 1964's New York World's Fair. At dinner, he demands Margaret paint something to put on display. She refuses and he tells her he'll have her whacked if she doesn't adding that he knows people. She cries, taunting him to kill her after keeping their secret for so long and pointing out that she no longer has any friends. He is unsympathetic and tells her that there will be 70 million visitors to the World's Fair and they should reveal his masterpiece there. She tells him that you can't announce a masterpiece and that Michelangelo took four years to paint the Sistine Chapel. He tells her that UNICEF is sponsoring the Hall of Education and suggests she does a Cinerama-sized painting showing the children of the world. Margaret is upset because she says art can't be contrived; it has to be inspired - Walter doesn't understand this concept.Margaret slaves away in her painting room on the piece, angry at the overwhelming obligation. He asks her to provide some preliminary sketches of hers so it can be published in a coffee table book titled Tomorrow's Masters.That night, Jane is hungry for dinner and she uses a key to get into the painting room. There, she sees her mom working on the masterpiece for the World's Fair. Jane tells her she knows her mom is the real artist.John Canady (Terence Stamp), a senior art critic at the New York Times, castigates the World's Hall display (called Tomorrow Forever). A civic leader tells him that the work wasn't chosen but Mr. Keane contacted them directly and they decided to include him after a discussion at a luncheon. Meanwhile, Walter is throwing a large party filled with important people to celebrate his success the upcoming book, the World's Fair piece. Margaret mentions she wants a divorce. Walter is thrown for a loop when he is given John Canady's scathing review of the Tomorrow Forever exhibit in the New York Times. Since John is at the party, Walter screams at him. Canady tells him his work is kitsch and Walter tries to stab him with a fork.Back in California, Walter is still raging, now drunk. He says he will sue Canady, the World's Fair, UNICEF then screams at Margaret for betraying him with her painting. He starts throwing matches at Jane and Margaret. They run into the painting room and lock themselves in. Crazily, he watches them through the door's keyhole and then throws matches inside. Margaret stomps out the flames and then runs off with Jane. They drive away; Margaret tells Jane in the car that they're going to start a new life in Hawaii.Several years later, Margaret and Jane settle into a life in Honolulu. Walter calls Margaret on the phone, only knowing how to reach her recently because she has sent divorce papers to him. He reminds her about their enterprise and says he will not agree to a separation unless she signs over the rights to every painting she's ever produced. She agrees because divorce is more important to her. This surprises him so he takes it a step further and asks about future revenue stream. He tells her he wants 100 more Walter Keanes. She doesn't object.Margaret paints new work, shipping them in large crates from Hawaii to California. She is overprotective towards Jane, who tells her she needs to make some friends; she has been too paranoid letting anyone come over, for fear they should discover she is the one creating Walter's artwork. One day, two Jehovah's Witnesses come to the home and talk to Margaret about the Bible. After a long discussion, the women convince Margaret that honesty is important. The next time Walter receives some artwork, it is signed MDH Keane.On a Hawaiian radio show, Margaret admits that she is the actual painter of the work attributed to Walter Keane. This makes national news. Walter goes to Dick Nolan, claiming Margaret has gone nuts and uses the sketches in Tomorrow's Masters attributed to 1946 as proof that he was the author (although these were her own sketches made at a later date).Margaret is furious and the Jehovah's witnesses encourage her to fight for the truth; Jane suggests a lawsuit and Margaret complies, suing both Walter and the newspapers that printed his version of the story for libel and slander.Reporters swam the courthouse in Honolulu the art world is abuzz, wondering if Margaret really is the true painter or if she's just a bitter ex-wife. Margaret walks by the reporters without a word but Walter stops, pompously, telling them he hopes Margaret gets the psychiatric care she needs.The court quickly dismisses the libel lawsuit, citing that Margaret has been corroborating his story in nearly 700 articles over ten years. The newspaper editors expensive lawyers leave and Walter realizes he still has to defend himself against slander, without representation. He agrees to defend himself, explaining that hes always taken care of himself and doesn't need any rent-a-suits to defend his name.Newspapers latch onto this story, with Dick Nolan pointing out that Walter isn't fit to represent himself the only thing he knows about courtrooms is from watching Perry Mason on TV. At the trial, Walter tries giving a speech to the jury but is chastised by the judge for not asking Margaret questions. He asks why she would go along with the scheme and she said she was forced into it and he had her dominated. She felt she didn't have any other options and giving away her paintings made her feel like losing a child. Walter convinced her without his salesmanship and promotion skills, they would never make money and be able to support the family. She calls him a Jekyll and Hyde, reminding him of threatening to kill her if she ever told the truth.Walter questions himself, running back and forth in and out of the witness stand to do so. He brags about all the important people he's gotten to meet and all the places he's gotten to travel, nauseating the jury. The judge finally stops him, telling him this is a case of he said/she said and the best way to prove who painted the Big Eye paintings is for them each to paint. He gives them each an hour to replicate their work. Margaret works steadily but Walter is hesitant; he finally claims his arm hurts too much from an injury for him to hold a paintbrush. In the end, it is clear that Margaret was telling the truth.Outside, Margaret shows off the painting she did in court and tells a reporter she is calling it Exhibit 224. We learn that Margaret won the case on all points defamation, emotional distress, damaged reputation. She says she doesn't care about money; she just wants credit for her work and now she feels she has gotten her art back. A fan asks her to sign a copy of Tomorrow's Masters and she does, finally autographing her own work.A series of closing cards say that Walter continued to deny Margaret's claims to the very end until he died in 2000, bitter and penniless, never producing another painting.Margaret found happiness in Hawaii and eventually moved back to San Francisco and opened a new gallery. She still paints every day. The final shot shows a photo of the real Margaret Keane seated next to the actress Amy Adams who plays her in this film. | insanity | train | imdb | null |
tt0051418 | The Blob | During one long night in a small rural Pennsylvania town in July 1957, teenager Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen) and his girlfriend, Jane Martin (Aneta Corsaut), are kissing on a lovers' lane when they see a meteor crash beyond the next hill. Steve decides to look for it. An old man (Olin Howland) living nearby finds it first. When he pokes the meteorite with a stick, it breaks open, and the small jelly-like blob inside attaches itself to his hand. In pain and unable to scrape or shake it loose, the old man runs onto the road, where he is nearly struck by Steve's car. Steve and Jane take him to Doctor Hallen (Stephen Chase).
Doctor Hallen is about to leave for a medical conference, but anesthetizes the man and sends Steve and Jane back to the impact site to gather information. Hallen decides he must amputate the man's arm since it is being consumed by the growing Blob. Before he can, however, the Blob completely consumes the old man, then Hallen's nurse, and finally the doctor himself, all the while increasing in size.
Steve and Jane return to the office in time for Steve to witness the doctor's death. They go to the police station and return to the house with Lieutenant Dave (Earl Rowe) and Sergeant Bert (John Benson). However, there is no sign of the creature or its victims, and Bert dismisses Steve's story as a teenage prank. Steve and Jane are taken home by their parents, but they later sneak out.
In the meantime, the Blob consumes a mechanic at a repair shop. The Blob grows in size every time it consumes something. At the Colonial Theater, which is showing a midnight screening of Daughter of Horror, Steve recruits Tony (Robert Fields) and some of his friends to warn people about the menace. When Steve notices that his father's grocery store is unlocked, he and Jane go inside. The janitor is nowhere to be seen. Then the couple are cornered by the Blob; they seek refuge in the walk-in freezer. The Blob oozes in under the door, but retreats. Steve and Jane gather their friends and set off the town's fire and air-raid alarms. The townspeople and police still refuse to believe Steve. Meanwhile, the Blob enters the Colonial Theater and engulfs the projectionist before oozing into the auditorium consuming a number of the audience. Steve is finally vindicated when screaming people flee from the theater.
Jane's young brother, Danny (Keith Almoney), fires at the Blob with his cap gun before running into the nearby diner. Jane, Danny, and Steve become trapped in that diner, along with the manager and a waitress. The Blob — now an enormous red mass from the people it has consumed — engulfs the diner. Dave has a connection made from his police radio to the diner's phone, telling those in the diner to get into the cellar before they try to bring a live power line down onto the Blob.
When it sounds quiet over the phone line, Bert shoots the wire, which falls onto the Blob and discharges a substantial electrical current. The Blob is unaffected, however, and the diner is set ablaze by the electrical current. When the diner manager uses a CO2 fire extinguisher on the fire, Steve notices that this causes the Blob to recoil. Steve then remembers that the creature also retreated from the freezer, saying "That's why it didn't come in the ice box after us. It can't stand cold!" Shouting in hopes of being picked up on the open phone line, Steve manages to tell Dave about the Blob's vulnerability to coldness. Jane's father, Mr. Martin (Elbert Smith), knows there are 20 such extinguishers at the school, and leads Steve's friends to the high school to retrieve them. Returning, the brigade of fire extinguisher-armed students and police first drive the Blob away from the diner, then freeze it, saving Steve, Jane, and the others.
Dave requests authorities send an Air Force heavy-lift cargo aircraft to transport the Blob to the Arctic, where it is later parachuted to the ice and snow pack. Dave says that while the Blob is not dead, at least it has been stopped. To this, Steve Andrews replies, "Yeah, as long as the Arctic stays cold" ("The End" title card appears and morphs into a question mark, suggesting that the Blob may return). | cult | train | wikipedia | Horror films in particular do this in spades (which is why the Scream films have been so popular), but The Blob, to me, stayed pretty true to its characters, and in so doing made a smarter and better film.Yes there are many flaws, perhaps biggest is Steve McQueen's very uneven performance, but I think they missed key opportunities for suspense that could have turned this above average, kinda scary, kinda funny movie that's a cult favourite into a true classic..
You probably know the story: two teens (Steve McQueen & Aneta Corsaut) see a meteorite hit the ground, and when they go to look for it, they run into an old man with some weird...blob attached to his arm.
And although clearly on the cheap side (check out those miniature sets, guys!), THE BLOB is actually a fairly well-made film--and there's that catchy little theme song thrown in for good measure.
It was kind of obvious how they did a lot of it,but I personally think that's part of the charm of pre-cgi effects.Bottom Line: If you're expecting great acting and character development, skip this, but if you like b- movies, it's a masterpiece..
The only notable thing about this film is that it was Steve McQueen's first big starring role.McQueen's talent is undeveloped and raw but refreshingly honest in this campy little sci-fi horror piece.
Steve shows himself as the anti-establishment, hot rod car loving actor who would become a polished icon of the film industry just five years hence.Later on, McQueen would say he hated this film and that "he was the blob".
The original one, starring the great movie star Steve McQueen (BULLET), is by far the better and only version anyone should see.The movie production is dated, but the fx used to make the Blob stands up the test of time.
This moving movie packs astonishing scenes as when the large blob exploding through the theater screen(meanwhile the spectators are seeing a film starred by Bela Lugosi, the mark of the vampire) and people stampede from cinema, furthermore when the Thing invades the Downing Town Diner among others.
The Blob was everything that a 1950s Teen/Horror flick should be.It was fun, goofy, contained plenty of laughable dialogue, and, yes, it was actually quite entertaining, in a cheesy sort of way.Bad-boy actor Steve McQueen, as Steve Andrews, leads the local teenagers into a battle to save their town from being swallowed up by a giant glop of cherry-coloured Jell-O from outer space.True.
If you are a fan of old science fiction, horror, and monster movies and you haven't seen the blob yet, you definitely need to!
A young Steve McQueen (billed as "Steven" here for the first and only time in his career) plays the plucky, square-jawed teenage hero (despite the fact that he was 27 when he made the movie) who battles valiantly against the usual group of unbelieving grown-ups (who's gonna take the word of a teen-age hot rodder?) in order to save his small town from a man-eating alien hunk of goo that crashes to earth inside a meteor and begins absorbing townspeople at an alarming rate overnight.
Admittedly "The Blob" suffers a bit from a few slow patches in the middle of the film where Steve and his fellow teens do more talking than anything else, but once the third act begins and the creature oozes into a sold-out midnight horror movie show at the local theatre, causing mass panic, it's golden.
"The Blob" is an iconic piece of 50s sci-fi/horror, no doubt, and it's just as much fun to watch today as it must've been "back in the day." "The Blob" was remade in the late 80s by "Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors" director Chuck Russell (I like that version as well), and now I'm hearing that Rob Zombie's next film project will be yet another new version of "The Blob." What puzzles and worries me is that Zombie says the first thing he's going to change in his remake is that there won't be "a big, red Blobby thing.
THE BLOB is a great horror movie, not merely because of the vividly horrific images of its nearly unstoppable, flesh-dissolving title character, but because it features a real societal message.
I've seen The Blob several times and is one of the better low budget alien invasion movies from the 1950's.A strange meteor lands just outside a small town and an elderly man goes to investigate this.
A strange jelly like substance then attaches itself to one of his arms and a young couple who saw the meteor land arrive in time and take him to the local doctor's, where the old man then gets completely absorbed by the mass.
The Blob has a good rock and roll style theme song at the beginning and the movie is atmospheric throughout.The sequel, Beware!
The Blob followed in 1972 and a remake came in 1988 but this is the best of The Blob movies.The cast is lead by Steve McQueen (The Great Escape)and is the movie that made him a star and Aneta Corsaut plays his girlfriend.
It's up to Steve, Jane and the police force to put an end to it's reign of terror before it consumes everyone.Watching 'The Blob' in 2013 made me realize that this 1958 film actually dates pretty well.
It's well acted with Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut leading the way, and I'm sure was genuinely creepy at the time it was released.
THE BLOB (1958) **** Steve McQueen made his big screen debut in this little gem of a low-budget sci-fi quickie that has become a cult classic: a shapeless flesh-absorbing mass from outer space wreaks havoc on a small town consuming every living thing in its path and gets really big really fast!
This substance devours people and gets bigger and bigger-and it cannot be destroyed by conventional means.The late Steve McQueen does a great job as the hero Steve Andrews and credit must go to the rest of the cast, particularly those playing the three policemen who didn't believe Steve Andrew's story at first.Back to the minor faults of this film-I think it was a bit too short to realize it's full potential.
Although the direction is pedestrian, the script has an appealing air of the tongue in cheek about it to keep things entertaining and a fair smattering of out-and-out comedy also helps.From the moment we here Burt Bacarach's opening theme song "beware of the blob!" we know we're in for a good, solid, campy and light hearted movie and this is refreshingly free of the scientific investigation/jargon that tended to bog movies of this era down.
The only exception to this statement is the annoyingly cute boy whose acting is atrocious.The special effects of the blob rolling down the street and eating people are well done, with even a couple of moments of horror (like when McQueen sees the doctor being dissolved through his window) thrown in for good measure.
Fans can also enjoy a witty bit of self-referencing in which the blob attacks members of a cinema audience (a year before THE TINGLER did the same) who are themselves watching a schlocky horror film.
But will the adults listen?"The Blob" is a fun nostalgia ride that tells a good story, less about the horror than about the struggle of young people trying to do something about it.
Credit director Irvin Yeaworth, a maker of religious films who made this to help fund his other endeavors, for giving his players the room to work their own personalities into the production, rather than trying to turn it into another Hollywood spectacle.As someone with a fondness for the Eisenhower years, I get a kick out of the cool cars Steve and his buddies drive, the sense of ready community spirit, midnight movies, kissing under the stars, and the corny, good- spirited humor.
I love that although this is one of his earlier roles, he already looks middle-aged and rough...According to Jeff Sharlet in his book The Family, The Blob was "about the creeping horrors of communism" only defeated "by freezing it – the Cold War writ small and literal." This is an interesting bit of intellectual baloney -- a metaphor that works but was clearly never intended by the people involved..
It creeps and leaps and glides and slides across the floor...." - You can bet that this super-schlocky, 1950s, teen, Sci-Fi/Horror flick is guaranteed to deliver (in all of its dead-seriousness) a literal score of priceless, unintentional laughs from start to finish.And laughs it certainly does produce - Even before the big-bad blob, in all of its gelatinous, cherry-colored glory, makes its first gooey screen-appearance.From its hilariously dumb dialog, to its totally wooden performances, to its goofy, low-budget special effects - The Blob is sure to please any hardcore fan of 1950s, B-movie junk.
When a meteorite crash spews forth a ravenous alien blob that devours everything it touches, a group of teens race to warn the disbelieving adults in town about the creature before it's rampage consumes the entire area and try to find a way to stop the creature.While it's not that bad it wasn't really all that great as there's some pretty big flaws to this one.
For those that don't enjoy that lifestyle at all, seeing them constantly talk about their school-life and social lives which results around them driving around the town in their cars listening to the bad rock-n-roll featured here that takes up as much time as it does here serve almost no entertainment value since this ends up leaving the beginning to feel way too slowed down and convoluted.
The main one about this is that when it gets back to them the attacks are a lot of fun and generate some good suspense and thrills here, from the opening shots of the injured farmer with the rapidly-spreading blob surging up his hand covering his entire arm to the attack on the workers in the hospital as well as the teens' investigation of his shack in the hills which is quite creepy.
When you think about it The Blob is your ultimate doomsday weapon.The soon to be legend Steve McQueen got his first starring role in The Blob, a 28 year old playing a teen who is out getting down to business with Aneta Corsaut when a passing meteor lands, cracks open, and out pops this Jello like creature which just absorbs whatever is living around it on contact and just grows.
The acting was serviceable for a 'teen movie of the 1950s, at least to my recollection from 1967 or '8, but at that latter day Steve(n) McQueen definitely did carry it off as a teen-ager.THE BLOB is a good period piece, a horror film with a s.f. gloss to give it legs.
A classic of science fiction, and probably the most original monster to appear on film, The Blob continues to entertain today over forty years after its release.
The teenagers trying to get the police to believe the existence of the blob and an increasing number of people vanishing makes this seem like almost a detective story at times, which makes for a nice variety in the movie's theme.This is not a movie to be taken seriously; the film is well made and not a parody, but there are no hidden meanings or major social commentary here and it is simply a good piece of science fiction.
I was sitting in the Towne Theatre in Fargo ND in '58 with 8 or 9 fellow 6th graders & my knuckles were getting tighter and whiter by the minute...at the exact moment the Blob started oozing into the diner window I suddenly remembered I had a dentist appointment which I made sure each of my pals knew as I clambered down the row toward the aisle...I'll never know how many others remembered theirs after I left but this movie was a B corker (I saw it later ..ie when I had by then grown a beard)..Creature With the Atom Brain 1955 also cleared me out of the theater immediately when the young soldier 1st encountered the zombie in the 1st scene in the sewer when you were shown the silhouette of the zombie cracking the unfortunates back like a chicken bone...I managed to sit still for the river of flesh eating ants in Green Mansions in 1959...all seems tame now compared to I-44 in St. Louis now..happy 2007 everyone.
It stars a young Steve McQueen (although not as young as the part he's playing) and Aneta Corsaut (Helen Crump herself) as two teenagers who try to warn people in their hick town about a red blob that came to Earth in a meteorite.
Anyway, looking at the film anew, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it (despite many a narrative flaw, which I will get to later) – as a pure example of 'B-movie' schlockiness (atypically shot in pleasant color) and a time-capsule illustrating late 1950s social attitudes.
The special effects depicting the slimy and expanding creature are not too bad of its kind and period; the film itself rises to a good climax – beginning with the monster's invasion of a cinema (showing DAUGHTER OF HORROR [1953/7] as I mentioned recently in that film's review but being curiously screened 'flipped' and which sequence, incidentally, would be featured at the opening of a satirical Italian program actually called "Blob"!).
As to the admittedly minor quibbles I have with the film: the monster is not shown traveling – it just turns up at a variety of places, never being seen by anyone!; there is a baffling over-emphasis (tantamount to padding) on the kids' scrapes with Police; it is silly to have the town doctor shoot at The Blob – as if fluid, whatever its proportion, can be destroyed by bullets!; equally nonsensical is having the teenagers alert the townsfolk of the danger by making door-to-door visits (especially when considering that, at that stage, only McQueen had actually seen the monster in action)!
This film needs no introduction to fans of classic horror/sci-fi, but known best of all for it's star, Steve McQueen.
It was from an era that produced some of the finest classic black and white films and compared to other horror movies of the time it holds it's own.
This B-Movie Horror film has probably been watched millions of times and it's survived remakes and it still stands the test of time as an all time classic.
Early appearances of cinematic icons are always fascinating, but "The Blob" not only features Steve McQueen's third screen role, and second as a star, but remains one of the great cheap horror films.
The Blob is serious - it does have a scary alien creature that does in fact kill people - but it's also the quintessential example of what makes a movie "campy" - right from the very start with the very 50's and therefore very appropriate theme song, which gives it the dated, campy feel right away.The story is about a meteorite that falls to earth, and when it breaks open, out pops - well - a living blob of some sort that consumes people.
Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but the thought occurred to me.The story is pretty good, the cast is decent (although McQueen was a bit old for the part - he's playing a teen, but he was close to 30 when this was made) and it's wonderfully short (not even an hour and a half) and therefore very fast paced, making it even more enjoyable to watch.
I also liked the old man in the beginning.For a 50's horror movie, this was very well done even by today's standards.8/10..
But like all good teen movies, the kids know more than the adults and save the day.
It's hard to take a movie like this very seriously and it's clumsy film-making only adds to this, which in return makes this strangely enough a very entertaining one to watch.Perhaps it's actually being due to the fact that this movie has such an unlikely but original monster in it that it works out far better and more entertaining than just the average genre attempt, from around the same time period.
It's definitely kind of surreal seeing the great Steve McQueen acting in a type of movie like this one.
It's nothing more than a fun fact that this movie features Steve McQueen but just don't expect him to shine in this, though his charisma and sort of bad boy look and behavior is already very notable.For a B-monster movie from the '50's, with science-fiction elements in it, the movie definitely has some surprising good effects in it as well.
"The Blob" is a Fifties sci-fi/horror b-movie featuring an early performance from the soon-to-be King of Cool, Steve McQueen.It tells the story of a small-town boy and girl who witness a comet landing on earth.
It is not, unfortunately, scary; pretty hard to be intimidated by what looks like a piece of jelly (Jell-O to our American friends).The movie has themes and scenes that are now very familiar to us: the small town's teenagers are the only ones who know what's going on, but none of the people in charge listen, because nobody takes them seriously.
The blob is kind of scary, but mostly just gooey and the cast takes things just a little too lackadaisical for a horror/thriller movie.
Without going into plot details, let's just say it's an uphill struggle for McQueen and his teen friends to get any of the townspeople to believe their story about The Blob until the monster brings his menace to a midnight horror show in the heart of town.All of the supporting actors are competent enough although there are no names in the low-budget cast. |
tt0099703 | The Grifters | The film opens with a voiceover (done by producer Martin Scorsese) where it's explained that bettors at racetracks will deliberately bet high on certain horses to lower the odds and earn more money.Lily Dillon (Angelica Houston) works for a Baltimore gangster, Bobo Justus, who has her place such bets on horse races. After collecting the earnings, Lily opens a hidden compartment in the trunk of her car and skims several thousand dollars from the payoffs and hides it among the other money she's stolen from Bobo. One of Bobo's associates calls her in New Mexico and tells her to go to the downs in La Jolla. Lily agrees and says she'll stop by Los Angeles to see her son.In L.A., Roy Dillon (John Cusak), Lily's 25-year-old estranged son, works several small-time cons. One of his tricks is showing a bartender a $20 bill then slyly switching it for a ten, fooling the bartender in to giving him change for a $20. One day, Roy is caught by one of his marks who seizes his arm and jabs him hard in the chest with the end of a club. Roy manages to walk out of the bar and make it home. While he lays in pain in his bed, he dreams of his first meeting with the man, Mintz, who taught him how to con people. Mintz' advice to Roy, and one of his steadfast rules, was to never take a partner in a con - it can only end in ruin.That night Roy's girlfriend, Myra Langtry (Annette Benning), a grifter herself, stops by and they have sex. The next day, Lily shows up at Roy's place and the two have a tense conversation where Roy points out that Lily hasn't contacted him in eight years. The conversation becomes more intense, with Roy feeling great resentment over their falling out. Lily notices that Roy is incredibly ill and feverish and has him taken to a hospital where he's treated for internal bleeding to the injury to his abdomen and lives.Both Lily and Myra visit Roy in the hospital and there is instant animosity between the two. Lily sees Myra as a bad influence and Myra believes there may be an incestuous relationship between mother and son. Lily calls in the young and attractive nurse that's been tending to Roy and tells her son that she'd hired the nurse to take care of Roy after he leaves the hospital. Roy rebuffs the nurse by telling her that his mother hired her so he would have sex with her.Meanwhile, Myra returns to her apartment where the landlord insists she pay her past due rent immediately. She tells him she's good for it as she has always paid up, one way or another. He insists he wants cash this time. She tells him to come in and offers sex instead.Driving back to La Jolla, Lily gets stuck in a traffic jam and misses her chance to fix a race with a potentially large payoff for Bobo. When she leaves the track, she's met by Bobo (Pat Hingle) himself who orders her to take him to his hotel. On the way he asks Lily why she missed the race, she tells him she was taking care of her son, whom Bobo had never known about.At his room, Bobo punches Lily in the stomach and orders her to get him a towel from the bathroom. He gives her a few pounds of oranges and asks her about the insurance scam that people use: when someone is hit repeatedly with a towel full of oranges, they get large bruises used to make insurance claims. If the method is done improperly, then it can cause severe internal damage. Bobo makes as though he's going to beat Lily with the oranges and stops, pinning her to the floor and burning her right hand with a lit cigar instead. Lily later leaves on good terms with Bobo.Roy returns to his apartment and sees Myra. They take a train ride for a weekend getaway and during the trip Roy cheats some sailors at a dice game. Myra sees him at work and later tells him she recognizes his work as a grifter. He refuses to admit what he does at first, but then admits it's true. He asks what's her con, and she says she's a long con. He tells her "you can't do a long con alone", and she tells him a long story about how much money she made with her former partner Cole (J.T. Walsh), but that he finally went insane.Myra follows Lily to the track and covertly observes Lily placing her skimmed profits into the concealed compartment in her car's trunk. Myra tells Roy that she saw his mom at the track and tries to persuade him to join her in the long con. Roy is distrustful of Myra. She visits Roy at his apartment and tells him she's found a good con and she needs $10,000 to fund the con. He doesn't believe her, and she implies he's having an incestuous relationship with his mother. Roy strikes her and orders her to leave.Roy calls his mother Lily and asks to meet with her "as adults". He agrees to drive to her place for a visit that night. Myra exacts her revenge on Roy by making an annymous phone call to Bobo by telling him that Lily has been skimming. A friend in Bobo's organization calls Lily and tips her off that Bobo knows about the skimmed profits she's keeps in her car trunk. She leaves immediately and drives away. Two of Bobo's men show up at her hotel room a few minutes later to find her abandoned belongings and her flashy gold and cream colored Cadillac gone. After they leave to report to Bobo about Lily's dissappearance, Roy arrives at the hotel shortly afterward and also finds his mother has left.After driving most of the night, Lily finds a room at a desert hotel in Arizona and Myra follows her. She uses a master key to get into Lily's room and attacks her while she's asleep in bed.The next day the Phoenix police calls Roy and ask him to come to Phoenix and to the hospital to identify his mother's body, who has died of an apparent self-inflicted gun shot to the face. They need Roy to view the body because they don't have any fingerprints or other identification they can use. Her face is disfigured and unrecognizable, but Roy notices that there's no cigar burn on the corpse's hand. He still confirms to the police that the body is his mother's.When he arrives home, he finds his mother Lilly in the process of packing his money stash, hidden in the back of picture frames, into a suitcase. He confronts her, and she tells him she shot Myra in self-defense and arranged the scene to appear as though Myra's body was actually Lilly's. Lily is trying to make Bobo believe she's dead.Lily insists she needs Roy's money to flee, but Roy tells her she has to get a square job and lay low if she wants to survive. He refuses to let her take his money saying he intends to get out of the rackets too. She tells him she'd go to any length to get free of the rackets. She begs him, then tries to seduce him, and even tells him he's not really her son. Roy is disgusted and rejects her. Lilly angrily swings the suitcase containing the money at him and accidentally hits a drinking glass that breaks and strikes his neck, slashing an artery.Lilly sobs convulsively as she picks his his money up off the floor as her son bleeds to death. Dressed in red dress and shoes, she flees the room, leaving her son to die, and descends in the hotel elevator to the parking lot. She gets into her son's anonymous Plymouth K-car car and drives off into the dark. | neo noir, dramatic, flashback, insanity, tragedy, revenge | train | imdb | And it's the personal relationships among these three criminals, complex, sometimes dark, and almost always motivated by survival, that make this film a pretty good bet.Roy Dillon (John Cusack), is a trickster, a loner, "on the grift" for the "short con", strictly a nickels and dimes man.
As a bonus, the DVD has an exceptionally good Commentary, with insightful comments from Director Stephen Frears, and actors John Cusack and Anjelica Huston..
There is an odd mother-son relationship, too - very odd, between John Cusack and Angelica Huston who play "Lilly and Roy Dillon." The third person among this trio of "grifters" (scam artists) is played by Annette Bening, who never looked prettier or demonstrated her lack of morals better than she did here as the wicked "Myra Langtry." You can see all of Bening in this movie, and I mean all.
Cusack, meanwhile, gives an underrated performance: one of the best in his career.Three supporting guys in here are fantastic: Pat Hingle as "Bobo Justus," J.T. Walsh as "Cole," and Charles Napier as "Gloucester Hebbing." Overall, this is a wonderful cast that does full justice to this unusual crime story.The story has a mean edge to it most of the way, but that's the style of writer Jim Thompson, who is a very good crime author who wrote the novel on which this movie is based.
Director Stephen Frears, working off a script by Donald Westlake (adapted from the Jim Thompson novel) lets these characters get established before they start to bring us into the tangled web they are all weaving.Roy Dillon (John Cusack) is a con man pulling small jobs every day to slowly build up his savings, while his girlfriend Myra Langtry (Annette Bening) is doing anything she can to get by and his mother Lilly (Anjelica Huston) is working on a long play of her own.
The tagline of "Who's conning who?" always makes me roll my eyes, but it's actually an accurate portrayal here, as these three play each other back and forth, while the film itself is pulling the veil over the audience.The Grifters is a brooding noir that throws back a lot to the '40s and it's Hitchcock roots, including some direct homages that feel appropriate for the story rather than cheap rip-offs.
The film delves into some potentially melodramatic moments at times, but Frears is able to keep things in tune with it's seething roots as opposed to letting things get too theatrical.All three actors are working at top form here; Cusack was just starting to break out and this role should really be considered more among the best of his career, Huston steals the show in every scene and Bening (someone I've always despised) is seductive and very compelling.
This film is about people who cheat, artists in their own ways, but not theatrical producers.John Cusack is handsome in a pale way and delivers a decent performance as a young man who plays "short cons", clipping people out of nickels, dimes, and dollars, although he's been doing it long enough to put away something of a stash.
Then comes the actors – and my word, are they fantastic in their roles – John Cusack is sly yet undeterred in a role that is a slightly more edgier variation on Humphrey Bogart, with a cross of Lee Marvin, to boot; Annette Bening is simply drop-dead sexy as the woman who thinks she knows it all, yet is a timebomb waiting to explode.
The real star of the show is Angelica Huston in a well-deserved Oscar nominated performance, perfectly balancing the ruthless, desperate act with a honest, focused, motherly concern that doesn't feel cliché at all.Who knew modern day, sunny Los Angeles and Phoenix can be the backdrop of so seedy a neo-noir, perhaps the best since Chinatown?
This film is tense, exiting, and well-acted, but make no mistake about it, even though Cusack is more or less the main character, this IS Anjelica Huston's movie through and through.
One of my favorite movies.My Grade: A DVD Extras: Commentary with Director Stephen Frears, Screenwriter Donald Westlake and Actors John Cusack and Angelica Huston; 16 minute Making of featurette; The Jim Thompson Story featurette; Publicity and Production stills); and Trailers for "Serendipity", "High Fidelity", Grosse Point Blank", & "40 Days And 40 Nights" Eye Candy: The future Mrs. Warren Beatty shows everything.
this movie has a dark film noir atmosphere that is somewhat intriguing but there is no plot whatsoever.The 3 main characters are one-dimensional and totally unlikable with various degrees of nastiness.One simply doesn't care what happens to them.One expects for a plot to develop at some point,like a scheme or something but it never does.We just get more of the same nasty attitude until some completely needless and superficial ending.Huston and Benning do the best they can with the material.There are movies about con artists that don't bother very much with character development but the good ones have some plot going and especially concentrate on smart con tactics,this movie does neither.The characters are too dumb to impress anyone and too nasty for anyone to care.Boring and wildly overrated..
THE GRIFTERS (1990) ***1/2 John Cusack, Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening, Pat Hingle, J.T. Walsh, Charles Napier.
Donald Westlake's slick, serpentine screenplay adaptation of noir author Jim Thompson's novel offers up a juicy, ripe slice of pulp fiction with hip Cusack a slick con artist strictly small time, Huston as his duplicitous, estranged Mobbed up mother on the take and Bening as his slinky gal pal with a few cards up her collective sleeve.Excellently executed in the rhythms of a perfectly coiled con game about to be sprung with slick precision thanks to fine acting all around and a jolting climax thanks to a steady helm by director Stephen Frears..
John Cusack plays Roy Dillon a Grifter who plays small time tricks with the various 'marks' who he discovers in various dives and race tracks.
A devilish, twisted modern day noir with style to spare.Director Stephen Frears handles the morbid material expertly -- it walks a razor thin line between dark comedy and "too disturbing to enjoy." John Cusack plays the con-man at the film's center, torn between the affections of his mother and his lover.
Sexual tension is ripe, Westlake's adaptation doing justice to Thompson's novel, while the three leads – and Pat Hingle in super support – are on fire, bringing complex characters vividly to life as they trawl through the devilishly labyrinthine plot, adding biting humour and shallow savagery into the bargain.A top draw neo-noir that doesn't cut corners or pull its punches, from the split screen opening salvo to the pitch black finale, The Grifters delivers high quality for neo-noir fans.
His mother Lilly Dillon (Anjelica Huston) works in La Jolla for the powerful bookmaker Bobo Justus (Pat Hingle), who owns the Justus Amusement Company in Baltimore, placing bets to change the odds at the track but also stealing some money for her that she stashes in her Cadillac.
When Roy turns Myra and her offer down, the greedy women set in motion a betrayal that brings tragic consequences to each player."The Grifters" is an original and sexy film-noir of the 90's.
In the best con games, the mark doesn't realize he or she has been "taken".Roy Dillon (John Cusack) is a small-con grifter who was taught by an older con artist and magician.
Lilly is skimming off the top, betting less money than the mob has given her, and she hides the extra in the trunk of her car.The wild card is a young female grifter name of Myra Langtry (Annette Bening) who was once in a big con game with a man name of Cole (J.T. Walsh).
Annette Bening is Cusack's girlfriend and is working her way back up to a con of her own.The film is shot in an authentic 1940's film noir style and the story is a classic piece of thriller writing.
At first, I thought this was going to be a film about a big grift that would tear down our characters one by one with disgust and distrust, but instead Frears changed it to this wild dynamic between Cusack and Huston.
Stephen Frears's 1990 film noir "The Grifters" takes a different approach to the topic by emphasizing the characters pulling the cons, as opposed to the tricks.
Roy (John Cusack) is a typical grifter in LA, his mother Lilly (Anjelica Huston) places bets at horseraces, and his girlfriend Myra (Annette Bening) likes to seduce men.
That the opening sequence shows the screen split three ways only serves to emphasize the intensity that's about to follow.I wouldn't call this Frears's best movie - my personal favorite of his is "The Snapper" - but you can't deny how he masterfully sets up the story and films each scene.
Huston is dynamite as a cold-hearted con-artist who gets involved in a juicy triangle with her grown son (John Cusack) and his sexy girlfriend (Annette Bening).
John Cusack, Anjelica Huston and the gorgeous Annette Bening form an intriguing love triangle and all give good performances.Unfortunately Donald E Westlake's plot (from Jim Thompson's novel) never quite manages to pull you in and you find yourself watching 'from a distance'.
A small-time conman (John Cusack) has torn loyalties between his estranged mother (Anjelica Huston) and new girlfriend (Annette Bening) -- both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.This is an interesting part of John Cusack's career.
The basic premise is straightforward: small-time conperson Roy (John Cusack) tries to prosper while trying to sustain his relationships with mother Lily (Anjelica Huston) and girlfriend Myra (Annette Bening).
The Grifters also was nominated for Best Director for Stephen Frears and Best adapted screenplay for Donald Westlake.Huston, Cusack, and Bening three of the worst and yet most fascinating characters you might ever meet.
This is a 'best work' film for its featured players, young and old: John Cusack, Angelica Huston, Annette Bening, Pat Hingle -- and icon Henry Jones as the quintessential night clerk.
For a story where the three main characters have almost no redeeming traits, this is one of the most absorbing movies you will ever see.Roy Dillon (John Cusack) is a small-time con artist.
Adding to all the bad chemistry is Mrya Langtry (Annette Bening), Roy's girlfriend.Their world is peopled with men like Bobo Justus, Lilly's brutal bookie boss and Mrya's ex-partner, Cole Langley, a master of the long con.
The film is set in the late 1980's.Roy (Cusack) loves Myra (Bening), but Lilly (Huston) isn't so sure they are right together.
Through several plot twists, you find out why Myra wants Roy, why Lilly objects to Myra, why Lilly wants to hold on to Roy for herself, and the tragic ending all of them face.Huston, Bening, and Cusack all provide stunning performances in this film..
At the center of the story is John Cusack as Roy Dillon, a small-time con artist who makes a tidy enough living by scamming bartenders and cheating drunken sailors with loaded dice.
The hapless Roy, despite being a low-level thief, is a relatively decent guy, who just wants to be left alone with his penny-ante dreams; he's on to the games that Lilly and Myra play, but he nonetheless proves to be easy prey.However, the only truly successful con any of them seem to playing is in fooling themselves into believing they are leading anything but pointless, desperate lives.Yet, as bleak as it sounds, THE GRIFTERS is not a grim or depressing film.
Bening and, especially, Huston turn in pretty good performances but I've never much liked Cusack, and there's nothing in this film to improve his standing as far as I'm concerned.
(Perhaps that's a good thing.)All in all there's some nice grifter atmosphere in the movie and Cusack is interesting as a baby-faced little hustler, and Bening is sleazy, sexy and desperate, while Huston is both fawning and cowardly, and sneaky strong.
Three con-artists cross paths in Los Angeles: John Cusack is a small-time grifter waiting for his chance to cross into the big time; Anjelica Huston is Cusack's estranged mother, a cool-as-ice platinum-blonde who bets on horses for an underworld kingpin to change their odds; and Annette Bening is Cusack's sex-kitten neighbor who had a successful 10-year run working a brokerage scam.
For director Stephen Frears, the film differs from his more prestigious works, say THE QUEEN (2006), it certainly has a more noir-ish tone in assembling the intensified thrills with an uneven script (just take one example, it never quite explained how the money being left in the car after the accident, so Lilly, Huston's character, has to steal the money from her son).
It isn't about the score, it's about the people who can't live without the score.Three characters, each with a different type of "grift." There's Lily (Angelica Huston) who works racetrack odds for the mob like most people have a regular job, her son Roy (John Huston) who sticks to smaller fish like switching a $20 bill with a ten a few times a day, then there's Myra (Annette Bening), Roy's girl, who likes long cons with big payoffs in the Mametian sense.
ANGELICA HUSTON is the mother from hell whose complex relationship with her crooked son (JOHN CUSACK) is the grist for some superb story-telling of crime and manipulation--rendered even more disturbing when you realize it resembles the real life mother-son grifters who killed several people in their quest for riches and are now serving life sentences in prison.
The story is completely engrossing from beginning to end, never letting up the pace, with suspenseful twists and turns occurring one after another so that nothing is the least bit predictable--let alone, the stunning ending.All concerned have done an excellent job, a film noir for the '90s that is every bit as gritty and satisfying as any of the best noirs from the '40s.Summing up: ANGELICA HUSTON's Oscar-nominated performance is spellbinding and ANNETTE BENING is excellent in an interesting supporting role..
The Grifters, adapted from Jim Thompson's unforgettable novel BRILLIANTLY by Donald Westlake, is by far the best film noire I've seen in at least 20 years...maybe even 30 years.In late 1990 I stood in line for my ticket with my John Cusack crazed best friend having no idea that I was about to be completely blown away.
The three main roles were played very well by Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening, and John Cusack.
The screenplay was generally spot-on and the acting was good, but I think the casting and approach were a bit off.John Cusack is a fine actor, but the Roy Dillon I read about seemed to have fun playing his tricks.
As the story unfolds, Roy finds himself caught in the middle of a three-way, sexually charged power struggle involving his scrappy, sexy, and somewhat doting mother Lily (Anjelica Huston), and his part-time, promiscuous girlfriend Myra (Annette Bening).
Cusak is excellent as pulling his viewers in with a naïve charm that makes you hope there is at least one good guy in this story.While Roy's girlfriend Myra, played by an enchantingly devious Annette Bening, uses her alluring sex appeal to get what she wants, you know there is an even more sinister side to her character.
The Grifters sees John Cusack play Roy Dillon, a grifter whose loyalties are split between his con-artist girlfriend (Annette Bening) and his estranged mother (Anjelica Huston) in a tangled web of deceit with bloody consequences.Cusack puts in a good performance as the grifter, playing the short con, making money from people wherever he can, whilst trying to avoid being seduced into the long con by Myra (Bening), while also trying to resolve a bizarre, almost Oedipal relationship with his estranged mother Lilly (Huston).
This doesn't take away from the film at all-this is a lifestyle where violence is constantly bubbling beneath the surface and many emotions are felt while watching this film as the viewer is drawn into the dark world of the grift-as the events unfold and your emotions go from fascination, horror, and a kind of despair and back again you won't be able to take your eyes off the screen-and that is a good thing because every word uttered, every action taken is pivotal to the film.(MINOR SPOILERS?)Benning's character and her complete contempt of the world particularly men is broadcast in every action she takes(she laughs uncontrollably while having sex-the laugh of contempt for her lover)-Amazing performance that should have resulted in an academy award.The relationship between Cusack and Huston is played so well and the two have so much chemistry that it's both fascinating and repelling.The final scene between them is one of the most shocking I've seen in cinema and will have to be watched VERY carefully to fully understand the final outcome which I myself was a bit confused by.To be drawn into a world like what these three inhabit-a world where everything and everyone touched is nothing but a means to an end-another game- is the true heartbreak of these people and the world they live in.
Roy Dillon (Cusack) in middle of his job gets the crap beaten out of him, and we see the two leading ladies, his mother Lilly (Huston) and his seductive girlfriend Myra (Benning) visit him in the hospital.
It tries hard to be a modern day film noir, but has neither the depth nor the range to be considered a success.John Cusack is a small time con artist (or grifter).
I'm no expert, but I think The Grifters may be the only movie about con artists where the story isn't all about whether they can pull off the big con
and it's all the better for it.Instead, the story focuses on what sort of people want to make a living trying to cheat other people out of their money, what that life entails and how it ends. |
tt1100089 | Foxcatcher | Olympic wrestling champion Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) speaks at an elementary school in place of his brother, Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo), who is also an Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler. Despite his achievements, Mark lives in relative squalor. He is contacted by philanthropist and wrestling enthusiast John E. du Pont (Steve Carell), an heir to the E.I. du Pont family fortune, who arranges to fly Mark to his sprawling 800-acre estate,"Foxcatcher Farm", located in the western Philadelphia suburb of Newtown Square in Delaware County, Pennsylvania and shows Mark the lavish 14,000-square foot, $600,000 private wrestling training facility called the Foxcatcher National Training Center that du Pont had built on his property. Du Pont then invites Schultz to join his private wrestling team, "Team Foxcatcher", where he will coach, train for the World championship, and be paid handsomely. Mark accepts the offer with du Pont urging him to enlist his brother Dave as well. Dave declines for the sake of his wife and two kids who are settled where they live, however, so Mark moves to du Pont's estate alone.Mark stays in a homey guest house ("the chalet") and is greeted there later in the night by du Pont, wanting to ensure his guest is comfortable. Through training with his new teammates and du Pont's financial support, Mark excels with Foxcatcher, winning Gold at the 1987 World Wrestling Championships. Du Pont gives him much praise and wants the world to see him as a great coach and mentor. Du Pont introduces Mark to cocaine. During this period, du Pont confides in Mark, whom he now calls a true friend, and tells him how his mother, Jean du Pont (Vanessa Redgrave) paid a boy to act as his friend. Jean du Pont tells her son that she believes that the sport of wrestling is a "low sport" and doesn't like seeing him be low. One day, Mark and his teammates in Foxcatcher take a morning off from training to watch mixed martial arts (MMA) on TV. Angered by this (as well as Mark insisting that his brother will not join Team Foxcatcher), du Pont verbally and physically rebuffs him, saying that he'll enlist Dave by any means necessary.Dave decides to move with his family to Pennsylvania so he can join Foxcatcher. His stable training environment threatened by du Pont, Mark decides to work and train alone, pushing du Pont and even Dave away. As Team Foxcatcher prepares to enter the preliminaries for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, du Pont's mother is escorted into du Pont's gym to watch him coach his team. He awkwardly demonstrates basic maneuvers for her and the other wrestlers. Jean leaves in disgust after seeing du Pont give his back to his student.At the preliminaries, Mark performs poorly, losing his first match. Deeply angered by his failure, Mark violently destroys his room, sobs deeply, and goes on an eating binge. His brother Dave manages to break into his room and is alarmed at his brother's condition. Mark breaks a personal weight cutting record losing 12 lbs in 90 minutes to make weight; As Mark exercises, Dave prevents du Pont from speaking with Mark. Mark defeats 2-time NCAA Champion and NCAA "Outstanding Wrestler" Mike Sheets and makes the Olympic team. Dave notices that du Pont is absent, learning that he left for Pennsylvania after being told his mother had died. After returning to the estate, Mark tells Dave that "you and I both know that I can't stay" at Foxcatcher once the Olympics are over and asks Dave to leave with him as well. A documentary funded by du Pont about his exploits with Team Foxcatcher is made, during which Dave is asked to praise him as coach and mentor. Mark loses his matches in Seoul.Mark leaves du Pont's estate, but Dave negotiates a deal with du Pont to continue to support him financially so he can pursue competition. Dave continues to live at du Pont's estate and train with Foxcatcher. Du Pont is bewildered by his devotion to his family and independence from his control.Eight years later du Pont is sitting alone in his mansion's trophy room on January 26, 1996 watching the documentary made on Team Foxcatcher which ends with Mark giving a glowing compliment to du Pont at a ceremony depicted earlier. Du Pont then calls his bodyguard and drives to Dave Schultz's nearby home where he finds him in the driveway working on his car. As Schultz approaches du Pont's car John rolls down his window as asks him "Do you have a problem with me?" As a puzzled Dave replies "No" to the question, without another word du Pont summarily shoots him at close range three times with a .44 caliber handgun and drives off as Dave dies in his wife's (Sienna Miller) arms after she had called 911. After a two day siege with the heavily armed du Pont holed up in his mansion surrounded by 75 police officers which includes a 30-man SWAT team, du Pont is seized and arrested by Newtown Township police, a department of which he had been an unpaid but full badge carrying member since the 1970's, and is charged with first degree murder by Delaware County's District Attorney (and now U.S. Congressman, R-PA7) Patrick Meehan and Delaware Country Prosecutor Joe McGettigan (who also put Jerry Sandusky behind bars). The film ends showing Mark as he later competes and wins a bare-knuckle "No-Holds-Barred" cage fighting match with the crowd's cheers ringing in his head.Dave was posthumously inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame and was survived by his wife and two children. Mark never wrestled again after the 1988 Olympic games, switched sports to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling, and ended his athletic career going out a winner in the Ultimate Fighting Championships IX in 1996. Mark now speaks professionally for Keppler Speakers on overcoming adversity and winning. His book "Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold" is a New York Times best-seller. After a three week trial and seven days of jury deliberation, on February 25, 1997 du Pont was found guilty but mentally ill of murder in the third-degree. According to prosecutor Meehan, du Pont was the richest American ever tried for murder. Du Pont was eventually transferred from Norristown State Hospital where he had undergone psychiatric treatment to Laurel Highlands State Prison in Somerset, PA, where he died of natural causes almost 14 years later on December 9, 2010 at age 72. | violence, historical, murder | train | imdb | null |
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