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Reviews
Oppenheimer (2023)
Slow and dumbed down
I had such high expectations for Oppenheimer - the film set off well enough, but soon I was exhausted from the lack of information relevant to the development of the atomic bomb - it would've been fun to learn how scientists actually came up with the math and theories - especially if there was a slight risk of blowing up the universe.
This film simply feels dumbed down - to the point that Oppenheimer appears as more as a manager than a scientist.
To make matters worse, the pacing is painfully slow and runtime about an hour longer than it needs to be.
But make no mistake - the core story is a fascinating one and worth a look. But Academy Award material? Not sure about that.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Ignore the haters
I went into seeing Indiana Jones with the lowest expectations and darkest perception of what's to come (based on many reviews), but I had a great time and was entertained, thoroughly, for over 2 hours.
There are some issues with the film, but if you like Indy, time travel, killing Nazis, and want some closure to this saga, this film is it. There's even redemption for the main characters who learn a thing or two about life.
What I did not like is the poor quality CGI of NYC, particularly the parade sequence. Broadway, where the parade actually took place, is quite large. This film's version looks like a small Brooklyn street.
There are a couple of other issues - if Indy is being sought after by the police and all the law enforcement people of NYC, why is his name screamed out at the airport for all to hear? And how does he even get near a plane, let alone get on one?
All that aside, I enjoyed this film. I found the ending fitting and satisfying.
The Italian Job (1969)
Fun heist film with some excellent moments
Overall this is a fun film - locations, cars, girls, the Mafia...
A brilliantly executed heist and car chase all through Torino add a special element of excitement, no CGI here!
Like all heist films, the story opens with a bit of intrigue and mystery, then grows as team members are added. A nemesis is thrown in, the distracting girlfriend is tossed out, and the men get on with the work.
Yes, there are some dated elements to this film - but that's part of the era and life as it was. The good old days of 1969 were indeed free - free enough to race 3 Cooper Minis across terrain not specifically made for any type of vehicle, not to mention laughable security all around.
But I digress rapidly... This is a thoroughly enjoyable film.
Except for the last 2 minutes., which for me, ruined the entire film.
But give The Italian Job a shot - you will have some fun, then you can decide for yourself whether or not to stop the film before it ends the next time you view it.
Ice Cold in Alex (1958)
good adventure, somewhat contrived
A largely enjoyable film - many tense moments as well as glorious vistas.
Issues arise when our friendly party makes their way to Alexandria via a most precarious route - a variety of desert terrain, a few enemies, and personal inner conflicts that are quite relatable today.
There some tender moments, some surprising, that add to the enjoyment of the tale as our characters progress (and digress).
However, I did not care for the ending, and frankly, much of the story was predictable, even contrived - at least from a modern perspective IMO.
Considering the era and political climate of this film, the situation that plays out is somewhat understandable with the period - and a bit wholesome to a fault.
I think I would've let someone escape, considering the events that have taken place. As far as I can tell in this film, the bad guy is the good guy for his deeds, even if he is the enemy.
Or perhaps if more information was given to justify the ending - something to really impress the fact that there is a bad guy in the film with an equally vicious ulterior motive.
Instead, we are forced to accept the scenario as is, after having a beer, of course.
Still worth a viewing - again, it is entertaining.
Sans soleil (1983)
I love art films, I love French films, and I love Japan, but...
This film has a lot of great footage of not only Japan circa 81-82, but also Africa. The narrative takes you along for a ride through the customs and idiosyncrasies of these places, focusing mainly on Tokyo and outlying towns.
I 've screened Sans Soleil four times during different stages of my life and I still can't relate to this film at all. I love Italian, French, and German cinema- some very obscure and odd films, but this film escapes me. What the heck is it about?
The only conclusion I can settle in with is that perhaps the director dislikes the Japanese - not that this film speaks it out loud, but in sense that Japanese (and African) cultures are being viewed as a curiosity - much like a child looking into the cage of an animal at the zoo - the director observes and makes conclusions without ever attempting to understand the cultures. It's obnoxious, I feel.
An analogy is a 1950s era fat American tourist in France - with superficial, naive, banal observations without any understanding or attempt to understand the true beauty before blind eyes - only the screams of "does anybody speak English?"
Maybe I'll try this film again in a few years. Right now I hate it.
Le salaire de la peur (1953)
Intense, gripping BUT...
Most reviews have already mentioned how intense this film is - and it is quite a journey.
The unfolding tale keeps you at the edge of your seat - is it the characters bravery? Is it greed? Or perhaps heath issues?
No - it's stupidity. As the last two minutes will prove.
I've seen this film so many times over the decades that I now hate the ending - I feel the ending literally destroys the entire film, rendering it dumb, stupid, short sighted, and petty.
See for yourself.
Enjoy the cinematography, fine acting, and sound effects. Get caught up with our main characters on a brave adventure. It's all 10 star stuff!
Then stop the film two minutes before it ends for a more enjoyable and satisfying experience.
Thank you.
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Shallow remake
Yes, the Agatha Christie story is brilliant. How can you possibly go wrong?
Well, this version is somewhat sterile - add to this computer graphics, rather poor karate, no smoking, and actors miscast for the period this is set in, and there you have it - a bland retelling of a classic for simple minded folk of the modern era who couldn't care less.
Stick to the original. Please.
The only halfway believable cast member is Depp - who plays the jerk everyone hates well enough, but even then, his performance is weak and forced.
But aside from what I already mentioned, this is an uninteresting and fake version of the classic, just another politically correct overly homogenized Hollywood film.
The Man in the High Castle: Fire from the Gods (2019)
love it or hate....
I enjoyed this series, sure there were moments when the story wandered, but generally I loved it. The reviews written here have a curious split - viewers either loved or hated the ending because of the last 90 seconds or so.
I admit to being dumbfounded as I tried to compute the last moments and abrupt ending of many story lines. It was just all too quick yet mesmerizing, I wanted more.
Next day I watched the last episode again and loved it.
Perhaps The Man In The High Castle isn't finished as a series! There is too much to explore, too many unanswered questions. Too many new directions to go. I think this is the brilliance of the show, the genius that this will not end here.
If I am wrong then fine. That's just the writers messing with you. I'm grateful for the vast expansion of Philip K. Dick's creation, very entertaining overall. I suppose just don't watch the minute or so lol.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Genuinely creepy
I truly love this film - it's a Halloween classic in the household. Halloween III contains a supernatural element that adds to the creepiness of the usual blood and gore. And it's dolled out slowly and methodically to lure the viewer into the dark world of Silver Shamrock.
I was never a fan of the Michael Myers storyline, so I prefer this film over the others - again because of the intellectual darkness of the plot, it's so creepy. It's not just some nut running around with a scalpel or axe, there is serious witchcraft going on here.
I put this film in the category of Kubrick's The Shining - where forces beyond our realm are at play. Halloween III lacks the magnificent brilliance of Kubrick's direction, but Tommy Lee Wallace pulls it off well.
Dan O'Herlihy portrays one sinister character - his delivery is akin to Bela Lugosi's Dracula - each word carefully chosen and delivered with different meanings.
Tom Atkins is believable as a drinker/not the best dad - but he is a caring person and always does his best to do what is right, but somehow things never work as planned. Stacy Nelkins is lovely, but perhaps the weakest link here - I found her relationship to her father a bit uncertain and it is not explained in the film as to why she can switch emotions so quickly. Nonetheless, she is adorable and sympathetic - you want to help her.
Again, I love this film. Watch it at night in a dark room ;)
thank you
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Awful in so many ways, yet I can't look away.
Short and sweet: This is a gawd awful movie - the acting, the romantic story line, the clichés.... I can't even waste time on the details because those things are so terrible in a most frightening way, but I will say the actual attack sequence was nicely done computer graphics. After the attack is over, you can stop watching the movie.
I would have loved more detail with respect to the war INTEL on both sides, and perhaps more focus on the Japanese preparation of the attack. Instead this film focuses on poorly acted love interests, the worst FDR I've ever seen, and moments that I wanted to kick the TV. But please, don't let me discourage you from watching this. View it at least one time. Then Youtube the actual war footage. Bless those who died.
Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
Big Entertainment
After the brutally damaging Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen is a refreshing overhaul of the Ocean genre.
The swank opening credits (borrowed from a vintage NYC WWOR-TV channel 9 four o'clock movie intro) sets the red carpet mood in 70's Vegas style. The usual gang of thieves take on new challenges with new alliances against new enemies.
Nothing really new, but very entertaining at the least, I believe. Some scenes border on surreal - owing to Vegas' limitless canvas of pizazz, gaudiness, and cheese. And then there are scenes with some touching moments that soften things up a bit (Elliott Gould is okay in my book).
Toss in a few over-the-top comedic routines, dirt & diamonds, a cougar, some old school charm and a bit of luck, and Ocean's Thirteen scores big entertainment. Lots of fun, enjoy.
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Disappointing
Compared to Ocean's Eleven and Thirteen, Twelve fails abysmally in my book.
The film started out well enough, but it seems as though the writers were killed midway and the actors had to wing it.
The end of this film is so bad that I almost threw my shoe at the TV.
Worth watching at least once, just to appreciate bad film making, bad screenplay writing, bad improvisation... well, you get the idea.
One good thing - this film gave birth to the much improved Ocean's Thirteen. All the mistakes have been corrected, and the writers have apparently been resuscitated.
The Third Man (1949)
A wonderful gem
I watched this film for the first time and was captivated by the plot. The acting is superb, as is the war torn setting and abysmal realities of post-war Vienna. Also, the zither music lured me into this uncomfortable place that at times seemed to mock what was happening on the screen.
As a whole, this film was ahead of its time with its use of black comedy, music and the unknown motives of the characters that always kept me curious.
Orsen Welles' first appearance was a shock to the senses. What a great film!
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
What happened to the future?
2001 is a thought provoking piece of film history, that for me is a mini time capsule containing all the hope and optimism of the late 60's Apollo generation. Kubrick and Clarke honestly believed that we would be doing such wonderful things by 2001, and why not? We were landing men on the moon, space stations were in the works, off-world goals were in scientists minds - what happened?
After seeing this film for the 100th time (or so), it dawned on me how purely bittersweet this film has become. Maybe after another 100 viewings I'll have a more optimistic opinion, but for now it represents mankind's failure to evolve and a failure to openly, unselfishly embrace the wonders of the universe, including mankind itself.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Great film
I held off on watching this movie because of mixed reviews and the collaborative issue of Spielberg/Kubrick...
This is an amazing film - I was impressed how Spielberg handled the direction, it was almost like watching a Kubrick classic. The locations, dialogue, charactors were all in Kubrick style, especially the flow of the story. What an adventure! The whole ending nearly brought me to tears. This film will become a classic.
Thank you Steven for putting your heart into this one, it really shows.
Snatch (2000)
More fun than Pulp Fiction
What a film - interesting cuts & angles, great acting and snappy dialogue.
This film out does "Pulp Fiction" on many levels, but thanks to Tarantino for opening the genre.
Del Toro and Pitt are amazing.
The Snowman (1982)
Powerful beauty
An amazing animation that conjures emotions to the point of tears - a beautiful film with beautiful music.
The first viewing reminded me of childhood - and the freedom of being a child. The second viewing reminded me of the same childhood freedom,
but with the reality of being trapped in an adult world.