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Reviews
The Fury (1978)
Better Than Scanners?
This movie is imperfect (it sags a bit in the third quarter, and some major factors in the plot are unexplained or confusing), but it is a great mix of fear and excitement. The cinematography is quite ahead of its time (the camera rarely sits still, yet remains unobtrusive), the drama is milked for maximum effect (and there are numerous sudden shocks), and the science-fiction/occult aspects of the film never overshadow the human element. Two similar movies, David Cronenberg's Scanners and The Brood, have more science and are more amusingly grotesque, but The Fury has a coolness and tightness to it that might just beat them both.
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Fine Fantasy
This exciting film contains some of the best special effects that the great Ray Harryhausen has ever created. The iron giant Talos and the climactic battle with the skeletons remain startlingly convincing to this day. There are some slightly cheesy moments in the drama, but in general these lesser-known actors do a fine job.
One should note that the story has been changed from the original sources. Medea, for example, does very little here except get rescued and do a sexy dance; there is almost nothing of her famed fierce temper and sorceric powers. But overall this is a great action film that offers a beautiful visualization of classical Greek mythology.
Mallrats (1995)
Only for Diehard Kevin Smith Fans
Actually, I'm a diehard Kevin Smith fan and I didn't find much to like here. There were funny moments - and, heck, a Stan Lee cameo - but nothing hilarious or memorable (except, perhaps, 'stink palm'). For a smutty potty-humor movie, Clerks is far superior, and for a more realistic and emotional movie, Chasing Amy is the winner. I give it a '4'.
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
High Drama
It's particularly interesting to compare this movie with Gladiator (2000), as both take the same historical event as a starting point. While the fight scenes are more exciting in Gladiator, and while Gladiator is probably the superior film overall, this film does have three distinct advantages.
First of all, the armies and crowds are better here - it's real people and not computer generated icons. Some of the marching scenes were a bit lengthy for my tastes, but the soldiers, the horses, the armor, the swords and spears, all of it, were very authentic and impressive. Second, as the armies look more realistic, so do the sets. We do not see the coliseum in this film, but we do see the palaces, pools, forts and throne rooms. Very exciting. Third, and perhaps most importantly, this film has superior acting. Christopher Plummer is probably the best thing here - his Commodus is at once more dastardly and more likeable than that of Gladiator; again, this means more realistic. James Mason is also in top form, here; for once, he does not play a slippery philanderer.
There is something flawed about this film that I can't quite put my finger on. It does not reach the heights of other 50s and 60s epics such as The Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur. Still, it is a dramatic and at times moving film. It does convey the gravity (some might say tragedy) of the Empire's fall and the pax romana that never was.
Lonely Are the Brave (1962)
Very Good Suspense
I would not call this a great movie, but it certainly was very good. It is a bit slow-paced for modern tastes, yet the slowness adds suspense - the chase (which takes half the movie) is up there with the great all-time movie chases, although High Sierra's chase gets my vote as the top best. As a "last cowboy" movie this does not reach the pathos of The Misfits, but it makes its point quite well with its visual symbols and its aura, right from the first scene, of loneliness and final days.
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
Mediocre
I would recommend this movie to werewolf fans, but not to a general audience. The story is good, the direction is good (especially the shots of the moon), Oliver Reed is quite good, and all the pieces seem to be in place, but somehow it does not all add up the way it should.
For one thing, despite some eerie moments it is not a frightening film. This may be because the white-haired makeup job makes Reed look more like a child's stuffed animal than a vicious werewolf. There is also a big big mistake at the ending (SPOILER alert!) when Reed, after being killed at last, retains his werewolf form in death. How much more poignant to have him revert to his human form as her perishes - to underscore not the justice but the tragedy of the killing.
Zabriskie Point (1970)
Two Good Things
There are two good things in this movie which, conveniently, are at the beginning and at the end. But I'd recommend you skip the rest, even the brief 'love' scene, which is original but quite uninteresting. The conversation at the beginning is well worth watching, however - very natural and gives a good sense of the 60s. And the famous ending is also well worth it - the extended slow-motion explosion. Overall, this movie (like most of this filmmaker's work) is a failure with notable highlights.
Simple Men (1992)
Small-time masterpiece
Like Mr. Hartley's other movies, this film manages to balance humor, romance, drama, emotion, and action. It has a vaguely surreal air to it, wherein the events are plausible, but could only happen on those strange, unsettled days of the year when the sky can't decide whether to rain or not. There is also a bit of camp mixed in.
Also like his other films, Simple Men is quite idealistic, yet without being sappy or 'feel-good' in a cheap or simplistic way. This is a subtle movie, and I found I had to watch it a second and third time before I truly appreciated it. It's hard to compare it to anything else except Hartley's other movies, especially the excellent Henry Fool. I recommend it highly.