tomcardello Reviews

The Big Country (1958)

One of the all-time best westerns & best films.

[10/10 · 8 April 2020]

Gregory Peck? Charlton Heston? ... in the same film! Woa Nellie.

Everything about this film is BIG BIG BIG. The soundtrack is what stands out, beautiful music from start to finish.

No spoiler here, but Burl Ives steals the show. An Oscar well-deserved.

Badland (I) (2019)

Are you kidding me?

[2/10 · 8 April 2020]

This film is terrible. The words that these people use are not words that were common dialog back in the day. Sounds and looks like suburbanites dressed up like cowboys for Halloween.

A poor man's "Open Range" (now THAT was a great western).

Too bad Bruce Dern went out like this, he's an otherwise fine actor.

Brooklyn (2015)

BEST romance film i ever saw

[9/10 · 31 January 2016]

I would've given it a 10 but one part of the film made no sense to me. When Eilis returns to Ireland, why did she keep her relationship to her American man such a well-guarded secret?

If anybody can explain this, i'd appreciate it because i did not read the book.

Nevertheless, i thoroughly enjoyed this moving film with its many themes of loves and immigration. My parents are immigrants so this strikes a chord with me.

Go see this wonderful film and take a date, it's a classic romance.

This film was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar btw.

The character's name, Eilis is pronounced "Ay-lish".

Underrated part of the film is the music, particularly the acapella singing at the Irish American feast.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

"That was MY steak, Valance!"

[10/10 · 5 January 2008]

... so says John Wayne's character "Tom Doniphan" in this remarkable film to Lee Marvin's character "Liberty Valance" after Valance tripped Jimmy Stewart's character "Ransom Stoddard" while Ransom was bringing John Wayne his steak dinner. This film is undeniably the best western film ever made. Best story line, best acting, best filmed- and most irony.

There were so many memorable lines like the above in this film, i'm surprised that not more of them haven't made it into American slang.

John Wayne, always the perfect choice as a rough & rugged individualistic cowboy. Lee Marvin as the bad guy works every time, too. Jimmy Stewart, the frail idealist, works great in this film as well. Vera Miles gets the job done. My choice for best supporting actor in this film was the actor who played "Pompey", for his strong but understated performance. The scene where Tom was getting drunk and tries to force Pompey to drink with him was a great allegory- he was miserable and wanted everybody to be miserable with him.

If there's a better western out there, lemme know what it is!

United 93 (2006)

Not a "popcorn" film

[9/10 · 29 December 2007]

Nobody involved in the making of this exceptional film can ever be accused of exploiting the original tragedy. Why not? Well, i remember attending this film in the theatre. There was no advertisements of any kind. The lights went out and the film started- clearly, the producers were making a statement- no commercial enterprises will profit from the making of this film or the tragedy portrayed therein.

No high profile or "A list" Hollywood actors were used.

Although a theatrical film it has more the look & feel of a documentary, mainly due to its straightforward treatment of the subject matter.

I highly recommend this film.

It's a film that every American should see.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Attaboy Will

[10/10 · 27 December 2007]

Rarely do i give films a TEN, but this one deserves it. Simply put, any film that depicts fathers, particularly single fathers in such a poignantly terrific way deserves such a high ranking.

It was wonderful to see for once single fathers portrayed as hard working devoted parents instead of amoral, boozing, doping, womanizing, lazy, selfish louts. Will Smith's dead-on portrayal should hit a hight note with all single Dads. He also took pains not to overact.

I can see why Mr.Smith is on Hollywood's A-list.

Shame on Hollywood, however, for continuing to portray single Dads in the aforementioned fashion.

I highly recommend not renting but purchasing this film.

No End in Sight (2007)

Well done, but slow.

[7/10 · 9 September 2007]

Good film, a well done documentary. Most outstanding achievement was its balance- this is no Mikey Moore ultra-leftist propaganda "mockumentary". It makes salient points and lets the audience draw its own intellectual conclusions. It was the final nail in the coffin for me- i have no faith left in gov't. I recommend this to anybody who's politically involved. It's a bit slow, you have to have a solid attention span to stay involved. I wonder why several key people declined to be interviewed? Pres Bush was cited as not having read numerous key reports, i wonder why not? Why do so many people defend this absolutely unwarranted (and illegal) war? When did Congress declare war on Iraq? How could we have legally invaded without this declaration?

Dances with Wolves (1990)

One of the best ever

[10/10 · 9 September 2007]

It's with good reason that the AFI regards this film in it's top 100 of all-time ... it's an outstanding film. The authentic scenery in the cinematography, the fascinating characters wonderfully nuanced by great acting, the compelling story, and last but not least the beautiful musical score all combine to make this one of the best films ever.

Some of the actors in this film should've won Oscars but didn't. Many people slam KCostner's acting, but i like his style. He never over acts, stays within himself and was absolutely believable as Lt.John Dunbar.

Bravo Kevin Costner, well done.

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Exceptional Western film

[10/10 · 7 September 2007]

Who says the Western is done as a genre? This is a terrific film. There's always some things in any film that make me roll my eyeballs and say "yeah, right", and this film was no exception. Like Peter Fonda's character taking a bullet in the belly then having it removed without anesthesia by a veterinarian without letting out hardly a grunt. Then he climbs back on his horse and rides all day. Nobody is *that* tough.

Nevertheless, the rest of this film is awesome. It's tough, gritty, and has no silly romantic sub-plots that would've served only to bore the audience. The dynamic between Ben Wade (RCrowe, bad guy) & Dan Evans (CBale, good guy) is terrific. The acting by the entire cast is tremendous. Particularly good is Ben Foster playing one of Ben Wade's henchmen. He's a psychopathic butcher and is very believable in his role as Charlie Prince. Best remake of an old film i've ever seen (I saw the original 1957 film with Glenn Ford & Van Heflin as a kid in the '60's). This version improves on the original by a quantum leap.

Don't miss this film.

Rescue Dawn (2006)

Not a "popcorn" film

[1/10 · 4 August 2007]

Besides terrific acting & a compelling (true!!) story, this film does not wallow in over-glorifying itself. It doesn't try to pump up the audience with patriotic blather or "gee whiz, what a guy" feel good stuff. It simply tells the story of this incredibly courageous and resourceful man, Dieter Dengler. This is a great example of how films should be made. Also, the film's historical content was very, very accurate, the writers took few if any liberties with the truth.

Christian Bale is indeed an actor to be reckoned with. He's quickly becoming one of my favorites. His acting is believable and subdued.

Highly recommended but see it in a theatre and not on DVD in order to get the full effect of this great story.