BUFFALO '66 (1998)

Directed By: Vincent Gallo
Written By: Vincent Gallo & Alison Bagnall
Story By: Vincent Gallo
Cinematography By: Lance Acord
Editor: Curtiss Clayton

CAST: Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Anjelica Huston, Ben Gazzara, Kevin Corrigan, Mickey Rourke, Jan-Michael Vincent, Rosanna Arquette, Kevin Pollak, Alex Karras,

LIAR LIAR (1997)

CAST: Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Cary Elwes, Amanda Donahoe, Cheri Oteri, Jennifer Tilly, Swoosie Kurtz, Anne Haney, Randall “Tex” Cobb, Krista Allen, Jarrad Paul, Jason Bernard

Directed By: Tom Shadyac
Written By: Paul Guay & Stephen Mazur
Cinematography By Russell Boyd
Editor: Don Zimmerman

HUNGER (2009)

Cast: Michael Fassbender

Directed By: Steve McQueen
Written By: Steve McQueen & Edna Walsh
Cinematography By: Sean Bobbitt
Editor: Joe Walker

A powerful film.

CLOSER (2004)

Cast: Clive Owen, Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman

Directed By: Mike Nichols
Written By: Patrick Marber
Cinematography By: Stephen Goldblatt
Editor: John Bloom & Antonia Van Drimmelen

The beautiful thing about this movie is the words the language used which is both smart and cruel it’s amazing how sentences can hurt and destroy so much

This is not a film to watch if you are looking for action it’s more about Character , Drama and situations then anything else. This is just a adult relationship drama and everything here is beautiful.

This is a drama but feels more like a horror movie there are so many scenes of emotional violence that this is like watching a massacre. Since there are only four characters it’s easy to get to know the characters even though they don’t talk about there pasts much you get to know them so much that you feel the pain and despair that they do.

The Switching allegiances, mind games and harsh words make this like a british David Mamet film though you can tell the film is based on a play for it’s limited locations and exclusive intimate closed spaces that the action takes place in. Mike Nichols wisely knows how to open the film up to make it looks sumptuous.

Even though the cast is all good the person who walks away with the film is Natalie Portman this is what award winning acting is all about een thought she didn’t even get nominated it was a chance for her to escape her shackles of her teen and lightweight roles to show that she is not only grown but a fully sexual being. From her scene in the strip club where even though she is taking orders she is in total control while also letting herself be completely vulnerable by actually telling the truth for one of the first times in the film. To when she is being vulnerable when she is supposed to be running away with the love of her life. Mike Nichols also knows how to make this beautiful lady into a goddess with color, dress and showing just enough skin.

Cate Blanchett was originally cast in the Julia Roberts role she played the role in the play that Julia Roberts plays but she got pregnant and could not do the role so she was replaced by Julia Roberts who does pretty good in this role since this is really one of the few times where she plays a three dimensional character that is kind of like her usual self of being likeable but also capable of being hateful. There is no cutesy sweet girl we are used to here. Jude Law and Clive Owen were both also in the play but here they switched the roles they originally played. Both are too perfection.

The film also has a beautiful opening scene with the song the blower’s daughter by Damien rice that this movie seem to put on the charts for people to discover which in itself is a haunting song that hovers over the rest of the film

A definite must see

GRADE: A

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (2002)

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Christopher Walken, Tom Hanks, Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner, Martin Sheen, James Brolin, Nathalie Baye, Ellen Pompeo, Nick Zano

Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Written By: Jeff Natahnson
Based On The Book: Catch Me If You Can: The Amazing True Story Of The Youngest And Most Daring Con-Man In The History Of Fun And Profit. By Frank Abegnale Jr. & Stan Redding
Cinematography By: Janusz Kaminski
Original Score: John Williams
Editor: Michael Kahn

Not the usual Spielberg film or it doesn’t feel like it not as usually overblown as a typical spielberg film. Though it is nostalgic and fun filled and breezy. Dealing with a boy who has to grow up fast.

A con man whose only real wish is to make his father proud and get his parents back together and with all the feats he is successful with. That is the only one that is impossible.

Leonardo DiCaprio is a revelation especially in his scenes while the cons are finally taking there toll on him. Where he doesn’t know who he really is anymore. What he actually likes and he really sells the performance when he escapes and see’s his mothers new family and you can see the childlike wonder in his eyes until his heart truly breaks. It’s a good thing because Johnny depp was the first choice to play the role but watching it he would look to old to play the role.

At one point Gore Verbinski (The Pirates Of The Caribbean) was slated to direct but with delays on “Gangs Of New York” taking so long he had to drop out so did James Gandolfini who was slated to play tom hanks role originally since he had to go back to film “The Sopranos” Also set ot appear in the film were Ed Harris as Leo’s Father And Chloe Sevingy Probably slated to play Amy Adams Eventual role. Even before spielberg took over as director he was only slated to produce he considered Cameron Crowe (Vanilla Sky), Lasse Hallstrum (The Ciderhouse Rules) and David Fincher (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) It’s good Steven Spielberg took it as it is one of my favorite films by him.

The vivid elementary of the cons and the escapes are visually stimulting without going overboard.

Though Tom Hanks accent is a little overbearing he and the rest of the cast do excellent work supporting the star while making definite impression of there own. Christopher Walken is good playing a normal human being for once. Not over the top and actually warm which is rare for him.

I had pre-concieved notions going to the theater to see it but I figured my friend read the book it was based on and said it was good. Even though the trailer looked iffy that was good material to base the film on. I figured at least Christopher Walken is in it and it should be a good warm up performance from Leonardo DiCarpio before his sure to be good performance in “Gangs Of New York” that was due out later that month. If only I knew this was going to be the film I enjoyed more. It Blew me away with how much I liked it/ I Was a DiCaprio fan early in his career before “Titanic” made me alienate him as he achieved world wide success. I Didn’t want to be part of the popular film quotient plus teenage girls loved him so much. Though I still did see “The Beach” this is the film that reassured my faith in him

This is definitely a must see. In fact a must buy.

GRADE: A

OSCAR NOMINATIONS:
Best Supporting Actor – Christopher Walken
Best Orignal Music Score - John Williams

BEETLEJUICE (1988)

Starring: Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara, Glen Shadix, Robert Goulet, Sylvia Sidney, Dick Cavett

Directed By: Tim Burton
Story By: Tim Burton
Written By: Larry Wilson, Michael McDowell & Warren Skaaren
Director Of Photography: Thomas Ackerman
Original Score: Danny Elfman
Production Design By: Bo Welch
Edited by: Jane Kurson

Dated a little but still brilliant. This film is truly a person’s imagination run amuck like his brain threw up on the screen and this is what came out. This is true creativity at work. can you honestly say that you could have come up with this film?

A couple build there dream house die then comeback as ghosts haunting the place. when a new family moves in and wants to not only redesign the house but demolish it. So when the two ghosts can’t do it on there own and the supernatural case worker they have been assigned isn’t really any help. They call a ecto-plasmic human exterminator named (You Guessed it) beetlejuice who is gross, crude and perverted. but then they form a bond with the family’s daughter. Who beetlejuice lusts after. It all ends with a confrontation at a exorcism/wedding with scary huge sandworms. Exactly I didn’t think you could.

Michael keaton is in perfect form he has never been as good as this again. A young alec baldwin and winona ryder are humorous. If you haven’t seen it yet. I am shocked. it’s been around awhile unless of course your parents are ultra religious and if they are why are you on here reading this.

From all the visual gags alone. You realize that mr. burton has a wildly inventive visual style and somewhat grace. It comes as no surprise he started as an animator. As this film is a live action cartoon filled with impressive special effects for the time period. This film is filled with dark comedy as it not only satirizes suburbia, nouveau riche and the art crowd. The affluence it portrays and appears to have the first three dimensional goth character in a film. This film is like a fairy tale or fable I love it.

It holds a special place in my heart. i used to watch it all the time as a kid. I loved it when it came on wpix channel 11. Which was like once a month. And everytime it came on I always watched it even though I already had it on video. It also launched me on one of my first crushes. Winona Ryder for a span of three years she was my dreamgirl. Now I just wait for her comeback. Hopefully tim burton makes another film as manic and magical as this

Everything about this film is magical it an play for kids as much as it does for adults plus it is darker then anyone who watches it realizes. As you watch it it is playful and fun but the more you watch you see the subtlety of subjects it challenges. All the office workers in the office seem to be suicides. it makes fun of suburbia as usual in tim burton films. There is the strange Dark character his alter ego. who in one scene keeps proofreading her suicide note to make it more dramatic.

This is the tim burton i miss who had artistic senesabilites but still had a toe in what it took to tell a mainstream story. this film is like a big screen carnival for him which is also reflected in the amazing score by Danny Elfman. this film could almost be a silent film for some scenes with the score taking over the dialogue for the scenes and they would still be as good.

Tim Burton is one of my favorite directors and his classic films like these seem more original and come from his imagination more then the studio films he has been making recently.

GRADE: A

FLIRTING (1991)

Cast: Noah Taylor, Nicole Kidman, Thandie Newton, Naomi Watts, Kym Wilson

Directed & Written By: John Duigan
Cinematography By: Geoff Burton
Editor: Liz Mullinar

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