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Reviews
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction: A Brilliantly Stylish Film
There is nothing out there quite like Pulp Fiction. This masterpiece directed by Quentin Tarantino manages to tell a story filled with quirks but held together by a slick sense of style. Tarantino's masterful directorial work is on full display here, with very iconic shots and fantastic pacing, helped by the movie's unique structure. The movie bounces back and forth between different stories and times out of chronological order, but the genius is that this lets Tarantino put the sequences in an order that makes more sense from an emotional level. Music is also used to great effect, typically in conjunction with editing to let the two really highlight each other. John Travolta does a good job as Vincent Vega, but the standout performance is Samuel L. Jackson's Jules, who steals every scene he's in and is extremely fun to watch. Finally everything is brought together by a fantastic script, filled with strange asides and rambling monologues that are as unnecessary as they are fantastic. A film to be remembered.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Midnight Cowboy: A Timeless Classic
Upon viewing this film for the first time, I had no idea what to expect, other than what I could glean from the title. What I got with Midnight Cowboy defied any preconceptions that I even could have had when going in. This movie is extremely dark and covers very adult subject matter, and the script does a fantastic job of giving these heavy topics the weight they deserve. The structure of the story lends itself well to the plot as well, with important information being revealed through flashbacks as the story in the present day progresses. The performances by both Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are extremely good, and their interactions in key scenes can get very emotional. The film is also very well paced, with editing that knows when to let things breathe, lending a very grounded and natural feel to the movie. This story definitely stuck with me and I think it makes for an absolutely fantastic movie.
Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver - A Masterpiece
Taxi Driver is one of those few movies that makes you want to watch it again right away. The story is not only well written and fantastic on paper, it is beautifully executed. Martin Scorsese does a fantastic job directing this film, and the shots he manages to create are nothing short of iconic. Everyone remembers the famous scene where Travis Bickle looks in the mirror, but even outside of moments like these the movie has a fantastic sense of where to place the camera for maximum effect. Robert De Niro gives a fantastic and layered performance as Travis which, after your first viewing, will make you want to go back and study the character and his psyche even more. The world of the movie is very dark in tone, and this helps to reflect it's themes beautifully. Overall this movie deserves my highest recommendation and ranks up there with the best.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
To Kill A Mockingbird: A timeless movie
To Kill A Mockingbird was considered a landmark movie when it came out and is still an incredible watch today. The movie is very well directed and edited, with the courtroom scenes being paced to give a sense of suspense and drama to the proceedings. Gregory Peck does a fantastic job as Atticus Finch, portraying a nuanced and wise character who inspires a felling of warmth and confidence. While he is the standout in the movie, even the child actors do a great job, turning in performances that feel realistic. The movie's style is very grounded, doing away with flashy camera angles or shots to instead provide a more subtle, plain take on the world. This works well as the story is attempting to deliver an important social message so the world feeling unassuming and close to our own is important. The social message is the greatest strength of the movie, it handles issues of race very well and manages to tell a moving and striking story. Overall, this movie is one of the greats, and a must watch.
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
The Bad and the Beautiful: A Stylish Classic
The Bad and the Beautiful may seem at first to be yet another Hollywood film about Hollywood, but that is far from the case. The movie is extremely well made. Kirk Douglas turns in a great performance as Johnathan Shields, a manipulative, broken man who unravels as the film progresses. The film's structure is also very unique, jumping back and forth between flashbacks and the present day as we hear 3 differing accounts of the type of person Shields is. The film is lit in quite a moody way, where the characters almost emit a soft glow and the borders of the screen fade into black. I found this to be very impressive and it helped to accentuate this dramatic tale. The music also stands out, especially compared to other films of the same time period (that weren't musicals). I think this does a great deal to elevate the movie from average to great.
Don't Bother to Knock (1952)
Don't Bother to Knock: Dark and Unsettling
Don't Bother to Knock was a solid film that defied the expectations I had going in. When I heard the Marilyn Monroe starred in the film, I was expecting a much lighter, but still dramatic, picture. Instead, Monroe gives a fantastic and unsettling performance that lets us peer into the mind of someone truly broken and deranged. The movie does a good job at setting up her character's backstory, though it has a hard time giving us reason to be invested in most of the other characters. Marilyn is without a doubt the highlight of this movie, but on the whole the movie excels in many ways. The pacing is very good, and the movie makes the most out of it's short run time. It is also very well shot, with moody, shadowy scenes lending themselves well to the dark subject matter at hand. Though I think the story is engaging, it seems a bit underdeveloped, and more of an excuse to move from disturbing scene to disturbing scene. Overall however, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit and would recommend it.
Fantasia (1940)
Fantasia: Absolutely Breathtaking
Fantasia is less of a movie in its own right and more of a collection of shorts organized into a film. Each short is accompanied by a musical piece that the animation is timed in sequence with. These shorts are all perfectly storyboarded and animated to evoke emotion, and the result is the most beautiful work of Disney's early years. The shorts are much more abstract than Disney's usual fare, and are meant to be more symbolic than literal. Some are more whimsical, such as "the Sorcerer's Apprentice, which features Mickey Mouse, and others are breathtaking and intimidating, like "Night on Bald Mountain," which is one of the most moving pieces of animation I've ever seen. Overall, the movie as a whole manages to take you on an emotional journey despite being broken into distinct pieces, which is an outstanding achievement.
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Young Mr. Lincoln: A look at history
I ended up quite enjoying this movie. Directed by John Ford, who also directed "Stagecoach" which I enjoyed as well, this movie chronicles the life of a young Abraham Lincoln to great effect. Henry Fonda's performance as Lincoln is extremely well done, and he portrays him as a very likable, All-American man. He also brings a vulnerability and softness to Lincoln that exposes a different side to him than is often portrayed. While I've been told the movie does make exaggerations, it also offered a unique glimpse at Lincoln's life as a lawyer before he rose to fame. Some scenes are masterfully executed, such as Lincoln's dramatic court case where he gets a confession out of the key witness to a crime. The scene is very tense and well shot. The only real issue I had with the movie is that the pacing is somewhat slow and it could have used a shorter runtime. That being said, I very much enjoyed the film!
His Girl Friday (1940)
His Girl Friday: Good but not Great
While I did get some enjoyment out of this film, I also felt that the pacing was a little slow and often not particularly interesting. It was neat to see that some of this film took place in my hometown on Albany, New York, and getting a look at the 1940's version of the city was very cool. The dynamic between Hildy and Bruce is very funny and seeing him obsess over her is a fun and engaging dynamic. The screwball comedy aspects were fun at times but I found many that didn't land for me which is where my disappointment with the movie lies. The ending is well executed, with the implication that the cycle will repeat all over again, and this was a high point of the movie for me. Overall however, I just didn't think many of the jokes landed, but it was still engaging enough to be worth the watch.
City Streets (1931)
City Streets Review
This was an extremely stylish film. The cinematography, while a bit amateurish and constrained by today's standards, does a good job of establishing a dreary yet slick feeling. Gary Cooper is very captivating as "The Kid," and the rest of the cast does an admirable job as well. I would say that some of the outdoor scenes weren't very well lit, which did detract from my enjoyment somewhat as I think it wasn't a style choice so much as poor shot composition. At other times, especially indoors or in nighttime scenes, the lighting is much better. Another complaint I have was that the ending was a bit abrupt and bland. Other than that, I enjoyed watching it.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans Review
I found this to be a very interesting movie. At its core, Sunrise is a movie about infidelity, and the heartbreak it can cause. The editing is great here, with some very nice cuts that flow between the different scenes well. I also found the use of lighting to be very dramatic, which helped heighten the high stakes mood of the film. There are many scenes where the corners of the screen are darkened, creating an almost circular spotlight on the center of the frame. I though this was a very neat effect and it helped both to draw my eye to the action as well as make everything feel more dramatic. If I were to find fault with the movie, I would say that the character of the city girl is not very well developed. Though she is meant mainly as a temptress to lure the husband away from his wife, I would have liked so see a bit more going on with her. Overall, the movie does a great job at establishing a somber tone that really resonates and I would highly recommend it.