Viewed in
2008
Premise
In 1910's America, a poor couple decide to stay on a wheat farm so the woman can marry the dying owner.
Who should watch
Those who like dramas with lyrical cinematography.
Thoughts
Overall, it was a well-done drama. There was good acting, and a well-paced love-triangle story.
What impressed me the most was the cinematography. It felt almost poetic just watching scenes of workers harvesting in vast, windy seas of wheat. This had to be one of the best examples of story telling without the need for dialogue. The 'grasshopper scene' was amazing to behold.
What I would change
The use of 'Aquarius' as the musical theme did not work for me for the farm scenes nor the love-triangle. It was too ethereal for either.
Random
Sam Shepard looked like a cross between Willem Dafoe and Denis Leary.
Showing posts with label 1978. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1978. Show all posts
Deer Hunter, The
Viewed in
2010
Formats
HD TV
Premise
Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken star as Pennsylvanian brothers who fight in the Vietnam War.
Liked
The performances.
Disliked
The length in the first act, the point of the film.
Thoughts
Unfortunately I could not see what was so great about this classic film.
One undeniable strength was the acting. The big names of De Niro, Walken and Meryl Streep delivered some intense and painful moments. John Savage was very good as the third brother who was able to leave the Vietnam War, but not in one piece. John Cazele had some scene-stealing moments as an insecure friend. I IMDB'd his career, and was blown away. He only did five films, except they were five of the most prestigious titles of the decade.
Back to The Deer Hunter, not only was the performances strong, the story also had some haunting, unforgettable scenes. In the second hour, there was unrelenting war intensity. The centerpiece was watching captives forced to play Russian roulette against each other, probably the closest thing to actually being tortured psychological.
Then it shifted into a third gear, as it explored how the soldiers attempted to re-adjust to life after war. In a lesser movie, I expected obligatory flashbacks and nightmares. Instead it was thoughtful and observational, especially De Niro's character. The term, "silence is deafening", was masterfully executed in some of these memorable scenes. As for the climax? Wow.
As a mostly character-driven film, it took its time in story-telling. The biggest problem I had with that was the first hour, all dedicated to a wedding. I know the film makers wanted to immerse us with these characters, but I think I would have the same feeling for these characters and understood their pre-war personalities had this chapter been just half an hour long.
My other issue was that I didn't know what this film was about. Clearly there were a few themes, such as the horrors of war. But I felt like I was watching three short stories without much tying them together, except the characters. Maybe I am being overly-critical, but I was expecting greatness from such a hailed film.
Lastly, what was up with the aspect ratio change in the last and third to last shots?
I enjoyed the strong performances, along with some intense, haunting, and insightful moments. But I could not see why this was considered one of the greatest Vietnam War movies of all times, as it tested my patience minute-wise and message-wise.
What I would change
Shortened the first hour by half.
2010
Formats
HD TV
Premise
Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken star as Pennsylvanian brothers who fight in the Vietnam War.
Liked
The performances.
Disliked
The length in the first act, the point of the film.
Thoughts
Unfortunately I could not see what was so great about this classic film.
One undeniable strength was the acting. The big names of De Niro, Walken and Meryl Streep delivered some intense and painful moments. John Savage was very good as the third brother who was able to leave the Vietnam War, but not in one piece. John Cazele had some scene-stealing moments as an insecure friend. I IMDB'd his career, and was blown away. He only did five films, except they were five of the most prestigious titles of the decade.
Back to The Deer Hunter, not only was the performances strong, the story also had some haunting, unforgettable scenes. In the second hour, there was unrelenting war intensity. The centerpiece was watching captives forced to play Russian roulette against each other, probably the closest thing to actually being tortured psychological.
Then it shifted into a third gear, as it explored how the soldiers attempted to re-adjust to life after war. In a lesser movie, I expected obligatory flashbacks and nightmares. Instead it was thoughtful and observational, especially De Niro's character. The term, "silence is deafening", was masterfully executed in some of these memorable scenes. As for the climax? Wow.
As a mostly character-driven film, it took its time in story-telling. The biggest problem I had with that was the first hour, all dedicated to a wedding. I know the film makers wanted to immerse us with these characters, but I think I would have the same feeling for these characters and understood their pre-war personalities had this chapter been just half an hour long.
My other issue was that I didn't know what this film was about. Clearly there were a few themes, such as the horrors of war. But I felt like I was watching three short stories without much tying them together, except the characters. Maybe I am being overly-critical, but I was expecting greatness from such a hailed film.
Lastly, what was up with the aspect ratio change in the last and third to last shots?
I enjoyed the strong performances, along with some intense, haunting, and insightful moments. But I could not see why this was considered one of the greatest Vietnam War movies of all times, as it tested my patience minute-wise and message-wise.
What I would change
Shortened the first hour by half.
Drunken Master
Viewed in
1998, 2003
Formats
VHS (dubbed), DVD (dubbed)
Premise
Jackie Chan does drunken boxing
Liked
The quality of action-comedy.
Disliked
The quantity of action-comedy.
Thoughts
I recall a lot of entertaining martial arts fights, full of amazing stunts or hilarious comedy. My biggest problem was that the actions scenes just kept coming and coming to the point that I was tired out well before the movie was over.
What I would change
Added some breather scenes between the fights.
1998, 2003
Formats
VHS (dubbed), DVD (dubbed)
Premise
Jackie Chan does drunken boxing
Liked
The quality of action-comedy.
Disliked
The quantity of action-comedy.
Thoughts
I recall a lot of entertaining martial arts fights, full of amazing stunts or hilarious comedy. My biggest problem was that the actions scenes just kept coming and coming to the point that I was tired out well before the movie was over.
What I would change
Added some breather scenes between the fights.
Halloween
Viewed in
2007
Premise
The horror classic that made John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Myers (the killer) and dead teenagers movies famous.
Who should watch
Horror fans.
Thoughts
Given its impact on the genre, it was worth checking out. It was fun watching how creative and spooky these films can get with incredibly small budgets.
I liked this film because, like Michael Myers, it was spooky, creepy and efficient. There was surprisingly less gore than I anticipated. This was because of it was more of a psychological horror.
And then there was the music. Words could not describe how effective and spooky it was every time that theme played. I would say its presence was as important as Darth Vader's theme was in 'Star Wars' franchise.
What I would change
Nothing.
2007
Premise
The horror classic that made John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Myers (the killer) and dead teenagers movies famous.
Who should watch
Horror fans.
Thoughts
Given its impact on the genre, it was worth checking out. It was fun watching how creative and spooky these films can get with incredibly small budgets.
I liked this film because, like Michael Myers, it was spooky, creepy and efficient. There was surprisingly less gore than I anticipated. This was because of it was more of a psychological horror.
And then there was the music. Words could not describe how effective and spooky it was every time that theme played. I would say its presence was as important as Darth Vader's theme was in 'Star Wars' franchise.
What I would change
Nothing.
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Viewed in
2012
Formats
Pirated DVD.
Premise
Chewbacca and Han Solo try to get back to Chewie's home for "Life Day"
Loved
Extreme quantity of unintentional comedy.
Hated
Completely inappropriate for kids Diahann Carroll number.
Thoughts
Arguably one of the greatest "so bad it's good" movies of all time.
I don't even know where to begin. The first thirty minutes was just an onslaught of high comedy after high comedy. Then the skits just got longer and longer. By the time Bea Arthur's Tatooine bar scene arrived, I was catatonic.
But what really took the cake was Diahann Carroll in a completely skeevy skit as a psychedelic virtual sex machine for Chewbacca's dad.
The only redeeming parts was appearances by beloved Star Wars cast, fan-fave Boba Fett in cartoon form, and the late great Harvey Korman.
Even after decades of overhype, with its banishment elevating it to mythical levels, The Star Wars Holiday Special still exceeded all my expectations on its horribleness and unintentional comedy.
2012
Formats
Pirated DVD.
Premise
Chewbacca and Han Solo try to get back to Chewie's home for "Life Day"
Loved
Extreme quantity of unintentional comedy.
Hated
Completely inappropriate for kids Diahann Carroll number.
Thoughts
Arguably one of the greatest "so bad it's good" movies of all time.
I don't even know where to begin. The first thirty minutes was just an onslaught of high comedy after high comedy. Then the skits just got longer and longer. By the time Bea Arthur's Tatooine bar scene arrived, I was catatonic.
The "story" constantly segued (as elegant as an AT-AT ballet on ice) into mind-numbing musical numbers and skits. Some of the lowlights included: Mark Hamill's seductive eye shadow, holographic Cirque du Soliel, a cross-dressing act that made Medea look like high art, Chewie's son (Lumpy) as a hairier, brattier version of Godzilla's son, and a Boba Fett cartoon in which hanging someone upside down was the antidote for a sleeping virus.
The only redeeming parts was appearances by beloved Star Wars cast, fan-fave Boba Fett in cartoon form, and the late great Harvey Korman.
Even after decades of overhype, with its banishment elevating it to mythical levels, The Star Wars Holiday Special still exceeded all my expectations on its horribleness and unintentional comedy.
Superman
Viewed in
2001, 2007
Premise
The original Superman movie.
Who should watch
Comic book fans. Action fans.
Thoughts
Cheesier than I recalled. People complained about the physics in 'Superman Returns', but they forgotten how silly this version was. Nevertheless, I prefer the original because of its charm and Chris Reeve.
The reason to watch this is Christopher Reeve's performance. He was perfect as clumsy, yet charming Clark Kent. Gene Hackman's performance is interesting has he make Lex Luthor a likeable goofball with incompetent thugs.
Dialogue was cheesy, but they and had more spunk than 'Superman Returns'. The Krypton scenes could've been cut down for pacing, but would you dare to cut out Marlon Brando?
I also liked the set designs for Krypton, very interesting and artsy.
What I would change
Used something less ridiculous than Superman flying backwards to turn back time.
2001, 2007
Premise
The original Superman movie.
Who should watch
Comic book fans. Action fans.
Thoughts
Cheesier than I recalled. People complained about the physics in 'Superman Returns', but they forgotten how silly this version was. Nevertheless, I prefer the original because of its charm and Chris Reeve.
The reason to watch this is Christopher Reeve's performance. He was perfect as clumsy, yet charming Clark Kent. Gene Hackman's performance is interesting has he make Lex Luthor a likeable goofball with incompetent thugs.
Dialogue was cheesy, but they and had more spunk than 'Superman Returns'. The Krypton scenes could've been cut down for pacing, but would you dare to cut out Marlon Brando?
I also liked the set designs for Krypton, very interesting and artsy.
What I would change
Used something less ridiculous than Superman flying backwards to turn back time.
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