Shadows (1959) This is hailed as the first American Indie film to receive success outside of the Hollywood System. Directed by John Cassavetes and inspired by a acting class he was running in New York. The project is basically a movie length improvisation filmed on location in New York without filming permits and no script. Cassavetes would tell the actors what he wanted on the spot and they would improvise. It was very low budget and the film flopped during initial screenings. Cassavetes remade the film and critics who loved the original say the second was more commercial in nature and lost the appeal of the original. I found the film to have great subject matter but found it tedious to watch. I couldn't get past some of the acting. I rate it a 6 out of 10...
Die Hard with a Vengeance - 8.5/10Of course, the very best of the series. I like the French title better thoug: une Journée en Enfer (a Day in Hell).
Ahhh, this brings back memories!In my late teenaged years (early 2000's), I watched those 3 Die Hard movies a total of like a hundred times on VHS. And this one was my favorite of all - I watched it more than the first two combined. (If The Patriot was my favorite film, Die Hard with a Vengeance was not too far behind.)BTW, I watched the fourth one once and did not like it. I have not bothered to see the fifth.
I have watched the fourth. Its first 40 minutes are watchable. I haven't bothered with the 5th installment which is, by all accounts, an embarrassment for everyone involved.Anyway, Die Hard 3 aged amazingly well. If you forget the over use of long focals and remove something like 30-60 seconds of discussion about race that feel outdated ("Have I ever oppressed you?"), it could be released tomorrow and be a huge success.
Today they would have to make the racial dialogue about the white guy hating blacks instead of the other way around.
Taxi Driver (1976) - 7/10. Chapman's photography is superb, as is Herrmann's score. Scorsese is remarkably good as an actor. Bobby, of course, is very pretty. A shame about Harvey Keitel, though--he's just not black enough to be a convincing pimp. And the ending is still ridiculous.
Who the fuck gives Taxi Driver a seven?
Who the fuck gives Taxi Driver a seven? That's like saying "Yeah, I guess Once Upon a time in the West is kinda all right"
Someone who was sitting in a theater watching it in 1976 and who has watched it many times subsequently, sonny.
So now you're taking the "objective, rational" approach to movie rating, kid?
shame about Harvey Keitel, though--he's just not black enough to be a convincing pimp
Pickpocket (1959) I like Robert Bresson films so I gave this a look. I loved the on location filming and the cinematography. The plot was kinda thin but I liked how they showed how these thieves work. I rate it a 7.5 out of 10...