CinemaLover

From all of the Vietnam war movies this is probably the most frightening and disturbing and that is really saying a lot with so many spectacular ones that have come out. It has this freakish feel to it. Everything is so chaotic in the movie it scares you. It is not like it shows a lot of different things compared to the other Vietnam war movies. What does push to such a high level is the:

The directing was spectacular here. Francis Ford Coppola shows of his talent in his last epic movie. Unlike other directors he makes you feel as if you are in the war. Most others just display and show you the horrors of war. Coppola though makes you feel confused, shocked and scared. These feelings of war are usually told to us from a movie or story. This is something that I have only experienced very few times while watching a film. The writing was of course amazing too. It brought you write into the middle of the movie. It never made me bored and this movie is three hours. The cinematography goes hand in hand with the directing which very much added to the freakish experience of watching this film showing all the chaos around you even when everything seems calm.

The acting was bone-chilling. Just look at Marlon Brando also giving his last great performance playing a deluded, out of whack colonel. When ever I think of a crazy gone made soldier I think Marlon Brando in Apocalpyse Now. With Brando n this film you don't want to look into his eyes. Like the movie he was freakish. To me this performance is as memorable as the one he gave in The Godfather. Martin Sheen gave a very deep performance and probably the best one of his career making you see everything through his eyes all the craziness he is experiencing and yet wanting him to get to his goal. It is just a wonder why these two did not get Oscar nominations. Robert Duvall was able to show part of that craziness with his ludicrous battle strategies, among those playing music to tell the enemy he is coming. Also Duvall's character asking one of the soldiers to surf in the middle of a battle was just shocking but believable. Other great supporting performances were given by a young Laurence Fishburne, Sam Bottoms and Frederic Forest who all summed up the attitudes of many of the soldiers at that time without becoming a cliché. Also for once cameos were put into good use having Dennis Hopper and Harrison Ford who I both love.

I would definitely recommend people to watch this movie. It has a message and everyone involved in the making of it is at their best. There is nothing more I could ask of this movie with its great acting, directing, writing, cinematography and great ending. Watch and you will see why it lives up to its title Apocalpyse Now.

A History of Violence to me was a very mediocre movie to me. It built up the suspense for the first hour making you wonder who is this guy and why did he change his identity. Yet the ending was horrible, it really brought the wrong type of closure and really made me feel like I wasted my time. Technically this movie was not that well made either. The acting, the cinematography, music and writing were all very mediocre and filled with clichés.

First of all the fact that William Hurt got an Oscar nomination for barely 10 minutes in this movie is absolutely ludicrous. I cannot even talk about his performance because he was hardly in the movie. Ed Harris who I respect very much as an actor gave a regular, stereotypical portrayal of a gangster which wasn't to satisfying. Viggo Mortensen played average, he was not good or bad, he was just there.

The cinematography wasn't even there and the moments it was, it was easy to see what was coming next. The music added to this as well with a very simple soundtrack that was also just there to fill the void.

Lastly the writing was not good enough to get an Oscar nomination. All it had was a simple dialog and stereotypical small town life. Very disappointing in every aspect. I would not recommend this film.

American History X is a movie of its own. It has a little bit of everything in the way it touches you. This of course making it a very though provoking film. There isn't a genre you can place this film in because it is a not a crime story, action or even a simple drama instead it is a humanistic thriller. What it is about, is the battle over ourselves.

Who better than to display these wild but common complexities within people than Edward Norton. The range he shows here is astounding in only his fifth movie. Norton plays Derek Vinyard, a skin head that realizes through cruel yet necessary events in his life that he has gone down the wrong path. When he comes out of jail he attempts to stop his brother played Edward Furlong from going down the same road he had done. Through all his efforts though some things just prove to be inevitable. Avery Brooks also gives a great performance as Derek Vinyard's former teacher and now principal of his former school. His words may not be of the most inspiring but his actions and messages sent across are subtle yet strong and to the point.

Norton's performance though wasn't just about range but exploring different dimensions of life. Whether it proved to be psychological, social or even political on a certain level. It is a transforming performance revealing something mind blowing and eye opening. That we, and this includes anyone, can take a devastating turn in life no matter how intelligent we are or thoughtful. That the person that determines the outcome of your life is yourself whether it is good or bad. Norton's realizations aren't through teachings such as the ones that got him in jail but they are through the events in the time he spent in jail. He saw the truth for himself realizing then what is false and what is real.

The screenplay written by David McKenna is about as versatile as the performance Norton gives. Not only because of the Derek Vinyard character but because of the characters involved in his life. For example the root of his evil did not come from the murder of his father but rather his father himself. Through just a conversation at breakfast did his negative thoughts get really embedded eventually then leading to them dramatically taking over his mind and way of life. Only when his father got killed did these negative thoughts seem justified. The way this screenplay and direction was able to display this message in just a plethora of other underlying tones was spectacular.

What makes this movie great though is that you can truly find yourself in the messages delivered. As much as the main character might not seem relevant or connected to many people it his emotions and functioning of his mind that all of us are able to connect with. Yet what makes a movie great is not simply the message or messages sent across but how powerfully they are delivered. American History X delivers its multiple and intertwining messages about as powerfully as I've seen from a film.

Many people like this movie and many more love it, but it seems that it is all for the wrong reasons. Scarface should be liked and loved but not in the way it has been or is.

Many people say the acting was over-the-top, but who better to do an over-the-top character than Al Pacino. To say that Pacino went over-the-top in here would be an understatement. Yet he does it so well, he just brings the inner devil out of you so well. His character Tony Montana was not such a great guy to begin with but his thirst for power just bring his sickness of greed to another level; an inhumane level. Sure at times Pacino seems to be a bit cartoonish and surreal but that does not at all to me seem to be a liability at all. The supporting cast served its job very well. Michelle Pfeiffer was not really at her best but she certainly fit the role she played. On the other hand Steven Bauer was at his best, still he is Steven Bauer. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was good and like Michelle Pfeiffer fit her role very well. Robert Loggia I have always enjoyed watching in just seeing him yell. Other than Pacino they were not really any standout or memorable performances. Everybody just seemed to fit their roles by being there. They did not fit in perfectly but were convincing enough.

Brian De Palma did a very good job directing this movie. Whenever an actor is able to become larger than life with his performance some credit should be given to the director and I will certainly give De Palma that. Brian De Palma, though not given the respect, is a very versatile director by my count. He knows how to direct movies according to their genres, but that at times has not turned out well. In here it does, this is by all counts a gangster movie but few are much better than this one because of De Palma.

The writing was great it was just pure Oliver Stone. When I saw the credits at the end of this movie and saw that Oliver Stone had written this I was not the least bit surprised. That is a testament to him though. I have always though of him as a great writer and to me he proves this once again with Scarface. Nobody knows how to write a surreal reality for a movie than Oliver Stone.

The music was good but not that great. It is certainly not my favorite from Giorgio Moroder. The music was a little bit too 80s-ish for me but it didn't annoy me. The cinematography was good, not amazing but really who cares with a movie like this.

This has probably been one of the most influential movies in the past 25 years but as mentioned before it is for the wrong reasons. People should realize that the character of Tony Montana is no hero, he is a monster. He is not inspiring in anyway. He is greedy, bloodthirsty, uneducated and self consumed. Yet he is a role model to many people because he is in some way or another a rebel but probably most of all because he is a deluded gangster. A vigilante would be like Mother Tereasa next to Scarface.

The good thing about this movie though is that it shows that the Tony Montanas' are not the real problem. If we or the people of authority would want to shut people like him down we could do it but we don't. In a freaky twisted way he is a necessity of our society. He is somebody you could blame everything on and fell better about yourself doing it. The Tony Montanas' of this world are the scapegoats of our society. This in no way excuses people like him. Instead it is more of a reminder that we shouldn't excuse or allow ourselves to do bad things just because we measure up or think we measure up compared better to a gangster or drug dealer. I love this movie because it is more than a corruption movie, it is a movie that in a strange way makes you self reflect.

Wow. How else could I describe this movie? I was wondering how this could possibly better than Batman Begins, but the truth is it was a different type of a movie. Yet it still held those morals of righteousness, faith, ethics, responsibility and so on, it was just presented in a different way.

The acting was amazing overall. Maybe not every individual performance was first rate but as a whole the cast was among the best ever. Christian Bale, who is undoubtedly the best Batman ever and probably the best superhero ever, like in Batman Begins, provides a deep and thought provoking performance. One with authenticity, validity, purity and most of all originality. His performance is subtle yet compelling, it is not by what we as a culture would like to think of as heroic but in my thinking that is exactly what it is. Unlike every other superhero he does not have superpowers. He is an intellectual who needs to rely on his and his friends' intelligence in order to do what he does. He is not an actual "superhero" he is a man. A man with the audacity to do what is always right even when no one else would do so. Bale throughout is able to display the turbulent lifestyle he lives in and how at times he "The Batman" himself has to question his own morality.

The best performance of the movie though was not Bale's its Heath Ledger's. Like Bale he brings originality to a comic book character. It seems though that in every comic book movie the villains are never quite as unusual or scary as they should be. Ledger in this movie is able to pull off what repeatedly other actors have failed to do as comic book villains, give you that bone chilling feeling. Entirely throughout he brings intensity beyond intensity. His performance is so capturing and disturbing that he makes you laugh out of sheer horror, something that you rarely feel while watching a movie. The most frightening part about the way he portrays his character is not his freakishness, it's that his performance is not the least bit cartoonish, it is in fact very real. His performance is just beyond words.

Aaron Eckhart was quite a surprise to me. We basically saw the rise and fall of his character Harvey Dent. The way he transformed from an incorruptible district attorney to a vengeful bloodthirsty maniac was simply perfect. Gary Oldman I was not surprised by though. I have always thought of him as a talented actor and unlike Batman Begins he is able to give a more serious portrayal of James Gordon and did as well as I expected and more. Maggie Gyllenhaal was a godsend compared to Katie Holmes. She seemed more fitting in the role of a lawyer and was able to pull off many scenes Holmes probably could not. Michael Caine is perfect for the role of Alfred. Alfred is more than a butler of Batman he is a friend, a father figure and righteous man. Who better than for Michael Caine with his great voice to portray such a character? Another actor with an even better voice is Morgan Freeman. He may not have had a large amount of screen time but he was certainly never a forgotten figure at any point in this movie.

The writing was very good. Christopher and Jonathan Nolan are among the best writers currently and once again show off their talent. What is so interesting in the way that the script was written was that it did not aim to make anyone the star of the show. This script brought the best or should I say the most intriguing traits out of every character and actor. Everyone in this film had their moment to shine which was very satisfying to see. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman all deservingly so are allowed to not just be in this movie but a part of it. Not once have I thought "oh I wish I could have seen more of this character and less of that one". The writing was the glue to this movie and should be given more credit.

I am now much more comfortable with saying that Christopher Nolan is currently the best director. He in the past has done great movies such as Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins and The Prestige. This movie was a perfectly crafted and is probably one of the best made movies ever. He is able to do something that most directors, including the great ones, cannot do. He can keep you well engaged into a movie and still provide some sort of a deep meaning at the same time. At no point in this movie did I ever wonder what time it was or how much longer is left. That something I could say I have never done. What other director in the past has brought out depth from a superhero? The answer is no other has. He maintains an authentic feeling that you would get from watching The Godfather and still excite you like your watching Die Hard. His direction in this movie is more than special it is a monumental achievement in film.

Now what do I mean by a sign of hope? It not only has its hopeful and inspiring message saying that we have the power. It says that society doesn't have to determine who we are. That is not even it though. Over the years now summer blockbusters have become mostly shallow and superficial. This maybe one of the biggest blockbusters ever but it has something that the others did not have: true, deep meaning. Hopefully this movie can be an example to the rest of Hollywood. Maybe just maybe Hollywood can do something that it has not done for years; incorporating thought provoking, deep philosophical themes consistently back into their summer blockbuster commercial movies.

What is the message? There is a lot of symbolism in here but it does not add up to anything. This movie is great technically it does not really fill this major void of what the message is. Is it to show how bad we are as people? I'm not to into that and pretty sure plenty of other people are like that too. This does not seem to be it either. I'm fine with negative movies just not this one. It makes you feel so horrible and use you get the feeling of what was the point of watching this movie in the first place.

The writing is good along with the cinematography which is great giving you the feeling of the chaos we call life. The music is very fitting and the directing is great with every scene showing something different. Kubick is the best in history at disguising a movie as a masterpiece, he has a long track record of it. Even the acting is pretty good at showing the insane world and characters. Malcom Macdowell is just perfect in here.

Still this is not enough for me. In order for a movie to be good it has to have some sort of a message. This movie seems to fail horribly at it. This is why we watch movies, to get something out of it. None of these great technical achievements really matter because of this. In order for the technical parts of a movie matter it needs to represent something and that does happen a lot except it does not add up to anything. This makes this movie very shallow rather that deep. What I can credit it for is that it does probably the best job of disguising itself as deep when there is really not much there. This movie feels as if Kubrick is just tying to just impress once again rather than deliver something meaningful.

Tell me a movie that is more famous than this. Tell me a movie that has had more parodies spinned off its storyline than this. Tell me one movie that has been as quoted as a much as this. The answer is you can't. No movie has had as much of an impact as The Godfather has had ever since it was released.

The acting was simply amazing, what else could you say. What could be more appealing to people(even today) than watching actors like Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire and Robert Duvall. This is like heaven for someone who is a fan of movies. With this movie Brando was able to bring himself back into the limelight. His performance as the godfather alone is iconic. His character has been recreated so much in films that it has almost if it has not already become a cliché. His performance though was not a cliché. His performance was subtle and breathtaking. It was so genuine and realistic that it was not just probably but definitely more genuine than Marlon Brando himself. Al Pacino was perfect for this film as well. What a way to start up your career. His character was all about depth and he displayed it perfectly. He was able to display his own inner-battles in his mind as well as the battles he had with his family, friends and enemies. His character was more of a psychological character study than anything else to me. Robert Duvall to me was the glue to the movie. He added a different perspective to everything in just that he was not Italian yet having the respect of the mafia. His character is a man of high authority within the Corleone family who was listened to and insightful;. This was simply perfect giving the film great balance throughout. The rest of the cast was just icing on the cake.

The writing was phenomenal and breathtaking. As mentioned before there has been no movie quoted more than this. It is not even the quotes though that makes the writing in here so perfect. It is the symbolism and meaning that went into every scene. There are countless symbols, messages and lines in here that are so memorable yet it is as realistic as a movie could get.

The directing by Coppola was perfect as well. Not many movies can be 3 hours and yet maintain a good level of interest from the audience like The Godfather. Coppola deserves credit for this. The symbolism and messages that went into every scene also has to do with the directing not just the writing. The movie is so well edited and strung together that the only word that could come to my mind is perfection.

The cinematography and music were perfect. The score of this movie is one of the most memorable ever. If you were to hear it you could identify it right away. The cinematography was what actually really drove this movie. The Godfather seems to have this mystique to it, it gives you the feeling you are watching something truly remarkable.

The horse's head, the scene of Brando running with his groceries, the coffee shop scene, "I'll give him an offer he can't refuse" and countless other scenes and quotes from this movie have become a part of our culture. These scenes and lines have been recycled over and over again in comedies, commercials, etc. that it is impossible to avoid the greatness of The Godfather. The Godfather is like a disease once you see it you fall in love with it. I don't know if it is the greatest movie ever but it is definitely the most iconic film ever made.

To me and probably to many other people The Godfather Part II is more of a continuation than sequel to The Godfather. Just look at the Criticate rating and you'll see I'm not the only one who feels this way. To me it as good as the first.

The acting may have been better than the acting in the original. Robert De Niro gave a perfect subtle performance as Vito Corleone. His portrayal was powerful and breathtaking. When I think De Niro I definitely do not think subtle and smooth but that is exactly what he was in here. It is definitely one of his top three performances in his career. The depth in his portrayal was able to justify the Vito Corleone that Marlon Brando portrayed in the first. Al Pacino gave a very strong performance playing Michael Corleone. In here we get to see more of the tough decisions that have to be made and the consequences of certain actions. Al Pacino perfectly displayed the amount of thought and struggle that goes into and comes out of every action you make; the way it affects relationships, family, power and influence. Diane Keaton was not really given a lot of room to act in the first but in here she is very good. She did not play the stereotypical wife who always stands behind her husband but rather the woman with a mind of her own who is willing to go after what she feels she deserves. Robert Duvall again to me was the glue to the movie. Just having him in there kind of makes you feel safe. John Cazale also had more of an impact in here than in the first playing the half-witted brother always needing to be bailed out. A lot of these characters sound so familiar and stereotypical but in The Godfather Part II every character is played out with such extraordinary depth. Everyone from Talia Shire who gave a fine performance to Lee Strasberg all the way down to the kid who played young Vito Corleone were perfect. Part II seems to me to be more of a character study than the original.

The directing once again is perfect. Francis Ford Coppola know or at least knew how to make a movie. The first to Godfather movie are done so precisely and perfectly that nothing really sticks out because they are so perfect throughout. Coppola just lets his actors play everything out as he should with type of cast he has here. Not to many movies can maintain such a consistent flow over 3 hours let alone even an hour and 45 minutes.

The writing may not have been quite as good as the first in terms of quoting but the storyline was perfect. Seeing the decisions made by new mob boss Michael Corleone was common sense but flashing back on Vito Corleone's life was genius. The storyline to me could not have been better and Coppola and Puzo do a great job with it all the way.

Like the first the cinematography was amazing but it had a slightly different tone to it. The first had more of a majestic, mythical look to it. In Part II you feel the modern times creeping in and the Corleones having to adjust to it. Part II has more of a corrupt and evil twist to it but I guess the end signifies that. The music obviously the same as the first was perfect and just fit so greatly with the rest of the movie.

The first to movies of The Godfather series are really like the same movie. They are not the same though, they are actually very different but the greatness of them both and the continuation of the storyline from the first to the second really create a strong band between each other. To me it is only a sequel in that it was the second movie of a great series. No let downs, no disappointments just a continuation of of the greatness from the first one.

Many people are enchanted by comics and superheroes, I'm not one of those people, at least most of the time. This is not one of those exceptions. To me this movie is just nothing really special.

The acting was good but to a certain point. There is really no depth in the acting here like most superhero/comic movies. Jack Nicholson is above average in here with his uncanny charm but not really anything were you would say wow. His performance does not really freak anybody out or give any chills to anyone. It is really more of a laughable performance than a villainous performance that will stay with you. Michael Keaton is a very good Batman, definitely better than Kimer and Clooney, but something just feels of with him in the movie. To me he is not the problem though, it is the people that surrounded him in the making of this. Kim Bassinger is Kim Bassinger she is not good actress by any stretch of the imagination, at least in here. To me this cast was more of a way to fill seats more than anything else.

The directing was above average. It is made in a very appealing way for comic book fans but not really for anybody else. The way this movie is directed is done in a very limited way. There is just no depth or purpose of any kind. It is just pure entertainment which to me is not very entertaining at all. I give credit to Burton for staying true to the comics but he still did not provide enough of a balance for me to be in awe.

The writing was the way you would expect out of this movie. It was average with an average plot. It is just pure good vs. evil which I like to see once in a while myself but not something I would go after. The one good thing I can say about the script is that it does not take itself very seriously which is the most appealing thing about this movie. Yet it fails at showing the complexities of Batman which has really disappointed in most of the Batman movies(except Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). The movie also had a comic book style cinematography, with OK music.

Overall it was an above average movie and is good enough visually to give it a good rating. It is not a horrible movie but don't expect too much if you are thinking this movie is like the recent Batman movies. To me this movie is more of a small child's fantasy than anything else which is OK for that child. Maybe we sometimes need to escape into a small child's fantasy though.

This movie is not your ordinary Hollywood flick. It has a great and deep message. This movie has a foundation and just kept on being built on from their and that foundation is hope.

Other than just the message of this movie the acting was phenomenal. Tim Robbins gave one of the greatest performances ever. He was inspiring, intelligent and most of all positive. His performance just made me smile. Robbins plays Andy Dufresne who was wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. He is gets to life sentences but yet never gives up hope. In he becomes friends with Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding played by Morgan Freeman. Freeman who gives the finest performance of his career has unlike Robbins lost hope. He is in deep regret of the crime that he committed. His way of deflecting the pain away is by trying to not feel anything at all. With his friendship with Andy he learns that without our hopes and dreams we have nothing. Andy also becomes friends with the rest of Red's group. James Whitmore also gave a great performance as Brooks Halten who gets out of prison parole but in the words of Red he has been "institutionalized".

The directing by Frank Darabont was just magnificent. He kept this movie at a great steady pace along with the writing and great cinematography. He portrayed prison life in such a horrifying way, but not in terms of the physical pain but the stress and pain that wares mentally on the inmates, some of which deserve a second chance.

Whatever you do, don't listen to the people who say this movie is overrated because this is one of the most inspiring and greatest movies ever. It has everything you could possibly want.