Last Seen 70s/80s Movie

[roshiq]

Tamara Drewe (2010)



A fine Britt comedy.

>>: B+

The Presence (2010)



>>: C+

Fair Game (2010)



A good political thriller based on former CIA Operations Officer Valerie Plame's memoir: Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House. Naomi Watts & Sean Penn as usually done a great job on their respective roles as Valerie Plame & Joseph Wilson.

>>: A-

[psycho d]

Anatomy of a Murder (1959). If you are merely looking for a recommendation for a movie classic then read no further and dig up a copy of Anatomy of a Murder. If you would like to find out why you should not miss out on this masterpiece then read on.

As the story begins to unfold we are given material whose transparency seems to contradict the 160 minute run time, leaving us to wonder how in the heck they are gunna fill in all the gaps of such a simple story. But the story here is neither simple nor a convoluted roller coaster of unnerving twists and turns. Instead it is a slowly building study of courtroom ambiguity that transports the audience through its cinematic time teleporter in such a fashion that as the end nears our tension is a cross between the climax and our fears that this brilliant experience must finally come to its end.

James Stewart's performance was astounding. His legal wit appropriately mounts as his client's prospects for freedom approaches its doom. The combination of a country bumpkin lawyer with morally uncertain tactics works as they only create a sense of humanity missing in film today. Compounding this ambivalence is that it is never clear whether or not his enemy is the prosecutor or his client's flirty wife. Lee Remick plays her part perfectly. We are never really privy to the truth as her character dances around this notion as if to a two step whose score remains unsettled. Ben Gazzara, the client with a dubious future, was at his smarmy best, contemptuously aware of both his intelligence and his situation. George C. Scott blusters onto the screen with a silent intensity of puissance. His legal wits are never challenged as he quickly substantiates his reputation. There is not a stinker amongst the rest of the cast, and that the judge was played by a real-life judge only adds depth to this fantastic piece of cinema.

Otto Preminger likely deserves most of the credit for dictating the superior technicalities of Anatomy. Each and every scene was framed with an incredible sense of aesthetic and emotional design. The mise en scène was a masterpiece of formalist filmmaking. Never was there a time where character placement did not impart subtle yet substantial information concerning the scene. One of my favorite scenes utilized the silhouette of Scott to block out Stewart's character who, as if on cue, claws his way back into the picture, almost as if to ensure the audience that his presence will not be literally concealed. How this hilarious scene was tied into the story was just a slice of Otto's wit.

Though this can be thought of as a slow-burner, many scenes were a wicked blend of action, layers of activity that defies the viewer's frantic attempts to keep up, and yet never letting us fall into the quagmire of confusion. More so, the subtle touches of using a lighter, and who will offer a light to another, confers more important information about the characters than could any action, event, or dialog. Who lit the cigarette says it all.

The lighting was initially used to give this one a film noir feel, setting the mood even for when the tone was moved indoors and into the illuminated safety of the courtroom. More than that, lighting was used as a tool to effectively shield the character's intents and emotions from the viewer, giving us even more reason to want inside their skulls.

Duke Ellington's score was candy for the ears, and from the get-go it intimates that what we are about to experience is no trivial matter.

If you are looking for a courtroom drama where blindsiding twists make up the bulk of the story then look elsewhere. But instead if it's a smart drama that unfolds in the courtroom, and does so not by picking on your intelligence but by the sheer monument of crafty movie genius, then get ready to take in one of the all time best legal dramas to have graced the silver screen. Merci.
d

[ChronoGrl]

Black Death (2010)





Uhhhhhhhhh

Note to self: When you're already in the midst of a flu/depression spiral, DO NOT go out of your way to watch incredibly grim movies.

I'm having a hard time giving an objective review of this film because I was already feeling rotten and now, coming out of it, my spirits aren't exactly uplifted.

But I'll try anyway.

Well, it really shouldn't come as a surprise that this movie was directed superbly. Christopher Smith was the creator of other genre pieces such as Creep and Triangle, both of which stirred up the horror community and made a name for himself (I'm not sure if it's worth mentioning, but he also directed Severance, which I personally enjoyed, but people seemed torn about). This is really a jaw-dropping period piece - It's rough, gritty, and feels realistic (not your average swords-and-shields type fare). It's dirty, it's dark, and you really feel as though you are part of a believable tale of the 1300s with everything from the sets to the costumes to the make-up.

In terms of plot, Black Death is a journey into the medieval Heart of Darkness. Fairly straight-forward, but by no means simple. When it comes down to it, message of Black Death is that religion is ultimately evil and that people will maim, kill, and cannibalize each other in order to gain religious power. Incredibly dark, extremely grim, and ultimately left me feeling unhappy.

But that's to be expected.

It's a well-executed movie. I think that A LOT of people on here will like it (so to you I highly recommend it). It's just not something personally that I need to see again.


3.5/5.

[neverending]

Originally Posted by psycho d

Anatomy of a Murder (1959).
d

Your Honor, I object! What is the norm of jealousy!

[cheebacheeba]

Lethal Weapon 2.
This one used to be my favourite, and while I enjoyed watching it while borrowing my friends box set I couldn't help but think only the first one was really any good. Though I still quite liked it...they made some decent action films around this time. Leaning a little further into the comedy routine with some funny dialogue and the addition of the rather annoying Joe Pesci, but still some solid action and relatively interesting villain/s, an ok storyline stringing it all together, and admirably with the events of/prior the first film as well. It's a reasonable sequel, and one of the better ones.

The Next 3 Days.
It was fairly watchable, with some very intense scenes.
Well acted, and a fun if not implausible overall "prison break" type storyline, with a couple of intelligent twists thrown in.
I don't usually like Russel Crowe at all, but he seemed good at the "normal" guy/husband/dad role and for once I didn't actually mind him at all.
It has a few dips here and there, but is quite edge of your seat a lot of the time too...couple of laughs, but overall a relatively sombre tone.
...Musical score borrowed a little heavily off LOST I thought.

Lethal Weapon 3
Still my LEAST favourite...I think it's because the whole thing feels a bit more like an episode of a cop/law drama? I actually found it pretty boring and didn't even watch the last half hour...the villain was just so...cookie cutter...
I mean it's "ok" but shit, even the 4th one was better than this, and that had fucking Chris Rock in it...

[psycho d]

Piranha 3D (2010). The problem for exceptional directors is that when they just want to have some fun in making a movie, there will be scores of people that just don't get it. Still, people that expected a movie with the feel of High Tension from the remake of Piranha must be suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome. This movie was obviously meant to be a horror comedy and from that it point it delivers swimmingly.

Men that complained of the gratuitous nudity should either divorce their oppressive wives or have their man cards revoked. Yep, there are a lot of boobs floating around. I particularly like the choreography of the mermaid ballet scene.

What might not seem apparent is that this movie delights in making fun of itself. Those gruesome over the top waves of carnage were not meant to scare, but to draw delicious laughter from that naughty place in our skulls where such frivolity should not seem funny but still is.

Though not great, the acting was surprisingly good for such a trashy delight. In fact, superior acting would have been a wasted effort.

My only criticism, and this is a minor slight, would have been to shorten the contest scene as it quickly became boring. That said, the navigation through the sea of humanity scene was hilariously stupid. Loved it!

The effects were perfect here. The gore was unwholesome fun. When the effects were made to be unbelievable it was more to tickle the funny bone and was in no way an inept endeavor. To have made many of the scenes more believable would have detracted from the fun, and fun was the whole point.

Great moments abound. The opener with a certain hero of an ocean movie classic should have alerted viewers just what they were in for. For sheer movie magnificence, Ving's moment of glory creating a bay full of fish puree was one of many outrageous highlights, which seemed the whole point, to be a mere monument of outrage.

I almost feel sorry for those that could not see the entertainment value of this movie, insisting that the director should have remained true to form instead of reveling in the audacious smarm that this flick's genre demanded.
d

[BipolarExpress]

The Illusionist

A truly beautiful movie

[ash89]

Devil

Wow, was this written by a 5 year old? After all the hype and being told how scary it was, this was terrible. The only real reason I watched it was because I saw about 100 adverts for it a few months ago. Basically about a group of people getting trapped in an elevator then all sorts of weird stuff goes on, the twists are incredibly obvious to anyone paying attention.

Seriously, avoid this like the plague.

3/10.

Frozen

A bit like Open Water, instead they're on a ski slope. Some crazy moments and the whole time you are sitting there thinking there are far better alternatives to getting out of the lift. Certain scenes were needless and a bit OTT but apart from that it wasn't that bad of a movie. Certainly kept me a lot more interested than Open Water did.

7/10.

Long Weekend

By the time I watched this it was about 1/2am, though this film wouldn't have made sense if it's 1/2pm. A couple go away to sort their marriage out but spend the whole time arguing and aimlessly wondering around this deserted beach. Then stuff starts dying but isn't dead, I don't even know I gave up caring half-way through.

5/10.

Last Exorcism
Heard pretty poor reviews about it, agree with them. Trying to be another 'Paranormal Activity' 'Blair Witch' style film, a little bit bored of that now. The finish was pretty anti-climactic.

5/10.

[zwoti]

deep red
black dynamite
avatar
salt
death race 2
red heat
flavia the heretic

[psycho d]

Blow-Up (1966). The opening of Blow-Up portends symbolic significance that can only be realized at the end, if at all. It then moves in the typical Antonioni direction which seems repulsed by such things as story and plot, as if such hum drum movie norms would somehow obstruct the movie making process. What is wonderful during this time spent accomplishing nothing is that we are lured in by a Thomas, a guy who exudes a violence of character without lifting a finger to harm.

Thomas, the show's anti-hero, is really more a menace than a citizen. He is impetuous, self-centered, a photographer. To him, even when there is something greater than his own presence available to occupy him, getting the perfect shot is paramount. Thomas is much like Alex in A Clockwork Orange but without the bloodshed.

But this story is not about Thomas. Instead it dances around perception. Thomas sees the world as he sees fit, until his camera catches something that he was looking at but did not see. This is where the magic of this movie really starts to shine, for it is here that it threatens to become something it is not. The movie itself plays with our perceptions. The audience tries to make something out of it but the movie does not comply with our wishes but toys with us none the less.

Even things such as worth are challenged. One of the best scenes in the movie fabulously demonstrates to us the fuel that drives worth, and that once an item's lure is lost in others then it is no longer worth coveting, in fact best dropped on the spot. This is one of many scenes that are both delightful to the eye and rich in symbolism. A landscape painting, an antique propeller, the droll existence of an antique shop, all of these scream out some message to Thomas, and it is never clear whether or not he even caught on to the director's designs- perfect.

The acting was absolute quality on all accounts, but it was David Hemmings' Thomas that stole the show. Vanessa Redgrave's character was probably the only one to make an impression on Thomas, but even here the mold does not match the original. Perception even here is skewed a tad.

Little more can be said of the direction except that it was magnificent. Known to extend scenes longer than the audience would like, Michelangelo Antonioni drags out the scenes with the aplomb a true master, daring us to look away or even pretend to be bored. We follow suit, and except for the adrenalin set, none of us exhibit restlessness mainly because we are too fascinated to be bored.

The camera work was mostly subtle when it worked its magic. From majestic long-shots to close-up pans, the camera is used to drive the movie and capture our curiosity. Is is by no means above manipulating its audience.

How to end such a movie creates almost a panic in the audience, for what we have just experienced defies a suitable ending, and we want not to be disappointed. Not to worry, the ending is almost a continuation of the unspoken question of its beginning, but this time allows the audience to understand its significance, or at least forgives us when when we too are caught up in the misrepresentation that is reality.
d