Heh - I know these entries are probably gonna get really old after awhile...but I don't have too much else to write about for now. Promise I'll get a real life soon! :)




"The Scarlet Pimpernel" with Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon:

I've never read the book, so I can't be sure, but this movie contained enough action (well-balanced with humour and poignant scenes) and was fast-paced enough to prompt me to think the screenplay was probably a very good adaptation. Merle Oberon is far more sympathetic in this movie than in "Wuthering Heights" (LOVE that one - please watch it, if you haven't already!), and Leslie Howard is his usual sterling self. He's actually really funny in many of the scenes, and shines in all his scenes with Oberon. The supporting cast is fairly decent, and the costuming well done. Overall, I'd give 4.0/5 stars.



"Fight Club" with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt:

Well, I never thought I'd see a movie that rivaled "The Matrix" for pervasive nihilism and anti-consumerism...but I found it! Also like "The Matrix", "Fight Club" is highly stylized, with strong choices in direction and writing. Unlike "The Matrix", in my opinion, however, "Fight Club" was much more demanding of its actors. Norton was excellent - as usual - and Pitt was well-suited to his role. It's a pretty representative example of all that's good in late-1990's/early-2000's social-commentary film...and has the added bonus for all "Band of Brothers" fans of featuring Eion Bailey (Pvt. Webster in "BoB"). With clever acting, strong directing, and relatively inspired writing, I'd give it 4.2/5 stars.

----------------

And now a film so big it deserves and entire section to itself...


"A Bridge Too Far" with Anthony Hopkins, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, Sean Connery, Laurence Olivier, James Caan, Elliot Gould, Dirk Bogarde, Michael Caine, Maximillian Schell, Ryan O'Neal...pretty much everyone ever...

This hefty 3-hour epic from 1977 is one of the few films made about Allied "Operation: market Garden" in WWII (compared to the number of D-Day films). It features an enormous and star-studded cast, and several different story-lines. Director Richard Attenborough handles this well, though, and manages to hold the sprawling and un-wieldy production together for the most part. There are some places where the script bogs down, however, for which not even Attenborough's skilled hand can compensate. (For instance, I'm not entirely sure the James Caan story-line even needs to be in the movie at all...no matter how much I love the guy!) Overall, though, the script delivers the necessary exposition info, then quickly moves into building the tension and raising the stakes for the characters. By the end of the film, one feels a genuine sense of loss.

The performances have a great deal to do with creating that effect, particularly those involved in the Anthony Hopkins storyline. The overall acting is largely solid...Hopkins and Olivier are stand-outs (as they usually are, I suppose), and Caine and Bogarde avail themselves well. Schell and the other Germans happily perform in their native tongues (something that always makes me happy in these movies), which more than makes up for Gene Hackman producing potentially the worst Polish accent that's ever been recorded in film history.

The other production values are pretty fantastic; it's clear that plenty of money was pumped into this project. The location shooting, military equipment, costumes, special effects, and stunt performers all attest to that. The editing is very well done, indeed, as are the music, cinematography, and production design.

All in all, there is far more right than wrong with this film...and it provides a great history lesson for those unfamiliar with Market Garden. I'd recommend it pretty highly at 4.6/5 stars.