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redram91
Reviews
Endless Night (1972)
Extremely Flawed...BY THE LEADS
The 6/10 is given only to the wonderful music of Bernard Hermann and to the decent cinematography and direction. Sidney Gilliat wrote many of the Hitchcocks and part of my problem lies in the fact that this is a Hitchock wannabe, as many of the previous posters have mentioned.
However what many have not mentioned is the horrendous choice of leads: Hywel Bennett is dreadful! He might be sexy to the girls, but he is a horrible actor. Check out the scene at the end where he cries. It's done horribly. His lines are said with little depth. The same is said for Ms. Mills. Granted the two roles are vary hard to perform, Bennett and Mills were the wrong choices. I have a feeling Gilliat wanted to cash in on their commercial success.
Lois Maxwell, Peter Bowles, and George Sanders (one of his last roles before he committed suicide) are amazing, far better than the two leads. Britt Ekland is...Britt Ekland. The script is alright, although it's just so overdone with the Hitchcock.
This movie is flawed. If two different leads had been chosen and perhaps a more haunting ending had been installed, this movie could have been very good. As it is, it's not bad, it's just not that good.
Traffic (2000)
Yeah, it's a great film, but did anyone know it's a remake?
Yeah, that's right. It's a remake. And no, it's not better than the original. If you want to see something really rough and utterly amazing in direction, acting, writing, and cinematography, check out the mini series Traffik from 1989, that's what the movie is based off of. Some of the characters have been changed, but it's essentially the same story. So to reiterate, yeah, this is an amazing movie, but the original is easily better. Del Toro has made and acted in better movies than this, yet this is obviously the peak of Soderbergh's career as a filmmaker. Also, there is too many unneeded language in this version. If you look at the 1989 version, there is no language for one reason: it's not needed because the acting is so terrific.
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)
One of the best? No. Potentially one of the best? Absolutely.
OK, I read most of the reviews on the board for over two weeks now. I am dismayed by the amount of viewers who give this a 10/10 and say nothing poignant or useful. Similarly, ones who give it a 1/10 just say it's overrated. I will try to give depth to why I give this movie a 7/10. The cinematography is spectacular; this movie really does contain some of the best shots I have and ever will see in a movie. The length does not bother me, although there are certainly a few scenes that could have been cut down like the final showdown or some of the Civil War scenes. Now the plot. And here arrives the main problem. Historically and contextually, almost all the weapons and battle scenes are out of their time and place in history. I'm sorry, but I can't award a movie a 10/10 for messing up so many basic historical facts. Besides that, there are scenes that just don't mesh well, and I believe the film is somewhat poor on its pacing such as the scene in the monastery vs. the civil war bridge scene. The acting is decent, but seriously how much depth can any of the actors give with these one sided characters. And here, the next problem arises: The characters themselves have NO depth. One is ugly and greedy, the other is bad and....wicked, the last one is good...and a good shot. There's nothing else about them! At least in some of his other movies like A Fistful of Dollars or Once Upon a Time in the West, all the characters are multi-faceted. Moving right along, the production is fairly decent, but how does it help with so many historical errors? The music......is not that good. I have never understood why so many people think it's amazing. It's very simple and....rather childish to be blunt. Sergio Leone is certainly a qualified and somewhat talented director, but this is not his best movie or even one of his better ones. For a good Leone movie, check out Once Upon a Time in the West. That's my favorite. Again, this is not a bad movie, just not "the best western" or "one of the greatest films ever made".
Bergerac (1981)
Fairly Original and Entertaining Show
I am 15 years old and have been watching Bergerac for only a few months. Nevertheless I have given the show a lot of thought and have formulated a few ideas. It is quite entertaining to say the least. There is no episode (that I have seen) that is completely boring, but I'm sure some exist.
Its roots definitely exist in Secret Agent starring Patrick McGoohan. The cinematography, the acting, the direction, the writing, and certainly the music. In fact, most of the writers and directors were Secret Agent veterans. However, the writing is still crisp, and the show always has fresh twists that you won't be able to guess.
The filming is wonderful. Although the first few seasons are a bit low budget, the scenery of Jersey makes up for this fact. The music, especially the piano and the end music where "John Nettles" is credited is wonderful. I particularly love those ominous or poignant endings which freeze and turn to the creepy music where the credits are given.
John Nettles, whom I enjoy watching on Midsomer Murders, is not wonderful in the first few episodes, but he quickly picks up the role. The guest stars are also superb. The scripts, as I mentioned before, are really original. I won't give too much away but be sure to check out episodes like House Guests, S.P.A.R.T.A., Last Chance for a Loser, Campaign of Silence, Fires in the Fall, or Ice Maiden.
Previous viewers have commented on the lack of reality due to the high body count. OK, who cares? Do you really think James Bond, Secret Agent, Miami Vice, or even Law and Order maintain reality ALL the time? Absolutely not. But, the show is much more intelligent than most of the TV shows made nowadays or even during the 80s. Although somewhat dated and somewhat poorly produced during the first couple seasons, this show will always be one of my favorites due to its creativity, witty dialogue, and plot.
M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder (1931)
The Kind Of Movie You Want To See Everyday
This movie has it all! This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Many people have criticized it because it's from 1931 and I say: Who cares when you have such a great movie? Peter Lorre gives a 4 star performance as the child murderer, and may I say he is very very haunting. Fritz Lang's direction is superb; the cinematography is superb! The kangaroo court scene at the end is my favorite part, and it's brilliantly done. The plot is very well crafted. Even more amazing is the plot focuses around catching the murderer, but it is not boring for one second. Each scene flows beautifully into the next with some amazing chases, raids, and facial expressions. This is also a movie ahead of its time. This is definitely one of the all-time best movies!