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Confessions of a Womanizer | 7.7 | 103 | 1 | null | null |
Confetti | 5.7 | 5.3K | 55 | 70 | According to Robert Webb in an interview with Graham Norton, he and Olivia Colman, who play a naturist couple, were told that they would be pixelated in the nude scenes, and the first time they found out they weren't was at a screening on the film. Webb recalled a moment when Jessica Hynes turned round and said "Oh-ho-ho" at him. Both Webb and Colman have since spoken negatively about their experiences of the film and dissatisfaction with the end product. Colman described it as "the worst experience of my life.",Archie: Now, listen, listen, please, please! Please, please, please listen, please. Please, now listen to me. You do not have an education from a boy's boarding school in the north of England and be the only gay boy there, and not know how to handle yourself. So if you move again, I'm going to break your arm. Do you understand?,Referenced in The Big Fat Quiz of the Year (2006),Comes A-Long A-Love
Written by Al Sherman
Performed by Kay Starr,I saw this movie this evening at a preview screening in Southampton knowing only 3 things: It was about weddings, all the scripts were improvised, and it contained one of my most hated people: Jimmy Carr. Fortunately though, I was pleasantly surprised. The film contained the cream of the British comedy crop - actors from Spaced, The Office, Peep Show, Green Wing etc etc, and was suitably hilarious. It follows three couples who are chosen to compete for the title of 'most original wedding' for Confetti magazine. The winner gets a half million pound house. Jessica Stevenson and Martin Freeman make for the nicest and most realistic couple in the film, and their wedding contains the most colourful characters.. notably Jessica's character Sam's sister, a dancer who tries to take over the wedding's choreography (their theme is old MGM musicals) to the couple's obvious annoyance. It was odd seeing the pairing of peep show's Jez and Sophie in the film, and i didn't know if i'd be able to shrug off the feeling that Mark would be getting jealous...the feeling passed. These two were brilliant playing the couple who had chosen a naturist wedding. The Green Wing's Stephen Mangan and Man Stroke Woman's Meredith MacNeill were also hilarious as the couple having a tennis themed wedding - along with a host of marital issues. The show-stealers in the film though had to be the wedding planners. Both gave mesmerising performances and were utterly fabulous. The film's dialogue was apparently improvised, and it shows in the realistic reactions of the characters, particularly these two. They alone were worth going to see the film for. Even if the rest had been terrible. Which it wasn't.
And finally...the true test of the film's greatness... I actually didn't hate Jimmy Carr in it. Wonderful. And also some kind of miracle...
The film's not out yet but i recommend anyone who gets the wonderful quirky British comedies of the last few years to seriously give this one a go when it's released. It's worth it., |
Confidence | 6.6 | 35K | 155 | 116 | The character of the King was originally written as weighing 250 pounds and owning a boxing gym. When Dustin Hoffman read the script and told the filmmakers that he was interested in the story, but not in playing that kind of character, they rewrote the King to make him a nightclub owner instead.,$5m in $100 bills weighs approximately 100lbs. It would not have been so easily maneuvered by Gordo.,King: Sometimes, Jake, style can get you killed.,Featured in Anatomy of a Scene: Confidence (2003),Suntoucher
Performed by Groove Armada
Written by Jeru the Damaja, Kenny Gamble, Thom Bell (as Thomas Bell),
Roland Chambers, Andrew Cato (as Andy Cato), Tom Findlay (as Thomas C. Findlay),Jonathan White and Keeling Lee
Published by Zomba Music Publishers Ltd. administered by Zomba Enterprises Inc. in the US and Canada (ASCAP)/Warner-Tamerland Publishing Corp./WB Music Corp. (ASCAP) o/b/o Warner/Chappell Music Ltd. (PRS)/Universal - Polygram International Publishing,,Foley's 'Confidence' is very much a formulaic gangster con-thriller with the usual gang, the villain, the feminine touch, the weapons and money and the twists. But it still manages to remain engaging and entertaining. It's a small film but the resources have been adequately used and it is very well executed with style and substance. The cinematography and visuals are wild and the score is energetic.
The story's pretty tight and moves at a steady pace. The characters are richly defined. The dialogues are sharp, witty and funny. Edward Burns's voice-over adds to the humour. Doug Jung does a splendid job indeed in the writing department.
Performances by all the actors is great. Edward Burns is brilliant as the superstitious con artist Jake. His fellow team-members Brian Van Holt and Paul Giamatti are equally good. Rachel Weisz oozes sensuality (but thankfully doesn't go overboard with it) and acts very well. Andy Garcia is adequate and Dustin Hoffman is a natural (this guy will make one laugh out loud).
'Confidence' is a slick stylish thriller that doesn't pretend to be anything else, when compared to other weaker movies like 'The Heist', 'Ocean's 11' or 'The Score'. It follows the formula of the genre but it's a smart film and has its twists that are enough to grip your attention., |
Confidential | 8.2 | 604K | 829 | 147 | At the time the film takes place, no building in Los Angeles was allowed to be taller than City Hall, so the cameras were placed at certain points so that any building taller than City Hall would not be seen.,In one shot, when Bud White is dangling the D.A. out the window, the actor's safety cable is visible.,Captain Dudley Smith: Have you a valediction, boyo?
Jack Vincennes: [gasping out a name] ... Rollo Tamasi.
[laughs, painfully, to himself as he dies],At the end of all the credits, there is a brief scene from "Badge of Honor" featuring a onscreen dedication in honor Sgt. who served as an advisor to the film. The scene shows a black-and-white closing moment of "Badge of Honor" with the credits as Badge of Honor actor (Matt McCoy) closes the door on the HOMICIDE office and walks sorrowfully away.,In the Hong Kong television version, during the scene where Bud breaks into the interrogation room, the part where he removes all the bullets from the gun but one is removed for some reason. So it cuts straight from his coming into the room and then sticking the gun into the rapist's mouth without giving it a Russian roulette feel.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Game/The End of Violence/L.A. Confidential/The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (1997),Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive
Written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen
Performed by Johnny Mercer
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets,When a film evokes an era as well as L.A. Confidential does, people take notice. It could be argued that it is easier to replicate the recent past than the distant on film, and in a sense this is true. Costumes, language, and the necessary absence of the modern in "period pieces" make them expensive and difficult to film. But couldn't it be argued that it is just as difficult to make a film about more recent periods? I have no knowledge of how a Victorian era table was set, or what a knight really spoke like; we are subject to the directors view of reality. But what if a good deal of your audience lived through the time you are portraying, as in the case of the 1950's? I can even envision my grandfather coming back from WW2 to a booming economy, and living in the world Curtis Hanson created.
The real genus of this film is that it creates not only a physical world, but one with all the politics, corruption, racism and inequity of the time. As a result we feel the characters motivations and understand their faults all the better; Bud White, Ed Exley, Lynn Bracken and Lana Turner all live here.
This film, like others that make us believe we are there for two hours (and $7.50), will endure. I was thinking a perfect double feature would be with Chinatown, another film that will stand the test of time., |
Confidential Agent | 6.5 | 1.3K | 38 | 10 | Graham Greene, on whose novel the movie is based, said that it was "the only good film ever made from one of my books by an American director.",A "silencer" is shown being used on a revolver. Due to how a revolver is constructed silencers won't work on most of them.,Luis Denard: I've been beaten, robbed, suckered, betrayed - I've failed my mission - I've had enough. But that child was murdered, and for this someone is going to pay.,Featured in Hollywood contra Franco (2008),Tip-Toe thru' the Tulips with Me
(uncredited)
Music by Joseph A. Burke
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Played and sung in the ship's bar,"In October 1937, a man crossed the English Channel knowing that the success or failure of his confidential mission could mean victory or defeat for his people," according to the opening statement. The secret agent man is former Spanish composer and pianist Charles Boyer (a Luis Denard). Spain is divided by a Civil War and Mr. Boyer is acting against the Fascists. His mission is to obtain exclusive rights to precious coal, which is needed for the war. The forces of evil are positioned to obstruct Boyer at every turn...
Missing a train due to questions about his passport, Boyer gets a lift into London with coal tycoon's daughter Lauren Bacall (as Rose Cullen). The beautiful heiress smokes and drinks up a storm, while wondering if Boyer's comings and goings are those of a completely sane man. A romance tentatively develops. Boyer takes up residence with cool, calculating Katina Paxinou (as Maria Melandez) and meets sad-eyed contact Peter Lorre (as Contreras). Unsavory characters continue to block Boyer from his mission...
"Watch on the Rhine" (1943) and "Confidential Agent" are the only two feature film credits for director Herman Shumlin, unfortunately. He died in 1979 and certainly should have received more film projects, based on the evidence presented here. Having photographer James Wong Howe and editor George Amy on your crew helps, obviously. Shumlin subsequently focused on stage work, and met with considerable success...
This film was scolded for miscasting the French Boyer as a Spaniard and Ms. Bacall as a British socialite...
Boyer plays the character well, rolling with his regular accent. Bacall charts the same course, with less success. In only her second film, she would have benefited from a script explaining how her character grew up in New York. Bacall showed more rapport with Bogart than Boyer, but maintains great sex appeal. The supporting cast is superb. Dan Seymour (as Muckerji) has a great part. In a startling debut, Wanda Hendrix (as Else) go head-to-head with Ms. Paxinou for best supporting actress honors.
******* Confidential Agent (11/2/45) Herman Shumlin ~ Charles Boyer, Lauren Bacall, Katina Paxinou, Wanda Hendrix, |
Confidential Assignment | 6.6 | 4.3K | 23 | 13 | In one scene, actor Yoo Hae-jin uses the word "Geukbisusa" to describe the covert operation. He has appeared in a film titled "Geukbisusa" or 'The Classified File (2015)' which was also about a covert investigation.,Confidential Assignment
Music by Hwang Sang Jun,Even though the story might seem predictable and recurrent, the movie was well delivered. The movie was enjoyable; the characters acting, cinematography, and action scenes were all great. The story has a great moral. Worth watching, |
Confidential Informant | 4.5 | 2.2K | 15 | 13 | In the closing credits, it says "This story is inspired by actual events","You made me miss my Yankees game"
Probably the worst cop movie I've ever seen and worst movie I've seen this year. This actually made Bruce Willis' Detective Knight trilogy that he did right before his retirement seem better in comparison and those movies are pretty awful so that's a big accomplishment. If I put this on my 2023 Ranked list it would go right at the bottom right next to Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey. Despite the three names on the poster none of them are the lead. The true lead of this is Nick Stahl and every scene he supposedly shares with Mel Gibson they're shot separately and are never actually shown to be in the same shot together which makes me think they never actually interacted when shooting this movie or the camerawork is just so awful that it looks like they weren't even in the same room together when they actually were.
A new low for everyone involved even Dominic Purcell who has been doing this type of garbage his whole career. Who I really feel bad for is both Nick Stahl and Mel Gibson who both deserve much better than this bottom of the barrel trash. If you enjoy crappy camerawork, murky lighting and a grating score Confidential Informant is the movie for you., |
Confidentially Yours | 7.2 | 7.3K | 29 | 35 | François Truffaut's final film and a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock. Truffaut was an expert on Hitchcock and a great admirer of his work throughout his career.,When Marie-Christine's corpse is wheeled out of Vercel's residence, her eyes noticeably open and move.,Barbara Becker: It's really unfair. If a boss can fire me, why can't I fire him?,Featured in François Truffaut: Portraits volés (1993),People might think i am mad to give 8. But somehow i liked the way the picture has been presented. Complexity in the relationship i think it has been subtly but strongly depicted. another good point is this movie took the suspense tempo so well till the end of (or nearer to the end)the movie. Forget about certain illogical sequences, how this could happen or what, but the most appreciable thing was the suspense was never broken till the last few scenes, the tempo was kept without losing it, romance bit was there to show how people are so blind sometimes, they miss the real love and run after beauty. Hey i liked it. Its good movie to make your mood lighter., |
Conflict | 5.5 | 22K | 144 | 58 | Actor James Mason acted as a sponsor to the production for actor Sam Neill. Mason originally suggested to the film's producers that they should check out Neill. Producer Harvey Bernhard had Neill flown in to London for an audition, paid for by Mason. Neill later reimbursed Mason for the airfare. Neill drew on some of Mason's mannerisms for his performance and characterization.,As stated in the first film, the Daggers of Megiddo must all be used in order to destroy Damien completely. One of them alone would not be enough, and yet the monks each take one of the daggers with them in their separate attempts to kill him.,Damien Thorn: Oh my Father, Lord of Silence, Supreme God of Desolation, though mankind reviles yet aches to embrace, strengthen my purpose to save the world from a second ordeal of Jesus Christ and his grubby mundane creed. Two thousand years have been enough. Show man instead the raptures of Thy kingdom. Infuse in him the grandeur of melancholy, the divinity of loneliness, the purity of evil, the paradise of pain. What perverted imagination has fed man the lie that Hell festers in the bowels of the Earth? There is only one Hell, the leaden monotony of human existence. There is only one Heaven, the ecstasy of my Father's kingdom.,Featured in Sneak Previews: Rockshow, The Final Conflict, Thief, The Trials of Alger Hiss (1981),Damien Thorn (Sam Neill) is now 32 years old and powerfully wealthy. He is appointed US Ambassador to Great Britain like his father. A celestial alignment proclaims the second coming of Christ. Damien organizes to kill all the baby boys born at the alignment. In the meanwhile, a group of priests attempt to kill Damien with the only weapon capable of the task: the 7 knives of Megiddo.
This is the third movie of the series and guess what, the style isn't there anymore. There isn't one memorable scene in this movie. The biggest draw is the acting skills of Sam Neill. He shows that he has power and the presence to be the antichrist. Other than him, there isn't anything there. He's very compelling as the evil Damien, but there is a lot of unreasonableness going on here. It seems that the cops would notice something is going on. And it seems that the priests should be better armed. I know only the knives can kill Damien but having guns would be very useful.,There's a whole lot to love about Hulu's streaming offerings this month — get excited for brand-new series premieres and some of our favorite series., |
The Conformist | 7.9 | 33K | 132 | 119 | The hospital that Clerici's father is at is actually the Teatro Libera (Free Theater) at the Palazzo dei Congressi in EUR, a massive complex on the outskirts of Rome that was begun as a monument to the Fascist Government. This massive, modernist white marble complex and theater have appeared in several other films and television shows.,A radio tower appears in a flashback to Marcello's Rome boyhood in 1917.,Italo: A normal man? For me, a normal man is one who turns his head to see a beautiful woman's bottom. The point is not just to turn your head. There are five or six reasons. And he is glad to find people who are like him, his equals. That's why he likes crowded beaches, football, the bar downtown...
Marcello: At Piazza Venice.
Italo: He likes people similar to himself and does not trust those who are different. That's why a normal man is a true brother, a true citizen, a true patriot...,The "Dance of the Blind" sequence was restored for the 1994 re-issue of the film. This had been cut for the American release. Contrary to early reports, the DVD released by Paramount does include this scene.,Edited into The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002),Chi È Più Felice Di Me?
(uncredited)
Composed by Cesare A. Bixio
Arranged by Georges Delerue,I have been a fan of Bertolucci for quite a while now - his recent films like "Stealing Beauty" and "The Dreamers" make my all-time favourites' list, while his acclaimed "The Last Emperor", which I saw years ago, didn't make me a great impression: it was definitely a well-made epic, just didn't fascinate me like some of his other films. Same thing with his controversial "Last Tango in Paris": other than Marlon Brando's devastating performance, which will always be a must-see for those who admire raw acting, the film's daring (for its time) approach to sexuality is now outdated, and the film is rather dull in its apparently liberal speech (the fact that I'm not exactly a Maria Schneider fan doesn't help). And last night, I finally watched the extraordinary "The Conformist", arguably his masterpiece and undoubtedly one of the greatest films ever made.
Based on a novel by Italian author Albert Moravia (who also wrote the novel that inspired Godard's "Contempt"), "The Conformist" is the story of a closeted homosexual, Marcello (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who becomes a fascist yes-man, marrying a clueless girl, Giulia (Stefania Sandrelli) and going to Paris for their honeymoon. Marcello's bosses ask him to kill his old college mentor, Quadri (Enzo Tarascio), an anti-fascist who fled Italy to live in Paris with his young, beautiful and idealistic wife, Anna (Dominique Sanda). Anna and Marcello are former lovers, but that's not the only pitfall in Marcello's plan, nor is it stronger than his tragic conformism to an exacerbated political regime and the fear of living as a "pederast"/having his homosexuality made public.
The political factor is an open part of the plot, while Marcello's sexuality is very ambiguous (he seems to have real feelings for Anna, yet a childhood trauma and a homophobic attitude show his tragic character formation). "The Conformist" works as a riveting political thriller and a haunting character study, and it's impossible to praise this film without mentioning Vittorio Storaro's breath-taking cinematography, possibly his greatest (and that's saying a lot) and certainly one of the very best in film history. The whole film is so beautifully shot that every scene seems to be taken out of a painting; it could perfectly be photographed now rather than 38 years ago and it wouldn't look any better. The performances are all magnificent, particularly Trintignant, Sandrelli and Sanda, each perfectly portraying blind rage, ignorance and idealism, respectively. All in all, as close to perfection as film-making gets, and as timeless as its main themes (politics, conformism and sexuality) - if you think this couldn't happen today, take a look around and tell me how many gay Republicans you know?
10/10., |
The Confrontation | 4.9 | 9.4K | 65 | 59 | In an online documentary for this movie, Michael Dudikoff recalled that when it came time for him and Steve James to jump off the large boulder at the end of the beach fight scene, James quickly whispered to Dudikoff that he didn't know how to swim. Dudikoff then told him that that was a serious problem and shouted out to the crew to halt filming. They then brought on James' stunt double to do the jump, but he also admitted that he didn't know how to swim, either. James then did the jump himself with Dudikoff promising that when they both hit the water he would grab James and pull him up to the surface.,Near the start when Jackson and Armstrong leaves Capt. Woodward's office, it can be clearly seen that Guy Pringle, Michael Dudikoff's stunt double, plays Dudikoff's role for a brief moment.,Wild Bill Woodward: I don't like that tiny maggot, I don't like him at all. I mean what is this? Ninjas? Drug pushers? My men being kidnapped and murdered? This is really beginning to get on my tits.,The UK cinema version was cut by 13 secs (28 secs for the video) to remove all footage of throwing stars. The DVD is uncut.,Edited into Militia (2000),Tell About Mary
Written by Michael Bishop
Performed by Johnny Q.
Produced by Hunt Sales,American Ninja 2: Ninjas in Paradise--I can't quite endorse it as much as the original. It's still a solid bit of fun though. The American Ninja films are notorious for movie mistakes, but this one takes the cake. Michael Dudikoff is onscreen aside Steve James as they meet the C.O. of the base, then cut to behind as they leave the room and it's a completely different dude. It's not Dudikoff at all!! It's the most blatantly obvious goof I've ever seen. But it also made me laugh out loud so they score points there. Other mistakes include rubber swords, dead guys that get up and continue fighting, and guys that are supposedly stabbed in the stomach but are really just holding the sword to their side. No matter how dumb the director may be, Michael Dudikoff and Steve James still kick ass and that's what the first two movies are all about. American Ninja 2, or Episode II as I like to call it, is about Joe Armstrong's encounter with genetically enhanced clones. Hum...sound familiar? Ninjas basically are Jedis, right? I could be wrong, but then again maybe George Lucas owes a bit of credibility to the genius behind American Ninja 2: The Confrontation. Dudikoff isn't in the third film so you can skip it; after all, he IS the American Ninja., |
Confucius | 6.1 | 3.9K | 34 | 41 | Featured in Estrenos Críticos: (Piloto) Bestezuelas, Piratas del Caribe 4... (2011),You Lan Cao
Music by Ou Ge Deng (as Ou Ge)
Lyrics by Foreland Cultural Salon
Performed by Faye Wong
[Theme Song],the extremely bad thing about this movie is Chinese government try to control movie market and push it eagerly. in order to do it, Chinese government forced hot movie Avator out from cinema. as a result, there is no doubt, Chinese internet users initiate a movement to boycott this movie. they say: we don't have votes. however, we have cinema tickets. so, box office of this movie is horrible now. that is also why so many people give it a very low vote, such as 1 out of 10. i consider this movie as an victim. without Chinese government's "support", the box office will be much better.
the stories of Confucious are horrible, full of fake stuff. Confucius is THE most famous ideologist and educator in Chinese history. you can not see it in this movie. he is not a politician or militarist. However, it is very sad to see Confucius in this movie he is a politician and militarist, rather than an ideologist and educator. this will mislead so many people to recognize him, especially young people and non-Chinese.
the CG is horrible, too. you can see scenes of the movie are copied from other movies.
i am a Chinese. it is sad to see Confucius is deformed like this in order to cater somebody's taste., |
Congo | 5.3 | 48K | 210 | 89 | Ernie Hudson stated that playing the character "Captain Munroe Kelly" is his personal favorite from his career.,Zinj was supposed to have been founded by King Solomon, a great king of the Israelites, yet the only inscription on the stone walls once the party reaches it are Egyptian hieroglyphics.,Captain Wanta: [Homolka is eating a cake] Mr Homolka?
Herkermer Homolka: Yes?
Captain Wanta: Stop eating my sesame cake.
[Homolka pauses in confusion]
Captain Wanta: [shouting angrily] STOP EATING MY SESAME CAKE!
[Homolka spits out the cake],Edited into 5 Second Movies: Congo (2011),Spirit Of Africa
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Lyric by Lebo M.
Performed by Lebo M.
Produced by Jerry Goldsmith & Lebo M.,"Congo" is a lot of fun as long as you don't take it seriously. Because they share the author of the books they are based on, it is perhaps inevitable that in any review of "Congo" the film "Jurassic Park" will come up sooner or later. Yes, "Jurassic Park" vastly surpasses "Congo" in quality, but seeing as how the former is debatedly THE best example of a summer action flick, making that statement doesn't necessarily mean that "Congo" isn't worth watching.
In fact, "Congo" is a breathtaking thriller, probably only marred by its budget which causes some of the effects to look rather cheap, and descend into the B-movie territory. That being said, director Frank Marshall still manages to not only create a film that not only succeeds as an action film, but at times the tension grows so high that it almost could be labeled as a horror flick (though I highly doubt that that was the intent).
Yet there is some justification in labeling "Congo" as a horror film (at least in part). There are definitely some moments, particularly in the latter half of the movie, that are actually quite frightening. While the killer gorillas don't necessarily "look" scary up close, the savagery in which they attack and brutally murder people is pretty scary. In addition, the gore level is pretty high, especially for a PG-13 rating. The efforts on the part of the filmmakers to avoid an R rating is at times obvious, such as in some of the more brutal gorilla attacks, the picture is fuzzy and in slow-motion (these changes are not successful, and hurt the movie). Even as it is, the levels of terror and gore are high enough to make one wonder whether the PG-13 rating is appropriate.
"Congo" is not without its flaws. As I said before, the budget constraints make some of the effects look cheap, and at times lower the film to the B-level range. Also, the film takes a little too long to begin gaining momentum, which at times cause the film to drag (though the payoff in the latter half of the movie is well worth the wait). Finally, it is quite clear that Amy is a person in a gorilla suit (which given the complexity of the character was unavoidable). The killer gorillas don't suffer from the same fate, but they don't look particularly frightening (actually, they look rather sickly, however their actions quickly quash that notion).
Frequently, acting is not a strong point for most action-adventure films, unless the characters are rather unique (as in "Pirates of the Caribbean"). However, "Congo" is an exception. It features not one, but two standout performances. Tim Curry is great as Herkermer Homolka, the jewel-obsessed "Romanian philanthropist" (you can almost see his eyes take the form of diamonds. It's a typical Tim Curry role, but he avoids overdoing it and becoming annoying (which I guess he is, but in a good way).
But perhaps the biggest surprise is Ernie Hudson as the sarcastic, and ever so slick Monroe Kelly. It's all in the delivery, and Hudson delivers his lines with enough wit and bite to make him easily the most appealing actor in the movie. Had this movie been more popular, it would be reasonable to suspect that Hudson could have been up for an Oscar, as most of the nominees of the said award win for inferior performances. Laura Linney and Dylan Walsh are adequate, but given the staple hero characters they are given, it is probably unfair to expect more than what they give. Grant Heslov plays the neurotic sidekick that he usually plays (see "True Lies"), and it is pretty welcoming.
I don't understand why this flopped at the box-office. Perhaps because it had to live up to the reputation of "Jurassic Park," which is more than can be expected of any film., |
Congo Jazz | 5.7 | 472 | 10 | 2 | Vitaphone production reel #4167.,[first lines]
Bosko: Hello!,Featured in Futurama: The Cyber House Rules (2001),Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
(uncredited)
Played when Bosko and the tiger play patty cake,This short is an early Warner Brothers that features a character named Bosko, who is in ill favor in certain politically correct quarters. My take on it all is that the few shorts I've seen in the series vary greatly in quality, some being very good and others not terribly interesting. This is one of the better ones I've seen. Warner Brothers almost always had excellent music throughout their run, up to the 1950s and this short has excellent music, if a limited plot. Well worth watching. Recommended., |
The Congress | 6.4 | 20K | 105 | 219 | The interior of the huge dome where the futuristic Congress takes place, during the animated sequence, is based on the Reich's Great Hall, a massive project made by Adolf Hitler and his Minister of Defense, Albert Speer. The building, if it had been built, would have been one thousand feet tall, and able to house fifteen thousand spectators, making it the largest interior space up to date.,Robin Wright: Does that make sense? Or is this just in my mind?
Robot: Ultimately, everything make sense. And everything is in our mind.,Featured in Half in the Bag: The Bruce Willis Fake Movie Factory (2022),Forever Young
Written by Bob Dylan
Performed by Robin Wright,The Congress, Ari Folman's film based on the novel by Stanislaw Lem (The Futurological Congress) - follows five years after Folman's equally inventive and thought provoking Waltz with Bashir. Like Waltz... The Congress also combines animation with live action footage to great dramatic effect, propelling the viewer into an increasingly psychedelic other-world that presents huge challenges to Robin Wright's state of mind. She is playing an alternate univers-ion of herself, and is surrounded by a very fine cast including Harvey Keitel; Paul Giamatti; Jon Hamm; and Danny Huston (a stand out) who are joined by Kodi Smit-McPhee (still to cast off the ineffectuality of Let Me In) and Sami Gayle. The Congress is a bold attempt to visualise what clearly must be a challenging novel. There is a lot to admire in the attempt, including some good performances, grand animation and an effective score, again by contemporary composer Max Richter. It's a pity that The Congress did not find a bigger audience, since Folman is a very interesting filmmaker, clearly not afraid to take on what must be difficult projects. His next film should be eagerly awaited., |
Congress Dances | 7 | 582 | 8 | 6 | Lilian Harvey played Christel in the English, French and German versions of this film. Conrad Veidt played Metternich in the simultaneously filmed English-language version of "Der Kongress tanzt." called "Congress Dances". Pierre Magnier assumed the role in the French version. Lil Dagover, Veidt's co-star in "The Cabinet of Dr, Caligari," played the countess in all three versions.,At the Vienna Congress held in 1815 the orchestra in a canteen played Franz Schubert's "Military March," which was composed in 1818.,Alternate-language version of Le congrès s'amuse (1931),Das gibt's nur einmal, das kommt nie wieder
Music by Werner R. Heymann
Lyrics by Robert Gilbert
Sung by Lilian Harvey,This film is a treasure. It's really witty, funny... full or light eroticism, beautifully performed... lovely songs.
The long sequence of Lilian Harvey being driven to her "new Villa", singing a song is nothing less than a 10 minutes masterpiece in its own right. Harvey is sensational, wonderfully spontaneous. The song is instantly catchy. The hundreds of extras waving at the carriage, throwing flowers and balloons... the children dancing. Everything wonderfully filmed, timed and choreographed. There is a genuine joy in it that will make you feel like a child and smile.
This sequence catches the spirit of the film, but YOU ARE GETTING IT ALL WRONG IF YOU THINK THIS IS THE ONLY PART WORTH SEEING. The film is a wonderfully funny comedy to be compared with a masterpiece like "To be or not to be". In fact my rating is 10.
Films just DON'T GET ANY BETTER.
Sorry if I sound too enthusiastic, but I was just amazed. Don't miss it. It's really special., |
The Congress Dances | 6.7 | 42 | 2 | 1 | In his biography "Ich hab für euch gespielt", Paul Hörbiger reports that he was in the film's big ballroom dance scene. Producer Erich Pommer, who would closely supervise all of his productions, was also on the set. Part of a burning carbon rod from an arc light fell among the actors. One dancer's costume burst into flame. Pommer was the first to react, attempting to tear off the burning fabric and beat out the flames. He suffered severe burns on both his hands but was unable to save the young dancer who died two days later. The highly publicized incident had a worldwide effect, causing arc lamp manufacturers to implement safety measures and fabric mills to add flame retardant to their synthetic fabrics.,Alternate-language version of Congress Dances (1931),Just Once for All Time
English version of "Das gibt's nur einmal, das kommt nie wieder"
Music by Werner R. Heymann
Lyrics by Robert Gilbert
English lyrics by Rowland Leigh
Sung by Lilian Harvey,I expected Congress Dances to be an operetta but it's actually a farcical comedy taking place during the 1814-1815 Congress of Vienna with two very long and elaborately shot musical sequences. Think of it as a sweet Viennese pastry (the story) with two blobs of thick whipped cream (the musical sequences).
On the one hand the story concerns the efforts of the high and mighty to outmaneuver each other in the deal making that went on as Europe was reorganized after the Napoleonic upset. On the other we follow the fairy tale journey of a glove shop sales clerk (Lilian Harvey in her scintillating, elfin prime) into and out of the arms of the visiting Tsar Alexander (Willy Fritsch, excellent in a dual role as the Tsar and his oafish double). Prince Metternich (played smoothly by Conrad Veidt in a very unflattering pouffy looking wig) is busily manipulating the delegates by listening in on their conversations through a network of tubes connecting his bedroom to every corner of the palace, and reading their outgoing and incoming correspondence by placing the sealed envelopes on a backlit glass plate (there were clever spying mechanisms even back then). Much of the footage involves sweeping and elaborate camera movements through dense crowds in streets, palaces, a ballroom and a beer garden. The musical number "Das gibt's nur einmal" transports Harvey in a carriage from her shop through the teeming city streets, into the countryside past dancing peasants and to a grand villa where she runs up the stairs and into a sumptuous bedroom, singing all the way. The song is reprised as a finale of sorts. Earlier we have a beer garden number in which Paul Horbiger strolls among the happy customers singing "Wien und der Wein." The technical complexity of the Harvey number was too much to handle at the time, as evidenced by the way her lip movements are markedly out of synch with the soundtrack. If you watch this and other crowd scenes with no sound they have the flow of late silent cinema, reminiscent of Murnau but also glimmers of Ophuls. Finally, Lil Dagover appears in a few scenes as a French countess sent by Metternich to distract the Tsar from the diplomatic table. But any chance to see the magnificent Dagover should be taken.
The print at the Museum of Modern Art is well worn., |
Conjurer Making Ten Hats in Sixty Seconds | 5.5 | 71 | 1 | null | null |
Conjuring | 7.5 | 542K | 1.3K | 579 | The real Perron family visited the set of the film.,(at around 1h 15 mins) When Cindy is retrieved from her hiding spot after sleepwalking, there is a cell phone in Carolyn's back pocket.,Lorraine Warren: Do you remember the thing you said on our wedding night?
Ed Warren: Can we do it again?
Lorraine Warren: No! The other thing, that God brought us together for a reason.,When the names "Shannon Kook", "John Brotherton", "Sterling Jerins" appear in the end credits, a white cross on the grave turns upside down.,Featured in Showreel: We've Got Keanu Reeves (2013),Time of the Season
Written by Rod Argent
Performed by The Zombies
Courtesy of Marquis Enterprises, Ltd.
By arrangement with Ace Music Services, LLC,The Conjuring claims to be based on a true story about one of the Warrens' paranormal investigations. At this point, that fact doesn't quite matter, especially when this is mostly designed as a horror movie. And as a horror movie, its job is to offer real terror and take any ghostly elements seriously. The film isn't actually trying to give newer scares. This is old school stuff, but good old school horror movie stuff. This is the kind that gets to do more than pull off another jump scare trick. Another benefit the movie got is its director, James Wan, who delivers a crafty storytelling. The Conjuring is not terribly innovative, but I don't think it needed to. It's the execution that keeps everything so gripping, and I think we needed that in this suffering era of the genre.
The story is actually more than the haunting of the Perrons. The first act juxtaposed between their situation and the life of the Warrens. The Warrens side is a fascinating little exposition of their daily life and job, while the Perrons are introduced like any typical horror film that has a haunted house and family in it, the danger is slow burn until they get to realize they needed help. What makes this somewhat different from those clichés is we are also supposed to root and care for the investigators, like we do not want them to be harm by the spirits as well. For that, the tension becomes much effective.
Even at the less scary scenes, the film is also interesting. And yes, all the characters are worth rooting for. The major ones get their own stories told at the beginning and some flashbacks in the middle of the mystery. The performances are pretty enjoyable as they take the viewers into the characters' mind. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are excellent at exploring their roles and whatever they do are totally intriguing. Lili Taylor is engaging enough for shifting her character's innocence to something terrifying.
Most of the credit goes to director James Wan who makes it all compelling. We already accepted that jump scares are inevitable to our modern horror movies, but the better scares go when it shows its campiness, like the creepy update of the Annabelle doll, and some demonic masks and makeup. They are unlike to today's tricks that depend on gore and repetitive noise. There is also genuine terror can be felt in the quiet scenes. The finale is kind of ridiculous, but it's filled with energetic action which makes the ride even much fun. Apart from the scary stuff, the film continues to employ its style that serves a lot of magnificent shots. This could be one of the best looking movies I've seen this year. The music score brings sorts of good chills.
The Conjuring is no groundbreaker, but the film is best at recapturing the classic horror. Extra merit is fleshing out and adding depth to the story which made the ghost hunting investigation more thrilling. The craft is amazing and the performances are terrific. I think it has most of the things that lack in our horror films today; curiously setting the pieces together, relateable characters, good creeps, and full insanity. The Conjuring isn't meant to change the game, but because of the filmmakers' ambition and love for the genre, it is a marvelous experience., |
The Conjuring | 7.5 | 542K | 1.3K | 579 | The real Perron family visited the set of the film.,(at around 1h 15 mins) When Cindy is retrieved from her hiding spot after sleepwalking, there is a cell phone in Carolyn's back pocket.,Lorraine Warren: Do you remember the thing you said on our wedding night?
Ed Warren: Can we do it again?
Lorraine Warren: No! The other thing, that God brought us together for a reason.,When the names "Shannon Kook", "John Brotherton", "Sterling Jerins" appear in the end credits, a white cross on the grave turns upside down.,Featured in Showreel: We've Got Keanu Reeves (2013),Time of the Season
Written by Rod Argent
Performed by The Zombies
Courtesy of Marquis Enterprises, Ltd.
By arrangement with Ace Music Services, LLC,The Conjuring claims to be based on a true story about one of the Warrens' paranormal investigations. At this point, that fact doesn't quite matter, especially when this is mostly designed as a horror movie. And as a horror movie, its job is to offer real terror and take any ghostly elements seriously. The film isn't actually trying to give newer scares. This is old school stuff, but good old school horror movie stuff. This is the kind that gets to do more than pull off another jump scare trick. Another benefit the movie got is its director, James Wan, who delivers a crafty storytelling. The Conjuring is not terribly innovative, but I don't think it needed to. It's the execution that keeps everything so gripping, and I think we needed that in this suffering era of the genre.
The story is actually more than the haunting of the Perrons. The first act juxtaposed between their situation and the life of the Warrens. The Warrens side is a fascinating little exposition of their daily life and job, while the Perrons are introduced like any typical horror film that has a haunted house and family in it, the danger is slow burn until they get to realize they needed help. What makes this somewhat different from those clichés is we are also supposed to root and care for the investigators, like we do not want them to be harm by the spirits as well. For that, the tension becomes much effective.
Even at the less scary scenes, the film is also interesting. And yes, all the characters are worth rooting for. The major ones get their own stories told at the beginning and some flashbacks in the middle of the mystery. The performances are pretty enjoyable as they take the viewers into the characters' mind. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are excellent at exploring their roles and whatever they do are totally intriguing. Lili Taylor is engaging enough for shifting her character's innocence to something terrifying.
Most of the credit goes to director James Wan who makes it all compelling. We already accepted that jump scares are inevitable to our modern horror movies, but the better scares go when it shows its campiness, like the creepy update of the Annabelle doll, and some demonic masks and makeup. They are unlike to today's tricks that depend on gore and repetitive noise. There is also genuine terror can be felt in the quiet scenes. The finale is kind of ridiculous, but it's filled with energetic action which makes the ride even much fun. Apart from the scary stuff, the film continues to employ its style that serves a lot of magnificent shots. This could be one of the best looking movies I've seen this year. The music score brings sorts of good chills.
The Conjuring is no groundbreaker, but the film is best at recapturing the classic horror. Extra merit is fleshing out and adding depth to the story which made the ghost hunting investigation more thrilling. The craft is amazing and the performances are terrific. I think it has most of the things that lack in our horror films today; curiously setting the pieces together, relateable characters, good creeps, and full insanity. The Conjuring isn't meant to change the game, but because of the filmmakers' ambition and love for the genre, it is a marvelous experience., |
The Conjuring | 7.5 | 542K | 1.3K | 579 | The real Perron family visited the set of the film.,(at around 1h 15 mins) When Cindy is retrieved from her hiding spot after sleepwalking, there is a cell phone in Carolyn's back pocket.,Lorraine Warren: Do you remember the thing you said on our wedding night?
Ed Warren: Can we do it again?
Lorraine Warren: No! The other thing, that God brought us together for a reason.,When the names "Shannon Kook", "John Brotherton", "Sterling Jerins" appear in the end credits, a white cross on the grave turns upside down.,Featured in Showreel: We've Got Keanu Reeves (2013),Time of the Season
Written by Rod Argent
Performed by The Zombies
Courtesy of Marquis Enterprises, Ltd.
By arrangement with Ace Music Services, LLC,The Conjuring claims to be based on a true story about one of the Warrens' paranormal investigations. At this point, that fact doesn't quite matter, especially when this is mostly designed as a horror movie. And as a horror movie, its job is to offer real terror and take any ghostly elements seriously. The film isn't actually trying to give newer scares. This is old school stuff, but good old school horror movie stuff. This is the kind that gets to do more than pull off another jump scare trick. Another benefit the movie got is its director, James Wan, who delivers a crafty storytelling. The Conjuring is not terribly innovative, but I don't think it needed to. It's the execution that keeps everything so gripping, and I think we needed that in this suffering era of the genre.
The story is actually more than the haunting of the Perrons. The first act juxtaposed between their situation and the life of the Warrens. The Warrens side is a fascinating little exposition of their daily life and job, while the Perrons are introduced like any typical horror film that has a haunted house and family in it, the danger is slow burn until they get to realize they needed help. What makes this somewhat different from those clichés is we are also supposed to root and care for the investigators, like we do not want them to be harm by the spirits as well. For that, the tension becomes much effective.
Even at the less scary scenes, the film is also interesting. And yes, all the characters are worth rooting for. The major ones get their own stories told at the beginning and some flashbacks in the middle of the mystery. The performances are pretty enjoyable as they take the viewers into the characters' mind. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are excellent at exploring their roles and whatever they do are totally intriguing. Lili Taylor is engaging enough for shifting her character's innocence to something terrifying.
Most of the credit goes to director James Wan who makes it all compelling. We already accepted that jump scares are inevitable to our modern horror movies, but the better scares go when it shows its campiness, like the creepy update of the Annabelle doll, and some demonic masks and makeup. They are unlike to today's tricks that depend on gore and repetitive noise. There is also genuine terror can be felt in the quiet scenes. The finale is kind of ridiculous, but it's filled with energetic action which makes the ride even much fun. Apart from the scary stuff, the film continues to employ its style that serves a lot of magnificent shots. This could be one of the best looking movies I've seen this year. The music score brings sorts of good chills.
The Conjuring is no groundbreaker, but the film is best at recapturing the classic horror. Extra merit is fleshing out and adding depth to the story which made the ghost hunting investigation more thrilling. The craft is amazing and the performances are terrific. I think it has most of the things that lack in our horror films today; curiously setting the pieces together, relateable characters, good creeps, and full insanity. The Conjuring isn't meant to change the game, but because of the filmmakers' ambition and love for the genre, it is a marvelous experience., |
The Conjuring 2 | 7.3 | 293K | 711 | 420 | While promoting the film in June 2016, star Vera Farmiga was still suffering from a swollen lymph node she received during filming, due to the intense screaming she had to perform. Due to technical challenges, she would sometimes do 50 takes in a row, all featuring her screaming.,(at around 1h 26 mins) While Ed performs "Can't Help Falling In Love", a crew member can be seen in the reflection of the glass cabinet.,Janet Hodgson: [referring to the demon] It said it wants to hurt you.
Lorraine Warren: When did it say that?
Janet Hodgson: Right now.,During the credits, actual images of The Warrens and The Hodgsons are shown.,Featured in Hollywood Express: #676 (2016),London Calling
Written by Joe Strummer (as Strummer) and Mick Jones (as Jones)
Performed by The Clash
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing,"The Conjuring 2" is an excellent example of what more sequels should aspire to be. It is a perfectly executed haunting movie from James Wan that dives deep below the surface to explore themes of vision, belief and faith. The family drama is still right at the center and is quite effective, and Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are excellent to their roles. The film doesn't give anything new at the horror movie genre, but its set pieces are often impressive, even if sometimes rely a bit on jump scares. The truth is that "The Conjuring 2" has enough suspense and story to have appeal for all kinds of horror fans and is a film clever enough to scare us. nikisreviews.com, |
Connecting Rooms | 6.4 | 899 | 8 | 9 | The scenes calling for Wanda Fleming (Bette Davis) to play the cello used close-ups of the hands of British classical cellist Amaryllis Fleming (1925-1999).,Featured in Boulevard! A Hollywood Story (2021),PLEASE PIERRE
Sung by Lois Lane with The Ladybirds,Was always interested in seeing Bette Davis and Michael Redgrave in late roles, being admirers of both. More so Davis than Redgrave, but it is as hard to forget Redgrave's performance in 'The Browning Version' as much as it is with Davis and 'All About Eve'. Really like melodramas when done well, whether in film, in television, in very old cartoons and on stage with plays and operas. Also saw it briefly compared to Terrence Rattigan's 'Separate Tables', love the play and Rattigan and the film version is excellent.
'Connecting Rooms' is very hard to find. Practically obscure even, though somehow did manage to see it online. That is a real shame, as, despite not being perfect by any stretch (with a couple of the potential traps that melodramas can have being fallen into), it is a long way from a bad film. Actually found 'Connecting Rooms' to be good, moving and very well acted, deserving of much more attention and exposure when far inferior films have a significant amount of marketing and also a wide audience.
Maybe 'Connecting Rooms' could have been opened up more as there is a staged play feel at times. Like in the pace, which could have been tighter and had less of the pauses that dulled the action somewhat.
Although the dialogue is mostly very well-written and thought-provoking, again it could have tightened up as there are parts that have a little too much talk. A touch too sappy occasionally too.
However, 'Connecting Rooms' is shot with the right amount of intimacy without being static, and the costumes and sets are not one's definition of big and grand but they are opulent and suit the intimacy and chamber-like mood of the piece very well. The music in my mind avoided over-scoring and being intrusive in placement. The dialogue has a lot of intelligence and pathos, the latter being executed in a way that mostly is not too sentimental and quite moving. The direction is never less than competent, even if there could have a little more flow between transitions. Liked the 'All About Eve' reference and it was interesting to see the hands of Amaryllis Fleming featured when Davis plays the cello (an instrument close to my heart, with it being my second instrument after voice).
The story absorbs and has enough moments where it is heart-wrenching. The characters intrigue and feel real. Kay Walsh is always reliable in her role and Alexis Kanner doesn't overplay his character's jealousy. Olga Georges-Picot is touching. It's the two leads that stand out though. It is great to see Redgrave reign in and be effectively subtle, and Davis often shows the beauty of acting where eyes and expressions without words are so telling and in such a gracefully dignified and moving way.
In summation, good film deserving of more exposure. 7/10, |
Connie and Carla | 6.2 | 8.5K | 120 | 28 | Nia Vardalos real life husband plays the owner of the club.,Connie and Carla say a few times throughout the movie that "a cop shot Frank." Rudy shot Frank.,Carla: Girlfriends, big or small, thin or fat, worship that body, it's the only one you've got.,Featured in At the Movies: Episode #1.5 (2004),Oklahoma
Written by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II,First things first: this is a very silly movie with a cardboard plot, hackneyed characters, and some atrocious dialog. BUT - nobody goes to see a movie like this for its iconic "film" moments. You go because it looks utterly ridiculous and you're in the mood for just that sort of fluff. On that basis, the movie delivers a lot of entertainment - many out-loud laughs and a variety of entertaining songs.
Toni Collette's talent reservoir seems bottomless - she can act, sing AND dance. Nia Vardalos also sings sufficiently well, and her easy, comic manner nicely leavens the somewhat hysterical character played by Collette. Together, the actresses are genuinely entertaining as they work their way through the list of Broadway standards. David Duchovny, in a role that could have been painful to watch in less competent hands, instead brings an unusually light and friendly touch to the role of Vardalos's love interest (Aside: where's he been? He's cuter than he's ever been in his life - stop languishing at home with Tea and Madelaine!).
Yes, the ending is silly; pay attention - I already said the whole movie is silly. But did I laugh loudly several times? Yup. Hysterically a couple of times? Uh-huh. Did I enjoy the musical numbers? Definitely. Will I ever feel the same way about the song "Mame" again? Not hardly. Did I get my money's worth? You betcha!, |
The Conqueror | 3.7 | 3.8K | 72 | 26 | The film is sometimes called "An RKO Radioactive Picture". It was filmed near an active nuclear test site in Utah, where 11 tests had reportedly been carried out in the year before the production landed there. The set was contaminated by nuclear fallout, but the Atomic Energy Commission assured Howard Hughes and the local population that the area was completely safe. Photographs exist of John Wayne holding a Geiger counter that reportedly made so much noise that he thought it was broken. After location shooting, Hughes had tons of contaminated soil transported back to Hollywood in order to match interior shooting done there. Over the next 30 years, 91 of the 220 cast and crew members developed cancer. Forty-six died, including , , (who shot himself soon after learning he had terminal cancer), , , and director . had throat cancer, but died of a heart attack. The count did not include several hundred local Native Americans who played extras, or relatives of the cast and crew who visited the set, including John Wayne's son . A "People" article quoted the reaction of a scientist from the Pentagon's Defense Nuclear Agency to the news, "Please, God, don't let us have killed John Wayne". As of June 2011, the article is available in its archive online. It has however been suggested that many of the cast and crew died of cancer as a result of smoking. John Wayne had smoked 3-5 packs of cigarettes a day since the early 1930s, and many of the other actors and crew members were also heavy smokers.,When Temujin throws a spear at a man in a stream, the wire guiding it is visible. The spear's trajectory is also wobbly.,Temujin: I feel this Tartar woman is for me, and my blood says, take her. There are moments for wisdom and moments when I listen to my blood; my blood says, take this Tartar woman.,Featured in The World According to Smith & Jones: The Middle Ages (1987),I saw this film at age 9 when it was newly released, back in the sunset years of the Technicolor historical spectacular. I knew immediately that it was bad, GLORIOUSLY in-your-face bad! I eagerly taped it about fifteen years ago off a television broadcast and have gleefully lent the tape to friends and acquaintances many times since to spread the word.
The incomprehensible miscasting of John Wayne aside, THE CONQUEROR is bad in so many ways that's it's difficult to focus on the best (or worst) elements. Perhaps most delightfully awful is the dialogue:
"She is woman, Jamuga...much woman. Should her perfidy be less than that of other women?" (John Wayne to Pedro Armendariz)
"Kumlik's daughter! Spawn of the devil! Let your men make sport with her!" "No, mo-ther, I will keep this wo-man for my own plea-sure!" (Exchange between mom Agnes Moorehead and son John Wayne)
"You will love me, Bortai...you will love me of your own will before the sun rises!" "Before that day dawns, Mongol, the vultures will feast upon your heart!" (Love chat between Wayne and Hayward)
These are three of literally dozens of examples of prime dialogue kitsch with which THE CONQUEROR abounds. It is priceless...see it!, |
The Conquerors | 6.3 | 315 | 9 | 6 | The Conquerors (1932) was an early film (1932) to mention the coming of television.,The film opens in 1873 with Ann Harding singing the 1883 song "Long, Long Ago.",Features Four Heads Are Better Than One (1898),Long, Long Ago
(1883) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Thomas Haynes Bayley
Played on piano and sung by Ann Harding twice,The last thirty minutes of this film have a fascinating cinematic depiction of the 1929 stock market crash. Check it out.
Edna May Oliver is a gem. The acting style is super theatrical; so much so that it's almost post modern, actors commenting on acting on stage. It would be interesting to remake this picture now with a film within a film screenplay, the actors of that period moving in and out of character.
Take a look with your nostalgic eyeballs in your head and you'll enjoy this old RKO picture., |
Conquest | 5.2 | 2.7K | 46 | 79 | Alejandro Ulloa, the film's cinematographer, used a fog machine and a soft-focus lens with special filters to give the film an ethereal ambiance.,Ilias: What's your name?
Mace: My enemies call me Mace.
Ilias: And your friends?
Mace: I don't have any friends.,Most early video releases of the film were edited with the 1983 UK version suffering 4 minutes 8 secs of BBFC cuts. These heavily reduced shots of nudity and closeups of sores bursting open, as well as removing the beheading of the woman and shots of her brains being eaten. The Blue Underground DVD release is fully uncut and restored.,Featured in Fulci Flashbacks: Reflections on Italy's Premiere Paura Protagonist (2011),In an unnamed pre-historic land, a gold-masked sorceress named Ocron (Sabrina Siani) rules all evil. A young archer (Andrea Occhipinti), equipped with a magic bow-and-arrow, sets out to kill her, teaming up with a hardened, animal-loving muscleman (George Rivero) along the way...
This was the first movie Fulci made after breaking his assocation with Fabrizio De Angelis, and is recognised as the one that would stop his career in its tracks. Fulci's quarrels with producer Giovanni De Clemente really show through on screen, with some particularly cheap special-effects and mangy-looking monsters.
To his credit, Fulci tries hard to work up an atmosphere (orange skies, fog, green mossy plains), but gives up towards the end. Some scenes are just plain stupid, such as the wolfmen attacks (they look like Dulux hounds!) and Rivero rescued from drowning by dolphins. As with his earlier CHALLENGE TO WHITE FANG, the sheer nastiness of what goes on weighs against the fantastical, magical backdrop Fulci was trying to create. But FANG had lovely locations, good acting, a pacey storyline and excellent photography to fall back on.
Gore fans do get their money's worth, however. An old man's brain is exposed after receiving a cranial axe-blow, Ocron whacking open a severed head to feast on its brains, various gore-spewing arrow hits, zombies being staked, several graphic burnings, and Ocron's heart blown out after receiving a laser-bolt to her chest. Not forgetting the notorious 'wishbone' sequence, where a naked girl is spread-eagled until she splits right up the middle.
Of course, many video-releases are cut, including the UK and Dutch tapes. Go for the Belgian or Greek release, they're both uncut and LBXed. That is, of course, if you care!
It's not surprising that the Italian spate of CONAN rip-offs only lasted about a year. This unimaginative effort, which is adequate at best, is actually one of the BETTER rip-offs. You don't even want to know what Lenzi's IRON MASTER and Tonino Ricci's THOR THE CONQUEROR are like!, |
The Conquest | 6.1 | 35K | 131 | 80 | The majority of the outdoor scenes were shot in and around the University of California, Irvine campus, which was designed by futurist architect William L. Pereira, and was only six years old at the time of filming. Much of the production centered around the Social Science complex, which was designed by A.C. Martin & Associates and was still under construction during filming. Careful use of camera angles and editing made a handful of buildings and exteriors feel more like action spread across an entire city.
Some exteriors, and all of indoor sets were all filmed at the Fox backlot in Century City, Los Angeles.,In fewer then 20 years since Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans have evolved to a perfectly humanoid form, a feat that would take thousands of years, not just one generation.,MacDonald: Caesar... Caesar! This is not how it was meant to be.
Caesar: In your view or mine?
MacDonald: Violence prolongs hate, hate prolongs violence. By what right are you spilling blood?
Caesar: By the slave's right to punish his persecutor.
MacDonald: I, a descendant of slaves, am asking you to show humanity.,The 20th Century-Fox logo does not appear on this film.,The film was cut for violence in the final battle scene by the US distributor for a 'PG' rating. Similarly the BBFC (UK) cut the electrical torture of Caesar, and closeup scenes of violence from the killing of the guards and the climactic battle for an 'AA' cinema rating. Video releases were classified as '15' (now '12' for the DVD) and all prints feature the edited U.S version.,Featured in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973),With most movie franchises, the sequels are often inferior to the originals. While this may also be true for the 'Planet of The Apes' series, the fourth entry in the franchise surpasses the rest. While it may not have been as much of a ground-breaking success as 'Planet of the Apes', 'Conquest' had a social commentary that still resonates today, much like the original. This movie has two different endings, but the best of the two is the Unrated version. 'Conquest' has wonderful special effects, the best of the series. With a wonderful performance by Roddy McDowell as Caesar, this movie is fantastic. Don't ignore the sequels simply because of their bad reputation, give these films a chance., |
Conquest of the Air | 6.3 | 270 | 9 | 4 | Theatrical movie debut of Alan Wheatley (Borelli).,Lilenthal is still breathing when he is discovered 'dead' by his assistant.,Vincent Lunardi: In a few years, the sky will be filled with balloons!,The version shown on Turner Classic Movies is the updated one from 1940, as it includes footage of the Hindenburg disaster of 1937.,Referenced in Round the Film Studios: No. 2 Denham Part 5 (1937),Because I've always had an interest in aviation, this film I found on TCM was a nice addition to the long list of things I've watched so far on the channel. Even though I recorded this all the way back in 2015, it took me until yesterday to finally watch it. I wish I did so earlier, because it might be the first example of a flight documentary. The film is strange in that it's told in the style of a documentary, meaning there's no storyline, but it has actual actors such as Laurence Olivier. The movie goes over man's attempts to fly throughout history, from ancient times to the (then) present day in the 1930s. As long as there have been humans, there has been a desire to fly. Animals like birds can do it pretty effortlessly, so why can't we? Many people throughout history have tried to answer this question, with one italian scientist in the 1600s stating that it's physically impossible for humans to fly because it would require arm strength 10 thousand times greater than what we have. A century earlier, the genius Leonardo da Vinci was trying to experiment with various types of flying machines that people wouldn't see for centuries to come. He drew the designs for the first practical helicopter, as well as something called an ornithopter; a machine that flies by flapping its wings. However, none of these machines actually worked because da Vinci was unfortunately stuck in the primitive 1500s, and they were too advanced for their time. About two centuries later, we see how france is the first country to officially allow men to fly, as hot air balloons are invented in the late 1700s. In the american civil war, balloons are used by both sides as high altitude scouting vehicles to survey the battlefield. In the 1800s, aviation becomes even more advanced, since balloons are eventually connected to engines, allowing them to propel themselves more easily. Late in the 1800s, a german named Ferdinand von Zeppelin, whose name would later be interchangeable with airships, designed a new type of airship that had a metal frame inside and was filled with helium or hydrogen. Hydrogen was the more dangerous choice as it is highly flammable, something that was highlighted during the horrific crash of the german airship Hindenburg in 1937. Going into the early 1900s, the Wright Brothers make history by flying the first powered machine for not even 30 seconds. A few years later in europe, a frenchman named Louis Bleriot becomes the first person to cross the english channel in a powered aircraft. Unfortunately, the development of peacetime aircraft would have to be put on hold for 4 years as the first world war swept across europe. World war 1 still contributed to aircraft design, as war stimulates technological progress out of desperation. After the war, peacetime aviation continues and many more records are set. Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to fly from the US to europe in 1927, and odd new flying machines are experimented with. A machine called an autogyro uses a traditional propeller but has an unpowered rotor on top of it to provide lift. This allows it to take to the air using incredibly short runways. The first practical helicopters appear, with germany stealing the lead using their twin rotor focke wulf 61. Giant airliners that land and take off on the ocean (called flying boats) carry loads of people and their luggage to faraway lands that were once the destination points of bold explorers. By the 30s, people had conquered the air and fly just because they want to, but we must never forget how difficult it was to get to that point. I thought Conquest of the Air was a good enough film, as it shows how long it took humankind to come up with a practical way to get in the skies. It's also worth mentioning that TCM showed a restored version that features the infamous footage of the Hindenburg crashing as it comes in to land at new jersey, which didn't happen yet as of the original version. Just strange to think that a blimp with nazi symbols on its fins actually tried to land in america, but it (almost) happened., |
The Conquest of Everest | 7.3 | 851 | 9 | 5 | Cameraman Tom Stobart went on the 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition (as did George Lowe), and after the successful second assault Stobart got the descending party to give no indication to those like Hunt and Westmacott waiting in an agony of suspense at Advance Base,When the "Daily Mail" newspaper is shown, Edmund Hillary's name is shown as Edward.,Featured in Timeshift: Battle for the Himalayas: The Fight to Film Everest (2015),I am not interested in mountaineering but I thought that the photography was exceptional.As has been mentioned this would have been filmed in the Technicolor monopack process.The three film process was being phased out in order that they could compete with the likes of Eastmancolour.Ironically now days climbing the mountain has become a thriving tourist business., |
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes | 6.1 | 35K | 131 | 80 | The majority of the outdoor scenes were shot in and around the University of California, Irvine campus, which was designed by futurist architect William L. Pereira, and was only six years old at the time of filming. Much of the production centered around the Social Science complex, which was designed by A.C. Martin & Associates and was still under construction during filming. Careful use of camera angles and editing made a handful of buildings and exteriors feel more like action spread across an entire city.
Some exteriors, and all of indoor sets were all filmed at the Fox backlot in Century City, Los Angeles.,In fewer then 20 years since Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans have evolved to a perfectly humanoid form, a feat that would take thousands of years, not just one generation.,MacDonald: Caesar... Caesar! This is not how it was meant to be.
Caesar: In your view or mine?
MacDonald: Violence prolongs hate, hate prolongs violence. By what right are you spilling blood?
Caesar: By the slave's right to punish his persecutor.
MacDonald: I, a descendant of slaves, am asking you to show humanity.,The 20th Century-Fox logo does not appear on this film.,The film was cut for violence in the final battle scene by the US distributor for a 'PG' rating. Similarly the BBFC (UK) cut the electrical torture of Caesar, and closeup scenes of violence from the killing of the guards and the climactic battle for an 'AA' cinema rating. Video releases were classified as '15' (now '12' for the DVD) and all prints feature the edited U.S version.,Featured in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973),With most movie franchises, the sequels are often inferior to the originals. While this may also be true for the 'Planet of The Apes' series, the fourth entry in the franchise surpasses the rest. While it may not have been as much of a ground-breaking success as 'Planet of the Apes', 'Conquest' had a social commentary that still resonates today, much like the original. This movie has two different endings, but the best of the two is the Unrated version. 'Conquest' has wonderful special effects, the best of the series. With a wonderful performance by Roddy McDowell as Caesar, this movie is fantastic. Don't ignore the sequels simply because of their bad reputation, give these films a chance., |
Conquest of Space | 5.6 | 1.7K | 59 | 40 | The spaceship model was later used as a background set decoration in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).,When Captain Merritt enters the ship as his father is emptying its tanks, he's wearing a spacesuit and has to close the ship's hatch before getting out of it. Yet the entry to the engine room below, where his father is, is completely open, exposing his father directly to the lethal Martian atmosphere through the ship's open hatch.,Sergeant Imoto: Some years ago, my country chose to fight a terrible war. It was bad, I do not defend it, but there were reasons. Somehow those reasons are never spoken of. To the Western world at that time, Japan was a fairybook nation: little people living in a strange land of rice-paper houses... people who had almost no furniture, who sat on the floor and ate with chopsticks. The quaint houses of rice paper, sir: they were made of paper because there was no other material available. And the winters in Japan are as cold as they are in Boston. And the chopsticks: there was no metal for forks and knives and spoons, but slivers of wood could suffice. So it was with the little people of Japan, little as I am now, because for countless generations we have not been able to produce the food to make us bigger. Japan's yesterday will be the world's tomorrow: too many people and too little land. That is why I say, sir, there is urgent reason for us to reach Mars: to provide the resources the human race will need if they are to survive. That is also why I am most grateful to be found acceptable, sir. I volunteer.,Edited into Destination Space (1959),This movie recently came out on DVD so I rented it from Netflix. I'm reasonably familiar with the plot and the work of Bonestell, Pal, and Willey Ley, so I don't think I had unreasonable expectations for this movie. Sadly my expectations were still to high, as I didn't enjoy this movie despite the interesting visuals done up by Chesley Bonestell and George Pal.
Compare this movie to the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet, and think about which one gives you a better 'futuristic' portrayal of how mankind has advanced in 'the future'. Even allowing for the un-PC aspects of the 1950's (which I find amusing/enjoyable, not offensive), the plot devices of Conquest of Space are absurd. There's no way that a mission to mars wouldn't catch the mental problems inherent in one of the main characters, which is the primary plot device for causing peril in the mission.
Buy/rent this movie for the visuals of the space vehicles and Mars, and for the place in sci-fi history this movie occupies, not because you expect this to be a 'good' movie. The basic premises of the plot are pretty heavily flawed and therefore annoying., |
Conrack | 7.3 | 2.2K | 45 | 23 | In a 2007 interview on the Dennis Miller Radio Show, Jon Voight recalled a reunion that was held twenty years after the release of the movie, with all of the available actors and actresses. Of the twenty-one actors and actresses who portrayed students, at the time of the reunion, three were teachers.,When Pat Conroy goes out to a student's home a pack of dogs rush out to him and the owner calls them off. As Conroy is leaving the dogs chase after him again and as he runs down the road at least one of them run past Conroy, presumably toward the trainer calling them.,Pat Conroy: As for my kids, I don't think I changed the quality of their lives significantly, or altered the fact that they have no share in the country that claimed them - the country that's failed them. All I know is I felt much beauty in my time with them.,Opening credits prologue: This is based on a true story. It began in March of 1969.,Features The Black Swan (1942),5th Symphony
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven (uncredited)
Performed by New York Philharmonic (as the New York Philharmonic)
with Leonard Bernstein as Conductor
(and used by courtesy of Columbia Records),Martin Ritt seems to be a director who was always interested in social issues (as the son of immigrants, he had every incentive to be so, especially since he was blacklisted in the '50s). "Conrack" is based on Pat Conroy's novel "The Water is Wide", about his own experience in 1969 teaching a school of impoverished black children about the outside world, much to the chagrin of the right-wing superintendent (Hume Cronyn). What added to the movie's strength was the cultural and historical context: Conroy (Jon Voight) frustratedly tells another teacher how many of the children don't know about Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, the Vietnam War, or even where Vietnam is. He proceeds to enlighten them about all these factors.
Somewhere, I read a complaint that when Conroy played music for the children, he only played white music. The truth is, you can't blame the movie for that; it was based on Conroy's real experience. Either way, the movie's a real gem., |
Consenting Adults | 5.7 | 8.2K | 55 | 21 | One of a cycle of thrillers made during the early 1990s which were set around husband and wife characters. The films include Malice (1993), Deceived (1991), Shattered (1991), Mortal Thoughts (1991), Unlawful Entry (1992), Presumed Innocent (1990), Guilty as Sin (1993), Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), and A Kiss Before Dying (1991).,Eddy Otis: [whispering in the dark] Did you know that I can see things, Priscilla. I can see things nobody can. I'm so good at predicting, that I can read tomorrow's headline. A man last night broke into the home of his ex-wife, and killed for the third and last time. Arriving tragically too late, Eddy Otis, the woman's... the dead woman's friend, shot and killed him. The man, Richard Parker, was already wanted in connection with several other murders. Oh yes, he's here. Priscilla, he's in the house right now, wondering when he should make his final move. Why? Because I wanted him to. He's my puppet. Here he comes. Come on, Richard. Come to papa.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Public Eye/Candyman/Under Siege/A River Runs Through It/Night and the City (1992),No Headstone On My Grave
Words and Music by Charlie Rich
Produced by Joe Mulherin
Performed by Suzie Rose (as Q Rose),Kevin Kline is cleverly framed for the murder of his best friend's wife, with a seemingly airtight case against him. Equal cleverness in working out this story seemed called for. Instead, the frame-up basically unravels by improbable happenstance and concludes with trite Hollywood-isms, finally throwing in the towel with a few assault-weapon blasts. Real subtle, yes?
Not too bad a way to pass the time, but ultimately a let-down.
Fans of Forest Whitaker ("The Crying Game") will be pleased to see this talented actor appearing as a very southern, shy, soft-spoken insurance investigator., |
Conspiracy | 7.6 | 24K | 175 | 23 | The house shown when General Reinhard Heydrich (Sir Kenneth Branagh) is shown flying into the conference is the house of the original conference. The inside of the house shown in the movie, however, was made for this movie.,Klopfer is portrayed as seriously obese and displaying a lack of tact foul enough to make even the other Nazis uncomfortable, yet in real life Gerhard Klopfer was slim-built, and his co-workers remembered him as a calm and usually very polite man.,Müller: Perhaps the judge has a special love for them?
Klopfer: [mutters appreciatively] Yes, yes a special love for them... very good...
Dr. Wilhelm Stuckart: For whom? For Jews? Wonderful, you don't have my credentials. Forgive me, from your uniform I can infer that you're shallow, ignorant and naive about the Jews. Your line, what the party rants on about is how inferior they are, some-some-some sub-species, and I keep saying how wrong that is! They are sublimely clever. And they are intelligent as well. My indictments to that race are stronger and heavier because they are real, not uneducated ideology. They are arrogant and self-obsessed and calculating and reject the Christ and I will not have them pollute German blood!,Featured in The 53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2001),String Quintet in C Major', D.956: Adagio
Written by Franz Schubert
Performed by Ensemble Villa Musica
courtesy of Naxos of America
by arrangement with Source Q,This excellent co-production by HBO and BBC is based on real-life deeds and previously shot in i984 a German film by Heinz Schirk .It concerns about the meeting of high-ranking Nazi SS and civilian leaders at the Wannsee Conference held on January 20,1942, to plan the Final Solution of the Jewish question. This interesting, important movie depicting, in real time, the conference during which 14 members of the Nazi hierarchy decided in eighty five minutes the logistics and means of effecting the Final Solution. The film is magnificently played by complete casting. Special mention to Kenneth Branagh as cold General Reinhard Heydrich, Colin Firth as dubious Dr Stuckard, Ian McNiece as the fat Dr Klopfer, David Threlfall as the regretted Dr Kritzinger and Kevin McNally as undersecretary Martin Luther . The picture is accurately adapted by Loris Mandel based on the Wannsee Protocol. Furthermore evocative cinematography by Stephen Goldblatt. This TV movie is well directed by Frank Pierson, a prestigious screenwriter and director.
Adding more details along with the well developed on the movie, the deeds were happened of the following manner:
The meeting took place in the Berlin suburb of Grossen-Wannsee, where the decision was made to adopt the Final Solution, the contemplated extermination of Jews . On Julio 31, 1941, Herman Goering issued orders to Reinhard Heydrich,chief of the SD, the security service , to submit a comprehensive plan of the Jewish question. The meeting was originally scheduled for December 8,1941, but it was to be postpones until noon on January 20, 1942. It was to be followed by a luncheon. Fifteen Nazi bureaucrats were present. Minutes of meeting taken in Protocol that read in part: ¨As a further possibility of solving the question, the evacuation of the Jews of the east can now be substituted for emigration ,after obtaining permission from the Fuehrer to that effect.However ,these actions are merely to be considered as alternative possibilities, even though they will permit us to make all those practical experiences of great importance for the future final solution of the Jewish question. The Jews should in the course of the Final Solution betaken in a suitable manner to the east for use as labor. In big labor gangs ,separated by sex. The Jews capable of work will be brought these areas for road building, in which task undoubtedly a large number will fall through natural diminution. The remnant that is finally able to survive all this must be treated accordingly, since these people, representing a natural selection, are to be regarded as the germ cell a new Jewish development, in case they should succeed and go free. This remnant survivor is undoubtedly the part with the strongest resistance. And they go free as history has proved. In the course of the execution of the Final solution , Europe will be combed from West to east¨.
The conference was opened by Heydrich, who declared that he was the plenipotentiary for the final of the Jewish question. He then reviewed the emigration problem. Until this time a plan had been held in readiness to deport all Jews to the island of Magadascar, off the coast of Africa, but the Madagascar Plan had fallen through after the invasion of the USSR on June,22,1941. There was no longer any possibility of transporting Jews in this fashion. Instead of emigration the Fueherer had given his sanction for the evacuation of all Jews to the East as a solution possibility. The evacuees would be organized into huge labor columns. Undoubtedly, a majority would fall through natural diminution. The survivors of this natural selection process, actually the hard core of Jewry and the most dangerous because they could rebuild the Jewish life,would be treated accordingly. Although Heydrich did not elaborate the phrase ¨treated accordingly¨the plain meaning was that, in the course of time,with insufficient food and exhausting work, the survivors would be weakened and ready for the specially equipped extermination camps. The conferees then became involved in a lengthy discussion of the problem of the individuals of mixed race, and that of Jews in mixed marriages. About the half the time was taken up with this special discussion, but not drastic reclassification was made. Then the conferees adjourned for lunch. Thirty copies of the record were made and circulated in the ministries and SS offices. News of the Final Solution traveled quickly through the Nazi bureaucracy. Within a few months the first gas chamber camps were set up in Poland. The events are known as Wannsee Protocol by Martin Luther's copy of the Conference minutes was discovered in the files of the German Foreign by American investigators in 1947.It is the only record of the meeting that survives. Destination of the Conference participants is the following : Reinhard Heydrich killed in Praga. Gestapo Chied Heinrich Muller, disappeared after the war. Dr Gerhard Klopfer, arrested 1945 for war crimes, discharged for lack of evidence,died 1987. Dr Krtzinger, arrested 1945,declarated ashamed of Nazi atrocities released 1947. Otto Hoffman arrested 1945,sentenced to 25 years. Dr Alfred Meyer committed suicide in the Spring of 1945.Dr Stuckard sentenced 1949 to time served. Martin Luther sent to concentration camp,died of heart attack 1945. Dr Buhler arrested 1945,executed 1948,Poland. SS colonel Schongarth executed 1946. And Colonel Adolf Eichmann captured in Argentina by Israeli agents 1960,tried, convicted and hanged for crimes against humanity,Jerusalem,May 31,1962, |
The Conspiracy | 6.3 | 13K | 90 | 62 | Jim's reaction to being let out of the bag in the back of the pickup truck was genuine: James Gilbert is claustrophobic.,Ron: The internet may be a threat to those in charge but it's also their greatest weapon. Every single thing you do on the internet is monitored: every e-mail you send, every website you visit, every picture you look at on your wife's Facebook - all of it. And George Orwell predicted that Big Brother would be watching us one day, but what he didn't predict is that we'd create Big Brother ourselves and then willingly give ourselves over to it.,At the end of the credits, the Chance Investment corporation is listed in the Thanks.,Edited from Zapruder Film of Kennedy Assassination (1970),This is an effective and enthralling film which uses the mockumentary formula very well. It actually builds an atmosphere in the first half, unlike so many other genre films in the past few years (there are always exceptions of course). Both main characters are simple, but believable, and the increasingly dangerous situations they find themselves in are directed with care. If you're a horror fan like myself, you probably won't be surprised when you realize where the whole thing is going, but you'll still enjoy the film until the very end (which is debatable, but original).
I can complain about the fact that the film doesn't dig that much into many of the conspiracy theories it presented, it just kind of mentions them, but I guess that wasn't it's primary goal... It also seemed a bit far-fetched in the last 15 minutes. Other than that, it was just fine.
I recommend this film to any horror fan out there, especially if you're a fan of found footage thrillers and you dig conspiracy theories., |
Conspiracy Theory | 6.7 | 105K | 203 | 81 | According to an interview with director Richard Donner on the DVD of Payback: Straight Up Director's Cut (2006) that he met screenwriter Brian Helgeland when he was driving at the Warner Brothers gate, and saw Brian holding a sign that said "Will write for work, for money". Richard got out of the car and asked him about the sign, Brian replied that he was a screenwriter, and was looking for work. Donner had decided to give Helgeland a chance, which led to the two of them working on this movie. Helgeland also worked with Donner on .,When the shock troops rappel down from the black helicopter they can be seen to land on soft mats rather than hard New York City pavement.,Jerry: David Berkowitz, Ted Bundy, Richard Speck...
Alice: What about them?
Jerry: Serial killers. Serial killers only have two names. You ever notice that? But lone gunmen assassins, they always have three names. John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Mark David Chapman...
Alice: John Hinckley. He shot Reagan. He only has two names.,The initial Warner Bros. logo with the clouds behind is shown - the camera then pulls back to show the logo as a billboard on the side of a bus.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Conspiracy Theory/Kiss Me, Guido/The Full Monty/Career Girls/Love Serenade/Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997),Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio
Performed by Frankie Valli
Courtesy of The Four Seasons Partnership
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products,This movie could be classified into different genres - suspense, romance & thriller. Not many films can say that, or if they can, many do not succeed. Conspiracy Theory, however, did.
The first time I saw this, I was on the edge of my seat. It was very suspensful. I won't go into details if you haven't seen it, but it's really one of the best suspense films I've seen.
This wasn't a completely romantic film, no. In fact, I wish it would've touched on the romance more than it did. Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts had great chemistry. Although nothing really happened between them, the audience could clearly see Jerry's (Mel Gibson)love for Alice (Julia Roberts.)
Now, the plot. Jerry Fletcher has many wild conspiracy theories - including one that NASA is trying to kill the President with earthquakes. He's a cabbie & tells lots of people his ideas. But the one person he seems to tell the most to and thinks can help him is Alice Sutton, an attorney. He saved her months before the movie takes place when she was mugged. He seems to get on her nerves, but she puts up with him. He goes to her office all the time. He's obviously in love with her, but she doesn't feel the same way. Well, somehow "they" (CIA, FBI, you know "they") find out about Jerry's crazy conspiracies & they go after him. He and Alice are in danger.
The acting in this movie was terrific. This may be Mel's best. His portrayal of a crazy cabbie was so good and believable. It's not really like any other role he has played. He did it so well & the audience sympathized with him completely. Julia was good too. Her role wasn't really difficult to play, but she made it believably nevertheless. Patrick Stewart also stars in this. He made a great bad guy.
Overall, this movie was great. It was very suspensful & the acting was outstanding., |
Conspirator | 6.9 | 30K | 161 | 195 | Very little is known about the real Frederick Aiken. No photographs of him exist.,When Booth is trapped and killed, he still has his distinctive mustache. He shaved his face soon after he killed Abraham Lincoln, to make himself less recognizable.,Edwin Stanton: Young man... always indebted to you for your courage in the field, but you must learn to tread lightly.
Frederick Aiken: Tread lightly? I will not tread lightly. You have predetermined her fate.
Edwin Stanton: Mary Surratt's fate rests entirely with the Commission. My concern is preserving our Union.,Featured in The Conspirator: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Lincoln (2011),All Hail to Our Triumph
Words and Music by Harry Buckline
Arranged and Performed by Curtis Roush,With the release of The Conspirator director Robert Redford hopes to be making more films like this which he says are historically accurate. At least by Redford's interpretation of historical events and the one he picked is still being picked over by many historians of the Civil War and Reconstruction period.
This film focuses on the trial and aftermath of the Lincoln assassination and most particularly on Mary Surratt at whose boardinghouse in Washington, DC, John Wilkes Booth and his curious band of conspirators met and plotted. One of those was Mary's son John who was the only one to escape apprehension.
The villain in the film is Secretary Of War Edwin M. Stanton played by Kevin Kline. It was not hard for him to do what he did, he certainly had public approval. The assassinated president Abe Lincoln had suspended the right of habeas corpus during the war, so this trial by military tribunal was not an unforeseeable step that Stanton would take. It is important to remember that at the time we actually were at war with Confederate Armies still in the field. Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox five days before the assassination, but Joe Johnston was in the field and when it is announced that the last Confederate Armies have surrendered the day of the hanging, they are referring to Richard Taylor's troops in Texas.
James McAvoy is a young army veteran and lawyer who becomes Mary Surratt's lawyer. In the end he believes in her innocence, but the forces of vengeance are too much for him to overcome. And while Surratt might not have been as innocent as the film makes out, no case beyond reasonable doubt was proved at least by the rules of any civil trial that should have taken place.
The film really belongs to Robin Wright as the implacable and fatalistic Mary Surratt. She definitely merits some Oscar consideration next year. Up there on the screen she becomes everyone's mother and one wonders about Johnnie Simmons as John Surratt seen in flashback as to why he isn't coming to the plate on this.
Perhaps because even Stanton was afraid of public opinion if two Surratt women were in custody on trial for their lives daughter Anna Surratt played by Evan Rachel Wood was never charged. She must have had some knowledge of what was going on. One aspect of the story I think Redford missed and I'm surprised as he's an actor and matinée idol back in the day himself. John Wilkes Booth though his southern sympathies were well known though his plotting a secret, was the great matinée idol of his day. And he certainly attracted his fair share of what would be called groupies back in the day. I think he probably favored Anna Surratt and certainly John Surratt was glad to be included in his entourage. Put in those terms the relationship becomes clearer.
Still Redford has crafted a justly well received film and it will no doubt lead to talk about the rights of the accused of the worst kind of crimes., |
The Conspirator | 6.9 | 30K | 161 | 195 | Very little is known about the real Frederick Aiken. No photographs of him exist.,When Booth is trapped and killed, he still has his distinctive mustache. He shaved his face soon after he killed Abraham Lincoln, to make himself less recognizable.,Edwin Stanton: Young man... always indebted to you for your courage in the field, but you must learn to tread lightly.
Frederick Aiken: Tread lightly? I will not tread lightly. You have predetermined her fate.
Edwin Stanton: Mary Surratt's fate rests entirely with the Commission. My concern is preserving our Union.,Featured in The Conspirator: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Lincoln (2011),All Hail to Our Triumph
Words and Music by Harry Buckline
Arranged and Performed by Curtis Roush,With the release of The Conspirator director Robert Redford hopes to be making more films like this which he says are historically accurate. At least by Redford's interpretation of historical events and the one he picked is still being picked over by many historians of the Civil War and Reconstruction period.
This film focuses on the trial and aftermath of the Lincoln assassination and most particularly on Mary Surratt at whose boardinghouse in Washington, DC, John Wilkes Booth and his curious band of conspirators met and plotted. One of those was Mary's son John who was the only one to escape apprehension.
The villain in the film is Secretary Of War Edwin M. Stanton played by Kevin Kline. It was not hard for him to do what he did, he certainly had public approval. The assassinated president Abe Lincoln had suspended the right of habeas corpus during the war, so this trial by military tribunal was not an unforeseeable step that Stanton would take. It is important to remember that at the time we actually were at war with Confederate Armies still in the field. Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox five days before the assassination, but Joe Johnston was in the field and when it is announced that the last Confederate Armies have surrendered the day of the hanging, they are referring to Richard Taylor's troops in Texas.
James McAvoy is a young army veteran and lawyer who becomes Mary Surratt's lawyer. In the end he believes in her innocence, but the forces of vengeance are too much for him to overcome. And while Surratt might not have been as innocent as the film makes out, no case beyond reasonable doubt was proved at least by the rules of any civil trial that should have taken place.
The film really belongs to Robin Wright as the implacable and fatalistic Mary Surratt. She definitely merits some Oscar consideration next year. Up there on the screen she becomes everyone's mother and one wonders about Johnnie Simmons as John Surratt seen in flashback as to why he isn't coming to the plate on this.
Perhaps because even Stanton was afraid of public opinion if two Surratt women were in custody on trial for their lives daughter Anna Surratt played by Evan Rachel Wood was never charged. She must have had some knowledge of what was going on. One aspect of the story I think Redford missed and I'm surprised as he's an actor and matinée idol back in the day himself. John Wilkes Booth though his southern sympathies were well known though his plotting a secret, was the great matinée idol of his day. And he certainly attracted his fair share of what would be called groupies back in the day. I think he probably favored Anna Surratt and certainly John Surratt was glad to be included in his entourage. Put in those terms the relationship becomes clearer.
Still Redford has crafted a justly well received film and it will no doubt lead to talk about the rights of the accused of the worst kind of crimes., |
Conspirators | 7.3 | 3.6K | 35 | 30 | Professional Expertise: count Leopold Sacher-Masoch marquis Donotien Aldonse François de Sade Sigmund Freud Luis Buñuel Max Ernst Bohuslav Brouk,Edited into Motherland (2018),I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and got much from it that other movies don't give. In particular, it's one of the few movies I've ever seen that I recognized as pertaining to some part of my own life. But, as the cliché runs, an hour later I was hungry again. The reason, I think, is that Svankmajer doesn't really make long films, but short films gone long. This one sustains its length through the fertility (so to speak) of invention with which it elaborates the basic idea--a half dozen fetishists obsessively engaged in creating elaborate, rather Rube Goldbergish devices to realize their *very* fey erotic fantasies--but the idea is miniature, not full-scale, and the film can only detail it rather than develop it. That doesn't mean that what appears on the screen isn't always interesting: it's visually original, often quite funny (the profusion of ordinary objects that the filmmaker is able to make look like genitalia is sometimes startling; some of their hidden potentials I would never have suspected), and, if not making a particular social or political point (the filmmaker seems equivocal about the morality or utility of this behavior), indicates points the viewer can make for himself. But for me there simply wasn't enough conspiracy or enough pleasure; only about enough for a short film. The idea of a conspiracy of pleasure is brilliant, I think, and had me viewing society in a new way (for a few hours at least), but here it only goes as far as the characters' connecting in various odd, often antilogical ways. I would have liked to see more of a conspiracy, either actual or metaphorical, and not just random connections. I would have liked to see more pleasure, too. The concentration, isolation, desperation, fear, and excitement of pursuing the erotic muse are all precisely conveyed, but not the ecstasy they're in aid of. Still,... (recycle to beginning of paragraph), |
The Conspirators | 6.5 | 1.5K | 39 | 12 | This film has many tangential connections to Casablanca (1942) besides its plot line of anti-Nazi intrigue. It features Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, who all appeared in "Casablanca." Behind the scenes, the film features music by Max Steiner and cinematography by Arthur Edeson, who both worked on "Casablanca." Like "Casablanca," it was produced by Warner Bros. It also features Hedy Lamarr, who was originally considered for the role of "Ilsa," which was eventually played by . Lamar had also previously appeared in , which had a plot line similar to "Casablanca." In "Casablanca" and this film, the city of Lisbon is referenced as the port of departure for the United States and other points in the non-Axis world. Moreover, Lisbon is the main setting for this film.,When an aerial map of Lisbon is shown, it does not look at all like it, and resembles an aerial view of the China territory of Macau and Taipa Island, then under Portuguese administration.,Jan Bernazsky: A pawn shop is the grave yard of dead hopes.,Referenced in Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (1996),Maringá
(1932) (uncredited)
Written by Joubert de Carvalho
Played on a concertina and guitar by two unidentified men in the fishing village, and sung by them,Others have commented on the (same) awesome cast, many from Casablanca, so I won't spend much time on that. Begins in the netherlands, where Van der Lyn (Henreid) must get from netherlands to portugal quickly to escape. When he arrives, the germans (and others) take notice of him. He meets up with Irene (Hedy Lamarr), who seems friendly enough, but in wartime, one is never sure who they can trust. Van der Lyn hooks up with a rebel group of the underground, and gets caught up in one of their adventures (recover the eagle!) on the way to his own mission. He spends the rest of the film trying to figure out who to trust... and i guess that's the reality for a spy during wartime. It's entertaining enough. Henreid made this right after Casablanca. Directed by Jean Negulesco., |
A Constant Forge | 7.3 | 498 | 6 | 4 | One of writer/director Sean Baker's favorite films.,Almost
Lyrics by John Cassavetes
Music by Bo Harwood and Anthony Harris
Sung by Jack Sheldon,I just watched A Constant Forge, and after reading Cassavetes on Cassavetes, I'd have people read the book before they see this film to get the "whole" truth about Cassavetes. The big problem with the doc is that everyone has nothing but good things to say about John. No one has anything to say thats bad about him. It paints him as an angel. For those that have read Cassavetes on Cassavetes, or knows anything about John at all, you know that he's far from the angel that this doc paints him as. I did give the film 4 stars just for the fact that there is some good behind the scenes footage that is worth seeing, but for the real truth about Cassavetes I'd look to the books that Ray Carney has wrote about him., |
The Constant Gardener | 7.4 | 147K | 638 | 229 | When Tessa walks through the slum, numerous children ask her "How are you?" and she responds "I'm fine, how are you?" That scene was unscripted. The children are actual children who live in Kibera, not extras.,When Quayle shows the fake ID to the German police officer in Berlin, it is a Dutch passport. However, when he pockets the document again, it is shown to have a blue cover. Dutch passports have a red cover.,Tessa Quayle: I thought you spies knew everything.
Tim Donohue: Only God knows everything. He works for Mossad.,END CREDITS DISCLAIMER: Nobody in this story, and no outfit or corporation, thank God, is based upon an actual person or outfit in the real world. But I can tell you this; as my journey through the pharmaceutical jungle progressed, I came to realize that, by comparison with the reality, my story was as tame as a holiday postcard. --John Le Carré,Featured in At the Movies: Episode #2.41 (2005),Dicholo
(2005)
Written and Performed by Ayub Ogada
Mixed by Ben Findlay
Published by Womad Music Ltd.
(p) 2005 Real World Records Ltd. / Virgin Records Ltd.
Ayub Ogada appears courtesy of Real World Records Ltd.,Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) is a mild-mannered British diplomat. His wife Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz) is killed in remote Kenya. She was an activist researching a corrupt pharmaceutical company. His friend Sandy Woodrow (Danny Huston) is the High Commissioner in Nairobi. He starts investigating Tessa's murder and her research. He finds her friend Dr. Arnold Bluhm was also killed.
The movie does have the jumbo structure flashing back and forth. It would work even better if Justin starts investigating sooner. It's not until midpoint when Justin goes off into the field. The flashbacks could be incorporated into the investigating. The little clues are better if Justin is looking for them. Otherwise, this is a first class movie. It has an exotic African location, great performances, and a passionate story with a social angle. This is one of those great murky John le Carré espionage tales., |
The Constant Nymph | 6.7 | 1.5K | 40 | 13 | Joan Fontaine got the lead role of Tessa by a lucky chance. One day, she was having lunch at Romanoff's in Hollywood, with her husband, actor Brian Aherne. The two had just flown in by airplane from their grape ranch in Indio, California, and Fontaine was in a leather flight suit with her hair done in pigtails. Director Edmund Goulding walked into the restaurant, and stopped by their table to say hello to his good friend Aherne. Goulding complained that he was having trouble casting a lead actress for his next movie, "The Constant Nymph." Although he had considered , she was wrong for the part. And, Goulding explained, "Jack Warner wants a star in the lead, but she has to be consumptive, flat-chested, anemic, and fourteen!" "How about me?" said Fontaine. "Who are you?" asked Goulding, not recognizing the freckled girl in pigtails sitting next to him. "Joan Fontaine," said the actress. Goulding looked startled. "You're perfect!" Fontaine was signed for the part the next day, and later called it "the happiest motion-picture assignment of my career.",Florence Creighton: You flung yourself at my husband in this house and you succeeded!
Tessa Sanger: I can't help it if I love Lewis! I did long before you came to Switzerland and it's not a happy thing. It's brought nothing but sadness into my life, and yet it's so overwhelming I wouldn't want it to be different.,Featured in Between Two Worlds: Erich Wolfgang Korngold (2005),Tomorrow
(uncredited)
Words by Margaret Kennedy
by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Sung by Joan Fontaine (dubbed by Sally Sweetland) with chamber group,Joan Fontaine has became one of my very favorite actresses, just like her sister Olivia de Havilland, after seeing her in such Classics as "Rebecca", "Suspicion", "Jane Eyre" and that masterpiece, "Letter from an Unknown Woman". That mesmerizing constantly-frightened-insecure-frail look of hers has totally bewitched me; her classic features surrounded by an ethereal aura; her distinction and class, even in waif-like roles like the one she plays here and in "Letter…".
This film, just as "Letter from an Unknown Woman" is about Love, sometimes unrequited but always "intense". Young Tessa Sanger (Joan Fontaine) is deeply in love with much elder composer Lewis Dodd (Charles Boyer), who hasn't been able to succeed as musician. Tessa's father (another musician) played by Montagu Love, says that Lewis will have to love and suffer because of it, to attain an achievement as a composer.
The wondrous music by masterful German composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold is a marvel, pure poetry, which sets the perfect mood for this melancholic Love Story; it was really a privilege for Warner Brothers Pictures to have had the fortune of counting him as one of the members of its staff; Korngold's music is an awesome contribution to the Motion Pictures.
As I said before Joan Fontaine's perfect as the young Tessa. She was something like 26 years old when this movie was filmed and she portrays convincingly and believably the love-stricken teenager. Boyer is good as the intense composer and plays sensitively his scenes with Fontaine. Kudos too for Alexis Smith, who plays Florence, Tessa's elder cousin with great skill and sentiment.
Others in the magnificent cast are Charles Coburn as Tessa's lovable uncle, Brenda Marshall as Tessa's sister, Dame May Witty as a Dowager British Aristocrat, Peter Lorre as a friend of the Sanger family, Eduardo Ciannelli as Roberto, a faithful servant of the Sanger family, Jean Muir, etc.
Again, it's a shame that this wonderful, utterly moving film is out of circulation due to legal issues, if they didn't exist it should belong to TCM's Library (just like "Letty Lynton")., |
Constantine | 7 | 366K | 1.2K | 291 | The look of Hell was based on old footage of nuclear tests, specifically the sudden shockwave immediately after the blast that disintegrated anything in its path, hence the crumbling landscape.,(at around 1h 26 mins) Angela fires her gun consecutively 30 times without reloading, but her Smith and Wesson Model 6906 holds a total of 13 rounds.,Angela Dodson: [after taking off her jacket] So, do I have to take the rest of my clothes off or can I leave them on?
[pause]
Angela Dodson: John?
John Constantine: I'm thinking...,SPOILER: After the credits, there's an epilogue to the action of the movie, with Constantine leaving his lighter on a gravestone, whereupon Chaz Kramer shows up as an angel.,Featured in HBO First Look: Constantine: Heaven, Hell and Beyond (2005),Los Recuerdos del Troquero
Written by Salome Gutierrez, Renteria
Performed by Flaco Jiménez
Published by San Antonio Music Publishers, Inc.
Courtesy of D.L.B. Records,A one of kind movie that sticks with you, it's unique and striking. The characters are so well cast and well acted, their chemistry drives this movie. The cinematography is perfectly dark and haunting and the effects/CGI still hold up. Constantine is just a cool dark movie that fits a niche religious/demonic genre., |
Constellation | null | null | null | null | null |
Consuming Passions | 5.5 | 580 | 13 | 12 | Based on the play 'Secrets' by Michael Palin and Terry Jones it was originally scripted in 1973 and they later adapted it for this film version.,Version of Black and Blue: Secrets (1973),I tell friends this is the funniest film about cannibalism I've ever seen! I've put in on wish lists, tried Netflix, everything, and I can't find it on DVD.
Fortuntely, I do have a pretty good VHS I can watch whenever I like.
It was my first exposure to Sammi Davis, who later turned up in Quentin Tarantino's "Four Rooms" in her voluptuous best.
The Monty Python influence is obvious. After all Michael Palin and Terry Jones put it together. Terry Gilliam did "Brazil" and here's Jonathan Price. He and Michael Palin starred in Brazil. Another very dark and humorous film.
Finally, there's the totally wonderful Vanessa Redgrave.
Enjoy it if you can find it., |
Contact | 7.5 | 287K | 798 | 156 | The remark made throughout the movie by different characters, that if humans were the only life in the universe, it would "be a terrible waste of space", is a famous quote by author Carl Sagan. It references a statement by the Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), considering the potential worlds of other stars; "A sad spectacle. If they be inhabited, what a scope for misery and folly. If they be not inhabited, what a waste of space.",Walkie-talkies and cell phones are not allowed near a radio telescope array. They would overpower the array, making it useless.,Alien: You're an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.,"For Carl",Edited into Zaum - Andare a parare: Lo spazio dell'orbita (2011),Who Needs Wings to Fly
Written by Dominic Frontiere and Sid Wayne,My only regret about CONTACT is that I didn't see it in a theater.
This movie works on so many levels. It is a fabulously balanced concoction of thrills, suspense, action, politics, acting & characterization, awe, and...(ahem)...INTELLIGENCE! (And not just the alien kind!)
Some have compared this movie to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY...with, perhaps, some justification. There certainly are more than just passing similarities. However, whereas 2001 relied on hardware to (almost) the exclusion of all else and placed a greater emphasis on "spectacle", CONTACT strives for more substance on the human and sociological level. It touches one's emotions in a way that most movies never attempt to, much less succeed. In this, CONTACT could just as well be compared to Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, E.T. But whereas E.T. was meant to wake up the "child" in us, CONTACT succeeds in waking us to the next level! This most definitely is THE movie for BRAINIACS!
I rate CONTACT a STRONG 8 out of 10.,Whether they are exploring the stars, escaping dystopias, or making the world a better place, these women are what science fiction is all about., |
The Contact | 6.7 | 56K | 297 | 96 | During the planning stage of this movie, an email connection was provided for writer, producer, and director Peter Hyams (in Hollywood) and Sir Arthur C. Clarke (in Colombo, Sri Lanka) so that Hyams could regularly consult with Clarke about how to adapt the novel to the movie screen. In 1983/4, such an e-mail correspondence was practically unheard of outside the academic community, and it was certainly the first for the movie world. Edited highlights of the emails were published as a book, "The Odyssey File", in 1984.,At the beginning of the film, the graphics showing Dr. Floyd's report of the events in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) indicate that the TMA-1 monolith was discovered in the Sea of Tranquility. TMA-1 stood for Tycho Magnetic Anomaly-1 because the monolith was discovered in the crater Tycho. Tycho is several hundred miles southwest of the Sea of Tranquility.,Heywood Floyd: My response is, we don't have enough fuel for an earlier departure.
HAL 9000: The answer is, "I am aware of these facts. Nevertheless you must leave within two days."
Heywood Floyd: HAL, who the hell is sending this?
HAL 9000: I'm sorry, Dr. Floyd, I don't know.,Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Buddy Hackett/John Lithgow (1984),Also Sprach Zarathustra!
By Richard Strauss,The reactions to this film sum up a problem of perception that many film buffs seem to have. To such people, Kubrick was a genius. Kubrick made 2001. 2001 is a *Kubrick* story. Therefore 2010 is by definition a presumptuous attempt to explain what Kubrick deliberately left unsaid. etc. etc.
Sorry, 2001 is an *Arthur C Clarke* story. He wrote a sequel to his own story, called it "2010" and *he* explained what Kubrick left unsaid. I'd say he had a right. Then someone buys the film rights and produces a fine movie from it.
And it *is* a fine movie. Intelligence far in excess of the usual Hollywood SciFi garbage (Independence Day or Starship Troopers anyone?).
The scenes with Keir Dullea were far more chilling than anything in the original.
Arteur theory is still alive and well, I see., |
Contagion | 6.8 | 312K | 916 | 294 | To promote this film, Warner Bros. Pictures Canada built two giant Petri dishes treated with bacteria and fungi and set them in a Toronto storefront window. Over several days, the bacteria and fungi specimens grew to spell out the name of the film and form biohazard symbols.,When the 'virus structure' is explained by Dr. Cheever, just a protein structure is shown. What is termed as a receptor in green is just a phenylalanine (amino acid), only a small unit of a protein. Viruses have several proteins and proteins are built of amino acids, so what is shown can't be a virus at all.,Dr. Ally Hextall: We've sequenced the virus, determined its origin and we've modeled the way it enters the cells of the lung and the brain. The virus contains both bat and pig sequences. The dark green is pig, and the light green is bat. And here you can see the crossover event. Bat, bat, and pig, bat. And here is a model of the virus and how it attaches to its host. The blue is virus, and the gold is human, and the red is the viral attachment protein and the green is its receptor in the human cells. These receptors are found in the cells of both the respiratory tract and the central nervous system. And the virus attaches to the cell like a key slipping into a lock. Somewhere in the world, the wrong pig met up with the wrong bat.,There are no opening credits.,Featured in Chris Stuckmann Movie Reviews: Contagion (2011),Amante Del Vino
Written and Performed by Michael J. Thomas
Courtesy of Harbor Breeze Records, by arrangement with Affix Music,Okay, there's bound to be a lot of similarities with this film to the Novel Coronavirus outbreak that's now reaching around the globe with rapid speed. Of course, "Contagion", being a Hollywood film, the virus spread much faster than the real thing as well as caused way more fatalities. As of this writing (2.21.2020) there are 77,767 cases with 2,360 deaths and 20,833 recovered around the world. And that's pretty fast for a virus that was just recognized 12.31.2019 - not even two months ago. Some of the ideas and behaviors in "Contagion" seemed far fetched, but in the end, it wasn't really that bad of a production consideration the nature of virus infections tend to be mysterious and unknown in the first place.,There's a whole lot to love about Hulu's streaming offerings this month — get excited for brand-new series premieres and some of our favorite series., |
Contempt | 7.5 | 35K | 152 | 158 | Jean-Luc Godard had been curious about making a big budget production. He later confessed that he hated making the film.,It is possible that all "mistakes" in the film that involve visible equipment are intentional, or at least intentionally uncorrected: the film, after all, is about the artificiality of making a film, and the initial credit sequence shows filmmakers shooting the film itself.,Paul Javal: After dinner we'll see a movie. It'll give me ideas.
Camille Javal: Use your own ideas instead of stealing them from everyone else.,The opening cast credits are read, without titles.,Edited into Bande-annonce de 'Le mépris' (1963),One of the great masterpieces of the 20th century, a supreme synthesis of form, content and performance. Arguably the most beautiful too, with its found locations, sets, colour, lighting, music, decor and costume. The straightforward elegance of Godard's shooting masks a story of great complexity and formal rupture, but underneath the philosophy, semiotics and allusion is a portrait of marriage and its decline. The tension between icy irony and resigned emotion results in Godard's most perversely moving film. It is also very funny, which is too little remembered., |
The Contender | 6.9 | 25K | 393 | 132 | Gary Oldman and co-producer Douglas Urbanski complained after the film was released that the film was changed from the more balanced script by DreamWorks Pictures to reflect the liberal politics of the studios head at DreamWorks (Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen). The English Oldman, who according to long-time business partner Urbanski is "the least political person I know", was simply contending this since he didn't enjoy how negatively his character was portrayed. DreamWorks vehemently denied tampering with the film.,Senator Hanson is seen jogging in what is undoubtedly meant to be Arlington National Cemetery. Jogging is not permitted in Arlington National Cemetery, and presumably a U.S. Senator would know better than to be seen disrespecting American veterans in such a way.,Laine Hanson: Principles only mean something when you stick to them when its inconvenient.,For our daughters,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Remember the Titans/The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen/Under Suspicion (2000),Ring Of Fire
Written by June Carter Cash (as June Carter) and Merle Kilgore
Performed by Jeff Bridges and Kim Carnes
Courtesy Of Ramp Records, LLC.,First off,the acting is first rate. So good that the rest of the cast almost performs at the Gary Oldman level. That's high praise,indeed.
With that out of the way,it seems like the real purpose of this movie was to take a cheap shot at Republicans in general,and conservatives in particular. The Dims are saints,and the Republicans are evil.
This message couldn't be clearer than when Joan Allen gave her little speech about "I'm for a woman's choice,I'm for the government taking the guns out every house in the country",etc,etc,etc.,and the speech she made about leaving the Republican Party because it had shifted away from the values that formed this country. That had nothing to do with movie making,and everything to do with political propaganda. Stalin couldn't have came up with a more left-wing rant.
After all,how can you take a movie seriously when it shows a vice- presidential candidate giving a speech to a committee that states she wants to see every gun in the country confiscated by the government? We are supposed to believe the voters would take a direct assault on the Bill of Rights so casually they would elect someone who said that?
It's a damn shame the director and writers of this movie decided it was more important to make a propaganda film than a movie for entertainment.
Not that the Republicans aren't guilty of sleaze. They most certainly are. They are mere amateurs compared to the Dims,though. As the writing,editing,and directing in this movie proves., |
Continental Divide | 6.2 | 5.5K | 33 | 26 | According to Dan Aykroyd, most of the production crew on Neighbors (1981) was on cocaine throughout filming, with the inevitable result that John Belushi was sucked back into an addiction he had been trying to quit. Belushi had been completely clean and sober during the making of Continental Divide (1981) which he shot just before Neighbors (1981).,When Souchak rides the Empire Builder back to Wyoming with Nell, the train takes a route the Empire Builder never takes. In the movie, the train goes through Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and then on to Victor, Wyoming, where they get off. The real Empire Builder goes north from Chicago to Milwaukee and then Minneapolis before heading northwest and crossing North Dakota, Montana and Idaho near the Canadian border. It goes nowhere near Iowa or Wyoming.,Ernie Souchak: It's so quiet up here, you could hear a mouse get a hard on.,At the end of the credits, after some mountain shots, there's a sequence of a selection of some of the black-and-white photos of Ernie and/or Nell that Souchak had on his desk.,Featured in Sneak Previews: Continental Divide, Mommie Dearest, Only When I Laugh, Body Heat, First Monday in October (1981),Theme from Continental Divide (Never Say Goodbye)
Music by Michael Small
Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager
Performed by Helen Reddy
Available on MCA Records
Record Produced by Joel Diamond,John Belushi - who would have turned 58 today - is remembered as Bluto Blutarsky ("Animal House"), Wild Bill Kelso ("1941"), Jake Blues ("The Blues Brothers"), and various "SNL" characters; all totally wacky. In "Continental Divide", he got what was probably his one serious role. Although most people pooh-poohed it, I didn't find it that bad. As a Chicago reporter developing a relationship with an eagle researcher (Blair Brown) in the Rocky Mountains, Belushi got the chance to say that he had one serious role before his untimely death. If that is the movie's only real strength, then so be it. It may be worth seeing just for that.
And if I may add one thing: people need to give "1941" another chance., |
Contraband | 6.4 | 125K | 201 | 270 | In a scene at the harbor, Kate Beckinsale is required to say goodbye to Mark Wahlberg, put their kids in the car, and drive away. Only when they came to shoot the scene did the producers learn that Kate doesn't drive.,Captain Camp would not have been at the helm while his ship was passing through the Panama Canal. Panama Canal pilots take over the ship during passage.,Chris Farraday: [to Tim] You think you're the only guy with a fucking gun?,"The Department of Homeland Security's cooperation and assistance does not reflect an endorsement of the contents of the Production",Featured in Chelsea Lately: Episode #6.9 (2012),Don't Break the Needle
Written by J. Roddy Walston (as J Roddy Walston)
Performed by J. Roddy Walston & The Business (as J Roddy Walston and The Business)
Courtesy of Vagrant Records and Fairfax Recordings,Mark Wahlberg is back to his roots in something he is good in and probably wants to be in. This is basically a smuggling movie with a bit of heist in it and it trying to go in a gritty direction when it comes to the smuggling business. So Chris Farraday(Mark Wahlberg) has a wife and kids and running a legal business until his wife's brother Andy tries to get into the smuggling business and screws it up. And gets in debt with Tim Briggs(Giovanni Ribisi) and so Chris has to get back into smuggling in order to pay off Andy's debt. So Chris Farraday is this big shot top of the top when it comes to smuggling back in the day, but he just makes obvious mistakes in this movie. For someone who gone a long way depending on his wits doesn't seem that bright in this movie sometimes. Kate Beckinsale is alright in this playing Chris's wife but nothing much, and her name is Kate in this as well. Ben Foster plays a friend of Chris Farraday and from his past movies he is pretty good at playing the sidekick/friend that is sorta complex and is unclear about his motives sometimes. And he plays that similar character well in this. The movie starts off alright and the smuggling mission is done alright but nothing new but the movie just seemed absurd and stupid when it came to Chris Farraday's family constantly getting threatened while Chris is away on the smuggling mission. Anyways there is just nothing new or innovative about this movie and there isn't really anything that will really grab your attention and interest from beginning to the end. Even the ending is super cliché, especially for a movie that does these sharp in and out camera shots to make it seem gritty. The movie just gets tiresome after about an hour and 15 minutes in. It's worth seeing if there isn't anything else that is good but nothing special either.
6.1/10, |
Contraband Spain | 5.2 | 149 | 4 | 1 | Christopher Lee provides the uncredited narration.,Ricky (Michael Denison) packs a suitcase for Elana, putting a lot of frilly underwear on top, but when she opens it there's a suit on top and no sign of the underwear.,References The Actress (1953),Maria Dolores
(uncredited)
Music by Fernando García Morcillo
Lyrics by Jacobo Morcillo
English Lyrics by Bob Godfrey,A slow-moving but engaging adventure story with Richard Greene as an FBI agent on the trail of a gang dealing in smuggling and counterfeit currency, responsible for the murder of his brother, and finding romance with a chanteuse, Anouk Aimee. The unusual backgrounds and colour photography, as well as avoidance in casting the usual suspects as villains, help mark this co-feature out from similar British crime films of the time. Not so the convention of the hero having to be an American and Richard Greene's accent fluctuates with every other line. In every other respect though Greene, who was to start his long-running stint as Robin Hood shortly after finishing this picture, makes an admirable hero, having something of the easy-going charm of Roger Moore., |
Contract | 5.6 | 26K | 147 | 34 | Bruce Beresford wrote extensively about this film in his recent memoir, "Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants To Do This". The production was apparently deeply troubled, and Beresford was well aware that the script didn't make sense. The producers closed the shoot down after fifty days, and Beresford was forced to use his own money to complete the film.,Everyone's (especially the bad guys) clothes stay clean and neat even after spending the night in the wet forest without shelter, helicopter crash, etc. Frank's suit seems to stay pressed no matter what.,Turner: Bobby Fischer would be proud of that move.
[just before being checkmated],References Gunga Din (1939),You Thought
Written by Frank Sorci and Jessica Tomich
Performed by Red Letter
Published by Sorci Music Publishing (BMI) / Three Degrees Music (BMI)
Courtesy of North Star Media,The Contract presents itself as an engaging action thriller with lots of twists. Including the always enjoyable performances of John Cusack and Morgen Freeman one should be in for a great ride. But after several moments into this film it becomes clear why the script has been lying on a dusty shelf somewhere for so long, waiting for top actors to get involved.
Even with the star involvement, the movie just fails to surpass its weak plot and tired premise. Ex-cop Ray, (Cusack) estranged father, and his son are on a hike to better their relationship when they stumble upon a fatally injured policeman and his prisoner, the hit-man Carden (Freeman). In stead of just letting Carden walk as Carden suggests, Ray, for no apparent reason, decides to turn him over to the police at the risk of his own life and that of his son. After this the chase through the woods for Carden by both the police and Carden's accomplices begins. With people running through bushes, occasional gunfire and certain bad weather.
Although Freeman and Cusack give away ample performances, the dialog seems to be that of some average TV-series. The villains and the characters of the police fare even worse. The movie just doesn't pick up any speed as it steers clear from any interesting action or build up of suspense. And especially the lack of motive for Ray to keep going with his plan to turn Carden in gets annoying after a while and this doesn't work very well in terms of sympathy for his hero-character. It is obvious that Catz wanted to write a story in which the bad guy develops sympathy for his capturer and maybe the other way around as well. But the cheesy, almost campy way this is attempted and the high number of scenes that just don't make any sense, stand in the way of its success.
Like the former reviewer pointed out, the movie is crammed with clichés and is lacking any originality. There are no mentionable plot-twists to keep the film interesting and the hackneyed screenplay is often accidentally comical.
I wouldn't even recommend getting the DVD. Just wait till it's the movie of the week and then see something else in stead., |
The Contract | 5.6 | 26K | 147 | 34 | Bruce Beresford wrote extensively about this film in his recent memoir, "Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants To Do This". The production was apparently deeply troubled, and Beresford was well aware that the script didn't make sense. The producers closed the shoot down after fifty days, and Beresford was forced to use his own money to complete the film.,Everyone's (especially the bad guys) clothes stay clean and neat even after spending the night in the wet forest without shelter, helicopter crash, etc. Frank's suit seems to stay pressed no matter what.,Turner: Bobby Fischer would be proud of that move.
[just before being checkmated],References Gunga Din (1939),You Thought
Written by Frank Sorci and Jessica Tomich
Performed by Red Letter
Published by Sorci Music Publishing (BMI) / Three Degrees Music (BMI)
Courtesy of North Star Media,The Contract presents itself as an engaging action thriller with lots of twists. Including the always enjoyable performances of John Cusack and Morgen Freeman one should be in for a great ride. But after several moments into this film it becomes clear why the script has been lying on a dusty shelf somewhere for so long, waiting for top actors to get involved.
Even with the star involvement, the movie just fails to surpass its weak plot and tired premise. Ex-cop Ray, (Cusack) estranged father, and his son are on a hike to better their relationship when they stumble upon a fatally injured policeman and his prisoner, the hit-man Carden (Freeman). In stead of just letting Carden walk as Carden suggests, Ray, for no apparent reason, decides to turn him over to the police at the risk of his own life and that of his son. After this the chase through the woods for Carden by both the police and Carden's accomplices begins. With people running through bushes, occasional gunfire and certain bad weather.
Although Freeman and Cusack give away ample performances, the dialog seems to be that of some average TV-series. The villains and the characters of the police fare even worse. The movie just doesn't pick up any speed as it steers clear from any interesting action or build up of suspense. And especially the lack of motive for Ray to keep going with his plan to turn Carden in gets annoying after a while and this doesn't work very well in terms of sympathy for his hero-character. It is obvious that Catz wanted to write a story in which the bad guy develops sympathy for his capturer and maybe the other way around as well. But the cheesy, almost campy way this is attempted and the high number of scenes that just don't make any sense, stand in the way of its success.
Like the former reviewer pointed out, the movie is crammed with clichés and is lacking any originality. There are no mentionable plot-twists to keep the film interesting and the hackneyed screenplay is often accidentally comical.
I wouldn't even recommend getting the DVD. Just wait till it's the movie of the week and then see something else in stead., |
Contracted | 5.3 | 16K | 226 | 135 | Writer/director Eric England said it was very difficult finding an actress to play the lead. Some people didn't want to do it because the pay wasn't good. Some of them thought the content was too bold and they didn't want it to be sketchy, and then some of them just had scheduling conflicts. They finally found found Najarra Townsend, who really wanted to do it even though her agent and reps told her not to. England sat her down and warned her making the movie would "suck" because of the extensive make-up effects, and joked that no one was going to have sex with her after they see the movie. But she said she didn't care because she loved the script, so they cast her.,When Sam returns to the restaurant where she works, she asks her co-worker Jerry at the bar if George (the manager) is around. He says "not right now, but I wouldn't stay here too long - he's still pretty upset about the other day." Based on the time line of events shown in the film and assuming Jerry is referring to a customer finding Sam's bloody, rotten fingernail in her salad, which actually had just happened earlier that day as it was indicated earlier this is Day 3 Of 3, Jerry's response doesn't make sense.,Followed by Contracted: Phase II (2015),Boring
Performed by Fur Coats for Sportsmen
Written by Michael Mehlan & Justin M. Misch,The movie pulls the viewer in right from the get go with a dose of necrophilia, leaving you wondering just what you actually saw. Then we find ourselves following the main character Samantha as she makes her way to a party, minus her better half. While at the party she tries to be a good girl but things go wrong as she falls to pressure and drinks her sorrows away. Before you know it she finds herself in trouble with a guy at the party, and wakes the next morning bloodied, sore, not too sure of what happened the night before. Samantha makes her way to the doctor with various symptoms, and tries to blow off her discomfort since the doctor doesn't seem concerned. Samantha's condition however wont let her ignore it. We watch in disbelief as she gets sicker in the most creepy and uncomfortable of ways, while her life falls apart around her. All of this becomes too much for Samantha to bear, as her body withers so does her mind, until she finally succumbs to violent madness pulling you along for the ride!
I have to say this movie started off really strongly. I was pulled right into the story and although parts were predictable it didn't matter too much as the tension and creepiness of the movie more than made up for it. Samantha's mental breakdown led to some unexpected fun that was a nice change of pace for the film,and helped keep the story moving. The effects are done really well too, making for some cringe worthy moments! Viewers will find it almost hard to watch parts of this film as the symptoms ravage Samantha's body. There were a lot of things that worked in this movie to make it very watch worthy!
While many things worked for this film, some did not. This film really takes a high level of "suspension of disbelief" to really be able to get into. Samantha's condition gets to a point where it makes no sense why she isn't, either voluntarily or by force of the doctor who is treating her, at the hospital for treatment and quarantine purposes. The fact that neither happen are truly a hard sell to the viewer. Samantha's mother (Caroline Williams) is also a bit of a hard sell as she seems completely oblivious to her daughters medical demise in front of her eyes choosing instead to believe drugs are the issue, which is fairly ridiculous given her symptoms. However, if you can overlook those two glaring points the rest of the story is pretty good, with some decent twists.
I mostly enjoyed this one. Contracted was tense, interesting and aside from the disbelief issue, pretty absorbing. The ending of the film was a bit of a disappointment for me. It felt like a cop out of sorts. I really wish they had done something different, but I wont pan an otherwise good film for the final 5 minutes. All in all, this is worth a view, I'd definitely recommend renting this one, but I won't be adding it to my collection any time soon.
*HeatherOmen* TheHorrorNation.net, |
The Contractor | 5.8 | 26K | 300 | 91 | The music played in the background on Rusty's ranch is Kiefer Sutherland's own music from his country band.,An honorably discharged service member cannot lose vested benefits without a lengthy administrative process. James' CO couldn't strip him of those benefits. The whole premise of the movie is fantasy.,Virgil: It's much easier to kill, but it's harder to survive.,The title is displayed rather subtly at 1'30" when James starts cleaning his piece.,Referenced in 420 Awards - 5th Annual Event (2023),Retreat
Traditional
Courtesy of Extreme Music,We've watched movies about black ops gone awry. What's different in this movie is how the subject is treated. It's commendable. It's well-executed and well-edited. Thus, it's immersive.
The viewer is glued to his seat as he watches how James extricates himself from a life-threatening situation.
While the focus is on the action, the film doesn't ignore human interest. The drama is heartfelt like the scene with James and the scientist in his lab. Or how Mike dotes on his crippled son. Or the all-too-brief scene with James and Virgil at the safehouse. Or the encounter between James and Mike in the parking lot.
The movie also shines a soft light on the situation of ex-military men when they are discharged from the service.
Chris Pine is great here. Praise has to be given to director Tarik Saleh and writer JP Davies., |
Control | null | null | null | null | null |
Control Room | 5.7 | 1.6K | 72 | 4 | The ambulance uniform crest worn by the actors are topped with blue backed crowns, the same as the crown insignia worn by Police Scotland and Metropolitan Police Seevice superintendents and chief officers, unique amongst the UK Police Services. The Scottish Ambulance Service crest and uniform epaulettes have red backed crowns the same as all other police services.,Gabe is an emergency call-handler in Glasgow with dark secrets from his childhood which unexpectedly come back to life when he takes a call at work.
Production values were OK, it was well cast and acted for the most part but it had problems script and direction wise. I watched all three episodes and gradually fell out of love with it.
I'd agree with other reviewers that the flashbacks were really overdone and disrupted the storyline. There were also just too many improbabilities in the plot all the way through, yes we can take a few coincidences and strokes of luck once in a while but storylines can't entirely rely on them.
Overall disappointing. For me the story didn't pan out well and the ending was a bit of a damp squib that you could anticipate coming., |
The Convent | 5.1 | 3.1K | 87 | 32 | Adrienne Barbeau (Adult Christine) used the same wig she wore in Swamp Thing (1982).,Christine's shotgun shells have all been fired; that is, the firing pins are all indented, meaning they have been shot.,Mo: The Prince of Evil? You work at fuckin' Dairy Queen.
Saul: Liar!
Mo: Liar, my ass! You served my cousin and me a snackerwizard last week.,Video and DVD release will be R-rated, featuring 19 less seconds of gore than the original version.,Referenced in Monster Man: Between Arachnid and a Hard Place (2012),You Don't Own Me
By John Madara and Dave White
Performed by Lesley Gore
Courtesy of Dominion Entertainment, Inc.,A group of college kids decide to explore a condemned convent building. It just so happens that a bloody massacre occurred in this very building some 40 years prior. Not surprisingly, the young scholars simply must wander its accursed halls in order to party more effectively.
Uh oh!
A gaggle of Satanists is already on the premises and up to no good! Soon, demons appear and ruin everyone's good time. The rest of the night is a fight for survival, complete with spraying blood and goo.
Enter Christine (Adrienne Barbeau), who plays a key role in the history of this eeevil place. She's also quite well-armed, sporting a machete and a cache of guns. With the single surviving coed in tow, Christine fires innumerable bullets and chops off many demon heads. She also tears around on a motorcycle.
If a splendiferous gore-tacular with a silly sense of humor sounds tasty to you, then THE CONVENT will fill your meat wagon.
On a personal note: I want Christine's prayer, during the explosive climax, chiseled on my tombstone!..., |
The Conversation | 7.8 | 118K | 459 | 178 | The blue Mercedes limousine that Cindy Williams is sitting in near the end of the film was won by Francis Ford Coppola on a bet with Paramount Pictures. Coppola had complained about the station wagon he shared with five other passengers during the filming of The Godfather (1972). Studio executives told him that if The Godfather had grossed a certain amount, they would spring for a new car. After The Godfather became the highest grossing film of all time, Coppola and went to a dealer and picked out the Mercedes, telling the salesman to bill Paramount Pictures.,When Caul is in Stett's office alone, he walks over to the desk and picks up one of Stett's wife's cookies. He smells it and puts it back in the dish and then looks through the telescope. When Stett returns, he hands Caul the money and takes the tapes. When the film cuts to a shot of Caul thinking about the arrangement, the cookie reappears. Caul puts this cookie back in the dish, too.,[repeated line from the recording]
Mark: He'd kill us if he got the chance.,Edited into The Green Fog (2017),Sophisticated Lady
(1932)
Music by Duke Ellington,Enigmatic, frustrating, confusing, intelligent and overall extremely brilliant work by writer/director Francis Ford Coppola (Oscar-nominated for his screenplay) has surveillance expert Gene Hackman recording a conversation between Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest. It immediately appears that the duo are having an affair behind Williams' very wealthy husband's (a cameo by Robert Duvall) back. However nothing is quite as cut and dry as it seems. Hackman, a devout Catholic, has a bout of conscience as he worries that Duvall might have deviant plans for his wife and her apparent lover. Apparently Hackman's work had meant the lives of some he had spied on many years earlier in New York and he is shown as a quiet man who has some loud personal demons within his soul. The suspense builds when Hackman is followed by Duvall's shady employee (Harrison Ford) and eventually the heat rises to a boil as all the very loose ends are tied together in a wickedly twisted final act. "The Conversation" was Coppola's other film from 1974 (remember Best Picture Oscar winner "The Godfather, Part II"?). With this movie, Coppola created arguably the two best films of that dominant cinematic campaign (of course Roman Polanski's "Chinatown" would have something to say about that). Hackman delivers a deceptively difficult and dark performance as a man who seems to be self-destructing slowly on the inside out. By the end "The Conversation" is a thought-provoking product that will chill you to the bone with its cold elements. 5 stars out of 5., |
Conversations with Other Women | 6.9 | 13K | 63 | 361 | The film contains 117 visual effects shots, all of which are designed to be "invisible". When the Visual Effects Supervisor, Kwesi Collisson, solicited bids from VFX houses, he received an initial estimated VFX budget of over $1 million, followed by a $400,000 "low budget" estimate. Mr. Collisson decided to execute all of the effects himself, spending four months using Adobe After Effects and Shake software to complete the necessary shots.,The last scene is supposed to be set at 4am, but the natural light is more like 8am or later.,Man: It's good to be happy. But it's so fucking hard, you know.,After the actor credits in the opening, the remainder are shown with the attribute (e.g., "Casting by") under/after the name (e.g., Bllly Hopkins). This is the opposite of the norm, where the attribute is always on top/before.,Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006),Le Plus Beau du Quartier
Music by Carla Bruni,From the moment I saw the trailer for CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN I wanted to see this film. The combination of Helena Bonham Carter and the terrific Aaron Eckhart together on the screen with dialog that is out of this world, both funny and sad, at the same time, makes this film an intelligent and smart artistic piece of work. And the split screen makes it even more interesting as you get to watch the actors pull off such marvelous performances. I want to see this film again just to see what I might have missed.
When the film begins at a wedding and continues with the momentum of the attraction a couple feel for one another, it is impossible not to think of your own wedding experiences and perhaps the magic of meeting "the right one" as time ticks away in your life. New York is the perfect location for this film and as the last frame of the film appears before the credits roll, you simply don't want to have this couple leave. CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN makes you really think about what is important in your personal life and when you finally meet that "special person", hold on to him, or her, for the rest of your life. Bravo, Hans Canosa for this brilliant film., |
Convict | 5.4 | 1.7K | 30 | 6 | Parramatta prison is the third oldest prison in Australia.,I wanted to like this low budget, gritty prison drama as I recognised that at least the producers established some realities of Sydney gaol culture - it's completely run along ethnic divisions. Prison gangs ( except for WASP's) Form according to racial profile. There is corruption, violence, and mistrust - and the laws are strictly schoolyard politics. However, that was as far as the realism extended. The premise, the writing, the Plot, the characters were so one-dimensional, so trite it made me cringe. I felt for the actors who had to spout lines so ridiculously predictable it was laughable. It made a Robert.G.Barrett novel seem like Dostoevsky. Warden in cahoots with the prison's top dog? Even the Young Ones were parodying such an overused plot device 35 years ago. The Pathos is slapped on thicker than a cheese and Vegemite sandwich. Obviously the producers thought casting a wide net at the expense of creative integrity was a smart move, but Australian audiences have come along way and are no fools ( except for the troglodytes that simply revere gangster culture). Give this one a very wide berth., |
The Convict | 6.9 | 1.4K | 28 | 10 | Although the story is fictional, it is inspired by a real incident in which a posse from a California town had a shoot-out with convicts escaped from the Carson City prison. Convict Lake is a real place in California, named after the incident.,In the beginning when the convicts make their way into the village of Lake Monte Diablo, Granny grabs a 45/70 single shot rifle from the wall and hands it to Marcia to cover the men.
When the women go outside to meet the men, Marcia points the rifle at the men & warns them.
As she raises the rifle, Marcia is now holding a Henry lever action repeating rifle.,Granny: What do you want?
Johnny Greer: Get out of that bed.
Granny: What are you up to?
Johnny Greer: Get up.
Granny: I can't. I'm a poor old woman lying in a bed of pain reading my bible, you blood thirsty weasel.,Those opening scenes of mushing through snow under arctic conditions made me appreciate the comforts of an easy chair and fireplace. It's an oddball Western from start to finish with a strong cast and a noirish atmosphere. Essentially a band of escaped convicts invade a small mountain village whose men are away leaving only the women. As you can guess a number of subplots evolve from the premise, the most important of which has Glenn Ford trying to clear himself of an unjust murder charge.
I love it when evil-eyed bad guy Jack Lambert has a stare-down with gimlet-eyed bad guy Zachary Scott. It's almost like a couple of Darth Vaders squaring off. There are a number of good scenes most of which involve Scott, especially when he's vamping the hapless Ann Dvorak. But, the best scene defies our expectations when the two youngsters run off to the woods. It's a chilling, well done sequence. The cast is almost an A-list, with Ford quite good as the resolute Jim Canfield when he stands up to the other four convicts. Ditto, the other performers who manage to make some difficult dramatic scenes convincing enough.
And catch that ending. It made me wonder just what does comprise a "duly constituted jury". It's an unusual resolution for its time, to say the least. I don't think I ever found out the "Secret" of the title, nor I believe do we ever see Convict Lake. Nonetheless, there's more than enough going on to fill a lively 83 minutes, and I agree with the others that the movie is generally an under-rated Western., |
Convict 13 | 7.1 | 3.5K | 24 | 11 | Louise Keaton's debut.,[first title card]
Title card: Golf - the game that brings out the beast in men.,Featured in Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987),Convict 13 is definetly one of Buster's better shorts. Fatty Arbuckle is rather oddly absent in this one (probably too busy dealing with the Virginia Rappe case at this point), and his presence is greatly missed. He would have added much to this film. There are some brilliant sight gags, like I said, particularely involving the crowd of coppers chasing Buster around and almost every frame of the scenes at the gallows. It was the ending that more or less let me down. I won't reveal it. I just think it was too abrupt and convenient. It was disappointingly unresourceful, compared to the rest of Keaton's work, which is put on display quite nicely in all the other scenes. One of the best moments is in the very beginning and involves a pond and a golf ball and a piece of drift wood (and a golf club used as an oar)., |
The Convicted | 9.3 | 13 | 1 | null | null |
Conviction | null | null | null | null | null |
Convicts | 5.8 | 714 | 19 | 7 | When Soll thinks he hears someone in the closet he shoots three times and we see three bullet holes. But when Jackson opens the closet door to investigate, there are four holes.,Horace Robedaux: Martha, are you afraid of dying?
Martha Johnson: No, I ain't afraid. Just not ready to go yet.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Last Boy Scout/Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country/Convicts/Hook/The Double Life of Veronique (1991),Soll (Robert Duval) is a sugar plantation owner in southern Texas, 1902. We catch up with him on the last day of his life when he is not doing so well, having become quite senile. He repeats himself, relives old events, asks the same questions multiple times (getting the same answers). As might be expected, Duval creates a believable character, but I have to admit that spending an hour and a half with Soll served mainly to convince me of how difficult it would be to deal with such a person.
I wasn't there, so I don't know what things were like in southern Texas at the turn of the century, but the atmosphere created in this movie struck me as believable. I had never understood that some of the southern plantations were sugar cane plantations, so that was interesting to see portrayed. At the time of this movie the workers in the field were leased convicts, almost exclusively black. It seems that over three decades after the Civil War the only change in plantation workers was from slaves to leased convicts, who were treated as slaves. Soll did trust one black man (played by James Earl Jones) to help run the plantation. You got the feeling from this film that a certain era was slowly nearing an end from a time when people like Soll proudly wore his Confederate uniform and convicts were treated like slaves to somewhat better times (convict leasing was abolished in Texas in 1910). Soll can be seen as a symbol for a way of life that had grown old and no longer viable.
I was impressed with how Horace, a teenage white boy in the house, was so patient with Sol. The relationship between Soll and Horace was a key element in the movie--as one man was leaving the earth a young man who was more understanding and patient was taking his place. I imagine Horace's experiences on the plantation were something for him to sort through for the rest of his life, particularly the racial issues.
The movie is based on a play and much of it gives evidence to that fact., |
Convoy | 6.3 | 18K | 120 | 85 | Director Sam Peckinpah allowed actor and long-time associate James Coburn to work on the movie as a second-unit director to get his DGA card. Rumor has it that Coburn actually directed some scenes when Peckinpah was "unwell.",The engine sound of the Duck's truck changes repeatedly - i.e. at one point it's a Detroit Diesel, then Cummins, then Cat, and at one point a Chevy smallblock.,Melissa: Why do they call you the Duck?
Rubber Duck: Because it rhymes with "luck." See, my daddy always told me to be just like a duck. Stay smooth on the surface and paddle like the devil underneath!,During the final credits, clips from the movie are played. These include a few brief shots which don't appear in the final film (such as the final clip of the couple in the antique car). The clips also *roughly* follow the film backwards (the first few clips are from the end of the film, and they progress back to the beginning).,The Kino Lorber Blu-ray Disc release of 2015 is complete/uncut.,Featured in Behind the Action: Stuntmen in the Movies (2002),Convoy
Composed by Chip Davis and Bill Fries
Amercian Gramaphone SESAC
Performed by Bill Fries (as C. W. McCall),Sam Peckinpah's 'Convoy' works as, if nothing else, a little cultural/pop cultural archeology. Based on a novelty song that was itself a product of a short-lived CB (citizen's band) radio/trucker craze that swept the States in the mid 70s, it offers up a rather vivid slice of life from the days of malaise. It was one of several such films ('Smokey and the Bandit', 'Breaker! Breaker!', 'White Line Fever') trying to cash in, but this one is notable for the presence of Peckinpah behind the camera (though how much the struggling Peckinpah was actually behind said camera is apparently open to debate).
'Convoy' is a tough film to nail down. At times it veers into the dadgummit, cornpone comedy territory of Smokey and the Bandit, and at others it evokes a more traditional Peckinpah zeitgeist. Ironically, it probably works best when it straddles that line. At those times, 'Convoy' offers up a broadly entertaining action yarn, with colorful characters occupying simple, well defined turf. I wish Peckinpah and Co. had somehow been able to marry that more cohesively to his standard themes while leaving the broad yucks out of the equation., |
The Cook | null | null | null | null | null |
Cook Up a Storm | 6.3 | 2.9K | 22 | 10 | "Cook Up a Storm" is basically a Chinese live-action of the anime Shokugeki no Soma! The beginning of this movie was amazing with beautiful dishes, artistic effects, and perfect footage. The casting and acting and dialogue was also great. The main character Sky Ko is a lot like Soma who is determined to be a chef and runs a small family restaurant while his rival, Paul Ahn is a French-trained chef. The two are rivals and end up competing and trying to out cook each other.
I would give the first half of this movie 10/10 because it was near perfect but unfortunately the end of the film seemed really rushed/unsatisfying. The second half of the movie seemed like they lost the budget (ie. food was a lot sloppier, rushed ending). However, I would still recommend this movie to Shokugeki no Soma fans -- it's essentially the exact same story with AWESOME visual effects!, |
Cookie | null | null | null | null | null |
The Cookout | 3.8 | 3.2K | 13 | 21 | Jamal's mother is Queen Latifah's mother in real-life.,Security Guard: Do you know Marquis Fontaineau?
Little Dee: Light skin with good hair, yeah I know thim.
Light Skinned Boy: You know my daddy!
Security Guard: Aw hell no!
Little Dee: Let's roll.
[drives off],Followed by The Cookout 2 (2011),Family Reunion
Performed by Noel Gourdin (as Noel)
Written by DJ Kay Gee (as Keir Gist) / Terence Abney / KeAnthony Billard
Published by Divine Mill Music (ASCAP) / Babytalk (ASCAP) / KeAnthony Billard (BMI),The Cookout (2004) is a movie that I recently watched on HBOMAX. The storyline follows a family whose son has been drafted into the NBA. Shortly after being drafted he meets a new girlfriend and they quickly move towards marriage. When they blow most of the son's money the family tries to step in and knock him to his senses at a family BBQ. What could go wrong?
This movie was directed by Lance Rivera (A Perfect Holiday) and stars Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon), Quran Pender (Brown Sugar), Jenifer Lewis (The Princess and the Frog), Tim Meadows (Mean Girls), Ja Rule (The Fast and the Furious), Farrah Fawcett (Logan's Run) and Meagan Good (Think Like a Man).
This movie has a tremendous cast that is criminally poorly utilized. The writing is disappointing - the storyline, dialogue and comedic content are all cheesy and cliche. Danny Glover had a few funny moments and Meagan Good was gorgeous, but there wasn't enough worthwhile moments to enjoy this film. The soundtrack was solid.
Overall, this was a tragically poorly put together picture. I would score this film a 3/10 and recommend skipping it., |
Cool and the Crazy | 4 | 918 | 12 | 10 | The first, and to date, only feature-length live-action, non-rotoscoped film directed by Ralph Bakshi.,Joannie: Listen, Roslyn, I've been thinking.
Roslyn: After what I just heard, you were not thinking.
Joannie: Come on, come on. This is serious. This is our lives, not some dress rehearsal. I'm tired of being some slave. I spent my whole life watching my mother cook and clean, never leave the house, never leave the valley. She died looking a hundred. She was only 45. She started out just like us - love in Hollywood High. Next thing you know, there's no money, no love, nothing. She raised all of us. So what? She broke her ass like a Mexican maid, and maybe every two weeks, she'd scrape together a few pennies for a hair set and wash, reading her Hollywood magazines for her high on Hollywood boulevard next to the studios. Big deal.,Edited into Rebel Highway: Cool and the Crazy (1994),I'm Walking
Written by David Bartholomew (as Dave Bartholomew) and Fats Domino (as Antoine Domino)
Published by EMI Unart Catalog Inc.
Performed by Blues Traveler
Courtesy of A&M Records,With Cool World being a critical and commercial bust, Ralph Bakshi found his last feature film work making a movie for Showtime based on a script he'd had laying around for more than twenty years. Well, it certainly does feel like the work of a much younger and inexperienced filmmaker than someone who had been making feature films since the early 70s, but this is Ralph Bakshi we're talking about. Getting the young talents of future stars Alicia Silverstone and Jared Leto is kind of amazing considering, and Leto in particular does everything he can. However, the film is just an endless stream of thin cliches, dull caricatures, and half-thought out tripe in the guise of wisdom, holding no real interest from beginning to end.
Michael (Leto) and Roslyn (Silverstone) are high school sweethearts who married right after school, had a baby, and are struggling to find the happiness they expected from the American dream. He doesn't get paid enough and is gone too long. She has to take care of the baby (and also works? I think), and their sex life is boring. Roslyn's friend Joannie (Jennifer Blanc) begins an affair, and it makes her happier, opening up the idea to Roslyn who decides to take a ride home from Joey (Matthew Flint) one day when she catches his eye. They're quickly having an affair (the seduction scene is so on the nose and unsexy it could only come from Bakshi), and Michael figures it out. There are fights and screaming. Roslyn and Joannie are completely disgusted that Michael would even consider the idea that they were having affairs. Roslyn and Michael end up splitting after Roslyn won't stop hanging out with Joannie.
Michael hooks up with a coworker, Lorraine (Christine Harnos), who is a beatnik and can't believe, like, all of Michaels bougie hangups, man. She tells him off by saying something about how he wants something that can't exist: a happy marriage, essentially. The Roslyn Joey affair grows with Joey hating his own wife, being a general thug, dealing drugs sometimes, killing people other times, and lording over Roslyn while manipulating her easily. Joannie and Roslyn realize they had it good with their husbands even if life was kind of dull, there's an attempt at reconciliation, but we need an action ending so there's some ruckus in the café, a car chase, and an attempted murder to iron things out. And then...Michael and Roslyn don't actually end up together?
I just can't with this movie. It's a completely uninteresting vignette of half-remembered mores being broken forty years after they were broken and left behind, the kinds of things that Bakshi had been making fun of to one degree or another since Fritz the Cat. It's just told in a straight, melodramatic style this time instead of with animated characters and some kind of supposedly slick satirical edge (that his earlier films never really had anyway).
As I wrote earlier, Leto gives the role of Michael his all, but Michael is more caricature than character, so his valiant efforts only go so far. Silverstone is more out of her depth (she's just honestly not a great actress) in a role that honestly should have been a walk in the park. The only performance really worth paying attention to is Flint as Joey, and that's mostly because he's the one allowed to go furthest in terms of the actual crazy that the film's title implies. It's mostly empty show, though. There's nothing to really grasp onto here.
I really just see this as the final proof that Ralph Bakshi simply had no idea what he was doing when he set out to make a career in feature films. This is the last nail in the coffin of his career, and it was rightfully earned. That it's mostly just boring instead of animatingly dreadful is something, I guess, though., |
Cool Hand Luke | 8.1 | 185K | 394 | 121 | In the "road-tarring" sequence, the actors actually blacktopped a mile-long stretch of highway for the county.,The time period was more likely 1958 because Luke sang, "Plastic Jesus", a folk song which was written in 1957.,[Luke wins a poker hand on a bluff]
Dragline: Nothin'! A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head, he beat you with nothin', just like today when he kept comin' back at me, with nothin'.
Luke: Yeah, well... sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.,Featured in The 53rd Annual Academy Awards (1981),Plastic Jesus
(uncredited)
Written by Ed Rush and George Cromarty
Performed by Paul Newman,Amazing movie....watched it for the first time three or four years ago. Seen it plenty of times since......this, along with "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest", is one of my favorite films of all-time. Luke is a truly memorable character; funny, tragic, inspirational.....a lot like Randle Patrick McMurphy. Paul Newman once again proved the Academy to be full of idiots, giving a great performance deserving of an Oscar. How he only won once, when Sally Field is the owner of two statuettes, is inexplicable. His run of classic films and touchstone characters from the 60s-70s (Luke, Fast Eddie, Butch, etc) is unparalleled. George Kennedy was good, too......I mightn't be good at critiquing, but I know what I like. And I like this., |
Cool as Ice | 2.9 | 10K | 183 | 60 | An early project of cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, who went onto work numerous times with Steven Spielberg.,When Johnny first picks up Kat from her house, where she has lived all of her life, she very briefly tries to push the front gate instead of pulling it.,Johnny: Drop that zero and get with the hero!,Near the end of the end credits is the text "b kool stay n skool". Ironically, every one of those words, except for "stay", is intentionally misspelled. Once the scrolling credits end, there's an extremely quick shot of Vanilla Ice fixing his hat while on the bike (obviously being pulled on a trailer) and giving the "peace" sign.,Featured in 1992 MTV Movie Awards (1992),Cool as Ice (Everybody Get Loose)
Written by Vanilla Ice, Gail 'Sky' King and Princessa
Performed by Vanilla Ice, featuring Naomi Campbell
Courtesy of SBK Records,The film was pretty bad, but that is to be expected. That being said, they did have some plot in there that made this thing more than just one long music video. Granted, for the most part the film is told in montage form, literally at one point you had one and only a couple of minutes later there would be another! Then a smattering of dialog to make things go forward, yo yo check it!
The story, a white rapper who rides on crotch rockets is driving the country side with his posse and immediately falls in love with a girl on a horse that he tries to kill by doing a stunt that is going to scare the horse she is riding. She is angry, but you know she is going to love him by the end of the film. Then, inexplicably, one of the motorcycles goes out of commission and they end up at a house of an older couple that literally lets the whole group stay with them as they fix the motorcycle... Then, inexplicably, the girl he likes is on the news for getting good grades... This makes two guys interested as her father was a cop put in the witness protection program! Someone might have told the dad that allowing yourself to be interviewed on the news was not something he should do, but at the same time who thought a puff piece, general interest story would be shown nationwide... So our hero courts the girl, rides his bike and has to save the day; though, pretty sure he would get his butt handed to him considering he has no muscles and would later get owned by Todd Bridges in celebrity boxing...
The film is kind of annoying, as it is just Vanilla drooling over himself thinking he is some sort of bad dude. No man, you're an idiot wearing horrible clothing combinations which would be in and out super quick to make room for the grunge movement. His acting sucks, but so does everyone except Michael Gross who is acting way too seriously for this thing.
So if you want to watch a movie about a white rapper that has no drama and is totally chaotic and about 90 percent montages, your ship has come in! I only watched this because it was on sale at Rifftrax and it was funny hearing the guys make fun of this film. I for the life of me cannot figure out why they make a film featuring Vanilla Ice and seem to not have any of the hit songs, I know they probably wanted to do all new stuff for the soundtrack, but come on man, no Ice Ice Baby?, |
Cool Runnings | 7 | 111K | 137 | 42 | At the time, it was the highest grossing live action film released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.,While Derice is traveling to various businesses seeking funding for the team, the montage puts all the executives in the same office behind the same desk; only with different decorations.,[repeated lines]
Derice Bannock: Sanka you dead?
Sanka Coffie: Ya, mon.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Malice/Cool Runnings/Short Cuts/M. Butterfly/For Love or Money (1993),Love You Want
Written by Winston 'Pipe' Matthews (as Winston Matthews), Lloyd McDonald, and Richard Feldman
Performed by Wailing Souls
Courtesy of Chaos/Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing,One of John Candy's best movies. An excellent cast makes this a real feel good film telling the story of the first Jamaican bobsled team and their efforts to overcome the prejudices of a previous all white sport. You'll enjoy every minute of this flick and have a better understanding of what it takes to join the Olympic movement. For the entire family., |
Cool World | 4.8 | 24K | 122 | 57 | As a publicity stunt, Paramount Pictures put a huge cut-out of Holli Would on the D of the Hollywood sign. The studio donated $27,000 to the sign's maintenance fund, another $27,000 to the Rebuild L.A. fund (it was just after the L.A. riots), and paid for 2 park rangers to guard the sign 24 hours a day. The stunt angered local residents, who picketed and demanded that the cut-out be taken down.,When Jack and Holli are about to have sex, Jack can be heard moaning. But in an up-close shot where Holli gets on top of him, his mouth doesn't move at all.,Jack Deebs: I'm a cartoonist. I drew all this. I have visions. I translate this.
Frank Harris: You do nothing, man. This place exists with or without you. You believe me, right? I'm not one of your creations.
Jack Deebs: Right. You're not pretty enough.
Frank Harris: Good one. Have a seat.,When shown on the sci-fi channel, the following scenes have been cut:
When sparks encounters doodle children in the alley he releases little coins with fangs that attacks them, they only show him say "I hate it when she meets guys without telling me".
While being chased by the popper police, Slash (the baby-like doodle) urinates on them: they only show the popper police get hit by the train,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: A Stranger Among Us/Man Trouble/Honey, I Blew Up the Kid/Cool World/The Hours and Times (1992),Play with Me
Written, Performed and Produced by Thompson Twins
Thompson Twins perform courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.,I love this movie. It's so incredibly creative and interesting, and I love how fearless it is. Sure, it could be better, but I'm not going to complain because I know it already took so much thought and creativity as it is to get to where it got. Not surprising that most people didn't like it, it takes a very mature mind to be able to see what's actually really cool, interesting, and fun about it. No wonder it's a cult classic., |
The Cool World | 6.5 | 630 | 10 | 20 | Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.,Featured in Cinéastes de notre temps: "Rome brûle" (Portrait de Shirley Clarke) (1970),The Cool World is the first film about Harlem that was actually shot in Harlem. Hanging the camera from the ceiling provides a very personal experience for the viewer. The viewer is there as a participant, not as a spectator.
The Cool World is a very much not a Hollywood looking film with fast moving, up close, scenes. Dark yellow hued interior scenes capture the true feeling of the dwellings of the gang members. Shirley Clarke has taken us into The Cool World.
Little known trivia, is that Wally Cox's wife acted in this film. Another little known piece of trivia is that, since she lived in the Chelsea Hotel during the time that Sid Vicious also lived there, Shirley Clarke was a consultant on the film Sid and Nancy., |
The Cooler | 6.9 | 35K | 233 | 79 | According to the director's commentary, William H. Macy was given three suits to wear during the film. During scenes where his character Bernie was hapless and unlucky, he wore a suit that was two sizes too big for him. During scenes where his luck was starting to turn around, he wore a suit that was one size too big for him. After he falls in love and is extremely lucky, he wears a perfectly tailored suit. Also, as Bernie's luck improves, the lighting surrounding him gets brighter, and his shirt and tie go from dark and subdued to bright and colorful.,When Bernie plays craps, he is shown placing two stacks of chips side-by-side on the pass line. This is incorrect - a player's entire bet must be placed in one vertical stack. AFTER a point is established, a player make "take the odds" by placing a second stack of chips BEHIND the original pass line bet. A second stack of chips on the pass line next to the player's bet would be assumed by the crew to be a toke - a bet for the dealers.,Shelly Kaplow: [about the Vegas strip] What? You mean that Disneyland mookfest out there? Huh? Come on, you know what that is? Huh? That's a fucking violation is what that is. Something that used to be beautiful, used to have class, like a gorgeous high-priced hooker with an exclusive clientele. Then along comes that Steve Wynn cocksucker and knocks her up and puts her in a fucking family way. Now she's nothing but a cheap, fat whore hiding behind too much fucking make-up. I look at her and see all her fucking stretch marks, it makes me want to cry - because I remember the way she used to be.,Maria Bello's face is reflected on the side of the "Lady Luck" hotel.,The film was cut by the MPAA to achieve an R rating.,Featured in Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Alec Baldwin/Vanessa Marcil/Rancid (2003),Candy
Written by Rebecca Kyler Downs & Brian Swartz
Performed by Rebecca Kyler Downs
Courtesy of The Kyler Company by arrangement with Position Soundtrack Services,William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin and Maria Bello give unforgettable performances in 'The Cooler,' a moody tale of high stakes gambling on the Vegas Strip. Baldwin plays Shelley Kaplow, a casino operator steeped in nostalgia who hates what has become of his beloved city and prefers to do business the old-fashioned way (i.e. breaking a leg or two or even rubbing a person out if the situation calls for it). Shelley is also so intensely superstitious that he's hired a 'cooler' to rein in any gambler who starts winning a bit too much against the house. Macy is the 'cooler,' a man named Bernie who's been a loser all his life. It is Shelley's contention that all Bernie has to do is stand next to a gambler on a hot streak and that player's luck will immediately turn cold. And it works. Bernie is like a dark cloud roaming the floor of the casino, bringing despair and depression wherever he goes. The problem for Bernie is that, although he makes a living doing this, he has virtually no self-esteem left. He truly believes that he is a bad luck charm, an impression he carries over into his personal life as well. Enter Natalie Belisario, a sweet, beautiful cocktail waitress at the casino, who is assigned by Shelley to accompany Bernie on his treks around the room. What none of them expect least of all Bernie and Natalie - is that the two of them will wind up falling in love with each other and that this happy turnabout in Bernie's personal life will extend to the professional arena as well. Bernie's new role at work as a wandering leprechaun, dispensing good luck and fortune in his wake, is not, of course, a positive thing for business. Thus, Shelley feels compelled to step in and wrest control of the situation, any way he can.
The screenplay uses the gambling scene in Vegas as a metaphor for life. The film, written by Frank Hannah and Wayne Kramer and directed by Kramer, shows that achieving happiness is really all about taking chances, laying down our bets and going for the big score even when all the odds are against us. And nothing in the film underscores that theme more than the relationship between Bernie and Natalie. In fact, Bernie's final act is really one giant spin of the wheel that manages to pay off. After he's taken his chance and beaten the house (and not just at the craps table), he is Bad Luck incarnate no more. Yet, in many ways, the script is so heavily symbolic - so rife with contrived allegory and neatly lined-up parallelism that it almost ends up derailing the film in the second half. On the positive side, Bernie and Natalie make a compelling romantic couple, as she attempts to build up his confidence and make him see his own self-worth. Macy and Bello do a beautiful job capturing the essence of these two lost souls who find strength in each other's weaknesses. In addition, Baldwin paints a chilling portrait of a man who is smooth and suave on the surface, yet so ruthless underneath that he will literally stop at nothing to get what he wants. The dialogue is sharp, abrasive and insightful and the insider view of casino operations is, as always, fascinating to watch. The film also captures the evolutionary struggle Vegas itself has been undergoing over the years. Shelley is like an animal facing imminent extinction, as the Vegas he yearns for the one run by syndicate money for hardcore gamblers, truly the last outpost in a fading frontier where a fistfight or a gun battle could settle any argument makes way for the new Vegas of glitzy mega-casinos and family-oriented Disney-esque attractions.
What undercuts the film in the second half is its falling for its own fantastical premise. The idea that one person can spread good or bad luck depending on his mood is fine for a ruse, but when the screenplay itself begins to endorse that view, the film loses both grit and credibility. The final sequences, in particular, have a feeling of desperation to them, as if the filmmakers couldn't come up with a viable ending, so they turned, quite literally, to Lady Luck to get them out of their predicament. The problem, essentially, is that 'The Cooler' starts off as a realistic drama, then wanders off into rueful fantasy. It makes the film more 'clever' in the long run, I suppose - though I, for one, would have preferred a more consistently life-like approach and a more believable resolution.
This is not to in any way denigrate the brilliant performances of the three leads or to minimize the many elements of quality that make up the film. Despite its flaws, 'The Cooler' is a compelling human drama that, if nothing else, will make you think twice before you grab all those winnings off the crap table., |
Cooley High | 7.1 | 5.4K | 50 | 33 | According to Garrett Morris, the producers did not want to cast him in the role of Mr. Mason because they felt that he looked too young. Morris was a real-life schoolteacher at the time. Director Michael Schultz insisted that Morris was right for the role.,Many automobiles from the 1970s are seen in many places.,Preacher: [final lines] We were friends, a long time ago. Laughin, rappin, chasin girls, obeying no laws, except the one of caring. Basketball days and high nights, no tomorrows, unable to remember yesterday. We live for today...,The ending of the movie tells the futures of the fictional characters.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Mortal Thoughts/Impromptu/Out for Justice/Journey of Hope (1991),It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday
Performed by G.C. Cameron
Music by Freddie Perren
Lyrics by Christine Yarian,This movie seems to always be compared to "American Graffiti" and, given that both end in a similar "Where are they now?" montage, feature a high level of period pop music and are generally show teenagers running around, having fun and encountering mishaps, it's fair to say that to some extent the film was intended as a black "American Graffiti". "American Graffiti" was an iconic and hugely popular phenomenon, and given that the title has 'American' in it but it essentially a story of only the white American experience, once can see how blacks might have desired a movie that could capture their own experiences during those magic moments as youth comes to an end.
"Cooley High" is also something of an answer to its white counterpart, though: simply by showing a typical black teenager experience in 1962 it is going to have to make some kind of social commentary. In "American Graffiti" the high crimes are drag racing and minors buying booze, while we see decidedly rougher characters in "Cooley High". The only two who stand out as three-dimensional are the leads, Cochise and Preach, but they have more depth than any of the characters in "Graffiti". Unfortunately, the other characters in the movie fall flat and you'll be very lucky if, after your first viewing, you remember the names of even half of them before they flash on the screen in the final sequence.
Cochise is the smart and college-bound student whose best friend Preach, despite being no less intelligent, seems to be destined to fail. Much of the movie is devoted to their high-spirited teenage adventures, in the spirit of "Graffiti", and the movie is entertaining enough as the gang skips school to go the zoo, crashes a party, inadvertently starts a brawl in a movie theater, and so on. Things pick up, though, and the final minutes of the film how the consequences of their fun in the first hour.
This movie is interesting and I'm glad it was made as a black counterpoint to "American Graffiti". However, the characters aren't quite as memorable in "Coolie High", and the stories just aren't as clever and fun either. This isn't to say "Coolie High" fails, it's just that "American Graffiti" had some pretty brilliant stories which it would be hard for any movie to equal. One exception is the romantic scene between Preach and Brenda which, although comic in nature, utterly transcends any racial boundaries and is a wonderfully honest depiction of the inherent awkwardness of the situation, something the audience can relate to far more honestly than the typical confident and lustful love scenes we usually see in movies.
The movie is uneven and, to this reviewer, can't quite reach the highs of the movie it is providing a counterpoint to. Still, I can very much relate to "American Graffiti" but what do I know about growing up in Cabrini Green? Some viewers might love this far more than "American Graffiti". This movie seems pretty forgotten, but it shouldn't be., |
Coonskin | 6.4 | 3.6K | 32 | 32 | Despite claims made without evidence, director Ralph Bakshi did not research this film by going into into Harlem with a tape recorder and asked various people "What's it like being black in America?" This was actually his method of acquiring improvised monologues for the crows in his previous film, Fritz the Cat (1972). In actuality, Bakshi's socially conscious Afrocentric themes in this film originated from growing up with black friends and his views regarding racism in America originated from an event in his childhood in which Bakshi successfully persuaded his parents to enroll him in a black school, but the principal, upon learning that Bakshi was not black, pulled him out of the school during a class, as the school administration feared that a white student attending a black school would enrage racists who opposed state integration of schools.,[first lines]
Man in Blue: Fuck you.
Man in Yellow: Alright, I'm gonna give some example: I heard that 350 white folks committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. And out of the 350, there was two that was niggers.
Man in Blue: And one of them was pushed.,There are two different versions of Coonskin in circulation: a 99 minute version released on tape in Holland, and the far more common 83 minute version (just released on video in the UK by MIA). The latter, despite running 16 minutes shorter, actually includes more than 7 minutes of footage (including a precredits sequence) not in the longer edition.,Edited from The Birth of a Nation (1915),Ah'm A Nigger Man
Lyrics by Ralph Bakshi
Music by Scatman Crothers,I had heard much about Coonskin, mostly good, though I do know a fair few who were offended by it. Seeing this film, I can see why Coonskin won't appeal to all, due to its very gritty subject matter(racism) and the fact it is stereotypical. However, I loved this movie surprisingly and consider it one of Bakshi's better films alongside American Pop and Heavy Traffic. The visuals are wonderful, the blend of animation and live action is very clever, and some of the images are brutal but often fascinating. The music is equally great, especially the opening title sequence. The satire really does bite and hit you hard, while the story is rich and multi-layered with lots of insight(correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Bakshi has done anything as ambitious as Coonskin before). The voice acting adds a lot, in particular from Scatman Brothers and the resonant, deep voice of Barry White. All in all, Coonskin is not for all tastes, but I loved it, and appreciate it for its biting satire and its take on a very gritty and perhaps controversial subject. 9/10 Bethany Cox, |
Cooties | 5.7 | 28K | 139 | 135 | At one point, Wade ([Rainn Wilson]) insinuates that Clint (Elijah Wood) sneaks around like a Hobbit. Wood played the Hobbit Frodo Baggins in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.,In the classroom Patriot tears off one of the girl's ponytail. Later she is digging under the school fence with both pony tails visible.,Clint: You know what? You carry on with your symphony of death. I'll sneak around the school where there aren't any kids.
Wade: Oh, you'll sneak around, huh? Sneak around like a little Hobbit. No way! I'm taking the fight to them like a fuckin' Orc!,After the credits, Hitachi makes another appearance.,There is an alternate ending to Cooties (2014) which was the original one, but Lionsgate paid them to re-shoot the ending After killing Patriot, they realize they are out of gas. They venture on foot and eventually find a deserted campsite. They enjoy themselves. Clint throws his novel in the fire and tells Lucy that he is not a writer and says he is actually a teacher, living in Fort. Chicken. Clint has a strong feeling of dread and tells the others to join him. They find the leader's dead body, and the other infected children find them. Then you see infected Boy Scouts, led by Shelly, looking even worse than ever; her eyes are hollow black with more blisters. It's unknown what happened to everyone after the encounter. Carnival music begins playing as three managers from an amusement park, a theater and a family fun center, respectively, get the chicken nugget boxes out of a truck carrying them. Because this ending was never shown, it is possible that the nuggets were also infected with the virus and is responsible for the outbreak.,Featured in The Comix Scrutinizer: Tales from the Fridge (2004),I Want You To Love America
Written by Ian Brennan
Performed by Eline Hadermann,This is a week of horror comedies for me, it seems. Although I did not want it, but turns out that these horror comedies are not bad! And this one was entertaining, just like Bloodsucking bastards I saw yesterday.
I enjoyed the movie because of its unusual setting - elementary school and kids as zombies.
I must say that first two, three minutes were kinda disgusting to me as I sat down to watch the movie with a bag of chips and ... that fly pooping on the meat and then the process of making those chicken balls or whatever... Man, I will be more careful what I will eat in the future.
It is interesting how they portrayed teachers in school. I am sure most schools have those characters! I did not get which subject a gay teacher does.
In one scene, maybe in that discotheque playground, or somewhere I thought Katy Perry was lying murdered! LOL Don't know if that was intentional or not ...
Anyway, it is fun. Nothing spectacular, but entertaining! Seven from me., |
Cop | 7 | 103K | 293 | 145 | Sylvester Stallone gained the necessary weight for the role by eating a steady diet of giant pancakes served at a local pancake house.,"Municipal" Sheriffs don't exist in the State of New Jersey. All Sheriffs in New Jersey are elected at the County Government level to a three-year term and are a Constiutional position. For a small town in New Jersey Freddy Heflin would have had to be the Police Chief or similar rank. It may also be noted that no police officers in New Jersey wear tan uniforms. That uniform is far more likely seen out in the Western states.,Figgs: Being right is not a bullet-proof vest, Freddy!,A police car's flashing light sweeps across the credits as they are displayed.,A newly released Special Edition DVD restores approximately 15 minutes of scenes that were cut or extended from the theatrical version.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Conspiracy Theory/Kiss Me, Guido/The Full Monty/Career Girls/Love Serenade/Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997),Check Your Woppa
Written by Roberto Arduini (as R. Arduini), Antonio Puntillo (as A. Puntillo), Max Persona (as M. Persona) and Max Aventino (as M. Aventino)
Performed by Mod 222
Courtesy of Media Records and Thump Records,Cop Land is written and directed by James Mangold with an ensemble cast featuring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Robert Patrick, Peter Berg, and Michael Rapaport. Distributed by Miramax Films it features a musical score by Howard Shore.
Freddy Heflin (Stallone) is the sheriff of Garrison, New Jersey. A small satellite town across the river from the Big Apple where many of the big city cops reside. Freddy always wanted to be a big city cop but due to partial deafness was unable to make the grade. But when a hero white cop shoots dead two black youths it sets off a series of events that make Freddy realise that the big city cops in Garrison aren't as honest as he is. Thus Freddy must decide if he should get involved.
It was heralded as the film to break Stallone on to the A list of serious actors, and the film where a fine ensemble had gathered and worked for a basic scale wage-such was their faith in the material. Yet in spite of making a considerable profit at the box office and receiving generally favourable reviews, Cop Land seemed to vanish without trace before it could make its mark in the cop/drama genre. A lot of that can probably be put down to the sheer weight of expectation, considering the cast involved, for something out of the top draw. However, revisiting the film now, over ten years post its release, Mangold's movie shows itself to be the tight and intelligent picture it is.
From the off it's evident that there's very little good about the town of Garrison. The coppers drink and drive, cheat on their partners and the sheriff looks like an out of work, overweight slob. Mangold clearly is more about the bleak than the beautiful. As the narrative and characterisations move forward, a multitude of strands start to dangle on the screen-where it at first appears a bit too chocked-but ultimately unfolds with ease as the story progresses. Here's where Cop Land excels, it could so easily have just been another good cop/bad cop movie, one where the doofus partially afflicted guy saves the day. But Cop Land is more intimate in detail of its characters, intimacy that is boosted by a pretty flawless cast (notably Stallone & Liotta). There's healthy helpings of action and drama, but it's the dialogue driven confrontations that entertain the most; where we get the pleasure of watching acting heavyweights battle for supremacy.
With a slow burn sense of doom hanging over it from the off, Cop Land very much feels like a throwback to the adult westerns and film noirs from the 1950s. There's nothing wrong with that of course, in fact it's a compliment. But this deserves its own little niche, that of the contemporary crime thriller with urban western overtones. A damn fine film with a great thoughtful script, that is acted accordingly and directed without flab and pointless filler. 8/10,We're celebrating the iconic Sylvester Stallone with a look back at some of his most indelible film performances, from Rocky and Rambo, to Joe in the new superhero movie Samaritan., |
A Cop | 7 | 10K | 54 | 54 | When planning the train robbery they calculate a time frame of 20 minutes. When the robbery actually takes place, the sequence is exactly 20 minutes long.,A tag is visible on Coleman's black tie when he exits the private room at the club with Cathy and Simon. The tag is not there when he enters the room.,Commissaire Edouard Coleman: The only feelings mankind has ever inspired in policemen are those of indifference and derision.,Featured in Sous le nom de Melville (2008),C'est ainsi que les Choses Arrivent
Music by Michel Colombier
Lyrics by Charles Aznavour
Performed by Isabelle Aubret,Un Flic is a French gangster caper film with many intriguing qualities. Visually, it is really interesting. The color choices demand repeated viewing. I like how there are seldom light colors seen (except for Deneuve's platinum hair and the smuggled cocaine). The muted color scheme generates a lot of gritty atmosphere to help draw you into Melville's nightmarish vision.
The plot is difficult to follow. I'm not really sure about several key points. For example, police officer (chief?) Coleman (Alain Delon) learns the name of the gangster the others had killed in a hospital. From that piece of information, they quickly trap the driver/helicopter pilot at a restaurant? Also, with the physically imposing driver/pilot in police custody, how does Coleman manage to break his spirit sufficiently to nab the rest of the gang? Torture would be needed, but no information is supplied to confirm it was used.
Much has been said about the obviously fake model train and helicopter that Melville shows for the second heist scene. I'm fine with it. (Gosh only knows how much it would cost to lease a train, a helicopter and pilots for a day.) The relationship between Delon's Coleman and Richard Crenna's Simon is a major theme. Coleman is a world-weary and cynical policeman who will employ brutal methods to solve crimes. Simon is an energetic and brave gangster/bank robber. Coleman is more romantically interesting to Catherine Deneuve's Cathy. However, Simon's courage during heist #2 probably wins the audience over. At the film's end we tend to like Simon more than Coleman.
Deneuve's Cathy is one of the richest small roles in screen memory. She's not on the screen for many minutes, but when she is, Cathy is a devastatingly enthralling femme fatale.
For a gritty, Hellish view of police and crime life; with three strong performances; along with a few toy trains and a helicopter, 'Un Flic' is One Crime Flick worth seeing., |
The Cop | 6.9 | 20K | 101 | 94 | Great thriller with some really awesome background score. Don Lee really steals the scene. I would have given it a 9 if they had laid out the motive to the mode of the serial killings. Without that, it was slightly unfulfilling. But everything else was great fun., |
Cop and a Half | 5.2 | 874 | 15 | 4 | The mug shots and photos of previous recruits seen in the film are all members of the crew. Several of the crew members also appear in the film as background performers.,When Detective Simmons is in the library and goes over to the vent to investigate, the books on the top shelf go from being straight to being knocked over in between shots.,Follows Cop & ½ (1993),Not sure why this movie does not have a higher rating. It had action and a few funny parts. The lead girl was a great actor! This movie has everything a family movie should it in. No foul language or sex references, like you would normally see in g PG movie. I was not bord by this flick at all and neither was my son. I say if you have kids this is a PERFECT movie for fam movie night. Not sure why not many ppl have seen this one but hopefully in me writing this review, they will change their minds and at least give it a shot. Cheesy at times but I like cheesy so it works. I highly recommend and leave some of your logic at the door. I will definitely be watching this one again., |
Cop Hater | 6.3 | 544 | 13 | 9 | First credited role of Jerry Orbach.,At 13 min Detective Maguire reports that Police Officer Reardon got knocked off with 3 shots to the back of the head. At 2 min when Reardon was shot only 2 shots were fired.,[repeated line]
Mercer: She talked me into it!,Very interesting, well done look at the late 1950's in NY, on the streets, in the precinct house. What is so amazing is that you really can tell which actors will end up stars or at least significant players. Charisma is very real and evident here. Robert Loggia is a revelation. I've never seen him so young and yet he is very macho and attractive. The camera loves him and I'll bet that a lot of viewers do as well. A boyish Jerry Orbach is certainly an eye full as well. Recommended as a very interesting exploration of the past that is now just receding beyond easy recollection. Cannot say that the female performers are as memorable but then, one can't have everything but this dishes up quite a lot and the author certainly deserves his subsequent career., |
Cop Land | 7 | 103K | 293 | 145 | Sylvester Stallone gained the necessary weight for the role by eating a steady diet of giant pancakes served at a local pancake house.,"Municipal" Sheriffs don't exist in the State of New Jersey. All Sheriffs in New Jersey are elected at the County Government level to a three-year term and are a Constiutional position. For a small town in New Jersey Freddy Heflin would have had to be the Police Chief or similar rank. It may also be noted that no police officers in New Jersey wear tan uniforms. That uniform is far more likely seen out in the Western states.,Figgs: Being right is not a bullet-proof vest, Freddy!,A police car's flashing light sweeps across the credits as they are displayed.,A newly released Special Edition DVD restores approximately 15 minutes of scenes that were cut or extended from the theatrical version.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Conspiracy Theory/Kiss Me, Guido/The Full Monty/Career Girls/Love Serenade/Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997),Check Your Woppa
Written by Roberto Arduini (as R. Arduini), Antonio Puntillo (as A. Puntillo), Max Persona (as M. Persona) and Max Aventino (as M. Aventino)
Performed by Mod 222
Courtesy of Media Records and Thump Records,Cop Land is written and directed by James Mangold with an ensemble cast featuring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Robert Patrick, Peter Berg, and Michael Rapaport. Distributed by Miramax Films it features a musical score by Howard Shore.
Freddy Heflin (Stallone) is the sheriff of Garrison, New Jersey. A small satellite town across the river from the Big Apple where many of the big city cops reside. Freddy always wanted to be a big city cop but due to partial deafness was unable to make the grade. But when a hero white cop shoots dead two black youths it sets off a series of events that make Freddy realise that the big city cops in Garrison aren't as honest as he is. Thus Freddy must decide if he should get involved.
It was heralded as the film to break Stallone on to the A list of serious actors, and the film where a fine ensemble had gathered and worked for a basic scale wage-such was their faith in the material. Yet in spite of making a considerable profit at the box office and receiving generally favourable reviews, Cop Land seemed to vanish without trace before it could make its mark in the cop/drama genre. A lot of that can probably be put down to the sheer weight of expectation, considering the cast involved, for something out of the top draw. However, revisiting the film now, over ten years post its release, Mangold's movie shows itself to be the tight and intelligent picture it is.
From the off it's evident that there's very little good about the town of Garrison. The coppers drink and drive, cheat on their partners and the sheriff looks like an out of work, overweight slob. Mangold clearly is more about the bleak than the beautiful. As the narrative and characterisations move forward, a multitude of strands start to dangle on the screen-where it at first appears a bit too chocked-but ultimately unfolds with ease as the story progresses. Here's where Cop Land excels, it could so easily have just been another good cop/bad cop movie, one where the doofus partially afflicted guy saves the day. But Cop Land is more intimate in detail of its characters, intimacy that is boosted by a pretty flawless cast (notably Stallone & Liotta). There's healthy helpings of action and drama, but it's the dialogue driven confrontations that entertain the most; where we get the pleasure of watching acting heavyweights battle for supremacy.
With a slow burn sense of doom hanging over it from the off, Cop Land very much feels like a throwback to the adult westerns and film noirs from the 1950s. There's nothing wrong with that of course, in fact it's a compliment. But this deserves its own little niche, that of the contemporary crime thriller with urban western overtones. A damn fine film with a great thoughtful script, that is acted accordingly and directed without flab and pointless filler. 8/10,We're celebrating the iconic Sylvester Stallone with a look back at some of his most indelible film performances, from Rocky and Rambo, to Joe in the new superhero movie Samaritan., |
A Cop Movie | 7 | 2.1K | 5 | 41 | Part documentary, part acted. Wonderful idea. Discusses the corruption in the Mexican police force. Is the public responsible for the state of affairs? Are the elected politicians who encourage the corruption responsible? Will honest cops survive? Very good music and cinematography to boot. This film deserved the Silver Bear for outstanding Artistic Contribution for Editing at the Berlin Film Festival 2021. A trivia the film reveals: It is the always the original natives (a.k.a. The indigenous population) who opt for this no-win career forcing you to accept the status quo of the Mexican police force. If you don't accept the system you are cornered until you resign in disgust., |
Cop Out | 5.5 | 90K | 212 | 203 | Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis did not get along well at all on set. Reports surfaced that Willis disliked Smith's direction, felt he didn't interact enough with the cast, and disagreed with Smith's use of marijuana. Smith has counter-claimed that working with Willis was "soul crushing", stating that Willis often refused to listen to direction, was occasionally combative and was generally unpleasant on and off-set.,Towards the end of the film when Jimmy arrives at Poh Boys house during a "shoot out" he has a white bandage on his right forearm, despite not incurring any injury to his arm earlier in the film. The injury to his arm actually occurred in a deleted scene with a fight with a waitress in the restaurant where they went for translation help.,Paul Hodges: [screaming random movie lines to get a suspect to talk] Yippie-ki-yay, motherfucker!
Jimmy Monroe: I've never seen that movie before.,Featured in Trailer Failure: Cop Out, Furry Vengeance (2010),No Sleep Till Brooklyn
Written by Mike D (as Michael Diamond), Adam Horovitz, Rick Rubin and Adam Yauch
Performed by Beastie Boys
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises,Saw this film as the first part of a double feature with the far more anticipated Shutter Island following, so my attention was only half there. That's about all the attention I needed, though, as it's a typical buddy cop movie through and through. Not that I expected anything different, mind you.
The whole reason I and likely 90% of the audience were there was for Tracy Morgan. And it was a "classic" Tracy Morgan performance, by which I mean he's his usual off-kilter self, some of his scenes work well and some of them fall flat on their face in awkward silence.
A 50% success rate is more than I can say for Bruce Willis, though, who looked so disinterested I was half expecting him to break character at any moment and announce he had to leave the set because he had a plane to catch for another movie he was filming.
The supporting cast of the underrated Sean William Scott and Jason Lee were their usually amusing selves, while the Latino gang villains, led by Guillermo Díaz of The Shield and Weeds fame, are absurdly over the top and clichéd, almost to the point of offensiveness.
It's a movie you'll probably see on cable while nursing a hangover one morning, or something you watch on a plane because it's light and there aren't many better choices. Hard to recommend it past that., |
Copper Mountain | 2.2 | 2.5K | 59 | 3 | Alan Thicke later said the film was so bad not even Jim Carrey was funny in it.,The entire crew is clearly visible in a woman's large mirrored sunglasses near the end.,Michelle: Everybody feels like a loser once in a while.
Bobby Todd: That's easy for you to say, you live a fascinating life; fast pace, great people, life on the road!
Michelle: It's okay, I guess...
Bobby Todd: Sure beats Grimsby, I'll tell ya! Back there you're considered worldly if ya buy your lunch at work instead of brown-bagging it!,The Platinum Disc DVD is missing a scene where Jim Carrey's character does a sheik impression.,Featured in RiffTrax: Copper Mountain (2021),Lodi
Written by John Fogerty (uncredited)
Performed by Ronnie Hawkins,First off, this is NOT a recommendation. If you're a big and I mean BIG Jim Carrey fan (like me) then I'd say get this admixture of cut and paste movie making.
I was all hyped up to see this movie but when I actually saw it, what a letdown! But I did really like Jim's short moments as he impersonated different celebrities. Otherwise, I thought that I was witnessing a rough (and I do mean rough) new budding director's talents.
Overall, do not expect acting but rather a focus on Club Med, solo artists, and a great interpretation of Sammy Davis Jr. by Jim. But by all means, if you're a BIG Jim Carrey fan, get this first film with Jim in his first starring role., |
Copperhead | 5.6 | 1.1K | 26 | 11 | The majority of filming for the movie took place at Kings Landing, New Brunswick, a recreation of a 19th century village.,Abner Beech: The way to a woman's heart, boy, ain't by rejecting your own kin and parroting the asinine opinions of her father.,I love Ron Maxweel's films, his sheer scope of grandeur and historical accuracy, his impeccable taste and his keen eye on details. His two master works, Gettysburg (1993) and its prequel Gods And Generals (2003) made him a true genius and placed him the Pantheon for ever. Pity, that there will be no third part of Shaara's trilogy. This one is no sequel, instead, this is a separate entry. The theme is the same - Civil War, this time, small town in New York state, with all its gossips, tragedies and fun. The smoldering conflict of copperheads and unionists is shown well. There is a big problem, though, as for the first 90 minutes the movie is terribly slow and ploddy, but then all of a sudden it begins to gallop as wild beast. Seems like Ron decided to make it shorter and thus cut much of footage. Who knows? The scenery is lovely, and the play of all actors is just marvelous. All young and old actors made their jobs absolutely great. Billy Campbell is a real winner here, as loud, proud man, he shines all the film. His delivery is just awesome. Brian Downey is excellent in his cameo as a priest, while Peter Fonda did his job equally as well. They all did well and real raw, as life truly is. Pity, some errors still stay and that did not allow the film to become another Ron masterpiece, |
Cops | 6.9 | 7K | 48 | 5 | Bryce Dion, 38, of Boston, the audio supervisor for COPS was killed via "friendly fire" during filming of an episode with a shootout in Omaha, Nebraska (Omaha Police Department) August 2014.,Announcer: COPS is filmed on location with the men and women of law enforcement. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty, *in* a court of law!,Featured in Top Dog (1995),Bad Boys
Written by Inner Circle,The recent wave of reality shows on television, or in more precise terms "wave of crap", still can not compare to the only true series of the genre, Cops. Survivor started off well, but it began showng signs of utter ridiculousness until its obscene state now. Everything else is just a plain hack of it. By the way, I'm confused by the point being brought up by the naysayers of this show. What the heck were you expecting, actors with scripts?, |
Cops and Robbers | 3.9 | 534 | 14 | 4 | Steven Seagal turned this down because he doesn't like co star Michael Jai White.,Safe deposit boxes should need 2 keys.,Don't even bother watching. Tom Berenger should be massively embarrassed that he was even in this farce, Michael Jai White makes Andy Dick seem like a Thespian., |
Cops and Robbersons | 5.2 | 7.3K | 31 | 15 | During the end credits, a picture of Jake (Jack Palance) doing a one-armed push-up with one of the Robberson's kids was flashed. This was a reference to what Palance did after he accepted his Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, for "City Slickers (1991).",During the first few moments of the film, Robberson is typing at his desk wearing an ear set. Seconds later it's gone.,Lt. Jake Stone: You arrested a waiter?
Norman Robberson: Jake, he was rude.
Lt. Jake Stone: Norman, you can't arrest people for being rude. If you could, all of New York City would be on Death Row.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Red Rock West/Clifford/Threesome/Silent Tongue/The Blue Kite (1994),Mockingbird Hill
Written by Vaughn Horton
Performed by Patti Page
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing,Chevy chase and jack "i'll take any role for the money" palance. When counterfeiters move into the hood, cops jake and tony (palance, gray) move in with the robberson family (chevy chase, diane wiest) to keep an eye on the crooks next door. Unless norm goofs it all up with his stumbling and bumbling. The stuff that made chase's career. It's all very okay. Pretty silly stuff. Really drags in the middle. They kind of ran out of material. Keep an eye out for the cook in the diner..... that's telly savalas' brother. Emmet walsh plays captain corbett. Walsh was hilarious in "what's up doc?". Story by bernie somers. Directed by michael ritchie, who is quoted as saying " i have no interest in directing. I'd be a bad director." and then directed 38 films. One of those was the awesome "fletch", also starring chevy chase!, |
Copshop | 6.2 | 37K | 401 | 108 | According to Frank Grillo in a March 2021 Collider interview, when Gerard Butler briefly passed on the project, it was offered to Liam Neeson. Neeson declined due to the single-location premise, by which time Butler decided to do the movie after all.,Where is the ambulance? As the action really starts, two paramedics arrive at the police station. They don't leave again, yet in two clear panoramic scenes of the front of the police station, their ambulance is missing. The delivery van that arrives just before the ambulance is there, but no ambulance.
Parked around the back at the garage door. They expected to take a patient on a gurney, so, not out the front door.,Anthony Lamb: Yeah, well. You in the cop business. So that makes you a murderer. But I'm in the murder business, so that just makes me a laborer. You see how that works?,Featured in Projector: Copshop (2021),Freddie's Dead
Written by Curtis Mayfield
Performed by Curtis Mayfield,Copshop
This movie got off to a very good start and then about 45 minutes in the dialogue became stilted, the acting stiff, the plot repetitive, and the scenarios contrived.
To my mind Gerald Bultler sabotaged his own movie by being desperate to engrandize his role without sufficient substance and have the last word.
The female cop played by Alexis Louder did a fine job but you "can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear".
Overall this is 5 outta 10 at best, meaning watch it on TV if you are minded., |
Copycat | 6.6 | 64K | 204 | 71 | Years later, Sigourney Weaver would state that she was most proud of her work in this film. She worked hard to portray the mindset of an agoraphobic, and has regretted that the movie was lost in a shuffle of thrillers at the time and is not better remembered.,(at around 1h 30 mins) When the copycat killer does the "Dahmer" crime, he dumps the decapitated body into the river. Jeffrey Dahmer would've never done this, as he kept all the bodies in his apartment for further sexual gratification, then he dismembered them and submerged them in acid, sometimes he ate parts, also he boiled the heads and kept the skulls for a sculpture he was planning to do. He killed for companion, to have a submissive partner by his side, he killed men he felt attracted to and he would've never gotten rid of a body.,Helen Hudson: Fuck you.
Peter Foley: What?
Helen Hudson: You heard me, you little twerp. Do you think I'm afraid of you?
Peter Foley: I know you are.
Helen Hudson: I know all about you. You're just a sad, second rate, boring, impotent little copycat.,Italian video version tones down most of the violence; most notably, Darryl Lee Cullum is not shown slitting the policeman's throat in the prologue.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Get Shorty/Now and Then/Mallrats (1995),Carabu Party
Written and performed by Steven Ray
Courtesy of Windswept Pacific Entertainment, Co.,I'm 48 and often miss the careful production and story/character development of 80s/90s films, elements that are so often missing in many of today's movies, particularly crime-suspense dramas. COPYCAT (1995) is well-produced and gripping, with some interesting quirks of character. Sigourney Weaver gives a nice performance here, but Holly Hunter really defines the show as uncoppish cop M.J. Monahan. Many people will not like her performance for the very reasons that I do like it--Imagine Sarah Palin in the role of a homicide detective, and you'll see what I mean. Harry Connick, JR, is also memorable in his bad-guy role here.
COPYCAT has an interesting premise, but, as horrible as the following may sound, it would have been nice if they'd taken it a bit further, having the killer imitate a few others before the big come-uppance. A little more on Peter Foley, who/why he is, and what motivates him would also have helped. COPYCAT is quite watchable if you're a fan of this genre, but the whole storyline is kind of TV-Land same ol', predictable, and nothing terribly original despite the winning premise., |
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