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Reviews
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
A fine achievement
This is an extraordinary movie. I found myself watching it on TV without knowing what it was... if someone had told me what I would be watching, I wouldn't have given it a chance. Why? Because of its being so often paired with grease. But it is everything grease isn't. Saturday night fever is gritty, pretty hopeless futures await the protagonists, the sheer jungle of youth and young mens culture is highlighted marvelously. The weak don't survive, the weak are shown no pity... there is no saccharine here. The dilemma facing Travolta's brother is an all too familiar one in Catholic countries. Travolta himself emerges a likable decent lad, which in itself is no small feat.
Midnight Run (1988)
A masterpiece
This is simply a masterpiece. There is a fantastic story line, there is just enough of the whole one dimensional character aspect to so many of the baddies here, but wonderful explorations of De Niro's and Grodin's characters. Truly, the film explores right and wrong and comes up on the side of the Angels. Angels with dirty faces maybe, but Angels nonetheless. No commentary on this film could be complete without remarking upon De Niro's incredible comic role. I haven't been moved by any of his comic turns since... indeed upon reflection, could it not be suggested that Raging Bull was in essence, high class comedy? Never mind... a piece of magic.
Cross of Iron (1977)
Magnificent
This movie is magnificent for two reasons: Firstly, there is the performance of James Coburn. There are few if any celebrated actors who could've carried this role so well. There is simply a gulf in dignified class between what Coburn brought to the role and anything so called contemporaries such as McQueen and Marvin could've given. James Mason's own marvellous performance echoes Coburns. This performance by Coburn first and foremost makes this movie special.
Secondly, this was a very important film in that it humanized German suffering. It is sad but true that following this release, instead of a growing understanding of right and wrong having existed on all sides during that terrible war, the emergence of the series 'Holocaust' placed all Germans back into the convenient stereotype of being brutal, unquestioning sadists. This phenomenon is only now beginning to have run its course. An extremely important movie.
Accattone (1961)
Majestic
This just might be the greatest movie I've ever seen. There are two key elements here: the first is Pasolini's genius. Martin Scorcese, or however his name is spelt, is, was, and always will be the poor mans poor mans poor mans Pasolini. Pasolini's subtleness, his understanding of human nature... where does one stop? The second incredible element is that Citti is LANGUID CHARISMA personified. I used to think Jimmy Coburn was the king of such effortless charisma, but I've never seen a performance like this in my life. And I believe the cast were all pretty much amateurs also.
Bach's genius is used hauntingly, in many ways this provides a link to his movie on Our Lord. This is just too beautiful a movie experience for words. I joined IMDb today solely to comment on what I consider to the worst movie I ever saw, two nights ago, called 'love actually'. Well, Accattone is probably the best.
Love Actually (2003)
Cringe inducing vomit
I have actually joined IMDb solely to comment on this movie. I have never watched a movie before that actually made me say, 'that is the worst movie I have ever seen'. That is no longer the case now. This was appalling. Completely smug, vomit inducing, politically correct crap,devoid of any merit whatsoever crap. This was a vision of hell. That says it all, but unfortunately I have to write out 10 lines before I can submit this. When I think of the classics I've seen in the past year, I think of a film like Passolini's Accattone and the gulf in class, honesty and content is embarrassing. I wonder do the actors who performed in it really live in this sort of world?