I first saw this back in the mid 90s when it was released on VHS. As a teenager, I remember this being the first film I recognized as a ‘small’ movie. Simple premise: Bad guys kidnap a man’s daughter and threaten to kill her unless he assassinates a governor. The entire film happens in real-time, in two locations, and provides with single-digit lead characters. Haven’t seen this since the 90s, so I was curious to see how it had evolved.
THE JERK, perhaps, is Steve Martin’s very best work. I could also make an argument for some SNL stuff and LA STORY, but I think THE JERK is my favorite. Of course, all that is discounting his work on Twitter, which is entertaining daily. But, THE JERK? Classic comedy.
I love a good action movie. I love Steven Soderbergh. And that was all it took to watch HAYWIRE. I had no idea who was in this, what it was about, if it was any good. Went in to this fully blind, which is always the best way to see anything.
For no particular reason, John Cusack has come up quite a bit in conversation lately. Whenever that happens, it is only a matter of time before that works its way into the blog. If I had to guess I would have thought a Cusack sighting would take the form of either GROSSE POINTE BLANK or HIGH FIDELITY, two superb Cusack films. Instead, here we are with this little 2005 dark-comedy starring Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton.
THE GAME is one of the lesser known David Fincher films. In a completely unscientific survey of people asked to name the great works of Fincher, the same titles inevitably come up: SE7EN, FIGHT CLUB, BEN BUTTON, SOCIAL NETWORK, and THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. His film PANIC ROOM seems to be universally known and not as well liked. ALIEN 3, it is assumed, was never really his to do with as he pleases. That leaves only two other features: THE GAME and ZODIAC. Both seem to fall into the category wherein those who have seen them really appreciate them, but the films are not in the public conscience the same way, say, FIGHT CLUB is. THE GAME is a movie very much worthy of attention.
Here is part two of Hiroshi Inagaki’s SAMURAI trilogy concerning Musashi Miyamoto as played by Japanese legend Toshiro Mifune. I was satisfied, though not overwhelmed, by part one (here is a link to that article). Very much glad to get to part two.
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks ICHIJOJO NO KETTO (SAMURAI II: DUEL AT ICHIJOJI TEMPLE) (1955)’
Several people with movie tastes I respect greatly put DRIVE at the top of their list of favorite films of 2011. That’s enough incentive for me, though the prospect of a carefully paced film which meanders through the Los Angeles noir scene is appealing enough on its own. Very anxious to get at this one…
This is an odd series to bundle, due to its lack of continuity. Four movies, three actors, two and a half different timelines (since Ryan seems to get a lot older between RED OCTOBER and PATRIOT GAMES, but his family sure doesn’t). I’ll put all four of them here together anyway.
I’ve never watched the STAR WARS trilogies in their proper order. I watched the original trilogy before, in, and around the releases of the second set of films, but I never put all six in the timeline of the STAR WARS universe. Heck, I haven’t even watched a STAR WARS film since REVENGE OF THE SITH was in theaters. The original trilogy is a series I highly respect, have seen several times, but don’t carry a particular torch for. I watched it with some regularity as a kid, but never had it in heavy rotation. I was excited for the newer trilogy, and then (like many others) ultimately disappointed by its flatness. I do remember having fairly fond memories of REVENGE OF THE SITH, but there are two movies to look at before we get there…
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks STAR WARS: EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999)’
Any conversation regarding the best science fiction films in motion picture history has to include DARK CITY. Perhaps it is not a giant franchise like STAR WARS, or a technological breakthrough film like 2001, but DARK CITY is an absolute high-water mark in the area of neo-noir science-fiction. Criminally overshadowed by the inferior MATRIX released a year later, DARK CITY is a film which makes both an immediate and lasting impression. While the ending is not spoiled below, this is a movie which is MUCH better to see without any idea of what you are getting into. See the Director’s Cut if you can, if only because it eliminates a narration (forced on Writer/Director Alex Proyas by the studio) which reveals some key plot twists before you even get going. SPOILERS BELOW, so if you are looking for a recommendation just know that this may be my favorite science-fiction film of all time.
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