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Fahrenheit 451 (2018)
An interesting remake better than these reviews
Merely being a remake of anyone's "top cinema essentials" is enough justification to pique one's curiosity here. I saw this title on TV by chance a year ago, later bought the DVD for commercial-free viewing, that I haven't gotten around to yet. The story line is in some ways more in tune with the original novel than the first movie (has more sci fi) but in ways the original time period could not have (or did) predicted. For example, wall sized TV screens displaying controlled Socialist content, and interacting with AI devices rather than a metallic dog that was in the book but too difficult to work into a 1966 movie. The first film featured the contrasts between the two female characters, which is weakened in the second film in favor of the fireman - fire chief interaction providing most of the action. In both, the main character evolves to question his duty (burning books to prevent illegal independent thought) that he previously took for granted. I was a little bit perplexed at the notion of preserving the data in books the way it is now portrayed..... but they weren't going to remake people walking around in the woods muttering books to themselves by memory, without everyone laughing. SO, to each their own. I'm watching it again tomorrow just to be fair.
Basic Instinct (1992)
A little late to the party, sorry
I did not see Basic Instinct in its day because I had a young family, did not go out much, and Fatal Attraction made me behave for a decade or two. But that's a good thing because now I'm about as hung out to dry as Michael Douglas' character at the beginning of the movie, and I wish I had viewed the director's cut instead of a VHS I picked up at the dump. Reading other reviews cut me down a notch and my jaw has now returned from the floor. I did not know until the very end "what happens" and some say there were multiple endings considered thus the ambiguity; I thought one of the police detectives did it, as evidenced by the blonde disguise with bloody SFPD garment in the elevator stairway scene. But that was about the 4th or 5th back at you in the movie. After all, it is, a who-done-it, just with value added. That I alternately reminisce, or long for, or envy, or wonder how I could still be alive. Complete with a Psycho-like ending and a Bernard Herrmann like soundtrack with moody stringed instruments and staccato suspense screeches....... hey we knew the shark in Jaws was going to bite someone, get with the program. They say there were no "body doubles" used in the film, and now that I think of it, I KNEW who did it at the beginning was the same BODY or parts thereof that later reenacted the scarf scene a couple times to spread popcorn on the audience. Thankfully, I had already put my beer down. So if there is anyone left who still has not seen this, get the director's cut. It will not work the second time unless you're really bad off.
Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
He was more afraid of death than of anything else. And he died as he thought he would, while the first snows of winter fell.
There are nearly 200 reviews here for this movie, but few less than ten years old. I suppose reviews are intended for others who have written their own reviews, or have already seen the film and are wondering what other's opinions might be. This is a good movie to "show" someone who has never seen it, especially as a way of testing their cinematic critical sensibilities, or whether they can stay awake. (LOL) Most people recognize this movie as "the one where they burn books" but in a shallow way, much like those who when asked if they like Ozzy Osbourne say "didn't he bite the head off a bat?" OK, so, this is a British movie with a French director of an American sci-fi novel that had production problems, casting problems, budget and continuity problems, that no one was particularly satisfied with upon finishing the film more than 50 years ago. So what is the big deal now? I've seen it dozens of times over multiple decades, but with even the most recent viewing find something new, relevant, and interesting. The huge flat screen wall TV (that we all have now) was not just for socialist conforming entertainment, there is also some news, also about socialist conforming. Like the fake news we have now! In addition to the often mentioned police scuffle with a long hair hippie, other accounts detail arrest reports from the night before, in this dystopian society where police enforce social norms and prohibitions. The firemen are extensions of the police, usually responding to leads dropped into their snitch box, but also going about the playground rudely groping through people's personal effects, and even their body and clothing, to make sure there's no books hidden there. I suspect more film footage of social paranoia ended up on the cutting room floor because they only got to keep 90 minutes and most of that had to be the main character's story lines and the books burning. Look at what we have now on our wall TV in 2020, cancel culture, and fake news, and forced cultural and racial diversity, and mindless babysitter programming. Another interesting point, after Montag read a book he could no longer slide up the fire pole like the reverse filmage made it look like all the firemen could. Also.... the doors in his house would no longer open and close by themselves as he walked through them like in Star Trek. At one point Montag was lying in bed, worrying about what might happen to Clarise, the camera zoomed into his eye and then backed out of Clarise's eye, an obvious homage to Hitchcock. (Janet Leigh and shower drain) The whole movie is an homage to Hitchcock, whom the director was an admirer of, there must be other director tricks hidden in there that I haven't noticed. Yes I noticed the ending of the musical score, with a Psycho sound. There are no motorized vehicles other than the sky tram, fire truck, fire department jeep, and police car with megaphone. There are no printed words in the film, on set objects, or anything besides the books. Even the TV's in the store window where Montag sees the news of his "back of the head" perp shot don't have a name on them., but they do have a number. Numbers are OK. Maybe Montag got his hair cut after seeing the news to disguise himself. How could the fire captain know what the contents of the philosophy and other books were.... if no one had been allowed to read books even while he was a rookie fireman not even qualified for the flame thrower? Ok so there are some continuity breaks, and you can see the cables holding the jet pack fire men search party. Just suspend belief a bit and enjoy the movie. It's not perfect, no one said it was. Oh, some have, gave it a 10. How could I, when the title of my review was not even in the Robert Louis Stevenson book, it was made up to fit the movie, but so nicely done. I'm done. Spend the ten bucks, get this movie on dvd, it has interesting extra features like full length commentary and Bernard Hermann stuff.
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Just don't. There are other choices of movies to see.
For what it's worth, Manchester By The Sea is one of those films that ends before you decide which moment to walk out on, since you hoped there would be some redemption that was worth waiting for. There isn't. Go to a different film that might be entertaining instead of frustrating. I don't get why other reviews are saying the main character is award worthy for expressing the full range of emotions. Most of it is a blank expression of a repressed personality in the title character. In the story, much of it is a flashback, the father played by Affleck killed his family long ago in a moment of carelessness and in his remorse moves away from Gloucester Mass to a Boston suburb to work as a cute janitor oblivious to the come-ons of female tenants of the apartment complex. News comes of his brother passing away unexpectedly, and it turns out, the brother has set up Affleck to become guardian and mentor to his nephew, a job Affleck explores reluctantly. Then he is oblivious to the come-ons of single mothers of his nephew's friends. After much drama as to whether the character is going to ever come out of his shell, Affleck dishes off the responsibility to a relative, ditches his nephew, moves back to the city to become a janitor again. And presumably, ignore women lusting after him some more. Dude, your brother set you up with a house and a boat and trust fund money to do anything you wanted, and you can't handle that? What an idiot! I'm sorry, this is not a good movie, I wish I had read some reviews before going. Very frustrating to watch. If you're looking for a mature movie, does Woody Allen have something out? Lol.