NYDragonGirl

No new reviews. Rate some more movies.

• 
  I recommend you see...

  Once Upon a Time in the West

  by xGary

  A newlywed arrives to find her adoptive family murdered and makes an alliance with a bandit and a mysterious drifter to unite against their killer. Sergio Leone's "dance of death" is probably his most artistic film; what doesn't happen on screen is just as important as what does. It is almost an examination of a difference in the mindset of the sexes. The only female protagonist, played by Claudia Cardinale, is the only one who truly embraces life, and is willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Robards' bandit, Bronson's revenge driven gunman and Fonda's steely eyed assassin not only expect death, but almost welcome it. This film is not about a bullet riddled slam bang finale; it's about a series of events and circumstances leading up to a single point in time, and is all the more powerful for it. Reeking atmosphere and tension, Leone's visuals have never been better and Fonda who is the true central character of the film is perfectly cast against type, his piercing blue eyes almost the opposite of Bronson's emotionless slits. The soundtrack is perhaps a little heavy handed in places and the 2hr 40min running time may seem a little daunting to some, but it's the perfect western for people who prefer them arthouse rather than action packed.

  garyX

  If you've already seen the Man With No Name trilogy, this is your natural next stop.

  posted 4 days ago
• 
  I recommend you see...

  Key Largo

  by xGary

  A 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.

  garyX

  Not quite as good as The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon, but still great.

  posted 14 days ago
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  I recommend you see...

  On the Waterfront

  by xGary

  A 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.

  garyX

  One of those films a true cinema lover just HAS to see.

  posted 18 days ago
• 
  I recommend you see...

  Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior)

  by xGary

  Mad 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.

  garyX

  Easily the best of the three.

  posted 22 days ago
• 
  I recommend you see...

  Wanted

  by xGary

  A 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.

  garyX

  It's no Matrix but I'd take it over the sequels any day.

  posted 25 days ago
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  I recommend you see...

  Planet Terror (Grindhouse Presents: Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror)

  by Magali

  What a fantastic zombie movie!!! The actors, the ridiculously exagerated performances, the old image, the unnecessary and inexplicable explotions everywhere all the time, the excess of blood, the plot, the dialogues!!! my God, the dialogues:
  

  
  Sheriff Hague: I figured that one of my new deputies might end up shooting me... but not you, Tolo!
  

  
  Everything in this movie is in its right place.

  CountessPiluRC

  Hey, you should really see this!

  posted 26 days ago
• 
  I recommend you see...

  Death Proof (Grindhouse Presents)

  by Magali

  I really cannot believe that many people didn't like it... and many Tarantino fans. What is wrong with it??? What is not to like???
  The story is fantastic. The film is very Tarantino: long and great dialogues that seem to lead nowhere but are highly important, followed by fantastic action scenes! And these were incredibly awesome action scenes!!! probably the best of Tarantino's films.
  And, as usual, the soundtrack is ... just perfect, brilliant, unbeatable.

  CountessPiluRC

  Hey, you should really see this!
  And for those who already saw it and didn't like it... tell me: WHY?????

  posted 26 days ago
• 
  I recommend you see...

  Der Name der Rose (The Name of the Rose)

  by xGary

  In this adaptation of Umberto Eco's celebrated novel, Franciscan friar Sean Connery investigates a series of bizarre murders in a monastery in the 14th century. Aside from the rather unusual subject matter, this is a unique film in that it does not feature the usual starlets and pretty boy actors populating a glossy Hollywood-ized version of history; it actually looks and feels like a working Medieval abbey. And as such, the monks will win no beauty competitions! Most of them would look perfectly at home adorning the abbey walls with the rest of the gargoyles! This just adds to the already potent atmosphere, and in one of his best roles, Sean Connery commands the screen as well as the able supporting cast including the ever reliable Ron Perlman as the demented hunchback. The story explores the theme of religious intolerance and climate of hysteria in which a reasonable minded man of learning can find it impossible to function within; "justice" is doled out by self-appointed prophets who dare not be opposed on pain of death, and blind faith and superstition replace logic and reason. Let's face it, things haven't changed much over the centuries. Add some wonderfully literary and witty dialogue and fascinating historical insights, and you have a film that works both as an excellent adaptation and a satisfying murder mystery.

  garyX

  Don't fancy yours much!

  posted 36 days ago
• 
  I recommend you see...

  The Big Sleep

  by xGary

  Private 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.

  garyX

  Sorry about the colourful metaphors, but I LOVE this film!

  posted 44 days ago
• 
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  posted 46 days ago
• 
  I recommend you see...

  Pursued

  by xGary

  Robert 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.

  garyX

  Film Noir on horseback. And it works!

  posted 47 days ago
• 
  scottriley32

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  posted 54 days ago
• 
  I recommend you see...

  Vertigo

  by xGary

  An 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.

  garyX

  One of THE classics.

  posted 59 days ago

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