_Movie Diary: January 2005
1/1/5:
1. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
A great comedy full of hilarious jokes with one of the best screen couples ever: Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. They are both incredibly charming in their roles: Hepburn as eccentric Susan Vance, and Grant as clumsy, but likeable David Huxley. The film is full of memorable quotes and it is remarkable how Howard Hawks has managed to hold all of these great jokes together to 90 minutes of first-class entertainment. A great start for 2005.
Cast: Cary Grant (9/10), Katharine Hepburn (10/10), Charles Ruggles (9/10)
Rating: 89
2. Shrek 2
A good animated film with lots of funny jokes and hilarious parodic references to other movies. However the story and several parts of the film are very unoriginal and therefore disappointing. One of the major problems here is that, even though it wants to make fun of Disney films, it has got quite a lot in common with them: the "plot", the
But all in all an interesting sequel, but by far not as good as Shrek's first adventure.
voices: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Eddie Murphy.
Rating: 75
2/1/5:
3. Bram Stoker's Dracula
A somehow unconvincing and disappointing adaptation of Bram Stoker's brilliant novel. The whole plot is developped in an uninvolving way, and the characters all seem pale. The acting is good, but not great:
Keanu Reeves: Average, but this is above all due to the irresolute direction by Coppola and the weak screenplay. Jonathan Harker was a much more important character in the novel. In the film, he becomes, after a certain time, a secondary character, and how
Winona Ryder: In the first part of the film, she does a great job, but then (once more due to the screenplay) she acts like... like... well NOT like a credible human being. 5/10
Gary Oldman: The problem with Oldman as Dracula is that I am very accustomed to see Christopher Lee as the dark Count. Apart from that he is convincing (as always). 7/10
Anthony Hopkins: His performance is the best in the whole movie, and this makes me even more angry that his part in the film is so small. Dr. Abraham Van Helsing is one of my favourite characters in literature, but what Coppola has made out of him is annoying. Peter Cushing was still much better. 8/10
Nevertheless, there are several positive points to mention:
- the showdown: this is the part of the movie where one feels most that somebody of great talent has made this;
- the technical points
- the costume design: wonderful
- often, but not always, this adaptation manages to catch the atmosphere of the book, and that's a big point in its favour!
- the first part of the movie is MUCH better than the second.
All in all, I'd say that Coppola's adaptation to the big screen rather let me down, even though the cast and the first part of the film were very interesting. Even though this movie is much closer to the novel, I still prefer Terence Young's B-movie from 1958 starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.
Rating: 70
4. Léon- Director's Cut
An exciting and moving thriller with a great screenplay and an excellent soundtrack by Eric Serra. The performances by the different actors, above all Gary Oldman, are fantastic.
Cast: Jean Reno (8/10), Natalie Portman (7/10), Danny Aiello (6/10), Gary Oldman (9/10).
Rating: 85
5. In the Mouth of Madness
Lots of people see this as a cheap, non-sense horrorfilm. Non-sense? Sometimes. Cheap? Definetly not, because it is (in spite of all the splatter effects and some ridiculous moments) a movie that will remain (at least for a few hours) in your mind. The first 45 minutes are atmospheric and the horror is rather suggestive, the other 45 minutes are somehow disappointing, because here the whole plot no longer holds together. The end is illogical, but an interesting surprise nevertheless. By far none of Carpenter's best, but good enough for 90 minutes of second- (oe even third-?)class entertainment. I've seen worse.
Cast: Sam Neill (7/10), Jürgen Prochnow (5/10), Charlton Heston (5/10).
Rating: 59
3/1/5:
6. For a Fistful of Dollars
This is now the fifth film I have seen by Sergio Leone, and it is very convincing! I liked Clint Eastwood very much as the film's main character. The plot is rather unoriginal, but once more Sergio Leone has managed to make out of this a great Italo-western. But somehow I missed the epic dimensions of his other films (e.g. Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly).
Cast: Clint Eastwood (7/10)
Rating: 83
5.1.5:
7. Small Time Crooks
A hilarious comedy by Woody Allen full of brilliant dialogues. The plot may be a little too loose, but all in all this is a very enjoyable comedy. Allen is marvellous in the leading role.
Cast: Woody Allen (8/10), Hugh Grant (6/10).
Rating: 84
6.1.5:
8. For a Few Dollars More
This is a brilliant example of a sequel that even tops the first (also very good) film. Now, what do say about this one? The actors are again great (this time especially Lee Van Cleef), the direction is marvellous and the score is excellent as usual.
Cast: Clint Eastwood (7/10), Lee Van Cleef (8/10), Klaus Kinski (5/10).
Rating: 85
7.1.5:
9. The Comedians
After having read the rather disappointing novel by Graham Greene, I decided to watch the film (as it was by chance on TV). Even though the story has often been modified, it sometimes remains quite complicated. Peter Glenville has made out of the Greene's work an unspectacular, yet uninvolving movie with a great cast: Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Ustinov, Alec Guinness, Lilian Gish, Paul Arthur, Roscoe Lee Brown, James Earl Jones, etc. (above all Guinness and Ustinov are, as usual, brilliant). However a few convincing performances by several first-class actors and actresses are not enough to make this overlong movie worth a watch.
Cast: Richard Burton (7/10), Elizabeth Taylor (7/10), Peter Ustinov (9/10), Alec Guinness (9/10), Lilian Gish (8/10), Paul Arthur (8/10), James Earl Jones (6/10), Roscoe Lee Brown (6/10).
Rating: 65
10. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
This a wonderful example of a film based on an idea with great potential. But unfortunately Allen doesn't seem to have understood this and makes out of it an unoriginal, predictible and overall mediocre comedy. The jokes are not often really funny and they soon become too repetitive. Disappointing!
Cast: Woody Allen (7/10), Helen Hunt (6/10), Dan Aykroyd (6/10).
Rating: 61
8.1.5:
11. The Last Picture Show
This somehow strange film has impressed me so much that I can only find 3 words to describe it: complex, unique, depressing.
Cast: Jeff Bridges (7/10), Timothy Bottoms (9/10), Cybill Shepherd (7/10), Ellen Burstyn (7/10), Ben Johnson (7/10), Cloris Leachman (10/10).
Rating: 85
12. Diamonds Are Forever *
A very ironic and entertaining 007-adventure with a lousy plot. Connery, a few intelligent ideas and the two homosexual villains make it worth a watch.
Cast: Sean Connery (7/10), Jill St.John (5/10).
Rating: 71
9.1.5:
13. The Big Country
An western of almost epic proportions with a great Gregory Peck in the leading role. The landscapes are marvellous, the cinematography is excellent. The two weak points of this film are the unoriginal plot and the disappointing end. A good, long (nearly 3 hours!) film nevertheless.
Cast: Gregory Peck (8/10), Charlton Heston (5/10).
Rating: 80
14. Rosemary's Baby
A brilliant and very scary film, strange and fascinating. Above all the dream sequences are tremendous. Highly recommended!
Cast: Mia Farrow (8/10), John Cassavetes (8/10), Ruth Gordon (8/10).
Rating: 89
15. Hold-up
A funny Spanish comedy, nothing extraordinary, but 90 minutes of good entertainment.
Rating: 66
10.1.5:
16. Blue Velvet
A unique and intense film by David Lynch with strong visual qualities and a complex symbolic and psychological depth. The actors are all great, and the plot is very clever. Here again it is really difficult to rate such a movie that is on the one hand making anxious and on the other one just fascinating.
Cast: Kyle MacLachlan (8/10), Isabella Rossellini (8/10), Laura Dern (8/10), Dennis Hopper (7/10).
Rating: 87
11.1.5:
17. The Family Jewels
A good comedy. Nothing more, nothing less.
Cast: Jerry Lewis (6/10), Jerry Lewis, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Lewis, ...
Rating: 65
