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Reviews
Casino (1995)
Great Cure For Insomnia
To me, a shocking misfire from great director Martin Scorsese. This movie could have been great, but it was really miscast. Robert De Niro is a great actor, but he was wrong for this movie. For one, he doesn't even bear a slight resemblance to the real Ace Rothstein. He is just sleepwalking through the entire movie, and his cigarettes seem to be more animated than he is. Sharon Stone is good in her role, but she is just so unlikable that you don't feel any sympathy for her. Same for Joe Pesci. He has none of the humor that he brought to his role in "Goodfellas", where he played another mob psycho.
That is why I hate this movie, because all three lead actors are so unlikable that you don't care what happens to any of them. Only the supporting cast, led by Don Rickles and Alan King breathe any life into this movie. James Woods is great in his limited role as well. Funny how you sympathize more with his scumbag role than you do with the other three. Woods could have been the lead in this movie. It just goes on FOREVER, and there are long stretches where you feel like nothing happens. A great cure for insomnia.
This was the last Scorsese/De Niro film, but hopefully not the last. Scorsese seems to have gotten his balls back with "The Departed", and it would be great if someone would write a good script for these two.
Secret Window (2004)
Great Adaptation
Usually a movie will change the ending of a book in order to give it the "Hollywood Treatment". You know, in the book the hero dies but in the movie he lives and his wife is pregnant in the final scene. What was so interesting to me is that the ending of the movie is the opposite of the ending that Stephen King chose for his story from "Four Past Midnight". In the book, Mort Raniey is killed at the end and his wife lives. She is saved by the insurance adjuster who just happened to be coming down the driveway. The director and screenwriter chose to go a different way, and to me it worked better. It follows the story that John Shooter claimed to write, with the wife getting buried in the garden. I felt that this movie did the book a lot of justice, and then some. Depp turned in an understated performance, and he was perfect for the role.
The Departed (2006)
Ass Kicking Good Time
Since this movie is coming out Tuesday on DVD, I have to remember the night that I saw it. It was opening night, and we went to a theater in Lawrence, MA which is a pretty tough area. The theater was packed, and from the first ten minutes the crowd was going crazy. Whole groups of people were cheering or laughing out loud at some of the films funnier lines. It was the best experience I have had at the movies since "Gladiator".
Being a huge Martin Scorsese fan, I was thrilled to see him get back to the gritty movies he was so famous for from "Mean Street" to "Goodfellas".
Of course the movie is violent, but not in a gratuitous "SAW" type of way. When Billy Costigan punches the guy in the bar, he breaks his hand. That is what really happens when you punch someone that hard, and little things like that make the film stand out to me. Being from the Boston area, I know all about what a sicko Whitey Bulger was. Frank Costello is loosely based on him, and Jack Nicholson's performance was chilling. Asking the girl if she had gotten her period yet was something that the pederast Bulger would have done.
Nothing against Mark Wahlberg, but I felt that it was Matt Damon who deserved the Oscar nomination. Colin Sullivan was a sociopath, someone with the looks and charm who will cut your throat when you aren't looking. He was based on John Connely, the scumbag FBI agent who was Bulger's lookout for 25 years. I felt that this was Damon's best performance yet because it was so against his nature. He was just so unpredictable in this movie.
Everyone will be talking about the Oscars and if Scorsese will finally win. With a movie like this, it will be great if he does it on his terms, and not trying to pander to the voters with films such as "The Aviator". This is one of his best movies ever, and anyone who likes mob movies will love it, Oscars or no.
Cop Land (1997)
A Great Bad Movie
"Listen to me you deaf #$%&, I gave you a chance to be a cop, back when we could have done something...I gave you a chance to be a cop, AND YOU BLEW IT!!!!!" Right up there with "I coulda been a contender" "Rosebud" and "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse", a classic line in American Cinema.
Copland has been out for ten years now, and it has taken me a long time to appreciate how awesomely bad this movie really is. I mean you have a collection of A List actors, and they come together to deliver such an incredibly awful movie. It is one of those movies that is so bad that it is actually fun to watch.
Robert De Niro gives one of his most memorable performances as IAB detective Moe Tilden. When they write cop movies, they always have to have the internal affairs guy, and DeNiro plays it to the hilt. He won't sleep until someone goes to jail, or until they start putting napkins in with his sandwiches.
Of course anyone in IAB has to have someone they are gunning for, so enter Harvey Keitel playing dirty cop Ray Dolan. Not only is he on the take, he arranges hits to take out cops in Jersey who are just not dirty enough. You don't want go along, you get thrown off a building.
This movie has many laugh out loud moments, and they mostly involve Ray Liotta. He is a great actor, but in this film he just stayed up for a week straight on the bag of coke he had left over from the end of "Goodfellas". Paranoid, strung out, and crazy enough to stick a dart up Robert Patrick's nose.
And of course there is Sly Stallone. Everyone was so excited about this film because it wasn't a stupid action movie that Stallone has been doing for the last 20 years. He really delivers, because you end up feeling sorry for the big lug. His biggest case of the year is investigating the thrown garbage incident. Look for the excitement on his face when he gets the caper.
If IMDb ever makes a list of the ten greatest bad movies ever, this will be on there somewhere.
Trailer Park Boys (2001)
Great Show, Eh
With all the crap on American T.V. today, you would think that a show such as The Trailer Park Boys would somehow make it over here. It is a shame to think that there are millions of people in this country who don't even know who Ricky, Julian and Bubbles are. I found this show by accident on Netflix, and my wife and I have spent countless hours laughing hysterically at these crazy people from Canada. My all time favorite one is when Ricky tries to "go straight" as a shopping mall security guard. Anyone who has seen that one knows what I'm talking about.
I'll never understand the mentality of the American censors. It is perfectly fine for shows that depict child rape (The Shield) or torture (24) to be aired in prime time, but a hilarious show like TPB was deemed too offensive to be on BBC America. When you get past all the swearing, it is really just a show about people caring about each other. Despite the continuing downward trend of these guys in every season, they still stick together no matter what. Look at when Ray, "the man in the chair" has his trailer burn down. Everyone chips in to buy him the sleeper cab from his old 18 wheeler. How can you not love this show?
Out for Justice (1991)
An unintentional comedy
To me, there is nothing better for a movie fan than a film that is so bad that it turns out to be great. "Out For Justice" is without a doubt one of the best bad movies of all time, an action movie that doubles as a comedy because you laugh out loud at it. Steven Segal actually said in interviews after this film came out that he deserved an Academy Award nomination for his role in this movie. He went on Arsino Hall and said that this was his attempt to be taken more seriously as an actor.
Every time this movie comes on cable I can't help myself but to watch it. Pre "Sopranos" Domenic Chianese with his god awful Italian accent pleading for Gino Felino to spare his son Richie is one of the funniest parts of the movie. You also can't go wrong with the pool hall scene..."Anybody seen Richie?! Anybody know why Richie killed Bobby Lupo?!". Also the poor guy in the bar who gets beaten up by both the mob and the cops repeatedly is just plain hilarious.
It is interesting to note that Seagal also helped write this movie. Of the thousands and thousands of names he could have made up for himself, why did he choose GINO FELINO??? Who in the world would want to have a name that rhymes? IMDb should make a poll for the "Best Bad Movie of All Time". This would be a strong contender.
Walk the Line (2005)
Can't Look Away
I am not a country music fan at all. I always respected Johnny Cash and his huge influence over today's music, but I am by no means a big fan of his. That is, I should say until I saw this movie. When I got home from seeing it, I immediately ordered "Live From Folsom Prison" and "Live From San Quinten" on Amazon.
This wasn't a movie at all really. It was a two and a half hour tour de force of incredible acting, great music and storytelling. You just don't get bored for one second, and can't look away the whole time. Joaquin Phoenix's performance in this film is one of the best acting jobs in recent years. He isn't acting like Johnny Cash, he IS Johnny Cash. Reese Witherspoon is also great as June Carter. The fact that Phoenix had never sung or played guitar before this movie was filmed caused me to wonder how he was going to pull this off. But his rendition of "Get Rhythm", and "Cocaine Blues" in the Folsom scene are some of the best music performances in movie history. He takes over the screen and just kicks your ass. It is hard to believe that he is not a professional musician.
The music performances are enough to make this film worth seeing. But the love story between these two, the way that June and her family helped him back from his drug addiction are what gives the film its heart. I would recommend this film to anyone, Johnny Cash fan or not. If you don't like him now, you will when the movie is over
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)
Sad But True
As a lifelong Metallica fan, this film was to me very sad to watch. A band that once gave the finger to MTV, Rolling Stone and any other mainstream media outlet now lets a camera crew film them for three years, a la Ozzy. Yes I know they did their "Year and a Half" doc. in 1991, but that was strictly for their fans.
This movie just confirmed my suspicions that Lars Ulrich is the biggest jerk off in music today. He is a greedy egomaniac who only cares about one thing: making more money. When James decides to put his years of drinking behind him and go to rehab, Lars is only worried about how this will affect the recording sessions. James returns and is clearly taking his recovery very seriously. Instead of being a supportive friend, Lars just bitches that they can only work for four hours a day. As a recovering alcoholic myself, I can tell you that in your first year of sobriety, you are not supposed to make any life changing decisions. You focus on staying sober, and that is just what James is trying to do, to Lar's dismay.
Besides my disgust with Lars, the music is terrible. Didn't Bob Rock or Kirk Hamment bother to tell these guys that these songs were not going to make it onto the radio? It was also sad to see how they treated Jason Newstead. He was always the most level headed guy in the band, the one who cared what the fans thought. Perhaps he could see that Metallica's best days were behind them, and he wanted no part of St. Anger. Can't say I blame him.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Heatbreaker
The most emotionally involving movie I have seen in many years. The only film that has made me cry in the theater since I saw "E.T." when I was 8. Great acting all around, with Morgan Freeman anchoring this great cast. Now I saw it without knowing the surprise ending, and it comes as a total shock.
Our hero Maggie had taken on the boxing world by storm and made a lot of money doing it. By her last fight she is taking on the female boxing champion. Her family doesn't want her and she has no boyfriend. All she has is her boxing family. That is what makes the end so heartbreaking. She would rather die than go on living without being able to fight anymore.
This is one of the best movies in a long time to come out of Hollywood. Clint Eastwood cements his legacy as one of the best directors of all time, and gives his best acting performance since "Unforgiven". Hillary Swank elevates herself to a league of her own. She is a beautiful woman who is talented enough when playing "regular" characters, such as the cop in "Insomnia". But as a female cross dresser in "Boys Don't Cry" and in this film as a musclebound boxer, she takes it to a level most female actors couldn't. You can tell how hard she worked to make this role believable because when she boxes you forget it is Hillary Swank in the ring.