John Boorman
1974
This sci-fi hunka hunka is a little too out there and heady to be all that good. While the vast amounts of gratuitous topless scenes help a bit, no amount of mammaries will save this navel contemplator from being utterly gimmicky and solipsistic.
Sean Connery plays a kill crazy futuristic barbarian thrown into a seemingly idyllic world where folks never die. Uptight Charlotte Rampling wants him killed while everyone else takes interest in the new guy. Relations get strained, and nutty revelations rock paradise to its roots.
There's a lot of great visuals throughout, but unfortunately one of the strongest futuristic visual motifs, the plastic bag aesthetic, is terribly tacky looking. The highly cerebral concepts presented are also easily trivialized when one spends time contemplating Sean Connery's red diaper and thigh high boots.
I was hoping Zardoz to be more light hearted due to Connery's uniform, maybe a male version of "Barbarella," instead it opted to take itself very very seriously. Don't get me wrong, its definitely a unique picture worth watching, but make sure you know what you're getting into.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
Monday, July 25, 2005
The Boxer From Shantung
Cheh Cheng / Hsueh Li Pao
1972
Probably the best and most fully realized Shaw Brothers Picture I've seen to date. TBFS is a bizarre combination of kung fu, gangsters without guns, and an ambitious rise to power narrative. Kuan Tai Chen is a wonderfully skilled and charismatic Kung Fu actor, and infuses his character with enough ruthless drive to make 50 Cent blush.
The most interesting element of TBFS is the uncontested moral relativism. Ma Yung Chen is a bumpkin turned gangster with simple gaudy tastes. This translates to him desiring the most expensive prostitutes, and drinking to excess. While the director doesn't necessarily glamorize this mentality, there are never any repercussions presented.
Despite the loose morals, Ma generally tends to play the invincible good guy who refuses to shake down poor shopkeepers for protection money. He also makes sure not to forget his down and out friends from the lean days. In fights Ma is immaculate, and is only struck at the film's climax when a hatchet is buried in his side.
In the end TBFS is a rise and fall with a somewhat unsatisfying resolution. While Ma dies heroically in a spectacularly grandiose Shaw Bros. Battle, it never seems like he faces much adversity. The will to power comes easy due to Ma's insane fisticuffs and thus his resulting death and loss seems irrelevant and boring. Its a good thing that the picture makes up for it with spectacular kung fu scenes and fights (most notably with a giant Russian wrestler). The Tan-Si character adds a nice touch of dandy-ism and fancy-pants flair.
Let's not forget that John Woo worked as assistant director. He would later say that TBFS was an incredibly inspiring work experience for him. It definitely shows in his later work.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
1972
Probably the best and most fully realized Shaw Brothers Picture I've seen to date. TBFS is a bizarre combination of kung fu, gangsters without guns, and an ambitious rise to power narrative. Kuan Tai Chen is a wonderfully skilled and charismatic Kung Fu actor, and infuses his character with enough ruthless drive to make 50 Cent blush.
The most interesting element of TBFS is the uncontested moral relativism. Ma Yung Chen is a bumpkin turned gangster with simple gaudy tastes. This translates to him desiring the most expensive prostitutes, and drinking to excess. While the director doesn't necessarily glamorize this mentality, there are never any repercussions presented.
Despite the loose morals, Ma generally tends to play the invincible good guy who refuses to shake down poor shopkeepers for protection money. He also makes sure not to forget his down and out friends from the lean days. In fights Ma is immaculate, and is only struck at the film's climax when a hatchet is buried in his side.
In the end TBFS is a rise and fall with a somewhat unsatisfying resolution. While Ma dies heroically in a spectacularly grandiose Shaw Bros. Battle, it never seems like he faces much adversity. The will to power comes easy due to Ma's insane fisticuffs and thus his resulting death and loss seems irrelevant and boring. Its a good thing that the picture makes up for it with spectacular kung fu scenes and fights (most notably with a giant Russian wrestler). The Tan-Si character adds a nice touch of dandy-ism and fancy-pants flair.
Let's not forget that John Woo worked as assistant director. He would later say that TBFS was an incredibly inspiring work experience for him. It definitely shows in his later work.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
Sunday, July 10, 2005
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Tay Garnett
1946
This sprawling pseudo film noir classic suffers strongly from "novel adapted to movie" syndrome and thus seems too ambitious, with a story covering too great a time period for a non epic.
Drifter John Garfield comes across a burger stand and decides to say when he sees that ice-cream-blonde Lana Turner comes with the place. The only things standing in the way of their love are Garfield's poverty and Turner's clueless alcoholic oaf of a husband. Of course, murder becomes the only option to justify the illicit affair in pre-divorce times, and after a couple botched attempts on hubby's life the couple finally gets it right. But if there's anything you can count on the studio system to promote it's that crime may be glamorous but it certainly doesn't pay.
Its almost worth it to see Lana Turner as the femme fatale, and John Garfield is definitely a personal favorite noir actor of mine. The first two thirds of the picture are a little too flat and predictable, and for my money "The Postman Always Rings Twice" is a poor combination of noirs "Gun Crazy" and "Double Indemnity." The picture's only real treats are Hume Cronyn's clever and benevolent lawyer, the electrocution of a cat, and the awkward and merciless procession of plot twists in the last 20 minutes. Its as if Garnett wanted to make up for the lumbering, sprawling set up by plugging doozy after doozy in an effort to blow the audience's mind. The effort is mighty entertaining, but fails to make the film any better.
Review By Brett A. Scieszka
1946
This sprawling pseudo film noir classic suffers strongly from "novel adapted to movie" syndrome and thus seems too ambitious, with a story covering too great a time period for a non epic.
Drifter John Garfield comes across a burger stand and decides to say when he sees that ice-cream-blonde Lana Turner comes with the place. The only things standing in the way of their love are Garfield's poverty and Turner's clueless alcoholic oaf of a husband. Of course, murder becomes the only option to justify the illicit affair in pre-divorce times, and after a couple botched attempts on hubby's life the couple finally gets it right. But if there's anything you can count on the studio system to promote it's that crime may be glamorous but it certainly doesn't pay.
Its almost worth it to see Lana Turner as the femme fatale, and John Garfield is definitely a personal favorite noir actor of mine. The first two thirds of the picture are a little too flat and predictable, and for my money "The Postman Always Rings Twice" is a poor combination of noirs "Gun Crazy" and "Double Indemnity." The picture's only real treats are Hume Cronyn's clever and benevolent lawyer, the electrocution of a cat, and the awkward and merciless procession of plot twists in the last 20 minutes. Its as if Garnett wanted to make up for the lumbering, sprawling set up by plugging doozy after doozy in an effort to blow the audience's mind. The effort is mighty entertaining, but fails to make the film any better.
Review By Brett A. Scieszka
Friday, July 08, 2005
The Thing From Another World
Christian Nyby/Howard Hawks
1951
While Christian Nyby is credited for directing this lil' paranoid slice of cold war era science fiction many believe that it was producer Howard Hawks who was responsible for the lion's share of the film's creation. For the purposes of this review (based on my own personal opinions) I am treating Hawks as the film's director.
Set entirely in military outposts in the frosty north a group of well meaning air force boys thaw out a malevolent extra terrestrial while attempting to recover its frozen craft (which they oafishly blow up). Once the blood drinking beastie is unleashed the research scientists and military personnel are thrown into a fight for their lives in inhospitable circumstances.
"The Thing From Another World" has all the trappings of a Hawks picture: a perfect male protagonist who is only ever outdone by a perfect (albeit masculine) female protagonist, and quick paced, highly pervasive, and often suggestive humor. Hawks' funnybone works to negative effect however in a film that by all accounts should rely on horror, claustrophobic suspense, and character tension. The biggest disappointment the picture has to offer comes in the form of "the Thing" itself. Being made entirely of vegetable matter, and comically referred to as an "intelligent carrot," the monster's design should have encapsulated the brilliant and wildly imaginative script elements. The idea of a stalking vampiric vegetable deserves much better treatment than just a tall dude with a neanderthal brow and clawed mitts.
One of the film's most interesting elements is its flat-out unsubtle denouncement of scientific progress and process. In cold war era sci-fi films science usually acts as a double edged sword: it is cause and the solution of all man's problems. "The Thing From Another World" offers us a scenario where the solipsistic and quixotic scientist Dr. Carrington will happily let everyone die in the name of scientific breakthrough. Carrington is a maniacal crackpot mad-scientist that needs to be put in line by the good old boys working for Uncle Sam before the monster can be subdued. In this Hawks makes a radically conservative, anti-progressive, anti-intellectual (not to mention anti-pacifist) pose that feels like a scared, defensive position based on the paranoid climate of the times.
Review By Brett Scieszka
1951
While Christian Nyby is credited for directing this lil' paranoid slice of cold war era science fiction many believe that it was producer Howard Hawks who was responsible for the lion's share of the film's creation. For the purposes of this review (based on my own personal opinions) I am treating Hawks as the film's director.
Set entirely in military outposts in the frosty north a group of well meaning air force boys thaw out a malevolent extra terrestrial while attempting to recover its frozen craft (which they oafishly blow up). Once the blood drinking beastie is unleashed the research scientists and military personnel are thrown into a fight for their lives in inhospitable circumstances.
"The Thing From Another World" has all the trappings of a Hawks picture: a perfect male protagonist who is only ever outdone by a perfect (albeit masculine) female protagonist, and quick paced, highly pervasive, and often suggestive humor. Hawks' funnybone works to negative effect however in a film that by all accounts should rely on horror, claustrophobic suspense, and character tension. The biggest disappointment the picture has to offer comes in the form of "the Thing" itself. Being made entirely of vegetable matter, and comically referred to as an "intelligent carrot," the monster's design should have encapsulated the brilliant and wildly imaginative script elements. The idea of a stalking vampiric vegetable deserves much better treatment than just a tall dude with a neanderthal brow and clawed mitts.
One of the film's most interesting elements is its flat-out unsubtle denouncement of scientific progress and process. In cold war era sci-fi films science usually acts as a double edged sword: it is cause and the solution of all man's problems. "The Thing From Another World" offers us a scenario where the solipsistic and quixotic scientist Dr. Carrington will happily let everyone die in the name of scientific breakthrough. Carrington is a maniacal crackpot mad-scientist that needs to be put in line by the good old boys working for Uncle Sam before the monster can be subdued. In this Hawks makes a radically conservative, anti-progressive, anti-intellectual (not to mention anti-pacifist) pose that feels like a scared, defensive position based on the paranoid climate of the times.
Review By Brett Scieszka
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Land of the Dead
George Romero
2005
Seeing George Romero's "Land of the Dead" on opening night was the most important cinematic event of my life, and it did not disappoint. The only thing that comes close was seeing "Jurassic Park" in the theater with my old man (it was the first PG-13 movie I was allowed to see in theaters believe it or not). It is a spectacular treat to see a modern zombie film by such an unparalleled genius in the field. "Land of the Dead" is chock full of bizarre nightmare fantasy coupled with a realistic portrayal of human pathos in crisis situations.
LOTD finds the world largely overrun by the undead menace with small communities of humans living in isolated fortresses. The film's action centers on Romero's own beloved Pittsburgh, a city that's geographic triangle acts as a gated border against harm. Post apocalyptic Pittsburgh has been developed by wicked business magnate Kaufman (memorably played by Dennis Hopper), who creates Fiddler's Green, a luxurious complex for the city's elite. While the wealthy live it up in their exclusive paradise the working class booze, gamble, and ingest drugs in the grim reality of the times. Kaufman's idyl finally begins to unravel when he screws over members of his personal army (Simon Baker, John Leguizamo)...and when a horde of zombies storm the city.
A tremendously entertaining aspect of the picture is its none-too-veiled political jabs and taunts towards our current administration. Let's face it, a post apocalyptic society provides a fertile gold-mine for political satire what with the global climate and all. Hopper's megalomaniacal, disaster-profiteering, upper crust business tyrant wears the same red tie Bush wears, and when everything starts to go fubar he still makes it perfectly clear that his policy is to not negotiate with terrorists.
As far as the progression of the series is concerned, die hard fans may have a few questions reconciling LOTD with the earlier "Day of the Dead," which seems far more apocalyptic in contrast. In light of LOTD's great achievement however, all criticisms in this vein are reduced to tired quibbling. When one considers the fact that there are no mainstream american directors working in the horror films genre with the same amount of thoughtful intelligence, high production quality, and brilliant creativity, Romero's accomplishment seems more of a golden ringed benchmark that all horror director's should strive to achieve. The success of moody atmospheric Japanese imports and knockoffs like "The Ring," "The Grudge," and the forthcoming "Dark Water" are all already tepid bores angled to spook teens on dates and sell popcorn. When George Romero loosed "Night of the Living Dead" on the world he opened the door for a new era of visceral, tangible horror that is as important to cinema now as it was in the late 60's. Let us never forget the gift George Romero has given us.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
2005
Seeing George Romero's "Land of the Dead" on opening night was the most important cinematic event of my life, and it did not disappoint. The only thing that comes close was seeing "Jurassic Park" in the theater with my old man (it was the first PG-13 movie I was allowed to see in theaters believe it or not). It is a spectacular treat to see a modern zombie film by such an unparalleled genius in the field. "Land of the Dead" is chock full of bizarre nightmare fantasy coupled with a realistic portrayal of human pathos in crisis situations.
LOTD finds the world largely overrun by the undead menace with small communities of humans living in isolated fortresses. The film's action centers on Romero's own beloved Pittsburgh, a city that's geographic triangle acts as a gated border against harm. Post apocalyptic Pittsburgh has been developed by wicked business magnate Kaufman (memorably played by Dennis Hopper), who creates Fiddler's Green, a luxurious complex for the city's elite. While the wealthy live it up in their exclusive paradise the working class booze, gamble, and ingest drugs in the grim reality of the times. Kaufman's idyl finally begins to unravel when he screws over members of his personal army (Simon Baker, John Leguizamo)...and when a horde of zombies storm the city.
A tremendously entertaining aspect of the picture is its none-too-veiled political jabs and taunts towards our current administration. Let's face it, a post apocalyptic society provides a fertile gold-mine for political satire what with the global climate and all. Hopper's megalomaniacal, disaster-profiteering, upper crust business tyrant wears the same red tie Bush wears, and when everything starts to go fubar he still makes it perfectly clear that his policy is to not negotiate with terrorists.
As far as the progression of the series is concerned, die hard fans may have a few questions reconciling LOTD with the earlier "Day of the Dead," which seems far more apocalyptic in contrast. In light of LOTD's great achievement however, all criticisms in this vein are reduced to tired quibbling. When one considers the fact that there are no mainstream american directors working in the horror films genre with the same amount of thoughtful intelligence, high production quality, and brilliant creativity, Romero's accomplishment seems more of a golden ringed benchmark that all horror director's should strive to achieve. The success of moody atmospheric Japanese imports and knockoffs like "The Ring," "The Grudge," and the forthcoming "Dark Water" are all already tepid bores angled to spook teens on dates and sell popcorn. When George Romero loosed "Night of the Living Dead" on the world he opened the door for a new era of visceral, tangible horror that is as important to cinema now as it was in the late 60's. Let us never forget the gift George Romero has given us.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)