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Jaws
(1975, PG)
JAWS (1975)
directed by Steven Spielberg
starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw The shark looked fake, but pure cinematic timing - meaning the right shot combined with fine acting and a killer soundtrack - made it scarier than your bedroom in the dark passed midnight at age 6. Its very hard to categorize Jaws, its part horror, part drama and part action picture. It was the first film to be released on hundreds of screens simultaneously making it, the first blockbuster in history of cinema. It obviously created a precedent, and for that reason it is easy to hate Spielberg or the film itself. But in the end, if Jaws had never been made, blockbusters would still have been created. In the 70's, cinema expanded into more than just the seventh art, it became a popular entertainment. Steven Spielberg is only one of the few young talented filmmakers who emerged from that era, some of the greatest movie directors began back then. Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola, Brian De Palma, George Lucas are only few of the names that made what cinema has become, for better or for worse. Based on a novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws tells the story of a small community where tourists spend a lot of time in the summer because of their nice beaches. A girl goes missing and is soon found, decapitated on the beach. Most likely a shark did that and Police Chief Martin Brody takes the right action when he wants to close the beaches. Amity Island needs the summer money to survive and the mayor wont let Brody go on with his plans. It doesnt take long for another victim to come up. The mother of the kid who was killed by the giant fish offers a reward for whoever catches the shark. Thats when Matt Hooper arrives, a shark specialist, but he aint there to kill the monster. A shark is captured and people go back to the beaches for the Fourth of July. Brody knows the shark that was caught wasnt the one and he stays aware of everything going on but that doesnt keep the shark from killing again. That when the films becomes a character study. Brody and Hooper embarks on a ship with Quint, an experienced shark killer, they go for a hunt. There are tensions between them three, caused by their differences. Spielberg takes time to set the mood and let the characters develop. There is a terrific scene, after an exhausting day of trying to catch the great white shark, they are in the cabin, done eating, drinking and finally bounding. Thats when Quint tells a terrific monologue about the USS Indianapolis. Several writers worked on that speech but Robert Shaw, who played Quint, is the one who came up with the final version, the one in the film, and personally, thats one of the most uplifting moments I have ever scene in a movie. Shaw is terrific in the film, never trying to be likeable but delivering his lines with the right amount of tension and mannerism. Roy Scheider gives a fine performance as Brody. A man who left the big city to settle on a small island. Events that happened when he was younger created a fear of boat and water inside of him but because he feels the people of his community are in danger, he faces that fear and goes on the boat to fight the shark. The ultimate «face-off» is actually quite something. Richard Dreyfuss completes the trio as Hooper, acting with all his skills and charisma. A review of Jaws could never be complete if John Williams' music wasnt mentionned. The simplicity of his score made the film even scarier. He is responsible for at least half the success of the film. Combined with Verna Fields' clever editing and Steven Spielberg's fierce hunger to make a film, it created some of the most effective scenes in modern cinema. Add humor and fine acting to the mix and you get a fun piece of cinema. Spielberg managed to work around a fake shark that barely ever worked, a schedule that was ultimately tripled, actors arguing all the time, pressure from the studios and the producers. He was only a young man and made a name for himself showing experience and talent. In the end it proves its not how good the effect is, ut how well you use it and how well it serves the story and not the opposite. Spielberg has been using effects only in the need to tell a good story, an he proved with Jaws, to excel at that, from the very beginning of his career. I think its obvious by now that Im a huge Steven Spielberg fan and Im aware many people hate him maybe because of an apparent lack of interegrity, but the man has never lied about his intentions with each of his films. He is willing to say if a film was made to please himself or the audience or simply to carry a message. Jaws doesnt have a message thats for sure but its pure entertainment with some type of depth and character development. I admire Spielberg for the film he created and I wont despise him for what his film created and what followed. Maybe without him there would be no Michael Bay or Rob Cohen, and I know that would be an amazing world to live in, but it wouldnt as amazing as living in a world with this film. If I had to watch only one movie for the rest of my life, it would be Jaws. Classic. «Smile you son of a bitch.»
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ALIEN (1979)
directed by Ridley Scott
starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerrit, Veronica Cartwright «This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off. » When Alien first came out nobody thought Ripley could be the last to survive the monster. She was unlikely to achieve such thing, she was an annoying character, a second officier doing things a bit too much by the book. It seemed obvious she would die among the first. She survived cause she was strong, she had it in her. With the arrival of DVDs the market has been flooded with Director's Cut version of pretty much any movie, even the ones we wish had been destroyed. Most of them only had footage added here and there but Ridley Scott, who pretty much started the Director's Cut back in the early 1990's with Blade Runner, didnt only add footage or a few scenes. He changed things. Its more valuable, its worth checking out for real. In the case of Alien he added a crucial scene near the end that explains a lot of what happens in the sequel but also cut off a few things that slowed down the film. The final result is a film one minute shorter than the original release but with an ending infinitely more intense and effective even if the original release was already filled with tense scenes near the end. Though, Scott was always happy with the original cut of the film, he was seduced by the idea of revisiting the film that got him started, which means the new cut is only for fans purpose. I was lucky enough to catch the Director's Cut of Alien in theatre when it was released on Halloween 2003. The room was pretty much empty. It was the afternoon. I was excited to see one of my favorite films in theatre, even if it was released a few years before I was even born. This experience made me appreciate the film even more. It took me to a whole new level of appreciation. I remember feeling tense the entire movie cause the atmosphere created by Ridley Scott in this film is simply genius. The camera moves extremely well and there are some surprising movements. Its slow-paced to create the mood and it works perfectly well. When the creature burst from the chest, I have to admit, I almost screamed even if I had seen it many times before. To this day its pretty much the only scene in movies that gives me the creeps. Alien was released in 1979. Eleven years after Stanley Kubrick's 2001 - A Space Odyssey. The influence is obvious in the way the visual effects look, and also with «mother» who seems to be the heart of the ship, but the film doesnt spend much time on that, they didnt want to make a new Hal-9000. Although they do have Ash, an android on board who would prefer see the crew dead to bring back the creature on Earth than see it die. The Ash character is supposed to be surprise at the end of the movie but it should have been obvious when we think about it. The ship looks like an old WWII submarine and that helps create the mood, thats good set designing. H.R. Giger, the Swiss artist, designed everything related to the monster, including its ship. Its looks awfully weird, like nothing we have seen before and that is part of the originality of Alien. Also the monster doesnt look corny or like the usual extra-terrestrial entity we are used to see. It pretty much created a precedent in the genre. After this film came out a bunch of monster movies appeared, all wanting to look like Scott's but no one came close, except maybe James Cameron with his muscular sequel, but thats different. Strangely enough, a lot of things is related to sexuality in Alien, even if it doesnt look like it at first site. Simply the way the creature is implanted in the chest of Kane, the man attacked by the facehugger, can pretty much be considered like an inter-species rape - I didnt come up with that term but I liked it and felt it made a lot of sense. Also when it bursts out of his chest with that phallic form or even the huge head of the alien. At the end of the film when Ripley is alone in the small ship, she thinks she finally got rid of the creature. She strips down from her officier clothes and becomes vulnerable. The alien is hiding in the corner and waits to attack her, just has if he was staring at her in the dark, like a stalker would. That brings us to think the alien is more than a killing machine. Because of its strength and murderous ways we come to think of it as an animal but its way more intelligent than what the film shows us, or actually the film doesnt have to show anything, cause as viewers we are supposed to be able understand such thing. Alien builds itself on our fear of the unknown. «In space, no one can hear you scream» was the tagline of the film. Its very effective, cause its very true and its the feel that comes out of the movie. Its intimate and we feel like the eight member of the crew, we can only be glad when we actually survived the trip without getting caught by the monster. Alien isnt only a good-looking well-written space/monster-opera. Its also very well-acted. Sigourney Weaver had her first starring role, it made her a star in a split-second. She was tall, an unlikely hero and she was a woman. After that, a lot of film tried to have a woman as the hero who kicks the bad guys' asses, but no one could do it like Sigourney Weaver. Tom Skerrit was an easy choice to play Dallas. To play Kane, the one infected by the alien, they needed a solid actor, to make it more believable rather than laughable and nobody could have done a better job than John Hurt. Ian Holms looks like a psycho in this film, good thing cause he plays Ash the android. Veronica Cartwright is the second and only other female. She is there to show the human side of the tragedy. To show how emotionally hardcore those events are on the characters. Harry Dean Stanton and Yaphet Kotto are the comic relief of the film, but whats intresting here is that they get serious when they need to, instead of staying dumb like it happens in too many films. Ridley Scott is reportedly quoted as saying that originally he wanted a much darker ending. He planned on having the alien bite off Ripley's head in the escape shuttle, sit in her chair, and then start speaking with her voice in a message to Earth. Apparently, 20th Century Fox wasn't too pleased with such a dark ending. That ending would have been very interesting but James Cameron could have never made his sequel and I think thats something we would have all been missing in our movie life. There was a lot of crap surrounding the script, apparently the original writers werent pleased with all the changes that happened through pre-production before Ridley Scott was even on board. Although, when they wrote it they didnt give a gender to any of the characters which obviously changed a few things and Ripley could have turned out to be a man. Jerry Goldsmith who wrote a lot of classic score for Hollywood movies had written music for the entire film but Ridley Scott and his editor kept it a bit minimalist and so we can only hear music during key moments and when needed. I think it was a good decision. Goldsmith remaining score is terrific and preserve the mood that Scott wanted but sometimes silence is better. Alien is obviously a cult classic some twenty-five years later, nearly thirty, and it will obviously be remembered for plenty of reason. It may not have been the most original movie. Dan O'Bannon the original writer said himself that he stole ideas from plenty of films, but as I often say: What is important in a movie isnt the originality, its the way you tell your story, the way you act it. The atmosphere here is responsible for a lot of the love the film is getting. Its frightening, extremely effective, highly entertaining and nearly flawless from beginning to end. Its simply, I try not to use this word to often but here, it applies. its a masterpiece.
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AMADEUS (1984)
directed by Milos Forman
starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge «His funeral! Imagine it, the cathedral, all Vienna sitting there, his coffin, Mozart's little coffin in the middle, and then, in that silence, music! A divine music bursts out over them all. A great mass of death! Requiem mass for Wolfgang Mozart, composed by his devoted friend, Antonio Salieri! Oh what sublimity, what depth, what passion in the music! Salieri has been touched by God at last. And God is forced to listen! Powerless, powerless to stop it! I, for once in the end, laughing at him! The only thing that worried me was the actual killing. How does one do that? Hmmm? How does one kill a man? It's one thing to dream about it; very different when, when you, when you have to do it with your own hands.» Amadeus is a Latin name that can be translate to «beloved of God», its a name Mozart often used as a pen name cause he was actually baptized Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, Theophilus being close to the Greek name Theophilos, which has the same meaning as Amadeus. Milos Forman's film, based on Peter Schaffer's play, may use Amadeus as its title but the film really is more about Antonio Salieri, another composer who lived in Vienna at the same time as Mozart, but the tilte very much makes sense for this historically innacurate biographical picture. While Schaffer based his idea on some possible facts, it is more an excuse to work on the theme of rivalry with characters everyone knows. Antonio Salieri is Emperor Joseph II's court composer. He worked hard to go there, he offered his chastity to God to receive his talent and prays every day the Lord makes to make sure his abilities will stay with him. He hear Mozart is coming to Vienna and is looking forward to see who that man is but his disappointment is obvious when he realizes Mozart is a childish vulgar conceited self-righteous genius. Mozart has gotten the gift from God that Salieri wanted for himself. He prays for justice and fairness but Salieri is a sinner, his envy, his jealousy and his vanity make him undeserving of such a gift. The film begins with the old Salieri trying to commit sucide. «Mozart! Mozart, forgive your assassin! I confess, I killed you...» Salieri is then taken to a mental hospital where he tells his story to a priest. He explains how Mozart's talent drove him mad but at the same time his absolute fascination for the man's work, which he couldnt deny was an absolute beauty. The film basically shows how Salieri was torn up between his love for Mozart's music and his jealousy. A two-faced man he was, in prescence of the composer he would offer him his help and compliment his work, with genuity, but would conspire against him when he was trying to bring something new. Salieri was simply afraid to realize all the commitments he made to God were worthless cause that litte man and his funny wigs would always be better than him. Salieri's confidence dropped and considered himself mediocre simply because he couldnt do what Mozart did, when in fact, Salieri was quite talented himself. Those only elements in the film, not necessarly in real life, cause apparently, even if there might have been a real rivalry between the composers, they had respect for each other and that rivalry was ultimately sane, just like the one with see in any fields of life. The costumes in the film are amazing, the sets are huge, the period replica is simply impressive. The opera scenes are memorable and what can I say about the music, its simply marvellous. Im not even a fan of opera, it actually bugs me, but in this film, it just seems so beautiful, it makes me want to buy tickets. Im not particularly passionate about classical music but in this film it feels like it really is something that comes from God. There is something grotesque about the film though, Mozart's annmoying laugh, the way they eat food, those ridiculous wigs or Emperor Joseph II's ignorance about anything. It seems as if they were looking at that era with a contempted look but at the same time they seem to be fascinated by it, kind of the same way Salieri looks at Mozart in the film. Other than rivalry the film touches other interesting themes such as guilt and that comes with both the old Salieri who thinks he has killed a messenger of God in Mozart, but also Mozart who didnt go back his father after his instistence, who ultimately died. That becomes something major when Salieri exploits it to extort Mozart's talent, which ended up killing up because of a poisonned obssession created by Salieri's envious character. F. Murray Abraham is amazing as Salieri. He brings a lot of subtlety to the character, his body language, his eyes, his smiles, it's definately a terrific performance and he did deserve the praise and the Awards that he got from it. Tom Hulce as Mozart showed a lot of potential, I actually wonder why he didnt become a bigger star after that film. He portrays the genius madness of his character with such depth its just fascinating, even if sometimes it almost seems like he is overdoing it. The rest of the cast is not to be mention really, cause its basically two one-man shows in one film. Except maybe Elizabeth Berridge, who plays Mozart's wife with the right amount of innocence that part needed. While Im at it, Jeffrey Jones, mostly known as Ferris Bueller's principale, as the Emperor Joseph II, nails his part perfectly and really does look as ignorant as his character. Amadeus is fictious work on one of the greatest classical composer to ever live, but it maintains some hidden truth. Its an amazing character study which is wonderfully directed by Milos Forman who understands his characters and film his story as if it was a true epic. With great cinematography, terrific editing, wonderful acting, powerful direction, indepth writting, Amadeus is what I consider a masterpiece and definately one of the best films I have ever seen. Salieri is done telling his story, a man comes him and take him, pushing his chair in the middle of those people affected by madness. Salieri is one of them, maybe it was all just a delusion and it didnt really happen that way, maybe he didnt kill Mozart, maybe it really was just like it was in real life. «Mediocrities everywhere... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you all.»
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ALIENS (1986)
directed by James Cameron
starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn «My mommy always said there were no monsters, no real ones, but there are.» When a movie is successful, Hollywood likes to make a sequel, nowadays they make trilogies but back then it was one film at the time. The concept is easy, they take the first film, ask a writer to do the same thing with slight differences and possibly a bigger budget. The film comes with a number «2» or «3» when it could almost be considered a remake of the first film. When came time to make a sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien they didnt do that. James Cameron stepped in as a writer and due to the success of The Terminator he also got the directing job. He added an «s» to the title and went all out to be as far away from the first film but keeping the elements that made it great. He succeeded completely. Alien was an intimate film, slowly paced with a lot of atmosphere. There werent too many characters. In Aliens, there are many characters and many monsters. Like the tagline said «This time its war». It really was. A group of marines are sent on the same planet where they found the alien creature in the first film. Its set 57 years in the future, as Ripley was lost in space and frozen. She goes back with them as a consultant. Nobody really believes her but it all changes when after their first encounters with the monsters, only a few survive. There are many typical characters in the film. From the Coporal Hicks to the funny guy, the killer chick, the incompetent Lieutenant and more. Like in the first movie, we have an android but its set from the very beginning and we know the same thing wont happen this time cause Cameron sort of added Asimov's laws of robotic to the character. There is also someone from the company and from the first minute we know his intentions arent the one he seems to be proposing. From there, we know how the story might evolve cause we've seen movies before and all our suspicions ends up paying off but simply for our greatest pleasure cause we dont really expect any surprises. There is also a kid that seemed to have been the only survivor on the planet and there is something interesting with that character that is developed in a better way in the Special Edition of film which contains 17 more minutes. Its actually James Cameron's cut, but he simply doesnt call it Director's Cut. There are element that help understand a few things but that arent necessary to the film cause we manage to understand with other ways, except maybe the relationship between Ripley and Newt, the kid. Being frozen in space for 57 years Ripley comes back and learns her daughter is now dead. Its a big loss for her, and it explains how she bonds quickly with Newt who saw her family get taken away by the monsters. Its nothing big but its quite important in terms of character development. Also during those added minutes we get to see how the aliens got to the station at that very moment and not before. James Cameron was smart when he wrote the film. He didnt try to reinvent the origin of the aliens. What he did, was taking elements from the first film and prolonged it. Thats how the alien queen appeared. «Get away from her, you bitch!» The alien queen was simply an obvious continuation of what had begun in the first film, especially with that scene that was finally added in the Director's Cut, where we found a room in which Tom Skerrit's character was stuck to the wall cause the alien had it in its nature to prepare host for more eggs. Here it comes full circle and we finally understand the cycle of life of those creatures. Again, like in the first film, there is a one on one fight with the monster at the end of the film, except this time its with the queen and its obviously bigger. Its actually to the image of the film. Everything is bigger. More characters, more death, more action, more visual effects. The atmosphere isnt frightening anymore but its still very effective and keeps the mood that Ridley Scott had created with the first film. There is a lot of guns and action in this film. Aliens die, its really like a battlefield and its extremely entertaining. But, there is a but, its not simply a brainless action picture, its a smart one. It follows the first film perfectly and to this day is one of the rare sequel to have equaled the first film. Its actually very hard to compare them cause they feel so complementary to each other. Aliens' qualities are also its biggest flaws cause it had success and was better than any expectation, which spawned more sequels, they arent that bad but they are nothing compared to the two original films. Like the first film the sets look dirty even if its the future. The lighting is clever and the acting is solid. Sigourney Weaver is completely commited to her character and she gives one of her best performances of her career. Carrie Henn, the cute kid is quite effective and she finds her place among that whole lot of testosterone. Paul Reiser as the company guy looks like someone you hate easily so its was perfect casting. Lance Henriksen does a good job acting robotic, Michael Biehn showed he could have become a good action hero but his career got lost somewhere and Bill Paxton is perfect at being the comic relief. Just like Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton from the first film he can get serious when its time to be which is always great. Jenette Goldstein is a chick who can definately kick asses. Aliens is a high quality sequel. Its doesnt have the sense of sensuality/sexuality of the first film but it has a feeling of realistic future with good character development, plausible psychology and great mood. Its hard not to like.
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GOODFELLAS (1990)
directed by Martin Scorsese
starring Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci «You know, we always called each other good fellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, :You're gonna like this guy. He's all right. He's a good fella. He's one of us.: You understand? We were good fellas. Wiseguys.» Some gangsters have more morality than others, but most of them are willing to kill whoever comes their way and try to keep them from going further. Gangsters have power, they have the freedom of doing whatever they want, they are above the law, they are the law. Gangsters have all the money want, they are like movie stars. Thats why ordinary people envy gangsters, cause they have found a way to reach the American Dream. The only difference, is that most ordinary people are willing to do what gangsters do, cause with them also comes violence, the risk of getting wack anytime you do a little mistake, remorse, many things most dont want to live with. Gangsters arent super-human, they were simply raised like that, from the moment they could think for themselves right before becoming teenagers. Well, thats how the mob was in the orgazined crime world, nobody really decides to become a gangster. Henry Hill was introduced to the crime world at a very young age, parking cars and doing other odd jobs for the Lucchese family and mobster Paul Vario, in the film changed to Paul Cicero. That was normal life for him and he was naturally talented when came time to hustle. He obviously stayed in touch with them and became a somehow important member as he became an adult. He worked with Jimmy Burke and Tommy DeSimone, renamed in the film Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito. They were one of hell of a trio, with Burke/Conway, an older man, who was feared by all and new all the tricks in the business. DeSimone/DeVito was the crazy one of the holy trio, liking to pull the trigger for fun and never really regretting any move. He was the only one with «pure» blood, which later gave him teh opportunity to become a made-man, making Jimmy very proud. Even though they didnt always work together, Henry, Jimmy and Tommy were close friends and kept in touch even when some of them went to prison, to later come out and pull off another gig. Goodfellas pretty much follow their ascent, in the 60's and 70's, in the family until Henry Hill, scared for his wife and kids, and himself, came down to cooperating with the F.B.I. going under the witness protection program. What makes Goodfellas great is how Martin Scorsese introduces us to that world, with the insight of the man who really was part of it at some point. It shows the casualities of the mobsters without focusing on the violence, but simply showing the audience the reality of this world. Their lives, their family, we also get insights from Henry Hill's wife, as they are both the movie's narrators, taking turns, explaning things and giving details on how things used to work. The characters are fully developped, as we get to know them, their temper, even though we dont get deeply into their psychology, but thats not what the film is about, its rather about the lifestyle without doing it with the Hollywood clichés. Goodfellas is a stylish picture with unexpected tunes, cool camera movements, including long shots like only Martin Scorsese can create, fun dialogues, rythmed narration, real tension, real insights on its main themes, great acting, plus, it feels real. A genuine family portrait. Goodfellas is as close to perfection as movies can get, its no wonder its considered the best film of the 90's by many. If you ask any real film geeks, nine times out of ten, he'll tell you Goodfellas is on his top favorite movies of all-time, I know its one mine and most likely on yours as well. To me Goodfellas is the ultimate mob movie, and Im totally aware some might try to remind me of The Godfather. Of course, Coppola's saga is great, but its no Goodfellas. Ray Liotta, in the role that made him a star, is Henry Hill, and already he showed all his potential. Unfortunately for him, his career wasnt the most exciting after this film, due to bad choices but he recycled himself in fun memorable second parts in movies in the early 2000, and went back to his game, proving that all the hype surrounding him after Goodfellas wasnt unfounded, thanks to an amazing performance in Narc. Robert DeNiro was Jimmy Conway, his sixth collaboration with director Scorsese, they knew each other pretty well by then, and again, the director pulls a great subtle performance out of the actor, giving him room to act but never stealing the show, so we can keep focus on the story. Joe Pesci completes the trio, he had worked with both DeNiro and Scorsese on Raging Bull ten years earlier, but this one made him an actor everybody wanted in their films after he won the best supporting actor Oscar, which he totally deserved, thanks to a memorable performance and the some dialogues wonderfully delivered. Lorraine Bracco plays another important character in the film, the wife of Henry Hill, she is strong and live up to the rest of the cast bringing emotions and reality in this world of gangsterism. Marlon Brandon sure is the ultimate Godfather but Paul Sorvino's Paulie, is a close second. He never makes his character a parody, which too often happens, even in serious mob pictures. He has a small part, but he plays it great and the audience doesnt forget about him. Basically the entire cast is great, acting almost effortlessly, as it is so often the case when Martin Scorsese directs, he's got a touch with actors that very few directors have. Basically, Goodfellas is a masterpiece, well I guess my entire review was leading to that statement. It shows that world which ordinary people consider a fantasy, cause no one is willing to go as far as making it real, mostly cause of moral issues. Thats why this film is so fascinating, the audience gets absorbed in a wolrd they'll never know, but for a close two and a half hour, we forget about everything else, let ourselves sink into the mobster life and live it until we are brought back to the surface, just like Henry Hill was, then, the dream is over, so is the film. Let's watch it again. «I'm not mad, I'm proud of you. You took your first pinch like a man and you learn two great things in your life. Look at me, never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.»
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JFK
(1991, R)
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THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995)
directed by Bryan Singer
starring Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri «Keaton always said: «I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him.» Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze.» When a filmmaker needs to manipulate his audience to make them appreciate his films, it means he doesnt have much talent. A good example of such a director is Michael Bay, with his overpatriotic films using syrupy score forcing the viewer into thinking he is entertained. The Usual Susepcts is a very manipulative movie. But not in the Michael Bay way. Its manipulative cause the characters manipulate each others, and the smart script by Christopher McQuarrie had to mess with us at the same time to make us get into the story, the same way the characters do. His script wouldnt have worked without the nearly perfect performance of Kevin Spacey, the «narrator», in a way, of the story told in the film and the always very precise direction of Bryan Singer, who needs to stop making superhero flick and get back to his roots. Spacey is «Verbal» Kint, a con artist suffering from cerebral palsy. He is apparently the only survivor of an attack on a boat the previous day. He sits there in an office and Custom Officer Dave Kujan comes in not to interogate him about the previous night, but about his relation with four other con men, and especially Dean Keaton, whom he's been after for a few years. It all began six weeks prior to that moment, with a fake line-up at the police station. All five men found themselves in a cell overnight, it was just long enough for them, to become a team and pull jobs together. Gabriel Byrne is Dean Keaton, an ex-cop, a ruthless killer apparently, but in Verbal's words, he seems to be a nice guy. Byrne gives a very ambiguous performance, feeding the movie with mystery as of what is really going on. Kevin Pollack is Hockney, the guy who can provide the «hardware» on a job. Stephen Baldwin is McManus, the one with contacts and Benicio Del Toro is his fast-speaking partner and in some sort of way the comic relief cause there is no way to understand what he says. Of course Verbal is the one who comes up with the plans to get as little casualties as possible. The entire ensemble give terrific performances, and it helped them have a career for a little while, while others did get to stardom like Spacey and Del Toro. Soon, a lawyer comes to them with a job. He says it comes from Keyser Soze. A very powerful man, but nobody can identify him. They have to get on a boat and destroy a drug cargo. They have to do it, cause they all stole from Soze in the past, even though they werent aware of it, and if they refuse, he will hunt them down. Thats what happens when one leaves, he is found dead. Chaz Palminteri is David Kujan, the Custom Officier. He tells Verbal he is smarter than him and will get the informations he needs wether Kint wants it or not. He wants to know more about Keaton and wants the proof that he is dead. Maybe he is Keyser Soze. If he isnt. Who is Koser Soze ? Watching this film many times I realized Bryan Singer gives us tons of hint to figure out the end but we concentrate too much on the story that we dont see it coming. Its a killer twist, it really is. After watching it several times I came to ask myself what is really true, what are the actual facts in the film. All that manipulation is so well-done and the film is very complete as itself. There is no scene missing and it doesnt need anything else to make it better. The Usual Suspects is one of the best cop thriller ever made. Its came out of nowhere and took everyone by surprise. Its a little masterpiece, perfectly crafted. John Ottman's score and editing - yes he did both - add a lot to the mood and atmosphere in the film. It has great dialogues and lots of inspired shots. Its simple, its the film that made me like cineman back in the mid-90's, when I was still just a kid.
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FARGO (1996)
directed by Joel Coen
starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi «So that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in Brainerd. And for what? For a little bit of money. There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don't you know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well, I just don't understand it.»The perfect balance between its simplicity, humor, violence, quirks and realism makes of Fargo, the Coen brothers' most authentic film to date and its almost as perfect as a movie can get. The Coen brothers are unique filmmakers and yet, they are two guys, with one mind. They dont want to surprise us but they do it with every film cause they switch genres all the time. They began their career with a great looking thriller, Blood Simple, to change gear and follow up with a quirky comedy about a couple who kidnap a baby, Raising Arizona. Already, the Coens proved to have more than one trick to them being able to thrill but to make the audience laugh as well. They have a flair for directing with always the right camera angles which seems to always be precisely framed. Their dialogues are like music, pretty much like Quentin Tarantino's, but they dont do in the pop culture references, they rather go with irony. There is no wonder with their unique style that they have so many fans even if their career has been a bit uneven, espcially with the releases of Intolerable Cruelty, a slow hommage to the 50's comedies starring George Clooney with an obssession for his teeth, and The Ladykillers an extremely stylish remake with an annoying Marlon Wayans but a fun Tom Hanks. But because they have made strong works in the past, such as Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski, but mainly, this one, Fargo, people's love for the Coens can never be tainted, unless they werent fans in the first place. Jerry Lundegaard: «Now we had a deal. A deal's a deal.» Carl Showalter: «Is it, Jerry? Why don't you ask those three poor souls in Brainerd if a deal's a deal. Go ahead, ask them!» Jerry Lundegaard: «The heck do ya mean?» Carl Showalter: [mimicking] «"The heckya mean?"»William H. Macy is Jerry Lundergaard. A likeable guy, polite, he lacks confidence in himself probably cause he never achieved anything on his own. He works for his father-in-law who is quite wealthy. Jerry Lundergaar looks like an ordinary man but he is basically an asshole, we know that early on but somehow, we find ourselves rooting for him in some sort of twisted way when he hires two shady looking dudes to kidnap his wife so he can get half of the money the criminals will ask for to finance a dream project that would finally show his quality. Things wont go as planned. Carl Showalter: «Okay, here're the keys to my truck. I'm taking the car right now and gettin' out of here.» Gaer Grimsrud: «We split that.» Carl Showalter: «How the fuck do you split a car, you dummy? With a fuckin' chainsaw?» Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare are the two criminals. They have ethics, they arent particularly smart or even dumb for that matter. One is loud, Buscemi, of course, and the other one is quiet, making him even more to be on the edge of doing something unexpected. Their dynamic is fun, they are hilarious together but nothing feels forced. The performances are typical but in the right tone for the Coens and therefor, for us as well. Marge Gunderson: «Oh for Pete's sake, he's fleeing the interview! He's fleeing the interview!» Frances McDormand is Marge Gunderson. A local cop who kind of investigates some suspect death on a road and ultimately end up making all the right connections. She is as pregnant as a woman can be, she eats a whole fucking lot and like everyone else in the film, coming from that area, she is a very nice person. The accent she used was nicknamed «Minessota Nice». That comes from the Coens' memories of the area from when they were younger, everyone in Minessota apaprently seems so polite and nice, even when they arent. Some people from that area have been offended by that but I dont see why, its kind of a nice statement the Coens are making even though they satire it a little, doesnt mean they make fun of anyone. Fargo isnt really based on a true story but thats the Coens way, its a fictious piece of cinema and they are allowed to announce the film as based on a true story, cause it could be, and it feels like it. Sure, its extremely violent but its also very satirical. The Coens play on many levels with Fargo never giving us the chance to know in what category the film should be put, but one thing is sure, this is an amazing piece of filmmaking. The acting in Fargo is flawless. From Buscemi playing the same character as he seems to always do, to William H. Macy, who has pretty much played that same character in every movies ever since, to Frances McDormand's pregnant cop lady who comes halfway into the film - making many people wonder why she won Best Actress instead of Best Actress in a supporting role, including her - everyone has the right amount of quirks and the right tone, giving phenomenal performances. All that snow, all that white, makes the film cold in front of those events occuring, making them more realistic and Roger Deakins's cinematography is simply amazing, as usual. Carter Burwell's score is probably one of his best. Its simple yet haunting, but its been proven that most great movie scores are simple, just think of John Williams with Jaws. Fargo is a film that succeeds on every level and there is no feeling that something is left behind of missing. Its close to perfection. Its only flaw might be to leave us hungry for more, cause the film is so damn entertaining and hypnotizing, it flows by too quickly, but at the end of the film, the case is resolved and there is nothing more to show, except maybe Marge Gunnerson, in her bed, watching TV with her husband, talking about his painting that was just bought to appear on a stamp. Marge Gunderson: «Oh, that's terrific.» Norm Gunderson: «It's just a three-cent stamp.» Marge Gunderson: «It's terrific.» Norm Gunderson: «Hautman's blue-winged teal got the 29-cent. People don't much use the three-cent.» Marge Gunderson: «Oh, for Pete's sake. Of course they do. Whenever they raise the postage, people need the little stamps.»
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FIGHT CLUB (1999)
directed by David Fincher
starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter «I want you to hit me as hard as you can.» Fight Club is one of those films that was made at the right time with the right people involved. 1999 was an important year in the moviemaking industry. It brought some new talent behind the lenses like Spike Jonze or Sam Mendes but it was also the definative year that predicted what cinema would become when the new millenium would begin. Films like The Matrix, Three Kings and this one, introduced new visual _disableds without letting the substance behind. Fight Club has become a cult classic and is among a lot of people's favorite films, including me. Some dont know why they like it but they know that they do, thats all that matters. Like Mike Nichol's The Graduate, David Fincher's film, partialy defines a generation, with, of course, some, maybe even a lot of omissions. It doesnt matter cause Fight Club is a satire, it doesnt say to do what they, but simply show how cahotic it would become if people turned a bit too much rebellious. It defines a generation, but not just, a generation of men, raised by their mom, living in a world of capitalism, a generation of angry men, even though they are not sure what they are angry for, and even if they know, their anger is obviously vain. Fight Club is about a man living an identity crisis. He dont know who he is. He is slowly being swallowed by materialism. He cant sleep at night so he starts spending time with people who have bigger problem than him in their lives. Support groups for cancer patients, at each of those evening he uses a different name, which are most of them based on character played by Robert DeNiro in the late 70's early 80's. But when he meet Tyler Durden on a plane trip, everything changes. He doesnt need his group anymore cause he found a friend with strong ideas. Tyler is everything he is not and stays with him cause he wants to become just like him.  Thats all good stuff but I doubt people really like the film for what is implied in subtext or the pseudo social commentary disguised as a satire. Like maybe Godard and Tarantino, its rather the filmmaker's performance that makes the film fun and entertaining. Whats great about À bout de souffle ? The way Jean-Luc Godard reinvents the film noir genre and the way he experiments with the camera and editing, but also Jean-Paul Belmondo's performance. Whats so amazing about Pulp Fiction ? The structure, the dialogues, the actors, the shots, again its the direction, but it doesnt mean those films priorize _disabled over substance. They are both cult and classics in their own right. Its sort of the same with Fight Club. David Fincher's unique way of moving the camera, even if some shots are computer generated. The funny dialogues, the irony and the soundtrack by the Dust brothers. The acting is amazing as well. Brad Pitt is so devilishly entertaining and effective. He gives one of his finest act with this uncompromising performance. Ed Norton, probably the best actor of his generation, the Robert DeNiro, the Marlon Brando of his time, follows American History X with another inspired performance. Helena Bonham Carter is annoying - in a good way - yet sexy as hell in this film and Meat Loaf Addy is more than a meal for sure. Its not what's involved in the plot or the messages, its the filmmaker's performance that makes this film so memorable. «My God. I haven't been fucked like that since grade school.»  Fight Club came out at the end of the 90's. Cinema needed a new touch. Young talent like Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Bryan Singer, Christopher Nolan among others had begun surfacing in the 90's or were just about to. Like Scorsese, Coppola, Spielberg and others in the 70's, they took cinema somewhere else. We're talking about American cinema only. Now about a decade later they are some of the best filmmakers around and they rule the industry with their quality work. Of course, the old-timer from the 70's are still around, and seems to only be getting stronger. In a world filled with movies like White Chicks and Rush Hour or The Fast and the Furious, even if Michael Bay and Rob Cohen get the biggest budget, even if there is a lot of crap, there is a lot of high quality filmmaking, thanks to Fincher and company. Fight Club may not be a masterpiece despite deserving its near perfection rating, but Fight Club is an intense piece of filmmaking. A movie with a vision, a real one and we cant blame it for that. Its a great piece of cinema and its easy to understand why it gets more and more fans everyday. «You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.» I like how the movie says appearances shouldnt matter but in the end thats what makes the film so enjoyable, its own look, and obviously the filmmakers are aware of that. Oh, sweet irony.
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MINORITY REPORT (2002)
directed by Steven Spielberg
starring Tom Cruise, Samantha Morton, Colin Farrell To me, Steven Spielberg's Minority Report is nothing less than a science-fiction masterpiece. Its saying little when the guy has such films as Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan on his resumé, among other titles. In this cautionary tale, Spielberg's humanity and Philp K. Dick's paranoia collides, and that is, for our greatest pleasure and enjoyement. In the year 2054, John Anderton is one of the most important cop at the Department of PreCrime in Washington D.C. His job is to prevent murders before they happen with the help of three mediums - called Precogs - they can see and know who the next perpetrators and victims are going to be and they have to act quick before they commit the crimes. The government want to make the program national so they send Danny Witwer, who has to make sure PreCrime is flawless in arresting the right people. Soon Anderton discovers he is the next to commit a crime he hasnt even premeditated yet and decides to run with all his former partners and Witwer after him. In a pure Hitchcockian tradition, he will try to find out who set him up, cause he is convinced he has been set up. Minority Report is filled with great visual effects, but it serves the storytelling rather than the opposite, as it is so often the case in Hollywood. Spielberg's depiction of the future is somehow plausible making the film that much more engrossing. Its fascinating to see all those crazy ideas put on screen and really believe in them rather than seeing it as some sort of fantasy and also Philip K. Dick's ideas, despite being old, seems still very true to this day. There are plenty of amazing scenes in Minorty Report, the opening dream sequence, for example, it absorbs you into the film right away. John Williams's music is terrific here, outdoing himself, not using a huge orchestra like he usually does, just something simple, refering to Vangelis' music from Blade Runner sometimes. Steven Spielberg is out of his comfort zone with this film, sure it is science-fiction and he is experienced with that, and there are stunts and special effects but its a darker story than what we are used with him. He doesnt go with what we would expect from him and for that reason his direction feels fresher than usual and we get the feeling he enjoys shooting this film. Janusz Kaminski's cinematography is outstanding. The colors, the lightings, the shadows, it all creates the right vibe for the film with Michael Kahn editing the entire thing with timing and flair completing Steven Spielberg's vision perfectly. It feels as if everything was meticulously thought, the length of each shot and the frame. This is a film that looks absolutely stunning with all those amazing shots and great visual. Tom Cruise is John Anderton, in one of his strongest performance. Anderton is good at his job but when he comes home he is lonely, cause after the loss of his child he and his wife got divorced. He's dopping and cant move on or forget about the past. The person who kidnapped or killed his kid was never found, it was a few years before PreCrime was created which is why he is so commited to his job now. He doesnt want that to happen to anyone else. His kid use to say that everybody runs and it stays in his mind when comes the time to deal with his former partner. In one hand they have to arrest him, but in the other, they dont want to hurt a man they admire. John Anderton: «Hey Fletch.» Flecther: «Hey John.» John Anderton: «That was a rough landing.» Flecther: «Yeah.» John Anderton: «You'll have to work on that.» Flecther: «It's that old shit knee of mine. Dont do it. Hey! Don't do this. John ? Don't run.» John Anderton: «You don't have to chase me..» Flecther: «You don't have to run.» John Anderton: «Everybody runs, Fletch.» Flecther: «You know we'll catch ya.» John Anderton: «Everybody runs.» Then follows an amazing action sequence while Anderton is running away, which he will be doing for the rest of the film pretty much. He'll try to figure out what is the meaning of those images he saw of himself killing a man he doesnt know. In one amazing scene, the PreCrime unit are searching a building. John is obviously hiding there, but he just had an eye surgery so he cant be identified. A set of small spider-robot or something are sent to control everyone in the building. Because he just had the surgery he cant remove the bandaging around his head, he hides in a bath filled with ice-cold water so the little mechanical creatures wont see his warmth. This is suspenseful and fun, its just an example of all the fun ideas you can find in this film. Minortity Report is about the paradox of arresting someone for commiting a crime that never happened, but as the Anderton character says when Witwer catches a ball that was going to fall, but didnt cause of the catch: «It doesnt change the fact it was going to happen.» The paradox gets even bigger when Cruise's character tries to find the man he was going to kill, only based on the fact he is supposed to do it. If he had never seen those images coming from the mediums, he would have never gone after that man to figure out who he is. Minority Report brings up lots of interesting questions on the system of justice, what is right and what isnt. It is cleaverly adapted from a short story by Philip K. Dick. Scott Frank's wrote very interesting dialogues and created three-dimensional characters. The ending may not be in the Dick's spirit cause it would have been darker, so it was made to suit Spielberg and Hollywood but it doesnt mean its not satisfying, the more I see it, the better I think it is. The film sets everything for that ending to make the reflexion probably deeper. This is one hell of a good film. Its entertaining, thoughtful and lots of fun. Its nearly perfect, if it wasnt for Spielberg's little touch of humor that we didnt need, but we couldnt expect less from him. I'll say it again, Minority Report is a masterpiece not only among science-fiction pictures, but among movies in general, to me it is.
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THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
directed by Christopher Nolan
starring Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger Wanna know how I got these scars? My father was....a drinker. And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit. So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. Turns to me and he says "Why so serious?" Comes at me with the knife,"Why so serious?" He sticks the blade in my mouth. "Let?s put a smile on that face!" And..... Why so serious? Its not easy to find the proper words to describe a film like The Dark Knight. The sequel to Batman Begins transcends the superhero genre and director Christopher Nolan makes the Batman universe his very own. Its no longer a comic book movie, its a serious and realistic drama with strong themes. The Dark Knight is The Godfather Part 2 of superhero sequels, it works on many levels and makes the first movie better. Its a fun summer for sure, entertaining from beginning to end but its also a psychological drama which tackles social and political issues. Some dialogues arent subtle but very much needed to defuse some of the complexity surrounding the plot and make sure the entire audience gets the point the filmmaker is attempting to make. The new Batman movie fails in no point, getting that much closer to perfection, and becomes one of the most satisfying movie experience of the decade. The film takes off exactly where the first movie ended. Bruce Wayne's mansion is being rebuilt and in the meantime, the billionaire lives in a luxury loft in the middle of Gotham. The city is more corrupted than ever but the new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, intents to clean up the street, inspired by the work of Batman. There is a new villain in town, a psychotic motiveless bank robber and killer who find it amusing to call himself «The Joker», because of all that make up he wears. He is all about self-destruction and chaos, as if it was art, bringing misery to whoever crosses his path, doing it for his vert own pleasure. His arrival turns the city upside down and Batman is soon pointed as responsible for attracting such a freak, making Bruce Wayne reconsider his role as the icon that was supposed to give hope to people. With the help of Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent, the masked avenger will have to catch the freak before he catches him, which might cost Batman much and see a new villain rise. You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. The complexity of The Dark Knight lies between the characters' believes and morality but also in the use of realistic elements. Batman doesnt have any superpower, only his human strength and intellect, its also very true for the bad guys, which are a little more than ordinary criminals, some are smarter, or madder than others, simply put in extraodinary situations. This sequel is a strong crime drama rising many questions. Its masterfully crafted, every single details of the screenplay is important, and for that reason, the writing skills of the Nolan brothers - director Christopher Nolan wrote it with his brother Jonathan - become the real star of The Dark Knight. Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now...and so we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector...a dark knight. Christian Bale is Batman for a second round, giving yet another strong and layered performance, playing to perfection the duality between his two personas. Aaron Eckhart proves to be perfectly cast as the new D.A. Harvey Dent, almost stealing the show, probably because of the importance and complexity of his character. He gives the most impressive performance of the film, despite being quieter than «The Joker». He is the core of the film in some way, an absolutely engaging performance that goes beyong spectacle. Eckart may be impressive but Heath Ledger IS «The Joker», with one of the most memorable performance in recent cinematic history. He plays a character with no known background, giving him the opportunity to build a complex character nonetheless. From his choice of changing the tone of his voice to his sinister laugh and his swallowing of the blood that keeps flowing from his cheeks - which he probably purposely bites to taste his own blood - Ledger gives fascinating subtleties and details to his character and becomes as creepy and as psychotic as he should be. Its a strong performance worthy of many Awards when the season comes. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman reprise their roles from the original movie, all doing solid work. The movie Gods love us, Katie Holmes is nowhere to be found, replaced by a much better actress, Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is more convincing and seems to suit the role perfectly from her first presence on screen. Lets note the more-the-a-cameo role of Eric Roberts, coming back from the dead to appear in his firt quality movie since the 80's. The Dark Knigh was a film for which people had high expectations, and Heath Ledger's prematured death earlier this year, made it a film everybody wanted to see at any cost and for once it delivered completely, and probably more than anyone could expect. It is masterfully done on every single level, telling a compelling story, becoming a near masterpiece and most likely the best film of this year. Its so much more than just another superhero movie, its a real drama, it is very cynical, has high ambitions and big ideas, great acting and storytelling skills. A powerful and quality entertainment that will rarely be equalled.
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