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Open Range - one of he most under appreciated Westerns. The way it slowly builds to it's inevitable confrontation is (purposely) slow, but well done. Anyone that doubts Costner's acting ability should check this out. His transformation from cow hand to his former self with a 'past' is pretty darn impressive.
I must have posted this before now. At the risk of being redundant, ya'll should check out Montana with Kyra Sedgewick and a cast of inept criminals (except for Nick, her crime partner) as a hitwoman and heroine and Thick as Thieves with Alec Baldwin and Andre Braugher with some witty writing and hilarious characters. Black comedies and diamonds in the rough don't get much better than these!
The recent Criterion Blu Ray release of Michael Mann's 1981 Neo realist noir thriller- "Thief". To call this a neglected masterpiece might be just my admiration for this delicious film, and the spot on bristling acting by James Caan and Tuesday Weld.Excellent supporting roles from James Belushi,in his first film,and a cameo from Willie Nelson, as a dying convict and mentor to the Caan character.All the bank vault break in scenes were done with the actors using real tools and there is plenty of American steel being driven around reminding us just how wonderful the seventies were to the automobile.I can't leave out the villain,played perfectly by Robert Prosky.It is a memorable portrait of a sinister,suburban gangster,though the film revolves around it's Chicago locale and don't be surprised to see the Blues giant Willie Dixon fishing,or the Mighty Joe Young Blues Band cranking it out in a nightclub scene.The Tangerine Dream score drones through the tension filled scenes. This is one movie that has guts and soul and,i fear,might look a little dated to some who have never bruised their knuckles or tasted blood.Live a little through this film,it is a great one.
The Killer Elite is early Peckinpah. The Name of The Rose is a fascinating original. A murder mystery . . but in a medieval monastery? And who and what is the detective? Yeah, it's great all around. Good call.Speaking of murder mysteries, Jane Fonda in Klute won her the Oscar that year. She owned that part. Tough and confident as her character is, you can feel her vunerablity and terror in that scene in the end where she's about to be killed. Killer portrayal. She's really very good as the submissive (Jane Fonda? Submissive?) serviceman's wife in Coming Home.
Finally watched the full version of Once Upon a Time in America and was blown away. One of those movies that leave you thinking about it for days.I mentioned in the cinema thread I watched the new True Grit with my 13 year old daughter, wow I love that movie!
Just picked up Michael Mann's "Collateral" with a terrific cat and mouse game from Tom Cruise (yeah, he's really good in this film) and Jamie Foxx (equally good in a masterfully underplayed way). The film was shot in hi-def video and transferred to film. As Mann says in his audio comments on this film, the video perfectly captures Los Angeles at night. There are not many directors who can choreograph action like Mann does.
"The Train" starring Burt Lancaster. This is a black and white WW II movie filmed in 1964. It is one of my favorite movies of all times. Some of the greatest action sequences with trains ever filmed, in my opinion. All the actors did their own stunts.
... and a great soundtrack!
