Exploding Penguin Reviews

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

The Master at his best.

[7 January 2004]

I own the Hitchcock collection (14 films in toto), and while this isn't my favourite of the bunch ('Psycho' is one of my favourite movies of all time, and 'Birds' never gets old), I like to watch it every now and again to remind myself what it means to make a "suspense film", and why Hitchcock was and always will be the master of this craft.

To give away even the slightest story detail would ruin it for new viewers, because it is essential that everyone begin with the wrong impressions of the major characters. This allows Hitch to pull off his famous 'twists' throughout the course of the movie, hitting you every now and then with something you simply weren't expecting.

One of my favourite elements in the movie is the ongoing dialogue between Henry Travers and Hume Cronyn, avid mystery readers who are constantly discussing the best ways to murder each other. Apart from being a bit of comic relief in an otherwise very dark film, it also demonstrates how lightly people think of murder and murderers...until they encounter them face-to-face.

My advice then, if you want to see this movie, is not to learn anything about it beforehand. Going in with no knowledge will increase the movie's initial impact, and will help you to appreciate why Hitchcock was the 'Master of Suspense'. This is a taut thriller with no gratuitous violence, foul language, or mature situations.

(Hitch considered it 'a family film'.)

Enjoy!

Psycho (1960)

Clever, Engrossing...and Terrifying

[10/10 · 26 May 2003]

CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

What sets this film apart from the 'slasher horror' genre is the fact that it actually has a well-written, well-performed script. Rather than the dialogue serving merely as links between gruesome murders, the script is loaded with innuendo, emotion, and most importantly, clues.

The 'sympathy' aspect of the film begins in the opening scene, when Marion Crane is upset that she must meet her lover in secret and cannot yet marry him. She believes she is hard-done-by and put-upon...until she meets Norman Bates, a good-hearted but spineless young man who is kept tightly under the thumb of his dominating mother.

The scene in the motel parlor between Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh demonstrates the high level of acting that went into this film. It contains some of the film's most memorable lines, including:

"Mother, what is the phrase...isn't quite herself today."

"A boy's best friend is his mother."

"She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes."

One does not watch this film merely for the forty-five second shower scene (although that scene alone, still as horrifying the fiftieth time as the first, is well worth it). It is well-written, acted, and especially directed. Besides the shower, there are countless memorable scenes and shots that require no dialogue at all:

--> The first appearance of the motel and house

--> The room of stuffed birds

--> Norman's 10-minute 'clean up'

--> Martin Balsam going down the stairs

--> The discovery of Mother in the basement

In my opinion, this is the scariest movie of all time. Ghosts, vampires and demons are all very well...but THIS story could actually come true.

(Don't go in the shower!)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

The Power of Film demonstrates the Horror of War

[8/10 · 13 May 2003]

A gritty, intense, no-holds-barred war film that grabs attention from the very beginning and holds it all the way through. The only detriment to this film is the fact that the first half (Boot Camp) is so much more powerful than the second half (Vietnam).

The film is basically about how war sucks the life out of humans and turns them into 'killing machines'. The greatest performances in this film are of course R. Lee Ermey, the savage drill instructor, and Vincent D'Onofrio, his slow-witted whipping boy. The viewer alternately laughs and cringes at the relentless abuse and degradation inflicted by the former on the latter. And at the famous line, "What is your major malfunction?", the tension reaches an almost unbearable limit and the viewer ceases to move or breathe.

This movie, like many of Kubrick's, is too graphic for many people, but I highly recommend it to those who can withstand its assault on both senses and consciences.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

A world of pure imagination.

[10/10 · 7 May 2003]

A wonderful story with a wonderful message: honesty cannot be bought for any price, but it is the most valuable gift that any person (child or adult) can have.

This is a great film because it appeals to both kids and adults. Roald Dahl packs his story full of all the tasty and grotesque things that children love, while the script includes enough clever jokes and quotations to keep the attention of their parents. It is without question the finest family film ever made.

The first part of the film is possibly the funniest. Rather than seeing a group of children searching the world for Golden tickets, we are instead presented with a variety of obsessed adults who seem willing to pay any price for the prizes. This makes the film even more enjoyable for children; they get to see their parents acting like maniacs, the way the children themselves would.

But it is five children who find the tickets, and they are hand-picked to be the worst examples of bratty kids: the overfed glutton, the snotty gum-chewer, the smarmy couch potato, and of course the most demanding, spoiled little demon in history (in my opinion, one of the greatest performances by a child actor ever)

But the fifth is the golden child, the hard-working, honest little boy who has never had anything. From the beginning he's taking care of his family, trying to be the man of the house now that his father is dead. One can't help but love Charlie, especially as he sadly walks home alone to the sounds of his mother singing him a lullaby.

The point of the film is that honesty, innocence, and faith will eventually make dreams come true. Those dreams are brought to life through the Chocolate Factory, a spectacular series of sets and scenery, along with a delightful musical score. Yet all through the Chocolate Factory, it is only Charlie who really seems to be enjoying himself; the others only whine and complain about all the strange and wonderful things around them.

I thoroughly recommend this movie to anyone and everyone. It teaches an inspiring lesson, it has many colourful characters, and the scenery is enough to make your mouth water. It's positively scrum-diddly-umptious!

Alien 3 (1992)

One question...why?

[12 April 2003]

This looks like one of those incidents where someone, sometime said "What would happen if..." and the idea spiraled into a film that really should never have been made.

Besides being totally unnecessary (as is the case with so many sequels), the movie takes the satisfying, hopeful ending of James Cameron's 1986 'Aliens' (which I loved) and brings it to the most miserable, depressing conclusion imaginable.

The major problems with this movie:

1. The characters from 'Aliens' (with the exception of Sigourney Weaver, of course) are all dead at the beginning of this film (this is not a spoiler, because it's in the FIRST SCENE). Tough luck to anyone who may have liked the little girl Newt or the android Bishop, and so much for our hopes that a love interest might arise between Weaver's character Ripley and the soldier Hicks (the only military survivor).

2. The characters who *are* in this film are, with few exceptions, uninteresting and difficult to feel for. The marines in 'Aliens' were a diverse, colourful, and fascinating group. We rooted for them. With very few exceptions (such as Charles S. Dutton and Charles Dance), we do not root for the prisoners.

3. The story is uninspired. We're back to the one-alien-killing-everyone-when-they-have-no-weapons scenario, just like in the original. So much for James Cameron's attempts to actually make the franchise exciting.

4. Sigourney Weaver shaves her head. She actually looks quite unattractive, which is a shame because she looked awesome in the tank top and carrying around the heavy artillery in 'Aliens'. Too bad she didn't use the weapons on the costume designer for this one.

Overall, it is a sorry addition to the Alien series because everything that follows it (such as the comic books) must accommodate its miserable and depressing plot. This is one of those concepts that should have died at the table.

(But do see 'Aliens'...it really does rock!)

Aliens (1986)

Marines make the movie!

[12 April 2003]

Even after countless viewings, I remain glued to my seat for the duration of this movie.

The first half-hour is a little slow, as the plot slowly unfolds and the links to the first movie are established. But all of that changes with the introduction of...

THE MARINES!

A tough, colourful, fascinating group that I only wish could have been explored further, the marines make this movie great. Each character has a different personality, each one a different background, and a combination of acting, writing, and directing talents flesh these characteristics out as much as possible.

Of course, some of them are more interesting than others, and fortunately director James Cameron is wise enough to give the more interesting people more screen time, so we can learn more about them:

-Michael Biehn, as Hicks, is the strong and silent type.

-Jenette Goldstein, as Vasquez, is the muscular tomboy.

-Al Matthews, as Apone, is the hard-bitten, hard-driving sergeant.

-And, of course, there's Bill Paxton as Hudson, defining forever the role of the cynical yet courageous joker of the group. Any similar role in any other movie is always and will always be compared to his performance in this film.

Besides the great characters, there is also Cameron's trademark never-stop-once-it-starts action. The soldiers fight the Aliens for two hours of screen time, and you'll never notice it go by. In fact, you probably won't want it to end.

In conclusion, 'Aliens' is a great action film and (because they were wise enough not to put the number 2 in the title) it does not have to be seen along with Ridley Scott's staggeringly slow original, nor David Fincher's morbidly depressing follow-up. It stands alone as a landmark in science-fiction filmmaking, as does so much of Cameron's work.

(And most of all, Sigourney Weaver looks *really* hot in the tank top carrying around the heavy artillery. That's the kind of heroine a man can root for)

Network (1976)

It's funny that way...

[12 January 2003]

CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

What makes this film so incredible is when one remembers that it was made in 1976. This was pre-Springer, pre-Survivor, pre-Crossing Over...basically, it was decades before the infusion of reality TV and programs appealing to the basest human desires.

In 1976, the movie said "This is where television is going." And looking back, we see that this is EXACTLY where television WENT!

What's so odd, nowadays, about the idea of having a television program involving a psychic predicting the future? What's wrong with a reality show about a terrorist organization? How about a crazy man who shouts at people nonstop, telling them what to believe? These are the shows put on by the people at 'Network', and nowadays they are the type of shows that any regular network wouldn't think twice about airing.

So what makes this film truly amazing is how accurately the writer (Paddy Chayefsky)was able to predict the path that television was taking. It makes it funny...and it also makes it, just a little bit, scary.

Of course, the final scene in Network has yet to come true. But how long will it be until it does? Somehow, it doesn't seem so farfetched anymore.

Under a Killing Moon (1994 Video Game)

A Classic of Computer Cinema

[10/10 · 16 October 2002]

This remains, for all time, my favourite computer game. There has never been a better blend of game and movie. Not only is the game challenging and fun, but the movie happens to be exceptionally well written. Chris Jones directs the action and stars as the main character, Tex Murphy, a loveable blend of Humphrey Bogart and Peter Sellers. The story is a P.I. drama with a twist--it's set in post WWIII San Francisco, in a world where flying cars, space stations, laser beams, and mutants are all run-of-the-mill occurrences. Beginning with a simple robbery investigation, the game slowly builds to a much more frightening level. It is a tale of the far-reaching dangers of bigotry and hatred. The story encompasses all of recorded history, and is written so cleverly that it could very well come true.

Although the game contains many frightening moments, as well as points where the fate of the ENTIRE WORLD rests on Tex's shoulders, it is balanced out by the gumshoe's caustic wit. One especially memorable scene is when, in the boardroom of a mysterious corporation, hiding from a killer security robot, Tex can look at the pictures of the board members and come up with a witty remark for each and every one. I would recommend this game to anyone who likes detective stories, futuristic tales, and problem-solving computer games. Again, it is the perfect blend of game and movie. The game will keep you on your toes, while the movie will keep you in stitches.

Captains Courageous (1937)

The golden age of child actors

[9 September 2002]

A movie like this could only have been made in the early days of cinema. Before the days when fancy camera angles, careful editing, and computer-effects combine to make any pretty-boy a big star, movies had to rely on genuine talent on the part of child actors.

Nowhere is this more evident than with Freddie Bartholomew. The character he plays is a spoiled rich-kid, used to getting his own way and obnoxious with everyone he meets. Yet he plays the role in such a way that we can sympathize with him, rather than detest him. We understand the character, but we do not hate him.

Watch any similar movie made today, and the child actors will whine and sneer and have smart-mouthed replies to everything. In this movie, however, the character is not taken to that extreme, and when he makes his transition in the film we are able to love him, and are able to forget how horrid he was before.

The boy can truly act. When he cries for his loved ones, we cry with him. When he is happy, we are able to smile. And when he does something foolish, we do not get the urge to punch him in the face. The character is attractive by the end of the film, and that is a quality which few (if any) child actors possess today.

If you want to see a touching movie with superb acting and genuine emotion, this is the one.

Casablanca (1942)

The greatest movie of all time.

[10/10 · 26 January 2002]

There will never be another film like this. Every line is quotable. Every performance is stellar. Every character is either lovable or detestable. I can say little else on the film without repeating myself, except that (and this is not meant to be a spoiler), the 'Marseilles' scene is the only scene in a movie that constantly brings me to tears. It is a wonderful movie. See it if you haven't. If you have...see it again!