Serkan Silahsor (silahsor)

Before watching "The Panic in Needle Park" I had lots of lofty expectations due to at least two reasons: First, this is Al Pacino's first feature length film and his performance as an appealing but self-absorbed addict took Coppola's interest and elevated him "Godfather" stardom. "Panic" gave him enough chance to show his charisma, talent and depth as an actor. Second, being a controversial film in its day, this was the first time that an "urban addiction drama" hit the screen. In this sense, "Panic" can be seen as a precursor, or a perfect template later used by more flamboyant, graphic-intensive pictures like "Drugstore Cowboy", "Trainspotting", "Requiem for a Dream" and even "Gia".

The film focuses on the ups and downs of two doomed souls, Bobby and Helen, who wasted their lives in a downward spiral into hell without any realistic thought for tomorrow. The meaning of life is just to score, shoot, and survive, nothing more. The performances of Al Pacino and Kitty Winn are top notch. The role earned Winn the Best Actress Award at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival. But contrary to strong individual performances, I found the romantic chemistry between them weak.

"Panic" has a bittersweet taste of an independent film: improvisational, free-form and razor-sharp realistic. There is no music throughout the film, only dialogues and real life sounds. It tastes like a stale cigarette. Depressive mood and sordidness of Manhattan's Upper West Side are reflected perfectly. Intense and disturbing depiction of heroine shots are almost documentary nature. Thankfully, there are no Hollywood sappiness to undermine the film's effectiveness. Schatzberg did a good job by not cuing viewer's moods, just letting the picture tell the story. The only downside is that it drags along at snails pace, sometimes it bored me a little and some scenes need trimming. The result is that some scenes feel largely extraneous, contributing not very much to the story.

To sum up, although it introduced us Al Pacino, it's moderately worthwhile and falls short of being a true classic.

Sandwiched between two lackluster films, "The Paradine Case (1947)" & "Under Capricorn (1949)", it is one of Hitchcock's most stage-like, monotonous and static films. But, all Hitchcock films have a kind of inexplicable charm, always introducing technical and cinematic achievements. In this sense, "Rope" was a wonderful experiment in its time and still throws additional light on Hitch's creative spirit. Filmed entirely on a single set, the movie was shot in 10-minutes takes which was the maximum amount of film that fit into one reel. All camera moves were planned in advance and actors moved around within tracking shots in a flashy choreography of dialogue and action, all occured in real time. With the help of good cutting, the film seems as if it was shot all in one take.

But this cool technique was hampered by poor buildup of mystery and suspense. The film tells a murder story where two "elitist" college chums Brandon and Philip, influenced with Nietzsche's philosophy of "the Superman" or "Ubermensch", kill a friend just for the thrill of it. They hide the corpse in a wooden chest and celebrate their "deed" with a dinner party just after the murder. To demonstrate their "superiority", the perpetrators invite the victim's relatives and friends over the dinner and serve the meal over the chest in which the body is concealed. Then, the crescendo begins with a psychological cat-and-mouse game between the killers and overly skeptic Rupert Cadell (James Stewart), who is the killer's schoolmaster as well as their role-model.

The biggest problem of "Rope" is that as a murder mystery, it is not all that gripping. Just like "Rear Window" Hitch's intent was to trap the audience in a single room and make them experience the same emotions as the characters on the screen, but eventually he fails to do so. The story is single-layered and lacks any emotional base. The relationships between the characters are ill-defined. The arguments on morality and sociology of crime are half-baked and poorly-constructed. From the very moment Cadell enters the room, he becomes suspicious about something going awry and his suspicions increase till the climax without a plausible revelation. All these negativities undermine the film's effectiveness and make "Rope" a mediocre picture in Hitchcock's filmography.

Among my ten most favorite movies. I must have seen it about five or six times, and I've got more and more enjoyment with each viewing. Undoubtedly, "Shawshank Redemption" is a nonpareil piece of cinema on all counts: impeccable cinematography, brilliant casting, wonderful story-telling and flawless directing. The movie is about life, hope, freedom and friendship. Combining the masterful acting skills of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, Frank Darabont blends empathy with brutal physical and emotional violence to the best possible effects. The chemistry and bond between Robbins and Freeman is unforgettable. I recommend everyone who has not seen this to grab it ASAP. Contrary to the movie, this edition is such a "bare to bones" disc, with nearly no special features. I must say that 3-disc edition is really amazing with superb picture and sound quality with hours of extras which are particularly well made and thoughtful, and considerably enrich the viewing experience.

During a span of 51 years, Alfred Hitchcock made 57 feature films, from "The Pleasure Garden (1925)" to "Family Plot (1976)". I've watched nearly one-third of them and should say that "North by Northwest" is the fastest, funniest and most beautiful of his caper/thrillers. Actually, the premise for "North by Northwest" is nothing new: a case of mistaken identity. An "ordinary man" accused of a murder he did not commit, and he must clear his name by assuming different identities. "The 39 Steps", "Young and Innocent", "The Wrong Man" and "Saboteur" were based on a similar theme. But what makes "North by Northwest" so special is its rarity in combining a twisted plot with a dazzling cast, great action, ingenious direction to create a yummy blend of suspense, adventure, deceit and Hitchcockian style of wry humor. If any movie shall be called "true cult classic", it is "North by Northwest". Along with lots of deadly one-liners, the film hosts a bunch of the most memorable scenes in motion picture history: the murder in the lobby of the UN building, Thornhill's witty escape in the auction house, the attack of mysterious crop-duster in the middle of nowhere, all scenes on the train, and the climatic chase atop Mt. Rushmore. Hitchcock proves here again he was master of substitution of the language of the camera for words. Take the crop-duster scene. Without any music or special effects, no other director can afford to create such a claustrophobia on an open space in broad daylight just using natural sounds and complex suspense elements in the rhythm of events and cutting. The film has a strong subtextual ideologic base too. Far ahead of its time in that it captures the political zeitgeist of late 1950s perfectly: moral relativism dominating the Cold War era. Very good epitome of how the State sacrifices the "ordinary man" for secretive causes involving the national interests. Last word: pure, plain and vibrant. Despite 50 years have passed since its making, it is still fresh and highly watchable.