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The Last House on the Left (1972)
A very disturbing film but not that scary
Last House on the Left is Wes Craven's directorial debut and hailed as one of the scariest horror films ever made. It's a very disturbing film but not as scary as I expected. The subplot about the cops is really uninteresting and the dialogue is very bad at times. I'm not too sure about the acting of the criminals, they fit the profile but I never feel they're that menacing. I don't even want to comment on the performances of the parents, it's that bad. The best performance (if you want to call it that) of the film is by Sandra Cassel who plays Mari. You can tell she is truly scared out of her mind. As they said in the DVD documentary, "she takes method acting to another level." What I admirer about the movie is that it never pulls back, it takes it story all the way. Some may call it exploitive but the violence is never glamorized. I like the fact that the criminals are portrayed as still having some humanity and that Mari's parents are shown as having an evil side. I hate it when a revenge picture celebrates the victim's vengeance. I think when a human being succumbs to that evil side it should never be treated as a good thing but a sad and unfortunate event. The parent's killing of the murderers is the most frightening moment and most compelling aspect of Last House on the Left.
The Lost Weekend (1945)
Good film but not among Billy Wilder's best!
I've loved every Billy Wilder film that I've seen so I was really excited to see The Lost Weekend, but I was a little disappointed after watching it though. It doesn't have the great dialogue that his other films do and the ending was unbelievable. Ray Milland's performance is good but I've seen better and more convincing portrayals of alcoholism in other films, especially Leaving Las Vegas. I did like the scene where Don was begging Nat the bartender for a drink because he felt he was going to die, he really was excellent in that scene. I really didn't like the score that much, I know it's the first movie to use a theremin but every time I heard it I thought I was watching a twilight zone episode. I would recommend this movie to Billy Wilder fans but not to the casual movie fan. I give it a 6/10
Citizen Kane (1941)
One of the greatest films of all time
What can I say that hasn't been said already on this masterpiece. The first time I saw Citizen Kane I wasn't that impressed with it. My opinion of Citizen Kane was that it was a good film but definitely not the best picture ever made. When a movie is so hyped up you can't help but be dissapointed but on my second viewing I was amazed by the film. This is probably the best experience I've ever had watching a film. You can feel the energy and youthfulness in the picture and you could sense that the filmmakers were trying to push the boundaries of film and were not afraid to experiment.
I still don't think that Citizen Kane is the best film ever made though, no film can be called the greatest. How can you prove that? You can have a favorite film but calling it the best is just ridiculous. Now I've heard alot of people say that the ending was terrible and it doesn't make sense. The thing is that the movie is not saying that Rosebud is the answer, right before the end Mr. Thompsons says that no one word can explain one man's life. That's the filmmakers telling you what your about to see should not be taken as an explanation for Kane's life.
I think Rosebud is the search for one's lost innocence or childhood. The important parts of our life that we want to remember. I think Citizen Kane is about humanity, our search for understanding and meaning of our lives and how we lose ourselves in the things that don't matter. Anyway that's just my opinion. To all the people who didn't enjoy this movie, I would encourage them to see it again and you'll be rewarded. For anybody to truly appreciate any of the great films you must watch it more than once. There is so many things I would like to say but that's how life works, you never get to say everything you feel.
Made (2001)
Good film debut by Jon Favreau
Before seeing Made I was expecting another Swingers but what I got was something really different. Both films have the same sense of humor but Made is more serious and a little darker. Vince Vaughn is great in this new role but not as likeable as Trent in Swingers. I really liked the Jon Favreau character, he's a serious guy but inside he's a good person and he just wants to take care of his girlfriend and her little daughter. Favreau does a good job of directing, he mainly focuses on the characters and the dialogue but there's some camera movement during scenes of action. I hope to see him direct more pictures in the future. So before seeing Made don't expect another Swingers but a more mature film and you'll really enjoy this one.
X-Men (2000)
The best comic book movie ever!
If you're an X-Men fan you will love this movie. This is the best adaption of a comic book into a movie I have ever seen! The movie mainly focuses on Wolverine(Hugh Jackman) and his relationship with Rogue(Anna Paquin). They both did a great job with their roles, you believe that they actually care for each other.There are some cool action scenes but what makes the movie is the development of the characters. The only complaint I have is that the movie is too short, you want to see more of these of characters. I heard that they cut out 45 minutes of material, I hope they include some of these scenes into the DVD release. This was great comic book movie so all X-Men fans should definitely see this movie.
The Jackal (1997)
Dont waste your time!
This movie is about a man named The Jackal (played by Bruce Willis). Nobody knows who he is except for Declan Mulqueen (Richard Gere). The FBI offers him a deal to help find The Jackal. It's your basic action thriller but not one good action scene in the entire movie. There is some bad acting by the entire cast, you don't believe that the The Jackal knows what he's doing and you never feel he is that threatening. So skip this one and go rent the original Day Of The Jackal.