jonnyfilm-2 Reviews

Magnolia (1999)

A Masterpiece!

[23 June 2002]

`In this life, it's not what you hope for, it's not what you deserve -- it's what you take.'



Paul Thomas Anderson's brilliant `Magnolia' has so many great aspects that a true film lover just chews up. His films in the past have been flat (Hard Eight) and overly vile (Boogie Nights) but this film written by him also shows his true talent. In his other two films you see his talent but the fact is they fall short especially `Boogie Nights' because they are overly tacky and drab. `Hard Eight' is a great film it just doesn't do what `Magnolia' does. With his use of brilliant dialogue and useful camerawork you get so much from each viewing. He overtakes his shots like Scorsese does and just leaves the camera in one spot or follows characters for a long period of time. He does this brilliantly. `Magnolia' has a story that follows a day in the life of a large group of people separated by life but in the same zest pool of humanity that plagues our country. Strictly every aspect of American culture is in the fabric of the characters, it in some sorts is like a depressing `Simpsons.' It tells so much about each character that you just seem to know what they will do next but they are so unpredictable they surprise you with each mannerism. I was so surprised that it was so much more tasteful then `Boogie Nights' which bye any standard is a porno. It is one thing to shock and use that to say something about humanity, it is a complete other to welcome that shock into the film as if it were dialogue. `Magnolia' does not say one word that I shouldn't every word is useful and true. It makes you cringe with it's brutality towards truth, but in it's three hours pays off. More than most films that use curse words as if they were spaces between words. This film does have brutal language but offers you something with it. Tom Cruise's (in one of his best roles) character T.J. Mackey is a slime ball in every sense of the word, a man that is what makes this world horrible, and his language is as distasteful as it gets. `Denise. Denise the piece.' However Philip Seymour Hoffman's character Phil Parma, or John C. Reily's character Jim Kurring hardly say one thing that is offensive. The word use even tells the viewer something about the character.



` I used to be smart, but now I'm just stupid.'



The film's true heart lies simply in its moral. It offers so much truth in the idea that we are all wrong, all of us. We don't do right when we have the chance we only just do and forget. `The book says, we might be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us.' The tagline of the film says `When it rains, it pours.' Society must see this harsh truth or it will suffer, but the film doesn't fix it's characters it doesn't have a happy ending, it knows that people don't and won't change, thus the musical aspect of the film when all the characters are singing `it's not going to stop, so just give up.' That is so true and so real that any person that has half a brain thinks about it. What we are is not right, not good, and certainly not worthy of any after life that may be set for the fraction of good people that exists within our society. Every time we are given a chance to shine we fail, maybe not in all aspects but certainly morally which by any standard is the most important. Paul Thomas Anderson has created a film that maybe supplies a much needed wake-up call to society, but the truth is it won't wake up a soul. The film says that so well, and so respectively. The language is hurtful and harsh but so are people. It's one of those mirror films that just simply show what is going on, what makes this one different is that it has artistic quality. This gets it up to par with some of the great American films. `I will not apologize for who I am.' Neither will society and it will pay it does in this film.



`..this is my job and I love it. Because I want to do well -- in this life and in this world, I want to do well. And I want to help people. And I might get twenty bad calls a day. But one time I can help someone and make a save -- correct a wrong or right a situation -- then I'm a happy cop. And as we move through this life we should try and do good. Do good... And if we can do that, and not hurt anyone else, well... then...'

Rushmore (1998)

One of the Great all time Comedies

[23 June 2002]

Mr. Blume: What's the secret, Max?

Max: The secret?

Mr. Blume: Yeah, you seem to have it pretty figured out.

Max: The secret, I don't know... I guess you've just gotta find something you love to do and then... do it for the rest of your life.

For me, it's going to Rushmore.



Wes Anderson's `Rushmore' is not just a dark comedy, it isn't `structured' like that at all, it has so much beauty that is seems like a drama. So many beautiful performances and so many memorable moments (golf ball scene) it seems to be the greatest and most interesting comedy of all time. I love its beautiful cinematography and it's all out perfect direction. I loved this film so much that I may call it one of my favorite movies ever. In its 93 minutes it is full of everything that makes a great comedy. It is full of thoughtful dialogue and interesting moments. It is simply a brilliant masterpiece, a movie that rivals classics like `Dr. Strangelove' or `Fargo.' Yes I said `Fargo.' It makes so much more then it could have been, this could have been slapstick then some gross jokes then back to slapsticks, but Wes Anderson's brilliant directions makes it beautiful then funny, it has it's own style. It's not just artistic and weird it also is so very funny. It does more then just push the viewer to laugh it kind of makes us not laugh, it makes us think about the jokes and the situation then we laugh, only a few movies have ever done that. I am a hard person to amuse when it comes to comedy but this film got right in me and did it all.



We are all little boys doing only what we think we want and not what we need. We are all ignorant and think that it is bliss, we are all like Max. He falls for the pranks in life and we laugh but the truth is we are just as bad, if not worse, than he is. The film is something that creates its own genre of filmmaking it really does the job almost perfect and to a `T.' It has its own style and its own form of comedy, like others like `Dr. Strangelove' or `Fargo.' What is great and almost the best part of those films is that they offer more then just sick jokes and stupid plot lines, they aren't about comedy. This film does that and you can't help but to fall in love with every frame of this modern masterpiece.





Mr. Blume: She's my Rushmore. Max: I know. She was mine too.



The story is so interesting and involving that you just get sucked in. Every line is thought out and gripping. Rushmore isn't anything like any comedy ever it has more then any comedy has ever offered. Most comedies now days are cheap and easy to forget, this film sticks and sticks well. Not one cheap joke, not one simple situation, to me that makes a perfect comedy one that gets you in a weird position. It actually makes you think. What a crazy idea a comedy that isn't simplistic!? This film is the best thing since `Fargo.' It is the best comedy there is to see and one of the most beautiful, humane, and touching stories ever. Rushmore is amazing.

Se7en (1995)

A brilliant Stylized Thrillier! One of the best films of the 90's

[23 June 2002]

On the subway today, a man came up to me to start a conversation. He made small talk, a lonely man talking about the weather and other things. I tried to be pleasant and accommodating, but my head hurt from his banality. I almost didn't notice it had happened, but I suddenly threw up all over him. He was not pleased, and I couldn't stop laughing.'



David Fincher's `Seven' is a beautifully crafted film about something more then it seems. The whole film seems as if it is an orgy of gore and gothic themes, but (simply) it isn't. `Seven' seems gory but truly on a visual basis it isn't. It gives you thoughts that will make you think different. It is so mentally visual. There is hardly anything in it, visually, that would shock you. Yet people seem to refer to it as a gory disgusting film, I disagree. It makes you think about everything and makes it worse if it came right out and put it on the film. I am surprised to say but as I look back on every film I have seen this situation has never come up. This is the only film really to gross the viewer out without doing anything amazingly shocking, visually.



It (like all of Fincher's films) is so different from everything else out there. I love its `evil look' sort of like everything was under water then uncorked dry. It has a `wet' texture and such a beautiful light to it. It does so much more then it could have done. Not falling for right angle turns in the plot, or stupid one liners. It is different and undoubtedly stylish. The film centers around a serial killer who has been centering his murders around the seven deadly sins. Two cops, one about to retire (Somerset), and one new on the job (Mills) are put on the case. The film seems so simple but truly is one of the best cop movies ever made. It is a very disturbing masterwork that has beautiful direction by one of my favorite directors David Fincher. The film would not be anything if it weren't for him, he brings his style to the film like Scorsese or the late Kubrick did. His direction is flawless and it always has been. In his other two films (Fight Club, The Game) he seems to direct with perfection as those are both very amazing films. His style is so obvious you could see a scene from any of his films and know who directed them. Plus it is so very involving with the brilliant acting of one of the greatest actors of our time Morgan Freeman and one of the greatest up and comers Brad Pitt. Some deceive Pitt as a pretty boy but the man can act beautifully and this film is his best film along with Freemen's. The film is a character film, it has so much depth in cinematography and so much punch to it's plot that it gives the actors their chance to shine, plus it opens the door to one of my favorite actors (can't tell it would spoil it). The sick part of this film is that I sympathize with the killer he is truly right. But in the end, wrong. Still he does have a point.



`We see a deadly sin on every street corner, in every home, and we tolerate it. We tolerate it because it's common, it's trivial. We tolerate it morning, noon, and night. Well, not anymore. I'm setting the example. And what I've done is going to be puzzled over, and studied, and followed... forever.'



`Seven' at it's heart is a statement on the worlds declining morality, Like `The Godfather,' `A Clockwork Orange,' and so many before it. It shocks but makes a very important statement with that shock, we as people are evil and not fearing of any consequence. `Seven' does this perfectly it seems to tell you one heck of a good story and give the viewer something to think about about. The film is one of the only pieces of art the nineties brought. It is one of the best thrillers ever made and one of the smartest. David Fincher's `Se7en' is a must see film and one of my favorites.



`Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "The world is a fine place and worth fighting for." I agree with the second part.'

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

One of the "Great Films"

[10/10 · 23 June 2002]

Jonathan Demme's masterpiece `The Silence of the Lambs' is so laired in every sense of the word, it offers haunting drab scenes and some of the most beautiful dramatic pieces ever put on film. It truly at its heart is an actor's film. The camera is always right next to there noses so they are forced to look right in the lens and the result is one of the most thought provoking and brilliant pieces of film ever made. Many will never forget the scene where Lector (Brilliantly played by Anthony Hopkins) is talking to Clarice (Jodie Foster) about why she ran away from here uncles home. The filmmaking is so tender and so beautiful that you almost don't notice how great the film really is. It is a scary film, and a touching film an unlikely mix when you talk about a cross dressing serial killer and a cannibal. Claurice is so innocent and so confused not one person can't relate to her, Jodie foster gives the performance of her life and pushes the viewer to new heights of humanity and fear. I love this film aside from Coppola's `The Conversation' I think this is the best suspense film there is. It offers so much in every aspect, artistic and entertainment. The cinematography by Tak Fujimoto (The Sixth Sense) is as humanly oriented as it gets, the way that camera `walks' and zooms is sort of how the human eyes work. All these aspects are in the film so finely that it almost is hard to acknowledge it is there. Jonathan Demme has since made a film that captivates its subject matter as well as this one. The characters are metaphors themselves, film and criminal investigators have all agreed that Claurice is a lot like the serial killer Buffalo Bill, which they both are searching for what they want and what they are. They are a lot alike I must admit, they are different in their physicality towards there desires obviously. The film is a piece of fact that of which `Saving Private Ryan' is. It is not true in its narrative but in its background facts it is completely factual. Hannibal Lecter is haunting and almost unrealistic but then again he is supposed to be. He is so polite and so snooty that he is evil. This film is just brilliant, that's all there is to it. In all of it's amazing scenes it truly gives the best acting of the 90's. This film may never be surpassed as one of the greatest horror/suspense films. This film does so much on so many levels, beautiful acting, great direction, screenwriting, and its thought provoking cinematography. It's sequel Scott's `Hannibal' does not offer the same depth charge that `Silence' offers, the film falls to much around how Hannibal is an evil cannibal and he is gonna get you. `Silence of the Lambs' is a brilliant scary film that will never be forgotten.

The Conversation (1974)

Easily the top Suspense Film of all time!

[23 June 2002]

Harry Caul: `I'm not afraid of death, but I am afraid of murder.'



Two weeks ago I wrote a review of `The Silence of the Lambs' I said I thought that it was one of the greatest suspense films of all time. Well Francis Ford Coppola's ingenious and frightening film isn't one of the best suspense films of all time; it simply is the greatest suspense film of all time. It follows professional ease dropper Harry Caul's job on a conversation that goes way beyond anything that he ever could expect. This film is truly something else in its own right. Coppola is such a master, such a brilliant mind. This film is him at his best, after `The Godfather' and before part two. He makes this film so brilliantly and so knowing of what emotions the audience will feel, every pause and every silence is direct and timed. The film is completely intentional. It is constructed off of films like Michelangelo Antonioni's `Blow-up' or most Hitchcock films. Coppola takes these aspects brought by most of the great filmmakers and takes them to a whole new level of personal texture. He puts so much more into it. Making him (I can't say this enough) one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and most misunderstood. His films are like pie, they look good, they taste good, heck they even smell good, but you never really know what they are made of. All his films are deeper then they seem, it takes a true (TRUE!) film lover to respect what influences the man has made. Look at it like this, the greatest Hollywood film of all time, `The Godfather,' the greatest War film of all time `Apocalypse Now,' The greatest Sequel of all time `The Godfather Part II,' and the greatest Independent/Suspense film of all time `The Conversation.' What else is there to conquer? Science Fiction? His next film `Megalopolis' will tackle that void. Who cares about his slips, he has made some of the greatest films of all time.



In this film his talent is at its best with an involving, brilliantly executed screenplay and flawless direction. He makes cookies into Danish, if any other man ever made this film it would be good no doubt, but the greatest suspense film of all time? I think not. Harry Caul's (Hackman) character is so deep and so magnified. He is such a character's character; this film is a pure and simple character study. Not to mention the flawless cinematography and music. The little jazz piano riff fits the film perfectly and the cinematography is so mechanical like a piece of surveillance equipment. The dialogue in the first few minutes is so perfectly written it makes the viewer cringe wanting to know what it is the couple is saying so when we find out it is more of a gift. The conversation that the film is based on is set up so well all threw out the film, the more we hear the more we think, it is repetition at its perfection. The repetition is a true part of the film, the more the viewer hears something they ask themselves why am I hearing this again, what does it mean? Then the conversation tears at the viewer until they fall apart, just like Harry. The viewer understands his motivations, they see his reasons. We are set up and moved around this maze of murder and mayhem, we are Harry (J). This is just one of many brilliant aspects of the film. It never dives down or falls off it always stays paranoid like the main character. `The Conversation' is a haunting and well constructed masterpiece that molds great acting with brilliant storytelling. This is what films in this day and age should try to do. But they won't, they never will, and `The Conversation' will hold its ground as the most thoughtful and suspenseful film of all time.



Mark: He'd kill us if he got the chance.

8½ (1963)

Simply A Brilliant Masterpiece

[23 June 2002]

Fedrico Fellini's epic semi-autobiographical `8 ½' is a beautiful masterpiece that constructs dreams with sentimental moments, it does this flawlessly. The first scene is the most memorable and powerful. It is almost the meaning of the whole film and sets up for a very different experience. Dark humor, musical elements, gothic horrific ideas all in one of the greatest minds film has ever encountered Fedrico Fellini. It goes without saying the film would not be what it is if not for Fellini who the film is based on. It follows Guido a mid-aged film director that is having trouble with his next film, or as I would like to call it director's block. He is being bombarded bye so many about the film that he can't even get five minutes to sit down to see if he even wants to do it anymore. His producer, jive writer, annoying production designer, and of course wife and mistress all are bothering him. So he, as many artists do, goes into his mind to find out what to do with his next `masterpiece' only to find the real meaning of life. Deep stuff, the dream sequences are beautiful and rival most dream movies of today (Vanilla Sky). This film is the best film about film ever made. Intelligently it investigates the hard creative process of a film director or any artist for that matter. Nina Rota's score is perfect with the films visuals. The music seems so perfect for each scene and directs the film perfectly.



`Accept me as I am. Only then can we discover each other.'



The film is so beautifully constructed, it consists of so many elements of today's films. The shadows of the lighting and the camera pans are revolutionary in every sense of the word. The sentimental love speeches are better then anything today and are some of the most thoughtful and provoking scenes in cinema history. `8 ½' is one of the most different and beautifully made films of the last century. To think that it was made in 1963 amazes me even know after seeing so much special effects as I have grown up. This film is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best foreign films I have ever seen. Fellini didn't know what to do with his next film, he had sets built and actors ready but he didn't know what to do with them so he made a film about not know what to do with a film. It comes out to be one of the greatest films ever made and makes out to be even better every viewing. Watching the creative process is a very interesting experience as he looks back on childhood memories that are distorted only in the sense that a memory could do. The pictures on the wall are abnormally large and the voices are deep and haunting as a child would remember. The music scenes are fantastic in every aspect of a musical. They jump and sore with technique, pushing the mind to it's limits and teaching us something about love in return. It is not though just a movie about dreams. It is sort of scary to me. It has many horrific and moving moments, using the subtle dialogue between characters and Guido to make the senses jump. I love this film and many others like it. Not just being a movie doing more and more and more. All the way to its beautiful poetic ending that I will leave out of this. It may be hard to get a copy now days. But if you can I strongly recommend it. It is available on Criterion Collection DVD I own it, if you want to take a risk and buy it, it will defiantly pay off.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

One of the Greatest films of all time

[23 June 2002]

Lawrence: So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people, greedy, barbarous, and cruel, as you are.



There are few epics in film history that can stand up to the gut and glamour of one of the most astounding and grand films ever made. David Lean's `Lawrence of Arabia' is what an epic should always be. The only epic that has ever even gotten close to it is Mel Gibson's `Braveheart,' one of my favorite films, but even now as I write this I ask: is `Lawrence' better? The truth is it doesn't matter the two film are the two greatest epics ever made no doubt. Peter O'toole's Performance is that of perfection and some of the greatest cinematography ever put on film, at `Lawrence of Arabia's' three hours and forty minutes the film never dulls or falls over on itself. It isn't a simple good guy bad guy film, it isn't a simple lets kill them all film, or a film you could put heavy metal over and watch, it is a filmmaker film. It has texture, thoughtful dialogue and useful action. It doesn't just set out to thrill its viewer; it sets out to make the viewer ask questions. I love films like this that show what being human is all about and what triumphs a man can have, and what faults.



Lawrence: I killed two people. One was yesterday. He was just a boy and I led him into quicksand. The other was... well... before Aqaba. I had to execute him with my pistol and there was something about it that I didn't like.

Allenby: That's to be expected.

Lawrence: No, something else.

Allenby: Well, then let it be a lesson.

Lawrence: No... something else.

Allenby: What then?

Lawrence: I enjoyed it.



Lawrence is so confident and so powerful and young he think he can take on the world, but when he does he doesn't know who he is or what he has done. He follows only himself. He is so heroic that he doesn't know what or who he is; this film is the best film about heroism ever made. It tells the truth about being a larger then life hero, the hardships and responsibility it brings. It also show what it does to a man and what questions a man must ask himself once he sees what true horror is. I love the demeanor of Lawrence the way he enters the room, it is the way the `heroes' have entered the room in almost every epic film since. This film is why epics are made. David Lean's direction is flawless and almost the best of all time. He made film like Spielberg does now. Not to forget Fredrick Young's amazingly submersive cinematography, that includes the first ever filmed mirage. The film is so powerful and brilliant because it is a perfect collaborative film. It shows what a lot of people that want to make a movie can do. This film doesn't mess around; it is one of the greatest films ever made.

Colonel Brighton: Are you badly hurt? Lawrence: I'm not hurt at all. Didn't you know? They can only kill me with a golden bullet.

Vanilla Sky (2001)

A Brilliant Masterpiece

[19 December 2001]

Undoubtedly the best film so far this year, Cameron Crowe's `Vanilla Sky' is one of the all time great American films. Most of Cameron Crowe's work means nothing to me, but this film shows me that he is a talented force in the film industry. I was so moved by this film I had to write about it I must explain to you how amazing this film was. The first line of the film if interpreted in different ways changes the whole film. Vanilla Sky is an all out perfect masterpiece and will rake in some Oscars in March. The film has a Kubrick like darkness to it and is I think the best film of it's kind since "A Clockwork Orange." It is a story within a story and is quite moving. I was looking forward to it since I knew Cameron Crowe had something great inside him to make(since I didn't enjoy any of his past films at all). The camera work by the brilliant John Toll, the great direction from (I now admit) a genius, and ofcoarse the solid acting cast. Let's not leave out one of my personal favorite scripts ever written. Vanilla Sky taps into the great tradition of films like Stanley Kubrick's `A Clockwork Orange,' David Fincher's `Fight Club,' and the most recent `Memento' and `Mulholland Dr.' An All out classic and if you loved the film that I just Talked about you will love this brilliant piece of storytelling! SEE IT!!! DON'T LEAVE THE THEATER JUST SIT AND WATCH IT!!!!!! CAMERON CROWE IS A GENIUS!!!!! THE OSCAR SEASON HAS BEGUN!

Gladiator (2000)

Best Film of 2000

[10/10 · 11 January 2001]

The overall beauty of this film is amazing from the wheat at the start to the death scene it was pure perfection. The camera work (though traffic had better work in that department) is academy award winning. The best overall part of this movie is simply the acting Russell Crowe amazing acting Joaquin Phoenix amazing acting they both make the hair raise on the back of your neck on the back of your neck. Absolutely amazing a true work of art. Screw the academy if they don't give the award for best picture to this amazing film.