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garylampkin
Reviews
It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)
Suspend Your Imagination in Space
**No Spoilers**
I'm old enough to remember the drive-in triple features so these creature features are a part of my nostalgic memory. It! Terror From Beyond Space is one I missed on the drive-in and TV rerun circuits, and based on all the reviewers who enjoyed it as a youngster, It! is one I would have liked to seen back in the day as a ten year old. As for seeing this for the first time as an adult some 40 years after it was made and again the other day, I'm sorry to say It! didn't do too much to impress me. The only reason I gave It! a 6 is because Ridley Scott(one of my fav directors) apparently liked It! I'll just mention a few distractions that make It! forgettable compared to say, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" or another rubber monster movie, "It! Came From Beneath the Sea", are the poor quality: acting, script, plot, sound, and special effects on par with Buck Rogers. Just consider the obtuse title, and that should be a clue to the rest of the plot, and overall quality. Even in Hollywood in the 50's when B movies were the thing, trying to place a credible story "beyond space" is just too much for my logical mind. It! Does raise one burning question in my mind, if the actor playing It! was too big for the rubber suit so much so a cut-out was made in the suit for his chin to poke out what happened at the level of more critical anatomy? Maybe that's why It! was never shown to us full frontal.
The Monster That Challenged the World (1957)
Enjoyable Cold War Sci-Fi
**NO SPOILERS**
I'm a fan of the 50's creature feature genre, so this movie fits the category nicely. Unlike a lot of these low budget offerings with bad scripts, I happen to find this one has an entirely believable plot and some tension filled moments with decent acting to pull it off. Man screwing with the environment producing horrible results which is, in fact, what has happened to the real Salton Sea in SoCal. Finding out the details of the real story of the ongoing saga of that area makes the movie background and choice of location even more appealing. In reality, man's actions and inaction have created a beast of sorts affecting the whole region environmentally, and financially. If you enjoy a little irony I suggest watching this movie then look into the history behind the Salton Sea- which is really a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault. Check out the History Channel's 2006 episode "Engineering Disasters 18" (#13-04), from the television documentary series Modern Marvels, which describes the combined manmade and natural events leading to the creation of the Salton Sea in the early 20th century, its brief popularity as a resort destination midcentury, and its subsequent decline due to high salinity and farm runoff. Impacts to Salton Sea fish and bird populations are addressed and future plans to rescue the sea are described. I'm actually giving this a 6.5, but because IMDb won't add the half points to the voting it appears as a 6.
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
A High Water Mark in Film Making
**Minor Spoiler- very minor**
What unfolds before our eyes is nothing short of a miracle. Literally, and figuratively. This is one of the most complete movies on all levels I may have seen. Do I dare say near perfection, risking to much puff- Nah! This is a 70 year old movie that proves some movies are timeless. A Matter of Life and Death, a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven, provides us viewers with a superb film produced that deals specifically with the subject of what happens to us when we die(similar themes in Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Topper, Ghost, Heaven Can Wait, Meet Joe Black, Defending Your Life, Dragonfly, Hereafter etc.) although I think ideas for the script may have been helped along by parts of King Vidor's 1929, "Hallelujah". Many other popular films to follow would give us similar takes on this Powell & Pressburger (written, directed, produced) opus by their British film production company, The Archers, which has given us a number of memorable offerings- The Black Narcissus, Hour of Glory, A Canterbury Tales, I Know Where I Am Going, The Tales of Hoffman etc. from the mid 40's- mid 50's. This may be the best partnership/team/actors/technical people ever put together, and certainly for quality few can compare, maybe The Mirisch Company, American film production company owned by Walter Mirisch and his brothers, Marvin and Harold Mirisch. and the Cohen Brothers another more modern(and sometimes offbeat) American film production group. Stairway to Heaven provides award winning cinematography and production design(Alfred Junge), excellent acting, superb script and soundtrack, A+ directing and editing even groundbreaking sfx. Niven and Hunter set the tone right from the opening scene- so much so you hope the rest of the story won't be a let down- it isn't. Another stand-out performance is given by Raymond Massey as the prosecutor- although you can tell it was produced by the English, they paint the American over the top superior, egotistical and angry. I think they mixed us up with the French. Anyway, bottom line, if you haven't seen it yet you are missing a top 100 movie fantasy that will stay with you.
Mo gong (2006)
A Must See for the HK Movie Fan
**NO SPOILERS** In all aspects of film making, and by any standard, this is an epic production that works at transporting us back to 4th Century feudal China. I'm a late comer to Asian films having seen few more than the Bruce Lee, Sonny Chiba films of the seventies, and the few odd Jet Li and Jackie Chan movies of the eighties and nineties. That is until picking up on Quentin Tarantino's passion around twenty years ago. The more I explore the more I find to my liking. I now own a fair number of Asian DVD's ranging from some Bollywood Classics, Shaw Brothers standards and a variety of Japanese movies, new and old, including every Kurosawa film. Lately, I find myself looking at the Asian market films before Hollywood's latest comic book hero offerings. And, if you have read this far you are probably saying, who cares, and I have to admit you would be justified in thinking that way. But give an old movie lover a break because at my age it takes a minute to get the brain to focus- speaking wishfully, of course. "Battle of the Warriors" has already been expertly described by a few of the other critics here so I'll just tell you what I liked, or didn't like about it. What I didn't like first. One glaring goof-up is all I can come up with- they put a terrible wig on one of the minor/co-stars- that's it! Everything else falls on the positive side. Story, script, plot, pacing, acting, casting, directing, cinematography, production design, costumes, music/soundtrack, action, special effects are all two thumbs up and quite exceptional. Andy Lau plays the philosophical voice of reason quite well. All supporting actors are equally believable in their parts. The fighting and battle scenes are impressive, intriguing and innervating. I can't wait to watch it again with the commentary track provided by Bey Logan, HK film expert/critic. I rated the movie an 8, but if fractions or tenths were available a rating of 8.5 would be more accurate. I enjoyed this movie so much, I personally guarantee you will find watching it an enjoyable experience, or your money back...
Dead Man Walking (1995)
Tim Robbins Masterpiece
**NO SPOILERS** I'm enjoying upgrading some of my award winning movies to Blu-ray disc. The picture and sound quality is exponentially better than the standard DVD issues. Plus, I like revisiting the older movies in my collection. Dead Man Walking(DMW) is one of nine movies included in MGM 90th Anniversary- Best of Award Winners box set with Thelma and Louise; Midnight Cowboy; Raging Bull; Leaving Las Vegas; In The Heat of The Night; Rain Man; Dances With Wolves and Rocky. Some include extras I enjoy like commentaries by the Director, and with DMW there's one with Tim Robbins, one with Susan Sarandon and other actors, and, sometimes a documentary on the making of the movie and/or other background stories about soundtrack, script or special effects. I especially enjoy hearing the Director's viewpoint and sharing of his creative process.
There's probably not much more I could say than what has already been said by other reviewers. This is a movie that will move you, and if you're not then you're not human. Great acting, great direction, great script, great cinematography, interesting soundtrack. This is not a movie for young children, very intense reenactment of a brutal crime plus language and adult themes. It's obvious in listening to the commentary tract that Robbins is anti-death penalty, but he refrains from getting preachy in the movie and leaves it to us to draw our own conclusions. So get the popcorn ready and the tissues. You are in for an emotional 2 hours.
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
**NO SPOILERS** This movie is a fictionalized, biopic period piece about Idi Amin, an African military despot who came to power in Uganda in the early '70's, who then quickly starts an undeniable, almost unfathomably, reign of terror. I was in High School when the real Idi Amin came into power, and remember well the news reports of the mass killings, torture and mutilations, and the political decay of the country due to his corrupt regime. The direction is adequate, cinematography and art direction good, decent script and a plot that moves along without any real hiccups. The movie is a 7 that gets upgraded to an 8 on the power of Forest Whitaker's Oscar winning performance. I liked this movie a lot in 2006(and just bought it on Blu-Ray)on the large screen , in spite of James McAvoy- the fictional Dr. Garrigan, who smiles his way through 95% of the movie, and even looks high on something in a number of scenes. Unfortunately, this was a poor casting job in my opinion, and McAvoy at times is distracting. They hit a home-run with Forest and supporting cast, and fouled out to the catcher with McAvoy. My dislike of McAvoy has been reaffirmed with his overplayed part in the X-Men series. That said, this is a movie worth watching if only to see a great actor in a perfect roll to highlight his skills, and see an Oscar worthy performance. Even knowing the real history behind the man, the story creates some tension as to when his diabolical side would come out. Considering Whitaker's body of work(The Crying Game, Ghost Dog, Panic Room and some great TV roles) I'm somewhat surprised he hasn't taken home more than this one Best Actor statue. Who knows, he is a very busy actor, and still has time to bag another one. Check this movie out if you haven't seen it yet, and yes the "R" rating is well deserved- definitely not for the kiddies.
The Strange Woman (1946)
Sexy Hedy the Maneater
I recently bought a Noir Collector Set(Dark Film Mysteries) with 12 movies, and The Strange Woman was included which was one film I had never seen before. Many other reviews will give you the story line, and spoilers which I always hate to read before watching, so I tend to watch first and read reviews later to see if I agree with the opinions or not. If you like Hedy Lamar I think this is the movie for you. Except for the first 10 minutes where they show her character growing up, she appears in just about every scene. She is at her sultry, sexy and evil best in this one. This is strictly a 19th Century, small New England town melodrama, with very little action, but that's not bad here. The director here, Edgar Ulmer, directs the noir classic "Detour" also included in the set. Strange Woman is not as tough edged as Detour, but some scenes do excel, and even with her evil manipulations she can still get you to feel sympathetic towards her. Hedy shows great range in a few scenes, representing the character, Jenny's emotional complexities well. Also, a well cast supporting actor group that do a good job helping the plot move along. Hedy makes for a great femme fatale.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Spielberg & Friends
*NO SPOILERS* As I look at my hodge-podge,of a movie collection I see a growing appreciation of WWI movies and war movies in general including: Wings, All Quiet of the Western Front, Paths of Glory, Sergeant York, Hell's Angels, La Grande Illusion, Ace's High, Lawrence of Arabia, The Blue Max, Gallipoli, War Horse. Plus, and I won't torture you anymore by listing another 25 or so WWII, 6 Vietnam War, 7 Revolutionary War, 5 Civil War and 5 Iraqi War period films. Right now I'm contemplating a 4 pack of war movies("Von Ryan's Express", "12 O'Clock High", "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "The Blue Max") I just picked up, and also a used "Flyboys" on Blu-Ray Disc. After watching the four pack, I was prompted to write a review of "The Blue Max"(1965) because I was so impressed with how it stood the test of time, with good action sequences in the sky(the ones on the ground were nice and spicy with Ursula Andress at her sexiest), and all that WITHOUT CGI. Of all the movies made about WWI with great flying sequences, which you might be able to count on one hand, I found "The Blue Max" a pleasant surprise. I later re-watched "Flyboys" to listen to the added commentary track provided by the Director and Producer, giving background details of the filming, but what was really the nice bonus was the historical details of the Lafayette Escadrille, a wholly American squadron flying, and fighting for the French against the Germans, just prior to the US officially entering WWI. It's fun revisiting these older movies which are being reissued with supplements, including commentary soundtracks- featuring the Directors and/or Script Writers, Cinematographers, Production Designers, Producers, and sometimes even the actors and critics(but who cares what they think). I've been adding Blu-Ray offerings of my favorite movies to get all the "extras" which I find informative and interesting. Now to the subject of this review, "Saving Private Ryan"- a Steven Spielberg masterpiece. I gave it a 10(which I use very sparingly), and was so impressed I would have given an 11 if I could. For me, Ryan was only the second movie I immediately watched a second time(unfortunately I didn't see it on the big screen), the other being Glory, Denzel's acting tour de force about a black regiment in the Civil War(I was glad to have caught this on the big screen). All that said, Ryan has become the standard by which I judge a great movie of any genre. I think the crime of the century was "Shakespeare in Love"(I actually liked it) winning the Academy Award for Best Picture over Ryan.
Truth (2015)
The early rumblings of fake news
NO SPOILERS- The story, script and direction keep this movie moving along at a decent pace which is a good thing because it's excruciating to look at Redford(who looks 90)as Dan Rather- I think someone else should have been cast for this part. BUT(and that's a big but), watch this movie to see Cate perform, who I am becoming convinced has taken the field, and is now the best female actor in the business.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
People like to lie
This is not a review- NO SPOILERS. Brad Pitt is tolerable, Cate Blanchett is always intriguing. The story is interesting and original, direction is okay, cinematography nice, special effects are different and flawless, but comes with an unmemorable score. The real problem is I didn't see this in the theatre so I didn't feel obligated to sit through the never ending story. I have started watching this movie a number of times and have yet to sit through the: TWO HOURS AND FORTY- SIX never-ending MINUTES, count-em that's 166 minutes. I honestly believe this movie could have been done in an hour and forty-six, and still been just as good. I once stopped the movie because I thought washing my dishes was a more interesting use of my time. I think they are still doing too much coke in Hollywood.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
No one needs to read this
This is not a review- so NO SPOILERS. Anyone who has not seen this movie yet, and thoroughly enjoyed it(and the other 3 in the series), has been living in a cave. This is more a comment on commenters, and would be self-promoting critics. If you had the callejones to give a Spielberg film less than a 7 you are an evil person in need of Chinese water torture. I'm saying 7.5 as a minimum only to punish the casting director for putting Shia The boufer in this one. Anyone else besides the boufer in the role of Mutt, and it receives an 8.5. And I do mean anyone! Shemp Howard would have been better. The "Indiana Jones" is a great series which I just repurchased on Blu-Ray(with a ton of cool extras), and watched all back to back on the weekend. These movies are just as good today as they were when released in '81, '84, '89 and '08. The plot, writing, stunts and acting all holds up to the test of time. How many movies can you say interest kids and adults alike? I said this wasn't going to be a review, but I digress...