andreyev66 Reviews

Malcolm X (1992)

A great story reduced to a series of cinematic snapshots

[2/10 · 7 April 2000]

The film charts Malcolm X's metamorphosis from Harlem hustler to one of the two most important African- American leaders of his time, but , in emotional terms, it doesn't dig very deep. One understands how Malcolm X changes but not why he changes. The scenes--some of which are extraordinary --are self-contained, they don't link up emotionally with one another. The result is a cinematic slide show ("first this happened, then this... then this"). And the coda (much like those in Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan) is unnecessary and embarrassing.

The Paint Job (1992)

A peculiar hybrid

[10/10 · 1 April 2000]

The Paint Job is a peculiar hybrid; it could be characterized as a thriller, a rather odd romantic comedy, and as a romantic satire. And while I found this to be an unsettling mix--one was not always quite sure how to respond--my general take on the film was positive. The pacing was admittedly too slow at times, but the writing was quite strong, the performances of Ted Levine, Robert Pastorelli, Bebe Neuwirth, and Will Patton were first rate, and climactic battle was like no other I have ever seen

Lolita (1962)

Funny, at times farcical, and heart-breaking

[10/10 · 29 March 2000]

Kubrick brilliantly dramatizes the madness inherent to love in general and illicit love in particular. James Mason is extraordinary as Humbert Humbert, the film's slyly duplicitous and heartbreakingly earnest hero who can

neither win nor keep his beloved "Lo". And Peter Sellers is nearly as good as Quigley, Humbert's rival and the quintessence of early sixties' decadent cool. Seeing him in Strangelove and this film, and later in Being There, one wonders at what he might had accomplished had he decided not to churn out those wretched Pink Panthers.

But back to the issue at hand. Despite a few bumps along the way, this is a great film, hilarious, tragic, subversive, and lest I forget, sexy.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Kubrick's satiric masterpiece.

[10/10 · 28 March 2000]

A riotous, razor-sharp satire. Who knew (at that point) that Kubrick could be so funny? Peter Sellers shines in all three roles (although my favorite is Colonel Mandrake). Slim Picken and Sterling Hayden give the best performances of their careers. The only actor who refuses to play it "straight" is George C. Scott. Watching him bomb about the set as if he were in a burlesque sketch, one wishes Kubrick had reined him in and wonders why he didn't. Nonetheless, this film is a masterpiece and deserves to be seen and re-seen.