lbabe29
Iscritto in data giu 2005
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Recensioni18
Valutazione di lbabe29
George Sluizer's salvaged 1993 desert thriller Dark Blood is an uneasy but captivating watch. More than anything its a tantalising final glimpse into the talent of star River Phoenix, surly one of the most promising actors the world has ever seen.
Rivers tragic and sudden death in the winter of 93 halted production and left the film missing many of its most crucial and inmate scenes. To overcome this director Sluizer can be heard reading the script amongst a mixture of stills and short clips. This method, whilst effective, is quite jarring and ultimately strange mainly due to Sluizers heavily accented, matter of fact voice which clash with the very intimate words and actions he is trying to get across.
However we do get long periods where the film plays uninterrupted, its in these moments we get a sense of what a great movie this may have been. At times a classic Hollywood thriller and others a disturbing art house flick.
Pryce and Judy Davis are pretty much note perfect as the bickering Hollywood couple. Pryce plays his character so well I would not be surprised if the role was written with him in mind.
Its no secret that Judy Davis was a very difficult actress to work with not only for the director but also the actors. River in particular was targeted with many friends reporting he would call them in tears due to her hostile treatment towards him. Such was his misery that he personally asked Sluizer to delay the most intimate scenes between them till the last days of shooting (they were never completed). It is to both actors immense credit that this difficult working relationship never comes across on screen, the scenes between them burn with desire and feeling.
Its impossible to talk about this film without really talking about River, even as you are watching the film, the tragedy that was to come is always there, playing on your mind. At only 23 River Phoenix was an Oscar nominated actor of incredible talent, grace and beauty. With the character of "Boy" he was able to display a side of him we had never seen before. He is terrifying, disturbing and dangerous but even in the throes of this madness that trademark sensitivity of Rivers shines through. He was a very special and incredibly gifted actor, and this film like all his prior performances have done before it, bear tribute to that.
Rivers tragic and sudden death in the winter of 93 halted production and left the film missing many of its most crucial and inmate scenes. To overcome this director Sluizer can be heard reading the script amongst a mixture of stills and short clips. This method, whilst effective, is quite jarring and ultimately strange mainly due to Sluizers heavily accented, matter of fact voice which clash with the very intimate words and actions he is trying to get across.
However we do get long periods where the film plays uninterrupted, its in these moments we get a sense of what a great movie this may have been. At times a classic Hollywood thriller and others a disturbing art house flick.
Pryce and Judy Davis are pretty much note perfect as the bickering Hollywood couple. Pryce plays his character so well I would not be surprised if the role was written with him in mind.
Its no secret that Judy Davis was a very difficult actress to work with not only for the director but also the actors. River in particular was targeted with many friends reporting he would call them in tears due to her hostile treatment towards him. Such was his misery that he personally asked Sluizer to delay the most intimate scenes between them till the last days of shooting (they were never completed). It is to both actors immense credit that this difficult working relationship never comes across on screen, the scenes between them burn with desire and feeling.
Its impossible to talk about this film without really talking about River, even as you are watching the film, the tragedy that was to come is always there, playing on your mind. At only 23 River Phoenix was an Oscar nominated actor of incredible talent, grace and beauty. With the character of "Boy" he was able to display a side of him we had never seen before. He is terrifying, disturbing and dangerous but even in the throes of this madness that trademark sensitivity of Rivers shines through. He was a very special and incredibly gifted actor, and this film like all his prior performances have done before it, bear tribute to that.
Chilling, haunting and relentlessly thrilling, director David Fincher has created the definitive film adaptation of Larssons best seller whilst at the same time improving on the source material. A brilliant performance from Rooney Mara only elevates the film to greater heights
The Review:
Ill cut to the chase: this is everything fans of the books could have hoped for, its miles better than the already good Swedish film, its more faithful to the novel, in some places it actually improves on the source material.
With "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" David Fincher has put his trademark darkness to fantastic use. Whether its sweeping shots of freezing, snow covered Sweden or wonderfully eerie interiors Fincher creates an unsettling atmosphere that is unrelenting and technically perfect. With Fincher i've learnt to expect a beautifully shot film and this is no exception, within this film are some of his greatest images. Regarding the disturbing nature of some scenes, Fincher is wise enough to show them in all their horror but doesn't stop to linger or exploit.
The performances are perfect all round, Its clear Fincher and the casting production went to great lengths to pick not only great actors but those who embody the very essence of their characters. Of note in the supporting characters are Yorick van Wageningen who plays the sadistic Bjurman with unsettling believability and the always great Christopher plummer who is note-perfect as the desperate, loney grandfather Henrik .- As one part of our central duo Daniel Craig puts in his finest performance, normally cast as the tough hero Craig is more subdued here, he has Blomkvist easy charm down to a T but also captures the weak, submissive aspect of his character. - Lisbeth Salander is a character unlike anything fiction has ever seen .broken,pierced, clade in leather with short black hair and a body so slight the wind could break her, she is horribly victimised but refuses to be one. To sum it up she is one of the most interesting and difficult characters an actress could ever play. I could honestly write a whole review on the brilliance of Rooney Mara's performance, she is the very essence of Lisbeth as if the character just walked off the page. Mara commands every scene with a mixture of silent burning rage and a deep rooted venerability. Her eyes are the heart of the film, her reactions are the reason myself and the others around me laughed, gasped and even cried. The character requires an actress who can internalize her emotions yet at the same time convay a wide range of feelings. Mara does this such perfect skill, every glance is charged with deep feeling as if you're looking directly into her soul. A brave performance, Mara bares all in the nude scenes and goes to frankly horribly dark places in the now informous scenes of sexual violence. Watching Rooney Mara is witnessing the birth of a star, this is the best performance of the year and if the Oscars fail to reconzie her i will lose all hope in their judgment.
The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is perfect, eerie and unsettling. It is as good as their Oscar winning score last year if not better, its more understated and does what every score should do....improves the scenes not overpower them.
This is by and large a perfect adaptation, my main issue lay with one singe sequence. There is a shot that seems to be there solely for the purpose of showing off, it serves no real purpose within the story.
The most touching scenes of the film come from the characters themselves, this is a character driven story and none are more powerful than Lisbeth and Mikeal themselves. Fincher makes their relationship the focus and it pays off, they are the heart of the books and Fincher rightfully recognises this.
Proving that sometimes "american" adaptations can actually be for the better this is a film nobody should miss...its everything the novel is, plus some. More than anything i was impressed by the humour that is added through-out, this film will make you laugh, it will break your heart and it will make you want to take a shower.
The Review:
Ill cut to the chase: this is everything fans of the books could have hoped for, its miles better than the already good Swedish film, its more faithful to the novel, in some places it actually improves on the source material.
With "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" David Fincher has put his trademark darkness to fantastic use. Whether its sweeping shots of freezing, snow covered Sweden or wonderfully eerie interiors Fincher creates an unsettling atmosphere that is unrelenting and technically perfect. With Fincher i've learnt to expect a beautifully shot film and this is no exception, within this film are some of his greatest images. Regarding the disturbing nature of some scenes, Fincher is wise enough to show them in all their horror but doesn't stop to linger or exploit.
The performances are perfect all round, Its clear Fincher and the casting production went to great lengths to pick not only great actors but those who embody the very essence of their characters. Of note in the supporting characters are Yorick van Wageningen who plays the sadistic Bjurman with unsettling believability and the always great Christopher plummer who is note-perfect as the desperate, loney grandfather Henrik .- As one part of our central duo Daniel Craig puts in his finest performance, normally cast as the tough hero Craig is more subdued here, he has Blomkvist easy charm down to a T but also captures the weak, submissive aspect of his character. - Lisbeth Salander is a character unlike anything fiction has ever seen .broken,pierced, clade in leather with short black hair and a body so slight the wind could break her, she is horribly victimised but refuses to be one. To sum it up she is one of the most interesting and difficult characters an actress could ever play. I could honestly write a whole review on the brilliance of Rooney Mara's performance, she is the very essence of Lisbeth as if the character just walked off the page. Mara commands every scene with a mixture of silent burning rage and a deep rooted venerability. Her eyes are the heart of the film, her reactions are the reason myself and the others around me laughed, gasped and even cried. The character requires an actress who can internalize her emotions yet at the same time convay a wide range of feelings. Mara does this such perfect skill, every glance is charged with deep feeling as if you're looking directly into her soul. A brave performance, Mara bares all in the nude scenes and goes to frankly horribly dark places in the now informous scenes of sexual violence. Watching Rooney Mara is witnessing the birth of a star, this is the best performance of the year and if the Oscars fail to reconzie her i will lose all hope in their judgment.
The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is perfect, eerie and unsettling. It is as good as their Oscar winning score last year if not better, its more understated and does what every score should do....improves the scenes not overpower them.
This is by and large a perfect adaptation, my main issue lay with one singe sequence. There is a shot that seems to be there solely for the purpose of showing off, it serves no real purpose within the story.
The most touching scenes of the film come from the characters themselves, this is a character driven story and none are more powerful than Lisbeth and Mikeal themselves. Fincher makes their relationship the focus and it pays off, they are the heart of the books and Fincher rightfully recognises this.
Proving that sometimes "american" adaptations can actually be for the better this is a film nobody should miss...its everything the novel is, plus some. More than anything i was impressed by the humour that is added through-out, this film will make you laugh, it will break your heart and it will make you want to take a shower.
Firstly let me say "RedState" is not the horror film its billed as, it has some great horror elements but its more like a thriller or even a satire....in fact its pretty much impossible to place, as if Smith chose a bunch of different genres and mixed them up...producing a very interesting but messy film.
Whats it about?
The plot is simple, we follow a group of horny boys (Braun,Gallner and Angarano,) on a mission to get laid by an older women (Leo). On arrival at her home they are drugged and wake up in the midst of a deadly church service where the Pastor (Parks) is hell bent on murdering them for their sins..
The good: I'll start at the best and work my way down, despite it's flaws there is a lot to praise this film on.
The acting is FANTASTIC, i mean across the board the performances feel real and raw. I'd go as far to say that this is one of the best acted films I've seen in years....drama students should watch this film just to better their skills... the performances really are THAT good. The rave reviews about MICHAEL PARKS are spot on, he plays the crazed cooper with subtle intensely, its a terrifying performance.
As the doomed teens all three actors are superb, they take one-dimensional, unlikable characters and turn them into real, empathetic beings. When these boys are terrified you really feel it, their performances are so authentic. Of the three the standout is undoubtedly KYLE GALLNER, this rising actor dominates the screen, when he is pleading for his life you believe him and more importantly you feel for him, this is solely down to Kyles performance as his character is essentially a total asshole. As a actor In both his terror and anger Gallner is perfect.
Lastly I must mention KERRY BISHE, she is phenomenal as the desperate pastors daughter adding so much depth to her thinly drawn character, her scenes of desperation prove to be some of best scenes in the film.
This a stylishly directed picture, Smith gets close up on his actors for fantastic effect. Stand- out scenes involve a camera tracking a victims face as he runs for his life and another in which the camera stays inside the cage where a victim is being held. Smith creates a claustrophobic feeling that really works for the film.
The bad:
From what i gather Smith never intended to make this film at all character driven, the people who populate this movie serve only one purpose and no background is given to any of them. With such fantastic actors its a shame you are given no reason to care or despise any of them. Yes you feel bad for the teen victims but only because they are being hurt, in essence all three of the teen characters are unlikeable and to thinly drawn out. This film would have been so much better if we had SOME development on the victims and the villains. It would have been so interesting to look at why the Pastor was so crazed, or how the church ways effected the young children....I even sensed some odd sexual tension between the pastors daughter and one of the victims Jarod, even if i'm imagining it, that simple subplot would have added so much to the film. These are PAPER-THIN characters performed by great actors, imagine what these actors could have done with more to work with.
Now we come to one of my biggest issues with the film, its too uneven. Smith (who is also wrote the film) seems not to know what he wants. It starts off as a typical and effective horror, then merges into an odd comedy, then a action shoot out and finally a satire....Its too all-over-the-place to be fully involving. Also some issues i had included: way too much exposition (Smith should know you need to SHOW your audience not TELL) and Smiths choice to show us a flash back to something that happened literally less than 3 minutes ago....
Final line: This is a brilliantly performed movie with bucket loads of atmosphere, its tense and there are some truly terrifying scenes....with a little more focus and character development this could have been a real gem, as it stands its just a very well acted missed opportunity.
Whats it about?
The plot is simple, we follow a group of horny boys (Braun,Gallner and Angarano,) on a mission to get laid by an older women (Leo). On arrival at her home they are drugged and wake up in the midst of a deadly church service where the Pastor (Parks) is hell bent on murdering them for their sins..
The good: I'll start at the best and work my way down, despite it's flaws there is a lot to praise this film on.
The acting is FANTASTIC, i mean across the board the performances feel real and raw. I'd go as far to say that this is one of the best acted films I've seen in years....drama students should watch this film just to better their skills... the performances really are THAT good. The rave reviews about MICHAEL PARKS are spot on, he plays the crazed cooper with subtle intensely, its a terrifying performance.
As the doomed teens all three actors are superb, they take one-dimensional, unlikable characters and turn them into real, empathetic beings. When these boys are terrified you really feel it, their performances are so authentic. Of the three the standout is undoubtedly KYLE GALLNER, this rising actor dominates the screen, when he is pleading for his life you believe him and more importantly you feel for him, this is solely down to Kyles performance as his character is essentially a total asshole. As a actor In both his terror and anger Gallner is perfect.
Lastly I must mention KERRY BISHE, she is phenomenal as the desperate pastors daughter adding so much depth to her thinly drawn character, her scenes of desperation prove to be some of best scenes in the film.
This a stylishly directed picture, Smith gets close up on his actors for fantastic effect. Stand- out scenes involve a camera tracking a victims face as he runs for his life and another in which the camera stays inside the cage where a victim is being held. Smith creates a claustrophobic feeling that really works for the film.
The bad:
From what i gather Smith never intended to make this film at all character driven, the people who populate this movie serve only one purpose and no background is given to any of them. With such fantastic actors its a shame you are given no reason to care or despise any of them. Yes you feel bad for the teen victims but only because they are being hurt, in essence all three of the teen characters are unlikeable and to thinly drawn out. This film would have been so much better if we had SOME development on the victims and the villains. It would have been so interesting to look at why the Pastor was so crazed, or how the church ways effected the young children....I even sensed some odd sexual tension between the pastors daughter and one of the victims Jarod, even if i'm imagining it, that simple subplot would have added so much to the film. These are PAPER-THIN characters performed by great actors, imagine what these actors could have done with more to work with.
Now we come to one of my biggest issues with the film, its too uneven. Smith (who is also wrote the film) seems not to know what he wants. It starts off as a typical and effective horror, then merges into an odd comedy, then a action shoot out and finally a satire....Its too all-over-the-place to be fully involving. Also some issues i had included: way too much exposition (Smith should know you need to SHOW your audience not TELL) and Smiths choice to show us a flash back to something that happened literally less than 3 minutes ago....
Final line: This is a brilliantly performed movie with bucket loads of atmosphere, its tense and there are some truly terrifying scenes....with a little more focus and character development this could have been a real gem, as it stands its just a very well acted missed opportunity.