Some good potential here but didn't gel - plot & exposition muddled, some sequences impossible to follow, and dramatic tension at best variable. But great initial setup of the scenario, and good suspension of disbelief for maybe the first one third of the running time. One very affecting scene, where a child empathises with a chimpanzee that has been treated as disposable by scientists / doctors, is worthy of a much better movie. Likewise, Gina Rodriguez is much better than the movie she is in. I hope she finds her true breakthrough role soon. All that said, I was sad to be left hanging by the final reel ... I would have liked to know what happened next. So not a total turkey. Worth a look but don't expect too much.
Reviews
10 Reviews
American Warships
(2012 Video)
Very middling indeed, but I still enjoyed it
11 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Came across this at random on the SyFy Channel, and got hooked in enough to record it and watch it in full later - so can it, indeed, be **that** bad? I didn't think this was actually awful, although in places it was sloppy and yes, of course the limited effects budget showed (I quite enjoyed the aliens shooting it out with hand weapons while hovering in mid-air though). If you think this film has bad acting, you need to watch some of the other things on the SyFy channel! This is **adequate** acting, with the exception of Van Peebles who, slumming as he may be, is good, and has enough presence to carry the movie. Another surprise: the script is OK by and large. I also liked what seemed to be genuine affection, on the part of the writers, for the great old battleships ... some Heinlein fans among the scriptwriters perhaps? (I recall him writing, in a letter reproduced in "Grumbles From The Grave", I think, "The old Okie ... I have been in her main battery fire control party when her big guns were talking" ... the U.S.S. Oklahoma was a very large battleship, although not, I believe, actually of the Iowa class). Don't know if there is anything similar in "Battleship" - haven't seen it - but it may now be a beneficiary as I will be unable to resist making the comparison with American Warship(s).
Three Days of the Condor
(1975)
Unique classic seminal thriller that I re-watch at least every year
4 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Puzzled by a remark elsewhere that Higgins is undoubtedly the villain - though I gave that review a helpful vote, for making me think about this. Surely Attwood is the only specifically identified villain? Higgins comes across as a "sympathetic desk man" with a conscience.
His boss, inured to hard decisions after the stark necessity of two world wars, even questions whether Higgins is tough enough to take such decisions ("you ARE perfect for it, aren't you, Mr Higgins?"). Higgins duly delivers on that toughness ... but by arranging the killing of Attwood, not of Redford's character.
Higgins (along with the audience) is then left to contemplate whether he would have been equally ruthless in an unsanctioned cause such as Attwood's own. Or indeed, as it may turn out, will he be that ruthless when he IS now shortly directed to have Condor finally assassinated? (That last thought only just occurred explicitly to me, after 20+ watchings).
But, what a movie that it contains not one, but many, such thought-provoking points in a thriller that works 110% as a thriller. Try finding that today, and there is the greatness of Three Days of the Condor!
His boss, inured to hard decisions after the stark necessity of two world wars, even questions whether Higgins is tough enough to take such decisions ("you ARE perfect for it, aren't you, Mr Higgins?"). Higgins duly delivers on that toughness ... but by arranging the killing of Attwood, not of Redford's character.
Higgins (along with the audience) is then left to contemplate whether he would have been equally ruthless in an unsanctioned cause such as Attwood's own. Or indeed, as it may turn out, will he be that ruthless when he IS now shortly directed to have Condor finally assassinated? (That last thought only just occurred explicitly to me, after 20+ watchings).
But, what a movie that it contains not one, but many, such thought-provoking points in a thriller that works 110% as a thriller. Try finding that today, and there is the greatness of Three Days of the Condor!
Starship Troopers
(1997)
Subtle satire as was Heinlein's book but on slightly different lines
24 May 2008
Just wanted to register another 10 score to add to the many excellent defences of this fine movie. Of course it's a satire on multiple levels so congratulations to Verhoeven and the entire film-making team for doing this so well, yet also succeeding brilliantly at the shoot-em-up thrills and coming-of-age story aspects (which latter I thought were non-trivial despite some probably deliberate clichés).
It seems to me that Heinlein was more ambivalent than Verhoven about fascism, although far from unaware of its dangers. The contrast isn't too surprising, since Verhoeven grew up in Holland not long after World War II and appears to be a thoughtful, essentially empathetic type of person, whilst Heinlein was heavily drawn to playing with theories on an intellectual level. However, Verhoeven's apparent preoccupation with the lessons of the Nazi era may have obscured some of Heinlein's themes.
Heinlein was an adult by the time of the war, lived in the US, and never served in the European theatre, so the war's emotional effects on him were different.
The heart-rending nature of the screams of the dying arachnids is another of the subtle features of the satire - you may not notice this during a first viewing of the relevant scenes.
Apart from that I've nothing to add to earlier reviews except no one seems to have mentioned the comparison that strikes me between the battle scene at the fort, near the end of the film, and at least one major scene in "Zulu". Surely this implied analogy is also intentional and part of the film's message.
It seems to me that Heinlein was more ambivalent than Verhoven about fascism, although far from unaware of its dangers. The contrast isn't too surprising, since Verhoeven grew up in Holland not long after World War II and appears to be a thoughtful, essentially empathetic type of person, whilst Heinlein was heavily drawn to playing with theories on an intellectual level. However, Verhoeven's apparent preoccupation with the lessons of the Nazi era may have obscured some of Heinlein's themes.
Heinlein was an adult by the time of the war, lived in the US, and never served in the European theatre, so the war's emotional effects on him were different.
The heart-rending nature of the screams of the dying arachnids is another of the subtle features of the satire - you may not notice this during a first viewing of the relevant scenes.
Apart from that I've nothing to add to earlier reviews except no one seems to have mentioned the comparison that strikes me between the battle scene at the fort, near the end of the film, and at least one major scene in "Zulu". Surely this implied analogy is also intentional and part of the film's message.
To Live and Die in L.A.
(1985)
Brilliant, Original, & Yes Under-Appreciated (except on IMDb !?)
26 September 2007
I'm far too late to the party to add much except: (1) yes the critics under-appreciated it but not Barry Norman, who rightly praised it as one of his Top 10 films in its UK release year (2) Can anybody provide more biographical info about the terrific female co-leads (Fleuer & Fluegel) since info on the internet seems very sketchy ? (3) Any better info on the exact locations of filming ? One of my personal Top 10 without a doubt - just such a completely different take on the cop film. The atmosphere and script are streets ahead of the clichés, even well executed clichés, that populate most "American policier" movies since this one. And what an arc from William Petersen here to CSI ! Glad he made it big eventually, at least !
War of the Worlds
(2005)
Visually brilliant - plot leaks below the waterline
22 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I gave this a score of 8, after struggling intellectually with what to award. In the end, I went with my intuitive reaction immediately on leaving the screening.
As usual coming late to the IMDb comments party, I also struggled to reconcile the (often hugely amusing or entertaining) vitriol, in some IMDb member comments, with the lavish praise in others. I think I may have an answer, which is that Spielberg's always titanic talent for integrating the visuals of a scene with the emotions of the characters has not deserted him, but his screenwriters did. Either his eye was off the ball and he did not catch this, or he never takes that much notice anyway, and was simply unlucky this time. Depending whether you react to the visuals and absorb the emotion, or analyse the actions and take against the movie, is really down to your temperament. Agreed, the first half was much superior to the second.
As I say, I enjoyed it, was in the react-to-the-visuals category, and found the overall portrayal, of humanity desperate in the face of overwhelming force, gripping and convincing. I felt this aspect was true to Wells' intentions in his novel. (Analogy with the British Empire and its machine guns against African natives - didn't actually see anyone else mention that). I thought the 9/11 and Iraq references were fair enough, if a bit obvious.
On the "continuity lapses" I will restrict my comments to: (1) EMP could be an erratic effect depending on the shielding of any given device, including the notorious camcorders, at the time of the pulse, but (2) yes this does make it implausible that every single car in New Jersey was rendered inoperable, and (3) be careful before criticising, because some of the implausibilities go right back to Wells, who, like Spielberg, knew he was authoring intelligent entertainment not a thesis.
As for the super smart Martians not figuring out the danger from earth microbes, this is as implausible as the US not realizing that leaving the Iraqi army unemployed would cause trouble after the invasion. I think Wells felt this was plausible because there were fewer bugs in the thin atmosphere of Mars, maybe. True enough, the buried tripods make it a tougher point to "explain". However, there are always reasonable explanations for so called illogical aspects like this, but an expert craftsman, like Wells or Spielberg, does not get hung up on presenting a dissertation about them.
The acting is a matter of taste. For what it's worth, I felt Fanning was a bit too mannered, and Cruise workmanlike, but let's not exaggerate his talent. beyond saying he works creditably hard by A-list star standards, and delivers an often enjoyable degree of characterization beyond his own persona.
As usual coming late to the IMDb comments party, I also struggled to reconcile the (often hugely amusing or entertaining) vitriol, in some IMDb member comments, with the lavish praise in others. I think I may have an answer, which is that Spielberg's always titanic talent for integrating the visuals of a scene with the emotions of the characters has not deserted him, but his screenwriters did. Either his eye was off the ball and he did not catch this, or he never takes that much notice anyway, and was simply unlucky this time. Depending whether you react to the visuals and absorb the emotion, or analyse the actions and take against the movie, is really down to your temperament. Agreed, the first half was much superior to the second.
As I say, I enjoyed it, was in the react-to-the-visuals category, and found the overall portrayal, of humanity desperate in the face of overwhelming force, gripping and convincing. I felt this aspect was true to Wells' intentions in his novel. (Analogy with the British Empire and its machine guns against African natives - didn't actually see anyone else mention that). I thought the 9/11 and Iraq references were fair enough, if a bit obvious.
On the "continuity lapses" I will restrict my comments to: (1) EMP could be an erratic effect depending on the shielding of any given device, including the notorious camcorders, at the time of the pulse, but (2) yes this does make it implausible that every single car in New Jersey was rendered inoperable, and (3) be careful before criticising, because some of the implausibilities go right back to Wells, who, like Spielberg, knew he was authoring intelligent entertainment not a thesis.
As for the super smart Martians not figuring out the danger from earth microbes, this is as implausible as the US not realizing that leaving the Iraqi army unemployed would cause trouble after the invasion. I think Wells felt this was plausible because there were fewer bugs in the thin atmosphere of Mars, maybe. True enough, the buried tripods make it a tougher point to "explain". However, there are always reasonable explanations for so called illogical aspects like this, but an expert craftsman, like Wells or Spielberg, does not get hung up on presenting a dissertation about them.
The acting is a matter of taste. For what it's worth, I felt Fanning was a bit too mannered, and Cruise workmanlike, but let's not exaggerate his talent. beyond saying he works creditably hard by A-list star standards, and delivers an often enjoyable degree of characterization beyond his own persona.
Sliding Doors
(1998)
Intriguing although not fully successful nor fully original
7 December 2002
A competent treatment of a dual worlds or dual time lines plot - not as common as you might suspect in the movies although well explored in literature at varying levels of seriousness. Particularly enjoyable for those who lived through London in the Nineties as it rings true for most of those aspects of the setting. However, not entirely successful since, for a mainstream film, it is pretty obscure on the topic of what is really happening. I wonder how many of the audience have noticed that Sliding Doors is very strongly derived from The Double Life Of Veronique? Yet, given that "Veronique" is an "art house" film, and that, just like Sliding Doors, it technically leaves open the fundamental questions about the logic of the parallel worlds, "Veronique" curiously seems much clearer in its treatment of the time slip logic. Paltrow looks terrific and Hannah's lines are genuinely smart and funny.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
(1979)
Milestone in Television Drama
8 June 2002
Difficult to do anything but support the superlatives given already in these reviews, and wonder whether this production has (as it appears) attracted the most overwhelming percentage of full "10" votes of anything in the IMDB? In trying to add a fresh comment I would simply point out the precision with which atmosphere and body language are captured in the various claustrophobic meetings. To portray what the characters are thinking, yet unsaid, is perhaps the finest aim of acting and direction. Here, this ideal is achieved at every level from individual to an entire room of people round a table. The sound is also very well edited - the almost constant rumble of London traffic for example, adding much atmosphere. My Desert Island "if you could only choose one out of the ten" choice, without a doubt. If only the BBC would see sense and make it available on DVD.
The Fabulous Baker Boys
(1989)
A unique mood among modern films
7 January 2002
Possibly the best ensemble acting since the Hawks, Bogart and Bacall version of "The Big Sleep". There aren't many films of the eighties that match the sheer class of the best studio pictures of the thirties, forties and fifties. This one does. Watch the scene where Jeff Bridges lights Pfeiffer's cigarette for a few seconds' vignette of perfectly restrained and utterly revealing acting. But then, almost every scene in this movie is at or near this standard. It's a film in a thousand, if that, that makes you believe you are seeing a glimpse into real life at a particular place and time. The Fabulous Baker Boys is three people's intersecting lives in Seattle in the late eighties. As real as if you had been there? No. As right as if you had been there? Yes.
Identification of a Woman
(1982)
Superbly Atmospheric minor masterpiece
5 June 2001
Possibly the most atmospheric film I ever seen, it made a huge impact when I first saw it, and that opinion has never changed. If there is one film that conveys the mystery of life this is it. It is also a highly evocative picture of Italy from the perspective of the upper middle classes in the late Seventies. Crying out for a DVD release as the photography was excellent too on the original film showings.
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