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Ryan-77
Reviews
King Kong (1933)
It endures time and criticism
One of the great tributes to the power of KING KONG is that it has attracted innumerable allegorical and deconstructionist theories, yet in the end it defies all of them. The film is so powerful a tale, such a primal journey into story archetypes, that people automatically reflect their own personality onto it.
The theories are almost endless: a racist tale of the Black man in American, a parable of America seeking an escape from the depression, a Freudian story of where the Empire State building is a phallic symbol and Denham uses Kong as his sexual release for his lust for Anne (I've always found this theory to be hysterically funny), and a tale of ecology and man's continual destruction of nature. KING KONG is, after all, a work of art, so any of these theories can be argued. But they tend to reduce a film that is far more complicated and powerful than a simple allegory. All these theories people develop to explain the movie cannot finally contain it -- KING KONG is a timeless phenomenon of the richness of great storytelling.
What truly makes the film work, for audiences in 1933 and today, is that it is a masterpiece of escapist fantasy and adventure that fulfills our wildest daydreams of far off tropical lands and the gleaming metropolis of 1930s New York, the two great jungles of fantasy. Even today its relentless pace rockets viewers along. Once Denham's expedition arrives on Skull Island, the movie NEVER lets up with thrill after thrill after thrill. The effects look great, no excuses given -- they are a pure joy to watch. Cooper once said that he wanted to make the best adventure film of all time, and that was his only intention. Well Cooper, I think you damn near succeeded.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Engrossing
Kubrick's last film cannot attain the majesty of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY or the brilliant satire of DR. STRANGELOVE, but it is still a stunning, amazing work of art. From the first scene it draws you into its mesmerizing and hypnotically paced tale of sex and dreams, by turns comic and horrifying. The ritual sequence in the movie's center -- indeed, the soul of the movie -- is a shocking and engrossing scene that Kubrick perfectly realizes in the visual language of a nightmare. You'll leave the movie dazed and deeply affected by its imagery and its message about the power of sex both for destruction and healing. A wonderful farewell from a brilliant 20th Century artist.
The Shining (1980)
An interesting comparision to the book
Stanley Kubrick's film version of THE SHINING becomes much clearer and more interesting after you've read King's novel. Many people tend to disparage either one in favor of the other, but both novel and movie have individual merits and are ultimately about entirely different themes.
In the novel, King examines a flawed but decent man (Jack Torrance) who becomes the victim of a rapacious hotel with a mind of its own that wants to devour him and his family. Jack fights long and hard against the power of the Overlook Hotel, but the hotel overpowers him and eventually fully possesses him. King shows basic optimism in humanity when he lets Jack's remaining human personality poke through during his furious final rampage and allow his son Danny to escape. The Hotel dies an incerinating death as Danny, his mother, and the helpful Hallorann escape to a new life.
No such optimism for Stanley Kubrick. Jack Torrance begins as a violent, slightly insane man who has managed to wear a mask of decency for a few years. The Hotel tempts Jack to remove that mask with its endless luxurious space, opulance, and promise of the immortality that has always alluded him in his writing. When Jack goes berszerk at the end, it really IS Jack in control, not the spirit of the Overlook wearing his shape. There is no humanity to appeal to in Jack (indeed, there never was to begin with), and Danny and his mother can only hope to escape him through their own wits.
As a film, THE SHINING is a frightfully cold tale of humanity stripped bare, and Kubrick purposely distances the story from the emotional background of King's novel, which is a tale of temptation of the human spirit and its purgation. King's novel is freeing, symbolized in the exploding Overlook Hotel, while Kubrick's film is a prison, symbolized by the hedge maze that becomes Jack's demise. It's no wonder that King dislike the movie version so strongly, but both renditions are worthy of praise, and the comparison between them further emphasizes their individual strengths.
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
Fans and non fans alike will hate this film
If you're a fan of Tolkien's classic novel, Bakshi's animated version will anger you with its blatant misinterpretations of the author's world and its bizarre way of compressing the story. If you're a Tolkien neophyte or just a casual viewer, Bakshi's sloppy narrative technique will confuse the heck out of you. Even the animation is sub-par, falling back into cheap rotoscoping techniques and bright cells on top of dark backgrounds. Oh, and did I mention the film isn't even complete? It halts suddenly in the middle of book three/book four (the two books happen simultaneously in the novel). This would have been more forgivable (although never completely forgivable) if the movie had been honestly advertised as the first part of the story, but the poster art and ads lead you to believe that this movie presents the entirety of The Lord of Rings. It's a shameful deception and the capstone of a wretched adaptation of a great book. Thankfully, Peter Jackson's new version is on its way to mend the damage.
Hardbodies (1984)
Whoa, long trip back!
I remember watching this film when I was thirteen and just loving it: gorgeous naked women, gorgeous naked women, gorgeous naked women! Now my thoughts would be: 80s! 80s! 80s! AAAAGGGH! Okay, the 80s weren't so horrible, and I have fond memories of them, and this completely trashy teen sex flick (pretty much the quintessential movie of this quintessentially 80s genre) will zoom you back there so fast, you'll get whiplash and snap the flourescent strap on your sun glasses. Oh, the naked women are still gorgeous, but this thing never can have the same sort of fantastic appeal it did when you were 13 and afraid your parents would walk in the door while you and your buddies were watching it.
Tron (1982)
A trend setter
TRON is finally starting to take its place as one of the most influential films of the 80s; long before virtual reality and the internet were household words, or even computer jargon, TRON burst onto the scene with a story about the virtual life inside a computer and how computer users can "insert" themselves into the system. The battle between programmers who want electronic freedom against a corporate entity that desires to devour all programs into itself also reflects modern controversies over internet freedom.
In many ways, TRON is more important to cyberpunk than BLADE RUNNER, released the same year. Both films were financial disappoints because they were almost ten years ahead of their time -- audiences preferred to see E.T.: THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL, which now seems dated and childish.
Although CGI has moved far beyond the effects in TRON, the computer wizardry in this film seems fresh and magical, far more so than the bloated graphics that have dulled our senses today. And the score by Wendy Carlos is a unique and seamless meld of synthesizers, orchestra, and chorus. The film has some narrative flaws, but the more I watch it, the smaller the problems become. And David Warner...man, what a great triple villain role (Dillinger/Sark/Voice of the MCP)!
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Casino Royale (1967)
Nostalgia fans only
If you want a quick fix of 60s swinger culture, CASINO ROYALE fits the bill. It's outrageous, zany, pop-psychedlic, and features a great Burt Bacharach score. But as a James Bond parody and comedy, it fails miserably. There's hardly a genuine laugh in this turkey, and it never really makes fun of the Bond series. Why make a film parody if you aren't going to parody your specified target? Woody Allen (who wrote most of his own dialogue) has the only humorous bits. Otherwise, a complete mess of conflicting styles and hopelessly confusing plots, the obvious result of five directors and eleven writers (most of whom didn't get credit). The black sheep of the James Bond family, although still more entertaining than THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN -- but so are video test patterns.
EDtv (1999)
Forgettable comedy
ED TV manages to fumble its entire concept by not making any statement aside from "people like privacy". It's only a featherweight comedy about a guy who's life turns upside down because he's on television twenty-four hours a day. The film never explores the nature of his popularity or questions the idea of "truth" that becomes perverted into a circus through public observation. This sort of intelligent scripting would not only have made the film much funnier but also more thoughtful and resonant. As it is, it leaves you with a few laughs and a lingering disappointment.