peanutthegreat Reviews

The Color of Money (1986)

Sub-par, Unnecessary Film

[30 August 2002]

After seeing this (and The Hustler), I thought: why was there a sequel? The Hustler was perfect by itself, and it really didn't need a "Tom Cruise 80's Movie" to be its sequel. The plot was overdone at times, and way underdone at other times. Some of the camera shots were inventive, but did not help the film one bit. Surprising disappointment at Scorsese's The King of Comedy. The acting was also a major problem. Tom Cruise swinging a pool-stick around kung fu style with "Werewolf of London" playing throughout was silly, and even Paul Newman -- possibly the greatest living actor -- was not at his best. If he did not win an Academy Award for The Hustler, then this performance did not deserve it. I'm not saying he wasn't good, because he was, but his given far better performances.

Desperado (1995)

To Call It "El Mariachi 2" is an Insult

[20 August 2002]

I watched "El Mariachi" shortly before "Desperado." Mariachi is not only a great independent film, but one of the best films of the nineties, easily. Robert Rodriguez showed a great amount of talent as both a Director and a Writer. Desperado, however, played out more like a music video than anything. It starts off with Steve Buscemi telling a story about a killer-mariachi, followed by Antonio Banderas shooting up a bunch of people. If it was supposed to be funny or violent (or both), I'm not sure: it came across as silly, and pointless. Anyone looking for a cool shootout should look elsewhere, such as Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch." As for Banderas' acting, it's not much more than shooting people. Those who do not like him will not start liking him from his performance here. Then comes a part of the film that made me cringe: the ending of "El Mariachi," re-edited to stick Antonio Banderas in Carlos Gallardo's place. Liking Mariachi and Gallardo as much as I do, and equally disliking Antonio Banderas, it was not much longer before I shut it off. I realize that being Robert Rodriguez's films, he can do what he wants. But why Banderas? And how come the scene from Mariachi that was flashbacked did not have the consequence on the mariachi-character that it should have? I think that this was about the point that some guys walked into a bar where Banderas was singing/dancing more like a rock band than a mariachi singer, and if I remember right, he either killed them, or they were hallucinations. Then, some of the other characters that were introduced earlier in the film get killed in a bar/restroom. Within minutes, I turned the vcr off: Desperado had no chance for redemption at this point. It was like a comedy that wasn't funny, a violent action flick that was cheesy and unrealistic, a sequel that was unworthy and illogical, and on top of all of this, a cast that was, for the most part, rank.

Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Didn't Feel Like the Ending to A 13-Year Series

[7 August 2002]

"Song of the Thin Man" was probably my least favorite of the entire "Thin Man" series. After watching something like ten hours worth of Thin Man, the ending to "Song of the Thin Man" was very disappointing. They left it open as if they already had plans for another sequel. It is an entertaining film, but not quite as good as the other Thin Men. It seems that William Powell and Myrna Loy drank less and less with each passing Thin Man, and that made the older ones better. "Song of the Thin Man" wasn't bad, however. It had some very funny stuff, like the scenes where the Charles' were going to different jam sessions, trying to find the missing clarinet player, and Nick Charles wasn't picking up on the dialogue. My favorite part of this film comes at one such point where Myrna Loy says, "Mr. Charles is a bit of a schmoe." The way the mystery was solved at the end of "Song of the Thin Man" was not as good as in the older ones: it seemed rushed, like the writers ran out of ideas. the unusual thing about watching this film was that it seemed like William Powell was as old as he was when the series started, but Myrna Loy seemed much, much older. In reality, though, when the series ended, Loy was at the age that Powell was when it started. I guess the real problem with this film was that it ended the entire series, but it left a feeling like there should have been more to it. It didn't say what happened afterwards, whether Nick retires, or does he continue to work as a detective?

Hotel Room (1993)

My Opinions of "Hotel Room"

[17 July 2002]

::Possible Spoilers ????::

About the first part of "Hotel Room": I thought it was the best, with some really good acting, especially by Harry Dean Stanton. I'm not sure about this, but I think that the other guy (Louis) was supposed to be Moe's conscience, and he wasn't real. David Lynch never really says what the whole idea behind the story was, but that's what I think (that might have been a spoiler of some sort). Either way, this episode was really good.

The second part was terribly terrible. It may not have been so bad, but squeezed between two slices of Lynch-bread, it tasted like a piece of rotten turkey.

The third one was also good. There were only two characters in this one (Crispin Glover and Alicia Witt), and they both gave great performances. Both this and the first episode had David Lynch's trademark of unusual dialogue that is never really explained enough for the viewer to understand exactly what is going on.

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962–1965)

My all-time favorite television show

[5 July 2002]

I occasionally hear of people making lists of the all-time best tv series (TV Guide did it recently), and they never seem to mention either of Hitchcock's Television series, even though these are the same people that call Hitchcock among the greatest directors. I watched this show all the time when I was younger (or so I seem to remember), but it does not seem to be on very often any more. Hitchcock's shows are much better than his movies, in my opinion. The thing about the show is that it is limited to only an hour, so the story is forced to progress more quickly, and keeps me interested more easily. My favorite episodes are "The Return of Verge Likens" with Peter Fonda, "The Man from Rio" with Peter Lorre and Steve McQueen, and "One More Mile to Go."

Reunion (1946)

Full of Powerful Imagery

[10/10 · 6 June 2002]

After seeing "Le Retour," I felt that I had truly taken something from the film. The film used some great imagery that is parallel to the best that there is. Some of the real footage from this film was more shocking and realistic than that used in films today. If you ever have the opportunity to check it out, then do watch this picture.

The Criminal Code (1930)

An Eye for An Eye

[3 June 2002]

"The Criminal Code" is centered around the theme "An Eye for An Eye." This theme is the reason that young Robert Graham is sent to prison, the reason why the prisoners object to the D.A. becoming the Warden of the prison, and the reason why Graham is sent to "the hole" near the end of the film. For 1931, it was one of the first critical looks at this theme. It raises certain questions as to the morals of the law, and the Criminal Code versus the Prisoners Code. Phillips Holmes gives a good enough performance as Robert Graham, and Boris Karloff came off well as the inmate with a bone to pick (months before becoming Frankenstein), but the performance that I liked the most was Walter Huston, who played the D.A.-turned-prison-warden. Huston's character was a wily one, who said "Yeah" and "Yeah?" about a hundred times throughout the film.

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

A Film that Teenagers can relate to over 40 Years Later

[10/10 · 29 May 2002]

I'll never forget when I first saw James Dean come on screen in this film as Jim Stark. He played the rebellious youth not for the fifties, but for all decades, even through the 21st century. He played his role well, giving what I thought to be his greatest performance (out of only three major roles). He played this role so well probably because even he could relate, with his "Live fast, Die Young" attitude towards life. The plot is one that many teenagers still today can relate to: any misunderstood, rebel without a cause, who feels like sometimes he is being torn apart. Natalie Wood gives a fine performance as Judy, who hangs with a gang that has taken a particular disliking to Jim Stark, and his friend, the always-misunderstood Plato, played well by Sal Mineo. Jim Backus was an excellent choice for Jim Stark's father, who never stands up for himself. Even Dennis Hopper, in his first film role as Goon, a hoodlum. The scene where Stark tries to settle things with the gang one night by playing a game to decide who the coward is really stook out to me as the film's greatest scene (although there were many others). And the result of that game fuels the rest of the film.

The Third Man (1949)

Joseph Cotten is Excellent in Revolutionary Film Noir

[10/10 · 21 May 2002]

"I never knew the Old Vienna, before the war, with its Strauss Music," opens Carol Reed's The Third Man, and we catch a glimpse of the New Vienna, with its Black Market and its Shady Deals. Joseph Cotten plays cheap novelette author Holly Martins, just arrived in Vienna to meet with long-time friend Harry Lime, who offered him a job. He instead meets with the mysterious facts surrounding the death of Lime, learned bit-by-bit from Lime's friends, a woman named Anna Schmidt, who has problems of her own (played excellently by Valli), and two British officers, Calloway and Paine. Learning, that there is more to death of Lime than there seems to be, Martins begins his investigation for the truth. This film was shot with some of the greatest, most ahead-of-its-time cinematography ever, and it creates mystery and deceit. It is complimented by the excellent use of shadows. The soundtrack is essentially one long song, which plays throughout the film, changing and stopping as the emotion calls for. It is a zither composition by Anton Karas made for the film. This is all topped off by an engrossing storyline, and a great performance by Joseph Cotten, as the ordinary man mixed up in this web of mystery.

This Gun for Hire (1942)

Alan Ladd makes the Film

[10/10 · 19 May 2002]

"This Gun for Hire" is a decent film-noir, although nothing really sticks out about it except for one thing: Alan Ladd. He plays a cold-blooded killer-for-hire, and he plays it well. The scene where is first introduced is when he is meeting a man named Baker. The shots of Ladd's face while he is looking at Baker stuck out in my mind throughout the entire film, as the stonelike face of the killer. Another well-done scene is when the cops come to find his character, and he hides in a phonebooth, taking a maid hostage. Eventually, unfortunately, the film winds down, as we get to know Ladd, and he seems more humanlike, and he meets the character played by Veronica Lake, who I must admit was not the best Dame for the job. This is all topped off by an ending which tried to be more patriotic than realistic to the story. Still, it is worth seeing just for Alan Ladd's performance in the first five minutes.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Awful

[1/10 · 18 May 2002]

This is a really bad film. First of all, there is the acting. Most of it was rather dull, with the exceptions of Brad Pitt, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, and Andy Garcia. Even Matt Damon--one of my favorite modern actors--gave a dull performance. Clooney was the worst, as the arrogant thief who sets out to prove that it's okay to steal $160 million dollars, as long as its because some respectable businessman who works for his money dates your ex-wife while you are in jail. That is pretty much the theme to this film. Then there is the dialogue. It's just plain terrible (with a few good one-liners here and there, I must admit). Probably the worst dialogue comes at the very end (in Rusty's car). By far the worst scene was near the end, when the robbers are standing near the fountain, it was bad stuff. This film does not even compare to the original. Frank Sinatra is much, much more of an actor than Clooney is, and he's not conceited. The original was better, and the premise was better. I liked a group of army buddies with nothing to lose better than some guy trying to 'screw the guy thats screwing his wife' with a bunch of people he had never before met. The original had the far superior ending too.