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True Detective (2014)
"Abundant darkness, but the light is winning"
From the haunting opening credits to the last bit of dialogue, True Detective season one is astonishing and unforgettable.
The story, performances, characters, cinematography, direction and its unflinching view of unspeakable crimes grab onto you and will not let go.
A harrowing portrayal of personal demons and professional triumph, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson along with a superb supporting cast deliver what has to be the most compelling drama since Oz and Breaking Bad.
No spoilers here. This is must viewing by anyone who takes the craft of film making seriously.
Do not miss it.
The Andromeda Strain (2008)
Let the Virus Win...Please
by the way....did we mention plot holes bigger than Kamloops..oops we mean Utah?...and the ludicrous shock value violence as if to say: "look...we can show this on cable (a&e) now!".....do yourself a favor readers...watch the 1971 original film (which by the way follows J. M. C.'s novel pretty closely)...and marvel at the attention to scientific detail without any cgi, etc ..feel the excitement build without the extraneous, amateur personal "daytime TV drama" scenes...this could have been a terrific re-make...updated technology...terrorism..built around the original concept...but all it is a toothless, predictable, and less than mediocre effort that should have been called the "abominable strain on the eyes and ears"
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Very Good, but...
Alas, not having read the novel, I was very excited when I saw the trilogy. A great spectacle, indeed. The great adventure-and great expectations...were all realized...
But.... As I look back on it, this film is a huge achievement, but that's the problem for me. Big spectacular sfx and complicated scoring distract from the story at times. And although action and acting are carried out here on a fine story-telling scheme, I was left a bit empty. For me, the emotional trek was always not "who is going to live or die?", but "how much computer power was needed?".
Fantasy films can be bit overdone and full of themselves, and I suspect that this is somewhat the case here.
For real, human drama, sans all the cgi and such, see what I thought was the best film of 2003...Mystic River...
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
From unbearable to unforgettable SEE IT
Leone's epic tale. Cinematography from heaven. Directed with meticulous detail. Acted with passion and reverence. BUT....see the entire film now fully restored on a 2 disc dvd. DO NOT confuse this version with the hacked up one released in the USA in 84. It was edited chronologically. This is not what Leone envisioned. See it the way the European audience did at the Festival de Canes. And they left cheering. The film is as great in its original cut as the butchered one is horrible. Make no mistake: Once Upon a Time in America is in the top fifty films of all time. See it. Take 3 hours and 45 minutes out of your life and experience the way Leone shows us details, anticipation, and sudden violence. And then try not to think about it. Unforgettable. Thank God it's been restored.
The Pianist (2002)
Brilliant film making. Brilliant performance.
See the Holocaust through the eyes of a musician and be prepared to be awed. You can not watch Brody's performance without being moved to tears. Watch the scene where he plays for the Nazi officer. Be moved by Polanski's understated direction that will have that image burned in your memory for quite sometime. This film takes a single view of a monstrous event. And it is a view that has never been seen before. Yes there are some action moments, but it is how we see Brody deal with all that is happening around him. Including extraordinary moments of non-dialogue that will have you trying to catch your breath. Please see this film. 5 out of 5
D-Tox (2002)
NO SEE THIS...
Do you wonder why this film was never released to the screen? Do you wonder why the studio dis-avowed it? Do you find yourself squinting to see the "action? Do you feel the horrible screenplay grating on your nerves? Can you hear the sounds of laughter from the crew? Why oh why do films like this get made? Too many questions? Well, don't let anyone "see you" watching this; The questions will continue forever... A turkey roasted to death would taste better.
Signs (2002)
Make us think more next time.
(Spoiler) I wanted to like this film. The plot line is interesting. Mel Gibson is a very capable actor. Shyamalan has already proven his talent. Character insight seemed forthcoming in the films description. So what went wrong? The film needed to go deeper. It's main action line was just too simple. I could not ignore the fact that we needed not just to be frightened, but needed to have an epiphany of thought as well. It did not happen for me. The acting was subdued, albeit good. However, the screenplay should have given us more to think about. It did not. I wanted to see more psychological turmoil, not just physical confrontation. The "signs" should have revealed more than damaged crops. It's a relatively simple task to make a film that scares us; complexity, however, can drive that emotion even deeper and ultimately make the experience more meaningful.
L.A.P.D.: To Protect and to Serve (2001)
LAPD: Laughable Awful Preposterous Dreadful
To Protect and Serve: Protect us the viewer and serve the acting to the dogs. Why oh Why did I rent this? Because of Dennis Hopper. After all, he has made some good films, even very good ones. I saw him on the cover, and instead of checking IMDB first, I took a chance. This trash is the Plan Nine from Outer Space version of modern law enforcement. If I were a LAPD employee, a LA criminal, a citizen of LA, even an alien from Mars, I would demand that all money used in this production be used to burn all copies of this wherever they may be. Considering the absolute total ineptness of the acting, directing, and writing efforts here, there may be only enough loose coin to burn just one copy. Dennis Hopper was in this for 3 maybe 4 minutes. And you could plainly see he was over acting. Dennis, do not add this to your filmography. This is a very, very bad film.