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My Polls:
1) Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?
2) Hollywood New Wave Actors
3) It's Neeson Season!
4) No More Sequels Please!
5) The Avengers vs The Dark Knight
6) Anderson vs Anderson vs Anderson
7) Best name for a new Die Hard movie
8) Stallone vs Willis vs Schwarzenegger
9) So you're stranded on a desert island...
10) And the Most Overrated Director of All Time is...
11) Favourite Quadrilogy Made by One Director?
12) Mad Max - Gibson vs Hardy
13) Your Favorite 90's Action Film?
14) ">Obi-Wan vs Obi-Wan
15) Your Favorite 80's Action Film?
16) Movies Made by Alternate Directors - Part 1
17) Movies Made by Alternate Directors - Part 2
18) Your Favorite 70's Action Film?
19) Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Western Soundtrack?
20) The Greatest Action Movie Director of All Time
21) Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Crime Soundtrack?
22) Your Favorite R-Rated Action Movie Of The 2000's?
23) Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Drama Soundtrack?
24) Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Horror Soundtrack?
My Favourite Movie Directors:
1) Sergio Leone
2) Martin Scorsese
3) Stanley Kubrick
4) John Carpenter
5) Francis Ford Coppola
6) Alfred Hitchcock
7) Michael Mann
8) James Cameron
9) Sidney Lumet
10) Akira Kurosawa
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Notable Classic Westerns: Rio Bravo (1959) The Big Country (1958) My Darling Clementine (1946) Fort Apache (1948) The Searchers (1956) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Revisionist: : These were a branch of American Western movies that coincided with the 'New Hollywood' era, acting as the swan song of the Western Old Myth where cars started to make odd appearances, marking the way technology and capitalism would put a deathblow on the frontier or pioneer spirit. Elements include a darker, more cynical tone, with focus on the lawlessness of the time period, favoring realism over romanticism. Anti-heroes are still common, but with stronger roles for women and more-sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans and Mexicans. Regarding power and authority, these depictions favor critical views of big business, the American government, masculine figures (including the military and their policies), and a turn to greater historical authenticity.
Notable Revisionist Westerns:
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) The Wild Bunch (1969) Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) Little Big Man (1970) Hombre (1967)
Spaghetti Westerns: These are a broad subgenre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by American critics and other countries because most of these Westerns were produced and directed by Italians. The typical Spaghetti Western team was made up of an Italian director, Italo-Spanish technical staff, and a cast of Italian, Spanish, German and American actors, sometimes a fading Hollywood star and sometimes a rising one.
Notable Spaghetti Westerns:
Django (1966) Death Rides a Horse (1966) For a Few Dollars More (1965) A Fistful of Dollars (1964) The Great Silence (1968) La resa dei conti (1966)
Modern Westerns: Or perhaps you prefer the more recent westerns? The genre has undergone something of a minor revival in the last decade or two, with a number of notable entries in the genre receiving critical and commercial success. This has lead to a number of announced and upcoming westerns such as Bone Tomahawk (2015), The Hateful Eight (2015) and The Revenant (2015)
Notable Modern Westerns:
Open Range (2003) Dances with Wolves (1990) Tombstone (1993) Slow West (2015) 3:10 to Yuma (2007) True Grit (2010)
Out of these different types of Westerns, which do you prefer?
Having scored a staggering 500+ films (and counting), Morricone has provided audiences with many memorable soundtracks.
Selection is taken from his most highly regarded and award winning work.
This poll focuses on his work in the horror genre. From this list, which horror movie has your favorite Morricone score?
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Western Soundtrack Here
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Crime Soundtrack Here
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Drama Soundtrack Here
Selection is taken from his most highly regarded and award winning work.
This poll focuses on his work in the western genre. From this list, which western movie has your favorite Morricone score?
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Crime Soundtrack Here
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Drama Soundtrack Here
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Horror Soundtrack Here
Having scored a staggering 500+ films (and counting), Morricone has provided audiences with many memorable soundtracks.
Selection is taken from his most highly regarded and award winning work.
This poll focuses on his work in the crime genre. From this list, which crime movie has your favorite Morricone score?
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Western Soundtrack Here
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Drama Soundtrack Here
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Horror Soundtrack Here
Having scored a staggering 500+ films (and counting), Morricone has provided audiences with many memorable soundtracks.
Selection is taken from his most highly regarded and award winning work.
This poll focuses on his work in drama. From this list, which drama has your favorite Morricone score?
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Crime Soundtrack Here
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Western Soundtrack Here
Choose Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Horror Soundtrack Here
If you were forced to choose between the two, which movie would get your vote?
Both characters are hardened gunslingers who lost the love of their life. But who do you think would win in a showdown?
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Reviews
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The Maddest of the Mad
After about a decade of will it/won't it production, we've finally been given another Mad Max movie. Is it a sequel or a reboot? Well, kind of both really. It's the same universe but everything feels fresher and updated. There are inconsistencies in the timeline regarding previous films but this isn't really anything new for the franchise. Everyone who had seen it before I did told me that I wouldn't have to see the previous films to 'get' it. But as soon as the revs of V8 engines start roaring when the film starts and Max immediately is thrust into a world of poop, I feel that the movie assumes you know who Max is and are familiar with his mythology. So if you haven't seen the original trilogy and want to watch Fury Road, I suggest you catch up first. If not for the sake of familiarising yourself with the Mad world of Max, then watch them simply for the fact that they are undeniably awesome. Well the first two, at least.
Yes, Miller has finally returned after his famous post-apocalypse world, after some oddly-varied projects (such as Babe: Pig in the City and um, two Happy Feet flicks) This time, however, Mel Gibson stays at home. His replacement Tom Hardy is one of my favourite actors of the current generation so I waited eagerly to see how he would fare as Max Rockatansky. After seeing the movie once in the cinema, I can say that he does a satisfactory job. Hardy wasn't great, but he wasn't bad either. At times he looked unsure of himself and didn't seem to nail down a consistent accent, instead bringing along a variation of his Bane and Jack Bondurant. And he often had a blank sometimes comical confused look on his face during the quieter scenes in Fury Road. Oh, well not everyone's as charismatic as Mel. I think the best thing that can happen for Hardy in regards to the franchise is more sequels so we can adjust to him playing the iconic role.
It's hard to believe that this action film is directed by a 70 year old. It has a hyper-kinetic energy and thrillingly outlandish pace to it that never lets go until the credits starts rolling. Miller has steamrolled his way into the 21st century and he's put most of the other films within this genre to shame. If there's anyone who thinks that movies like The Dark Knight Rises and Fast and Furious 7 have brilliant action scenes Fury Road is an obligatory watch.
Fury Road isn't like made in the same style as the previous films. The colour palate is very vivid which make the action scenes (80% of which were practical, you know) look very bright, in contrast to the bleak look of most post-apocalypse films. It's also the first Mad Max movie to be shot digitally. But that's not as doom and gloom as it sounds some of the shots in this (like a particularly outstanding one of the camera moves down to the ground from a horizontal position as a speeding car runs over it) would not have been achieved had the movie been made with film cameras.
After a quick opening chase (with a V8 Interceptor cameo), Max is captured and taken to the Citadel to become a bloodbag A delightfully disgusting invention by Miller and co. which involves the 'bloodbag' being caged and strung up upside own, with his blood being squeezed out through a tube and being provided to a 'half- life' war boy called Nux, who is suffering from some sort of cancer inflicted by the harsh environment. The Citadel is run my now- favourite 'baddie' of the Mad Max universe Immortan Joe, a ruthless and hideous masked dictator who holds a tight grip over the natural resources (mainly water) that are available. In doing so he maintains a tight grip over the ill and diseased-ridden population of the Citadel, and has assured those who follow him with enter Valhalla, the Promised Land. During the course of Max's imprisonment, Furiosa (played by Charlize Theorn), a rig-driver-of- Joe's-turned-rogue-for-reasons-not-entirely-explained-but-then- again-not-really-nessecary kidnaps Immortan Joe's "wives", who are implied to be sex slaves. Long story short they run, he chases, Nux follows (with Max strapped to the front of his car), Max escapes, teams up with Furiosa, and what follows is a glorious feature-length crash bang wallop vehicle chase. And that's the story in Balamory.
The Great Train Robbery (1903)
Historic
A lot of the time with oldies you have to acknowledge the film with have more than a few outdated characteristics and probably isn't a good watch in today's age. In fact, you can't come away from a pre- 1930's film and say it's anything other than a classic lest you be out casted from the ranks of cinephiles and film buffs. If truth be told, there are a number of silent films that cannot really be enjoyed today. So you can imagine my surprise when I sat down to watch The Great Train Robbery to I found it to be quite the experience.
It's truly amazing to think that the film is over a hundred years old. Imagine being a member of the audience who first saw it! What must have they though when the obvious dummy was thrown off the train? That would have been very innovative for the time.
You can see why this was such a sensation back then, and why the picture is considered an icon in cinema history. As one of the first movies ever to employ a narrative technique, The Great Train Robbery earns its right as a historical landmark. Even then, you can still enjoy it purely on a story level. I was well engaged with the films plot, as we (unusually) stayed with the bandit for most of the time and watched them succeed in robbing the train but then fall victim to the wrath of the law. A variety of effective techniques that of course did not include sound or colour or anything else we take for granted in films the movie, the birthplace of the western genre, is able to increase the excitement and suspense levels. From the motion effect inside the train to the scenes filmed in the outdoors, The Great Train Robbery holds up very well. There is even a panning shot and some cross cutting.
Not to mention the classic closing shot of George Barnes emptying his six shooter at the audience at the end of the film. It's possibly the most iconic scene in movie history. You can only imagine how that affected startled audiences in 1903. As referenced in the closing shot of Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas, it is one of the best examples of breaking the fourth wall that I have seen and it's a hundred and eleven years old.
My Rating: 7.5/10
The Sopranos: Boca (1999)
The Sopranos Review: S1E9
"They made me an offer I couldn't refuse." After the Goodfellas references last week, we get one better as the show quotes The Godfather. The reference is made by the girls' football (that's right Americans! Football, not soccer) coach who the mob, seeing as though many of their daughters play for the team, are not happy that he has decided to leave. The majority of the episode is taken up by Paulie, Salvadore and Chris' attempts to bribe, bully and blackmail the coach into staying. Their attitude soon changes, however, when it is discovered that the coach has slept with one of the girls
multiple times. Naturally the mob would like to kick the guy's teeth in but after a heated discussion with Artie (whose thinking is mostly done by his wife) and a warning from Dr Melfi that she would call the authorities Tony wisely decides against hurting the coach, and opts to allow the police to deal with the situation. It does beg the question of whether Tony has a conscience or was just trying to save his own skin. Meanwhile, in an episode full of immature gossiping, there are rumours that Junior "goes down" with his lady friend Bobby when at Boca Raton, which is seen as a sign of weakness. The word of mouth (Geddit? Geddit?) reaches Tony. Dr Melfi doesn't share his amusement, and Carmela finds his glee a sign of hypocrisy
seeing as though he does it himself. Still, it was nice to see Tony and Carmela get along so well, even if it was at the expense of the Boss. This was one of the finest hours of The Sopranos, as two uncomfortable story lines are juggled with enough humour and self- awareness that the whole think is made very entertaining. Tony fires under-the-radar insults at Uncle Junior at a golf course, such as: Tony: "Uncle Jun', how was Boca?" Junior: Lovely! I don't go down enough!" Tony: "That's not what I heard." It's a cracking scene, but the smile was soon wiped off my face as Junior blurts out to his right hand man that nobody would be able to say anything if he thought about clipping Tony. Whoa. That's some heavy ****. But knowing Junior, Tony's behaviour won't go unpunished. First to get some chastisement is Bobby herself. In a scene accompanied by some beautiful orchestral music, Junior majestically
um, shoves a cake in her face. Still, could be worse. And knowing Junior, it's probably gonna get a lot worse
My Rating: 7.5/10
The Sopranos: The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti (1999)
The Sopranos Review: S1E8
Tony and the mob learn during Larry Boy Barese daughter's wedding that the FBI are about to bring down indictments. As a result, Tony gets rid of all the guns, jewellery and cash he has around the home, namely in Livia's retirement home room. Meanwhile Christopher is going through a bit of one He's experiencing trouble with his movie screenplay and is infuriated that he doesn't get a mention in the papers when even dead thugs like Brendan do. Also, we share dinner with Jennifer Melfi and her family as she shares to them that she has a mobster as a patient. Finally, and probably most crucially, a livid Livia tells Uncle Junior that Tony is seeing a psychiatrist.
During the wedding of Larry Boy's daughter, the capos discuss the matter of increasing FBI scrutiny that could lead to a crackdown. Junior naïve brushes it off, but Tony suggests that the mobsters get rid of anything incriminating. Though I enjoyed this scene very much, Junior's dialogue seemed very unrealistic to me. Yeah, I know they are showing us that he is an incompetent boss but the stuff he came out with just made it too obvious ("That was my next suggestion!"). Aside from that minor issue, The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti is the best episode of the show so far. It's the only episode that actually feels like it has a plot, and we feel the nervousness of the capos and the tension that the FBI are bringing the mob. That is until they show up at Tony's front back door and searching through the whole house. An argument with an Italian- American federal agent sparks an interesting discussion at dinner between Tony, Carmela and the kids. They talk about prejudice and going against your own people, the influence and importance of the Italians contrasting with the American school teachings (like Antonio Meucci inventing the telephone, contrary to the more popular believe that the creator was Alexander Bell) and some significant Italian/American events or people, such as the shameful Sacco and Vanzetti executions and, of course, Frank Sinatra. Being a British citizen of Pakistani decent (Pakistani and Italian culture is very similar), I can easily relate to the ideals of the Soprano family, and empathise with the confusion that Anthony Jr goes through in regards to his identity. Strange and disturbing dreams make a return, but this time it's Christopher in need of a psychiatrist. Of all the characters created for the show, he is by far the most cinematic. He loves movies, especially gangster flicks, is struggling with a doomed screenplay (we can all relate to that), and manages to execute violence in a casual way reminiscent of Scorsese and De Palma. Christopher's love of crime movies reflects our own. We too get "high off that popcorn smell at Blockbusters" just as this cinephile does. His screenplay, about a rising foot soldier and his conflicting loyalties with his bosses, is comparable to Christopher's own life, as longs to make it big both in Hollywood and in the crew. In all honesty it seems the guy just wants fame. He gets a little taste as he sees the name Christopher Moltisanti printed on a local paper in regards to a crime of some sorts, which causes Christopher to become hysterical with joy. This isn't before his raw desire for recognition causes him to shoot a rude but innocent bakery worker in the foot, similarly to what happens to Imperioli in Goodfellas. Tony, understandably with all the FBI hullabaloo, is not pleased, and Christopher receives an earful from Tony in a car conversation. What starts off as comical quickly turns to touching, as Tony realises that Chris has problems of his own, and does his best to help without revealing that he if fact sees a psychiatrist. Speaking of which, Livia has sure done it now. In telling Junior that Tony sees a shrink, she's caused all sorts of alarm bells to go off in the Boss's head. Is Tony cracking up? Is he talking to the feds? Who knows? It's ironic that Tony, the mafia underboss of New Jersey, complains that the media paints the Italian-American people as evil. This is a point that is emphasised at dinner with Dr Melfi and family, where her son points out that when people think of Italians, they think of mobsters. In addition, mob movies have become part of America's legacy. Jennifer's family discusses the negative press their people receive due to Italian gangsters, and toast themselves on being nothing of the sort. My Rating: 8/10
The Sopranos: Down Neck (1999)
S1E7 'Down Neck'
The lyrics "Your papa never told you about right or wrong" are of greater relevance in Down Neck, as Tony retreats into a good couple of interesting flashbacks whilst in Dr Melfi's office. They go back to the times when he was about the same age as his son, and used to watch his dad chase down debt collectors and fall victim of an even more dramatic Livia.
The flashbacks are quite interesting. It's funny seeing Junior when he was in his prime and intriguing to see Tony's parents and his relationship with them. He always felt that his dad showed favouritism to Tony's older sister since they used to go out to the fair regularly. That is until Jonny Boy Soprano is escorted out of the fair in cuffs, and Tony realises the whole thing was a front, and the hoodlums brought their daughters along to cover up their illegal activities that were done at the fairground. We see that Jonny Boy told lies to protect his family and also had to take stick from Livia (in one case, was 'persuaded' by his wife out of a move that would have made the family very rich).
Tony's reminiscent are brought about due to his own son's behaviour at school being questioned by the school staff. It leads to thoughts that Anthony may be ADD (which is just some money-making "bullshit" for the psychiatrics, Tony thinks) which in turn makes Tony evaluate his role as a father by assessing what it was like when he was a son. He remembers how his mother covered up Jonny Boy's crimes by blaming prejudices from the authorities and how she his father back from success. Tony later confronts her about why she never gave his father any support and Livia, who had previously spoken with Anthony Jr after their sub plots intertwined, very cleverly replies with verbal blackmail. "If it bothers you, maybe you better talk to a psychiatrist". Highlighting the fantastic dialogue in this series, Tony counters this by retorting "If you'd been born after those feminists, you woulda been the real gangster".
Tony's opinions on his father's 'work' leaves him slightly confused. He remembers being proud that he had a gangster for a dad but at the same time wonders what it was like if Jonny Boy had been just like any other father. That means he ponders on what life outside the mafia could have been like. And that kind of talk is dangerous. Which just goes to show just how much he has opened up to Dr Melfi. The episode deals with the old stereotype that you join the mafia because you were born into it. Tony considers whether it was just in his DNA, and if it is then fears his son may turn out like him and opposed to simply looking up to him as a father.
The Sopranos: Pax Soprana (1999)
S1E6 Pax Soprana
Pax Soprana is a damn fine episode, and makes for an entertaining and intriguing 50 minutes or so. Its title is derived from Pax Romana, a political but peaceful move made by the Emperor Augustus that managed to hold the Roman Empire together for over a hundred years. Comparatively, Tony must plot and move in order to keep Junior, who's not really fit to be the Boss, from disrupting the family. Now that Junior has finally gotten what he wanted the most, the man thinks he can start taxing and bumping off anyone who he sees fit (and that drug dealer getting thrown off a bridge was pretty disturbing). So naturally, the mob comes to an already stressed out Tony who previously named Uncle Junior as the Boss of New Jersey to keep head off of himself whilst secretly running things. It seemed for a while that plan backfired, until Tony manages to get his points across to Junior over a duo of conversations to ease down the activities. Things aren't faring much better on the domestic side either as Carmela, in addition to discovering Dr Melfi is a woman, now has to deal with Tony being temporary impotent, apparently due to his Prozac medication. She's quite funny in this episodes, coming out with witty remarks to offend Tony at their anniversary dinner and waking up in the night to Tony quipping "You want sex?" excitedly. After an insightful talk with the priest, Carmela wants to do her best to be THE woman in Tony's life, something that she makes very clear to him as they relax in the garden. It's a touching moment, only to be made ironic by the fact that Tony is trying (and failing) to get it on with his Russian lover and is now having sexual fantasies in his dreams about Dr Melfi. Poor guy. I could see this coming, but I didn't anticipate Tony telling Melfi straight up that he loves her and makes an advance towards her. Professionally, she keeps her cool and upsets Tony by telling him this feeling is a by- product of the success they are having as psychiatrist and patient. It'll be interesting to see their relationship develop now that Tony's got his feelings for her out in the open. Amid his envy of horses and personal problems, it's the business that matters in Pax Soprana. Gandolfini is unusually calm calculating, choosing his words carefully so that he can get sympathy whilst Uncle J side-lines the violent ex-thug we've seen in previous episodes. He almost looks the part as the boss but is clearly gonna mess things up. Junior finally gets his big moment in the end of the episode, which happens to be my favourite scene of the series so far. An FBI agent is present as Junior gets crowned amongst the salutes
as is a killer beat. We are then taken to the FBI headquarters, where an agent is sorting out the order of the mob on a wall. We see all of the six big hitters. As Junior's photo is pinned above the rest and word 'Capo' is crossed out from his name and replaced with 'Boss', thus proving Tony's plan has worked, the camera focuses on Tony before panning upwards at the new head of the New Jersey family, before fading out with the beat intact. What a great ending. It really makes me wonder what more is to come from the due of Tony and Junior.
Gotham: Pilot (2014)
S1E1 'Pilot'
Superhero fans must really be kicking it now, huh? Twenty years ago the genre wasn't taken seriously at all, with there being too few success stories for superhero films. Fast forward to now and every blockbuster that doesn't feature talking apes is a superhero film. In addition to this the craze is slowly making its way to television with series like Arrow and Agents of Shield. The most exciting announcement for me, however, was that they were going to make a Gotham TV series following Jim Gordon's role in the dark and criminal-ridden city. This is something I use to dream about as a kid. An adult TV series about Batman's home city! With cop stories, shootouts, villain origins and killer cameos all promised. This is the big one for men. Step aside fellow comic book TV series because a show dedicated to Gotham is one sure to turn heads. And Bruce Wayne will only be a kid so thankfully the focus wouldn't be alienated into becoming a Batman origin tale and instead will allow the ventures of pre-commissioner Gordon to take centre stage. Think of the possibilities! Sitting down to watch the pilot I imagined the show's creators would take it slow and allow us to ease our way into the city of crime that is Gotham. I didn't expect much from the pilot and though that Jim Gordon would be the only major character. A satisfactory pilot would allow us to be with his character as the pre-tache Gordon slowly grows and matures into the hard but warm copper we think of him as. You can understand my surprise then when not only did the show open with a young Catwoman doing her thing, but gave us the death of Bruce Wayne's parents in the opening five minutes. We instantly cut to a lame introduction of Gordon (if you can call it that) and his partner where Jim uses heavy handed dialogue and completely unrealistic actions to take down a perp before catching the homicide of Bruce's parents. He is then seen at the crime scene and comforts Bruce. Again, all in the space of 5 minutes. I mean, what gives? Were the editing team on drugs? The whole episode moves at such an alarming speed with no time given to anything like character building it becomes unintentionally funny. I can only think that the show's creators wanted to cram in as much as they could in the first episode of a series that many would be watching. And that's another problem remember when I talked about taking it slow? The pilot contains not just Bruce Wayne but Catwoman, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, Penguin and Carmine Falcone with most of these characters playing vital roles. It's no wonder the pilot played like a trailer. I'm not too impressed with the look of Gotham. It's more or less set in the modern world but they wanted to keep the dark look that we think of Gotham. But filming with digital cameras whilst combining this with huge (and fake looking) CGI backgrounds just doesn't work. It doesn't feel like the atmospheric crime world that we think of. It just looks like any other big American city unfortunately. Some of the stylish shots look out of place, like the close up of Gordon chasing after a goon. Other than that the camera work was OK I guess I just wish the scenes, especially those involving action, flowed better. Performances range. It's too early to judge but aside from the man who plays Penguin I'm not that impressed with anyone. But like I said it's too early to judge. Ben McKenzie didn't have enough to work with in order to give Jim Gordon his subtlety. The show seems to have made him the cliché honest cop who takes on the entire system rather that the Gordon who knows he works in a world of corruption but soldiers on. This make him a less dynamic and therefore interesting character. And anyway, if Gordon takes on everyone and wins, where is the need for Batman? Does that mean we are watching a character destined to fail? The episode was extremely crammed and rushed. More breathing time was necessary and characters like Bruce Wayne and Falcone shouldn't have even been in the series until a couple of episodes further down the line. But by far and away the worst problem was the writing. It was so crap it was unbelievable. You have clichés, exposition and coincidences galore stuffed into 40 minutes of a tone-confused entry into what should be a well thought out series. Not to mention the retarded dialogue. Since when does a man like James Gordon come out with things like "There will be light"? Seriously, some the dialogue was so childish you'd think it was written by a 12 year old who thought it was all very cool. The unnecessary cursing and profanity clashed horribly with the juvenile dialogue. Characters spoke nothing like someone in real life would talk like and interactions between some of them was downright cringe worthy.
The Sopranos: College (1999)
S1E5 College
College is a fine entry in the Sopranos canon, especially due to the fact that it is a departure from the traditional story structure, and focuses on Tony's relationship with his family, Meadow in particular, rather than his mobster life or therapy sessions with Dr Melfi. Most of the episode sees us with Tony and his daughter as they drive around the county inspecting colleges for the latter to enrol in. It is on one of these drives that Meadow confronts her father about his lifestyle. Although the exchanges were quite funny ("There is no mafia!") is severely depresses Tony, as does the news that his done is somewhat aware of his dealings. After attempts to hide or justify the lifestyle to Meadow, Tony comes to accept that she knows more about him than he knew
or previously cared to know. In return of the new found honesty Meadow confesses that she took drugs for her studies, but wisely chooses not to tell Tony where she got them from. It doesn't take long for Tony to get his game face back on, however, as he spots a man who he thinks may be Fabian "Febby" Petrulio, a former wise guy turned snitch before entering and being thrown out of the witness protection programme (I'm sure there are many people like him, but the similarities to Henry Hill did not go unnoticed for me). Since his mouth has put many of Tony's friends behind bars it's only logical that the man wants revenge. Contrastingly his wife Carmela, sick from the flu, seeks out some spiritual comfort in the form of Father Phil after having found out that Tony's therapist is in fact a woman, fearing the worst. I like that fact that David Chase uses plot devices, in this case the flu as Jennifer also is sick and whose therapy sessions are irrelevant to the episode's plot, to affect more than one character and story line, making it more plausible and giving it a more real-world feel. The seed of Tony and Carmela's crisis marriage is set in College, as are his troubling relationships with each of his children. But it is his attitude, notorious of the mob, of never forgiving rats is probably what is most remembered from this episode. Nowhere is this shown more clearly than after coming face to face (well, one face behind the other) with "Febby" after a day and night of cat-and- mouse is-he-isn't-he exchanges he expertly squeezes the life out of the snitch outside his caravan. There's no pleasure in his eyes as Tony makes his first kill of the series, just satisfaction that he is dutifully carrying out an honourable act for 'the family'. This is a different man who was drinking and joking with his daughter just a day ago. This isn't Tony the father. This is Mr Soprano, the true boss of New Jersey. It echoes Scorsese just how right David Chase gets the mafia mentality with Tony, and you feel empathy for his longing to end the snitches life after having seen him, but being unable to do anything (for a day or two) since he is with his daughter. Gandolfini IS Tony Soprano, as far as I am concerned. I also enjoyed the scenes with Father Phil and Carmela. The sexual desperation from both parties was quite amusing but I was glad Carmela didn't stoop that low (not that she could have Phil threw up in the toilet within seconds of getting close to her). It's also interesting how she guiltily expresses that she knows what kind of life her husband leads, and how she allowed "evil" into her home for "a better life, better schools, this house, money
" Honesty all round in this episode, eh? Even Father Phil admits he has a thing for Emma Thompson DVDs.
Locke (2013)
An engrossing
Similarly to films like Carnage and the wonderful 12 Angry Men, Locke pretty much takes place within a confined setting. In this case, a building site manager's car journey on the motorway from Brighton to Croydon. In this everyday-like journey that he will be sharing with millions of people in the country, he makes a phone call or gets a call every so often. And that's it. That's all that happens in this movie. And it's a beautiful thing. Over the last nine years Ivan Locke has ensured his life is as solid as the concrete he pours. The married father of two has only made one mistake in his relatively normal life. It is this mistake that causes the world around him to crumble. His job. His marriage. And all he can do is keep driving. Keep making phone calls. Keep moving. As Ivan Locke, Tom Hardy, known for his breakthrough blockbuster performances in Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, swaps Batwing for BMW and delivers a captivating performance. It's no easy task being the only actor in the movie, but Hardy has proved that he will be able to take on some big challenges after what I consider a very effective performance. The London-born actor achieves more with a single daunting or exasperated expression than others would in a whole movie. You could feel the lump in his throat as he explained to his wife that he'd made a baby with another woman. You could see the guilt and genuine 'what-have-I-done' thoughts going through his head. The conversations with his "dad" in the back seat could have come off as laughable if performed by a lessor actor, but here it was powerful and relatable. I wasn't too sure about the accent at first I though he was trying to sound like he was from the subcontinent, but I got used to it. The voice action from the supporting cast, especially Locke's wife, was also top-notch and very believable. Locke's experiences in his life has made him unrelenting in his beliefs that he has to and is doing the right thing (that is, driving to the birth of his illegitimate child whilst explaining to his wife on the phone, instead of staying the building site on one of the most important days of his company's history). It really a testament to Hardy's ability that he can make you (well me, anyhow) both empathise and sympathise with a man who has essentially betrayed both his family and his company. I really did feel for Locke, all alone and frustrated, without the ability to stop the vastly-changing events around him from happening. I also felt for him as a man, because I'm sure a lot of guys have been in similar positions and there are those like Locke that sincerely regret their actions. And I sure as hell wouldn't want to be in Locke's position. Director and screenwriter Steven Knight provides us with fantastically realistic dialogue character actions, in regards to what they say and how they say it. An example would be when Locke's son uses the discussions of the live football with his father to mask his sadness over his mother's crying. No son likes to see his mother crying, especially if he doesn't know why. By far the most interesting interactions were between Locke and his wife, who is unable to control her shock. If I was forced to name a flaw in the screenplay it would be that it does take quite a coincidence that the woman Locke had sex with goes into labour around the same time that the most important concrete placement in his company's history is about to take place. Huge chunks of dialogue and conversations are split between shots of the motorway and other cars, allowing the audience to ponder on what they have just heard from the characters. It also gives us an opportunity to contemplate just what is going on in the lives of all the people in the other vehicles. Locke is truly a solid example in just how engrossing minimalistic cinema can be. I can't fathom how people could find it boring, other than the fact that they were possibly hoodwinked by explosive marketing (I don't know, as I didn't watch a trailer of the film). The movie feels fresh and never outstays its welcome. I guess the ending could have been stretched to show a few events further down the line but that would end up defeating the purpose of the exercise and breaking the tight, solid shell the film has. The tension and drama present is nerve-wrecking, without the use of murder or mystery as a plot device. Locke is a film I'm sure every working- class person can relate to in some way, even if it's not by the actions of the characters. It's a movie that's so down to earth for once. And who would have thought with a change of car indication from left to right (or was it the other way around?) a man so successful could lose his wife, his children, his house and his job, all for the sake of doing the right thing.
The Sopranos: Meadowlands (1999)
The Sopranos Review: S1E4 'Meadowlands'
The fourth episode of The Sopranos opens with a bizarre dream sequence from Tony, in which his subconscious focuses on Dr Melfi's lovely legs (Oo-lalla is this going somewhere?), his crew suspect him of seeing a shrink, he fears he may end up like Jackie, he faces the possibility that he may be using Jennifer for some much-craved motherly attention, and confronts the fact that he is neglecting his son. After he wakes up, Tony plays some Mario Kart with Anthony Jr and, like in his life, covers his son's eyes and cheats to win. Meadowlands makes a departure from the casual violence that we have seen in the first three episode. Here we can see how a mob typically reacts to a death in their ranks when they find out. From Chris' side, he's become paranoid after seeing his friend lying in a blood bath and misguidedly suspects this was Tony's doing for giving his daughter drugs, spouting all sorts of frenzied drivel. He then spends a couple of days avoiding Tony and confronts Meadow, who is sure to tell him that she had nothing to do with it. And from Uncle Junior's point of view, well, nothing of course. A hit is a hit, and the next time we see Uncle Junior and his crew he is contently eating away, probably awaiting a far more important death in the coming days. Chris joins the crew in visiting Jackie in the hospital. It was slightly hmm, is touching the correct word? - seeing Tony's reaction to Chris walking in with a cervical collar. He wisely suggests that this was Junior's doing. Chris, rather unwisely, loads his gun and, unless I misinterpreted the scene, prepared to whack a made man. Talk about doing a Tommy DeVito. Luckily he's brought to his senses by his boss. After failing to fight off the cancer, Jackie finally snuffs it. In doing so, he leaves New Jersey without a boss, which could threaten to start a war unless Tony plays his cards right. Before the announcement of the death, Tony, in the most macho way possible, confronts Junior about the death of Brendan and the beating of Chris. He does so in an extremely professional fashion. Despite this, Junior makes senseless demands and warns Tony to come "heavy" the next time he comes down Junior's place. I've found Junior's behaviour pretty disgusting and quite simply I think he's a cranky old man. And, according to Tony's crew, the big guys down in New York think so too. Despite this, Tony plays it cool and gets an idea after having talked to Dr Melfi about giving senior citizens the illusion of control. Speaking of Dr Melfi, Tony hires a corrupt detective to follow her without hurting the woman or any one she is with. So of course the guy goes bat **** crazy and proceeds to beat up Jennifer's date on a night out. Still, at least he got enough Intel to let Tony know that his psychiatrist has issues of her own. This low key but very important episode's title is probably derived from Tony's daughter, who plays a central figure to the plot. She of course is blames by Chris for his beating at first, and interestingly tells a naïve Anthony Jr the truth about their father. This is after the boy raises a question about why another kid at school refused to fight him. These little scene show just how much David Chase and co. take care of the supporting cast, who are all fully realised characters with their own problems and issues. This is amplified in the episode's closing at Jackie's funeral, where Anthony Jr looks on at his father confused and taken aback at having learned the truth, who in turn gives him a sharp wink. The most pivotal scene in the episode comes after Tony's heartfelt "Buon' anima" with the crew in honour of Jackie. He goes down heavy to Junior's (who awaits him without a sign of sorry at the loss of Jackie) and crowns Junior and the de jure boss of north Jersey. What may seem like a submissive move carried out in order to avoid a fight is in fact extremely clever: everyone knows Tony is the man who really runs things, but he won't be the one serving as a magnet for surveillance and hits. In addition Tony gains two new territories. Junior is now the face and the face alone. For me I feel Junior knows that Tony is the true boss. I think he's jealous and spiteful of him for it. Had he had enough balls he could have called himself the boss and taken the claim to the captains, but instead waits for the main who really calls the shots to make a decision. This could be seen as a wise move on Junior's part though, and any hasty decisions could lead to tension and, ultimately, war. Tension s all around, but the big game players are being wise. Christopher, take note. My Rating: 7.5