brileyvandyke
Joined Mar 2021
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Reviews67
brileyvandyke's rating
Oliver Stone is an effective director when he restrains himself and doesn't get carried away with emotion or conspiracy theories. Wall Street is a testament to Stone's effectiveness. Martin Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Hal Holbrook and Terence Stamp are solid in support roles, but the movie centers around Bud Fox, played by Charlie Sheen, and Gordon Gekko, portrayed masterfully by Michael Douglas.
We fo!low Fox from a mid to low level broker with ambition to pursuing and ultimately winning the confidence of big time, ultra wealthy Gordon Gekko and the world of perks and wealth that provides. It is an unscrupulous, cutthroat world where bending the rules or flat out breaking them are deemed necessary for ultra wealthy success. As expected you burn the candle at both ends and you get burned. We see the inevitable fall as Bud is led out of his office and fighting back tears. That was a memorable moment.
My main reason for writing a review is to express my admiration for Michael Douglas's portrayal of Gordon Gekko. What an fantastic villain is Gordon. He is an excellent example of an anti-social, sociopath without being a serial killer. Unfortunately, this type of sociopathy is more prevalent and I think many know someone like this. Gekko doesn't believe in love or friends or have any compassion for anyone or anything. He chases money because he can, and he doesn't care who is impacted. His "greed is good", and " money never sleeps" lines are often quoted. Gekko is the ultimate predator in the concrete jungle, and this is one of the defing roles of Douglas's career.
Towards the end of the film Mr Fox, Martin Sheen's character, tells his son to create and not live off the buying and selling of others. For me, that is powerful and eloquent advice. The kind of sage wisdom a father should tell his children. Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I think it's one of Oliver Stone's best.
We fo!low Fox from a mid to low level broker with ambition to pursuing and ultimately winning the confidence of big time, ultra wealthy Gordon Gekko and the world of perks and wealth that provides. It is an unscrupulous, cutthroat world where bending the rules or flat out breaking them are deemed necessary for ultra wealthy success. As expected you burn the candle at both ends and you get burned. We see the inevitable fall as Bud is led out of his office and fighting back tears. That was a memorable moment.
My main reason for writing a review is to express my admiration for Michael Douglas's portrayal of Gordon Gekko. What an fantastic villain is Gordon. He is an excellent example of an anti-social, sociopath without being a serial killer. Unfortunately, this type of sociopathy is more prevalent and I think many know someone like this. Gekko doesn't believe in love or friends or have any compassion for anyone or anything. He chases money because he can, and he doesn't care who is impacted. His "greed is good", and " money never sleeps" lines are often quoted. Gekko is the ultimate predator in the concrete jungle, and this is one of the defing roles of Douglas's career.
Towards the end of the film Mr Fox, Martin Sheen's character, tells his son to create and not live off the buying and selling of others. For me, that is powerful and eloquent advice. The kind of sage wisdom a father should tell his children. Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I think it's one of Oliver Stone's best.
Sometimes you watch a film with no expectations and it really grabs you. Looking For Mr Goodbar grabbed me and I can't stop thinking about it.
A huge cast starring a young Richard Gere, Brian Dennehy, Tuesday Weld, LeVar Burton and Tom Berenger, but the star and outstanding performance goes unquestionably to Diane Keaton. Keaton filmed Annie Hall and this film in the same year and she's at the top of her game. A powerful, risqué performance and she's very beautiful and mesmerizing in this movie.
Richard Brooks did a fantastic job directing and I enjoyed the dream sequences and the powerful ending scene with the flashing projector lights while horrific tragedy befalls made that scene more gripping than any horror film.
Keaton plays Ms Dunn a young Catholic woman who we follow as a student then as a teacher of deaf children all the while living a double life as a recklessly promiscuous woman at night. Many of the men she encounters are slimy, and Richard Gere's character Tony is a dangerous young man who's in and out of her life. William Atherton plays James who awkwardly pursues Dunn but she isn't interested in nice guys.
Things really ramp up when she picks up Gary played by Tom Berenger. Gary is deeply troubled and the ending of this movie just stayed with me. I don't know if I can forget it. I don't want to give anything away.
As mentioned I had no expectations, but after watching I very much enjoyed this tragic and sad movie. What a powerhouse.
A huge cast starring a young Richard Gere, Brian Dennehy, Tuesday Weld, LeVar Burton and Tom Berenger, but the star and outstanding performance goes unquestionably to Diane Keaton. Keaton filmed Annie Hall and this film in the same year and she's at the top of her game. A powerful, risqué performance and she's very beautiful and mesmerizing in this movie.
Richard Brooks did a fantastic job directing and I enjoyed the dream sequences and the powerful ending scene with the flashing projector lights while horrific tragedy befalls made that scene more gripping than any horror film.
Keaton plays Ms Dunn a young Catholic woman who we follow as a student then as a teacher of deaf children all the while living a double life as a recklessly promiscuous woman at night. Many of the men she encounters are slimy, and Richard Gere's character Tony is a dangerous young man who's in and out of her life. William Atherton plays James who awkwardly pursues Dunn but she isn't interested in nice guys.
Things really ramp up when she picks up Gary played by Tom Berenger. Gary is deeply troubled and the ending of this movie just stayed with me. I don't know if I can forget it. I don't want to give anything away.
As mentioned I had no expectations, but after watching I very much enjoyed this tragic and sad movie. What a powerhouse.
There is much that has been said and written about Citizen Kane and for good reason. It's a work of art. From the beginning the narration uses poetic, literary and Biblical references which immediately alerts the viewer that this is intended to be a serious film.
The story is is told somewhat in reverse. We see glimpses of the end of Kane and then are transported back to when he was a child and later an attempt by a journalist to discover the meaning behind the cryptic final word "rosebud".
The flashbacks weren't overly wrought, showing only what was pertinent for the viewer to comprehend a certain aspect of Kane's life. The light and shadows were amazing. At points only brief moments when a face was completely enshrouded in darkness with only a glimmer of light seen on a teary eye, then the face would emerge into light and the scene would progress.
I enjoyed the revelation of the meaning behind the final word rosebud. The characters in the film evidently didn't ever learn, but it was revealed to the viewer, and it's quite sad once we learn.
Welles was 25 when this was made and the make up requiring him to appear aged in certain scenes was quite convincing. I can only imagine how profoundly new and amazing this film must have struck film audiences in 1941!
Few films live up to their reputations but this film does. Welles deserves his reputation as a genius and important filmmaker and Citizen Kane deserves its reputation as a work of art.
The story is is told somewhat in reverse. We see glimpses of the end of Kane and then are transported back to when he was a child and later an attempt by a journalist to discover the meaning behind the cryptic final word "rosebud".
The flashbacks weren't overly wrought, showing only what was pertinent for the viewer to comprehend a certain aspect of Kane's life. The light and shadows were amazing. At points only brief moments when a face was completely enshrouded in darkness with only a glimmer of light seen on a teary eye, then the face would emerge into light and the scene would progress.
I enjoyed the revelation of the meaning behind the final word rosebud. The characters in the film evidently didn't ever learn, but it was revealed to the viewer, and it's quite sad once we learn.
Welles was 25 when this was made and the make up requiring him to appear aged in certain scenes was quite convincing. I can only imagine how profoundly new and amazing this film must have struck film audiences in 1941!
Few films live up to their reputations but this film does. Welles deserves his reputation as a genius and important filmmaker and Citizen Kane deserves its reputation as a work of art.