Excellent William Friedkin thriller that pits four desperate men, exiled to South America, versus trucks carrying leaky nitroglycerin.
This was a film that was unfortunately forgotten by filmgoers, as is was haplessly released soon after "Star Wars" in 1977. But, the new High Definition transfer is spectacular and reveals a film that must be seen by fans of thrillers and suspense films.
The movie is a remake of the French classic "The Wages of Fear." And, even if you know that film well, you will find plenty of suspense and surprises here.
A first-rate cast is led by Roy Scheider, giving the most primal and immediate performance of his career. The cinematography and editing are pitch perfect. And, the score by Tangerine Dream perfectly underscores the film, especially in the final scene.
William Friedkin has been very proud to bring this film back. And, I am glad that he did! Excellent filmmaking on all accounts.
****1/2 (4 1/2 Out of 5 Stars)
millerfilm is ON! Twitter 
and Google+ 
I got home last week from a crazy four-week road trip that took me across the American West, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.
So, yeah, there was LOTS of laundry to do when I got back! Anyway, I have been starting to think of the takeaways from the trip. I'll start with Las Vegas. It was featured in tonight's "Food Network Star." So, anyway... [smile]
The first thing was, Vegas is hot. How hot? Very hot! The dry heat thing? Yeah, it might help up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. After that? Not so much! And, I happened to be there when it was the hottest of that period, meaning 110+. Wow! Toasty. I mean, for heaven's sake, it didn't get not-super-oppressive until about midnight each night. Nuts!
Anyway, having my own car meant a lot at times. On the road, you come across lots of processed food. And, over four weeks, that's just too much! So, what I found was that it is good to use local resources. And, your mini fridge! Now, that would be if I had a mini fridge where I was staying. I use Priceline, which can be good. But, it's a crap shoot (in Vegas especially!). I used their "Express Deals" and got the Holiday Inn Express for about half what others were paying. But, there was no mini fridge. Unless you were actually willing to pay $15/day to have one (if they weren't already taken!). But! I had my own Coleman cooler on wheels. Yes! It is like a small carry-on bag, with a handle and everything.
It has a food-grade inner plastic container with hand holds. So, you can pull it out and clean it as needed. I cool the cooler with gallon-size Ziploc freezer bags. I fill each with ice from the hotel where I am staying. I placed two filled bags in the bottom, put my food in next, and put another filled bag on top. It works well for me!
So, what to put into it? Well, after all that processed food, I sought out the local Whole Foods. I was already on the southwest side of the strip. And, the Whole Foods, which got featured in last night's "Food Network Star," was fairly nearby. It is actually about 1/2 mile south of the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign on Las Vegas Blvd. The sign is at the south end of the strip. The shopping center where Whole Foods is in is called Towne Square, which also has a Fleming's and a Bonefish Grille. The center is easy to get to by car, or by bus, which has a stop on the city's bus line.
I got a bunch of organic carrots, a few apples and oranges, a fresh sandwich from their deli counter, a bottle of wheat beer, and of course, a specially-printed Las Vegas Whole Foods reusable bag!
It all worked very well. I recommend seeking out fresh food where you can where you're going to. I know that many may not have the time on every trip. But, if you do, I say do it!
Lots more to talk about in Vegas. And, I will next time!
Article: Copyright © 2014, John B. Miller. All Rights Reserved.
millerfilm is ON! Twitter and Google+
Pretty by-the-numbers home-invasion movie that is pretty unusable until the comparatively entertaining last 10 minutes.
As usual, everyone's stupid as hell, and walks into the killers' knives, arrows, whatever, one after another.
There's tons of gore, and most of it is entirely routine. There is one gag towards the end that is very funny in a gruesome way, but once again, it's pretty much at the end. There is an entertaining way the credits are done, but still a bit late!
Also, I don't know if I've ever seen anything from a major studio that was shot so badly! It's like someone was given a camera, told to point it in the general direction of the action, and hit record.
Certainly missable.
*1/2 (1 1/2 Out of 5 Stars)
millerfilm is ON! Twitter and Google+
My Lord, this movie is loud! Two hours of nonstop noise that you are thankful is over, when it's finally over. This movie signified the end of Spielberg's filmmaking magic. It was the beginning of his making brainless, soulless fare like this and "E.T." It was at this point that he became more a manufacturer of "entertainment" than a creative director of it.
"E.T.," also in 1982, is essentially a dumbed-down version of "Close Encounters" for children or for those who want all the edges polished away. No need for characters you could believe exist in the actual world. Instead they're replaced by mannequins who have little to no dimension.
The 1980's was all about that, following the Reagan call to give up on humanity, give up on dreams, and just crank out lifeless stuff and make the most money possible.
And so, "Poltergeist" is one of the most perfect examples of this. It is sort of entertaining in its thoroughly stupid way, but that's about it. Tobe Hooper, who had directed "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," went on to direct something much closer to his fairly perverted sensibilities with the great, and thoroughly nuts, "Lifeforce" in 1986. Here, he's more gun for hire, technically being the director, while it is said that Spielberg was on the set more than Hooper, and shot most of the movie. You can tell!
If this movie accomplishes anything, it is an accomplishment for the Visual Effects and Practical Effects teams. Creating an atmosphere of horror is out of reach to a vast majority of those who worked on this.
The one person in the cast who hits the mark is Heather O'Rourke, who out acts everyone else by a good margin. Jerry Goldsmith, as expected, turns in an excellent score, and contributes what is easily the most artistic component to the film.
** (2 Out of 5 Stars)
millerfilm is ON! Twitter and Google+
