Change Your Image
farcryfolk
Reviews
Legends of the Fall (1994)
Poignant, Heartfelt, Moving Story
What a story! I never cried in movies but I was a bawling fool in this one. Magnificent portrayal of a family of brothers and the woman that they all love in a rural Americana setting. Excellent acting all the way around. Emotional story with some incredibly moving scenes. Not only did it move me to tears but it had me yelling at the screen during some powerhouse moments. You really cared about everyone. You truly rooted for them. You wanted them all to succeed but a great story is about more then just its characters. A great story is about finding that unsettling part hidden deep within you, that part you put so deep you forgot it was there cause you were taught how not to let go. How to hold onto those feelings. This movie will wrench those away, pluck those clinging emotions that dare not collaborate together, this movie will bunch all of those emotions you ever had and it will release them to the winds like a thousand doves that have just been set to flight. I have never been so much of a Brad Pitt fan then I was in this movie. He represented Freedom, clear and simple. Enjoy. Make sure you bring a hankie.
My Science Project (1985)
Has a charm to it
I noticed a few bad reviews. One person said it was the Citizen Kane of bad movies. Seriously? This is hardly the worst movie, but I guess that might all depend on how life was affecting that person at that time. I mean their girlfriend or boyfriend might have left them and this movie might have been playing on the television as all that went down. SO I can understand that it may have been guilt by association. If this is a bad movie then I know what a guilty pleasure is now. I thought it had a nice charm to it overall. It was a decent plot. The leads all had personality. I thought the cute romance had some chemistry. Matter of fact, although its not the Breakfast Club of teen interpretation, I knew all these kids in high school. There was a Fisher Stevens character and I knew a Harlan type as well. It has a humor that is winning to it, especially the Fisher Stevens character. Of course it always comes down to a matter of taste. But when I saw this movie went down as one of the worst movies I had to champion it. To me whoever made it seemed to have a bit of love in their heart for it. Its a personal favorite for that reason. I must have seen this movie three times in the theatre. Granted its not the Godfather, or Close Encounters, or 2001 caliber. But the movie is well made with great special effects for the time. Its on youtube free. GIve it a chance if you don't have high expectations, or even if you do. With so much respect, the person who said this was the Citizen Kane of bad movies needs to see more movies. Gotta say, loved it. This movie has a small following. I hate to see myself as a follower, but just watched it recently and it holds up great. I hated the 80s. It may be nostalgia, but this is a fond memory from that time. Sure its mindless. But it sure is fun.
The Hateful Eight (2015)
I'm positive I'm bored
This movie should have been Tarantino's foray into horror. If only!! I know some fans will disagree, but this movie was incredibly boring. Good acting. Good film making. Dialogue is interesting. But what would have made this movie a complete change of pace is if all these dangerous characters meet up in the first hour and in the second hour they find out they are holed up in a place that has a bloody history, maybe a twisted haunting or maybe even some kind of wendigo or something sinister that makes itself known and how it tries to get in there at different times. Slowly they all go crazy during this ordeal. In between the horror and the suspense scenes you have your trademark Tarantino dialogue that sets these characters. Yeah. All that. As I was watching this movie I kept thinking, what if something was trying to get in? Something they had to keep out. Something more dangerous then all of them. Cause lets face it. There is nothing more dangerous then being bored. However that is merely a matter of opinion. The cold grizzled fact of the matter is that, The Revenant was a similar bleak mood in some ways, but far superior. Betwixt these two well made movies, go with Revenant. What is truly interesting is that rumor has it Tarantino got the idea for Hateful 8 from The Thing. Its a fascinating and brilliant idea that does not register the way I wanted it too. But I commend the man for his setups. He knows how to keep us in suspense. Tarantino is a master craftsman with an obvious love for his source material. Its just my opinion but Hateful 8 would have been the perfect opportunity to make a superior western horror movie. A nice cross genre art piece with his trademark style and vitality. I tried hard not to expect too much. I tried hard not to fall asleep. Worth your time if you are a die hard fan. But most die-hard fans will agree its not his best. I think its better if your holed up inside with a storm going on outside, as you curl up and watch it. Because those kind of situations seem to make a movie play out better. Kurt Russell, as always, is the real reason to watch.
Cliff Lake (2010)
Hunger Pangs
The fact of the matter is that, I only gave this a 9, because I wanted it to go on for a bit more. Thats the only truly disappointing part of this whole thing. I mean, you want to know what happened. Its quite gripping actually. A starving man in the woods, hiding from the inevitable. Walking Dead show is unfortunately preceding this ambitious character study about survivors desperately clinging to sanity at the end of the world. Not only is this an exercise in genuine filmmaking style, but the few actors in it have invested realism. The shame here is that in the wake of Walking Dead, it is interesting to think what might have happened with this little short, as rumor has it that it was being developed with a television series in mind. Zombie fanfare is oft imitated, seldom if ever stand alone, and because the filmmakers have not omitted emotional resonance, this horror entry stands leagues above the others. For almost 15 minutes I was absolutely riveted. There is a obvious sense of directorial style here, and as a film buff, I could not help but wonder if these people who made this might actually be the real thing. Hollywood needs talent of this caliber, and it goes without saying that I will be eagerly anticipating their next entry in the genre. Solid talent all the way around, imagine what these folks could do with a huge budget. Thanks Badfritter, keep it up.
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Outstanding
This movie is as entertaining as they come. It is by far and away one of the few existential action movies ever made, and they only made a handful. Jack Arnold, the director and Richard Matheson make for quite a team. You can easily see Arnolds influence over great directors like Spielberg. There is some talk of remaking this movie, seems pointless, but if anybody would and could pull off a remake, it would be Spielberg. Jack Arniold was considered to be the king of the B movie monster movies and it is a title that is well earned. He always added a certain quality to his films that elevated them to a memorable status. Richard Matheson of course has always been one of the top sci fi writers, and the combination of talents here is staggering. I first saw this movie expecting a simple fantasy, but I never would have guessed that this movie had quite the psychological edge. I cannot begin to imagine that a B movie would take me out of myself and cause me to look at the world in a whole different way. It made me question life. It made me realize that one day I will die. It opened my eyes frankly, and caused me to enact the greatest theme of man: Wonder. The action is relentless. The special effects are amazing for its time. The acting is very much above average. It moved right along with zero weak spots. But above all, it was the existentialism that blew my mind. I was so caught up with the plight of the main character. This movie did a wonderful job of putting me into his situation. And that ending!!! The studios must have wanted a happy ending, but from what I understand, Jack Arnold and Richard MAtheson fought them tooth and nail to the bitter end, and won the right to one of the best endings ever in a film of this caliber. This movie is an undisputed classic. For anyone to not think so, may I humble myself and say that perhaps it is a lack of sheer imagination that prohibits one from throughly enjoying this. All I can say is Wow! I ve since seen it many times, and it never gets old. I d go so far as to say it is easily one of the best movies from the 50s. Kudos to Jack Arnold, its his best movie. Richard Mateson was at the peak of his career. Its message is universal, figure it out for yourself. They don't come any more existential then this. Such a rare treat. Go to your public library and get this movie. I am an avid movie watcher because of films like this. I struck gold watching this.
Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)
One of Clints most enjoyable westerns
This movie was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting perhaps a spaghetti western comedy, but what I got was an exciting plot that moved right along, with good performances from the two leads, some nice scenery, good dialogue and a great buildup to a nice climax. Shirley Mcclaine was perfectly cast, and boy did she look absolutely splendid. The scene where Clint questions her morals as a nun who shuns the physical feelings is deft and wonderfully written and acted, it was my favorite scene. The action goes from entertaining to more entertaining. Clint is simply wonderful, this was one of his best movies I thought. The chemistry between them is great. I like how the romance develops replete with some twists that you may or may not see coming. Don Siegel is such a talented director, he always seems to make movies that not only movie right along but manages to get good performances from everyone involved. We need more directors like Siegel in this day and age. The music was trademark Ennio Morricone cowboy music, he is always spot on. This is the kind of movie that they just don't make anymore, perfect entertainment for a weekend on the couch. Catch it if you can.
Sorcerer (1977)
A Rare kind of Action movie experience
SPOILERS This is one of those movies that demands a close second look. At first glance it seems like a unique action movie with some good performances. But upon closer inspection, this movie is almost like a minor horror movie, somewhat reminding one of The Sixth Sense, with its twisted vision of a man in hell. If one were to pay close attention to several scenes in the film, one would come away thinking that the main character played by Roy Scheider, has literally died and went to hell. From the beginning when he is involved in a car crash, what follows is a subtle, yet highly symbolic underlying theme of a man who is on a journey to the devils domain. COnsider the car crash, was Roy Scheider the only survivor, or was he indeed dead, perhaps a ghost. Consider the group that he was forced to join on their suicide mission, an assassin, a terrorist, a swindler and a gangster, all headed for the fall, and a trip to hell for their bad deeds. Consider the burning fires of the oil factory, this is where they are headed, the fires are symbolic of hell itself. Consider the crossing of the bridge in the storm. The sound of that terrifying wailing wind, the demon wind, could that have been the entrance, the gates to hell itself, there are so many slight references to the idea that this is more then what it seems. In a nutshell Sorcerer is simply brilliant, the kind of movie that they just do not make anymore.