Hollywood Movie Reviews......... |
Hollywood Movie Reviews......... |
Reeth |
Jul 18 2007, 02:54 AM
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#1
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Dedicated Member Group: Members Posts: 2154 Joined: 22-May 06 Member No.: 6151 |
Please review and express your feelings about the Hollywood movies old and new ,that you have watched,liked & would recommend to the other members ......
I start off with an all time favourite film of my entire family....i have lost count of the number of times i have watched this since the time..... The Ten Commandments (1956) It is one of the Greatest movies ever made in the history of World Cinema... The film covers the life of Moses from his discovery in a basket floating on the Nile as a baby by Bithiah, a childless young widow and daughter of the then-Pharaoh, Rameses I, to his eventual departure from Israel in the wake of God's judgment that he not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. In between, the film depicts the early adulthood of Moses as a beloved foster son of Pharaoh Seti I (successor of Rameses I and brother of Bithiah) and general of his armies, his romance with Throne Princess Nefertari and rivalry with the Pharaoh's own son, Prince RamesesII. Critics have argued that considerable liberties were taken with the Biblical story, affecting the film's claim to authenticity, but this has had little effect on its popularity..... Aside from winning the Academy Award for Best Effects, Special Effects, it was also nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color, Best Cinematography, Color, Best Costume Design, Color (Edith Head, Ralph Jester, John Jensen, Dorothy Jeakins and Arnold Friberg), Best Film Editing, Best Picture and Best Sound, Recording Cecil B DeMille’s swan song is a movie for the ages. At 75 the legendary director was at the peak of his fame, his name a house-hold word and his voice recognized by millions. He probably knew The Ten Commandments would be his last film it almost killed him. He certainly knew it would be his most important. Shot in widescreen Technicolor, The Ten Commandments remains the standard by which Biblical epics -- and many epics in general -- are measured When Moses turns his staff into a snake and back again, the effect is seamless. His turning of the Nile into blood is an impressive camera trick, but his parting of the Red Sea is one of Hollywood's most famous stunts. It's worth sitting through the 220 minutes of movie for this alone.... MAIN CAST #Charlton Heston as Moses # Yul Brynner as Pharaoh Rameses II # Anne Baxter as Nefertari # Edward G. Robinson as Dathan # Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora # Debra Paget as Lilia # John Derek as Joshua # Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Pharaoh Seti I But the Ten Commandments isn’t about God alone.... It’s about a woman, Neferteri the beauty of Egypt, and whom she marries will become Pharoe and rule the Earth...she prefers Moses who races chariots and saves old women from being crushed under the monumental obilisk he is raising in honor of Neferteri’s father — and helped by the fact he’s played by manly-man Charlton Heston who looks great,She does not want Ramses, the delicious Yul Brenner who wants Neferteri because of the wealth and power that comes with her. Moses is banished and Neferteri is forced to marry Ramses instead. History might know about Moses and Ramses, but DeMille knew about scorned women..... It remains one of the five most successful films of all time.It is Cecil B. DeMille’s last and arguably greatest film.....Definitely worth watching.... The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind -William James |
Faraaj73 |
Sep 14 2009, 04:48 PM
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#2
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Dedicated Member Group: Members Posts: 2198 Joined: 1-July 08 From: Sydney, Australia Member No.: 58864 |
The Long Goodbye (1973)
No mixed feelings about this one....worked for me It's true. You can't have mixed feelings about The Long Good-bye; you'll either love it or hate it. I started the movie with what I pretended was an open mind, but a secret hope that I'd be fully justified in hating it. In my defense, The Maltese Falcon is my favorite movie and Bogie is my favorite actor. Noir is my favorite film genre and I love Howard Hawk's The Big Sleep wihich had Bogart as the definitive Marlowe. Altman's take on Chandler's other book with private eye Marlowe, The Long Good-bye, updates the action to the 1970's. He introduces a very 70's theme song and finds as different an actor as he can from Bogart for the role of Marlowe. From the opening frame, Elliot Gould plays Marlowe like a push-over. He's a man who constantly mutters to himself, suffers nervous tics, can't even fool his cat, is afraid of dog's and seems to be the only man not attracted to his sexy hippie neighbors despite their friendliness towards him and obvious promiscuousness. However, Gould really creates a unique persona with the way he walks, talks, wise-cracks and operates. He becomes a believable person - which is why the uncharacteristic ending is so impacting. The photography, especially the night scenes, are beautifully filmed. The theme music plays everywhere - a Mexican funeral, a doorbell, a car radio etc and with different singers. There are other layers of flesh added to the telling that really work - like the compound security guards impressions of James Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, Cary Grant and best of all Walter Brennan aka Stumpy from Rio Bravo. This movie worked great for me and the plot, intricate though it was, was understandable. I will not compare this Marlowe to Bogart's, but do find it admirable that Altman just stuck to the goal of making a good movie without trying to ape or make obvious references to the noir genre. Kind Regards Faraaj Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. - Victor Hugo There is only one better thing than music - live music. - Jacek Bukowski I hate music, especially when it's played. - Jimmy Durante No good opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible. - W. H. Auden |
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