VitoCorleone1972 Reviews

Inferno (I) (2016)

"Memento" starring Robert Langdon

[6/10 · 23 July 2018]

Ok, so here's another review where I have to begin by saying that I have not read this book. Anyway, this movie is basically what would happen if someone made the movie "Memento" with Robert Langdon as the main character.

The story is essentially told backwards, with the audience receiving the answers first and the questions later. There's nothing wrong with this, and, in fact, nonliner storytelling can be very interesting. I always cite "Pulp Fiction" as an example of this. No, the problem with this film isn't how the story is told. The problem with this film is the story.

Said story is rather bloated and unnecessarily convoluted with characters popping in and out for no reason and the whole thing not being as focused as the previous film in this series, "Angels and Demons."

The direction is also at fault here. The whole thing is pieced together in a way that is rather meandering and slow, a rather odd choice for a story taking place over the course of only a couple days. The score is very standard and shockingly forgettable, considering it was composed by the amazing Hans Zimmer, one of the greatest film composers working today.

The characters are mostly generic and boring, with the exception of a couple. Robert Langdon is still great. Tom Hanks has yet to give a bad performance and he does the best he can with this material considering the fact that he's somewhat confused and forgetful for most of the runtime. In addition, Irfan Kahn is his usual awesome self, portraying a character that is somewhat interesting. Felicity Jones should also be commended for giving her all to a character that is rather run of the mill, save for a halfway decent twist.

It isn't horrible, though. The story is still fairly investing, and once Robert Langdon is back to his old self, his knowledge proves entertaining. It's simply not put to proper use here.

All in all, this is a fairly forgettable excursion that doesn't really add anything to the Robert Langdon character. It doesn't deserve to be thrown into the inferno, but it also doesn't belong with the angels.

Angels & Demons (2009)

A Twisty and Heart-Pounding Thriller

[8/10 · 23 July 2018]

I must begin this review by stating that I have not read this novel. However, I suspect that it's source material is one of this film's greatest aids as the strongest aspect of it is definitely the story.

The plot involves a plan to murder four Vatican cardinals and effectively destroy the Catholic Church. Robert Langdon follows a path of clues in an effort to save the cardinals and the Church. This story sets itself up for constant intensity as you know that there are always lives on the line. It also takes place in just about 12 hours with very urgent pacing, making the narrative even more of a ticking clock.

In addition, I enjoy Langdon's knowledge and how he is able to piece together the clues and follow the path. It's interesting and you constantly want to know more.

Besides the wonderful and involved story, the picture also boasts impressive performances from its cast. I have yet to discover a bad Tom Hanks performance, and here he brings a definite sense of knowledge and urgency. Meanwhile, Stellan Skarsgård and Ewan McGregor bring necessary depth to their characters as you find out that they are not what they appear to be.

Hans Zimmer's score is loud and epic. It adds gravity and weight to some of the film's most important moments and lightens up for the rare quiet moments.

Ron Howard directs the piece with a very large scope and tries his hardest to make the story seem large and important. Given how intense most of the film is, this is a wise decision that really helps the audience understand how vital everything is. It's a double-edged sword, however, as Howard's direction is also the biggest flaw of the movie. It doesn't occur often, but there are some scenes which should be quieter and more reserved, but which come off as overly bombastic due to his frenetic direction. This only happens in perhaps two scenes, though.

All in all, I greatly enjoy this film. I find it interesting and intense throughout, and the involved plotline is always moving. As a work of entertainment, I definitely recommend it.

Westworld (1973)

Fun and enjoyable if you turn your brain off

[6/10 · 23 July 2018]

This movie is silly. I realize people admire it for what is started, as do I, but the film itself is just goofy. Watching a robotic cowboy slowly walk around trying to kill somebody isn't exactly a the peak of filmmaking achievement.

Even though it is silly, however, if you don't think about it, it can be a decently fun time. Richard Benjamin and James Brolin play protagonists with just enough personality to get you to care for them. Yul Brynner is the precursor to the Terminator, a cold and calculating killing machine who will stop at nothing. Again, his cowboy outfit makes him hard to take seriously sometimes, but if you ignore that, it works fairly well.

The first half of the film is somewhat dull as we see our two main characters explore the resort and its many offerings. I call it dull because this mostly consists of them drinking at various saloons and getting into an occasional fight. This all builds into a nearly silent final act featuring Brynner's animatronic killer hunting Benjamin down. As stated before, don't think about it, and it's kind of fun.

All in all, this movie was fairly revolutionary for its time. But now that we have the privilege of seeing movies that took concepts introduced here and improved upon them, it makes this particular film less impressive by comparison. It's not bad, necessarily, just don't expect a masterpiece of cinema.

Analyze That (2002)

An inferior follow-up that focuses on the wrong things

[5/10 · 22 July 2018]

"Analyze That" is a sequel to the 1999 film "Analyze This" that rather misses the reason why that latter film was enjoyable.

"Analyze This" was a movie that worked fairly well as an amusing comedy because of the chemistry between Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal. Their relationship was the heart of the picture, and the audience gravitated towards it.

De Niro and Crystal are no worse here, but the script makes the mistake of not focusing on them enough. Instead, the majority of the film follows De Niro and his plans to get back into the "business." This persists until the final act, which turns into the most cliched mafia picture you've ever seen, nearly devoid of humor all together.

All of this considered, however, the movie does feature some scenes between De Niro and Crystal, and when their doing their thing and bantering with each other, it's just as funny as the first film. That being said, I simply wish there was more of it.

"Analyze That" is not a terrible film, it's simply a mediocre and forgettable one that doesn't reach even the simple enjoyability of its predecessor.

Analyze This (1999)

"Bang, bang!"

[7/10 · 22 July 2018]

There isn't really a whole lot to say about this movie. It's a gangster comedy that relies almost entirely on the chemistry between its two stars. Thankfully, that chemistry works quite well.

De Niro and Crystal work off each other to create a lot of banter that provides most of the film's comedy. It should be noted, however, that Joe Viterelli brings a very likeable presence to his role which makes him stand out among the cast.

The direction is very flat, with nothing really standing out in particular. In addition, the story is very typical for a mafia picture like this. But you didn't expect a quality story from this movie, you expected to see Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal be funny together, and they are. "Analyze This" is a perfectly fine diversion told through two very worthy actors.

High Anxiety (1977)

"Blazing Saddles" Lite

[7/10 · 15 July 2018]

The Master of Parody takes on the Master of Suspense in "High Anxiety."

As insinuated in the headline for this review, this movie seems to operate to me as a sort of "Blazing Saddles" Lite. The two films even share two actors besides Mel Brooks, those being Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman. I make this comparison because this film has a similar style of humor, yet the jokes are not quite as clever and they don't come as fast as in "Saddles."

But, it's not exactly fair to compare these two films, so let's look at "High Anxiety" on its own.

Starting with the script, the dialogue is written in a way that is rather corny at times to parody the seriousness and arguable melodrama of films like "Vertigo." It's fairly amusing, but not as much so as the visual gags, which really drive the humor of the film.

As for the acting, in comedies like this, the way to judge an actor's performance is by judging their ability to react to the comic goings on around them. As to this, everyone here does a fine job. Kahn and Brooks play their straight dialogue in just that way while Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman relish their roles as villains who are so cartoonishly evil that they might as well be twirling their mustaches the entire time.

Finally, the direction. The whole thing is shot and scored very dramatically, going as far as to have the characters look into the camera during loud and bombastic music cues. This also serves to parody the style of Hitchcock.

As mentioned earlier, most of the jokes are visual in nature. They are consistently funny and there are only a few that don't quite land. Brooks paces the action in a way that makes the jokes somewhat unexpected, if nothing else.

Overall, this is a solid tribute to Alfred Hitchcock and a decent entry in Mel Brooks' filmography. It's main flaw is that it simply isn't quite as funny as some of Brooks' other work. On its own, however, it works quite well. Sit back, relax, and try not to get any "High Anxiety."

Rocky (1976)

My Personal Favorite Film of All Time

[10/10 · 13 July 2018]

I could go on for ages about this movie and why I love it so much, but I'll try not to bore you and keep it relatively concise.

I first saw this film at the age of ten. I am aware that many children find this movie boring and prefer the more action-packed and exciting sequels. This was not my experience. I was instantly enthralled by Sylvester Stallone's lovable character. This truly is his movie and he does a wonderful job with it. He wrote a beautifully realistic script with characters that you truly feel for. In addition, his performance in the title role makes the audience instantly empathize with him through scenes such as the one where he refuses to break a man's thumbs for the loan shark he works for. You're constantly rooting for the Italian Stallion.

The other characters are also great. Talia Shire's performance as Adrian is wonderfully shy and reserved. The relationship between herself and our protagonist is the heart of the narrative, and the two actors' chemistry is undeniable.

Adrian's brother, Paulie, played by Burt Young, is another great character. He shows what someone like Rocky can turn into without a great deal of optimism and determination. Young's performance works especially well as he entices you into caring about him and liking him even when he is being rather unlikeable.

Rocky's trainer, Mickey Goldmill, played by Burgess Meredith, is hillariously cranky and sarcastic. At the same time, however, he never lets you forget that he really does care about Rocky and wants the best for him. This father-son sort of relationship is an integral component throughout the series.

The final main character is Apollo Creed, Rocky's opponent played by Carl Weathers. Weathers plays Creed as a celebrity as much as a boxer. He's a showman in the vein of fighters like Muhammad Ali. His charisma is what draws you to him and prevents him from being a supervillain.

I mention the characters individually because they are what draws you into this movie's universe. You see them as people and you want to see them happy. This is an accomplishment not only of Sylvester Stallone, but of the performers who brought his script to vivid life.

In conclusion, this movie not only presents an interesting story which you want to see through to its conclusion, it also represents the best of what a film can do. It can turn characters into real human beings and use them to tell a story that is nothing but just that: human.