[REVIEWS] Films: Jessi's Favorites
Mar. 28th, 2011 12:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thewlisian_aferAges ago I told ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ninepointfivemm that I'd do a review set of movies that she wanted me to watch, so she made a list of her cinematography favorites. I started working on it in November and have finally finished. Go me!
L.A. Confidential (1997)
In 1950s Los Angeles, three wildly different cops (Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey) form an uneasy alliance to ferret out deep-seated police corruption. But some people will do anything to land their faces in the pages of trashy Hollywood tabloids such as Hush-Hush magazine. A must-see whodunit, Brian Helgeland's script adaptation won an Oscar, as did Kim Basinger for her supporting role as a Veronica Lake look-alike.
I love Kevin Spacey. That's ... really all I can think to say. If you are even a slight fan of crime drama, mysteries, noir, or any of the actors in this film, and you haven't seen it before... See it. [Rating: 3.5 stars]
The Fall (2006)
Set in the 1920s, director Tarsem Singh's visually lush drama stars Lee Pace as paralyzed movie stuntman Roy Walker, who bonds with an imaginative 5-year-old named Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) as they convalesce together in a Los Angeles infirmary. To coax the girl into procuring the cache of morphine he wants from the hospital pharmacy, the suicidal Roy regales Alexandria with an elaborate fantasy about larger-than-life heroes.
Absolutely fantastic. The little girl was just plain amazing; she and Lee Pace had some of the best on-screen chemistry I've ever seen. They were just so natural and believable. There were parts where they cracked me up and parts where they made me nearly sob. And, holy crap. What. An. Eyegasm. I can't even begin to describe how visually pleasing this movie is. [Rating: 4 stars]
Ed Wood (1994)
In one of his best-ever performances, Johnny Depp plays Ed Wood, a grinning goof with a sunny disposition who was heralded as the "worst director of all time" -- and certainly made the movies to prove it. (He also loved to direct his epically bad films while dressed in women's clothing.) Martin Landau turns in an Oscar-winning performance as aging horror icon Bela Lugosi, while Sarah Jessica Parker and Bill Murray co-star. Tim Burton directs.
This movie just ... made me happy. But Tim Burton movies tend to do that. They make me feel at home. I really can't come up with anything I disliked. The closest thing to a complaint that I have is that it felt weird to watch a Tim Burton movie that didn't use Danny Elfman's music. It wasn't bad, just different. (And I just have to make a note: Bunny Breckinridge is probably my favorite Bill Murray role ever.) [Rating: 4.5 stars]
Road to Perdition (2002)
Hit man Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), known in his 1930s Chicago world as The Angel of Death, is on the run after his wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and son are murdered. With his surviving son (Tyler Hoechlin) in tow, Michael sets out to exact brutal vengeance. Complicating matters in this crime actioner are a reporter (Jude Law), Al Capone's enforcer (Stanley Tucci) and other shady characters.
This movie stands out in this set because it's the only one that wasn't already in my queue. I really had no interest in it on my own but I'm very glad I took Jessi's recommendation. I was reminded that I don't actually dislike Tom Hanks, the whole feel and look of the movie made me feel comfortable and content, there were a couple of scenes near the end that I thought were particularly well-shot, and I found the story itself interesting and touching. [Rating: 4 stars]
Blade Runner (1982)
In a smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles, blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is called out of retirement to snuff a quartet of escaped "replicants" -- androids consigned to slave labor on remote planets -- seeking to extend their short life spans. This definitive special edition of director Ridley Scott's classic features his restored and remastered version with added scenes, plus an authoritative documentary about the making of the film.
I'm not sure why I've only just seen this movie since I went through a serious sci-fi phase when I was younger that I haven't totally grown out of. I guess I just was never much into robot sci-fi; I didn't bother with Asimov until I was well into my twenties and I'm still not a huge fan. But you'd think Harrison Ford would've been enough to get me to watch this, even if I didn't like sci-fi in general. Well, whatever, the problem has been remedied and I've seen it now. I'm actually sort of glad I waited so long. I read the book it was based on a couple of years ago and I'm not sure I would've enjoyed either one as much as I did if I'd read/watched in the opposite order. Though I might have. The music is great, the visual effects are great, the sets are great, the cinematography is great... And I was reminded that I like Harrison Ford because he's a good actor, not just because he's attractive. XD [Rating: 3.5 stars]
ninepointfivemm that I'd do a review set of movies that she wanted me to watch, so she made a list of her cinematography favorites. I started working on it in November and have finally finished. Go me!L.A. Confidential (1997)
In 1950s Los Angeles, three wildly different cops (Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey) form an uneasy alliance to ferret out deep-seated police corruption. But some people will do anything to land their faces in the pages of trashy Hollywood tabloids such as Hush-Hush magazine. A must-see whodunit, Brian Helgeland's script adaptation won an Oscar, as did Kim Basinger for her supporting role as a Veronica Lake look-alike.
I love Kevin Spacey. That's ... really all I can think to say. If you are even a slight fan of crime drama, mysteries, noir, or any of the actors in this film, and you haven't seen it before... See it. [Rating: 3.5 stars]
The Fall (2006)
Set in the 1920s, director Tarsem Singh's visually lush drama stars Lee Pace as paralyzed movie stuntman Roy Walker, who bonds with an imaginative 5-year-old named Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) as they convalesce together in a Los Angeles infirmary. To coax the girl into procuring the cache of morphine he wants from the hospital pharmacy, the suicidal Roy regales Alexandria with an elaborate fantasy about larger-than-life heroes.
Absolutely fantastic. The little girl was just plain amazing; she and Lee Pace had some of the best on-screen chemistry I've ever seen. They were just so natural and believable. There were parts where they cracked me up and parts where they made me nearly sob. And, holy crap. What. An. Eyegasm. I can't even begin to describe how visually pleasing this movie is. [Rating: 4 stars]
Ed Wood (1994)
In one of his best-ever performances, Johnny Depp plays Ed Wood, a grinning goof with a sunny disposition who was heralded as the "worst director of all time" -- and certainly made the movies to prove it. (He also loved to direct his epically bad films while dressed in women's clothing.) Martin Landau turns in an Oscar-winning performance as aging horror icon Bela Lugosi, while Sarah Jessica Parker and Bill Murray co-star. Tim Burton directs.
This movie just ... made me happy. But Tim Burton movies tend to do that. They make me feel at home. I really can't come up with anything I disliked. The closest thing to a complaint that I have is that it felt weird to watch a Tim Burton movie that didn't use Danny Elfman's music. It wasn't bad, just different. (And I just have to make a note: Bunny Breckinridge is probably my favorite Bill Murray role ever.) [Rating: 4.5 stars]
Road to Perdition (2002)
Hit man Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), known in his 1930s Chicago world as The Angel of Death, is on the run after his wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and son are murdered. With his surviving son (Tyler Hoechlin) in tow, Michael sets out to exact brutal vengeance. Complicating matters in this crime actioner are a reporter (Jude Law), Al Capone's enforcer (Stanley Tucci) and other shady characters.
This movie stands out in this set because it's the only one that wasn't already in my queue. I really had no interest in it on my own but I'm very glad I took Jessi's recommendation. I was reminded that I don't actually dislike Tom Hanks, the whole feel and look of the movie made me feel comfortable and content, there were a couple of scenes near the end that I thought were particularly well-shot, and I found the story itself interesting and touching. [Rating: 4 stars]
Blade Runner (1982)
In a smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles, blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is called out of retirement to snuff a quartet of escaped "replicants" -- androids consigned to slave labor on remote planets -- seeking to extend their short life spans. This definitive special edition of director Ridley Scott's classic features his restored and remastered version with added scenes, plus an authoritative documentary about the making of the film.
I'm not sure why I've only just seen this movie since I went through a serious sci-fi phase when I was younger that I haven't totally grown out of. I guess I just was never much into robot sci-fi; I didn't bother with Asimov until I was well into my twenties and I'm still not a huge fan. But you'd think Harrison Ford would've been enough to get me to watch this, even if I didn't like sci-fi in general. Well, whatever, the problem has been remedied and I've seen it now. I'm actually sort of glad I waited so long. I read the book it was based on a couple of years ago and I'm not sure I would've enjoyed either one as much as I did if I'd read/watched in the opposite order. Though I might have. The music is great, the visual effects are great, the sets are great, the cinematography is great... And I was reminded that I like Harrison Ford because he's a good actor, not just because he's attractive. XD [Rating: 3.5 stars]
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What about glitter? When I was a headliner in Paris, audiences always liked it when I sparkled.
Date: 2011-03-28 05:06 am (UTC)And the rain scene in Road to Perdition? Near the end? ISN'T THAT JUST FANTASTIC? (Well, I mean, don't compare it to The Fall or anything, but GUH.)
Re: What about glitter? When I was a headliner in Paris, audiences always liked it when I sparkled.
Date: 2011-03-28 05:12 am (UTC)Re: What about glitter? When I was a headliner in Paris, audiences always liked it when I sparkled.
Date: 2011-03-28 05:21 am (UTC)I'm pretty sure Road to Perdition was the last movie that Conrad Hall ever shot? It's also the only one on the list that got the Oscar for Best Cinematography!
Re: What about glitter? When I was a headliner in Paris, audiences always liked it when I sparkled.
Date: 2011-03-28 06:39 am (UTC)Re: What about glitter? When I was a headliner in Paris, audiences always liked it when I sparkled.
Date: 2011-03-28 07:38 am (UTC)OH, man, and this list also has the "I'm not a fan of Russell Crowe but I actually really appreciated him" role. I don't know your opinion on Bud White, but I actually really like his character. He's got NOTHING on Jack Vincennes, but that's just because Kevin Spacey just nailed it.
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Date: 2011-03-28 05:14 am (UTC)However, I'm very glad you liked L.A. Confidential; it is (without hyperbole) my absolute favorite film of all time. There's not a bad performance in it, and I still think Guy Pearce got robbed that year.
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Date: 2011-03-28 05:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-28 06:46 am (UTC)I've just gone and looked at the Academy Award nominees from that year. ...It was kind of an odd one, I think... O.o
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Date: 2011-03-28 07:32 am (UTC)There's a scene in Watchmen that's a DIRECT shout-out to one of the scenes in Blade Runner: The one where Rorschach is walking along the street and the prostitutes are offering themselves to him and the music is all Vangelis-y. I got so excited from that shout-out. I mean, this movie is referenced constantly in pop-culture, and it's supposed to be one of the biggies in scifi, so...
Incidentally, Blade Runner is the one movie I thought you might be iffy about.
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Date: 2011-03-28 07:27 pm (UTC)That is all.
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