st-shot
Joined Nov 2006
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Cultures collide in this offbeat Werner Herzog tale about big industry versus Australian Aboriginals protesting to let sleeping ants lie in Where the Green Ants Dream. Set in the Australian outback it is a passive David and Goliath tale that pits tradition against progress.
Geologist Lance Hackett (Bruce Spence) has been assigned by his company to study soil in what is possibly a valuable find of uranium. Standing literally in his way are Aboriginals that will not let him disturb the green ants rest area. Sympathetic, he attempts to negotiate with them to no avail forcing them to bring in some suits from corporate to deal with them. The gulf widens further until an elder smitten with an aircraft is gifted it but the tribe remains steadfast in its aim.
Werner Herzog makes films without a map which make most of them fascinating as he takes the road less travelled with some interesting sights along the way. In Ants we have some masterful images that range from grand (the plane edging its way across the dessert up into the sky) as well as the mundane moments such as the woman waiting outside a cave looking for her lost beagle, a market with a portion of an aisle occupied by Aboriginals with the same traditional philosophy at play, as well as utilize a battered ghetto blaster, symbolically making his point, as our bedraggled hero throws the towel in on civilization.
With his unique non-conformist eye Herzog once again offers up both a visually pure and thought provoking work.
Geologist Lance Hackett (Bruce Spence) has been assigned by his company to study soil in what is possibly a valuable find of uranium. Standing literally in his way are Aboriginals that will not let him disturb the green ants rest area. Sympathetic, he attempts to negotiate with them to no avail forcing them to bring in some suits from corporate to deal with them. The gulf widens further until an elder smitten with an aircraft is gifted it but the tribe remains steadfast in its aim.
Werner Herzog makes films without a map which make most of them fascinating as he takes the road less travelled with some interesting sights along the way. In Ants we have some masterful images that range from grand (the plane edging its way across the dessert up into the sky) as well as the mundane moments such as the woman waiting outside a cave looking for her lost beagle, a market with a portion of an aisle occupied by Aboriginals with the same traditional philosophy at play, as well as utilize a battered ghetto blaster, symbolically making his point, as our bedraggled hero throws the towel in on civilization.
With his unique non-conformist eye Herzog once again offers up both a visually pure and thought provoking work.
Freddy Benson (Steve Martin) and Laurence Jamieson (Michael Caine) are con men with different styles. Jamieson has a sweet deal on the French Riviera with an inspector in his pocket where he fleeces women with his charm and supposed wealth. Benson on the other hand is a mooch who plys his trade with sob stories to gain sympathy and trust. The two cross paths uneasily but agree to compete against each other in the fleecing of a wealthy American heiress (Glenne Headley).
Scoundrels is an abrasive effort with Martin in moments wildly over the top employing some of his stage and stand-up mannerisms along the way making it more of a Steve Martin routine than Benson the character. Caine is a smarmy "Alfie in Winter," as he feigns a drab annoyance at our wild and crazy guy," lacking sincerity on all levels.
Frank Oz's a direction has an "it will do look," expecting his stars and their reps to dazzle from a script rank with witless dialogue. While the locale may glisten and sparkle, the form and content remain in the fog. A polished bore of a comedy.
Scoundrels is an abrasive effort with Martin in moments wildly over the top employing some of his stage and stand-up mannerisms along the way making it more of a Steve Martin routine than Benson the character. Caine is a smarmy "Alfie in Winter," as he feigns a drab annoyance at our wild and crazy guy," lacking sincerity on all levels.
Frank Oz's a direction has an "it will do look," expecting his stars and their reps to dazzle from a script rank with witless dialogue. While the locale may glisten and sparkle, the form and content remain in the fog. A polished bore of a comedy.
Double Indemnity is the earliest of legendary Hollywood writer/director Billy Wilder's classic films and arguably his best in a filmography (The Lost Weekend, Stalag 17, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like it Hot, The Apartment and the highly underrated Ace in the Hole) boasting a fair share of them. Featuring three outstanding performances, it is a suspensefully low key work where the action is found mostly in the dialogue, as the viewer attempts to figure what each of their angles is and what they will do next.
Insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) falls for a client's wife with a plan Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck). Seducing Neff, she soon has him plotting her husband's murder for insurance money. They pull it off but Neff's supervisor Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) remains doggedly in pursuit.
From its opening credits of a man in silhouette on crutches Double Indemnity takes on a doomed feeling from the outset. With only very brief moments of comic relief ( provided by Porter Hall and Fortunio Bonanova) it remains morbidly on point with the diabolical duo wrapped up in greed and physical passion while Keyes begins to unravel their plot.
All three leads lend outstanding performances with MacMurray as a cynical dupe playing against his usual light comedy, above board roles. Stanwyck is simply the ultimate fatale. Soft, sultry and in total command of her seductive powers, she does a masterful job of manipulating Neff without raising her voice. Robinson also registers in a big way with his rapid fire intensity and refusal to cave to his suspicions.
Auteur Wilder's direction is flawless as he creates tense moments in banal situations and builds sexual tension in exchanges between the complicit pair. DP, John Seitz's lensing also manages to capture the dark overall feel to help maintain the film's tragic mood.
Double Indemnity is superb film making. When classified as Film Noir, there are none better. A classic.
Insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) falls for a client's wife with a plan Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck). Seducing Neff, she soon has him plotting her husband's murder for insurance money. They pull it off but Neff's supervisor Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) remains doggedly in pursuit.
From its opening credits of a man in silhouette on crutches Double Indemnity takes on a doomed feeling from the outset. With only very brief moments of comic relief ( provided by Porter Hall and Fortunio Bonanova) it remains morbidly on point with the diabolical duo wrapped up in greed and physical passion while Keyes begins to unravel their plot.
All three leads lend outstanding performances with MacMurray as a cynical dupe playing against his usual light comedy, above board roles. Stanwyck is simply the ultimate fatale. Soft, sultry and in total command of her seductive powers, she does a masterful job of manipulating Neff without raising her voice. Robinson also registers in a big way with his rapid fire intensity and refusal to cave to his suspicions.
Auteur Wilder's direction is flawless as he creates tense moments in banal situations and builds sexual tension in exchanges between the complicit pair. DP, John Seitz's lensing also manages to capture the dark overall feel to help maintain the film's tragic mood.
Double Indemnity is superb film making. When classified as Film Noir, there are none better. A classic.
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