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Reviews
Beck (1997)
My favorite Police procdural
Gunvald alone makes this series so worth while. A Swedish 'Dirty Harry' Well written stories and great locations. Addictive and rewatchable.
Hardcore Henry (2015)
Crazy, insane,stupid good
If you don't like jumpy camera work or POV (point of view) filming stay away from this film, and let the rest of us enjoy this little masterpiece. GoPro camera work dominates and I mean dominates this film. it's a good thing. I see some comparisons in some reviews to a first person shooter video game. It's so much more. The parkour stunt work is the best I've seen since 'District 13". Explicit in its violence...explicit isn't a good enough adjective. Definitely earns the R rating. A hard R rating at that. I don't know how it skirted a NC-17 rating. Totally enjoyable. I would have given it a 10 but the nudity was pretty much unnecessary. My nephew would love this as he is pretty darn good with his parkour stuff, but his parents would strangle me if I let him see this.
Criminal Minds (2005)
great..........disappointment
I really tried to stay with this series. I like Mandy Patinkin. The rest of the cast was good. The computer expert is SO annoying. I fast forwarded the disc when she was on screen. The nerdy, genius role is so passé. The dorky shirts, greasy hair, skinny bodied...misanthrope. The characterizations are very poor. They did not seem so blatant upon initial viewing of the first few episodes but they crop up by the fifth episode and remain incredibly boorish. the criminologist who tries to role play what the offender did is badly done. The character is a stereotypical black man seemingly always on the make and women swooning in his presence. The stereotypical female with the great looks and body is a straight steal from any C.S.I. series. Do these women always dress that way??? Watching the inner workings of the teams minds(mostly Patinkins') is a cool gimmick I must admit but over used. I'd rather watch "C.S.I.:N.Y."., or reruns of "Columbo"...you had me for awhile....but you lost me...a waste $35.00
Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
DC Graphic novel translates well...
First with "Superman-Doomsday" ,and now with "The New Frontier, DC has translated two of its better story lines wonderfully onto the screen. "The New Frontier" takes place in the early '50's. The war with Korea over and the threat of communism a constant topic of conversation. The JSA (Justice Society of America) has been disbanded. Superman remains the all-American poster boy, Batman the brooding dark knight. Wonder Woman a surprising turn as the true Amazonian she is with blood on her hands. The film focuses mainly on Hal Jordan soon to be The Green Lantern. His numbing confrontation with a Korean soldier at the outset of the film was genuinely shocking. The antagonist is an unseen entity called "The Center". This enemy has psychic powers as well as enormous other-worldly powers as well. Hal Jordan becomes a test pilot and is then introduced to a secret space project with him and a companion "Ace" as his co-pilot. the Martian Manhunter gains the second most screen time here. Tired of the inhumanity on our world he attempts to stow away on Jordans Mars mission without success. Superman comes to the rescue as the mission fails shortly after leaving Earth. Hal Jordan meets up with Abin-Sur as he is handed the mantle of the Green Lantern for the Earth sector. All past differences between the government and superheroes are cast aside as they fight side-by-side to subdue their common enemy. The animation is wonderfully crisp, and a true "retro" feel is present. The animation work on The "Flash" is neat and truly a joy to watch. The voice-over speech by JFK at the end is such a wonderful coda to this film...a few hairs raise on the back of the neck as JFKs' words play on and images of superheroes and their enemies scroll by...a great achievement for DC. Only a few minor complaints. I hope their is a sequel so we can see more characters fleshed out. This is definitely a comic readers movie. Only a true fan would be able to identify some of the tertiary characters such as "Adam Strange" or to a lesser extent "Green Arrow". I think they could have solved this easily by introducing the characters before the film along with their aliases..it would have been a great help to the casual comic fan. Overall I would gladly watch this again and again. A delightful piece of movie-making. This is definitely NOT a kids movie. Their are a few "s.o.b.s'" tossed around as well as some nasty violence against some of the creatures and the movie is unashamed to show blood. I would be cautious to show this to anyone under 10 or 11 years of age.
300 (2006)
A beautifully, violent epic.....
Entering the theater I hoped above all that this film would do Frank Millers' graphic novel proud. It did indeed. Messers Fong and Bissell, responsible for the production design and photography have crafted a visual masterpiece. The CGI effects are advancing by leaps and bounds..the battle sequences are stunning;easily rivaling "The Return of The King". There is also a deeply erotic undertone to this film...not that I am complaining speaking from a mans' point of view but everybody in the cast is in peak physical condition, even the older members of the cast look like they could kick butt.The look of the film itself gives the film a "historical" look about it.."historical" being the only adjective I can honor this film with. The near sepia-toned appearance adds authenticity as if someone was there to film the action and the film was found stored in a cave in Greece somewhere. Not unlike a faded negative. Standing back from the movie you can see it is rich in color and the over-saturation with the sepia-tone works perfectly. The only reason I do not give this film a 10 is the soundtrack. I was impressed by the power of the all-male choir in the beginning of the film but less-impressed with the heavy guitar riffing later in the film. Not that the soundtrack was inappropriate,(being the anal retentive person I am), I thought more brass instruments. kettle drums and a hint of bagpipes would be a dash more stirring. A splendid piece of film-making,,,cannot wait to see it again.
Hollywoodland (2006)
sedate,film-noirish,mini-masterpiece
Firstly the production values in this film are phenomenal. I was blown away by the detail and feel of the movie. Perfectly cast..it is always a pleasure to see Diane Lane on the screen. Affleck puts forward his best performance since "Dogma". Brody is his usual self....creating a character with intelligence,a sense of melancholy and fair play. Flawed but nonetheless a truly sympathetic character living in a time towards the end of Hollywood's' golden years and into the ever-changing malleable 60's. George Reeves is presented with great fun and an underlying sadness and frustration as played by Affleck. George Reeves was a wonderful guy off-screen , generous and loyal. These characteristics shine through as Affleck truly captured the man and the myth. The investigation of his untimely death is presented as a David and Goliath story with Simo the P.I.(Brody). fighting to find the truth. As we follow the piecing together of theories and facts by Brody and his acquaintances, we also follow the falling apart of Reeves' career and his zest for life and a career outside the "Superman" role he so famously made his own. Toni Mannix(Lane) picks George up at a party and their affair carries on the back of Lane as George becomes a sex toy and "trophy" companion to Ms. Mannix. We see George age before us and him leaving Mannix for a younger woman is devastating to both of them. More so Lane as she realizes she is not getting any younger and her true love for George is realized as he leaves her(he cannot even give her a "proper" kiss when he leaves on a New York trip). The younger woman in Reeves life makes him "feel young" although she is a very poor excuse for a woman with a vicious streak of animosity towards what she feels her life with George Reeves should be;and the reality of what life with George actually has become. The various scenarios of Mr. Reeves death play through the mind of Simo as he stands outside the home of the late Mr. Reeves. We see how his mind has imagined the death of George coming about and each vignette of his death does not make his death more easier to take...All in all a great character study, splendid acting turns by the cast and kudos for the wonderful story and production values and gorgeous musical score. Well done...
The Departed (2006)
Masterpiece iffy ending....
I loved the film. I was genuinely taken aback at DiCaprios performance. He was outstanding in spite of the tremendous cast. As was Matt Damon. I do agree with other reviewers that "Infernal Affairs" is as good a film as "The Departed" if not a tad better. The only thing that bothered me was the ending shot of the rat crawling across the scene. I thought of it as a slight against the film-watchers intelligence. Hitting us over the head with the "rat" reference as if we already did not "get" the point of the film....I was ticked at that last shot...I thought he "dumbed-down" the ending. That kept me from giving this film a "10". It does not ruin the film though...just the opinion of a fastidious, obsessive-compulsive. this film should rank up there among the best mob films ever. A must-see.
Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru (1960)
Faithful film-noir homage
A film that I have had on my shelf for quite awhile until I became ill and started watching films I have never seen. I am a huge fan of Kurosawas' work. This is a change of pace for him. Set in the 1960 era in Japan. A corporate tale, of deception, extreme loyalty to the point of committing suicide rather than bring shame to their company. A kick-back scandal erupts in the newspapers. Various officers of the corporation start doing their suicide thing. Tushiro Mifune in an under-rated performance plays the secretary of his new father-in-law. Bent on revenge for his fathers' "forced" suicide. I won't review entire film but the ending was kind of shocking for me. The death of Mifunes' character adds to the true to life noir feeling of the film...so in a way the ending should have been expected yet still surprising. I love the old cars in the film and Kurosawas' use of the flashlight as a lighting device in the film....the ominous chiming of the clock in the background acts as a foreshadowing device...a change is coming...for good or bad. Definitely a must see...Criterion edition does a great job again...subtitles are sharp and the deep focus Kurosawa used is well demonstrated here....a gem of a film....