Where do you start with a film that is consistently rated in the top 100 of all time?
Once Upon A Time In The West is what many consider to be the greatest western film ever made. The 1968 classic has stood the test of the time, and despite not being as popular as the Dollars trilogy to the general population, it easily better from almost every sense.
Sergio Leone's gritty tale transports us back to the America's fabled Old West, where cowboys ruled and all quarrels, no matter big or small, were settled with the sound of a gunshot and another body to bury.
A story told over 166 minutes, Lenoe's epic spaghetti western centres on a hired gun named Frank (Henry Fonda) and his nemesis known only as Harmonica (Charles Bronson). The struggle for a piece of land near Flagstone called Sweetwater is the driving force behind the film. Brett McBain (Frank Wolff) bought the land as he foresaw the railroad would have to pass through the area to replenish the steam locomotives' water supplies. Railroad tycoon Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) finds out about McBain's land grab, and sends Frank to intimidate him off the land. Instead, Frank kills McBain and his three children and plants evidence at the scene to frame bandit Cheyenne (Jason Robards) and his gang.
While all of this is going on, Harmonica is in pursuit of Frank for an act the details of which are revealed near the end of the film (no spoilers, but it's heavy).
Just about everything about the film is perfect.
The vast, expansive landscapes of the Old West are translated to screen by Leone and cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli in such a way it reflects the way we imagine that era to look. The dirty faces of almost all of the people in every shot merely increase the realism, with Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) the only person who gets to keep a cleanish face throughout. The rest are saturated with sweat, speckled with dirt and mud in a true representation of the conditions. It is a minor detail Leone and crew pay a lot of attention to, and the reward is Once Upon A Time In The West looks every bit a tale of the Old West.
One of the greatest Western genre composers of all time Ennio Morricone is responsible for the soundtrack, which again lives up to his ever high reputation. Two major features of the film's sound stand out: the lonely harmonica of which Bronson's character gets his name, and the composition that takes centre stage as Frank and Harmonica face off towards the end of the film. The former acts as a cue for Harmonica's character, usually playing whenever he makes an appearance on screen - the first time of which he plays the tune himself at the train station near the opening (second scene). The latter is the climactic scene of the film, and Morricone's piece reflects the importance of the showdown - it's epic in every way.
As great as it is having one of the greatest film composers of all time in charge of the soundtrack, there is a long time Morricone is not used at all. The first 10 or so minutes of the film uses only natural sound - a turning wheel in the wind, footsteps, shotgun blasts and a train just to name a few. There is a great sequence where three men sent to kill Harmonica in the opening scene arrive, and wait, at a train station. In addition to there being only natural sound (and minimal dialogue), one part in particular is etched into memory. Jack Elam plays Snaky, who comes across as the leader of the trio. While waiting for the train, he is sitting back in a chair when a fly starts buzzing around and landing on his face. Whether its genius by Leone or a strange fetish, we watch Elam and this fly interact for what feels like an eternity - I haven't quite seen anything like it in any other film.
My words do not do Once Upon A Time In The West justice. The only bad thing is the run time which forces you to set aside three hours to watch it, but even then, it is a film worth making the time for. A must.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Need for Speed
Fast cars, high-octane police chases and plenty of eye-opening crashes.
It is those three components that have made Need for Speed one of the most successful video game series in history. The premise is simple: buy or select some serious fast and classy cars (Lamborghinis, Koenigseggs, Ferraris, etc.), drive at ridiculous speeds either through traffic or on one of a wide selection of areas, and escape from the police who give chase.
I remember playing Hot Pursuit on PlayStation over 10 years ago and becoming addicted almost straight away. The video game was an entrance to alternate reality where you could do whatever you wanted, all the while attempting to finish first (I'm a little competitive).
Since then I have played or owned quite a few of the NFS series, so when the film was announced I was a little bit eager to see how it was adapted, with fears of it becoming just another chapter of the highly successful Fast and the Furious.
Unfortunately, it was the latter.
Following six chapters of the Fast and the Furious franchise, there is not overly too much else the "driving cars particularly fast and evading the capture of police" genre can do.
And while NFS did do something slightly different, and the plot was strong enough to carry the film while providing plenty of comic relief, it still suffered from the limited breadth of the genre.
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) plays Tobey Marshall, a former race car driver who runs a garage specialising in tuning performance cars. Marshall and his friends are struggling financially, so they street race at night to earn a little more cash.
One day Marshall's former rival Dino (Dominic Cooper) rocks up to the garage with a Shelby Mustang. Not just any Shelby Mustang though: the one Carroll Shelby was working on before his death. A deal is made between the parties which would see Marshall and his friends take 25% of the $2million price tag if they are successful with the car.
Marshall, at the behest of Englishwoman Julia Maddon (Imogen Poots), gets the Mustang to clock 234mph, which ups the price to $2.7 million. Dino, enraged Marshall drove the car, challenges Marshall and his partner Little Pete Coleman (Harrison Gilbertson, who resembles a One Direction member) to race his father's three illegally imported Koenigsegg Ageras from his mansion to a bridge over the interstate, with the winner set to claim the full amount of others' share of the deal.
During the race, Dino tags Little Pete's car, triggering a spectacularly fiery crash that sends it down a ravine before it bursts into flames. Dino takes off while Marshall, who was leading the race, stops and turns back to help his friend. Marshall eventually does time for involuntary manslaughter, while Dino gets away with his dastardly crime due to no evidence.
This sets up the rest of the film, with Marshall's thirst for revenge fuelling his cross-country adventure to bring Dino to justice in a style that brings up memories of 1977 classic Smokey and the Bandit.
I am a fan of fast cars and stunts on the big screen so it wasn't too bad for me, while the comic input of Marshall's friends/crew Maverick (Scott Mescudi), Joe (Ramon Rodriguez), and the utterly outrageous Finn (Rami Malek), who delivers the funniest scene of the film when he quits his job to join the crew, kept the ball rolling well.
The chemistry between Paul and Poots is well alive on screen, but the scope of their roles is limited I don't think it brought out their best, though Poots was quite good throughout. I tend to agree with the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips who said Paul's idea of intensity in the context of Need for Speed "comes off more like serial killer in the making". Cooper puts in the best performance on anyone in the film, living up to, having fun with, and simply nailing the brash, daring Dino.
Need for Speed will not win any Academy Awards but it is a whole lot of fun worth watching on the big screen. Little Pete's crash during the race between the three Koenigseggs is one of the best I've seen in film (it's also used in the trailer), while the De Leon, an invite-only street race run by Monarch (a hilarious Michael Keaton), is an exciting finish to the film that will have viewers and gamers alike reaching for the controller.
It is those three components that have made Need for Speed one of the most successful video game series in history. The premise is simple: buy or select some serious fast and classy cars (Lamborghinis, Koenigseggs, Ferraris, etc.), drive at ridiculous speeds either through traffic or on one of a wide selection of areas, and escape from the police who give chase.
I remember playing Hot Pursuit on PlayStation over 10 years ago and becoming addicted almost straight away. The video game was an entrance to alternate reality where you could do whatever you wanted, all the while attempting to finish first (I'm a little competitive).
Since then I have played or owned quite a few of the NFS series, so when the film was announced I was a little bit eager to see how it was adapted, with fears of it becoming just another chapter of the highly successful Fast and the Furious.
Unfortunately, it was the latter.
Following six chapters of the Fast and the Furious franchise, there is not overly too much else the "driving cars particularly fast and evading the capture of police" genre can do.
And while NFS did do something slightly different, and the plot was strong enough to carry the film while providing plenty of comic relief, it still suffered from the limited breadth of the genre.
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) plays Tobey Marshall, a former race car driver who runs a garage specialising in tuning performance cars. Marshall and his friends are struggling financially, so they street race at night to earn a little more cash.
One day Marshall's former rival Dino (Dominic Cooper) rocks up to the garage with a Shelby Mustang. Not just any Shelby Mustang though: the one Carroll Shelby was working on before his death. A deal is made between the parties which would see Marshall and his friends take 25% of the $2million price tag if they are successful with the car.
Marshall, at the behest of Englishwoman Julia Maddon (Imogen Poots), gets the Mustang to clock 234mph, which ups the price to $2.7 million. Dino, enraged Marshall drove the car, challenges Marshall and his partner Little Pete Coleman (Harrison Gilbertson, who resembles a One Direction member) to race his father's three illegally imported Koenigsegg Ageras from his mansion to a bridge over the interstate, with the winner set to claim the full amount of others' share of the deal.
During the race, Dino tags Little Pete's car, triggering a spectacularly fiery crash that sends it down a ravine before it bursts into flames. Dino takes off while Marshall, who was leading the race, stops and turns back to help his friend. Marshall eventually does time for involuntary manslaughter, while Dino gets away with his dastardly crime due to no evidence.
This sets up the rest of the film, with Marshall's thirst for revenge fuelling his cross-country adventure to bring Dino to justice in a style that brings up memories of 1977 classic Smokey and the Bandit.
I am a fan of fast cars and stunts on the big screen so it wasn't too bad for me, while the comic input of Marshall's friends/crew Maverick (Scott Mescudi), Joe (Ramon Rodriguez), and the utterly outrageous Finn (Rami Malek), who delivers the funniest scene of the film when he quits his job to join the crew, kept the ball rolling well.
The chemistry between Paul and Poots is well alive on screen, but the scope of their roles is limited I don't think it brought out their best, though Poots was quite good throughout. I tend to agree with the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips who said Paul's idea of intensity in the context of Need for Speed "comes off more like serial killer in the making". Cooper puts in the best performance on anyone in the film, living up to, having fun with, and simply nailing the brash, daring Dino.
Need for Speed will not win any Academy Awards but it is a whole lot of fun worth watching on the big screen. Little Pete's crash during the race between the three Koenigseggs is one of the best I've seen in film (it's also used in the trailer), while the De Leon, an invite-only street race run by Monarch (a hilarious Michael Keaton), is an exciting finish to the film that will have viewers and gamers alike reaching for the controller.
Monday, March 17, 2014
300: Rise of an Empire
Zack Snyder makes it, er, bloody clear, his lust for Ancient Greek and Persian blood was not quenched by 2007 epic 300 in his latest box office offering.
Instead the seven year wait for another chapter to his adaptation of Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's graphic novel seems to have exasperated his thirst for bucketloads of battle-spilt blood.
It is all shown in one of this year's visual marvels 300: Rise of an Empire.
I watched Snyder's latest effort in 2D but it does appear to be made for 3D. Just in the way different parts of what is shown on screen interact in their environment: the flames floating across and out of the screen, the woodchips in the opening sequences and, of course, the copious amounts of splattering blood.
Snyder relinquishes the director's chair to Noam Murro, but stays on as a writer and producer. Snyder's trademark slow motion-heavy style of 300 remains however, with every limb forcibly detached from Persian and Greek bodies made to look like a piece of art.
The battles were every bit as mind-blowing as was to be expected. While the action in 300 focussed on King Leonidas' fictionalised effort to stall the Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae, Rise of an Empire is all about naval combat.
Ships used as battering rams and ripping others in two, scores of prisoners whipped in both camps to power the boats towards the opposing armies, the awesome speeches from Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) - every aspect of the battle scenes had me on the edge of my seat and loving every second.
With so much emphasis on the visuals and battle scenes (and using the majority of the budget on fake blood), do not expect much in terms of the screenwriting. I personally loved Thermistocle's speeches - there's nothing like a general giving that final speech before going into battle - but the rest of the dialogue fell flat.
If you love a battle and love ancient history (even if it's fictionalised), you'll love 300: Rise of an Empire.
Instead the seven year wait for another chapter to his adaptation of Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's graphic novel seems to have exasperated his thirst for bucketloads of battle-spilt blood.
It is all shown in one of this year's visual marvels 300: Rise of an Empire.
I watched Snyder's latest effort in 2D but it does appear to be made for 3D. Just in the way different parts of what is shown on screen interact in their environment: the flames floating across and out of the screen, the woodchips in the opening sequences and, of course, the copious amounts of splattering blood.
Snyder relinquishes the director's chair to Noam Murro, but stays on as a writer and producer. Snyder's trademark slow motion-heavy style of 300 remains however, with every limb forcibly detached from Persian and Greek bodies made to look like a piece of art.
The battles were every bit as mind-blowing as was to be expected. While the action in 300 focussed on King Leonidas' fictionalised effort to stall the Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae, Rise of an Empire is all about naval combat.
Ships used as battering rams and ripping others in two, scores of prisoners whipped in both camps to power the boats towards the opposing armies, the awesome speeches from Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) - every aspect of the battle scenes had me on the edge of my seat and loving every second.
With so much emphasis on the visuals and battle scenes (and using the majority of the budget on fake blood), do not expect much in terms of the screenwriting. I personally loved Thermistocle's speeches - there's nothing like a general giving that final speech before going into battle - but the rest of the dialogue fell flat.
If you love a battle and love ancient history (even if it's fictionalised), you'll love 300: Rise of an Empire.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Noise
One of the best Australian dramas you most likely have never heard mentioned.
Australian film Noise (2007) primarily focuses on the lives of Brendan Cowell's Graham McGahan, an inner west Melbournian Constable dealing with the effects of tinnitus, and Maia Thomas' Lavinia Smart, the sole survivor of a murderous "rampage" on a train in which seven people are killed.
After requesting light duties to help deal with his tinnitus, McGahan is placed on night shift in an information van in the inner west suburb of Sunshine. There, he encounters several members of different parts of the community: Lucky Phil, a mentally handicapped man, Dean Stouritis, the fiance of a murdered woman in Sunshine, and Craig Finlay, a profane racist.
At the same time, the film explores how Smart deals with the aftermath of her traumatic experience, including one fantastically presented scene towards the end when she is followed by one of the men she identifies in a police line up.
Everything about this film is amazing, and I cannot understand why I have not heard of this film before stumbling across the bargain bin.
Before viewing Noise, I had only seen Cowell as panellist on footy programs, so I didn't have the highest expectation of him as an actor (sorry); I had no idea what to expect. Now, I am actively going to seek out more films with him in it, he's brilliant. I felt myself believing McGahan's character, and the scene with Katie Wall's Caitlin Robinson forced me to think how I would react in a similar situation, which made made me love the performance even more.
Thomas plays the role of a terrified and traumatised Smart brilliantly. Smart is stricken by fear after witnessing what she did on the train, and that is only exacerbated when the investigating officers seem not to believe her recount of events.
I mentioned it earlier but the whole interaction between Smart and the man she identified in the police lineup is so well done. It begins simply as her walking down the road alone in the dark, before a car creepily slows down to her pace and follows not far behind. He eventually gets out of the car an tries to intimidate Smart, who is a heap on the ground. Instead she explodes into life, angrily confronting him and communicating the fear in which she now lives.
It's a breathtaking scene that has stuck with me since watching it last week.
Noise is an under-rated, under-watch and under-appreciated Australian drama that should be thrust into the spotlight. It's a well-crafted and smartly constructed film, featuring performances that are as real it gets.
There is a reason why Noise won the Best Film, Best Director for Matthew Saville, Best Actor for Brendan Cowell, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Music Score Awards and was nominated for Best Screenplay by the Australian Film Critics Association, and the only way to truly find out is by taking 110 minutes out of your time.
Australian film Noise (2007) primarily focuses on the lives of Brendan Cowell's Graham McGahan, an inner west Melbournian Constable dealing with the effects of tinnitus, and Maia Thomas' Lavinia Smart, the sole survivor of a murderous "rampage" on a train in which seven people are killed.
After requesting light duties to help deal with his tinnitus, McGahan is placed on night shift in an information van in the inner west suburb of Sunshine. There, he encounters several members of different parts of the community: Lucky Phil, a mentally handicapped man, Dean Stouritis, the fiance of a murdered woman in Sunshine, and Craig Finlay, a profane racist.
At the same time, the film explores how Smart deals with the aftermath of her traumatic experience, including one fantastically presented scene towards the end when she is followed by one of the men she identifies in a police line up.
Everything about this film is amazing, and I cannot understand why I have not heard of this film before stumbling across the bargain bin.
Before viewing Noise, I had only seen Cowell as panellist on footy programs, so I didn't have the highest expectation of him as an actor (sorry); I had no idea what to expect. Now, I am actively going to seek out more films with him in it, he's brilliant. I felt myself believing McGahan's character, and the scene with Katie Wall's Caitlin Robinson forced me to think how I would react in a similar situation, which made made me love the performance even more.
Thomas plays the role of a terrified and traumatised Smart brilliantly. Smart is stricken by fear after witnessing what she did on the train, and that is only exacerbated when the investigating officers seem not to believe her recount of events.
I mentioned it earlier but the whole interaction between Smart and the man she identified in the police lineup is so well done. It begins simply as her walking down the road alone in the dark, before a car creepily slows down to her pace and follows not far behind. He eventually gets out of the car an tries to intimidate Smart, who is a heap on the ground. Instead she explodes into life, angrily confronting him and communicating the fear in which she now lives.
It's a breathtaking scene that has stuck with me since watching it last week.
Noise is an under-rated, under-watch and under-appreciated Australian drama that should be thrust into the spotlight. It's a well-crafted and smartly constructed film, featuring performances that are as real it gets.
There is a reason why Noise won the Best Film, Best Director for Matthew Saville, Best Actor for Brendan Cowell, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Music Score Awards and was nominated for Best Screenplay by the Australian Film Critics Association, and the only way to truly find out is by taking 110 minutes out of your time.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Red Rock West
One of the most under-rated films I've ever seen.
I came across Red Rock West when I downloaded the film noir episode of The Film Podcast on my way into uni earlier this week. I simply didn't get what defined the noir genre genre or style of film, and I figured their two-hour discussion about films that slotted into the category would help.
One of the presenters mentioned Red Rock West as potential entry their top five film noirs, and the discussion that followed convinced me to go out and find it.
I'm glad I did.
The 1993 film stars a 30-year-old Nicholas Cage as lead character Michael Williams. Williams is a former marine-turned-drifter, whose planned employment at an oilfield falls through because he doesn't disclose an injury.
Williams wanders into Red Rock in search of work and slips into a bar, where he meets owner Wayne Brown (J.T. Walsh). Walsh mistakes Williams for a "Lyle from Dallas", who Walsh has hired to kill his wife Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle).
The story takes further twists when the real Lyle shows up (Dallas Hopper), and when Suzanne offers Williams a counter-offer to Walsh's original hit.
It has all the ingredients for a ripper film (which it definitely is) shot similar to those during the classic film noir period in the 1840s and '50s. The mistaken identity, the "femme fatale" (though this particular female lead is a minor exception to the rule), and the extensive use of shadowing are all some of Red Rock West's characteristics associated with that style of film.
I have never really been much of a Cage fan, and have only really enjoyed him in Con Air and Gone in 60 Seconds.
I can now add Red Rock West to that list.
Cage shows a side I have either never noticed in other films I have seen (National Treasure isn't the greatest measuring stick). Hopper is believably intimidating as Lyle, while Walsh's Brown is as conniving as you'd expect a sheriff who runs the town's major watering hole to be.
Lara Flynn Boyle deserves recognition for her Suzanne Brown as well. We watch her evolve on the outside for most of the film, while her greedy and perhaps criminal internal dialogue maintains its course.
An enthralling and entertaining film, Red Rock West is a gem many have yet to discover.
Red Rock West (1993): 97 minutes
I came across Red Rock West when I downloaded the film noir episode of The Film Podcast on my way into uni earlier this week. I simply didn't get what defined the noir genre genre or style of film, and I figured their two-hour discussion about films that slotted into the category would help.
One of the presenters mentioned Red Rock West as potential entry their top five film noirs, and the discussion that followed convinced me to go out and find it.
I'm glad I did.
The 1993 film stars a 30-year-old Nicholas Cage as lead character Michael Williams. Williams is a former marine-turned-drifter, whose planned employment at an oilfield falls through because he doesn't disclose an injury.
Williams wanders into Red Rock in search of work and slips into a bar, where he meets owner Wayne Brown (J.T. Walsh). Walsh mistakes Williams for a "Lyle from Dallas", who Walsh has hired to kill his wife Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle).
The story takes further twists when the real Lyle shows up (Dallas Hopper), and when Suzanne offers Williams a counter-offer to Walsh's original hit.
It has all the ingredients for a ripper film (which it definitely is) shot similar to those during the classic film noir period in the 1840s and '50s. The mistaken identity, the "femme fatale" (though this particular female lead is a minor exception to the rule), and the extensive use of shadowing are all some of Red Rock West's characteristics associated with that style of film.
I have never really been much of a Cage fan, and have only really enjoyed him in Con Air and Gone in 60 Seconds.
I can now add Red Rock West to that list.
Cage shows a side I have either never noticed in other films I have seen (National Treasure isn't the greatest measuring stick). Hopper is believably intimidating as Lyle, while Walsh's Brown is as conniving as you'd expect a sheriff who runs the town's major watering hole to be.
Lara Flynn Boyle deserves recognition for her Suzanne Brown as well. We watch her evolve on the outside for most of the film, while her greedy and perhaps criminal internal dialogue maintains its course.
An enthralling and entertaining film, Red Rock West is a gem many have yet to discover.
Red Rock West (1993): 97 minutes
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