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Reviews
Lost in Translation (2003)
What's The Name Of That Awesome Song?
What's the name of the song played when Bob and Charlotte are coming home from the Karaoke party, and they pass by the bridge and the rest of downtown Tokyo? Lost In Translation was overall one of the best crafted movies I've seen. Coppola did a masterful job of creating that perfect aura about the characters and developed their plutonic relationship perfectly over the course of the film, which is rich with cerebral music and inspiring Japanese landmarks, while revealing the true atmosphere of Japan throughout the film. The dialogue was perfect, and realistic resulting in the audience to feel a true empathy for two lost souls who temporarily find guidance in each others lives.
Brazil (1985)
Bizarre, and Haunting
Brazil is quite an original movie which combines many elements. It isn't quite a comedy, but provides some hysterical comedic scenes. It isn't quite a drama, but there are dramatic sequences. It's also not a fantasy or horror movie, but it provides some generally disturbing sequences.
Brazil takes place in what I assume to be futuristic England where everything is quite backwards from today and the favorite pastime is filing out loads and loads of paperwork. Every ordinary worker is a drone, every manager is exceedingly eccentric, and lets not forgot the terrorists and random bombings that appear so frequently in the setting that no one is ever sent for help. Pryce plays a neurotic member of the Ministry of Information who one day while doing an errand for his superior comes across a women who happens to appear in his rather bizarre dreams. The movie is basically about him trying to follow her using all of his available resources of information. Simple right? Oh no this movie is far from simple.
Brazil can be compared to any dream I've had where everything just seems to be incoherent, and vague. For example Pryce's air conditioning is broken so he calls the Ministry Of Information. De Niro (who plays Tuttle a supposed terrorist) shows up out of no where and implants a device in the air conditioning, then does his best spider man imitation and jumps from roof to roof using the same wire on the hanger trick used in Home Alone. Meanwhile the repair men come(one of them Bob Hoskins) and are apparently aggravated that the air conditioning now works. So in keeping up with the nightmarish theme of Brazil, they just decide to stick a bunch of large pipes and hoses in and around his home, and occupy it thereby kicking Pryce out. This plays almost no role in the movie, and makes no sense whatsoever. I think that's what Gillam intented to have happen. Make a movie where it seems like the script came right out of a nightmare, and suprisingly it's very effective.
Ultimately the ending to Brazil is odd, and I still don't follow it. Also, if your planning on renting the movie to see Robert De Niro star (like I was intending to do) don't bother. De Niro is on the screen for 5 minutes at most. 7/10...truely original, but nothing spectacular. The theme song for Brazil (and maybe even the title) came from an old Django Reinhardt song of the same name.
Black and White (1999)
Bizarre, and Unoriginal
Like many people I really never heard of Black and White, but when I saw the all star cast (including New York Knick Allan Houston, and controverisal boxer Mike Tyson, not to mention Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller) I was drawn to it. The results were cold. Toback tries to create a movie that will educate audiences about todays black culture, and how white people imitate them. The result is multiple story lines that criss cross each other (sometimes just haphazardly) that involve people who are all somehow connected to up and coming rap artists (played realistically by Power) who have a criminal past, and may still be criminals. However Toback deviates from the real point of this movie (a look at black culture) and sticks in murder, homosexuality, corruption, and lots and lots of sex, drugs, and rap. It tries far too hard to be something its not, and it seems that all the actors were given downers to eliminate all emotion from them as the acting in this movie is just downright awful (excluding Robert Downey Jr. who is actually very good in his role). I'm surprised so many big names accepted such unusual roles (Ben Stiller as a cop???). One credit I give to Toback is persuading Mike Tyson to smack around a homosexual, and to talk about murder. Who knows why he would do that, but he was natural behind the camera. Ultimately the movie is unorganized, the acting is bad, and the script is worse. Watch it once.
Glory Daze (1995)
A Great Examination Of The Anxiety of Blossoming Adults
I'm a big fan of the examination of teens and young adults (being a teenager myself) and Glory Daze is a great story of a group of best friends on the eve of adulthood and how basically all of them are terrified of moving on from college and into the real world.
During the movie we discover the various characteristics, interests, styles, dreams and aspirations of the various leading characters. Their stories intertwine, and involve each other in some way. All of the plots involved in Glory Daze are simple, but flow smoothly and steadily in the backdrop of campus parties and bonfires. The acting is superb and the cast is simply perfect(of course it's better to watch the movie now when most of the actors (Ben Affleck, Sam Rockwell, and French Stewart) all become more well known names. All of them are perfect in their roles as bewildered college students. I love the end of the movie (but I won't spoil anything). I recommend this movie to anyone, especially teenagers, who just want to watch a movie about the fun and anxiety of the last days of real youth. 9/10. I also recommend Dazed And Confused, a great teen movie.
We Were Soldiers (2002)
I Wouldn't Rank It Too High
I liked this movie, but I didn't love it. I wouldn't say this movie was as good as other Vietnam war movies like Platoon, or Apocalypse Now. It's emotional, but it seems to be missing something that Platoon, or Apocalypse Now had. Frankly and honestly I was bored towards the end of the movie. It was constant war action without much story or connection to the characters. Not bad, but there's a lot better.
Permanent Midnight (1998)
Good, Not Great
The story seems to start in midway, and it seems like the movie is over before you really know about the characters other than Stillers' drug addiction. Love, hate, rage, and fear seem to arise from the characters without enough background on why they feel that way. It wasn't bad, and the acting was pretty good (Stiller was quite good as the drug addicted T.V. writer). Good to take a look at, but not something you'll want to see more than once,
Taxi Driver (1976)
Great Beginning, Better Middle, Poor Ending
When watching Taxi Driver I was absorbed into the mind of Travis Bickle (played to perfection by De Niro) a disturbed Taxi Driver. The only problem I had with the movie was the ending. The beginning and middle of the movie where Bickle encounters seedy characters that add to his rage against the "scum" of New York enable the viewer to believe the obvious. That Bickle will go on a killing spree eventually dying himself. Well, I'm not going to spoil the ending but that doesn't happen. In fact the ending in my opinion is in complete contrast to the character we were lead to believe was Travis Bickle for 3/4 of the movie. The ending was flat out punchless.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
A Movie To Stand Up And Cheer For
The Royal Tenebaums is an outstanding production. I thought Rushmore was perfectly done, but The Royal Tenebaums is by far Andersons masterpiece. Its a shame he dosn't do films more often becuase all of his movies are well acted, well written, and of course, well directed. The overlapping stories and quirks of all the Tenebaums is something to take notice to. The characters in the movie (with the exception of Ben Stiller) are all very emotionless, and unusual. Yet, even with all the emotionless characters, it was acted perfeclty because of its black comedy background. Theres really not much else to say. It's the type of movie that you either love it or hate it. If your interested in seeing a black comedy, with an all star cast, and are a fan of Wes Andersons Rushmore, or Bottle Rocket this movie is well worth viewing. Also take notice to the music in the movie. Sometimes the music seems to be too upbeat for the scenerio, but that just adds to the darkness of the comedy. Easily a nine out of ten.
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Greatest Movie Of All Time
In my long search for a flawless movie I have come across one that is more than flawless. Its just a miracle of filmmaking. Coppolas Masterpiece dosn't concentrate on the terror of inital combat (although it does surround the plot) it concentrates on something deeper than other Vietnam War movies like Platoon. Coppola takes on insanity of soldiers, and takes on a story (Hearts of Darkness which was written some years before Vietnam) and applies to a scenario where insanity runs rabid. Captain Benjamin Willard (Acted to perfection by Martin Sheen) a gifted soldier who has sinned in the past is called upon by his peers to hunt down a decorated officer Col. Walter E. Kurtz ( Another flawless performance by Brando) who has gone completely insane and still is operating in the feild with impressionable young soldiers. The tape recording documented to Willard while in the meeting with his peers of Kurtz talking is enough to bring chills to the viewer. He is orderd to exterminate Kurtz in his hideout in Cambodia. On his journey Williard comes across seedy characters, and numerous obstacles. The French Plantation Scene (Only available in Redux) which is a very odd scene that adds to mystery, and the horror in the movie itself. Once Williard reaches the end of the journey to find Kurtz he stumbles upon a terrifying scene filled with hanging bodies, departed heads scattered in the dirt, and a terrifying lair where Kurtz hides filled with " (the smell of Malaria and Nightmares). The beginning, middle, and end are all equally terrifying study of Coppolas study on insanity. In my opinion Williard became insane en route to finding Kurtz, but Coppola never explains it to the viewer in definate. The music is equally as eerie to each scene and brings out the full emotion in the movie, and the dialouge is not to be forgotten. Coppola pays attention to each detail, and while he will always be remembered for his Godfather movies, Apocalypse Now was by far his greatest, and maybe the greatest all time. Not to be missed by anyone.