Sunday, 27 April 2008

The Snake Pit

Movie Review: The Snake Pit

Year of Release: 1948
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Anatole Litvak
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn

Plot outline: Virginia Cunningham finds herself in a state insane asylum and can't remember how she got there (IMDb).

Brilliantly written and directed, this movie put the audience in the patient's shoes, so that we can see the world through her eyes and understand how it feels to be in her situation. Superbly acted by Olivia de Havilland as mentally ill Virginia Cunningham, the script seamlessly guides the audience through her ordeal and gradual recovery. The only reason Ms. de Havilland didn't win Oscar for Best Actress that year is because she had won the award two years previously for To Each His Own. Betsy Blair almost steals the show portraying lost and beyond help Hester. While Leo Genn provides comfort playing sympathetic and encouraging Dr. Mark Kik. Toward the end, the scene where they are all at the dance and a woman sings "Going Home" is genuinely and extremely touching. This movie is brave and ground-breaking for its time. A landmark! A delicate subject which is sensitively treated and brilliantly presented.

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars

Friday, 25 April 2008

Stalag 17

Movie Review: Stalag 17

Year of Release: 1953
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Billy Wilder
Cast: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger

Plot outline: When two escaping American World War II prisoners are killed, the German POW camp barracks black-marketeer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer (IMDb).

This is the movie that popular TV series Hogan's Heroes got the inspiration from. Up until now I've always thought that Hogan's Heroes is nowhere near the truth, a complete spoof of POW camp barracks stories. But after I watched Stalag 17 and did some research over the Internet, prison camps for Allied soldiers were actually not that bad, compared to concentration camps for the Jews. The harshest punishment they had to endure is boredom! Being locked up in a crowded barrack with very little to do. And then suddenly, in the hands of skillful Billy Wilder, the story becomes realistic and the characters become real. They need to do something to keep themselves occupied: those who are humourous would start to perform some tricks to amuse themselves and others, those who are entrepreneurial would start to carry out business to make a profit, even if it means black-marketeering, and those who are not so talented would start to devise a plan to escape. And these apparently apply to the captors too. William Holden earns his first and only Oscar for Best Actor playing the cynical sergeant J.J. Sefton, the black-marketeer. But it is Robert Strauss and Harvey Lembeck who steals the show playing the comic antics 'Animal' Kasava and 'Sugar Lips' Shapiro. While Otto Preminger and Sig Ruman give delightful performance playing the antagonists Colonel von Scherbach - the camp commandant, and Johann Sebastian Schulz - the comic sergeant. Overall, the movie is a perfect combination of a tight plot, sharp dialogue and great characters.

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars

Sunday, 20 April 2008

Oliver Twist

Movie Review: Oliver Twist

Year of Release: 1948
Country of Origin: UK
Director: David Lean
Cast: Robert Newton, Alex Guinness, Kay Walsh, Francis L. Sullivan, John Howard Davies

Plot outline: Based on the Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist is about an orphan boy who runs away from a workhouse and meets a pickpocket on the streets of London (IMDb).

After all these years and dozens of remakes, David Lean's Oliver Twist is still considered by many to be the definitive screen adaptation of the story. In most parts of the movie, he perfectly preserves the spirit of the story. Oliver Twist is actually a simple story, but it is the characters and the setting that make it interesting. The characters are eerily memorable - Bill Sikes, Fagin, Nancy, Mr. Bumble, Artful Dodger, etc. - brilliantly performed by talented cast, even the dog - the bull terrier named Bull's Eye - perfectly fits into its role. The setting, the depiction of London is surreally imaginative, this is accentuated by the good-looking black and white cinematography - cold and yet passionate, repulsive and yet attractive, with despair and hope live side by side. Just as Dickens with his masterful writing successfully delivers this melodramatic story, Mr. Lean with his masterful filmmaking successfully depicts the true spirit of the story.

My judgement: ***1/2 out of 4 stars

Tuesday, 15 April 2008

Oliver Twist

Movie Review: Oliver Twist

Year of Release: 2005
Country of Origin: UK, Czech Republic, France, Italy
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Barney Clark, Ben Kingsley

Plot outline: An adaptation of the classic Dickens tale, where an orphan meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master (IMDb).

It's probably not a good idea to remake a movie of a story that has been made and remade into movies so many times before - with at least two of them are of the finest quality. So, unless the story or storytelling is considerably better or different than its predecessors, the movie would probably face some difficulties to grab and impress the audience. I think this is what happens with this new adaptation of Oliver Twist. It's beautifully made, well told and well acted, but somehow it doesn't spark our emotion. What's missing? I think maybe because the important parts of the story are left out, e.g. the story of Oliver's birth and origins, the story of a mysterious man named Monks and the fact that Mr. Brownlow is related to him. I think Mr. Polanski intentionally cut these parts out to shift the focus more toward Fagin and the issues of forgiveness and redemption. The overall feeling of this movie is like Oliver Twist with a substantial tone of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables - it ends with an emotional scene of Oliver Twist visiting Fagin in prison on the eve of his hanging.

My judgement: ** out of 4 stars

Friday, 11 April 2008

Family Plot

Movie Review: Family Plot

Year of Release: 1976
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Barbara Harris, William Devane

Plot outline: A phony psychic and her taxi driver boyfriend encounter a pair of serial kidnappers while trailing a missing heir in California (IMDb).

Family Plot is Hitchcock's last movie - he died in 1980. It's lighthearted suspense intertwined with comedy. This movie reminds me of his earlier work from 1955, The Trouble with Harry. The characters and the dialogue are not as rich and witty as those in the earlier work; nonetheless, the cast, especially Bruce Dern, give solid performances of their roles. Meanwhile, the musical score is unexpectedly dull; considering John Williams, the composer, had just won the Oscar for Best Original Score for Jaws the year before. It's often grouped among the less successful Hitchcock's movies; nevertheless, it holds your attention and keeps you guessing until the very end.

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

Tuesday, 8 April 2008

Torn Curtain

Movie Review: Torn Curtain

Year of Release: 1966
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Paul Newman, Julie Andrews

Plot outline: An American scientist publicly defects to East Germany as part of a cloak and dagger mission to find the solution for a formula resin and then figuring out a plan to escape back to the West (IMDb).

Torn Curtain is often considered as one among the less successful Hitchcock's movies. I think the biggest problem with this movie is the lead stars. Julie Andrews looks like she's just came out of the set of the Sound of Music (the fact is, this is her work right after that hugely popular musical); her performance is flat, there isn't much of a character to develop here. While Paul Newman doesn't look comfortable as a scientist, let alone convincing as a traitor or double-crosser. Between them, they clearly don't have chemistry. Also a problem is the musical score. The falling out between Bernard Herrmann - his longtime musical collaborator, famously known as the composer behind his masterpiece North by Northwest - and him during the production of this movie might have contributed to the less exciting musical score. Despite of these drawbacks, I can still see his masterful touch in several scenes: 1) the grueling murder scene of the security officer Gromek, 2) the bus pursuit scene between Leipzig and Berlin, 3) the photographic freeze-frames of the ballerina's distinctive face as she pinpoints Newman's character out and 4) the choice of Lila Kedrova to play a minor role with significant impression as troubled, probably disturbed, Countess Kuchinska. This is not his best work, but always worth watching.

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

Sunday, 6 April 2008

Murder on the Orient Express

Movie Review: Murder on the Orient Express

Year of Release: 1974
Country of Origin: UK
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael York

Plot outline: In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder occurred in his car the night before (IMDb).

If you like Agatha Christie's murder mystery, this movie is a must-see. Faithful to the plot of the book, this big screen adaptation of Christie's Murder on the Orient Express grips me as firmly as the book does. As a character-centered, dialogue-driven movie, this star-studded ensemble cast delivers delicious old-time eccentric personalities in a confined space. Albert Finney gives an impeccable performance as the little man with the moustache, Hercule Poirot. But, it is Ingrid Bergman who snatches the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Also not to be missed are the costumes and the cinematography.

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

Tuesday, 1 April 2008

Ocean's Eleven (trilogy)

Movie Review: Ocean's Eleven (trilogy) (?)

Ocean's Eleven
Year of Release: 2001
Country of Origin: USA, Australia
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts

Plot outline: Danny Ocean and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously (IMDb).

Ocean's Twelve
Year of Release: 2004
Country of Origin: USA, Australia
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Plot outline: Danny Ocean recruits one more team member so he can pull off three major European heists in this sequel to Ocean's Eleven (IMDb).

Ocean's Thirteen
Year of Release: 2007
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin

Plot outline: Danny Ocean rounds up the boys for a third heist, after casino owner Willy Bank double-crosses one of the original eleven, Reuben Tishkoff (IMDb).

I feel a little bit uneasy with movies that have too many central characters, let alone too many big stars. George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon ... they are all 'A-list' stars - which understandably come with big egoes, all in one set?! Would the story equally split the screen time among them all? Or would they outdo each other to get to the centre stage? Compared to the original Ocean's Eleven, the first instalment of Danny Ocean's heist thriller is, by means of technology, better presented. The story is a retelling of the original one with some makeover in the middle to increase the complexity of the targets to meet today's security standards and to intensify the suspense, and a different, rather disappointing, anti-climax ending which looks silly and unnecessary. The second instalment: Don't you hate to think that whatever Hollywood throws at us, we still watch them? Ocean's Twelve is one of them. The story is so lame, even worse ... the only people who have fun are themselves, not us the audience. It's pathetic! Learning from audience's antipathy toward this movie, the third instalment is unexpectedly better scripted, but not without some silliness. The nemesis from the previous two movies, Terry Benedict, joins and helps the team. What?! I suddenly realize that this is only a movie ... don't think too hard, it's only entertainment. Would we see Ocean's Fourteen in the near future? Who knows.

My judgement:
** out of 4 stars for "Ocean's Eleven" (2001)
* out of 4 stars for "Ocean's Twelve" (2004)
*1/2 out of 4 stars for "Ocean's Thirteen" (2007)

Ocean's Eleven
Year of Release: 1960
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Lewis Milestone
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Angie Dickinson

Plot outline: Eleven friends who know each other from World War II service plan to rob five of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas in one night (IMDb).

Compared to its remake, the heist in this original version of Ocean's Eleven looks pretty simple and straightforward, more like a stunt than a real robbery, with limited suspense. Nevertheless, The Rat Pack et al. give a fairly good entertainment. The story actually gets better toward the end and hits the high notes with a witty, twisted ending.

My judgement: ** out of 4 stars