Film Review: BUFFALO ‘66 (1998)

Director: Vincent Gallo
Writer: Vincent Gallo (story/screenplay), Alison Bagnall (screenplay)
Running time: 110 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Crime/Drama
UK Release date: 2^nd October 1998

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 9^th June 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

In most of the listings I’ve seen for this film on the internet, it comes under the genre ‘comedy’, usually with a couple of other things thrown in. Now, having just watched it I feel either I must have totally missed something or my idea of what ‘comedy’ is doesn’t match any known thought process. There were maybe two occasions it raised a flicker of a smirk on my face; certainly no laughs whatsoever and certainly nothing remotely humorous. But I digress, it’s a film that kept coming up over the years but one I never really found the time to watch. Well we’ve finally fixed that now and here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo) has just been released from prison after five years inside. He has managed to keep the fact secret from his parents, Jimmy (Ben Gazzara) and Jan (Anjelica Huston), by getting a friend, Rocky the Goon (Kevin Corrigan) to post letters to them periodically. He’s a bit of a hot head and appears to lose his temper quite easily. His parents believe him married and to this end he manages to kidnap Layla (Christina Ricci) and persuade her to pose as his wife when he goes to visit them. I know it all sounds a bit far fetched, but (I guess) that’s the comic element. We learn, through flashback, just how Billy ended up in prison and just who he deems responsible. It all has to do with a bet he made and what he had to do to pay off the bookie (Mickey Rourke). Over the next few hours this odd couple form a kind of bond but Billy has sworn revenge and he’s not one to go back on his word… or is he?

Clearly made on a budget, there is no fancy CGI, no big car chases and no big fight scenes. It’s a piece that relies very much on performance to keep it together and on that front I can’t fault it. Both Vincent Gallo and Christina Ricci did a fine job, as did Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Houston. I guess it’s one of those films that’s more about the inner workings of the mind; you find yourself asking what is the motivation behind Billy’s actions and what exactly does Layla see in him? I have to admit at first I really didn’t like the character of Billy, but he grew on me as I came to understand him more. It’s a film that took some time to get going but I found it a worthy watch eventually.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 6.6/10.

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 26,623 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118789/

MetaScore: 68/100: (Based on 19 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 78/100 (based on 41 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 86/100 (based on 33,138 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buffalo_66/

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LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer: (I couldn’t find a proper trailer, but here’s a scene.. Enjoy)

Film Review: ANGEL HEART (1987)

Director: Alan Parker
Writers: William Hjortsberg (novel “Falling Angel”), Alan Parker (screenplay)
Running time: 113 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Mystery/Thriller
USA Release date: 6^th March 1987

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 21^st April 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is one of those titles that come up from time to time, either in conversations or it gets a mention in someone’s top ten or something similar. Either way, it’s always intrigued me. I hadn’t gone out of my way to find out too much about it before viewing so I could appreciate it for what it is and not what someone else may think about it. I have to say, although not perfect, it’s pretty damn good! Here’s a very brief summary before I tell you just why.

It’s 1955 and when private detective Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) is contacted by a lawyer on behalf of a mysterious client, he’s intrigued enough to meet this party. The client, Cyphre (Robert De Niro) wants Angel to find the whereabouts of a former crooner, Johnny Favourite, who had entered a contract with Cyphre. He had been injured in the war and was supposed to be staying in a hospital in up-state New York. Checking his file, Angel discovers that Favourite is listed as ‘transferred’, but that doesn’t ring true. He finds his doctor and gets a story about him being picked up and taken back to New Orleans. The action switches South where Angel follows clues that lead him to a young woman; Epiphany Proudfoot (Lisa Bonet) and a fortune teller; Margaret Krusemark (Charlotte Rampling). Both have information about Johnny, but neither can tell Angel where he is. A series of murders though do point the way and when Angel discovers the truth about Johnny it may even be too late for him.

This is a beautifully put together film with some great imagery and a slight fixation for fans (don’t worry, this is explained in the narrative). The performances were all excellent with Mickey Rourke easily standing out; he always makes his characters believable and that was most important in this case. Of the others, De Niro was good in the places we saw him although he doesn’t have a major part to play; I thought Lisa Bonet did a very reasonable job also. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly has something; and enough something to gain my recommendation.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.8/10.

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 42,341 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0092563/

MetaScore: No Data: (Based on 0 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 78/100 (based on 23 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 62/100 (based on 28,704 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1000959-angel_heart/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Cyphre: Are you an atheist?
Harry Angel: Yeah, I'm from Brooklyn.
*
[repeated line]
Harry Angel: I gotta thing about chickens.
*
Cyphre: No matter how cleverly you sneak up on a mirror, your reflection always looks you straight in the eye.
Harry Angel: What's your name?
Epiphany Proudfoot: Epiphany Proudfoot.
Harry Angel: Your mother left you a very beautiful name, Epiphany.
Epiphany Proudfoot: Not much else.
*
Harry Angel: [to Izzy as he is lounging on a deserted beach at Coney Island, in what must be early Autumn] Listen. What do you do around here in the summertime?
Izzy: I bite the heads off rats.
Harry Angel: What do you do in the winter?
Izzy: The same.
[chuckles nonchalantly]

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.williamhjortsberg.com/angelheart.html
Trailer:

Film Review: IMMORTALS (2011)

Director: Tarsem Singh
Writers: Charley Parlapanides & Vlas Parlapanides
Running time: 110 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Action/Drama/Fantasy
UK Release date: 11^th November 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 11^th November 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

The poster proudly boasts “From the makers of 300”; now I quite liked ‘300’ and so I thought I’d give this one a go. Made in the same style with a comic-book look and feel to the visuals it does very much grab you, in the visual sense at least. The trouble with a lot of Greek legends is that there’s an awful lot of back-story to get through before you can relax and enjoy the film. This is no exception; quite a lot of time is taken up with explaining just who is who and who’s a god and why this king wants that etc… It all can be a bit of a hard lump to swallow at the beginning of the film but once you’re past that it’s pretty straightforward stuff.

I must say I did enjoy the visual style of this one, with a large amount of CGI work that is all very well done, it’s a treat for the eye… if a little dark (in the visual sense). The plot is pretty complicated but here’s a very brief (spoiler free – I hope) synopsis: The brutal King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) wants the Epirus Bow, a mythical weapon that will enable him to release the Titans from their prison deep within the walls of Mount Tartaros. A young man, Theseus (Henry Cavill) has vowed vengeance on Hyperion after he murders his mother. A priestess, Phaedra (Freida Pinto) holds the key to the location of the bow but she manages to evade capture and escapes with Theseus. Add to this the gods, led by Zeus (Luke Evans) and a mysterious old man (John Hurt) who has been a friend to Theseus since birth and there, in a nut-shell, you have it.

The performances were all pretty good with Mickey Rourke standing out for me; he has such a great screen presence. A very violent film with plenty of claret on show, which will please all the splatter-fest fans. It’s all very well done but does rely heavily on the CGI to carry the story across. The question is, does the story have enough weight to come across through all the effects? Well, for me, it does… but only just.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED (Just)

My score: 5.8/10

IMDb Score: 6.1/10 (based on 83,306 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1253864/

MetaScore: 46/100: (Based on 23 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 35/100 (based on 113 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 49/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 59,712 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/immortals_2011/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Theseus: Stand your ground! Fight for order! Fight for the man beside you! Fight for those who bore you! Fight for your children! Fight for your future! Fight for your name to survive! Fight! For immortality!

Zeus: It's not living as such that's important, Theseus. It's living rightly.

Stavros: Good to see you're still alive. Worried that cow had gotten the best of you.
Theseus: It almost did. She saved my life.
Stavros: Looks like she did more than that.
Phaedra: [Looks down embarrassed]
Theseus: Careful.
Stavros: Just 'cause you have that bow doesn't mean I'm going to treat you any differently.
Theseus: Good. We march to the monastery.
[Turns and starts walking away]
Theseus: We have a war to fight.

Stavros: Hyperion's legions are gathering at Tartarus. That's where Hellenists will fall.
Phaedra: That future's not set.
Stavros: But likely. It'll be a slaughter.
Phaedra: You have no faith.
Dareios: Heathens.
Stavros: That is true, Dareios. But not always. When I was just a boy, I prayed to the Gods, for a horse. The Gods never answered me. So I stole one, instead.
Dareios: We're surrounded by heathens.
[Falls dead with a knife in his back]

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/immortals
Trailer:

Film Review: IRON MAN 2 (2010) - Revisited

Director: Jon Favreau
Running time: 120 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 30^th April 2010

Watched on Sky+ Friday 27^th May 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I very much enjoyed the first film in this series and was hoping for more of the same in the sequel. Fortunately I wasn’t too disappointed, it lived up to the first one, maybe not quite as good (sequels seldom are), but a fine effort nonetheless. The setting is New York where Tony Stark, having revealed himself as Iron Man and having brought peace to the world, is holding his Stark Expo, an exhibition of technology from all over the world. An idea originated by his father, Howard.

In Russia, Ivan Vanko, brooding after the death of his father, Anton, who had worked with Howard Stark on the early prototype of the power source that now drives Iron Man’s suit. He was extradited back to Russia for espionage and made to live in Siberia. Ivan, now seeking revenge works on a suit of his own. Meanwhile back in the USA, Tony Stark has been summoned before a Senate committee who are determined to get him to give them the Iron Man suit for military use. One of the experts called to the hearing is Justin Hammer, one of Stark’s former competitors when he made weapons for a living. Bringing his friend, Lt. Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes to testify backfires on the committee and Stark wins the day, but things are not over between him and Hammer.

Stark now decides to hand control of Stark Industries over to Pepper Potts having discovered his health is at risk from wearing the suit. The papers are drawn up and a woman from the legal department, Natalie Rushman, brings them for signing. She impresses Stark and later becomes Pepper’s assistant. Heading to Monaco, Stark decides to compete in a motor race. He is surprised when Ivan Vanko turns up and destroys his car with plasma whips. Fortunately, Pepper is there with his Iron Man suit and he manages to subdue the Russian. Vanko goes to jail but is later sprung by someone who is very interested in his work.

Returning home, Stark prepares for his birthday party, but with many things praying on his mind he gets drunk wearing the suit and ends up in a fight with Rhodey. Enter Nick Fury who helps put Stark back on the road to recovery and reveal that someone close to him is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Hammer is due to show the work he has been doing at Stark’s Expo and he has a few things he wants to surprise him with. Things are brewing up for a big fight at the end, but I don’t want to spoil it for you, I’ll just say it’s pretty spectacular and Vanko isn’t finished with Stark just yet.

This is a very well made film with plenty of very well designed and executed special effects. The score is great, but if you put AC/DC, The Clash and Queen in there you’re always going to get my vote! The performances were all good, special mentions go to Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer and Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko. Honourable mentions go to Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as Lt. Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

I must admit I didn’t much care for the character of Tony Stark at first, he is egotistic and narcissistic. As the film went on he did show he does have a human side though. Justin Hammer is equally egotistic which I found made for an interesting dynamic to this good versus evil story. I also had a problem with America being the centre of everything, yet again, it’s like the rest of the world doesn’t exist! (Apart from Monaco). Although I did find it amusing when Stark is standing in front of a giant US flag projected on a screen with an Australian/British rock band providing the music. But enough of these minor niggles, the film is great fun, not as good as the first one, but as sequels go, it’s certainly watchable. Over all, recommended.

My score: 7.3/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1228705/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/iron_man_2/
Official Site: http://ironmanmovie.marvel.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: IRON MAN 2 (2010)

Director: Jon Favreau
Running time: 124 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

UK Release date: 30th April 2010

Watched at the cinema Saturday 1st May 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I very much enjoyed the first film in this series and was hoping for more of the same in the sequel. Fortunately I wasn’t too disappointed, it lived up to the first one, maybe not quite as good (sequels seldom are), but a fine effort nonetheless. The setting is New York where Tony Stark, having brought peace to the world as Iron Man, is holding his Stark Expo, an exhibition of technology from all over the world.

In Russia, Ivan Vanko, brooding after the death of his father, Anton, who had worked with Tony Stark’s father, Howard, on the early prototype of the power source that now drives Iron Man’s suit. Ivan, now seeking revenge works on a suit of his own. Meanwhile back in the USA, Tony Stark has been summoned before a Senate committee who are determined to get him to give them the plans to the Iron Man suit for military use. One of the experts called to the hearing is Justin Hammer, one of Stark’s former competitors when he made weapons for a living. Bringing his friend, Lt. Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes to testify backfires on the committee and Stark wins the day, but things are not over between him and Hammer. He now decides to hand control of Stark Industries over to Pepper Potts. The papers are drawn up and Natalie Rushman brings them for signing. She impresses Stark and later becomes Pepper’s assistant. Heading to Monaco, Stark decides to compete in a motor race. He is surprised when Ivan Vanko turns up and destroys his car with plasma whips. Fortunately, Pepper Potts is there with his Iron Man suit and he manages to subdue the Russian. Vanko goes to jail but is later sprung by someone who is very interested in his work. Returning home, Stark prepares for his birthday party, but something is praying on his mind and he gets drunk wearing the suit and ends up in a fight with Rhodey. Enter Nick Fury who helps put Stark back on the road to recovery and reveal that someone close to him is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Things are brewing up for a big fight at the end, but I don’t want to spoil it for you, I’ll just say it’s pretty spectacular and Vanko is very much involved.

This is a very well made film with plenty of very well designed and executed special effects. The score is great, but if you put AC/DC, The Clash and Queen in there you’re always going to get my vote! The performances were all good, special praise goes to Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer and Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko. Honourable mentions go to Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as Lt. Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

I must admit I didn’t much care for the character of Tony Stark at first, he is egotistic and narcissistic. Admittedly, as the film went on he did show he does have a human side. I also had a problem with America being the centre of everything yet again, it’s like the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Although I did find it amusing when Stark is standing in front of a giant US flag projected on a screen with an Australian/British rock band providing the music. But enough of these minor niggles, the film is great, it’s not as good as the first one, but as sequels go, it’s certainly watchable. Over all, recommended.

My score: 7.3/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1228705/
Official Site: http://ironmanmovie.marvel.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2256077849/

Film Review: THE WRESTLER (2008)

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Running time: 109 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on DVD Wednesday 17th February 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is without doubt one of the best drama’s I’ve seen in a very long time. Made on a tight budget, which sometimes shows, it’s a film that really makes the audience engage with the characters and leaves you all chewed up inside, I loved it!

Randy ‘The Ram’ is a wrestler, it’s what he’s done all his life and now he’s coming to the end of his career. The only problem is, wrestling is all he knows. He has a part-time job at a local store, but relies on the little money he can make from wrestling to survive. He lives alone in a trailer and there’s a stripper, Cassidy, he has an eye on at the local bar. In the past he was quite a star, but now things have quietened down and he doesn’t have the pull he used to. But still, he makes a living, that is until one day he has a heart attack. They put him back together, but he’s told not to wrestle any more. Cassidy persuades him to contact his estranged daughter, Stephanie. That doesn’t go too well, but he persists and they go out for a day where he apologises for not being there when she was growing up and they seem to be slowly building a relationship again. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll leave my little synopsis there.

First of all, I must say it is a tremendous performance from Mickey Rourke as Randy, he really put his all into the part and it showed. I thought the writing; by Robert D. Siegel was spot on also, some great dialogue. The wrestling scenes were brutal and I must give credit to the stunt guys for that, excellent work. Both Marisa Tomei as Cassidy and Evan Rachel Wood as Stephanie were excellent as well. Also, a great soundtrack, but then I grew up with 80’s rock, so I might be a bit biased there.

Over all, a really engaging drama that grabs your attention and keeps you watching to the end. I found I really cared about the characters, particularly Randy and Cassidy. Maybe a little more on Stephanie wouldn’t have gone amiss, but that doesn’t detract from the finished article. Easily one of the best films I’ve seen so far this year and one that’s sure to feature in my end of year awards. Very highly recommended!

My score: 8.9/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1125849/
Official Site: http://www.thewrestlermovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1387528985/