Review the last movie you viewed (NO LISTS) III

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Status
Not open for further replies.
Duck You Sucker, aka A Fistful of Dynamite, aka Once Upon A Time... The Revolution - 9.5/10

Well, I'm now officially versed in all the "essential" Sergio Leone projects, so I'm finally going to allow myself to call the man my favorite director. I just wanted to make sure his track record was unanimously excellent as I had always suspected it was (we don't count The Colossus of Rhodes, though I will see it eventually, for completionist's sake).

I can't quite call this particular film a masterpiece. At least not on first viewing, which is only slightly disappointing, because then he'd be, I believe, the first director who I'd ever award four consecutive 10/10's scores to his catalogue. That would mean his four last films of his career, four epic, beautiful, soul-changing films, all masterpieces. As it stands:

Fistful of Dollars - 9.5/10
For a Few More Dollars - 9/10
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - 10/10
Once Upon A Time in the West - 10/10
Once Upon A Time... The Revolution - 9.5/10
Once Upon A Time in America - 10/10

But that could so easily change after another viewing. This film is a marvel. It's an obvious evolution of Leone's techniques and personal vision, but the satirical wit that heavily influenced the design of OUATITW is even more prevalent here, making a truly unique genre film. That's what so peculiar about this one though, it constantly defies any genre expectation, and serves as Leone's most self-aware film, as well as his darkest.

If Once...the West is his deconstruction of the Western genre, Once... the Revolution is the bloody aftermath; twitching, aching, tearing itself apart with explosive force. It's a fascinating turn contrasting the Mexican revolution with that of the Irish, placing an Irish "terrorist" in the middle of a setting we've become so familiar with. He defies convention, and leaves a trail of fire and rubble in his wake, twisting a common tale of heroics into something thankless and ugly.

The film itself is a wonder of craftsmanship. It's not as tightly constructed as the nearly perfect Once... The West, but this is a narrative that calls for imperfection and surprise and steady discomfort. There were several scenes of such profound power, they really caught me off guard, such as the cave scene and the midnight execution.

Is this Leone's best film? Not by a long shot. But it's remarkable just the same. I'm not sure if I can place it among those other masterpieces from his catalogue just yet, but I'll let it digest and see how it sets after a second course.

Another moment I loved was when Juan and John were in the cargo car of the train, discussing which door opened to the road to America. The entire film really made a theme out of the American ideal, a theme brought to beautiful fruition in Leone's next and final film, Once Upon A Time In America (which has sort of become my go-to answer whenever someone asks me what the greatest film I've ever seen has been). I plan on watching Once...in America again some time this week, and I think it'll gain even another extra layer of thematic depth serving as the follow-up to Once Upon A Time... The Revolution.

(BTW, that's what I'm calling this film, since that's what Leone always wanted to call it, and Duck You Sucker is such an awful title.)
 
Lancemc said:
Duck You Sucker, aka A Fistful of Dynamite, aka Once Upon A Time... The Revolution - 9.5/10

Well, I'm now officially versed in all the "essential" Sergio Leone projects, so I'm finally going to allow myself to call the man my favorite director. I just wanted to make sure his track record was unanimously excellent as I had always suspected it was (we don't count The Colossus of Rhodes, though I will see it eventually, for completionist's sake).

I can't quite call this particular film a masterpiece. At least not on first viewing, which is only slightly disappointing, because then he'd be, I believe, the first director who I'd ever award four consecutive 10/10's scores to his catalogue. That would mean his four last films of his career, four epic, beautiful, soul-changing films, all masterpieces. As it stands:

Fistful of Dollars - 9.5/10
For a Few More Dollars - 9/10
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - 10/10
Once Upon A Time in the West - 10/10
Once Upon A Time... The Revolution - 9.5/10
Once Upon A Time in America - 10/10

But that could so easily change after another viewing. This film is a marvel. It's an obvious evolution of Leone's techniques and personal vision, but the satirical wit that heavily influenced the design of OUATITW is even more prevalent here, making a truly unique genre film. That's what so peculiar about this one though, it constantly defies any genre expectation, and serves as Leone's most self-aware film, as well as his darkest.

If Once...the West is his deconstruction of the Western genre, Once... the Revolution is the bloody aftermath; twitching, aching, tearing itself apart with explosive force. It's a fascinating turn contrasting the Mexican revolution with that of the Irish, placing an Irish "terrorist" in the middle of a setting we've become so familiar with. He defies convention, and leaves a trail of fire and rubble in his wake, twisting a common tale of heroics into something thankless and ugly.

The film itself is a wonder of craftsmanship. It's not as tightly constructed as the nearly perfect Once... The West, but this is a narrative that calls for imperfection and surprise and steady discomfort. There were several scenes of such profound power, they really caught me off guard, such as the cave scene and the midnight execution.

Is this Leone's best film? Not by a long shot. But it's remarkable just the same. I'm not sure if I can place it among those other masterpieces from his catalogue just yet, but I'll let it digest and see how it sets after a second course.

Another moment I loved was when Juan and John were in the cargo car of the train, discussing which door opened to the road to America. The entire film really made a theme out of the American ideal, a theme brought to beautiful fruition in Leone's next and final film, Once Upon A Time In America (which has sort of become my go-to answer whenever someone asks me what the greatest film I've ever seen has been). I plan on watching Once...in America again some time this week, and I think it'll gain even another extra layer of thematic depth serving as the follow-up to Once Upon A Time... The Revolution.

(BTW, that's what I'm calling this film, since that's what Leone always wanted to call it, and Duck You Sucker is such an awful title.)
Click to expand...


A thousand times yes.

I actually prefer this to Good/Bad/Ugly, and while it's not as tight, it's more ambitious and I admire what it has to say a lot more.

As for his best film, I go back and forth between West and America each time I see one of them. I tend to say America more because it's a bit more epic.

Colossus of Rhodes is...interesting. Not as bad as you'd imagine, though.
 
Yes, I'd really like to see it, if I can ever find it anywhere.

And was it just me, or did a few select scenes in The Revolution foreshadow (surprisingly closely) a few specific memorable scenes from another epic film released 3 years later regarding the Mob in America? :eyebrow:
 
Are you referring to The Godfather? Because that was released only 1 year after ...Revolution. Plus the book was written before that.

What scenes are you referring to?
 
lazarus said:
Are you referring to The Godfather? Because that was released only 1 year after ...Revolution. Plus the book was written before that.

What scenes are you referring to?
Click to expand...

I was actually thinking about some of the Vito Corleone scenes from The Godfather Part II. Some of them seemed to emulate almost perfectly some of the scenes in Revolution, specifically the flash backs. Though I may just be imagining things. Not saying Coppola stole anything from Leone, it could have been an unconscious borrowing, or just coincidence likely. Though I do believe Coppola was influenced by Leone quite a bit, as many 70's directors (even more contemporary ones) were.
 
I'm Not There - very amusing if you're familiar with Dylan's life. Otherwise, it might be a bit confusing to say the least. I found the Richard Gere vignette to be the most head-scratching confusing and boring except for a wonderful Jim James (My Morning Jacket) cameo. The rest of it I really enjoyed. It was fun being on "the inside" of the jokes, knowing these parts of Dylan's life somewhat, and piecing things together. It was unusual and very creative with some great performances. Aside from the obvious performances everyone's talking about, I thought Julianne Moore was particularly great. Definitely not a movie for everyone.
 
I think my local arts centre must have seen my pissy moan the other day as they're showing pretty much all of the recent highlights that bypassed other cinemas around here in January and February. Hurrah for that.

------------------------------

Tokyo Story
My introduction to Yasujiro Ozu and along with Jean-Pierre Melville and Wong Kar-Wai is a director I simply must begin to explore. This film follows an elderly Japanese couple as they undergo a lengthy journey from their home out in the country to visit their four children, all of whom have moved towards the capital. After stopping by each one and a couple of old acquaintances they head back home. This slight plot runs to two and a half hours due to Ozu’s lingering shots and emphasis on highlighting what largely goes by unsaid. This is definitely a film to revisit every few years as growing old and the role of parents in a family are key themes and it seems to be one that has more offer with more life experience. Seeing as I love it already that makes it indispensable.

The Proposition
My second time seeing this after catching it on a limited cinema run early last year. It has lost none of its power to shock with a violent mood permeating the entire film, regardless of whether any physical violence is being depicted onscreen or not. Guy Pearce pulls off another impressive performance as Charlie Burns, given the evil task to kill his older brother in exchange for his younger brother’s life. The Australian outback becomes a character in it’s own right, beautifully shot but always viewed as a menace. Some of the views on display hark back to John Ford, but the film overall owes a great deal more to Sam Peckinpah, from The Wild Bunch to Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid with a touch of The Getaway. This was one of my top five from last year and watching it again reminded me exactly why.

Russian Ark
"2,000 Actors. 300 Years of Russian History. 33 Rooms at the Hermitage Museum. 3 Live Orchestras. 1 Single Continuous Shot." One of the most audacious films ever made, this hour and a half stroll through Russian history has to be seen to be believed. From the opening scene in the snow outside the museum to the final CGI assisted view of the ocean not once does the camera cut the scene and it barely even stops moving. The result is hypnotic and dreamlike; one of the most visually engrossing films I’ve ever seen. The camera represents the POV of the narrator and a 19th Century European traveller joins both him and us on this tour. Famous figures, both real and fictional are seen and interacted with along the way, with the European and narrator either passing through unnoticed or visibly. It doesn’t seem to matter. But beyond this impressive technical feat, is the film interesting? Well, that depends on your love of Russian history. Otherwise it’s one for film lovers eager to see something a bit different only.

The Best Years of Our Lives
One of the final few on my IMDb challenge and one that I approached with trepidation. I have to admit, a two and a half hour plus melodrama on family life in America after World War 2 didn’t exactly appeal. But I ended up really enjoying it and the time flew by as I became engrossed in the lives of three discharged servicemen and those close to them. (This is one of the reasons why I started this challenge in the first place, to plug some gaping holes as well as open a few cinematic doors I otherwise wouldn’t have bothered with.) The plotting in itself isn’t anything particularly impressive, as it follows these three men of differing rank and station as they return home before revealing that just because one ranks the highest in the service doesn’t make him the most successful civilian and those that have ‘apple pie’ lives at home don’t necessarily have it made. The joy is in the subtle ways their true characters and positions are developed in such a transitional period and how both war and age mean that those men who left their families don’t return as the same men or to the same families.
 
Cool to see you enjoyed ...Revolution lance, it's the last of the six major Leone's I've to see too. I'd heard some harsh reviews elsewhere but it's good to know it's held up high by you and laz.
 
MS, I was lucky enough to see Best Years of Our Lives on a huge screen in Los Angeles recently, and it really is an underseen gem. You're right in that synopsis doesn't look very interesting, and yet I found myself very moved by the story and characters. You'd think a film made right after the end of the war would have been a lot more congratulatory, but it's a very penetrating look at what happens when troops come home. Post-traumatic stress disorder isn't something that was new with the Vietnam War, and I'm glad the filmmakers had the courage to show this dark shadow of the Allies' success.

One of the more deserving Best Picture winners, and this one really cleaned up, if I'm not mistaken. Harold Russell (the real-life veteran who lost both bands) won a Supporting Actor Oscar (as well as a special honorary award), and Frederick March won Best Actor. It was a little strange to see Myrna Loy in a serious role, but she did have a couple moments of levity that fleshed her out well.
 
The Godfather Part III - 8/10

Not the awful mess many people claim it to be, but also not the masterpiece it could have easily been. It's major flaws are quite obvious, but it succeeds on many levels, including some instances where I feel it surpasses Part II. Michael's storyline was brought to conclusion better than I imagined it would have. The Opera section was far too long, and ended perhaps too abruptly, but I thought the final montage and Michael's death was quite poignant (even if the final shot was a bit awkward).

I actually felt like this film explored Michael's psyche better than the second film did, and really give the entire trilogy a surprising sense of symmetry without being merely repetitive, which it always good. However, Vincent's rise to power within the family was almost wholly unbelievable, since he wasn't given nearly enough screen time. A stronger actor probably could have pulled it off though under the same circumstances.

So ultimately, I really enjoyed it. Parts were brilliant, parts with cringe-inducing, but they were few and usually ignorable given the grand scope of the film. And it must be said, Eli Wallach is always a joy to watch. Gotta love him.
 
Originally posted by lazarus

MS, I was lucky enough to see Best Years of Our Lives on a huge screen in Los Angeles recently, and it really is an underseen gem. You're right in that synopsis doesn't look very interesting, and yet I found myself very moved by the story and characters. You'd think a film made right after the end of the war would have been a lot more congratulatory, but it's a very penetrating look at what happens when troops come home. Post-traumatic stress disorder isn't something that was new with the Vietnam War, and I'm glad the filmmakers had the courage to show this dark shadow of the Allies' success.
Click to expand...

One thing I do get tired of in war or post-war films from any country is flag waving. What this film did so well was juggle patriotism with honest reflection. Even the rousing speach at the dinner party ends on a slightly cynical yet knowing note.

And call me dumb but I spent most of the film thinking how well they were concealing Harold Russell's hands up his sleeves. Imagine my surprise when he took his robe off at the end. I would have loved to have seen his name announced as the Best Supporting Actor winner live on TV.
 
Lancemc said:
The Godfather Part III - 8/10

Not the awful mess many people claim it to be, but also not the masterpiece it could have easily been. It's major flaws are quite obvious, but it succeeds on many levels, including some instances where I feel it surpasses Part II. Michael's storyline was brought to conclusion better than I imagined it would have. The Opera section was far too long, and ended perhaps too abruptly, but I thought the final montage and Michael's death was quite poignant (even if the final shot was a bit awkward).

I actually felt like this film explored Michael's psyche better than the second film did, and really give the entire trilogy a surprising sense of symmetry without being merely repetitive, which it always good. However, Vincent's rise to power within the family was almost wholly unbelievable, since he wasn't given nearly enough screen time. A stronger actor probably could have pulled it off though under the same circumstances.

So ultimately, I really enjoyed it. Parts were brilliant, parts with cringe-inducing, but they were few and usually ignorable given the grand scope of the film. And it must be said, Eli Wallach is always a joy to watch. Gotta love him.
Click to expand...


Amazing how it's that good in spite of the shortcomings, huh?

Andy Garcia really is a weak spot, though. It was clear they were trying to get someone like a younger DeNiro, but he's not even close. Plus, DeNiro brought a dignity to his characterization of Vito (obviously inspired in part by what Brando did) that Garcia wouldn't be capable of in a million years.

This sounds crazy, but if they were going to go the hothead route, I can actually see Coppola nephew Nicholas Cage doing a better job. He may not have been dignified either, but Cage would have made him more interesting.

I remember after seeing the film the first time that a perfect final shot would have been the door being closed on Michael just as it was on Kay in the first film. Because what they did use was just too eye-rolling for a story of that magnitude. It was obviously a nod to Brando's death scene, but just compare the two and you'll see how Brando just towers over everyone else, ever.
 
Oh yeah, I thought this was a nice little capsule, more forgiving than most critics were:

http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/movies/capsules/4090_GODFATHER_PART_3

BTW, I often go to the Chicago Reader's website to get capsule reviews for older films. The reviewers (mainly Dave Kehr until around 1990, and then Jonathan Rosenbaum) can often have overly political reactions, and I've disagreed with them many times, but they're usually well thought-out opinions.

Here's the link to the Brief Review search:

http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/search/briefs

You can get stuck for a while here looking up stuff because they're such quick reads. You can also go to the main page if you want to see any of Rosebaum's recent longer reviews. Be warned: he was NOT impressed with No Country For Old Men.
 
joyfulgirl said:
I'm Not There - very amusing if you're familiar with Dylan's life. Otherwise, it might be a bit confusing to say the least. I found the Richard Gere vignette to be the most head-scratching confusing and boring except for a wonderful Jim James (My Morning Jacket) cameo. The rest of it I really enjoyed. It was fun being on "the inside" of the jokes, knowing these parts of Dylan's life somewhat, and piecing things together. It was unusual and very creative with some great performances. Aside from the obvious performances everyone's talking about, I thought Julianne Moore was particularly great. Definitely not a movie for everyone.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I like Richard Gere a lot
but his vignette did not add anything to this film

the part with the kid annoyed me the most
that whole bit was very patronizing
they had the black family almost acting like they were in black face

if this is film a peak inside of Dylan's psyche
he is a bit of a bigot
 
The Gere scenes are the most abstract of the film, but it captures its respective period very well. After Dylan's motorcycle accident, he disappeared for a while, and while he was physically recuperating from his wounds, it's clear he was also trying to distance himself from the press and the mythology that had been building around him. He wasn't creatively inactive though, recording the Basement Tapes with the members of the Band. While it wasn't officially released until around '75, it still represents musically that period of time in his life. The songs on that album have been analyzed and discussed possibly more than anything else in his discography. The subjects of the songs, and the sound of them seems to come from some kind of pioneer/old west/rural type of place, but they're not very straightforward. It's almost the country version of the cosmopolitan, Rimbaud-inspired fantasies of the '65-'67 period.

You combine this with Dylan's appearance in Sam Peckinpah's film Pat Garret & Billy the Kid, and some other films from the period, most notably Robert Altman's McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and it's clear what the filmmaker was trying to do with the Richard Gere section of the film. It's a bit of a hodgepodge of Americana, with Gere playing "Billy" as a fugitive from sheriff Pat Garrett, who is played by the same actor that is the journalist ("Mr. Jones") in the Cate Blanchett section. So the metaphor here is that "outlaw" Dylan was hiding from the press and the public during these years, and it's represented in this Old West theme.

Also represented to a lesser extent in these scenes are the Western and biblical imagery found on John Wesley Harding, Dylan's first official release after the motorcycle crash, which was followed by the straightforward country of Nashville Skyline.

I think once you know what's going on in these scenes, you can appreciate it a bit more.
 
Thanks, laz. I did know about the motorcycle accident and the Sam Peckinpah film but I still thought that piece was boring and not particularly effective. What you've said here does fill it out for me a bit, though. Still, I thought it was the weakest segment.

deep, I don't think we're supposed to necessarily like Dylan from these vignettes. We've always known he was a bit of a jerk at times (seems to have mellowed more in later years, though) and to me the point of this collage was that he's an enigma and we're never really going to understand him. I get a bit annoyed by the whole "enigmatic artist" thing in general, not just with Dylan, so that's why sometimes it's best to just listen to the music. But as a film, I quite enjoyed it, even despite its flaws.
 
Darjeeling Limited

This was supposed to be funny. The review in the Birmingham News said it was, and so did my sister. It had Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Anjelica Huston in it. I didn't get the point of the movie. It's about three brothers on a trip in India. The paper gave it four stars. I'll give it three. I'd recommend it. See if you think it's funny. I didn't think it was. It was more serious. It has a religious theme of sorts.
 
Last edited:
Just saw Walk The Line last nite on HBO. 8/10

It was interesting, I didnt know all the background with Johnny Cash and June Carter. The only thing I didnt like is I think they skipped the part where him and Viv got divorced :confused: Anyway I was surprised to find out that Johnny & June were married for 35 years or that June actually wrote Ring of Fire. I think Joaquin Phoenix played a really good Johnny Cash, his voice even sounded like him. I'd watch it again.
 
You know, for a film that's often regarded as a standard biopic, I thought it was very well done. What was cool is that they didn't try to condense his entire life into the film, and the focus was on the love story. I thought it was far superior to Ray, and though Reese didn't give some kind of tour-de-force performance, she was great and deserved accolades. Phoenix was great, too. Perfect casting there.
 
Idlewild (dir. Bryan Barber)

I'm kicking myself for not having seen this in the theatre, especially as a big OutKast fan, but it wasn't around for very long. A real shame, as this shows a hell of a lot more energy than Chicago, and a bit more restraint than Moulin Rouge. Now I'm not going to claim it's quite as creative as Baz Luhrman's film, but Barber is a very talented visualist who gives a lot of pop to the images, and having worked with the band before, knows how to fuse them with the music.

I'm partial to films set in this time period/setting, namely prohibition in some unnamed Southern city. It actually looks a bit like Kansas City, and anyone who's seen Robert Altman's film of that name may find it a little familiar. But the focus isn't on crime and jazz, it's on crime and some weird fusion of jazz/hip-hop/blues/swing. You'd think this anachronistic choice would take you out of the film, but it actually sucks you in.

The lead actors, namely Andre 3000 and Big Boi from OutKast (billed under their real names) aren't seasoned thespians (though Dre has appeared in a couple films already), but they both show a lot of enthusiasm for the project. Big Boi is the cool one, very believable as a hustler and entrepreneur, and Dre is the sensitive dreamer (somewhat against type considering his usual extravagance and eccentricity) who gets a bit more screen time and is more the heart of the film. The supporting cast features a few well known faces like Ving Rhames, Terrence Howard (amazing as always), Ben Vereen, Bill Nunn, and Macy Gray.

The story is a bit generic, so don't go expecting the immersion into the world like Altman's film, or the grand operatics of Coppola's Cotton Club. But the musical numbers punctuate the dramatic moments, and hold it all together, plus Dre is a very charismatic screen presence when he turns it on. It's a fun ride, and one that, sadly, audiences for the most part chose not to take.
 
Saw about the last 45 minutes of that movie, or maybe the middle 45, I couldn't tell.

It was weird as hell.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Janet H
  • Sticky
Forum Update - We're back! Ask your questions here.
2
Replies
36
Views
2K
Popmartijn
Popmartijn
Headache in a Suitcase
3 Irishmen and a Dutchman Walk Into A Sphere - General Discussion Thread Part III
52 53 54
Replies
2K
Views
65K
Hewson
Hewson
DaveC
2024 NFL Playoff Pick 'Em
2
Replies
41
Views
2K
DaveC
DaveC
DaveC
2023 NFL Playoff Pick Em - Demolish the Dual Dynasty
2
Replies
42
Views
2K
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase
LuckyNumber7
Desert Island Mini - LP Island - Master List and Discussion Thread
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
DaveC
DaveC

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom