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Reviews
Taxi Driver (1976)
This is a man who would not take it. This is...
DeNiro is at the top of his methodology in this masterpiece of american cinema. The exquisite cinematography blending with the rough, New York streets, create a buffer to what's coming.
Scorsese's best work. Paul Schrader gets a lot of credit for a charged up script. And Brenard Herman's score boils below the surface, leveling out a grueling montage of realism. F***in' brilliant! Hasn't lost any of it's relevence nearly 30 years later.
Taxi Driver (1976)
This is a man who would not take it. This is...
DeNiro is at the top of his methodology in this masterpiece of american cinema. The exquisite cinematography blending with the rough, New York streets, create a buffer to what's coming.
Scorsese's best work. Paul Schrader gets a lot of credit for a charged up script. And Brenard Herman's score boils below the surface, leveling out a grueling montage of realism. F***in' brilliant! Hasn't lost any of it's relevence nearly 30 years later.
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
A loser never wins
This is one of my favorite films of all-time, so it's easy for me to
point to the reasons why. First off, what we have here is Paul
Newman. His performance is a thing of beauty. He wields his
charm and charisma like the battered son you wish you had. The
film is brilliantly photographed, loosely scored and all of the
performances are strong. But it is Newman, very simply, who
carries this film.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
He who makes a beast of himself, gets rid of the pain of being a man
This is classic Hunter. The dialog crackles like the laugh of a wheezing hooker. A hooker with a head full of acid, and a pair of left handed gloves. Depp and Del Toro step straight out of the book, and rip a long trail of drooling agony up and down the Vegas strip. Genius stuff that'll make you laugh out loud, while thinking about what you just laughed at. Gilliam at his wildest. Classic.
The Shining (1980)
Brilliant
Kubrick is behind the wheel of Jack Nicholson, in this mesmerizing thriller about a man who loses his mind and terrifies his wife and son in a mountain hotel in Colorado. Nicholson is the star, no question, and, he eats up every delicious piece of it, frothing at the mouth at one point. But, the hidden magic is courtesey of Ligetti, a masterful composer that haunts and chills it's wy through some brilliant technical work. This is a fim for Kubrick fans not to miss.
Happiness (1998)
Leave it to Beaver on acid
Deeply disturbing, provacative and complex. Solondz is a unique voice who refreshes us with his inability to compromise. This is a groundbreaking film, a film that tests the limits of the audience and achieves because it gives us credit where so many other films don't. A must see. The best film in recent years. Makes American Beauty look like American Pie.
Bad Lieutenant (1992)
Keitel rips through the screen
Abel Ferrara is the most un-compromising filmmaker you will find. This is his film, but, Keitel is right there with him. This is an un-flinching look at drug addiction, depression ,and, corruption, all played out in unglamorous master shots allowing Keitel the freedom to sear the edges of the celluloid. Highly recommended to those who have a high tolerance to realism.
Down by Law (1986)
Intricate filmmaking, a masterpiece
Down by Law is a film that has mesmerized me for years. The first time I saw it, it sunk into me like the smile from a homeless person. It told me something I should've already known.
I've heard people use the word "quirky", when drawing comparisons to a Jarmusch character, but, I like the phrase: "Spot On". He has captured man's fear within himself, and, the ability to hide that fear. It takes a director of great courage and knowledge of self to pull that one off without boring you.
If you're a fan of Joel Schumaucher or James Cameron, this is not the film for you. But if your a fan of people, and, the human condition, the mirror reflects back, 2 hours at a time, and Jarmusch is right behind it.
Scotch and Milk (1998)
Crappy acting with a hurried chaser.
I did not like this film. It was beautifully shot, in black and white, sort of film noir look, but, it never got close to being anything more than a palette for these mid level actors to pretend to be their heroes. These guys are all friends, and, they thought they could make the next Swingers, but, I think in order to achieve that you need to spend a little more time developing the characters. I think this script was written on the toilet in one sitting. That's where it should've stayed.