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davidddt
Reviews
Edge of Darkness (2010)
Nothing edgy about it.
Mel Gibson is not one of my favourite people. Not that I know him personally of course but he comes across in real life as the typical Aussie bigot.
He can however, despite what others say in this and other reviews, Act.
His performance as Hamlet was in my view one of the best in his career so far.
So what does that mean to this movie. Well without his acting ability, this version of Edge of Darknes would never have seen the light of day. Only his performance is worth any merit. I was hoping that because the original was so long ago and as times have long since moved on that the moguls who decided on this remake would have been able to produce something wholly original. What a spectacular failure in that assumption. Taking the original theme and reworking the ideas by jumbling them about and turning the movie into a shoot em up might suit American audiences but for the rest of the world and anyone who has even half a brain it will just not do.
If you have not seen this movie then please do not watch it until you have watched the original TV mini series now out on DVD. If you have seen the movie then do yourself a favour and watch the original.
I cannot believe that this is the same director. Has he gone senile? People who cheat in sport should be stripped of medals won. Likewise people who remake classics and turn then into S--t should be castrated.
A word on the transfer to Blu Ray. Sound quality is poor, you have to turn it up to hear what's being said and down when the crappy music starts. There are no added features to talk of except a number of outtakes which would never make a "Special Edition". All in all an American rip off! Buy the original miniseries as its well worth the money even if the picture quality is old.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Heads or tails, it's your choice to live or die.
Loved it from beginning to end. The Cohen Brothers are nuts. They produce the best and weirdest movies on the planet. Never a dull moment, the movie has you on edge from beginning to end. I really don't get the casting of Tommy Lee Jones but no doubt they had a good reason for choosing him as the country sheriff.
I have only watched it once so far but I have no doubt I will see more in it after a few more viewings. My first impression is that the Cohens have produced another classic every bit as good as Fargo or The Big Lebowski.
Not a lot of dialog but what there is holds the story together without imposing on what is essentially a visual movie.
King of New York (1990)
Great cast crap sound
Do we blame the director for the noise noise noise that pervades and ruins what would have been an alright film. The soundtrack is of a quality more akin to a third rate porn movie. The director is an idiot if he thinks this is quality sound recording. It does nothing for the atmosphere of the movie but rather detracts from what storyline there is.
As for the storyline, it has no real direction, rambling along at too slow a pace to be interesting. A great pity as Walken as always is excellent. Frankly if he was not in it then this would have been a complete flop. Maybe someone will decide to do a proper re-make. I wait in hope.
One final comment. Wesley Snipes playing a cop, proves even at this early stage in his career that he has no talent whatsoever and it never ceases to amaze me that he has been able to star in so many crap movies of his own.
Cloverfield (2008)
Attack of the killer lobsters?
I had no idea what this movie was about until I watched it. You will have read the various comments regarding the hand-held filming etc so I will not delve much into that. You will have to judge for yourself whether it works for you or not. This is no amateur movie however. It is extremely slickly filmed and edited. The lighting throughout is superb as is the so called amateurish camera work. Just enough light and just enough dark. Someone who knows their stuff very well indeed was responsible for the lighting and camera. I would liken the technique to a grand pianist who, just for the hell of it, one day decided to play a symphony perfectly out of tune.
You will like the movie or hate it, or, perhaps like me, be right in the middle with mixed feelings. I don't really like horror movies, because I usually end up feeling sorry for the monster or laughing at the pathetic special effects but this one was just that little bit different. You never really get a good look at the monster except for one short scene but that is no bad thing as it keeps you wanting, as an outsider looking in on the devastation, to know more. If it was actually happening to you I think you would be running for cover as far away from the monster as you could get. There is a kind of death wish feel to this like you were standing on the edge of a cliff and wanting to jump off.
I felt that the first 15 minutes were just too long, bordering on boring and I nearly gave up watching because of this. Get through this part and you will experience a unique piece of movie-craft. I have watched many many movies and can say that I have never seen one quite like it. This is not a copy of anything else. Truly unique. The big disappointment will be when they bring out the blockbuster sequel traditionally filmed.
We never really know if this is an alien monster or home grown so my little joke about killer lobster or is it killer lobster from space? Whether or not you like the movie for its storyline you will if you appreciate the craft of movie-making appreciate this one for the skill that has gone into making it.
Sin City (2005)
A movie for the illiterate.
In Scotland it would be called Keich and that is all I have to say about it. Saying anything else would be a waste of life which is too short anyway.
Well it would seem that I am not allowed to be short and that is a pity because saying anything else would be lying to myself and to you. Sometimes a movie is just not worth the effort and this is a first class example.
Adding a few big names to the cast and having a quirky director does not a movie make. Film noir this is not. It may reflect accurately the comics but thankfully I stopped reading comics when I was 10 years old and never had the misfortune to come across this drivel.
There obviously are people out there who drool over this nonsense but they would do well to reflect on why it is that the East wish to exterminate the West.
Cohen and Tate (1988)
A black comedy of conflict between two hit men and a boy.
I cannot understand why this movie has not been given better reviews. One of those films which surprises you with its originality and which having seen it you cannot understand why it has not been given more screen time.
Brilliant professional acting between Baldwin and Scheider keeps you guessing till the end as to who is going to win the battle of wills between the two men and the boy. A terrific black comedy of errors which makes you feel almost sorry for the two hit men. It would be a mistake not to watch this movie simply because you have read the bad reviews of it on this site.
It deserves to be released worldwide on DVD.
Red Dragon (2002)
Plagiarisim in the extreme.
This film is garbage and possibly the worst case of Plagiarism I have ever seen. I can understand how many of the reviews by others might think it not a bad film comparing it to Silence of the Lambs and being the so-called Prequil to that movie.
Watch Manhunter and realize what a piece of tripe Red Dragon really is. Despite having copied almost everything in Manhunter, the film misses the point completely as do many of the reviewers commenting on it here. The story is Not! about Hannibal Lecter. It is about the mind of the investigator which struggles against the realization that he is closer to the mind of the killer than is normal or acceptable. There is always the feeling that he could go over the edge and become a killer himself. Superbly brought out in Manhunter, totally lost in Red Dragon.
What I find most pathetic about Red Dragon is that no one involved in the film, director and actors included, have had the grace to give Michael Mann the Director of Manhunter any credit whatsoever.
Shame on them!
3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)
Let's make a film with Graceland in the title.
Someone else said it's like Marmite, you either like it or hate it. Well I hate Marmite and I can truly say that this movie makes me think of Marmite or at least a word that rhymes with it.
What a complete load of tosh this is. I have in the past failed to understand why Kevin Costner should have come under so much criticism for some of his past movies. Waterworld springs to mind which I thought wasn't that bad. Now I understand. I am surprised anybody bothered to learn their lines for this garbage. Come to think of it I don't think they did.
Costner looks like an overstuffed penguin in a rubber suit auditioning for the part of the villain in a new Batman movie. That is about as funny as this movie comes........What's that, It's meant to be serious!
Best line in the movie:
Question: What,s that? Answer: It's an African Piece. Response: Looks like Egyptian to me.
Slik dialog eh!
The Assignment (1997)
A film that deserves more acclaim.
I will not comment on the story as such. I agree with most peoples comments that this is a good all round action movie with a well told story and good acting.
This film deserves 100% for cinematography for its opening sequence. The opening shot is stunning and I have not yet figured out how they did it. The movie is worth watching for that shot alone! A pity therefore that the DVD that is currently out is just the movie and no information is given as to the making of the film. Let's hope somebody comes up with the special edition.
And the even better thing is that the opening sequence also becomes the ending leaving you totally guessing! Great stuff. A must have for a collector of classic film moments.