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seekrmk4
Reviews
Casino Royale (1967)
A Truly Excellent Film
Casino Royale is the product of many people, at a turbulent time in our history: the late 1960's: Vietnam, Cold War, Civil Rights, etc...all of the other (previous) Bond films were essentially following with the signs of the times...the makers of this film decided that instead of a
dramatic BOND film, make a campy fun satirical film about the ORIGINAL James Bond (the Book BOND of course...)coming out of retirement to fight evil.
This is an all-star cast of Cameos and Some of Hollywood's Greatest Directors, John Huston for one; AL Guest, et.al....If you can enjoy satire, this film is jam packed with it...and very very pretty girls, including an up and coming "Jacky" Bisset. (The Deep, Scenes From the Class Struggles of Beverly Hills, etc.) Some Hollywood Heavyweights too, (no pun intended...well, maybe) in the form of Orson Welles, George Raft, Jean Paul Bellemondo, William Holden, John Huston (as actor), David Niven, and some great comedic work from two masters: Peter Sellers (a member of the GOONs, [spike milligan]; Pink Panther Fame) and Woody
Allen.
This film was made during the "hippie era" so there are lots of Psychedelic References made during the film. I would recommend this film to any "Boomer" and "kids" who like satire.
Seekrmk4
American Beauty (1999)
Decline and Fall of the American Dream.....
"...I hate you, you hate me, we're a dysfunctional fa-mi-ly.." [my favorite parody of Barney the Dinosaur] accurately describes the angst that permeates within this film. Kevin Spacey, hands-down the Best Dramatic Actor of the 1990's in my humble opinion, portrays the character of Lester Burnham, in the same fashion that he did in THE REF (also starring Dennis Leary) and DEATH OF A SALESMAN (theatre). Spacey brings this middle-aged Rip Van Winkle out of his suburban coma, to re-experience/re-examine that part of him that was lost to the "coma". American Beauty is much more than that...many of us can understand, identify and even admire the distinct qualities in the man. As the narrator of his existence within the lives of his family, we see the conflicts and subemotions that have created this situation: Anger, Jealousy, Curiousity, Passion and finally, Fulfillment. But as we all play our parts in the great stage of life, this is an ensemble work....
Annette Benning, the Long-suffering breadwinner, whose betrayals cost her everything that she has fought to protect; Thora Birch, the self-tormented teenager, whose character-type is a standard in the industry, adds additional dimensions to it; Mena Suvali, the aptly named American Beauty...and Wes Bentley, brilliant persona within the minds eye....his presence is second only in importance to Kevin Spacey's....there is quite a magnetic quality to his charms, and forthright soul that is both believable and desirable.
Well scripted, superb homespun-tradition modern American settings and locations, excellent direction make American Beauty a MUST SEE. Capture the moment that defines this life for you, and it will live in your soul forever.....
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Tom Cruise tries to be James Bond, not Ethan Hunt
WHAT A COSMIC LETDOWN! This movie TANKED. All hype, all filler....this wasn't MI2, this was "Tom Cruise wants to be James Bond, or Matt Helm or Derek Flint, but not Ethan Hunt.."
The first movie, ostensibly was centered around Cruise as his team was annihilated and he was the fall guy for the bad guy (Jon Voight). His team before the "hit" and the disavowed one after, had some decent plot complications and character interactions...
This Turkey (and I do Mean TURKEY..dont bother to stick a fork in it, cuz its been burned) was so OVER THE TOP it was unbelievable...change that to "non-believable"....John Woo ought to stick to making movies with Jackie Chan and other "Pacific Rim talent" than trying to reinvent the wheel on this one. And a royal raspberry to Tom Cruise for helping produce this one too...you can tell what parts he wanted to go into the film, if you have seen a decent number of Woo's films....the sequences with the Girl (Nyah?) useless slow motion shots...reminded me of bad arthouse TV Advertising for the Infinti Automobiles in the 90's.... The supporting cast, is unnecessary and wasted. Considering the gratuitous gunshots, martial baloney and hooey, Who needs a IMF force, with Tom? You could probably drop him on the Moon in his Birthday suit, and he would eventually make his way back to earth..... Folks, this is not Titanic. This is RAMBO 3....without the supporting characters. It a "ME" film...Mr. Cruise is a narcissist, plain and simple, and this is the action film that he wanted to play with Mission Impossible. This time he got his wish. There are so many gaffs and goofs (the motorcycle sequence goes from knobby to street to knobby to street tires over and over again...fight scenes last far too long, etc. The packed house that was with me groaned in nearly every scene.
Don't get me wrong. I am a TOM CRUISE fan. I own most of his films, all the way back to TAPS. I want him to continue the Lestat series...if he is willing to do a sequel to that....he can go over the top in that one...Lestat did it in the book....But Mission Impossible is an Ensemble Cast effort, that was completely overlooked and wasted in this movie. See it, only if you love Woo's OVER THE TOP style....cuz this is a signature moment for that classification.
Sorry, Tom....you should have skipped the sequel curse on this film....
If.... (1968)
This is not "Tom Brown's Schooldays"
If...., takes apart the English "old boys school" mentality that was present for such earlier films, like Tom Brown's Schooldays....The turbulence of the late 60's echoes some of the same problems we are experiencing today, and that, unfortunately, is Life imitating Art...."IF" focuses on that Extreme facet of retribution...in a bizarre yet understandable fashion. It is a good look at the "Public School" system that is still present today, in fact....also appreciate that this molded part of Malcolm McDowell's appeal in later films, Like A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, OH LUCKY MAN, and FLASHMAN...
Threesome (1994)
Ahhh....College....
This fine gem recalls the trials and tribulations of 3 protagonists (Steven Baldwin, Lara Flynn Boyle [currently the DA in "The Practice"], and Josh Charles) inadvertently thrown together and forced to coexist....until they break the bonds and rules that separate their lives and exist as one spirit....hey, it happened to me....see the movie to figure it out for yourself....
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
An epic love story, spanning time and space.......
Bram Stoker's Dracula is a love story. Coppola's vision of true love, as to reach through the folds of time and space, to reunite two lovers, is an epic retelling of this wonderful story that has had some additional competition in all media forms....Folks, this film won OSCARS. Great soundtrack, great acting from Gary Oldman for capturing that spark within Prince Vlad, to bridge the gap between monster and man.....
Sure, some of the acting within this tale was stilted, but considering the task to recreate the period piece, and to do it with young actors such as Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves, you have to give Coppola a lot of credit....Set Design, art direction, costuming, special makeup effects, they are all "cogs" within the wheel that drives this picture to greatness...
Many films of this genre have come before this one, and many will come after....Regardless, I believe Bram Stoker would appreciate this retelling of his story the best....
Dellamorte dellamore (1994)
Funniest Horror Movie I have seen yet
This Gem, starring Rupert Everett, should be seen by anyone who really liked the dark comedy of HEATHERS, or those who enjoyed RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. Francisco Dellamorte (Everett) is the custodian of a rather odd piece of land in a odd little country....granted, he is the cemetery man of this movie, and CEMETERY MAN is the Foreign Release name of this wonderful Italian Production....Every time I see it, it keeps getting funnier.....however, it is a horror movie, so be prepared for some brutal scenes of carnage/gore....
Still, if you want something different, check this independent title out.....
The Norliss Tapes (1973)
Excellent Roy Thinnes Movie....in same class as Night Stalker
It's a shame that this movie is not readily available, like "THE NIGHT STALKER" is....it is a very well done (KUDOS to Dan Curtis, DARK SHADOWS, etc)Occultish-Vampirish Horror movie (made for TV). The setting for this film (Carmel, CA, I believe) is as atmospherically driven as was the Dark Shadows Intro...if you can view this film, i wholeheartedly recommend it. A fine cast, with Roy Thinnes in the lead, investigator role, with Claude Adkins "reprising" his role as the unbelieving lawman....if you liked Carl Kolchak or Fox Mulder, this film is out there...find the truth for your self.....