“Zardoz” (1974) [R]

     While “Zardoz” is an entertaining tale, it’s all too clearly a film of the seventies because of its odd cinematography and way of storytelling. It has beautiful scenery and sets like none other; it also has a wardrobe with styles and colors that could only be a product of the seventies. This movie’s best quality—one which only a smaller percent of pictures carry—is that it poses many great questions about both society and religion. However, the way in which the story is told can somewhat confuse some of the audience at times.

     The exterior scenes in this film are stunningly done, showing landscapes of grass and rolling hills, along with a few of the scenes set in eye-catching forests. These scenes draw the audience in with such beauty, but can occasionally cause the viewers to forget what’s really going on in the story. There are times when watching the outdoor sections that it will seem like watching a Fantasy tale instead of a Sci-fi story. The sets on the indoor scenes are amazing, especially for the time it was made. They were perfect illustrations for they utopian town where Sean Connery’s character ends up for most of the movie.

     Nonetheless, scenery and good landscapes alone don’t make good movies. In “Zardoz,” the wardrobe chosen for the actors was nothing short of diverse. There are three different groups in this film: the Eternals, who live eternally in a utopia called Vortex; the Brutals, who are uncivilized and are told by their god that when they die they will go to Vortex to be with the Immortals; and then there are the Exterminator-class Brutals who fight and kill other Brutals in war. The Brutals’ costumes seem like cavemen-style hides, and the Eternals’ wardrobe consists of futuristic gowns and shirts. Although the Eternals’ costumes do look futuristic, their colors are too much like the colors regularly worn in the seventies, therefore losing the sense of a futuristic movie.

     Of all the entertainment that comes from this film, the best of it all is how “Zardoz” raises questions about many things. It is a question of religion, showing a sort of false religion that is exposed for what it really is. It also brings up many questions of society, defying the norm by setting the Exterminator-class Brutal played by Sean Connery into the utopia of the Eternal’s civilization. With all of its controversial inquisitions, this movie seems more like a “thought” movie mixed in with an Action/Sci-fi tale. It’s an entertaining show; however the way in which the story itself is presented can confuse some of the audience. There are times when the movie cuts to another scene, and at first some viewers won’t understand what’s happening until they catch a certain part of dialogue, or see exactly where the characters are. All in all, it’s worth at least giving it a chance.

     My overall rating: 3 out of 5

“Space Cowboys” (2000) [PG-13]

     Produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, this is one of many other astronaut films that came out around the turn of the century, “Space Cowboys” is one of the most entertaining. Starring Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner, “Space Cowboys” was a new turn on the idea of the astronaut movie at the time. Everyone in this film, not only the stars, gave moving performances, and there was a new dramatic side to the story with the comical rivalry between Eastwood and Jones’s characters. This brought a new angle on space pictures in general with its entertaining story, however it wasn’t the first movie with the basic premise of retired men having to get out of retirement and conquer old age for an exciting mission

     It’s not every time that a motion picture comes out and every actor in it gives an incredible performance. However, this film is one exception. Every actor was believable, even those who didn’t have an important role. From start to finish, the audience will feel as if they are actually a part of the story. The mesmerizing performances and effort given by all of the actors, not just those with starring roles, will cause the audience to forget they’re actually watching a movie.

     Throughout this film, there’s a sort of fun sibling rivalry between Eastwood’s and Jones’s characters. It’s like their way of showing happiness in their friendship is to bicker about insignificant things. At first, to the audience, it may seem that they are bitter enemies; however, as the movie progresses, it becomes very clear that it’s only their way of laughing with each other. The conflict is a more dramatic approach than other shows of this kind. This is all simply part of the bigger picture which is the exciting story.

     Written by Ken Kaufman and Howard Klausner, the screenplay for “Space Cowboys” wasn’t the most groundbreaking story so far, although it was entertaining. It molded two different types of stories which have been done before into a whole new tale. They took the ideas of astronauts going into space to fix a satellite and retired men having to get out of retirement and train to do an exciting mission, and it actually worked. Looking at the script by itself most people would probably have thought that it was a gamble to make a film out of it, but Eastwood liked the idea and turned a gamble into a blockbuster. The only drawback, if there is any at all, is that the basic idea of the tale isn’t really anything new or groundbreaking; however this is one of the most entertaining space movies out there.

          My overall rating 3.5 out of 5

“No Country for Old Men” (2007) [R]

     Based on Cormac McCarthy’s book of the same name, “No Country for Old Men” has got to be one of the best movies made in a long time. There are so many interesting things to talk about in this film that it’s hard to pick a place to start, but it has to be done. To begin with, this is without a doubt one of the best tales of good versus evil, all while being set over a sort of modern western when the protagonist, Llewelyn Moss, has to flee from and fight a psychotic killer known as Anton Chiguhr, who prowls the Texas outback area. In his portrayal as Chiguhr, Javier Bardem does an impeccable job, especially considering this was pretty much his big break into well-known theater. This is also one of the few films to go to go so far against the grain, and does that very well.

     There are many times throughout the history of stories, movies included, where the basic premise is a telling of good against evil. Many of these stories should be familiar to everyone; however this tale in particular takes it to the next level. The fight between good and evil has never been presented in a more perplexing way than in this film. Set in the style of a modern western, the protagonist, Llewelyn Moss, discovers something he shouldn’t and is then forced to match strength and wits with the psychotic villain known as Anton Chiguhr. Full of edge-of-the-seat suspense, the viewers can only guess how this incredible motion picture turns out.

     Before this movie, Javier Bardem wasn’t very well-known in popular cinema; however it would seem that this one has landed him a very nice place in popular culture. He is now being sought out for roles in various movies, and this is obviously because of his astonishing ability to portray the Chiguhr character. Bardem truly embraced Chiguhr, and makes the audience fall for his act as what would seem to be a complete lunatic. The audience won’t be able to even tell that he is a normal person in real life because of how amazingly he convinces viewers that he is the character.

     There are, of course, many different ways people can think of on defining how something can go against the grain of what is average. They can say that there are many movies these days that do that, and I would disagree with this. What I consider to be going against the grain in cinema is a film that is ground-breaking in nearly every aspect of which it can be spectated. This movie is one of few, especially these days, which truly does break ground into something that can lead the future. “No Country for Old Men” requires only one thing of its audience, which is for them to think further than what is simply presented in front of them and enlighten themselves to an idea the movie discreetly provides.

          My overall rating: 4.8 out of 5

“Barton Fink” (1991) [R]

     “Barton Fink” is one of those movies that usually don’t show up on people’s radar. Some people probably won’t even remember much advertising for it either. This period piece set in the forties is an excellent look into a writer’s life. It is an intriguing drama with some of the best dialogue seen in any of the Coen brother’s movies. It is also filled to the brim with symbolism, including things in the dialogue and objects in the scenes. This film is truly deserving of the Oscar-nomination it received, however the only bad thing about it is that the way it was laid out can be a bit confusing at first to anyone who doesn’t quite catch the symbolism.

     The story, set in the forties, did a remarkable job of taking the audience back to that time. It is one of the most entertaining period pieces that have been made so far. The Coen brothers proved themselves yet again as incredible filmmakers. They also gave an excellent look into the life of a writer, and what it can be like struggling through writer’s block. The whole movie, in fact, is set over the writer, played by John Turturro, who is trying to write a script and can’t because of the block. John Turturro really became the character in this movie, acting like writers of that time.

     Dialogue is an interesting thing to pay attention to in movies, and can be a stressful thing when writing it out. It’s hard enough to write out a dialogue for a movie, and it’s just as hard, if not harder, to act it out. The Coen brothers did an amazing job on the dialogue, and the actors did just as good when acting it out for the cameras. Much of the dialogue is filled with little conversational fillers that were true to that time such as “I sure am sorry there,” and “Well ain’t that a kick in the head.” The conversational fillers were simply ways of making your conversation longer, and were popular in that time, which only does more to make the audience feel like they really are in that era.

     Another thing that can be a hassle for filmmakers to put in their movies is symbolism. It can be a hard thing to remember throughout the story and it can also put up a struggle because of the assumption that everyone in the audience will pick up on it right away. The Coen brothers took the gamble of filling the film with symbols from start to finish, and for the most part it worked. Much of the symbolism is very entertaining, some of which can also be comical, however there is a risk that they run in putting so many symbols in it. Not all of the viewers are going to catch on so easily to some of the symbols. This means that the symbols will go either unnoticed or may even confuse the parts of the audience who don’t catch on. All in all it was a highly entertaining movie worth watching more than once.

          My overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

“Secret Window” (2004) [PG-13]

     “Secret Window” was made when Johnny Depp was making his big appearance into fame through the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, and it is just another film through which he has shown the world how good an actor he is. His performance in this feature wasn’t the only entertaining one, John Turturro also proved once again that he can pull the audience into the character. Other factors for which this film is very notable is its soundtrack, the orchestral music placed behind the cinema sucks the audience into every suspenseful moment. This show is a great paranoia horror story, it plays with the viewer’s senses. It is one of many movies that have been made out of one of Stephen King’s stories; sadly, this one isn’t much like King’s story at all.

     The creators of “Secret Window” couldn’t have picked any better actors for the roles of the protagonist, Mort Rainey, and his nemesis, John Shooter. Johnny Depp was making his comeback to fame about the time he starred in this film. He shows that he can rise to the occasion of being able to play any role and do it well. John Turturro acts as the antagonist, John Shooter, and verifies as he always has that he can pull the audience into the moment whenever he appears on the scene. Purely believable, Turturro has never been better that he was in “Secret Window.” However, it’s not actor’s portrayal of characters alone that makes for an entertaining film.

     The soundtrack for this movie is just one more thing that will take hold of the audience. In the most suspenseful scenes the music will draw viewers in and can scare them just as much as what’s going on in the story. Character’s action will scare the audience, but the without the soundtrack, none of the suspense gets built up nearly as well. There are many movies which would be nothing without their music. This film isn’t one of them, but its quality is increased greatly just by adding the suspenseful orchestra in the scenes.

     “Secret Window” is a tale of extreme paranoid horror, and the cinema version of the story somewhat does justice to it. The suspense builds behind every turn and during every moment of the movie. It’s one of the few pictures that can truly scare the viewers, instead of just grossing them out. As good as this flick is, it has one flaw. It is one of many that have been based on a Stephen King fiction, but sadly it is not very much like the original tale. There are many differences between King’s short story and the 2004 enactment. Reading the short story version gives more satisfaction than watching the movie.

          My overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

“Once Upon A Time in Mexico” (2003) [R]

     2003 was a decent year for the cinema industry, with the finishing of the “Lord of the Rings” and the beginning of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series. At the top of the list of the best movies of 2003 is the Robert Rodriguez film “Once Upon A Time in Mexico.” It is the conclusion to his “El Mariachi” trilogy starring Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Mickey Rourke. Each of these actors gave incredible performances, although Depp almost steals the show with his witty character. It is almost too obviously a tribute to Sergio Leone’s “Man with no name” trilogy, and does a very good job of being a sort of hats-off to Leone’s trilogy. The script was incredible and clever with coatings of dark humor. If there’s any reason not to watch this show, it would be that there are a few scenes that are not for the queasy types.
     This movie couldn’t go wrong with the major cast that it had. Antonio Banderas returns as the “el mariachi” character and shows that he will never tire of the role. Dafoe and Rourke also give amazing enactments as the greedy and murderous villains. However, Johnny Depp nearly steals the spotlight as the entertaining character. He plays an F.B.I. agent whose debut to the trilogy is this final installment. His performance as the agent is possibly one of his best yet and will forever stay near the top of that list. It’s not by actor’s roles alone, however, that makes this film an exciting one.

     In the sixties Sergio Leone released a trilogy of westerns known to many as the “Man with no name” trilogy which features Clint Eastwood. The third in that trilogy is entitled “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” and it was a turning point for spaghetti westerns throughout the world. Rodriguez’s “El Mariachi” trilogy is clearly his tribute to Leone’s own trilogy, and “Once Upon A Time in Mexico” is the most interesting one from Rodriguez. His trilogy is much like Leone’s because it too is very western style, and it features actors who can easily portray the “tough-guy” act. Another similarity between the two trilogies is that each installment doesn’t really have much to do with their sibling installments; each one is its own movie, and they do well on individually.

     As I always say, one of the most important things to look for in a movie is how well the script is written, and this one is incredible. Full of clever and dark humor, it could almost be read as a story by itself. There are several ingenious gadgets which belong to Depp’s agent character, and he makes devastating and slightly comical use of each of his gadgets. The dialogue and action competes well with many top-of-the-line productions, and the story itself is almost a tragic sort of action tale. The tragedy and suspense hides around every corner of what might be Rodriquez’s best movie to date. There is, although, one thing about this picture that may lessen the number of its audience. A few gruesome scenes in the film are not recommended for queasy movie-goers.  Those scenes aren’t necessary to the story and can be avoided by watching the edited-for-television version if all else fails.

          My overall rating: 4 out of 5

“From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996) [R]

     “From Dusk Till Dawn” is a turn in filmmaking for Robert Rodriguez. It was the first of his movies to have vampires. The screenplay is commendable, along with the fact that this picture was one of the first to change genres halfway through and the cinematography was experimental to say the least. The one disadvantage to this film is that it is too similar to other Rodriguez movies, which shows that he makes incredible flicks, but only does so with one type.

     The screenplay of this film is commendable for its action and its surprises. Written by Quentin Tarantino, the script has action that almost never stops. The movie is meant to be action-packed, nothing else, and it answers to that call. It also contains a few twists and turns for the viewers; if for some reason the surprises don’t hold enough of the viewer’s interests, then the action most certainly will keep their attention.

     The genre for this show is a little more difficult to pin down than it is for others. The story starts out as a crime action and takes a major turn about halfway through. Just when the audience gets used to watching a movie about criminals on the lamb, it changes like an animal going one direction and suddenly deciding to go completely the other way. It changes into a horror film when the criminals find themselves in the company of vampires. Such an interesting twist can make or break how well the viewers will enjoy this movie.

     Robert Rodriguez showed the world some of his best cinematography with this movie. He made sure the cameras shot everything just the way he wanted and when it came time for the edit he set the filming in the perfect order to compliment the story and give the audience the full view of everything that happened. He also used it as a chance to do some experimental cinematography which led the way for some lower end directors. This new style of filming was to make the audience feel as if they were in a video game during the high-paced action shots; it works incredibly well with Tarantino’s screenplay.

     The main weakness of “From Dusk Till Dawn” is that it is far too similar to other works that Rodriguez and Tarantino have done. They have time and time again proven that they can make intriguing crime action features, which will tell movie-goers, one thing: they need to show that they can do well on other types of motion pictures as well. After watching many other Tarantino or Rodriguez pictures people can begin to get the idea that they enjoy making only action thrillers. This is all well and good, but truly amazing filmmakers throughout history have been able to show that they are adept at many different styles. Although this movie was one of their first takes on horror stories, it just has too much in common with their other projects.

          My overall rating: 2.5 out of 5

“Reservoir Dogs” (1992) [R]

     This story of a crime that goes wrong and the shocking aftermath is a groundbreaking film. As Quentin Tarantino’s break into the writing/directing world, this movie has an incredible sequence setup with flashbacks, and the cast, who all gave stunning performances, brought the crime drama together. There is only one thing about this show that can eat away at the viewer’s experience: there was too much cursing in the dialogue. Even though this movie is about criminals, the dialogue went overboard with it.

     This was Quentin Tarantino’s gateway into the world of famous writers and directors. It was released during a time in which there were other lesser known directors making their way to fame, and out of that group, Tarantino was one of the few that have continued on to make even more interesting movies. He seems to have gotten a big influence from classics like Stanley Kubrick’s “The Killer” and Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas.” He also took the familiar crime genre and converted it into a psychological thriller. However, it wasn’t only his main idea of the story that made this film into the amazing drama that it is.

     The way in which the movie is set up and structured helped the intensity of the plot as well. Tarantino put the story in a sequence filled with flashbacks, which gives viewers the action of the present and the background of what had happened before the start of the movie. The way the show jumps from present to the past and back again was pioneering for others, and has since then become more popular. The structure for this film is complex, yet easy to follow, allowing viewers to quickly grasp the concept and feel compassion for the characters.

     Truly a masterpiece, this film wouldn’t be as good as it is without the actors. Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, and Lawrence Tierney are just a few of the main actors that helped bring this thriller together even more. They all gave superb performances, fitting in the last piece of the puzzle that made for one of the best crime dramas yet to be seen. There was, however, only one slight problem with the film, and that was the amount of swearing in the dialogue. Now, the story is one of criminals, so viewers will expect bad language to an extent. Although some cussing is necessary for the characters, the dialogue went too far with it. Aside from that, this is an intense and fast-paced drama that changed the world of movies for the better.

          My overall rating: 4.5 out of 5

February Reviews

1. "Reservoir Dogs" (1992) [R] (connected by Quentin Tarantino to...)
2. "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996) [R] (connected by Robert Rodriguez to...)
3. "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" (2003) [R] (connected by Johnny Depp to...)
4. "Secret Window" (2004) [PG-13] (connected by John Turturro to...)
5. "Barton Fink" (1991) [R] (connected by Joel Coen to...)
6. "No Country for Old Men" (2007) [R] (connected by Tommy Lee Jones to...)
7. "Space Cowboys" (2000) [PG-13] (connected by Sci-fi Action genre to...)
8. "Zardoz" (1974) [R] (connected by Sean Connery to next month's reviews...)