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christgla
Reviews
Fukkatsu no hi (1980)
It has good acting, good story and decent production values to boot.
Having read all the bad reviews this movie has received because of its poor videoquality and editing, I nonetheless bought it yesterday on DVD from a local store in Oslo. I just simply had to buy it in spite of the numerous warnings.
The reason is that I'm a huge fan of similar movies like The Andromeda Strain, The Satan Bug and the Cassandra Crossing which are all great.
Regarding the movie itself I was pleasantly surprised. It has good acting, good story and decent production values to boot. All the necessary ingredients for making a compelling movie.
Sadly this is ruined by an almost unviewable videoprint. It seems to me that the DVD-edition I bought used an old VHS videoprint as the source. The sound is equally bad.
Finally, some of the shorter prints of the film is plagued by abruptness. The version I acquired runs approx. 108 minutes. You get the feeling you've missed out on something. Nearing the end of the film one of the main characters returns from Washinghton to Antarctica. But we get no explanation as to how he made the journey. Which off course is a prudent question to ask, since in between his departure and arrival, a nuclear holocaust has transpired and several years have passed.
The longest version runs approx. 150 minutes. Hopefully I'll someday get my hands on that copy. And I urge everyone else to stay clear of the shorter prints and aim for the full 150 minute version instead.
Kind regards, Chris
The ODESSA File (1974)
A good seventies thriller
The Odessa File directed by Ronald Neame is in my opinion a good thriller from the last golden era of Hollywood. It features great locations, competent acting and has a strong plot, which most of todays thrillers lack. And it sports a nice score by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
However I must disagree with those of you who believe it to be excellent. Compared to the craftsmanship which most modern Hollywood thrillers are made by, one could argue that most films from the seventies regardless of any genre are head and shoulders above what they make today.
But as a seventies thriller compared to similar films from that period, it's just slightly above average. Now having said that, The Odessa File is still a entertaining film with enough suspense to grab your attention from start to finish. And as previous comments have already written; they simply do not make them like they used to.
-Chris-
The Holcroft Covenant (1985)
Great action sequences let down by a bad screenplay
The Holcroft Covenant have as far I know only received bad reviews... Knowing that, I nonetheless bought the film on DVD out of curiosity. I've a fondness for bad movies and I have an affection for the espionage genre.
The Holcroft Covenant is based on the novel by Robert Ludlum . I've read a couple of his novels and they can be, if one is in the right sort of mood, exciting.
The thing one has to remember is that Ludlum's novels is about conspiracies and complicated plots and not about characters. They are plot driven. And that more than often does not make for a compelling movie experience. Somehow that was not taken into account when the transition from novel to screenplay was made.
When you go to the movies you want to care about the people in it. That's basically a film's measure of success. And thus The Holcroft Covenant fails.
But John Frankenheimer is not the one to blame. Based on the material he was given, he made a fairly interesting movie which showcases his talent as an action director. At times excellent, but not overwrought like most of the action movies are today. But apart form the scenery and the action-sequences, the films weak point lies in its characters.
They are neither very believable nor interesting enough to hold your attention. Even the star of the movie Michael Caine, a seasoned heavyweight in the espionage genre, seems out of sync in this one.
If you don't expect too much , you'll be moderately entertained. But knowing that the film is made by veteran craftsmen like John Frankenheimer and George Axelrod, one tends to be a bit disappointed.
All in all I gave The Holcroft Covenant 6 out 10
Kind regards, paul
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Saving Private Ryan has outstanding battle sequences, but little else to add
Steven Spielberg received rave reviews last year when his movie Saving Private Ryan made it to the multiplexes in the United States and Europe.
Because of this my expectations where quite high, although I had some fears that the director best known for movies like JAWS, E.T. and more recently Jurassic Park would lack the skill of making the transition from pure entertainment into serious drama. To be fair Saving Private Ryan is not his first stab at serious movie-making. Spielberg directed the excellent Schindlers List in 1993.
Sadly when I went to see Saving Private Ryan last fall my high expectations where proved wrong. The only thing that makes this film stand out compared to other war-movies are the much talked about battle-sequences which are outstanding in conveying the brutality of war.
But a movie of this magnitude can not stand on battle sequences alone. It needs substance and Saving Private lacks it all. The characters are only mildly interesting. You do not care about their plight and ordeal. When not fighting for their lives they engage in a quasi-philosophical discussion about the validity of their mission. Is it right to sacrifice a handful of soldiers with the purpose of rescuing one man?(Private Ryan) The question is an intriguing one but it takes up too much time at the expense of character-development.
We don't really get to know their motives, their fears and what makes them happy. This is what separates good movies from bad ones. To me this is just another action-movie but with little else to add.
It seems to me that the movies which are made today emphasizes style and action at the expense of real substance. One of the reasons for the excellent reviews it has received must be that the public and critics alike where overwhelmed by the outstanding battle sequences and it's realistic depiction of gore in 20th century combat. But as I have said earlier that does not necessarily make for a compelling movie.
For those of you who share my opinion with the respect of this movie I highly recommend Das Boot by Wolfgang Petersen , The Iron Cross by Sam Peckinpah and Paths of Glory by Stanely Kubrick. All in their own right superb movies that in every respect are better than Saving Private Ryan with the exception of the battle-sequences.