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C'era una volta il West (1968)
Groundbreaking, riveting, exquisite.
This is Leone at his best, absolute genius. I don't even know how to begin to describe it. In the beginning, it is all just sounds. There's nary a single word of dialogue. Three figures, their identity unknown, walk into the foreground. They wait for a train. One tries to rub off an annoying fly on his face. Another has a problem with water droplets on his head and catches them with his hat. At last the train comes and no one gets off. The three men turn to leave, but at the last moment, the notes on a harmonica start to play. A man appears from behind the train. 'Did you bring a horse for me?' 'Looks like we're shy one horse.' 'You brought two too many.' Seconds later, all three of the killers are down, and the man (being dubbed Harmonica) is shot in the shoulder.
Thus, Once Upon a Time in the West begins. The acting is absolutely marvelous. Claudia Cardinale is absolutely perfect as Jill. Her eyes show all the emotion, making her face the story of the shot. Charles Bronson plays the silent and mysterious character. He is a reincarnation of the Man With No Name and is perfect for the part. Silent and distant. Who could ever forget Jason Robards? He plays Cheyenne with an amazing silliness that it just seems natural for him. Of course, they're Henry Fonda as Frank. He plays the coolest villain, so seemingly natural that he seems almost good. He plays it with smoothness to the role, like a prince. Thus, the four roles become the great centerpiece of the story.
The plot itself is complex, taking time to build up. There are many minute sub-plots that all tie into the motives of the characters, specifically Harmonica's past, that along with smooth editing, keep you guessing until the end. The focal point in the story concerns the woman called Jill, and her attempts to try and keep living after the massacre of her husband and his entire family. The man behind the massacre, Frank, learns all too well that there is a surviving member of the McBain's, and attempts to go after Jill. Cheyenne is the outlaw wrongfully accused of the murders of the McBain's, but tries as best he can to protect Jill. And of course, Harmonica is the loner, the Man with No Name, out to destroy the evil of Frank.
The direction is perfect, as are the cinematography and editing. However, a great triumph here is Morricone's score. Fantastic. Each individual character is assigned his or her own theme that, as the relations grow between characters, interplays and combines to form truly fantastic cues. Just listen to the music at the final showdown, or the part when Jill first arrives at the station. It is truly beautiful. This whole movie is truly beautiful.
Sweet 15 (1990)
I want two hours of my life back.
This movie is the worst waste of celluloid that I've seen in a long time. The 'acting' is atrocious. I cringe with every word that this Martha woman says. Was there even an audition? Or did they just pick random people off the streets, feeding them with 'dreams' of getting into Hollywood? Perhaps if some of these people actually learned how to act, this movie would be more entertaining. No, instead the director spends hours giving us two people who have no idea how to act.
Second, the plot. What the
? That's a plot? What, men with fake IDs? Learning how to dance? Can't Martha just listen to her parents? It's embarrassing. I was too busy dozing off than paying attention.
This movie makes Raise Your Voice look like the Godfather. Take my advice; do something better with your time. I was foolish enough to watch this. I have paid the price.
Gods and Generals (2003)
Not as bad as the critics or others say...
Gods and Generals re-counts the rise and fall of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in the army of the Confederacy. It takes his ventures from the first Bull Run (Manassas), up to Chancellorsville, where his mortally wounded. This also chronicles Gettysburg's, Chamberlain as he rises through the ranks and participates in the battle of Fredricksburg with the 20th Maine. The first in a trilogy, Gods and Generals is the prequel to the legendary Gettysburg.
I'll admit that the beginning forty minutes are horrible. The acting was on shaky ground, the direction is, well, off. To make a long story short, the beginning is rather boring. The director lingers on to the, "I'll do this for my home," speeches for too long and it gets repetitive after a while. Jackson's faith in God is shown too much, and really contracts from the rest of the story as unnecessary and wasted celluloid. Bull Run isn't in Ronald's favour, either. The battle scene is rather dull, and too much time is focused on Jackson instead of the fighting. The direction there is horrible, with the battle looking like a bunch of men running around. There's no distinction between what's going on and everything looks like one long charge waiting to happen.
Gods and Generals, however, greatly improves at the Battle of Fredricksburg. The attempted taking of the wall is epic, as hundreds of men rush to their death. The music flows and is excellent at that point. From then on, everything gets more exciting. Chancellorsville is a good battle, but does not stand a chance against Fredricksburg, however. Chamberlain's speech quoting Caesar and Marcus was just brilliantly haunting, while watching men fall dead from enemy fire. Stephen Lang portrays Jackson quite well, too. Jackson is a powerful figure and one could feel his energy radiating off of him as he spoke, "You are the 1st Brigade!"
Gods and Generals is not a failure in any sense of the word. It's different than its brother, which tried to explore the men's feelings. Instead, Gods and Generals tries to explore the men's motivation for going into war. However, I will admit that the movie takes itself too seriously. There is never a moment of humour throughout the whole movie. Everything is too darn serious. Oh, and the visual effects are one of the worst that I have ever seen. Chancellorsville looked so unreal, especially when computerized smoke and explosions were going off, that I started to laugh.
I watched Gods and Generals and Gettysburg on the same day. To me, I prefer Gettysburg; it's much more entertaining as a piece of cinema. Gods and Generals isn't bad, either. It's watchable, to say the least.
Acting: B Direction: B- Music: B+ Cinematography/Visuals: B Special Effects/Visual Effects: D Story/Screenplay: C
Overall Grade: C+/B- (Average)