I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.
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| Scarface - Tony Montana wanted it all, and he got it all. |
Scarface (1983)
Watch Scarface
Written by: Oliver Stone
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Starring: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer
Rated: R
Plot:
Tony Montana (Al Paciono) rises to power as a drug kingpin in Miami.
Verdict:
Tony Montana knows what he wants and takes it. An enduring character that can't be stopped despite the violence and his ego. He succeeds on sheer will alone in a rags to riches story, dealing drugs and killing. While he has a code, he's still a criminal, and yet incredibly successful. It's hyper violent and revels in the over indulgence of the '80s. It's the premiere gangster film.
Watch it.
Review:
Even in the first scene Pacino completely inhabits the character of Tony Montana. You have a good idea of who he is in just a few minutes. He's a Cuban refugee and we know he's lying to the cops. This movie captures the 80s opulence and excess. Montana wants it all and wants to show all of it off.
The synth beats of the soundtrack are just perfect. They're dated now, but it fits the movie perfectly. Tony and Manny start with nothing and make it big. They have more money then they know what to do with. It's an underdog success story, in spite of the violence.
Montana is arrogant and prideful, despite starting as a dishwasher. He has no reason to be so confidant, but he is. The Colombian drug buy that happens early on shows you how smart Montana is while also underscoring the violence prevalent in the movie. At the same time it doesn't show anything other than blood spatter. The restraint leaves it to our imagination. I wish contemporary movies would take note. The anticipation and my imagination is what makes this scene memorable, other than the chainsaw wielding maniac.
Montana's tactics at the drug buy nab him the money and the drugs, and it leads to a promotion. This is a movie that tells you money can buy you everything you want. Once you get the money, you get power, and then the women. Tony and Manny rise up the ranks and have clothes, cars, jewelry, and women. They and we see the kingpins at the top with huge houses and big smiles.
Tony's audacious enough to flirt with his boss's girl, Elvira, when the boss is a few feet away. It's fitting that she is wearing green the first couple of times we see her. Green for envy, green for greed. It's that confidence that spurs him to make deals without his boss's authority. Tony is beholden to no one. He takes destiny by the throat.
Tony is a huge success but that money hasn't brought happiness, despite what it promised, despite what he expected, despite what he was told. The money brings problems. His life and relationships have deteriorated. He has all this money and worries about how to protect it. It's the curse of excess. Everything he did was excess and now he's a target.
He's high more than he's sober, causing erratic behavior. His only friend Manny, and his wife, don't want to be around him. He's too high to make smart decisions and everything crumbles.
This movie is the rise and fall of the Montana empire. What made him rich, also led to his downfall. In triumph is tragedy. This is a cautionary tale with a legendary gunfight as the climax.
Read my The Big Short review
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| Dope - A typical teen movie modernized by making it retro. |
Watch Dope
Written by: Rick Famuyiwa
Directed by: Rick Famuyiwa
Starring: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons
Rated: R
Plot:
High school senior Malcolm, a self professed '90s geek living in a rough neighborhood, navigates drug dealers, girls, and college interviews with his best friends.
Verdict:
The 90's influence on this movie creates a strange tone in contrast with the violence. It started as an outcast living a tough life and pivoted to a madcap romp reminiscent of '80s teen movies.The clever story stays one step ahead, but it's not what I expected based on the introduction. The characters and tone set this apart. While the story is well done, the concept of a teen adventure movie isn't unique.
It depends.
Review:
This feels like a 90s period piece since the main characters are obsessed with that time period, though it's set in current day. For Malcolm, getting beaten up isn't a bad day, when people are shot by stray gunfire in his neighborhood. You could be killed while buying a burger.
These kids are made fun of for liking the white culture of the 90s. Malcom gets his shoes stolen in school. but if it's happened before, why would he wear fancy shoes again?
He writes a college essay about Ice Cube's Today was a Good Day, but is rebuked by his teacher who wants him to write a cliche essay about how he lives in a crime filled area, is raised by a single mother, and just wants to better himself.
The 90s obsession makes this movie stand out, but it's also makes it weird. This strange tone and style is at odds with the violence and danger of the neighborhood.
Malcolm chases after a girl, and this is where the movie changes from a lighter Boyz N the Hood take to a John Hugh's wild teen romp.
The story twists and intersects with itself, and Malcolm develops a relatively safe and modern way to sell the drugs that accidentally came into his possession. Based on the first quarter of the movie, I didn't see it going this way. The story devolves into a crazy youtube parody. The commentary on young man that doesn't conform to those around him is dropped altogether.
The movie wraps up exploring perception versus reality. Fake designer bags look real if you carry it like it's real. Malcolm pens a college essay about the opposing forces in his life and concludes alluding to system racism. Ending with that monologue would have been strong, but the movie continues for a while longer.
The Killing Fields (1984)
Watch The Killing Fields
Written by: Bruce Robinson
Directed by: Roland Joffé
Starring: Sam Waterston, Haing S. Ngor, John Malkovich, Craig T. Nelson
Rated: R
Plot:
Based on a true story, reporter Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) reports on the atrocities in Cambodia during the reign of Pol Pot, guided by local reporter Dith Pran.
Verdict:
Reporters go great lengths and the consequences are very real. Dith Pran continued to report despite what could happen and became enslaved by the Pol Pot regime. The images are staggering, with destruction and death permeating every scene. It maintains an intensity as danger is constant.
The movie is split into halves with reporters covering a dangerous civil war and the second half depicting the enslavement of the locals. The action and performances feel authentic, especially Ngor in his first role.
It depends.
Review:
The film opens with reporter Schanberg and photographer Rockoff having breakfast at an outdoor Cambodian cafe with Rockoff complaining. When a bomb explodes just yards away, Rockoff springs to action taking photos of the destruction while Schanberg is shocked at the devastation.
The images of a war torn country seen throughout the film are striking and intense.
Schanberg's relationship with the military and local embassy is tense as they would rather keep him out, for his safety more than anything.
Pran evacuates his family but stays behind to continue reporting. While all of the reporters are in danger, Pran doesn't have a valid passport. While they scramble to forge one, it doesn't work.
Schanberg evacuates to the states, trying to track Pran. He feels responsible.
Pran is in a labor camp, providing a voice over talking to Schanberg. I didn't know if the voice over was Pran recounting the events later or just his thoughts. If they are his thoughts, why address Schanberg directly?
Pran finally manages to escape and stumbles upon the killing fields where Pol Pot disposed of bodies. It's estimated that Pol Pot's regime murdered more than two million people.
This is contrasted with Schanberg who wins an award for his work in Cambodia. While he credits half of the award to Pran, their levels of sacrifice are vastly different. Rockoff accuses Schanberg of keeping Pran in Cambodia just to win the award. Schanberg does eventually locate Pran, reuniting him with his family.
The soundtrack doesn't always sound good, but it does usually add to the desired mood.
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