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gtbeast
Reviews
The Brave One (2007)
Jodie Foster is Locked and Loaded in Female 'Death Wish'!
After "Flightplan", "Panic Room" and now "The Brave One", Jodie Foster establishes herself again as one of the best American actresses AND, to some degree, becomes a true action hero with this strong, unrelenting performance as a woman with a death wish.
When she is beaten to a pulp and her fiancé is brutally murdered, Foster arms herself with anger and a gun. She finds herself becoming a vigilante during her emotional post-traumatic stress, in an effort to fight back the injustice that destroyed her life. Foster is mesmerizing. Without words, she communicates her pain and her intense anger as the forces of right and wrong fight for control.
"The Brave One" is riviting, telling its story very efficiently as well as satisfying with enough action and surprises wherever necessary. It's Director Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game", "Interview With A Vampire") who shows unusual and welcomed restraint. Jordan's films often include colorful tangents unrelated to the overall story - here, he is focused and effective in his storytelling. It's every reason you go to the movies - entertainment, so, enjoy the ride!
Yong chun jie quan (1977)
It's BRUCE! (Li not Lee)
The man martial-arts filmmakers could never let go! How many Bruce Lee "wannabes" have there been? This time around Bruce LI explodes onto the screen portraying, who else, BRUCE (not Lee, nor Li, just Bruce)! Sure there have been many to copy the frenetic and amazing Bruce Lee - few have succeeded, many have failed. In "Bruce Lee's Secret" (as it was titled when I saw it), at least the director(s) had the sense to make it about the fighting; the more involved, the better! Bruce Li is a waiter in San Francisco, minding his own business, when, out of nowhere, American kung fu thugs want to make trouble for Li and friends. Who cares - watch this one for the plentiful martial arts action. If you are a fan of the bad dubbing found in most of these films, you will get a 'kick' out of the insanely poor vocal choices. Lots of action, lots of fun - just enjoy!
Paper Moon (1973)
Life is nothing more than a Paper Moon!
"Paper Moon" is one of three important films from director Bogdanovich ("Last Picture Show" and "What's Up, Doc" are the other two). These films, in particular "Paper Moon", were the reason I fell in love with movies. In 1973, the Hollywood idea of film-making was three years into changing - a case of art imitating life. These changes brought about expressive films filled with sex and violence as Hollywood explored the under-belly of real life. In the middle of this new "shocking" cinema comes a filmmaker such as Bogdanovich who masterfully delivers simplicity by capturing the essence and romance of life long gone.
"Paper Moon" is an absorbing, depression-era tale of a father/daughter con team, traveling throughout Kansas and Missouri, collecting "money due" on "pre-ordered" Bibles. Along the way, they meet up with trouble and quite a collection of fascinating characters. The black and white photography compliments the era; the actors compliment the rich dialog; this is story-telling without the need for weepy sentimentality or heavy dramatics. Overall, a deeply focused, extremely entertaining comedy/drama that has never diminished from age or repeated viewings.
Stars Ryan and Tatum O'Neal are perfect - it is obvious why Tatum won the Oscar for this performance and it is obvious that father Ryan really can act! The late, always great Madeline Kahn is absolutely a gem in a small, yet important role.
I just caught a screening of "Paper Moon" on Turner Classic Movies (Thank God for TCM) and this has now inspired me to make the DVD commitment to a film that will forever be one of the true great American classics!
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001)
Not 'Lost"; but 'Dead-On' Fun!
I caught this one on a cable movie channel and fell in love! Do you like those "B" sci-fi/horror films from the 50's or grade "Z" movies such as "Plan 9 From Outer Space"? This goes one better, combining all that made those films so funny - monotone delivery, bad editing, bad acting, and a script so full of hysterical dialogue, you might pee yourself. All done on purpose as a parody of the bad films gone by, "Lost Skeleton of Cadavera" not only hits the nail on the head, it is almost eerie how accurate the parody really is. Uncanny, actually. Minus the bad camera work and shot in glorious black-and-white, this is a must-see but only if you are familiar with aforementioned genre.
Kung fu (2004)
Cinematic Masterpiece!
This not just a "must-see", this is a MUST BUY movie! Here is an amazing film about love, respect, class, memories, and, most of all, Kung Fu. Funny, even hysterical at times, Kung Fu Hustle is non-stop action and incredible film-making. The fight sequences are richly choreographed, the action, while violent, is never grotesque but, rather, beautiful, thanks to the phenomenal cinematography. A standing ovation for writer/director Stephen Chow in delivering the film of a lifetime - even the dialogue is smart and intelligent! I understand this film was a testament or tribute to the classic films of Hong Kong, past and future. If so, Kung Fu Hustle does the genre right, celebrating what all of us love about the greatest films from Hong Kong. Have you noticed by now, I have not really told you anything about the film's plot or premise? That's because Kung Fu Hustle can be a lot of things for different viewers - I don't want to say the film is this or that; it is multi-dimensional, weaving so much intelligence and human emotion in just 98 minutes!