Reviews

Hailed by almost every film critic as a masterpiece this film is regularly voted as #1 in film polls, or at very least in the top 10. And if there was ever a movie which deserved it's place amongst the elite, this is it. Director Francis Ford Coppola had only made low-budget movies and enjoyed limited success as a director up until 1970 when he came to recognition with his screenplay for Patton. The screenplay won him—and co-writer Edmund H. North— an Oscar. He then began work on a screenplay for The Godfather with Mario Puzo, the book's author. The resulting film took the world by storm and won Coppola his second Oscar for writing. The film also won Best Picture and Best Actor (Marlon Brando) at the 1973 Academy Awards and was nominated for 8 others Oscars including three nominations for Best Supporting Actor (James Caan, Al Pacino and Robert Duvall).

The wealth of acting talent in the leading roles is unparalleled. Marlon Brando's Don has been copied and imitated in countless films and TV shows since it's release; the strength and memorable nature of his performance standing as a true testament to his acting ability. Al Pacino gives a career best performance as Michael, struggling to remain aloof of his family's criminal activities and maintain a happy relationship with his girlfriend Kay (played brilliantly by Diane Keaton) but eventually being dragged into the family 'business' by his father's failed assassination attempt. James Caan is superb as the hot-headed older Corleone brother, Sonny; subsequent acting roles have never quite given him the opportunity to shine as he does here. Robert Duvall's cool, calm and collected adopted brother character, Tom, is a marvellous addition to the family as he tries to diffuse situations with sensible advice (he is the family's lawyer and consigliore). However he too appears to have hidden, darker tendencies; the famous horse's head scene is apparently all his own doing. The whole Corleone family is played with perfect depth and emotion by all the actors; John Cazale as Fredo is the perfect example of the understated performance—he is not as prominent as Sonny, Michael and Tom but still an integral player and extremely memorable. The only aspect of the acting which seems to be less than perfect is the supporting actors in the smaller roles. Although there is nothing 'wrong' with their performances, one does feel at times that they are stereotypes i.e. the rotund chef / hit-man Clemenza, and the aging henchman still trying to break out into his own 'family' (Tessio).

This is without a doubt the most influential movie of the 1970s and whatever minor quibbles might exist about some of the stereotyping, the acting of the leading stars, the perfect direction and brilliant musical score (by Coppola's father, Carmine) cannot be faulted. The pacing and editing of The Godfather must also be commended because even with a runtime of almost three hours, it never feels boring and withstands repeated viewing. A true American classic, it spawned two sequels; The Godfather Part II, which is also hailed as a masterpiece and won numerous Oscars, and the lesser but still noteworthy Part III. Currently residing at #1 on the IMDb's Top 250 list, this has been firmly lodged there for some time.

Luc Besson follows up his explosive international success La Femme Nikita with another story about assassins and the resulting film is even better than his previous effort. From its super-stylish beginning—a directorial trademark—we know we are in for a full-on cinematic experience. From the word go we have stunning action set pieces combined with some genuinely touching and funny scenes as well as sharp dialogue but what makes this film so special is the on-screen chemistry of its two leads. Jean Reno as the soft-spoken—and somewhat naïve—but deadly French hit-man and Natalie Portman as the ballsy pre-teen determined to seek revenge on the psychotic cop who killed her family. There are plenty of humorous moments in this incredible film and some memorable one-liners including: "Somebody's coming up… somebody serious". The underlying Lolita-style storyline is sometimes uncomfortable but strangely compelling and never gratuitous. Matilda sees Leon as a father-figure and he feels duty bound to protect her, however as the relationship becomes stronger Matilda confuses her feelings for something more sexual—leaving Leon gob smacked and ultimately getting them evicted from their hotel.

No can deny that this is an action film but whereas something like Die Hard relies on a basic premise and lots of explosions, Leon manages to fuse Hollywood's obsessions for all things pyrotechnic with a proper story and excellent script. Like all good action films there must be a bad guy and in Gary Oldman's Stansfield we have the epitome of bad. He is so downright nasty that he makes the Wicked Witch of the West look like the Fairy Godmother. It is never explained what pills he is constantly swallowing or why he must make such melodramatic actions in order to swallow them and this makes his character even more menacing. He is murderous, unpredictable and unhinged and not even his classical music obsession can calm him into any kind of rational thought. Gary Oldman, often typecast as the bad guy, shows us once again that he is an incredibly versatile and brilliant actor and it's a great travesty that he wasn't nominated for an Oscar for his performance.

The complete lack of recognition this film received at the time of release is astounding with only the Japanese Academy, Czech Lions and César Awards nominating it for prizes. Since then however its reputation has grown and Leon is now recognised as a true masterpiece of modern cinema and its director Luc Besson regarded as one of the most exiting talents to come out of Europe since the French New Wave. Not before or since has an action film had such a massive impact on its audience and with its reputation amongst film fans still growing one can only imagine in how much esteem it will be regarded by future generations.

If there is one reason to see this film its definitely Jamie Foxx. For 2hours and 20mins Ray Charles is brought back to life in memorable fashion. Foxx is outstanding in his portrayal of Charles and is also very convincing as a blind drug addicted musical genius. Having watched the film its very difficult to imagine anyone else playing RC on screen and even harder to imagine someone doing a better job.

The film itself is excellent with some inventive direction from Taylor Hackford including mixing graphics in with the live action. And the music scenes were sending shivers up my spine. Like Amadeus before it, this movie has the music of its subject as the backbone of the movie and really makes one appreciate Ray Charles' legacy in modern music.

Obviously its hard to fit a man's life into a 2 hour film but this does a damn good job; taking the most important and poignant moments of Ray Charles early life and showing the audience how they defined the man he became.

I strongly recommend this film because as far as biographical movies go this is up there with the best including Amadeus and Patton. And if your a fan of Ray Charles and his music then this film may go someway to offering an insight into both.

Overall I rate this film as an 8/10 but I think Jamie Foxx deserves a 10/10 because here in "Ray", and his other Oscar nominated performance in "Collateral", he proves that he may be a future leading man alongside the likes of his predecessors Denzel Washington and Sidney Poiter.

Review: Flamboyant and extravagant would be the best way to sum up this masterwork by Milos Forman. The obvious American accents of Tom Hulce (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) and Elizabeth Berridge (his wife Constanze) are somewhat misplaced in the setting of 18th century Vienna as is the use of 'mom' and some swearing which seem a bit juxtaposed with what is otherwise a stunning recreation of the period. It could also be argued that German and Italian would have seemed more authentic and appropriate for the language but if one can get over these small quibbles, then overall this is a very entertaining movie with some brilliant performances from the two male leads.

The mesmerising performance of F. Murray Abraham as the downright nasty Antonio Salieri is the obvious highlight of this film but Tom Hulce really brings Amadeus himself to the screen. His depiction of the great composer is, like the film, flamboyant and extravagant—almost childlike in places—which indicate a young man robbed of his childhood by his overbearing father; a theme which constantly reoccurs in the movie. Hulce's over the top laugh at the most inappropriate moments adds perfect comic relief to the proceedings which are at times quite dark. Both Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham were nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Academy Awards; Abraham eventually beating his co-star to the coveted prize. Elizabeth Berridge - albeit with her American accent - is very good as Mozart's somewhat neglected wife; she often comes second to Mozart's work and his affairs with other women. She plays the character well and interacts excellently with Hulce. Jeffrey Jones is in amusing form as Emperor Joseph and the rest of the supporting actors do a competent job.

The cinematography is sumptuous and lush with the vibrant colours and beautiful photography making it very pleasing to the eye. The costume design and stunning set and art decoration recreate an authentic looking 18th century Vienna; the palace of the emperor, the streets and opera halls all look meticulously produced and realistic. And then we come to the music. A faithful and wonderful recreation of Mozart's music is present throughout this film—it is essentially the lifeblood that runs through the whole piece. The opera scenes are visually very impressive and sound magnificent; these are also the scenes where we see Salieri most at awe of Mozart whom he admires and despises with equal measure. One of the most noticeable things about the music in this film is how it's linked very much with what we see on screen; Salieri reads Mozart's sheets of music and the same music swells in the background—offering the audience an insight into just what Salieri sees and hears when he reads the sheets. Likewise the penultimate scene of the film where Salieri is helping Mozart to complete his Requiem Mass is stunning. The interaction of the two actors is brilliant and the music playing in the background to complement their descriptions of the beats and instruments is quite beautiful to watch. Milos Forman's inextricable linking of Mozart's death with the Requiem Mass shows a man who was so passionate about his music that ultimately it contributed to his death.

Forman's direction once again proves that he is one of the very best of his generation and explains why he has been able to cross over and have commercial success in the same way as other European directors such as Roman Polanski and Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

This is purported to be the first film with real explicit sex scenes to be given a mainstream cinema rating (18). I decided to see for myself what all the fuss is about.

The film is essentially plot less - two people meet at a concert and for the rest of the film they go to a few more gigs and have lots of sex. Its not a complex film and you don't really need a PhD to work it out. I'm not a prude and extremely broad minded so the sex didn't really bother me. Having said that it wasn't particularly erotic either.

The music had its moments but was pretty average and lifeless - kind of like the film. It just felt like a Channel 4 music programme with lots of explicit sex thrown in for the hell of it.

I didn't feel much empathy with either of the characters and found myself watching the film all the way to the end to see if it would have some kind of profound ending - it didn't. The girl goes back to America leaving the guy to go to Antartica to do some research (!) Again this subplot is completely pointless - I believe it was Michael Winterbottom's way of getting some nicely shot "documentary" footage into his mediocre little art film.

I have given this film 5/10 because whilst I felt it was pretty dull and lifeless and neither character did anything for me, it did have a couple of good moments and the controversial nature of the film has broken the last remaining taboos in British film classification.

If this can be passed by the BBFC as an 18 because its an 'art' film by a serious British film-maker then I think it would be quite hypocritical of them to pass hardcore pornography with an R18 certificate which only allows it to be sold in sex shops. But that's just the way things go in Britain.

One of the most beautiful and wondrous films ever made, this is truly the gem of European cinema; not only is it heart-warming but also life-affirming. The antics of Miss Amelie Poulain cannot fail to captivate the audience— largely due to the impeccable casting of the mesmerising Audrey Tautou. Not only does she look the part but the idiosyncrasies she brings to the character mean that no-one else could even come close to playing the role. Pay particular attention to how she drinks the brandy in the café as she speaks to the man who has just been reunited with his childhood belongings. At times her devilish-looking smile appears mischievous but this is simply because, at heart, Amelie is still a child growing up in a world populated with adults who sometimes need a little help to have some fun. Unfortunately she fails to help herself and begins to feel lonely despite secretly pining for the mysterious Nino whom she encounters as he lurks near train station photo booths.

Amelie's love interest is played by Mathieu Kassovitz—better known as the director of the 1994 French classic La Haine. He plays the character with perfect aplomb; both naïve and childlike—as shown by his obsession with collecting discarded photographs—but also with more worldly experience than Amelie who has been sheltered all her life by an overly protective father. It is a great parallel that Nino's two main jobs are working at a fair ground on some days and in an adult video store on others; again showing the two sides of his character. A brilliant supporting cast—including long time Jeunet collaborator Dominque Pinon—add even more humour to the already quirky and mischievous screenplay.

One particular element of the screenplay is wonderfully conceived; her father is convinced she has a heart defect when in reality it is his rare displays of contact and affection which cause her heart to race. Other nuances included the world trip undertaken by the gnome belonging to Amelie's father and the hilarious tricks Amelie plays on the local grocery for the ill-treatment of his assistant. The start of the film with its irreverent look at the small things that no-one ever really notices is also a fantastic script device to hook the viewer.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet—who came to prominence with the deliciously depraved Delicatessen—once again uses his self-taught directorial skills to bring to the screen this wonderfully amusing and captivating story. Fantastic, Oscar-nominated, cinematography means this is a sumptuous viewing experience. However one cannot fail to notice how artificial Paris looks in this film—there is no graffiti and the settings look like something out of a picture postcard. This is of course another of Jeunet's deliberate stylistic choices (watch out also for talking pictures and figurines as the two main characters are asleep). Jeunet will be best remembered for this film but his early work too should not be dismissed—Delicatessen is a perfect example of a director on the ascendant and there are stylistic similarities between both films.

Not only is this a genuinely lovely film but it also makes you realise how beautiful life can be if you look at it in the right way. Inventive direction combined with a superb script and ensemble acting makes this the best and most influential French film in recent times. Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2002 Academy Awards, this really should have swept the board and makes the majority of other films seem bland in comparison.

Contains possible spoilers.

First of all I should qualify this comment by saying that I am a massive fan of Scorsese - pre-Cape Fear anyway. This is definitely his masterpiece (although Goodfellas gives it a run for its money) and the finest of his collaborations with Robert De Niro. The fact that its shot in black and white works very well because it gives it an authentic feeling - sometimes its easy to forget that this film was made in 1980 and not 1940. Robert De Niro gives his all in arguably his best performance. The scene where his punches the cell wall and bangs his head against it is incredibly difficult to watch and possibly the best single piece of acting I have ever seen on film. He IS Jake La Motta for the 2 hours of this movie. The way he gets inside the psyche and mindset of a brutal cold hearted beast like La Motta is admirable to say the least and absolutely mindblowing to be honest. Yes this film can be hard to watch simply because La Motta is such an unlikeable guy and his self destructive personality is difficult to warm to. The domestic violence he inflicts on his wife is particularly hard to swallow but it's this violent and abhorrent behaviour which makes the character so compelling whilst so unlikeable.

The cinematography of the fight scenes is simply amazing. On the DVD it explains that Scorsese put a fire underneath the camera lens to get the hazy appearance of some of the shots - genius. The scene which sticks in my mind most vividly is where Sugar Ray Robinson is destroying La Motta and his face explodes in a burst of blood and broken noses. The shot of La Motta's blood flying into the faces of the boxing judges is pretty gruesome, as is the shot of his blood dripping from the ropes after he loses the fight.

What makes this film so powerful is the fact that is based - quite accurately - on Jake 'The Bronx Bull' La Motta's real life. He appears on some of the special features of the DVD. Now a frail, cracked faced old man, he cracks jokes and comes over as quite a charmer. But having seen his antics portrayed so convincingly by De Niro in the movie, it still isn't easy to like him.

This really is a magnificent film. Superb acting from the ever brilliant De Niro and good support from Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriati complement Scorsese's stunning direction. One of my top 3 films of all time along with Amelie and Shawshank Redemption. Do not miss.