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tomroman
Reviews
Harsh Times (2005)
sometimes unbearable to watch - in a good way.
a rare film that is devoid of a storyline, well a traditional storyline anyway - and is better because of it.
the film is basically about 2 guys in l.a, and as the viewer you follow them for a few days, thats it basically. it doesn't sound like much - but its the films lack of a linear storyline that creates its atmosphere. you never know whats going to happen next. this combined with the lead character being a hot headed, young gulf war veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder makes the film one of the most edgy i have ever seen.
Cristian bale portrays the former gulf war ranger brilliantly. with his character no longer understanding the level of acceptable violence in society compared to on the battlefield, leading to some of the most tense scenes from a film ever.
Hou hsing kou shou (1979)
best kung fu movie of all time
first saw this movie when i was about 5 or 6 when my uncle gave me the VHS.
this was the uncut version, all the DVD's of this film to be released that i know of have the most important scene taken out of it for animal rights reasons - there is a 2-3 minute long clip of a monkey killing a snake in an actual fight between the 2 animals (who knows how many animals they went through to get the shot of a monkey crushing the snakes head with his mouth?!?). this is the scene where the title character finally understands the power of the monkey style, and its effectiveness against the snake style - the style it was designed to combat.
anyway, at that age i was easily impressed, but this was just ridiculous. i don't think i have EVER been so impressed by anything in my entire life. i must have watched this film 5 times a day for a good 4 months over the summer (note, maybe a slight exaggeration).
i didn't then see it for the best part of 10 years until i finally unearthed the gem again and sat down to watch it - AND OH DEAR, if its possible i think i was more impressed this time round. probably due to sentimental reasons, but still, i was blown away by the acrobatics and greatly accurate portrayal of both the fighting styles and ancient china.
if you dare to call yourself a martial arts fan, or, well - even a SLIGHT fan of films - then i would challenge your integrity if you were to say you hadnt seen this movie, this 'shrine to everything good about life'! THATS how much i rate this film.
Any Given Sunday (1999)
A strange, almost dreamlike experience
The beauty of this film lies in its almost abstract presentation, and for some strange reason ANY GIVEN Sunday is possibly my favourite film ever.
The film has different levels so that it can not only be viewed as enjoyable for different demographics, but can also be viewed as a completely different movie altogether - depending on the mindset of the viewer.
The fact that this film has been said to include a cheesy ending is a mistake, seeing as the timing and setting of the final match is very different to any other sports film. The action scenes combination of rabid mayhem mixed with dreamlike calm and hallucinogenic focal points in the key plays really work.
ANY GIVEN Sunday at first glance seems to be a film about how off field actions (wether it be player/manager/owner related) have effected the game of football itself, but it is also about how the game has warped people and corporations around it.
JAMIE FOXX is the star turn here, with AL PACINO strong as ever, delivering a memorable and very different speech (typical of the film).
If for any other reason, watch this film for the music.