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Black Hawk Down (2001)
Small Quick Wars are as Dangerous as Small Quick Bullets
The wonder of Scott's storytelling is overpowering. We see the Somali mission quickly bog down in the politics and befuddlement of a civil war, played in the photographic beauty, golden light and mid-eastern music that frames this marvelous film. This is one of the few films I can recall that is better than the book, more clearly illustrating the confusion, dirt and bloody fright that the young soldiers experienced.
Many films have been made about modern war, but few have had the solid ring of truth that Black Hawk Down emits. In "Saving Private Ryan", Spielberg brilliantly played the awful chaos of combat against the fact that there was a truly noble cause, a clear goal, and a path to true victory. For the US Army troops in Somalia, there was no solace in such hope for great outcomes, only the need to survive and bring your buddies with you. Scott shows us what all combat veterans know - gallantry in combat is fueled by camaraderie, even when the initial nobility of just cause becomes a fetid wish to simply escape unharmed.
`Black Hawk Down' is raw, violent and brutal. Through this art, we armchair strategists are forced to pay some fraction of the price that we so easily ask our youth to cough up. This movie is a thrilling, fearsome lesson for us, as entertaining as that sudden few seconds when your out of control car takes you backwards across the highway and onto the grass, and as likely to make you sit quietly afterward and thank your stars that you escaped unharmed.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Wonderful Trip Through a Muddled Land
This film is a wonderful sleigh ride through a complex world previous history enough for three or four small universes. It is a very entertaining movie, with effects that a year ago would not just be wonderful, but impossible. It is violent - a small war without smart bombs that kills a million non-entity creatures for grins.
A fanatic IMDB following voted this film as one of the top 250 ever made within 24 hours of its release. Kids, isn't it class time or something? One hopes enough sane members gang up to rescue film history from this terrorist hijacking. A gentlemen's 7 is quite satisfactory, thanks.
Get ready for the feast but be warned: In three hours of screen time this film can't find a way to end; the small Hobbit heros are made with camera angles and dwarf stand-ins that don't fool you for one second; and there is enough Deus Ex Machina magic to make an Antarctica of Frosties get up and dance around.
See the movie, it is fine, but please don't worship it!
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Dream Indeed, But Nightmarish Reality
If any one film this year gives you the cold, hard facts about addiction, substance-abuse and perversion it's Aranofsky's sophomore entry to his career - REQIUEM FOR A DREAM.
A brilliantly hand picked cast still can't save the script (which *is* well designed) from its own self-destruction and eventual redundancy.
The moral of the film I received was 'family dependence & love (the only true virtue) must remain intact,' but the average non-associated Aronofsky viewer will probably find this difficult within the first 45 minutes.
Far from the genius plot construction of "Pi", DREAM'S own imaginative and quick camera-use still makes this a notable entry on the subject.
Even though it's hard to stomach amputations and geriatric perversions, and moves in a psychotic camera speed the film is well made. It's a marvel of the subject, a rather brilliant standout of the crowd - but I doubt I will find myself watching it again.
Until next time
On the ball, off the rocker, and very-very low key.
Near Dark (1987)
Comprehensive and original vamping material
They don't make films like NEAR DARK anymore. Not only since the gore force of the 80's is gone as well as the faith in the horror genre, but since the film's scope is now an ancestor of the 90's and more recent "hip and witty" imitations that (pardon the expression) suck. This was really a one of kind film. I've been a fan of it since it was released, and over the years I've noted that its unique, unconventional approach to such a commercialized subject is exactly what gives the film such a quiet, eerie impact.
If you listen and watch carefully, the term "vampire" is not even mentioned in the film - not once by any of the characters. Nor do any of them say blood, eternal life, etc. The cliches of the previously mentioned vampire flicks are not here, and thankfully so. And the reason why... because the filmmaker's had more faith in their audience. The audience knows about wooden stakes and crucifixes. Or if that doesn't work use silver and holy water, and sunlight is always an ally. I'd be stunned to find another vampire flick that dared to compare to this one for its originality and style.
Interesting to note is how these vamps are of a different "breed," so to speak. They're grungy, outlaws who roam the empty highways of the Midwest looking for unsuspecting hitchhikers and - in a spectacular scene of macabre necessity and violence - a bunch of barflies who must be thinking "they ain't from around here." The characters are unique in every way. Especially the young Homer (D'oh) who's 11 year old body can't put up with his elderly vampire ego. Very much like Claudia in INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, where Anne Rice may have even got the idea.
Jenny Wright is Mae, a rookie vampire who's just initiated Calub into the pack. For what a vampire represents, metaphorically, she is the perfect embodiment of her character. Young, timid, afraid of growing up (or growing older). Without giving out spoilers for the ending to those who have yet to see this, imagine Mae as someone who has found a way to "cheat death."
All in all, this is definitely worth the ride for vampire fans. While NEAR DARK still has the upsets of resulting to occasionally bleak gunfights or senseless acts of stupidity, its design is candy enough alone. The craft here is in how it avoids being restricted to the mythology of the vampire, that almost every other film has nailed their script and premise onto for a plot.
With James Cameron's reunited ALIENS cast and a marvelous tone, NEAR DARK is most definitely on my top ten for this genre. Until next time, Off the Rock, On the Ball and Very Low Key.
Clean, Shaven (1993)
For viewers who know cinematic detailing can do
"Clean, Shaven" is one of the best examples of a director/writer's use of a camera to illustrate the persona of the protagonist. Here is the extremely tormented and crazed Peter Winter played almost too well by Peter Greene. Even the character's name is familiar and cold.
After my first viewing of "Clean, Shaven" I immediately rewound it, grabbed my notes and watched it again. I wondered how many cigarettes (if he smokes that is) or brainstorms the director, Lodge Kerrigan, had to go through to construct his scenes with such striking dementia. He truly takes a turn into the mind of a schizophrenic, which Peter clearly is. There's a sense that some of this material may have been drawn from personal experiences, but that only intensifies the film's content.
Peter, after being released from a hospital or rehabilitation center (I guess rehab, from the criticizing voices he hears) is on a quest to find his estranged daughter Nicole. But we're not sure why. We just know there's a man out there that director Kerrigan has presented to us in very shocking reality.
While on his road trip everything Peter does seems to take his patience to a pressure-building end. He feels disgusted with his body, he can't stand to look at himself or his reflection, but there's an amazing scene where he finds a loaded weapon in the trunk of the car that he's stolen. He literally looks like a kid who's found his dad's gun, and can't wait to take out a bitter frustration on a world that's only been cruel to him.
Director Kerrigan gives us a great wide-screen view of a desolate highway with this man aiming a shotgun towards the oncoming lane; a car even passes by. This scene momentarily takes us out of Peter's tormented world and shows us a terrifying reality that a person with his condition can be anywhere.
Following his release and a recent murder case of a child is Detective McNally (Albert) who gives a new definition to the stoic cop on the scene collecting tiny pieces of evidence. I found it incredible how his world and Peter's were almost parallel to each other.
While driving, Peter listens to the radio, hearing nothing but scratchy static; brief news clips, parts of weather reports, updates but there is always a static - a constant buzzing that is following him. Worst of all are the criticizing mockeries of what sound like brute inmates speaking about insanity as their own reality, directing them at Peter.
The detective has a somewhat similar soundtrack in his background. He listens to his police scanner and CB getting suspect locations and officer injury reports, as well as frustrating static that pinches the nerves of his mind as he tries to better the world around him, which Peter has given up on. Their only other difference is that the Detective may be afraid to release his anger, where Peter is waiting for an opportunity.
But the contradiction comes with the mysterious photograph of his young daughter who Peter is searching for, and it leads to a shocking ending that I feel was very cleverly written. It has that what goes around comes around feel.
I highly recommend this film as one of the best in cinema for a drama that is actually a drama/thriller/horror film. It is such a grim telling of reality told through such little dialogue and such beautiful camera use - all one needs to do is put the pieces together.
Until next time, Off the ball, On the Rock, and very Low Key.
Blood Simple (1984)
Simply told yields excellent results
Nobody tells a story so whimsically like the Coen brothers. Though I think "FARGO" is still their best film to date, "BLOOD SIMPLE" is an excellent entry into the neo-noir Hitchcock hall of homage. The trailer even features a quote from Hitchcock which relates the difficulties associated with pulling off a homicide.
Any film with a handful of characters that can tell a compelling story rank among my favorites. And this is yet another shining example. Although I felt it moved too slow at times, with wide shots of endless, deserted Texas highway - it still kept a pulse vital enough to sustain it as a mystery/thriller/neo-noir solid *** star film.
Dan Hedaya has never been better. Here, he's the disgruntled husband, running a seedy Texas bar, who wants only to have some kind of closure with his wife - be it an apology or a slap on the wrist. He seems to be the kind of guy who thinks himself a failure and it's more than obvious when he looks at a black and white photograph of both he and his then happy wife Abby (Francis McDormand).
Whether he couldn't please her financially or keep 'up' his end of the marital bargain, it's obvious their marriage is over. Even though he still loves her, he's willing to murder her moronic boyfriend Ray because he resents her ignorance towards him even more.
Ray makes the mistake of hiring the snickering, obese self-proclaimed private eye Visser (M. Emmet Walsh), who's own narration describes him as a loner who looks out only for his own gain.
Much like FARGO, the Coen brothers examine how human relations deteriorate when it comes to the greed associated with money. The also show how completely stupid those who commit violent crimes can be. Like most of their films this also has a foundation in human trust and how it can be manipulated and distorted. Films are made on those things alone, but BLOOD SIMPLE takes it that one step farther beyond rationality, when vengeance or greed becomes the only goal no matter the consequences.
As it progresses everything becomes BLOODY and COMPLICATED, while the plot remains marvelously easy to follow and superbly tense. It's not perfect, but it does the job. This is most certainly a must for Coen fans and suspense-thriller fans alike. Though the film lacks the impact of the sardonic humor from their other films, it makes up for it in raw intensity.
Until next time, On the Ball, Off the Rock, and very Low-Key
Awake to Danger (1995)
Awake? No, go back to sleep PLEASE
Now there's some kind of unwritten taboo law that we all 'feel' when watching TV films. We know they're generically cheaper, cheesier versions of their Hollywood cousins. But when TV films like "Awake to Murder" has such predictability it goes beyond pure punishment, and becomes difficult to even watch. The movie is has so many directorial, editing, lighting and even synchronizing flaws alone that I won't bother to comment on the story line much. I mean - what was the wardrobe department thinking when they take Michael Gross (Tori's dad) and have him sporting an Armani suit one night (with black turtleneck, leather shoes, et al), then pose him a rainbow colored white and striped shirt and bowtie while he reads poetry to his comatized daughter? The embarrassment alone of him being there dressed like that is enough. Doth he have no shame? With practical spotlight spill lighting and absolute sub-zero camera movement or creativity, the film leaves the viewer feeling like a corpse. It simply has no pulse. The title seems an almost in-joke prompt *not* to watch the movie - so I guess that leaves the selected audience Tori Spelling fans only.. Every else isn't off limits, they just won't care, trust me. For TV this is below average and derivative tripe. Until next time... Off the rock, on the ball and very user-friendly..
Day of the Dead (1985)
"Out of Respect for the Dead"
"DAY OF THE DEAD," ahh, the final horrifying chapter in famed horror master's trilogy of deadly Anubus inspired terror. Critically, Romero had to know he wouldn't top himself with "NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD," but he did. He surpassed even his own expectations and the critics by making a sort of B+ film classic with DAWN OF THE DEAD now immortalized as a cult favorite that we all enjoy because it's such a poignant, satirical view of how 'zombified' society really is! Is also had the true horror and situational distress that its predecessor carried - people, pitted against each other to survive. And this is the situation for "DAY OF THE DEAD" Everyone knows the plot so I won't bother telling it, but think about the film rationally (from a writer's viewpoint). The world has been literally turned upside down. The dead control the world, and the living live like worms beneath the earth in what one character referred to as a 'great big 14-mile tombstone'. And that couldn't have been put more perfectly. As far as tension, hey, this film EXCELS in pitted situational stress and psychological mayhem. These people are in a Pandora's box. They're rats in a cage who're running out of supplies and who's world is becoming more and more claustrophobic as time continues. Now look at the characters; you've got Capt. Rhodes (Pilato) who's no more than a dog who's been told to 'sit!' but is getting antsy since that's it and that's all. He has to play leader, father and ruler to these people so they don't screw up the world he's living in anymore than it already is. My personal favorite character is Dr. 'Frankenstein' Logan (Liberty) always covered in blood-soaked scrubs and as jittery as the fly. Here's a man who's so lonely he's become best friends with a dead man. And so deranged because he's searching for a solution to an equation for which he has no control over. He might as well be trying to round off Pi. Critics who think this film is an inflammatory romp or overacted waste have their petty reasons since (yes) some dialogue is unreasonably profane and silly - but I doubt they realize that was written as part of the ridicule of the situation, which is why Sarah (Cardyle) is the focal character. These people are at war with a nation of zombies - it's a 'hopeless situation strategically' as Logan explains in a long-faced eulogy to the last members of the human race. 'Do you really think you can shoot them all?' he asks them, answering his own question, but also ignoring it. Bottom line... this is a fine horror film. For gore, for zombies, yes. I give this film an 8.5 for psychological terror, whereas (for example) a film like DEAD CALM would be a 10.0. Romero did a fine job on this, and he proved that three is not a crowd, it's a trilogy of terror. Until next time... Off the rock, on the ball, and strictly low-key...
One False Move (1991)
Just the Facts, Billy Bob
"One False Move" is not a unique film. It has a derivative plot which has derivative characters - that take turns getting developed and forgotten very sporadically in the film. It's the typical on-the-run caper of the "perfect crime" that Ray (Billy Bob) and his spaced-out wacko pal named "Pluto" (Beach) screw up like two bumbling stooges who, no matter what, do their best to 'look' cool. Kind of like the brothers in "Night at the Roxbury". To these moronic maniacs - it seems to be about nothing but image and cool one-liners. Living in a fairytale, literally, is Fantasia (Williams) who's the 3rd screw in this monkey wrench of a getaway to a nowhere town in Arkansas. Waiting for them (with the anticipation of a kid at Christmas) is a racial-slurring, jittery sheriff nicknamed "hurricane" (Paxton) who can't wait to use his trigger finger. So the plot thickens like water into dirt and the result is mud, when plot holes as far as the eye can see start to appear.. Are we really supposed to believe that two L.A detectives are going to make a cross-country roadtrip to join up with a backwoods badge to catch two killers and a wannabe cokehead girlfriend that any rookie cop-on-the-beat could bust using something as simple as a cell-phone as some common sense? You be the judge. This is unfortunately another tragic example of the lack of inspired screen-writing, much like TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M or RED ROCK WEST. But the film does have some interesting plot equations that make it barely watchable. Which is only added by the fact that these are actors we usually depend on for performances. All in all - below average. When average for this genre is dead and buried.