novacancies
http://www.flixster.com/user/novacancies
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| Movie: | See my favorites section. |
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| Actor: | - |
| Director: | Pedro Almodovar, Ingmar Bergman, Woody Allen, Paul Thomas Anderson |
| Quote: | A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with favre beans and a nice chianti. |
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I like movies. Why yes, yes I do. I'm a music junkie, too.
http://www.last.fm/user/novacancy |
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the M's Recent Reviews
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I recommend you see...
Once Upon a Time in the West
by xGaryposted 5 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Key Largo
by xGaryA ruthless mobster and his gang hold a group of hotel guests hostage during a hurricane on the Florida Keys. Another Noir from John (The Maltese Falcon) Huston featuring the classic pairing of Bogart and Bacall, this film does not quite live up to the promise of these ingredients, but that's a hell of a pedigree to live up to. Making Bogart a do-gooder war hero and Bacall a doting widow takes the edge off their usual cynical, hard-bitten sparring and this overly wholesome approach means that the crackling chemistry they have shown in their other films is compromised. Robinson and Claire Trevor as his soused moll provide the best moments, and his sneering diatribes against Bogie's moral stand are great. The hurricane enclosed setting makes for a nice pressure cooker environment in which the protagonists show their true colours and puts an interesting spin on the usual Noir ingredients. Maybe not the most original or inventive examples of the genre and it misses the firecracker dialogue of the likes of The Maltese Falcon, but it is still effective, atmospheric and constantly entertaining.
Not quite as good as The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon, but still great.
posted 15 days ago -
I recommend you see...
On the Waterfront
by xGaryA longshoreman and ex-boxer has a crisis of conscience when the gangsters who control the union murder a fellow dock worker. On The Waterfront is one of those films that is almost famous for being famous. Nearly everyone can recite Brando's most quoted line, but this infamy means its reputation precedes it which can obscure just how good a film is. And this is not just a good film, it's an incredible one. Brando's powerhouse performance has also overshadowed those of the other members of the cast, but Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger and Eva Marie Saint are all worth far more than just an honourable mention, and the classic "I coulda been a contender"scene is just one amongst many memorable and powerful moments; Karl Malden's speech that provokes Terry's change of heart, the discovery of his brother, the confession to Edie in the boatyard...the list goes on. Examinig many themes in a multi-layered story of corruption, redemption and one man standing up for what is right, On The Waterfront is one of the true greats of American cinema.
One of those films a true cinema lover just HAS to see.
posted 19 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior)
by xGaryMad Max 2 is one of that rarest of breeds; a sequel that actually surpasses the original. Like Desperado and Evil Dead 2, it is a big budget reinvention of the previous film rather than a true sequel per se. Mad Max was a powerful if flawed film that never quite lived up to the promise of its explosive action sequences. Once again, the film opens with an exhilarating hi-octane chase as Gibson's post apocalyptic man with no name stumbles upon an oasis of civilization under siege from a group of road predators. The film almost resembles a zombie film, except in this future where gasoline and ammunition are worth more than human life, the human race are being preyed upon not by undead monsters, but other human beings. The Australian outback makes a beautiful but believably desolate future wasteland and Gibson revisiting the part that made him a star has never equalled the grit and charisma of his performance here. The peripheral characters don't get much of a look in and the dialogue is suitably minimal, setting the stage for the true star of the show; the action. The brilliant production design which creates a similarly believable patchwork of scavenged technology became the blueprint for post apocalyptic science fiction; every sci fi film that followed copied it. The fantastic stunt and road level camera work makes for some visceral chase sequences in which vehicles and their occupants are smashed, crushed and sent pirouetting through the air with a sense of real time physics; there are no glossy Hollywood style slow motion pyrotechnics here; just an orgy of automotive destruction! A worthy addition to the tradition of Yojimbo and A Fist Full Of Dollars with a science fiction spin.
Easily the best of the three.
posted 23 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Wanted
by xGaryA downtrodden working stiff who wishes he had more from life discovers one day that he is a super-powered assassin who can bend the laws of physics. Hmmm...I'm pretty sure I've heard this somewhere before. Not to mention the "phew it was only a dream...oh wait, no it wasn't!" scene and the beautiful stranger who becomes his personal Yoda. But as derivative the story is (I'm pretty sure the blame for that can be laid at the door of the graphic novel, as can the ludicrous "loom of fate" idea) it's actually really well executed. It has just the right mix of tongue in cheek humour, slick visuals and outrageous stunts, and McAvoy works as both nerdish nobody and action hero. Jolie also brings the right mix of edginess and exotic beauty and Freeman does what he does best. The predictable plot is as ever the weak point and the character interaction rather limited, but at least it tries to throw in some interesting twists and the breathless pace keeps boredom well and truly at bay. In the end this is an unoriginal but exciting and fun superhero movie and one of the better Hollywood blockbusters of recent years.
It's no Matrix but I'd take it over the sequels any day.
posted 26 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Boogie Nights
by xGaryBoogie Nights charts the rise and fall of a fresh-faced young bus boy with a "gift" who is discovered by an adult film maker in the 70s. P. T. Anderson's comic valentine to 70s porn obviously has a similar format to the likes of Goodfellas, but its much lighter tone leaves room for a lot of laughs as well as the inevitable drug-fuelled downward spiral to degradation. Initially, it's all outrageous fashions, parties, pretty girls and fast cars, and the naivety of these times is brought through really well; the extended family is like an "adult" Brady Bunch, and Wahlberg's innocent charm is infectious as they are little more than children playing at dress-up. While screwing, of course. There is also a lot of Spinal Tap in the mock documentary and Dirk's hilarious attempt at pop stardom, and Anderson has fun recreating the amusingly shoddy production values of 70s porn (think the video to "Sabotage" with innuendo!) . There are deeper themes in amongst the excess of course; the impact of technology on all their lives as well as the inherent dysfunctionality of relationships based in an environment where physical intimacy is so prevalent it loses all meaning; Julianne Moore's dual role as mother/lover is particularly ambiguous. The fun and games contrast with the particularly grim violence of their lowest ebb when their masks begin to slip, but your affection for this gang of emotional misfits makes for a nicely ironic upbeat ending. It obviously owes a lot to Scorsese and Tarantino, but it is a very worthy addition to their tradition.
Another winner form PT Anderson.
posted 38 days ago -
I recommend you see...
The Big Sleep
by xGaryPrivate eye Philip Marlowe is hired to investigate the blackmail of a young heiress but when the corpses start to pile up, he realises that the case has more than meets the eye. I love Film Noir, and Bogart for me is the best of its leading men. Bogart and Bacall have one of the greatest screen partnerships and Chandler was one of the best exponents of the art of the detective story. The plot has more twists and turns than a sidewinder that's swallowed a corkscrew, it involves a femme fatale who could melt a polar ice cap and dialogue that's more hard boiled than beelzebub's breakfast egg. It just doesn't get any better than this. The greatest Noir ever made.
Sorry about the colourful metaphors, but I LOVE this film!
posted 45 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Pursued
by xGaryRobert Mitchum plays a rancher who has been stalked since childhood by a one armed man with a grudge, without ever knowing why.The themes of twisted psychology, sibling rivalry, jealousy and revenge presented by shadow steeped photography and narrated by Mitchum who is on top form as the hapless anti-hero who is unwillingly forced to kill by circumstances beyond his control all point to the same thing; I don't care how many stetsons or six guns are on show, this IS Film Noir. The intelligent character driven plot is all very Freudian, which makes for a very unusual hybrid of genres. It looks fantastic and has a solid supporting cast, the pick of which is Judith Anderson as the matriarch whose guilty secret lies at the core of the events Mitchum finds himself caught up in. I'd never heard of this one before, and I'm glad I stumbled upon it. If you like Noir, westerns, or classic film in general, it's worth hunting down a copy.
Film Noir on horseback. And it works!
posted 48 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Sin City
by xGaryThree stories from the corrupt underbelly of Basin City intertwine involving an aging cop trying to protect a young girl from a child rapist and killer, an psychotic ex-con revenging himself upon those who framed him for the death of a hooker and a killer in the middle of a turf war between the mob and a heavily armed red light district after the girls accidentally kill a corrupt cop. Containing all the trademark Noir elements of Frank Miller, Sin City is cinema aping comic books aping cinema. And it works brilliantly. Rodriguez was the perfect man for the job, and his brilliantly dynamic and stylized visuals combined with a frame-by-frame recreation of the original graphic novel does something no other comic book movie has done before; literally brought the source material to life. Using brilliantly crisp black and white photography splashed with vibrant primary colours and inventive CGI that actually plays a relevant part in the action (for a change) Sin City is surely the best looking movie made so far. Populated with super cool characters played by super cool actors spouting super cool hard-boiled dialogue, this film is...well, you get the idea. It may not be to everyone's taste as some of the violence is a little gruesome and it is can be accused of a case of style over substance, but what style it is. A nigh on perfect slice of popular culture.
The best comic book movie ever made.
posted 53 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Vertigo
by xGaryAn emotionally shattered ex-detective becomes obsessed with a young woman who resembles the love he failed to prevent from committing suicide in one of Alfred Hitchcock's great psychological thrillers. James Stewart gives one of his most intense performances as the disturbed acrophobic, and although not really known for her thespian skills, the lovely Kim Novak is actually very convincing in her dual roles as haunted heiress and stalkee. It's one of Hitch's most visually creative films with some very clever and subtle visual tricks and uses of shadow and lighting complimented by a wonderfully other-worldly soundtrack. Mixing elements of psychology, obsession, the supernatural and an extremely clever noir-style plot this is a unique film and one of the true classics. The climax is unforgettable.
One of THE classics.
posted 60 days ago
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