The Grey (2011) - Director: Joe Carnahan - 7/10 - I like the modern sheen the movie has and the way it portrays the story and its characters to the audience. It’s not a film solely centered on the question of survival, it also revolves around the concept of human cooperation in dire circumstances.
Thelma and Louise (1991) - Director: Ridley Scott - 7/10 - Its tongue-and-cheek humor is the element that firmly distinguishes it from the rest of similar efforts. The characters are pretty good too, but it all feels fairly simple and not that special despite its popularity and critical acclaim. i liked it and that’s about it.
The Grifters (1990) - Director: Stephen Frears - 6/10 - It’s a weird one. It feels very noir-ish for a neo-noir in the sense that it lacks the distinctive modern look these 1990s movies have. Motif-wise, this has a lot more in common with classic noir ventures rather than modern takes on the genre, other than all the explicit screwing around perhaps. I thought it was okay, but I failed to see the grandeur it supposedly had.
Romeo is Bleeding (1993) - Director: Peter Medak - 5/10 - What a mess of a movie. The motion picture is so over-the-top in so many departments that it literally makes your head spin. The obvious issue here is the voice-over which varies from mildly bothersome to pretty irritating at several points. Its virtually unremitting presence in conjunction with somewhat caricatural characters render this one quite odd to view. There were some things I liked and a lot that I did not.
The Crush (1993) - Director: Alan Shapiro - 4/10 - At least it’s entertaining most of the time. I think the movie falls under the so-bad-it’s-good category, since it excels at all kinds of stupid shit and the main female villain is hilarious in her role. Some chuckles guaranteed. The finale takes the cake though.
The Caller (1987) - Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman - 6/10 - Now this is really something. There are some movies that are considered curios, so to speak, and these films have got an assortment of narrative elements that differentiate them from other efforts of their kind. Then there are some complete oddities which are intrinsically outlandish by virtue of their unusual plot or their exceptional overall execution. They’re easily recognizable and unforgettable in their own ways. The Caller, however, is probably the only movie which is so opaque that I had to wait till the climax to find out what the hell was going on. Most of the time, it’s pretty talky which might bother some people, but the trick is that you never quite know where it will all lead or even where it’s all coming from for that matter. There are no clues as to what kind of genre it is, no indications of how the plot will evolve. And the final twist must be one of the most mind-melting turnabouts ever eternalized on film. Even if I don’t love the flick, I’ve got to say that it is truly something special and quite original. Don’t read anything about the film, just see it for yourself if you find the premise intriguing enough. A must see for lovers of weird cinema.
Bright Lights, Big City (1988) - Director: James Bridges - 4/10 - While viewing the motion picture, I’ve never noticed the metropolitan luster that is supposed to be there which readily attests to the dearth of stylistic talent at work here. Apart from Michael J. Fox being a complete miscast, the film doesn’t have much to offer in terms of dramatic energy or stylistic neon lushness. For a movie about this dynamic urban lifestyle revolving around booze, coke, hanky-panky and whatnot, it feels remarkably inert and shallow. The script feels muddled as well and other than some occasional display of decent acting, there is very little of interest to see here.
Write to Kill (1991) - Director: Ruben Preuss - 6/10 - It kicks off in a pretty impressive way, however, after 30 minutes or so, it loses most of that initial impetus, there is hardly any sort of a narrative focus and ultimately, the venture gets too convoluted for its own good. The cast is outstanding though and makes this one worth a look.
Hero (1992) - Director: Stephen Frears - 6/10 - It’s a more lighthearted take on the issue of media hysteria that is also the primary topic of Lumet’s Network. It’s pretty funny, not sure what else to write about this, so I’m just gonna move on. I’m a lazy ass.
Survivor (1987) - Director: Michael Shackleton - 4/10 - Pretty odd. It’s a very slow-paced post apocalyptic drama that despite being recounted in a fairly straightforward fashion, gets muddled and out-of-focus on several occasions. The thing that makes this one well-worth a watch is its incredibly sinister tone and the final monologue by its antagonist played by RIchard Moll I believe. I would love to give this one a 5/10, but there are some conspicuous problems with the storytelling, most notably an excessive use of voice-over, which attempts to clarify everything for us (we can hear thoughts of both protagonists, a male and a female respectively, which is a bit of a stylistic and narrative pain in the ass if you ask me). Regardless of my low rating, it’s still pretty good. all things considered. If you crave for a somber piece of post-apocalyptic drama and some doom gloom, it might be right up your alley. The pop rock song at the end is absolutely abysmal though, it has to be heard to be believed, almost puked on my screen.
China Moon (1994) - Director: John Bailey - 5/10 - It’s all too familiar to be of any interest to me. It’s fairly well acted and the ending is ironic in a classically noir fashion, however, the middle section of the film lacks any sort of verve. Again, not sure what else to say, I’m a lazy ass. It’s one of lesser 1990s neo-noir efforts.
Backfire (1988) - Director: Gilbert Cates - 5/10 - It’s hilarious when you can tell 20 minutes in where it’s all going to go. The premise itself isn’t that much of a problem, it’s just that the way the story is presented to the viewer that gives the game away way too early on account of the rendition being solely passable and not adequately dexterous to underpin the central mystery with a more sophisticated narrative subterfuge of some sort, so to speak. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with it, but it could really come to life with some proper direction. Still, it’s fairly entertaining, even if it feels a little too predictable.
Lost Angels (1989) - Director: Hugh Hudson - 6/10 - It works perfectly well for me. It might not be the most pellucid motion picture of this sort, but it depicts its central story fairly well and the characters at the core of the drama, for one, are a lot more likable than the ones from Less Than Zero for instance. I had no issues with Horowitz’s acting here, I even think he does a good job. It’s mostly Sutherland’s movie to be honest and his performance as a charismatic psychiatrist grappling with his professional and private life is very moving. Again, not the most taut movie there is out there, but it does the trick.
Spellbinder (1988) - Director: Janet Greek - 5/10 - The sound design on this thing is really good and the atmosphere is a very immersive one… up to a point. It all degenerates into this pop culture horror turd in the second half and the denouement is about as shocking as watching raindrops patter against the window: it’s just so obvious where it’s all going I wish they would… I don’t know… who gives a crap. The movie clearly tried to tap into the the satanic panic of the 1980s. While initially intriguing and appropriately creepy, the moment the satanic karate lady starts flying around throwing punches and shit, it irreversibly takes a cheesy direction. It’s basically a Hollywood regurgitation of The Wicker Man with a duly trashy mise-en-scene and an occult twist to it. I liked the first part a lot though. The witch casting spells in Latin with her quasi-Valleyspeak accent was highly amusing.
Tropical Snow (1988) - Director: Ciro Durán - 4/10 - It all looks fairly well on paper, but it is an awful snooze of a thriller. It’s basically about Colombian coke smugglers trying to make ends meet while staying true to their principles which ain’t easy. On account of their poor financial situation, a boy and a gurl try to smuggle some cocaine in their stomachs, earn some money while in the US of fuckin’ A and send some moolah to their families back in Colombia. Sounds exciting, but it ain’t for some reason. The director does absolutely nothing of note to enliven the piece with some interesting narrative maneuver. The film feels extremely languid in the sense that the plot advances in a dead-on straightforward way and unless you haven’t seen a story like that before (I assure you that you have), then there is hardly anything of interest here other than Stowe’s appealing physicality. At some points, it almost feels as if the motion picture entirely pivoted on the well-endowed body of Stowe which was quite hilarious.
Cat Chaser (1989) - Director: Abel Ferrara - 6/10 - Despite having been butchered in the editing room at the time of its release, it’s still fairly watchable and entertaining. It reportedly bears little resemblance to the novel it’s based on, but if you approach it with an open mind, you should find this sufficiently diverting. Ferrara has a flair for endowing his efforts and the depravity found therein with a satisfactory amount of style that makes his flicks a pleasure to view, this one not being an exception.
Ok, let’s do this.
Whatever I might think about Hardware, its soundtrack was stellar and uses one of my favorite songs (Public Image Ltd. - The Order Of Death), which greatly amplifies its specific atmosphere. In case of Survivor, the final song is just too gleeful and doesn’t harmonize with the remainder of the piece very well. IMHO, of course.
