pgoodall Reviews

The Godfather Part II (1974)

the best film of the 70's

[24 January 2002]

It doesn't happen very often, but now and then a sequel - if you can call this film such a thing - ends up improving upon the themes and dramas of the first film. In this second slice of Corleone murder, intrigue and family ties, one misses Brando for about five minutes, and then Pacino takes the screen in what must surely be the finest piece of acting he has ever done. An Oscar for Scent Of A Woman? Typical blindness on the part of Academy voters, because Pacino blows everyone else away with just a look of hatred and coldness from his eyes, and by the way he reacts on the screen. By the end of the film he looks like a 20th century Richard III, complete with a blood-red shirt and a pale, almost lifeless face. Coppola, already scoring points that year for his excellent conspiracy drama, The Conversation, delivers what is, in my opinion, the best ever film made between the years 1970- 1979. In short, from start to finish, this film is totally mesmerising. DeNiro steps into Brando's shoes as the younger Don in a wonderfully evocative recreation of New York in the early part of the century, and yet come his last scene you will have no problem in believing that this will be the man who, in twenty years time, would grow up to be Marlon Brando in The Godfather. Twenty-eight years of meatier gangster flicks (Goodfellas, Once Upon A Time In America) have failed to erode its power and undeniable genius. This is because The Godfather part two is like every other classic work of cinematic art - it never ages and its power will never fade. Alas, a third part helped to remove some of its shine, but only a tiny part. A third chapter wasn't really nessecary - The story of Michael Corleone ends right there - on Lake Tahoe.

Movies like this come round once every decade, so do yourselves all a big favour and sit down for 200 minutes and indulge in a brilliant movie experience. You'll thank me later!

10/10!

Pearl Harbor (2001)

A missed opportunity

[21 January 2002]

To sum up Pearl Harbor, i will say that Titanic has been blended quite well with Armageddon. With this combination in mind, you can get a good idea how Pearl Harbor turned out. While trying to remain faithful to the history books and to attempt a stab at humanity over the loss of so many lives, producer Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay have again gone for the glossy hollywood approach as well as the tried and tested slow-motion money shots and the stupid sequence which always occurs in their films - the bit where the heroes walk in slow-motion towards the camera. Why does Bay do this all the time? Are we meant to be wowed by this? Me thinks not. Pearl Harbor misses out on bucketfuls of heart in place of empty-headed, hollow-looking action, and makes the fatal error of trying to make its audience care more about three sad losers trapped in a love triangle than the lives of thousands of people who DID live and die on that fateful day in history. Admittedly, the battle is effective, but once FDR has made his little speech, the film changes reels completely in a awkwardly tacked on final hour when the inevitable death scene occurs to make the women cry and the men groan. Cue another slow motion scene of mawkishness and the obligatory pop tune as the credits roll. In short, a typical hollywood blockbuster messing up the history books. When will they ever learn? 6/10

I, Claudius (1976)

Without doubt, the finest Television adaptation ever!

[21 January 2002]

What can one say that has not already been said about this true masterwork of television? Well, I, Claudius has been a part of my life since I was very young, when me and my mum used to sit and watch, totally rapt in the labyrinthine shenanighans of this most horrid little story...although, at 12 hours long, the story is hardly tiny, but horrid it most certainly is. Every episode is filled with intrigue, murder, violence, nudity, back-stabbing, plotting, incest, insanity and everything else one usually connects with this barbaric, nasty little page of history. The Roman Empire was probably the most corrupt moment of history and Robert Graves' epic novels, here turned into stunning drama by Jack Pulman's brilliant script, blows every other BBC drama clean out of the water. And as for the acting...Brian Blessed is a tornado as the weak-willed Emperor Augustus, while John Hurt gives one of his finest performances as the insane, decadent Caligula. But the true star of this fabulous course of debauchery is Sian Phillips' scheming, evil bitch of Rome, Livia. In one of the finest scenes in the drama, she confronts Claudius and reveals the treachery which has singlehandedly rid herself of all those who have stood in her way, including her own husband. It is a powerhouse performance, and her departure from the second part of the show is sorely missed, but this is compensated for when Hurt takes centre-stage when his unhinged Caligula (nice boy!) plunges Rome into lower depths of depravity and madness. Derek Jacobi, as the foolish, but wise Claudius gives us just enough of his presence to make us aware he is watching quietly while the murders occur, but his presence pervades the entire piece due to his diction, his amazingly baritone voice and because he narrates, even when his birth has not actually occured yet. All in all, a stunning, marvellous piece of entertainment which will never be beaten. I happen to own the entire series on video, and it gets an airing at least once a year...with each new watch revealing subtleties i missed last time. I implore anyone who lives Ancient Rome, good drama or just likes a long wallow in unrepentant horror and blood to watch this drama. You will not be disappointed. Brilliant!!

Vertigo (1958)

simply put, the greatest film ever made!!

[21 January 2002]

simply put, this masterwork from the true MASTER, Alfred Hitchcock, is, for me anyway, the finest work of cinematic art ever to appear on a cinema screen. That critics at the time ran this film down, probably because they were expecting a 'typical' Hitchockian drama or thriller, is beyond me. After forty years, with about twenty of them trapped in copyright hell, Vertigo has surprised many people by becoming one of the all-time greats. As for me, a true fan of the man, Vertigo contains moments on film that will never be equalled. From the haunting strains of the Bernard Herrmann's majestic score, through the disturbing credit sequence designed by Saul Bass, the tremendous performances from James Stewart and Kim Novak (never better), to the chilling, horrifying climax, Vertigo never fails to make me smile with fondness at great film making and to also make me despair because films just aren't this good anymore. From the first frame to the last, you are trapped in the mind of Stewart as he tracks down this elusive, mysterious blonde, who will lead him into the very heart of darkness and obsessive love. With an ending guarenteed to shred your heart, Vertigo never loses its appeal for me. Like all cinematic landmarks (Citizen Kane, Paths Of Glory, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and many others) Vertigo belongs to a small collection of masterpieces which define the true sense of cinema. Miss this at your peril!!! 100/10!!!