Whatever the reason for it, it has nothing to do with the game. This thing is amazing. High point in storytelling for the video game industry as a whole.
Reviews
24 Reviews
Spenser Confidential
(2020)
Good, but not Spenser.
10 March 2020
As far as mystery/ detective action movies go this is a decent one.
Not the kind where you can solve it in advance and the plot is ultimately overly complicated and inconsequential but it is genuine fun watching it unfold.
I'd probably have given it a 7 if it wasn't for the false advertisement that I'd be getting to see Spenser and Hawk. These two aren't them.
Spenser and Hawk are meant to be two men who while physically intimidating are more dangerous due to their intelligence. A fight is their last resort, notable as they would win every fight.
There is not one single line of dialog to illustrate how educated these two are, if anything, the contrary.
And while the Private Eye who gets beat up all the time is a staple of the genre, it's not Spenser, who spends most of this movie getting knocked around. And while Wahlberg throws punches he never takes a fighter's stance even though he starred in The Fighter. Spenser is a boxer. He is so well trained as one that other fighting styles don't stand a chance because the fighters themselves lack Spenser's discipline in his chosen form.
I hope they paid the Parker estate double for this insult to his creations.
Hawk especially as the character as originally written could have been the hero these modern times need. No slam on this actor, he's got skills, and the fault is primarily the script, but he should have sat down with Avery Brooks, who likewise had to overcome script issues when he played the part but was still able to find the soul of the character. You knew it was there, even when it wasn't in the script.
Mark Wahlberg just plays Mark Wahlberg. It works here but he's the worst Spenser to play the part even if he's the most accomplished actor.
Alan Arkin is perfect. Marc Maron is enough fun that he should have had a bigger part.
Not the kind where you can solve it in advance and the plot is ultimately overly complicated and inconsequential but it is genuine fun watching it unfold.
I'd probably have given it a 7 if it wasn't for the false advertisement that I'd be getting to see Spenser and Hawk. These two aren't them.
Spenser and Hawk are meant to be two men who while physically intimidating are more dangerous due to their intelligence. A fight is their last resort, notable as they would win every fight.
There is not one single line of dialog to illustrate how educated these two are, if anything, the contrary.
And while the Private Eye who gets beat up all the time is a staple of the genre, it's not Spenser, who spends most of this movie getting knocked around. And while Wahlberg throws punches he never takes a fighter's stance even though he starred in The Fighter. Spenser is a boxer. He is so well trained as one that other fighting styles don't stand a chance because the fighters themselves lack Spenser's discipline in his chosen form.
I hope they paid the Parker estate double for this insult to his creations.
Hawk especially as the character as originally written could have been the hero these modern times need. No slam on this actor, he's got skills, and the fault is primarily the script, but he should have sat down with Avery Brooks, who likewise had to overcome script issues when he played the part but was still able to find the soul of the character. You knew it was there, even when it wasn't in the script.
Mark Wahlberg just plays Mark Wahlberg. It works here but he's the worst Spenser to play the part even if he's the most accomplished actor.
Alan Arkin is perfect. Marc Maron is enough fun that he should have had a bigger part.
When Star Trek is art.
27 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This episode feels like Rod Serling penning a morality tale episode of Star Trek the Original Series.
Sci fi to address the human condition. Dulling the blade by putting aliens in place of humans so the message can get through.
The people who lived in the German towns surrounding concentration camps during World War II... the ones who kept those horrible places running as support staff by bringing in supplies, mechanics repairing a truck, a file clerk... Were truly all of them monsters?
Our gut, Kira's gut says yes. They knew what was going on and they did nothing.
But then an alien reminds us that we all are just human and being human some of those people maybe were just... cowards.
Hardly a virtue. Definitely deserving of some kind of punishment... or penance.
It's hard to truly comprehend a holocaust. The scale is just so large it doesn't seem real. Even when staring at the proof that it happened. You just can't understand how it gets there. How it gets that bad, that awful, that horrific.
But we can all understand cowardice.
And once you have an in, you can come to a glimmer of an understanding. And that kind of understanding is what us required if we are ever to prevent the like from occurring again.
Kudos to all involved in this episode, you nailed it.
Sci fi to address the human condition. Dulling the blade by putting aliens in place of humans so the message can get through.
The people who lived in the German towns surrounding concentration camps during World War II... the ones who kept those horrible places running as support staff by bringing in supplies, mechanics repairing a truck, a file clerk... Were truly all of them monsters?
Our gut, Kira's gut says yes. They knew what was going on and they did nothing.
But then an alien reminds us that we all are just human and being human some of those people maybe were just... cowards.
Hardly a virtue. Definitely deserving of some kind of punishment... or penance.
It's hard to truly comprehend a holocaust. The scale is just so large it doesn't seem real. Even when staring at the proof that it happened. You just can't understand how it gets there. How it gets that bad, that awful, that horrific.
But we can all understand cowardice.
And once you have an in, you can come to a glimmer of an understanding. And that kind of understanding is what us required if we are ever to prevent the like from occurring again.
Kudos to all involved in this episode, you nailed it.
Mixed bag.
16 February 2020
The direction / editing / production design of this is off the charts amazing. I've seen a lot of people attempt what's done here, and apologies for all the buzz words but - a modern millennial social media horror story - and where all others have failed, this not only succeeds but impresses.
The idea and this kind of execution of a brightly lit bubbly beautiful horror in the style of a snapchap instaculture pop tale could have captured the zeitgeist in the manner of how the Excorist entralled the boomer generation that was given too heavy of a dose of religion growing up.
Unfortunately the screenplay is awful. The director should have taken a story credit and handed it over to an actual screenwriter who can actually write dialog, harness the themes that are here visually and put it into the actual body of the story, and done the character work needed so we'd be rooting for someone in all of this.
After this I would happily watch any Maggie Levin directs.... just so long as she brings in someone else to help write it. She is very clearly a great artist, writing just isn't her medium. Considering how skilled she is in everything else on display here that isn't a weakness, but failing to realize that is.
The idea and this kind of execution of a brightly lit bubbly beautiful horror in the style of a snapchap instaculture pop tale could have captured the zeitgeist in the manner of how the Excorist entralled the boomer generation that was given too heavy of a dose of religion growing up.
Unfortunately the screenplay is awful. The director should have taken a story credit and handed it over to an actual screenwriter who can actually write dialog, harness the themes that are here visually and put it into the actual body of the story, and done the character work needed so we'd be rooting for someone in all of this.
After this I would happily watch any Maggie Levin directs.... just so long as she brings in someone else to help write it. She is very clearly a great artist, writing just isn't her medium. Considering how skilled she is in everything else on display here that isn't a weakness, but failing to realize that is.
Well done but to long.
16 February 2020
There's a lot of great stuff in this one but the premise just isn't enough to support a full length feature. If this were cut down to a tight 45 and put in a horror anthology it would be talked about as a classic. Padded out as it is when it's done you'll say well that had some really cool bits... and then forget it in 6 months after enough additional content is consumed to push it out for space.
VFW
(2019)
Works because of the cast.
16 February 2020
Stephen Lang and William Sadler are world class actors who are given just enough material to work with to turn in two truly great performances that ground this movie and make it worth a watch.
David Patrick Kelly is underutilized, the story of his career.
Loved seeing Fred Williamson, George Wendt, & Martin Cove.
Dora Madison is given nothing to work with, her biggest moment is a fight against a man in his 80s, but manages to be memorable.
The script has some solid stuff but could have used a polish or three.
The direction is... uneven. Some great gore stuff but even more impressive are the moments where you are tricked into thinking you saw a gore that didn't actually occur. That being said there are two egregious errors - first the finale when they're cutting up to three different times of day into a single sequence and just hoping no one notices? Don't shoot your biggest FX at sunrise unless you have enough sunrises in the budget to do it right. Second, all the plot takes place at two locations meant to be right next to each other when they clearly are not. This is your entire plot. Don't take me out of the movie because you couldn't be bothered to have a location scout. Both buildings interiors could have been soundstages or ten thousand miles apart but your exteriors need to be next to each other per the script you wrote. These are first semester film school mistakes. And if that's bring mean to anyone it's first semester film students.
David Patrick Kelly is underutilized, the story of his career.
Loved seeing Fred Williamson, George Wendt, & Martin Cove.
Dora Madison is given nothing to work with, her biggest moment is a fight against a man in his 80s, but manages to be memorable.
The script has some solid stuff but could have used a polish or three.
The direction is... uneven. Some great gore stuff but even more impressive are the moments where you are tricked into thinking you saw a gore that didn't actually occur. That being said there are two egregious errors - first the finale when they're cutting up to three different times of day into a single sequence and just hoping no one notices? Don't shoot your biggest FX at sunrise unless you have enough sunrises in the budget to do it right. Second, all the plot takes place at two locations meant to be right next to each other when they clearly are not. This is your entire plot. Don't take me out of the movie because you couldn't be bothered to have a location scout. Both buildings interiors could have been soundstages or ten thousand miles apart but your exteriors need to be next to each other per the script you wrote. These are first semester film school mistakes. And if that's bring mean to anyone it's first semester film students.
Big Ass Spider!
(2013)
This actually pretty good.
8 February 2020
I never understood why syfy channel original movies are always so bad. Sure they're made cheap and quick but one would think hollywood is full of people who know movies, love movies, and are just waiting for the chance to actually make one.
This is one of those. People having a good time making a big ass spider movie, and it shows. No pretention, just fun. They know what it is and they all know enough to know what they're doing and how to make the most of it. Comes through.
This is one of those. People having a good time making a big ass spider movie, and it shows. No pretention, just fun. They know what it is and they all know enough to know what they're doing and how to make the most of it. Comes through.
Theresa & Allison
(2019)
Started amazing, goes to stupid, ends at nonsense.
24 December 2019
The opening of this was quite amazing. Some great imagery, great acting choices, interesting tone. Thought it was going to become a vampire allegory ala The Addiction, but with a more modern slant. A tribute to what you can do on a micro budget.
Then upon the introduction of the second titular character every scene becomes monologues of characters talking about far more interesting things than what they had the budget to film and how those things informed who they are, breaking a primary rule of filmmaking, show don't tell. We don't need to know what a character will do if we never see them act and their actions have nothing to do with the movie. That's just a writer sacrificing story and characters for the sake of world building.
Which is dumb, because the world they built was rife with cliche after cliche. The smaller more interesting story of Theresa seemed on the verge of saying something original about the modern world with its juxtaposition of horror imagery, graphic nudity, and disassociated longing for something else.
Ariella Hope is good though. In the first half she is in fact quite excellent. You feel her desire, her pain. You care even though she's just been introduced. She conveys empathy as naturally as Jake Gyllenhaal. Then later she tries her hardest to make it seem like every new character that comes in and talks for ten minutes is providing something relevant to her journey, even if they don't. Not even remotely. You believe her conflict even though it all just centers around someone she met that day. She has a lot of talent and I really wish they had used that ability to tell the story I thought they were going for: vampirism as a metaphor for mistaking sex as intimacy, the dangers of projection, confusing longing for a connection.
Instead, they talked for an hour and a half about a world they never showed us for a bunch of sequels they aren't likely to make, starring all the characters I didn't care about.
Then upon the introduction of the second titular character every scene becomes monologues of characters talking about far more interesting things than what they had the budget to film and how those things informed who they are, breaking a primary rule of filmmaking, show don't tell. We don't need to know what a character will do if we never see them act and their actions have nothing to do with the movie. That's just a writer sacrificing story and characters for the sake of world building.
Which is dumb, because the world they built was rife with cliche after cliche. The smaller more interesting story of Theresa seemed on the verge of saying something original about the modern world with its juxtaposition of horror imagery, graphic nudity, and disassociated longing for something else.
Ariella Hope is good though. In the first half she is in fact quite excellent. You feel her desire, her pain. You care even though she's just been introduced. She conveys empathy as naturally as Jake Gyllenhaal. Then later she tries her hardest to make it seem like every new character that comes in and talks for ten minutes is providing something relevant to her journey, even if they don't. Not even remotely. You believe her conflict even though it all just centers around someone she met that day. She has a lot of talent and I really wish they had used that ability to tell the story I thought they were going for: vampirism as a metaphor for mistaking sex as intimacy, the dangers of projection, confusing longing for a connection.
Instead, they talked for an hour and a half about a world they never showed us for a bunch of sequels they aren't likely to make, starring all the characters I didn't care about.
Great show, a tragedy that there isn't more of it
25 September 2019
So I had never heard of this show in any shape or form but after watching the misfire that was What/If I found myself wishing that Jane Levy was in a better show.
Lo and behold, she was.
This show is funny, touching, original, and yet familiar and nostalgic. Great cast, Levy, as always knocks it out of the park, but the lead actor plays doe-eyed kid lost in Hollywood quite perfectly. Tony Danza at his best, and some fine scene stealing stuff from the always underrated Roger Bart.
I've had Hulu for over a year at this point and not once did they even recommend it to me... And it's their show. That's insane. But given that this show has less than 400 votes it would seem they didn't promote it to anyone. If they didn't have the richest parent company in the world they'd go out of business with a model of making great content and only to bury it.
Seriously if this show had been given a chance I'm certain it would have been a hit, it could have been what Johnny Carson was to millions of Americans- the thing you lay down in bed to watch at the end of a rough day so you can drift off to sleep with a smile on your face.
Instead these streaming services seem content to just bid big money over the old shows that caught that kind of lightning in a bottle.
Had your own, right here, Hulu, but you blew it.
Lo and behold, she was.
This show is funny, touching, original, and yet familiar and nostalgic. Great cast, Levy, as always knocks it out of the park, but the lead actor plays doe-eyed kid lost in Hollywood quite perfectly. Tony Danza at his best, and some fine scene stealing stuff from the always underrated Roger Bart.
I've had Hulu for over a year at this point and not once did they even recommend it to me... And it's their show. That's insane. But given that this show has less than 400 votes it would seem they didn't promote it to anyone. If they didn't have the richest parent company in the world they'd go out of business with a model of making great content and only to bury it.
Seriously if this show had been given a chance I'm certain it would have been a hit, it could have been what Johnny Carson was to millions of Americans- the thing you lay down in bed to watch at the end of a rough day so you can drift off to sleep with a smile on your face.
Instead these streaming services seem content to just bid big money over the old shows that caught that kind of lightning in a bottle.
Had your own, right here, Hulu, but you blew it.
What/If
(2019)
For fans only.
24 September 2019
The "A" story here is actually pretty cool and could have been an amazing series but unfortunately the execution of that story was terrible and ridiculous. What could have been a gripping drama ended up firmly soap opera.
The "B" story (the husband) and the "C" story (the husband's best friends) are awful even for a soap.
That being said, Rene Zellwegger, Jane Levy, and Daniella Pineda are all excellent. Zellwegger shows she deserved better roles even when she had her choice of them. Levy continues to impress with a crazy wide range from horror to sitcoms to this soap/drama hybrid. I was not familiar with Pineda until this but she was at Zellwegger and Levy's level when it came to masking bad exposition dialog by doing the character work between the lines.
If you're a fan of any of the above three actors this show might be worth checking out, otherwise, find something else in your queue.
The "B" story (the husband) and the "C" story (the husband's best friends) are awful even for a soap.
That being said, Rene Zellwegger, Jane Levy, and Daniella Pineda are all excellent. Zellwegger shows she deserved better roles even when she had her choice of them. Levy continues to impress with a crazy wide range from horror to sitcoms to this soap/drama hybrid. I was not familiar with Pineda until this but she was at Zellwegger and Levy's level when it came to masking bad exposition dialog by doing the character work between the lines.
If you're a fan of any of the above three actors this show might be worth checking out, otherwise, find something else in your queue.
Fun Size
(2012)
Surprisingly Funny
12 August 2019
Random watch based solely on the talent of Jane Levy and I chuckled throughout the entire film and there are also quite a few genuine hard belly laughs as well.
I'm shocked by the low rating - I think it seems to have been mismarketed - too many people expecting an innocent family friendly comedy film and being disappointed that it was a general comedy. A few maybe expecting a raunchy teen comedy, disappointed by a flick trying to appeal to a wider audience.
Funny script, good cast, director who knows how to use the two. Check it out.
I'm shocked by the low rating - I think it seems to have been mismarketed - too many people expecting an innocent family friendly comedy film and being disappointed that it was a general comedy. A few maybe expecting a raunchy teen comedy, disappointed by a flick trying to appeal to a wider audience.
Funny script, good cast, director who knows how to use the two. Check it out.
The Tick
(2016–2019)
The single greatest thing Amazon has ever done.
23 February 2018
My new favorite show.
Parody of super heroes Satire of Super heroes While also, still, somehow, a superhero show in it's own right. Filled with complex characters, heart string plucking hero's journey...
While also being the funniest thing on tv.
I'd say this is something new, except Edlund has being doing this for almost 30 years. He just keeps getting better and better at it.
Can't recommend any higher.
Amazing.
Please please please Amazon, keep on making this.
Parody of super heroes Satire of Super heroes While also, still, somehow, a superhero show in it's own right. Filled with complex characters, heart string plucking hero's journey...
While also being the funniest thing on tv.
I'd say this is something new, except Edlund has being doing this for almost 30 years. He just keeps getting better and better at it.
Can't recommend any higher.
Amazing.
Please please please Amazon, keep on making this.
The lost are of Intelligent Ridiculousness
3 February 2018
This episode is the highest level of satire.
A brilliant examination of what place in the world conspiracies have, and by extension a show about conspiracies, when in the present modern era politicians can rely upon apathy and the misinformation available in the digital age to the point where they never even have cover anything up.
It is also just genuinely hilarious.
A brilliant examination of what place in the world conspiracies have, and by extension a show about conspiracies, when in the present modern era politicians can rely upon apathy and the misinformation available in the digital age to the point where they never even have cover anything up.
It is also just genuinely hilarious.
Supernatural
(2005–2020)
Would be one of the greatest shows of all time...
10 November 2015
...If it ended after season 5.
1-5? Some of the best stuff ever. By season 2 it had its legs and seasons 3,4, and 5 I'd put up against anything else put on TV. Just firing on all cylinders.
Then the show runner left, and they decided to beat a horse to death by currently carrying it on into season 11.. It's now existed in its lesser form longer than it did in it's prime, and that's a shame.
And it's not that seasons 6-present are bad.. they're not. There is occasionally a great episode here and there... But mostly, it's just them repeating themselves. On scaled both small and large. In individual episodes and in their big season long arcs.
I'm reminded of Smallville which had similar, if shorter, period of greatness... And then continued on for years upon years upon years.
You think you're giving the fans more of what they want.. But really, you're just turning greatness into mediocrity. If they had ended this after season 5, I'd revist this show. Every few years, dig it out. I'd recommend it to everyone I saw. But by the time it ends I know it will, much like Smallville, just be a forgettable show where the bad out weighed the good simply because they carried it on just too long.
1-5? Some of the best stuff ever. By season 2 it had its legs and seasons 3,4, and 5 I'd put up against anything else put on TV. Just firing on all cylinders.
Then the show runner left, and they decided to beat a horse to death by currently carrying it on into season 11.. It's now existed in its lesser form longer than it did in it's prime, and that's a shame.
And it's not that seasons 6-present are bad.. they're not. There is occasionally a great episode here and there... But mostly, it's just them repeating themselves. On scaled both small and large. In individual episodes and in their big season long arcs.
I'm reminded of Smallville which had similar, if shorter, period of greatness... And then continued on for years upon years upon years.
You think you're giving the fans more of what they want.. But really, you're just turning greatness into mediocrity. If they had ended this after season 5, I'd revist this show. Every few years, dig it out. I'd recommend it to everyone I saw. But by the time it ends I know it will, much like Smallville, just be a forgettable show where the bad out weighed the good simply because they carried it on just too long.
Creator
(1985)
One of the worst movies I have ever seen and they have no one to blame but Peter O'Toole and their casting director...
10 October 2005
This movie is at times a wild 80s college sex comedy, others a sweet romantic one... Then it has moments of serious drama and then sprinkles in dashes of science fiction... It is so uneven its almost ridiculous.
But I would hardly rank it as one of the worst films I've ever seen except of course for the fact that they casted Peter O'Toole.
There is absolutely nothing for him to work with here. Poor dialog, poor performances to work off of, poor everything... And yet he's fantastic... There is not one good thing about his part and yet he makes it work if only on pure charm alone.
The fact that he was so able to achieve so much with so little shines a spotlight on how greatly everyone else in this film failed, making it seem even worse than I suppose it actually is...
If any other actor was in O'Toole's role, I would have forgotten this movie as crap and never thought of it again, but a fine performance by Peter O'Toole despite all odds ensures that I'll remember this film for a long time to come... If only as a film that, maybe, could have been good if anyone involved in it was nearly half as good as Peter O'Toole.
But I would hardly rank it as one of the worst films I've ever seen except of course for the fact that they casted Peter O'Toole.
There is absolutely nothing for him to work with here. Poor dialog, poor performances to work off of, poor everything... And yet he's fantastic... There is not one good thing about his part and yet he makes it work if only on pure charm alone.
The fact that he was so able to achieve so much with so little shines a spotlight on how greatly everyone else in this film failed, making it seem even worse than I suppose it actually is...
If any other actor was in O'Toole's role, I would have forgotten this movie as crap and never thought of it again, but a fine performance by Peter O'Toole despite all odds ensures that I'll remember this film for a long time to come... If only as a film that, maybe, could have been good if anyone involved in it was nearly half as good as Peter O'Toole.
The Sixth Sense
(1999)
A Masterpiece In Every Sense of the Word
31 August 1999
I thought this film would be a nice way to spend two hours. I didn't expect something so great. It was a pleasant surprise. First I must give kudos to the director. I have not seen anything he'd directed, or written prior to this, but he's proven with one movie that he's great in both fields. The direction of the film is marvelous. He creates an air to the film, it creeps you out, and may even scare you. He does this without millions of dollars in special effects, he simply does it with make-up, a great script, and great direction. The script isn't great just because it can creep you out however, nor is it the marvelous ending, instead it's the fact that the script plays the viewer like a piano. The writer/director makes us make these simple assumptions. Little things. Things so common that they don't need to be said, and then he has us slapping our forehead for making the assumption later. It's an excellent example that nothing is what it seems, and we should never assume. Truly excellent.
The Big Lebowski
(1998)
Best Film of 1998
31 August 1999
This was simply the best picture of the year, and it annoys me that it didn't get a single Academy Award Nomination. It was perfectly written, amazingly acted, wonderfully directed, there wasn't a single thing wrong with the film. If you ever talk to a person who did not enjoy this film, it's because it was too far above them. There are plenty of jokes for everyone. And then there are the perfectly added "inside jokes" as well. Such as the several references to "Branded" an old TV show. A show the characters in the film loved. They talked of it lasting hundreds of episodes, when in fact, there were only a handful of episodes. There were jokes about every day life. Jokes about the simple fact that the Dude is a dinosaur. Every other "radical" or "hippie" grew up, got jobs, and stopped with the drugs. The Dude on the other hand, is still living in the 60s. And if you look at his friends they all have their own little stories, and show how deeply their pasts affect them. However, they show this great characterization through jokes. Something very hard to do. For example Walter(Goodman)obviously hit his peak and the height of his life, back in Vietnam and when he was married. So, the jokes about him are Walter spazzing at people "I AM A UNITED STATES VETERAN!" And that's how we get to know him. How unique is that? The same thing can be said of Donnie(Buscemi) here is an ex-surfer who obviously did drugs, and they took his mind, you know this from his sheer absent mindedness. It's truly a unique film, of which we shall never see the like again, and for that I'm sorry. It's the Coen brothers at top form.
Directed by John Ford
(1971)
Excellent
8 August 1999
While print quality of the films it shows excerpts from, and some of the interviews is poor, the quality of the documentary itself still shines. It shows us how Ford got started in film, and what films made him a star. It also gives enough of an overview of the man, and enough complete scenes from his films, that a person like me who's only seen a handful of Ford's many many films, can respect the man and know he was one of the best. You also get to know what kind of a man he was through stories told by such Ford film regulars as John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda. Some are truly funny and let you know what a character the man himself was. There are also a few spots of interviews with Ford himself behind his famous backdrop of Monument Valley. They tool show you what a unique man Ford was. I was lucky enough to see this on AMC, if you have a chance of seeing it anywhere, I recommend it.
No Way Home
(1996)
Interesting. Enjoyable. But....
28 May 1999
It was late at night, I was bored, and am a Tim Roth fan, so I decided to watch it. I didn't expect much. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so. It was very interesting. It presented you with questions about these characters and gave pieces of the puzzle slowly. It kept you engrossed, wanting more. It had various different sub-plots, all entertaining. It had this build up of a true great film and a truly great drama and character study with a uniqueness to it. However towards the end it falls into the standard, predictable plot points, transforming from a character piece and drama, to the cliche crime drama Tim Roth is most known for. That is truly a shame since, when given the chance, Roth can give great comedic and dramatic performances only if given the chance. While Roth made this film what it is, it featured good performances by Russo and Unger, those two should be watched in the future, they could easily go places.
The Thin Red Line
(1998)
Crap on a stick
15 January 1999
First off, before I go into how bad this film is let me state the director is a master when it comes to the battle scenes. They are superb. Some of the best ever. The rest is a waste o time. There are some good performances given the size of the parts, but they are far and few. Koteas, Nolte and Cusack are the only actors worth anything in the film, and neither of them have too large of parts. The director tries to get across some much in so much time but it gets lost in its own failed symbolism. This film is actually painful to watch because of that. You will find yourself praying for the battle scenes, and discover yourself muttering swears when a narration begins or a cut scene to a soldier's wife. If one were to ignore the "message" the director is trying to share and look at the film as simply a film to watch and be entertained by you'll find nothing. That is why the symbolism fails, the message fails, and the movie is hard to watch. Because beneath all the symbols and life questioning there is nothing. No plot, no real main characters to attach yourself to, or care about. It's just a march through a jungle. And perhaps that's what the director wanted, an insufferable march through the jungle, trying to show a viewer the crap each soldier went through, however it doesn't shine through, instead it's me guessing at perhaps that's the point. I love a film that questions life, and this film does that. However it does it as an old English novel would. The kind of novel near impossible to read because the language has changed so much in six hundred years. This film had a lot of potential, however it got lost in itself and became perhaps the biggest disappointment I've had in a long while.
The Man Who Would Be King
(1975)
Unforgettable.
27 December 1998
The greatest "buddy film" of all time. What makes this so? First off, casting two real life friends, Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Second, all other "buddy films" are simply comedies. And while the Man Who Would Be King has some laughs in it, and Connery and Caine bounce off of each other almost as good as Abbott and Costello, the story itself is a drama. And what a drama it is. Two English soldiers set out to be the rulers of a country, but can anyone who was a grunt one day, and a king the next, become a King without getting an inflated ego? The answer is no and that becomes the ultimate test for these two friends. Terrific performances by Caine, Connery and even Christopher Plummer, who gives a brief, but good performance as Rudyard Kipling, the man who wrote the short story this film was based on. This film features perhaps the greatest ending to a movie ever made. You will never forget it, and you will wish that you had a friendship as strong as these two individuals.
The Eagle Has Landed
(1976)
A great cast with great performances and a fun watch.
22 December 1998
A group of German Soldiers, invade the U.K to kidnap Winston Churchill because it's one of Hitler's "whims". Simple plot, not too much to it actually. What makes this movie great however is the dialog, the cast and the great performances that came with both. Donald Sutherland plays once of those characters he was made to play and gets all the laughs. Michael Caine plays the duty driven soldier and does it so well that it doesn't matter he's an English actor playing a German soldier. Donald Pleasence plays the historic figure Heinrich Himmler. It's not much of a part, it just helps get the ball rolling, but Pleasence manages to put his mark on the role. Robert Duvall plays the Col. told to get this operation moving and pitch the people to do it. If it goes wrong, it's his head. Especially since deep down he knows it's not going to work, but when Hitler and Himmler say jump, you ask how high. Duvall does this so well that despite him being a Nazi, you're worrying if his head is going to roll. Also look for a great Captain America type performance from Treat Williams, one of his very first roles. The dialog is a real treat in this one too. The dialog gives some great comedic lines to Sutherland, who executes them perfectly. The dialog that gives the whole sense of honor that is Caine's character. The dialog that gives Treat Williams the exact lines we'd be thinking. So the story might be simple in nature, even a bit absurd, but any movie that has you caring for characters that are Nazi's, or Nazi sympathizers as the case may be, all the while still rooting for the "good guys" has to have a great director, a great writer, and a great cast.
The Phantom
(1996)
A fun ride
16 December 1998
The Phantom is very arguably a masterpiece. It's one of few movies to actually have camp and use it well. Most films that try this fall flat on their faces and wind up on my top 20 worst films of all time, the Phantom however makes it in my top 75 films of all time. My reasons are this, First, great performances. Billy Zane is the ultimate square jawed hero. Joel Shumacher tried to make Batman this, and we saw the result. Why does it work with the Phantom and not Batman? Batman is a man who dresses darkly, the Phantom wears purple. You don't really get any mixed messages. Treat Williams delivers the best performance of the film as the best tongue in cheek villain I can ever remember. He also makes Drax interesting by adding a little psychopathic tendencies along with his quips. The story itself has all the energy of an Indiana Jones film. Not surprising since it was written by the man who wrote Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In fact, you could pretty much replace the Phantom with Jones. Another thing worth commenting on is the sets. Whether it's the jungle, the city or a pirates cave the Phantoms sets and scenery are always breathtaking. Rent it, but keep in mind, since the whole film is a mixing of genre's, it's all a matter of taste.
Simply Brilliant
16 December 1998
Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead is nothing short of a masterpiece. A better cast one could not hope for. First off the writer, Scott Rosenberg, manages to perfect one of the most realistic stories of all time, and gives it the best name for it I have ever heard. Back In The Days. You know what I'm talking about. You find your current life lacking the luster of yesteryear and all you can do is look back and hope things could be as good as they were. However, the film takes it a step further. This group of retired mobsters decide, since they're forced into a job, why not try and get back that old glory. Like any person who has ever tried this, you know it always ends in disaster. And because you've been there, though never this bad, you feel for the characters like Jimmy "the Saint" and respect characters like "Pieces", and laugh and stuff you never thought you'd laugh at when it comes to Critical Bill. A masterpiece. Not a single flaw, and all great performances. I consider it a crime that Treat Williams didn't at least get a best supporting actor nomination for his role as Critical Bill.
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