See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)

I didn't remember why See No Evil, Hear No Evil ended up on my watchlist (it was because of Kevin Spacey, by the way), but the title intrigued me, I saw it was a comedy with Gene Wilder and I watched it. 

David Lyons (Gene Wilder), a deaf man who runs a convenience store, befriends and hires Wally Karue (Richard Pryor), a blind man. Then a murder is committed in the store and they both witness it. Because of their impairments, they can't identify the murderer. Also, the police suspect them of the murder and arrest them. That's when the real killer (Joan Severance) and her associate (Kevin Spacey) show up as they don't want to take any chances, David and Wally manage to escape and it's up to them to clear their names while both police and actual murders go after them.

What follows is a very simple and very non-sensical plot --like in Dumb and Dumber, only See No Evil, Hear No Evil was made five years before-- that, in spite of its flaws, still manages to be effective and keep you interested throughout the whole running time. 

But the credits don't go to the writers, but to the leading duo, Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. I haven't seen their previous collaborations --I believe this is their third film together-- but I think it's safe to say they are a match made in heaven. First, their performances. Both Wilder and Pryor are very convincing in their roles, the first as the deaf man and the latter as the blind man, and they are consistently hilarious. Then, there's the chemistry. They have such a great, natural chemistry and that's basically what keeps the film running smoothly. 

TriStar Pictures

The supporting cast is no less. Though far from being his best performance, Kevin Spacey does a good job as Kirgo, one of the criminals trying to kill the duo, and it was nice seeing him before his career took off. Joan Severance is both funny and sexy as Eva, the other crook. Alan North though easily steals the scene as the bad-tempered cop who is trying to catch David and Wally.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil is also funny from start to finish. A few jokes fall flat, but most of them are perfectly timed and very effective --they are pretty juvenile and idiotic though. The slapstick works very well, and there's plenty of hilarious moments to enjoy. My favourite? That scene where the policewoman tries to take a photo of David after the arrest. 

New in December: Cinematic Holiday Treats

December's incoming titles make for a satisfying mix of the new and returning, with a number of genuine standouts that haven't been seen on Netflix (or not seen for a long time, anyway). Directors such as David Fincher, Michael Mann, Peter Weir, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Cameron Crowe, and Robert Rossen are represented, as is a certain superspy by the name of Bond, James Bond.

Add in a dash of Paul Newman, a pinch of Will Smith, and a spoonful or two of Jim Carrey, David Bowie, and James Caan, with a garnish of Jo(h)ns�Wayne, Travolta, and Voight�and you've got some tasty treats of cinematic goodness. Where are the women, you ask? Good question. Among the better titles, there's Jodie Foster, Jennifer Connelly, and Charlize Theron, but most of the films with strong female leads fall decidedly in the crappy category (yes, Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman, and Shelly Long, I'm talkin' to you).

The Thoroughbreds

Almost Famous

An ode to 1970s rock and roll, Cameron Crowe's autobiographical Almost Famous (2000) is the writer-director's most personal film, even beyond its status as a fictionalized account of Crowe's early years as a teen rock journalist for Rolling Stone. While (convincingly) portraying a very specific time and place in his young existence�life on the road with a Led Zeppelin-like rock band�Almost Famous is also a kind of looking glass into everything Crowe was to do as a filmmaker in the years to come, shining a light into the soul of a man whose sentiments and musical taste would enrich such films as Fast Times at Ridgmont High, Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, and even the underrated Elizabethtown.

The film abounds with humor, charm, and Crowe's distinctive sense of humanity, not to mention a killer classic rock soundtrack (authentically enhanced by Nancy Wilson's era-appropriate originals) and a cast to die for�starting with the young Patrick Fugit, whose ingenuous performance holds its own with those of Frances McDormand, Billy Crudup, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. That's to say nothing of Kate Hudson's luminous turn as Penny Lane, still considered her defining performance (even after so many bad rom-coms), or the very funny Jason Lee as the fictional band Stillwater's insecure frontman. If this theatrical version of Almost Famous feels slightly lumpy and truncated (the longer, "Bootleg" cut provides some needed breathing room), there's no denying the film's warm, beating, nostalgic heart.

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The Usual Suspects (1995)

Genre

Crime | Drama| Thriller

Director

Bryan Singer

Country

United States

Cast

Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Pete Postlethwaite, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio del Toro, Peter Greene, Suzy Amis, Clark Gregg, Dan Hedaya, Giancarlo Esposito, Michelle Clunie, Paul Bartel

Plot

A deadly firefight and a fire aboard a ship docked in the San Pedro Bay leaves two survivors: a Hungarian criminal named Arkos Kovaz (Morgan Hunter) hospitalized from severe burns, and Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey) with cerebral palsy.

Separately, FBI agent Baer (Giancarlo Esposito) and Customs agent Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) arrive in San Pedro, lured by reports that the Turkish criminal Keyser Söze was involved with the incident. As Verbal later explains, Söze has a near mythical and vengeful reputation, having killed his own family when they were held hostage by a Hungarian gang to show his resolve, and then killing off all but one of the gang members before disappearing underground, keeping his true identity secret by insulating himself from his agents that may not even know who they are working for.

Opinion

The Usual Suspects is one of the best thrillers of 90's, along with Seven (David Fincher) and The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme). The script is excellent, the story does keep the viewer in suspense until the last minute. The final twist is simply unforgettable. The outstanding Kevin Spacey overshadows the other actors. The two Academy Awards won, for Best Supporting Actor (Kevin Spacey) and Best Original Script (Christopher McQuarrie), are totally deserved.

Quotes

Roger "Verbal" Kint: A man can convince anyone he's somebody else, but never himself.

Rating

9.5/10