Killer's Kiss

Killer's Kiss is the first feature film ever directed by the great Stanley Kubrick. With a running time of just over an hour Kubrick is able to create a story that is both engaging and entertaining at almost every turn. Kiss tells the simple and much accustomed story of a man falling for girl who has a mad ex-boyfriend. Their romance jump starts a series of events that leave more than one person dead.
Even on his debut it is apparent that Kubrick is a master of editing and lighting. His shooting of characters faces in dimly lit alleys is masterful, as is his sense of spacing by the use of long lense camera's. Killer's Kiss is a good little film and worth anyones time who is interested in the career of Stanley Kubrick.

1955

B-

The Other Guys

The Other Guys is a peculiar type of picture that has a bit of an identity crisis going on. The film stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as "the other guys", two cops on the beat who never get the attention and credit they think they so rightly deserve. The film is meant to be a bit of a spoof on Hollywood buddy action movies. But that's essential what the film ends up being anyway, only with a bit more humor thanks to the help of a straight faced Ferrell. Wahlberg here seems to be doing a spoof of himself with his own deadly serious demeanor, a joke that grows old after the first ten minutes. Overall though the film is mildly entertaining enough to sit through with a few hilarious one liners.

C+

2010

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine is a raunchy teen sex minus the teenagers. The film stars quintessential everyman John Cusack, Daily Show funny man Rob Corddry, and the always interestingly fresh Craig Robinson. The plot if you want to call it that revolves around three friends and a nephew going to the mountains for a vacation and spending the night partying in a hotel hot tub. In the morning all three men and the nephew have traveled back in time to the 1980's where they all are in their late teens. Typical time machine jokes follow from the three leads fused with surprisingly funny sex gags about getting a second chance to do things a little differently this time around. For a film with so little actual plot to tell I found myself laughing more often than I expected.

C+

2010

Death at a Funeral

Death at a Funeral is a remake of the popular british film of the same name. Here though its filled a cast of mostly african americans, a refreshing treat for audiences who aren't usually given the opportunity to watch so many talented people in one film. The film aims to be a more or less straight up comedy about death, life , family, and a large amount of ridiculous over the top situations. Each individual in the cast is strong but collectively the film never finds its feet and most of the jokes fall flat as a result. To be half engaged while under the influence of anything would hopefully make this film a much more enjoyable experience.

D+

2010

Vincere

Vincere is an Italian film about rise to power of Benito Mussolini. At least that's what one would believe at the outset. What the film is more interested in telling though is the largely unknown true story of Mussolini's mistress Ida Dalser, played with great effect by Giovanna Mezzogiorno. Early on in the film the couple falls in love (at least it appears), and has a child. Ida even sells everything she owns in order to fund her lovers aspiring political paper. For her he is the only thing in life worth living for. It quickly becomes apparent however, that Mussolini feelings are quite different. Once in power though he banishes her from ever seeing him again and basically denies the existence of them as a couple ever being involved. This type of behavior would be a bit unusual but, oh, did I mention he already has a family. Thus the real story begins when Ida is sent to live with her sister all the while constantly spouting her mouth off claiming to be Mrs. Mussolini and bearing the first born son of the dictator. Things don't go well from there as the powers to be realize her as a threat to the empire and thus take actions to deal with it.
Vincere is lit with dark light that gives the picture a moody texture. Single scenes throughout are played out to perfection. The problem with Vincere though is that it doesn't do a good job of getting you invested enough in the characters to really make you care about what happens to them. The things that Ida goes through are horrible but you can't help feeling all the while why she would allow herself to go through such grief in the first place. Vincere shows great promise for director Marco Bellocchio, I just think that he needs to find a story with characters written with a bit more humanity.

C+

2010

A Room With A View

A Room With A View is a film from the critically praised duo, producer Ishmail Merchant and and director James Ivory. The pair specialized in creating costume period drama's on cheap independent budgets. With good writing, excellent scouting locations, and impressive wardrobes the pair were consistently able to acquire amazing actors for relatively little cost. The result being a string of films starting in India and ending over to England. A Room With A View came somewhere in the middle and is the film that many consider to have put the 'Merchant Ivory' name on the internationally map.
The film stars Helena Bonham Carter as a young privileged englishwoman on holiday in Florence. There she meets a strangely straight forward gentlemen who quickly pursues her heart. She is told that they're behavior isn't proper. She leaves back home only to eventually become engaged. Of course that isn't the last time they will see each other again.
Room is the type of film that I can sometimes struggle with. Large amounts of longing and uptight behavior with only a hint of passion on the surface. The story here for most men will probably feel dull and uneventful and it largely is. Thanks to a wonderful cast of characters though the film kept me engaged just enough to be worth watching. And who knows, on second viewing I may like it much more having already spent time with these people. Regardless though it only makes me more curious to check out the other films in the 'Merchant Ivory' catalogue.

C

1985

A Prophet

Wow. It's not very often that I'm afforded the opportunity of witnessing a masterpiece up on the big screen. On the rare occasion that I do it usually is in the comfort of my own home mining an already adored classic that until that point had somehow escaped me. Here with A Prophet though I've been afforded that all too uncommon privilege of seeing it firsthand, realizing in the moment that I am watching a film that will be talked about for the ages as one of the greatest stories of a man rising through the ranks of the criminal underworld. The film won the second highest prize at the Canne Film Festival in 2009, losing only to the incredible overrated White Ribbon by Michael Haneke. A Prophet is a film that unlike the White Ribbon is thoroughly engrossing and engaging. It grabs you from the very first frame and never lets go. It subtly and and steadily keeps you locked inn to the story of a nobody criminal for over two and half hours.
A Prophet tells the story of Malik El Djebena played with a star making performance by Tahar Rahim. The movie begins with Malik going away to prison for six years. Inside he knows nobody, just like on the outside. He's is a poor french immigrant with little to no education who at nineteen seems destined to remain in the underclass of society forever. Once inside he keeps to himself until a special favor is asked of him by the frighteningly menacing Cesar Luciani played with commanding authority by Niels Arestrup. Inside the prison walls no one has more power and control of the detention system then Cesar, a position of authority that he constantly exercises and reminds other cellmates of. Just like in the United States prison system, France's system is also made of various ethnic groups who all band together inside for protection and vie for power. What's interesting here though is that instead of whites vs. blacks like in the U.S. system its muslims vs. corsicans in France. Malik is a light colored looking muslim who quickly because of favors done for Cesar falls under the protection of the corsicans, something that doesn't sit well with the muslims or the corsicans in Cesar's crew. For the first three years Malik spends most of his time learning to read and write and secretly learning corsican, a skill that becomes incredibly invaluable to him as he continually finds himself in extremely dangerous situations. What's so amazing about Malik is that we seem to forgive him for all of his bad deeds. We feel like this isn't just his journey but ours as well. Were right there from the beginning. We see his accomplishments and his failures. His good decisions and his bad. We empathize with him despite all his faults.
A prophet is the kind of film that only gets better with repeated viewings. Having seen the film twice now I can say that my appreciation for it has only deepened. It's easily one of the best gangster films of the last twenty years. I strongly urge anyone who has just read this review to go watch it as soon as possible.

A+

2010

Touch Of Evil

Orson Well's seems to have one extra character for the audience in Touch Of Evil, his camera. Well's camera swoops in and out with the fluidity of a painter across a canvas. To some it may appear flashy. I think its brilliant. The other cast of characters include a mexican moustache touting Charlton Heston, his american wife (Janet Leigh), and Well's himself nearly unrecognizable and the obese police detective, giving one of the best performances of the decade. The plot of Evil is somewhat hard to explain, so here are the bare essentials. The story opens with a murder on the U.S./Mexico border. In trying to uncover the case certain characters compromise their values for things they perceive to be justice. A web of backstreet dealings and partnerships follow as motives become more clear. Then just as the film reaches its climax, new details are given that cause you to question your feelings about all the people involved.
Touch is a picture that was shot in black and white and takes up that familiar genre known as film noir. In the wrong hands this film could of ended up as a confusing melodrama but, thanks to Well's it's elevated to the status of a classic soaked deep with the blood of those who made it. Touch Of Evil is nothing less than one of the best films of the 1950's.

A+

1958

Fright Night

Fright Night is a classic B movie horror film from the 1980's. Try and recall a film that fits this profile. Most childhoods are brought up on films of this very nature. They seem to hold a soft spot in peoples hearts that conjure up memories of a time long gone but still desired. Sometimes looking back on movies that you held in high regard when you were a kid can be incredibly disappointing when viewed as in adult.
An overdramatic score, a sexy virgin girl, an every day boy hero, an annoying best friend, a clueless mom, a terrifying evil neighbor, an old man looking for courage, cheesy lines delivered by cheesy at best actors, gross special effects, a plot that just seems to be riddled with ridiculous and obvious developments and what do you get. In this case a highly entertaining guilt free time at the movies.


B-

1985

Suspiria

Suspiria is a great example of a talented director valuing style over substance. The film is a critical darling among horror fans, ranking within the top twenty five on most lists of the hundred greatest horror films ever made. Released in the 70's by European visionary Dario Argento, it tells the relatively simple tale of a young aspiring american student who travels to Europe to attend a prestigious dance academy. Once she arrives on the rainy dark continent creepy things ensue. With a wonderfully creepy score and amazing set decoration the movie immediately pulls you inn. Sadly though story doesn't exactly seem to be the biggest priority for Mr. Argento. With little to no character development the film essentially wastes the films many good quality's. Its filled with great cinematography and great costumes but that isn't enough to keep this viewer engaged for a good amount of time. The films also feels like it loses its momentum in the last act when the heroine is confronted by a supreme evil. Overall I was impressed by Argento's style as a filmmaker, I guess he just needs better material to work from then this.

C

1977