Change Your Image
bakubaku2000
Reviews
Southern Comfort (1981)
a good film,yet with flaws..
WARNING/SPOILER ALERT!!!
southern comfort is a good movie,but we sense the fact that Walter Hill was just starting his career.and so his movie has all the little things that might irritate viewers. the characters are all a bit sketchy,and so we cannot really embrace their cause. apart from the little flaws, it's a good movie. it reminds me of an old john ford movie:"the lost patrol"; like this one,it tells the story of an army patrol that gets lost in a hostile territory(the bayou) and has its members killed one by one by some unseen enemy. the suspense is quite effective,the bayou background has a vietnamese style that immediately works on frightening people. the fact we don't see the enemy is also appealing,like in jaws for instance.the cajun people might not like the image of them the film conveys.
the Ry Cooder soundtrack is really good and accounts a great deal for the tension and atmosphere of the movie. the fact the soldiers haven't got a lot of ammunitions is a good idea,as they are left helpless when finally confronting the enemy.the moment when
Carver charges on them with nothing but his baionet is quite impressive. it's true the soldiers behave in the most insane way in the movie,but i think it's the way city slickers would behave if they were left stranded in the bayou with someone hunting them down. in short:an impressive second film from Walter Hill,that touched me more than deliverance.
Booker (1989)
great fun!
that TV series was on my opinion very funny to watch, it was like an urban "magnum" relooked with a neat photography. the booker character was cool and always managed to squeeze some one-liners in the middle of a very dangerous scene,which was really funny.i spent some good times watching it.it was neat and had no high ambitions,it fulfilled its purposes well.
The Exorcist (1973)
clearly one of the best movies ever!
the exorcist has managed to stay very much frightening even though it was released in 1973,this is one fact that shows its quality. One thing movie-makers tend to forget today is that movies need to project a certain atmosphere so as to capture the audience's attention. the exorcist succeeds in that task all the way .it is a truly riveting film.The photography,the sound and visual effects,the way Friedkin builds the tension throughout the movie,it's top of the line material! the actors do some fine acting as well,I think it's unfair to criticize Linda Blair, because she's good in a very difficult role,plus she had to cope with all the make-up! i judge movies by the way they continue to play in my mind afterwards, and this one is still roaming around in my head,believe me!it has nothing to do with the mindless crap hollywood churns out today.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
a sweet ride ..
this movie is a truly magical moment; it is served by talented actors,a gifted director,and spectacular sceneries; although it might seem a little cold,it is very moving,and Ang Lee is really good at capturing the atmosphere of this oriental tale that has everything to do with magic; one aspect of it are the fight sequences which take part in the movie and do not disrupt it as Ang Lee chose to put them in a supporting role;
The Yards (2000)
a very tense..and very good movie
the yards may suffer from a script that isn't as original as it is supposed to be,but some really great piece of acting from mark wahlberg and the rest of the cast gives a great force to the movie. furthermore,director james gray displays real image-creating talent,especially with the use of shadow vs light sequences that really help supporting the script. I think the movie shows the diversity of US cinema in a positive way.
Manhunter (1986)
a visual ecstasy and a gripping tale
this movie is one of the best in its category i feel because it displays the usual visual wizardry from Mann(dream pictures;dream colors..)combined with excellent music;is it some other musicvideo-like movie?not at all!because on top of this the tale is very strong and gripping(thomas Harris is no lightweight in his category) and Mann succeeds in translating the atmosphere of the book; in short:a MUST-SEE !