One Hundred Nights At The Cinema: Nos. 40 - 21
Jan 13 '03 (Updated Jan 27 '03)
The Bottom Line Getting closer to number one with every passing day.
Previous installment(s):
Nos. 100 - 81: http://www.epinions.com/content_2970853508
Nos. 80 - 61: http://www.epinions.com/content_3007160452
Nos. 60 - 41: http://www.epinions.com/content_3034226820
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
This list is almost a full-time job. Getting 100 capsule reviews done (the first 60 of which can be found at the links above) in the space of eight weeks may not sound like a Herculean task, but it's no job for Newton either ("Herc! Herc! Over here! Over here!"). There's always another review to write.
My 5-day trip to Fredericton was a nice breather from the task at hand. But once I got back, and found myself behind schedule, it was a tough trek up the mountain to get this installment done before my self-imposed deadline. I managed to strap on my climbing boots, hire me some Sherpas, and make it to the top in no time. The results of my climb are what you'll find below…
40. The Graduate
directed by Mike Nichols, 1967
Many have hypothesized that "The Graduate" is about the 1960's youth rebellion. But in the end, and in the beginning if you look close enough, it's not about rebellion, but conformity on one's own terms. Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman in a launching pad performance, that runs the gamut from monotonic ennui to charming and charismatic) determines to botch the date his parents set him up on. But eventually he ends up on a bus with that very same girl, she in her wedding dress, he with a ripped jacket. Their future together appears to be filled with laughter. Until, and this happens in a quick moment, the laughter subsides, and they realize they barely know each other. It's a moment pulled off perfectly, by director Mike Nichols, Hoffman, screenwriter Buck Henry (he, as a concierge, asks, "Are you here for an *affair*, sir?" to a befuddled Braddock, who is most certainly there for an affair), and Katharine Ross (stubborn and emotional and appealing).
Add to that the Simon and Garfunkel songs that not only litter the soundtrack but also provide additional commentary on the action. "Ten thousand people, maybe more… talking without speaking… hearing without listening" notes 'The Sounds of Silence'. "Then she'll be a true love of mine" intones 'Scarborough Fair' hopefully. 'Mrs. Robinson', the third song used, works here mainly for its ambiguity. Which one of Ben's women does its titular character represent? Doesn't matter, really. Just follow the bouncy beat, hum "coo coo ca-choo", and long for the innocent days when Joe DiMaggio held the gaze of a nation's lonely eyes.
39. The Big Lebowski
directed by Joel Coen, 1998
This is a marvelous Coen Brothers character sketch. The Dude (Jeff Bridges' tour-de-force performance) is not merely a Spicoli-esque stoner, burned out by too many years smoking Mary Jane and drinking White Russians. He is now, of course, but if you look closely, there are many insights into the Dude's radical student days. Obscure references are made to the Port Huron Statement and the Seattle Seven and "occupying various, um, administration buildings, smoking Thai-stick [and] breaking into the ROTC".
"The Big Lebowski" is also another Coen take on a film noir genre. In this case, a deconstruction of the detective movie. Only their detective is motivated by nothing more than getting reimbursed for a carpet, recently soiled by urine, that "really tied the room" together. Plus, the detective story is really just a MacGuffin, an excuse on which to hang a series of loopy Dude adventures (with cohorts John Goodman and Steve Buscemi).
And, in typical Coen Bros. oddness there's a dream sequence that filters Busby Berkley through Dick Weber. Sam Elliott also stops by, as a narrator who -- get this -- periodically loses his train of thought. Classic.
38. Psycho
directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1960
Just by listing its many faults, you'd think that "Psycho" would be a crowd-displeasing mess: the film's uber-sexy star, Janet Leigh, is killed off before the film is half over; its only interesting character, Tony Perkins' Norman Bates, doesn't appear in the film's first third; there's a boring middle section where two inconsequential characters slowly and endlessly search for their missing sister/girlfriend; the denouement features several inexcusable minutes of blowhard psycho-babble, that try to explain the motivations of the film's antagonist but instead put the audience to sleep.
Thankfully, the film is dominated by what went right: Perkins delivers a creepy and charismatic performance, one of my favourite in cinematic history; Leigh is quite real while being sexy and doomed; the shower scene, 45 seconds without either a knife puncturing skin or a nipple shot, is both exhilarating and scream-worthy; the revelation-of-mama scene; the use of lighting to achieve eeriness; Bernard Herrman's music; the expert editing. Gosh, even the opening credits, done by Hitchcock stalwart Saul Bass, are perfect.
(This mini review is dedicated to weirdo_87, who, for a while there, had the sweats thinking I wasn't going to include "Psycho". See, Neal, I do find some value in Hitchcock's oeuvre.)
37. Jackie Brown
directed by Quentin Tarantino, 1997
"Jackie Brown" was released to theatres in 1997, and greeted with a chorus of critical ennui. Which is probably why I, a devoted Tarantino-ite, didn't see it until it came on cable television 3 years later. And I didn't truly fall in love with it until I picked up the Special Edition DVD (as part of a 3-for-2 deal with "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs") just 4 months ago.
On that viewing, I realized that, despite not having the visceral thrills of "PF" or "RD", "Jackie" is surely the more mature movie. It's got its narrative tricks, sure, but the jumping back and forth through time is necessary, a better and more efficient way to tell the story. And it would be classified as mature even without the advanced age of most of its characters. Still, it features stunning late-career work by Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, and Samuel L. Jackson.
"Jackie Brown" is definitely my third favourite Tarantino movie (which might just give you a hint as to two of the films still to come on this list), but that's like saying Jeff Beck was the third best lead guitarist ever to play for The Yardbirds. When you're beat out by Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, there's still lots of room to be pretty darn good.
http://www.epinions.com/content_75490168452
36. Snatch.
directed by Guy Ritchie, 2000
"Snatch" is the top-rated Guy Ritchie film on the list ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" checked in back at #46). It is a testimony to the good times I had watching these two films that, even after I gave Guy the benefit of the doubt and checked out his recent bomb "Swept Away", I still consider him one of my favourite working directors.
"Snatch" is like "Lock, Stock" in many ways: both films feature immensely complicated heists, lots of colourfully drawn characters, slang-heavy dialogue, and criminals with charisma to spare. But "Snatch" benefits from a bigger budget (Ritchie uses this to pour gasoline on the fire, while never allowing the whole thing to spread out of control) and a star-studded cast. Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, and Brad Pitt head the list of Names You've Heard Of (Pitt is the best of the bunch, as an unintelligible gypsy bare-knuckled boxer). Also, Ritchie regulars Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones do wonderful turns, especially considering neither was an actor until Ritchie spotted them.
"Snatch" is a fun time. It never deigns to making social commentary or espousing philosophy. It's just pure, unadulterated, viscerally thrilling cinema. And, as an added bonus, the only Madonna you'll get is a brief snippet of "Lucky Star" heard on a car's radio. Whew.
http://www.epinions.com/content_75313614468
35. The Bridge on the River Kwai
directed by David Lean, 1957
There are two great movies hidden inside “The Bridge on the River Kwai”. The first, a psychological drama, involves Colonel Nicholson’s (Alec Guinness) insane quest to build a bridge, using his British troops, for tyrannical Japanese Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa). This movie would have the great Guinness-in-a-box scene, his tête-à-têtes with Saito, and, of course, Colonel Bogey’s March.
The other great movie, a taut suspense thriller, would feature William Holden, as an ex-tenant of Saito’s work camp, leading a mission back to blow up the titular bridge. Holden is rough and brash here, able to carry this movie easily (with a hand from Jack Hawkins).
The fact that these two movies, which would stand on their own quite easily, are combined to form one giant elephant of a flick, is an astonishing feat. And the fact that both narratives are given just enough space to roam freely and make themselves know, makes “Bridge” a wonder to behold. And that fact that David Lean manages to outdo even “Lawrence of Arabia” (it’s back there ‘round #42, in case you’re interested) makes me respect the man’s skills even more. And the final moment – Guinness in all his bumbling glory – is just a perfect button for this grand mad joke.
34. The Princess Bride
directed by Rob Reiner, 1987
William Goldman has said that “The Princess Bride” came out of the stories he used to tell his young daughters at bedtime. One night he promised them the story to end all stories, and asked each little girl what she wanted it to be about. “A princess,” squealed the first. “A bride,” chirped the other. From this innocent and gag-inducing beginning sprang the novel that became one of the most self-referential and self-aware anti-fantasy flicks I know.
The only flaw I see here is that the sets usually look all too fake. You can see the seams where the soundstages end and the location shooting begins (also, many of the rock work is just ill-conceived paper mache). But for some reason, this amateur nature of the setting helps bring the story’s kitschy elements out. And believe you me, there area plenty of kitschy elements: Inigo Montoya’s (Mandy Patinkin) stubborn quest to find his father’s killer; Cary Elwes wink and nod performance, complete with jaunty accent; and Andre the Giant’s rhyming. For heaven’s sake, Andre the Giant even appearing in this film is a kitschy moment, but the big man acquits himself well. As does Rob Reiner, surprisingly, in bringing this sleeper hit to life (more on him later).
33. Good Will Hunting
directed by Gus Van Sant, 1997
Yeah. That’s right. “Good Will Hunting” plops itself down right here, 2/3 of the way through the list, and I let it stay. How do you like them apples?
I make no apologies for including this Affleck/Damon showcase flick/vanity project so high. It moved me. It really did. I guess it's because it features three of my favourite narrative themes: genius, obsession, and loneliness. They’re all over the place, from the titular character’s computer-like mind, to his mentor’s obsession with harnessing that mind and using it for his own devices, to the widower psychiatrist brought in to help who’s still reeling from the death of his wife. All the i’s are dotted and all the t’s are crossed. This flick was made for me.
On the other hand, there are some great scenes of knuckleheaded guys, hanging out, bonding, giving each other hell, and raising affections. Affleck and Damon’s Bah-ston buddies are a hoot to follow around, their self-aware ignorance meshing nicely with Will’s brilliance. Toss in a credible love story, an emotional if simplistic breakthrough moment between psychiatrist and patient, and the low-key but still stylish camera work of Gus Van Sant. And the only problem is this: when are Affleck and Damon gonna buckle down and give us another one?
32. The Sting
directed by George Roy Hill, 1973
“The Sting” is just fun, probably the most fun you could possibly have at a movie. Sure, there are the bits with Robert Redford on the run from the cops, which aren’t fun and could be excised quite easily, but the rest of this labyrinthine hoot is silly and smart and complex and frothy and just loaded with good times.
I suppose when their first collaboration, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, went through the roof four years prior, it was inevitable that director George Roy Hill and stars Redford and Paul Newman would team up again. And with them they’ve brought a cast of delightful characters: Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, Harold Gould, et al., a vast menagerie of scene-stealing and appealing character actors. Biggest kudos are reserved for Robert Shaw, who not two years later would be hunting sharks on celluloid, as ‘the mark’ Doyle Lonnegan. I still, apropos of nothing, fall into his thick accent from time to time. “Ya Fallah,” I’d say in casual conversation, and only those in the know would know that “The Sting”, (Gondorff, Hooker and company) wasn’t far from my mind.
(By the way, George Roy Hill died on December 20, 2002, in Manhattan of complications from Parkinson's disease; he was 81. R.I.P., George)
31. The Third Man
directed by Carol Reed, 1949
Vienna is the backdrop for this remarkable little morality play, about a Zane Grey-esque writer's search for the killer of his dead friend. Carol Reed's direction is so good many mistakenly credit it to Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton is funny and just a little damaged as our faux-detective hero, and Welles himself, despite what can't be more than 15 minutes of screentime, provides one of the most complex and intense screen villains you'll ever see.
The moment when we first meet Harry Lime would probably top my list of 100 favourite film moments (if such a thing ever came into existence): the darkened Vienna streets, a man running into the shadows, a cat, a bedroom light going on, and Welles' cherubic and mischievous face illuminated like an angel. Running a close second to that moment in the derby would be Welles' speech by the Ferris wheel. "In Switzerland they had brotherly love," he says, "they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock." Classic line, that. (Legend says that Welles wrote the speech himself, which I'm inclined to believe)
And how could you not take to your breast a movie that prominently features a zither score? I ask you!
30. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut
directed by Trey Parker, 1999
I have never been able to watch a complete episode of the "South Park" TV show. I try, Lord knows I try. But I just never could grasp their appeal. Being a fan of Trey Parker ("Orgazmo" and "Cannibal: The Musical" being guilty pleasures) you'd think would knock me over. But they don't.
This is a paradox made more perplexing by my adoration of the full-length "South Park" movie. Maybe it was the lack of TV's filter, which blunted the language of the show, that brought the boys' satire into sharper focus. Or maybe it was the intense self-reflexivity of the movie (which features a storyline of parental censorship that mimics the real-life actions brought against the movie; life imitating art, etc.). Or maybe it's the songs! "Blame Canada", for obvious reasons, I've always had a soft spot for. But also "Kyle's Mom is a Bi*ch", "Uncle Fu*ka", and the now-legendary "What Would Brian Boitano Do?", all of which break new boundaries in terms of harmony, melody, and ironic silliness.
Whatever. I love the darned thing and I'm not ashamed to say so. And any movie that features a final coup de grace like this one does, where the world is actually saved by a little boy's potty mouth, must be seen and studied. So I decree.
29. Miller's Crossing
directed by Joel Coen, 1990
Hats. It's all about the hats.
The final poetic image we see over the opening credits is of a fedora blown across an autumn clearing. Then, a gangster goes to a moll's apartment, to retrieve his hat that he lost to her in a poker game the night before. Needless to say, that's not all he came for. From here, the action spins off into a labyrinthine series of crosses and double-crosses, where you never know whose allegiance is with whom.
So what do we make of all these hats? My take is that everyone here is flawed, their judgment so clouded that they forget why the rules were in place. So the hat covers the head, just as the flaws of these powerful men cloud their good sense. It's either that, or a typically stylish Coen red herring. Frankly, I'm such a fan of their movies that either answer will suffice.
All the actors here are top-notch, managing to portray these flawed men with the right mixture of charisma and world-weariness. Albert Finney, Jon Polito, J.E. Freeman, and John Turturro are the standouts. And Gabriel Byrne, an actor who I very rarely like, is perfect. He is asked to carry the movie, and he does a fantastic job.
'Miller's Crossing' is not cold and pretentious, as its reputation usually states. The Coens have crafted a tightly plotted and suspenseful movie that never wastes a moment of its time, or of yours.
(As an added bonus, a bit of writer's block in the middle of finishing the "Miller's Crossing" script gave the Coens time to write "Barton Fink". Ta-da!)
28. Bottle Rocket
directed by Wes Anderson, 1996
I first heard of Wes Anderson when he loped onstage, in horn-rimmed glasses and corduroy suit and scarf(!), to accept the Best New Filmmaker trophy at the MTV Movie Awards. That was June 8, 1996. Sadly, I didn't get to see a Wes Anderson movie until February of 1999, and I didn't get to see "Bottle Rocket", the film that garnered him that prize, until last year. It is still the only DVD I've ever bought without having seen the film first. And I'm glad I did.
Anthony (Luke Wilson) is released from a mental hospital. His friend Dignan (and real-life bro and screenwriter Owen Wilson) immediately conscripts him into a 75-year plan involving burglary and a well-known crime syndicate. Anthony, without batting an eye, accepts. "Bottle Rocket" might be the story of a group of incompetent thieves trying to make it big, but I see it as the story of a friendship, of a loyalty and an understanding so intense it can't be broken by double-crosses or colossal failures or even a stint in jail.
Anderson, that geeky little filmmaker I first laid eyes on six-and-a-half years ago, has made bigger and better films with bigger budgets later in his career, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for "Bottle Rocket", a film of passion and devotion and wit that I can watch every day without ever finding boring.
http://www.epinions.com/content_66855538308
27. Annie Hall
directed by Woody Allen, 1977
"Annie Hall" is revered by me and other Woody Allen fans, methinks, because it is the bridge between Woody's earlier, sillier movies ("Bananas", "Sleeper", et al.) and his later, funnier films ("Stardust Memories", "Manhattan", et al.). It turned him from a comedian who made movies to a filmmaker who made comedies.
There are lots of ideas here that have been borrowed and pilfered by lesser filmmakers in the last quarter century. Woody mixes media effectively (one scene features a cartoon Woody visited by Snow White's Wicked Queen). He employs deconstructive narrative devices (one scene features a split-screen conversation between Annie's Wasp and Woody's Jewish families). And his mind for fantasy sequences is ripe and sharp (Alvy Singer's childhood home, he says, was under the roller coaster at Coney Island; a scene featuring his elementary school classmates is wondrous in its imagination and its execution).
But most of all, it's just a darn good love story, complex and nearly torturous, as most real life love stories are. True, "Annie Hall" is the last comedy to win the Best Picture Oscar, and Diane Keaton copped a Best Actress statuette that same night. But these facts shouldn't stop you from seeing it. Over and over and over again.
26. Brazil
directed by Terry Gilliam, 1985
There was a period in my life, somewhere in my mid-late teens, where I was obsessed with utopias. I've visited Sir Thomas More's "Utopia" (the book that named the genre, from the Greek for "no place"), Samuel Butler's "Erewhon" (read that title backwards), and Aldous Huxley's "Island". The latter, however straddles the line between utopia and its ugly brethren, dystopia (which, if you want to get technical, are pretty much the same thing). Dystopia fiction, sometimes, gives me much more pleasure, being a cynic at heart. Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and Huxley's (again) "Brave New World" are the literary giants of this genre.
Terry Gilliam's "Brazil", the more I think of it, is my favourite cinematic dystopia. It's a future world filled with bureaucracy, information as power, and oppression. Its landscape is littered with old-style Teletype machines, miles and miles of ducts, and grotesque forays into plastic surgery. It's a world where a bug smushed on a piece of paper, causing 'Tuttle' to look like 'Buttle' (or is it vice versa?), can inadvertently snuff out the life of a man. It's a world where Sam Lowry, buttoned-down desk jockey, has to dream majestic dreams in order to find the love he so craves.
But I've said this all before, in a much under-loved full-length review. I promised myself in the beginning that I was going to keep the pimping to a minimum here, but please, oh please, check out the longer version. You shant be disappointed.
http://www.epinions.com/content_68840427140
25. Memento
directed by Christopher Nolan, 2000
"Memento's" structure, despite what you've heard hundreds if not thousands of times, is not a gimmick. It grew, organically, out of the movie's premise: a detective with anterograde amnesia, can only keep memories for 15 minutes at a time. It's a bit of a hindrance when his only goal in life is to find his wife's murderer (Dr. Richard Kimble, with his own obstacles, would think himself lucky by comparison). Christopher Nolan, who directed and adapted his brother's short story into a whip-smart and propulsive screenplay, knew that there was only one way this story could be told. Backwards. And forwards. At the same time.
When "Memento" meets itself in the middle, I am amazed that the structure holds up, that it remains clever, and that my jaw can in fact hit the floor.
Guy Pearce, in a role that should call for tension and hyperactivity, plays everything rather straight-laced and cool. As if he's been down this road many times before. And he has. He just doesn't remember it. The performance always works, and becomes even stronger the more times I watch the film. "Matrix" alums Carrie-Ann Moss and Joe Pantoliano hang around to trip Guy up. Both are fun to watch.
As is the movie. But haven't I told you all this before?
http://www.epinions.com/content_73108262532
24. The Godfather: Part II
directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1974
I imagine a world in which John Cazale, Fredo in "The Godfather" films, didn't die in 1978 of bone cancer. His filmmography might have looked something like this:
Year ...Movie……………………….....Role
1972...The Godfather………………...Fredo Corleone
1974...The Conversation………….....Stan
1974...The Godfather Part II………...Fredo Corleone
1975...Dog Day Afternoon…………...Sal
1978...The Deer Hunter……………...Stan
1979...Apocalypse Now………….....Engineman 2nd Class (EN2) Jay Hicks/'Chef'
1980...Raging Bull…………………....Salvy
1980...Tess…………………………...Parson Tringham
1981...Reds…………………………...Louis Fraina
1984...Amadeus……………………...Antonio Salieri
1986...Children of a Lesser God…....Dr. Curtis Franklin
1986...Hoosiers……………………....Wilbur "Shooter" Flatch
1987...Moonstruck…………………...Mr. Johnny Cammareri
1990...Goodfellas………………….....Paul Cicero
1990...The Godfather Part III………...Fredo Corleone (archive footage)
1992...Unforgiven………………….....W.W. Beauchamp
1993...In The Name of the Father.....Giuseppe Conlon
1996...Fargo……………………….....Wade Gustafson
1998...The Thin Red Line…………....Lt. Col. Gordon Tall
1998...Saving Private Ryan………....Lt. Col. Walter Anderson
1999...The Insider…………………....John Scanlon
2002...Insomnia……………………....Will Dormer
Now, some of these films I haven't seen, and can't accurately judge if Cazale would be right for the parts (I'm sure with a bit of rewriting he would be). But nevertheless, it's nice to see him working again, if only in my imagination.
http://www.epinions.com/content_74238824068
23. Apocalypse Now
directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1979
"Apocalypse Now", more than any other film on this list, has benefited from the context in which I saw it, rather than the merits of the film itself. That's not to say that it isn't a remarkable film. It is. But I didn't think so until last year.
I first saw the film as an assignment for my Grade 10 English class. We had just read Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" (on which the film is based, or at least borrows from), and were asked -- get this -- to watch "Now", in preparation for our exam. Fine. So the first time I saw Coppola's "other" masterpiece, it was for homework. Not an ideal viewing experience, and thus my appreciation of the film was sullied.
A friend and I went to see the "Redux" version when it was released last year. We bought our tickets, and made our way to the appropriate theatre, only to discover that the film was to be shown in IMAX. Outstanding!
Imagine the site of Robert Duvall, smelling napalm in the morning, on a screen 10 stories high. Or Marlon Brandon, encased by shadows, mumbling "The Horror! The Horror!" in super-crystal clear THX sound. Or seeing Martin Sheen, going buggy in a hotel room and putting his fist through a mirror, filling up even your peripheral vision. My first viewing was wiped from memory by this visceral experience, and now I couldn't help but be overwhelmed and full of admiration.
(Useless trivia: this is Francis Ford Coppola's second consecutive film on the list, duplicating the feat first achieved by Neil LaBute at Nos. 82 & 83)
22. This Is Spinal Tap
directed by Rob Reiner, 1984
It always frustrates me when I realize that I adore -- with a passion -- two Rob Reiner movies (both found in this section). I mean, the guy was Meathead for crissakes! You don't see me all agog over Opie's movies, or even Laverne's. But Meathead I give my cinematic heart to? Yeesh.
Anyway, I can justify my love of "This is Spinal Tap" because the credit for this hilarious rockumentary can be shared between a four-headed monster of actors, writer, directors, and improvisers. Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer make up the rest of that quartet, and none have ever been better.
McKean rings pathos and humanity from rhythm guitarist/lead singer David St. Hubbins. Guest is suitably ignorant but also quite damaged as lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel. And Shearer is world weary and lovably insipid as bassist Derek Smalls. Yes, things go to 11, someone bellows "Hello Cleveland!", and drummers keep exploding, but the Tap comes across as real men with real problems. Except they're idiots. It's a delightful confection.
The gang improvises through a series of scenes, chronicling a reunion tour of America that puts the "ur" in Murphy's Law. I could watch "Tap" a hundred times in a row, and never get tired of the jokes, the wit, or, and this is the part that I love most, the riff-a-liffic songs.
Meathead, you done good.
http://www.epinions.com/content_78819724932
21. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
directed by Milos Forman, 1975
It's quite easy to laud Jack Nicholson in this one. And don't get me wrong, I normally do. But while I have this second opportunity to pimp "Cuckoo's Nest", I wanted to take a moment and again mention the performance of Dean Brooks.
Dean Brooks is probably not an actor you've heard of. That's because he's not an actor. He is (or was) the real-life superintendent of the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon, where "Cuckoo's Nest" was filmed. Milos Forman had the inspired idea to use Brooks as the film's superintendent, Dr. Spivey. And Brooks comes through quite effectively.
His first scene is a great indication of this. Forman gave him a made-up case file on Randall Patrick McMurphy (Nicholson), complete with medical records and criminal history, and instructed him to interview McMurphy as he would any other new patient. Without a script. The scene, which runs 8-minutes and consists of nothing more than the two men's conversation, is gripping, tender, and quite volatile. Brooks, even in the face of Nicholson's mad improvisations (which get quite bawdy and profane), never loses his cool. He plays the doctor who has seen this act before, because, well, he's really a doctor who's seen this act before. I marvel at this scene, and Brooks' performance in it. Okay, Jack's pretty good here too. But you already knew that.
http://www.epinions.com/content_77546425988
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[In the next installment: One dark satire, 1 mystery, 1 documentary, 1 biopic, 2 dramedies, 3 suspense thrillers, 3 crime dramas, and (gasp!) 8 romantic comedies… All this and my definitive choice of the BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME!]
Nos. 20 - 1: http://www.epinions.com/content_3078004868
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
mfunk75
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Mike Stone
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 218
Trusted by: 145 members
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.