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Reviews
Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown (1986)
Fun student film
This is a great student film, with bonus points for making fun of such a cherished cartoon icon.
Lots of garish humor, over-the-top violence, and blatantly sadistic comedy. The things that make student films great.
Audio and voice-overs are rather sub-par...but I think it might have been intentional to just lampoon the voices rather than trying to copy them.
Model wise, they're pretty dead-on to the Charlie Brown art form.
Interestingly, most of the people who worked on it have had some impressive careers and worked for major studios.
If you want to see it, check the message boards for a couple of links to it (or just google search it).
Panic Room (2002)
Great Fincher Movie
This movie really had me on the edge of my seat, and was very gripping. I left the theater, very exhausted from all the suspense. Couple this, with all the great Fincher camera work, and this is one great movie!
One thing though...I noticed that someone commented in the "Goofs" section, that 911 operators do not put people on hold. A sad statement of the 911 service, this does actually occur. In fact, this occured to my sister-in-law just one month ago (good thing it wasn't a life threatening situation). We like to believe that all 911 calls are handled as top priority...but the truth is, this is not always the case. I think this was the director's way of making a very loud statement about the current 911 operations.
The Pledge (2001)
A good, albeit unsettling movie
First off, let me say this (in regard to the other comments on the movie): I don't see any relation to (or attempt to immitate) Fincher's work. This is something that stands on it's own, with no attempt to replicate some other's work.
This is the story of a man, with a deep sense of obligation to one's word, in his declining years. The character is very well written, and deffinately not typical of hollywood. From the mystery aspect, there are alot of events and people that lead you this away from the "villian".
This movie isn't faced paced, and the MTV crowd won't have the ability to sit through it as it makes it's way to the end.
** SPOLIERS **
This is actually how I see some crimes turning out. Someone gets convicted (if at all), and the real killer goes free to die in some accident.
I've seen Manhunter, and enjoyed the use of that actor to lead the viewer away from the truth. I was also very pleased to see that the killer only gets about a half-second of screen time. Something rarely done in movies.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Not for the slow witted
Let me say this, first and foremost. If your movie diet consists of "Air Force One", "Navy Seals", "Air Bud", or "Baby Geniuses" you will not like this movie. If you want a movie, where you can shut off your brain, don't rent/buy it.
That said, those people with an intellect, a sense of humor, and a sense of cinematic taste will enjoy this film. Even the music (I'm not a big fan of blue-grass or country music) was strangely compelling. There are a number of in-jokes for those who have read the Odyssey, and the acting was great. Going in, I was hesitant about Clooney...but the Coen brothers have a knack for pulling out great acting from anyone. Truly a great film.
Last Man Standing (1996)
Not deep, but a satisfying movie
I really like this movie. No, it's not very deep. But really, that's not what it's about. It's a pulp-story. One thing I really found interesting, was how it seemed like a section out of a greater novel. There seemed to be an interesting story leading up to the movie, and an interesting story leading out of the movie. This mysteriousness makes the whole thing very intriguing.
Another thing I really liked, was that it wasn't filled with dull-witted action-hero one liners. The dry/dark humor it does contain is sparsely, yet smartly, done. This gives the movie a very dark, gritty, rough feel...which was obviously the point.
If you want something light, gun-blasting, gritty action movie, then see this movie.
American Beauty (1999)
Wow.
At times, seeing all the typical outpouring of Hollywood trash can leave a person filled with the idea that cinema is dead.
But then a beacon of pure brilliance comes along.
American Beauty is many things. Inspirational, entertaining, full of biting commentary. It makes you laugh. It makes you angry. It makes you smile. It makes you sad. It makes you question your own life.
All it's characters are human. They have faults. They can be good people, yet they can be horrible. There is no "ultimate bad guy", nor is there an "ultimate good guy". There are just people. When you think you have someone figured out, the movie peels back another layer of who the character really is...and throws your preconceptions out the window.
This is one of the rare movie, that actually brought tears to my eyes. Not from it's tragic events, but from the shear beauty of it all.
I don't like giving away plots of movies. This you should discover on your own. See this movie. You may like it. You may hate it. But either way, it will get inside your head and get inside your heart, and change you. It will change the way you think and the way you live.
As the movie says at the end...
"You may not understand this right now. But someday...you will."