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Michaelc2502
Reviews
The Apartment (1960)
Cleverly written, witty and layered
The Apartment was a highly enjoyable watch. The best aspect of it was definitely the screenplay, in my opinion. Both the humor and the way certain situations were put together were very well-done. The film also did great drama-wise. It covers various themes such as infidelity, suicide, capitalism, loneliness, and opportunism. The cinematography and acting was also pretty good. My only criticism is that some parts maybe went on a little too long. Overall, a good viewing experience I strongly recommend.
Scarface (1932)
The Gangster Genre In The Era of the 'Gangster'
'Scarface' is a gritty, violent film from 1932 directed by Howard Hawks. As I am a fan of crime films and shows, such as Scorsese's gangster films and 'The Sopranos', it was interesting to trace the lineage back in time to an earlier installment in the gangster genre (I have not seen the 1983 'Scarface' as of writing this review, however). The film follows the rise and fall of an Italian-American gangster named Tony Camonte and his associates in Chicago. The film explicitly states its intent, both at the start and a quick scene halfway through or so: A call for the government and the American people broadly to take a stand against organized crime. Tony is a character with basically no redeemable traits, or even a semblance of a personality. I found this to be effective. The film is entertaining and gripping throughout, but more so in the first half I thought. I had some issues with the pacing at times, and more of an issue with how towards the end Cesca all the sudden decides to help Tony, despite his abuse. I found out that both weird from a storytelling perspective and an outdated view notion that women can simply forgive men for such behavior without any change on their behalf. Despite that, I think this is a good film, and I'm glad I watched it.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
Steamboat Slapstick
In this classic, we see Buster Keaton perform his usual brand of slapstick physical comedy. Keaton plays the son of a fisherman, but much to his father's dismay, he is effeminate and clumsy. Some strengths of this film were the acting (at least the physical acting). While I can not say the acting overall is on par with what would come in the following decades, the dedication to the stunts performed by both Keaton and some of the other actors was very impressive. The stunts are also quite funny, of course. Without spoiling too much, my favorite part of the film was the wind sequence seen in the last fifteen minutes. The last five had me feeling genuinely anxious and on the edge of my seat. Any weaknesses mostly just comprise of my lack of silent films seen, thus not being too familiar with some things (and the racial depictions, but this was made in 1928 of course). Overall, an enjoyable and important film.