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jacknreading
Reviews
Alien (1979)
A tour DE force
Just saw that Ridley Scott will soon be bringing out a film (Prometheus)that has roots in his masterpiece "Alien." It prompted me to go back to user reviews of this epic film, and in one of them, from 2005, a reviewer identified as Patuguitos simply and rightfully acclaimed "Alien" as the perfect film. Bravo--it is true. This film was victimized by bias against its science fiction genre, garnering awards only in the areas of special effects, set direction, etc. Yes, it features a fearsome creature (brilliantly shown in increasingly frightful glimpses):apparently Oscar voters felt this disqualified the film as a serious piece of cinema. Absurd--"Alien" deserved nominations, if not wins, as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Editing, Set Design, Special Effects, Score, and perhaps other categories. I have been a discriminating film-goer for almost 60 years. To this day, "Alien" stays with me as one of the most thrilling, satisfying experiences in a theater I've ever had. 32 years later, it has lost none of its impact. Yes--the perfect film!
Texas Killing Fields (2011)
An Unholy Mess
Indecipheral dialogue, hopelessly muddled plot,total absence of character development..I mean, did the director ever watch this film before it was released??? This film is a blatant example of a maddening trend among some contemporary filmmakers: It doesn't matter if the story you tell is incoherent to the audience (sometimes intentionally so!)--just load on those atmospherics! Oh, and don't worry if the audience can't understand a word one of the main characters is saying (the mumbling, incoherent Worthington--it sounds more "authentic!" I'm convinced that when the film wrapped, this neophyte director woke up in the middle of the night and exclaimed: "Omigod! I forgot to put in a resolution about that tattooed guy who killed the cop!" In this case, considering Michael Mann's distinguished resume (with the exception, I would say, of the equally muddled "Miami Vice," the apple has fallen far, far from the tree.