Sherlock Holmes is one of my personal heroes: he uses his brain to beat the villains. He has always been the archetype of the smart, civilized and nevertheless determined hero.
Guy Ritchie is addicted to violence in his movies – everything needs to have a "bang" to make any sense … for him. And of course he has to turn this old fashioned Gentlemen into a boxing and shooting womanizer …
Too bad many young people will confuse the brawling Robert Downey version of Sherlock as a bit smarter than usual hero – instead of the real thing.
Another great Sherlock: Basil Rathbone.
By the way: Mr Downey do you really need to play any idiotic hero role thrown your way?
Guy Ritchie I hereby sentence you to another marriage to Madonna!
PS: The currently best running adaptation of the character and attitude of Sherlock Holmes is done by Hugh Laurie as Dr. House – and his friend Dr. Wilson is obviously Dr. Watson.
Most Christmas movies reek of sweetness and kindness – and are terrible morale fantasies. I despise such brain sugar.
Sure Trading Places is also fiction – but it is a moral fable with a nasty sting and big bowl of satire. It illustrates many nasty aspects of real life: poverty, injustice and arbitrariness …
But it conquers these obstacles with wit and brains – and not stupid trust in the kindness of people.
So this is the movie James Cameron always wanted to make? His childhood dream? Some dreams are better left untouched …
It perfectly fulfils the current desire of the masses to be nice to mother nature and go back to a simpler life (by watching high-tech-movies).
The movie plays with the old concept of the Noble Savage (please read the <- Wikipedia article, because it is excellent!). This theme has been used many times in famous stories like Moby Dick, Mowgli and Tarzan – and almost every time it has been bastardized by Hollywood.
Cameron spends 300 Million Dollars and 2,5 hours on this theme and completely disappoints. Like Roland Emmerich almost all his movies have the same core message. In Mister Emmerichs case it’s utter destruction of our planet (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and 2012) and in Mr Cameron’s case it’s always a huge military drama (Terminator I & II, Rambo II, Aliens, Abyss, Avatar).
The more money these directors get – the more crap they produce. I call it the George Lucas Syndrome – but many others have suffered from it as well (like Carpenter).
Why can’t these film makers get a good therapist and workout their problems, instead of recreating the same boring story lines over and over again?
What an outstanding movie – one of the rare ones that actually captures the "fight & violence" aspect of being a male without being too pathetic or macho about it.
And it perfectly portrays madness as well.
I think Fight Club is the Office Slaves perfect dream of breaking out and finally releasing his anger of his own conformity and the stupidity of modern life.
But consuming Fight Club is one again mental masturbation: you only watch it, you are not doing it.
Facing violence and actually fighting someone else can’t be consumed. There is no substitute for pain, angst, triumph, excitement and fury.
A movie can go only so far – and Fight Club does a great job of pushing the male identity question down the throats of it’s audience …
I adore Mister Cohen for his talent to spot societies awkward taboos and hitting them hard. His Borat was already brilliant and I think Brüno will just as painful to watch.
I still think it is kinda stupid to let white people play non-whites, but Hollywood thinks in revenues not historical accuracy. But Liz Taylor certainly can play one of the most beautiful queens in history – because she can easily take that spot herself …
On 31.3.1999 the amazing movie "The Matrix" was released – and it new cultural icon for the Internet age was born.
It’s theme is certainly an old one: a heroes descent from ignorance to full power. This was hardly a new tale. And Keanu Reeves was already used to playing messianic roles.
But the setting of the Matrix, it’s environment and Kafka-like mentality hit the Zeitgeist of the final days of the last millennium. It was sexy, it was sterile, it was brutal, it was naked, it was inhuman, it was technical.
The underlying theme of a technology overpowering humanity was nothing new either, but this newest incarnation of this story was even harder to ignore than older scifi flicks. We do live in the age of the Internet, we live in the age of total computerization, we also live in a interconnected – disconnected human society.
The Matrix perfectly touched our own ignorance: how we love to enjoy the perfect illusion of a hedonistic life before we die. We don’t like to wake up and see how reality really looks like.
Everything is an illusion got a new meaning with this movie.
PS: Too bad that the other two parts are basically a remake of itself.
David Lynch is for me one of the great Movers & Shakers of modern TV and Cinema.
His very unique perspective on life and art has created some of the most outstanding movies … and greatest TV show so far.
His kind of "weirdness" has intellectual depth and his shock moments are not just blunt effects.
Once you seriously enter his cosmos, you will be bewildered, enchanted and often twisted by his visions – but there are only a few directors who project such a power and influence over the screen.
Plus he was never afraid to experiment with new media and simply play the fool. Most "great" directors become boring monuments of their own deeds. Lynch simply continues to spin and expand his most excellent multiverse …
Comic books and most action flicks are made for teenagers or so called young adults. Sure, you want to give your audience fictional characters they can identify with – plus some super powers so they can impress they kids and satisfy their own hunger for power, because they feel usually pretty powerless.
In good old fairy tales the hero grows through various challenges and becomes a responsible adult. Sure not every hero is qualified to become a God (like in Greek Myths), but some form of Apotheosis is always involved.
To view it through Nietsche’s eyes: the hero has made the first step from a domesticated animal to become an Übermensch.
But Hollywood has no appetite for such transformations. Most male heroes start as little boys and continue to solve their adventures with the attitude and methods of a teenager. They continue to outfight and not outwit their opponents.
Our modern catalogue of (male) role-models seriously lacks grownup and smart heroes.
And it shows in real life as well.
Many grown men rather collect Star Wars figures instead of leading a "serious" life. Several generations of males have been feminized (by the single mothers revolution) and infantilized by mass media.
It’s not about the old macho attitude or "though" behaviour, it’s about having a backbone and knowing what real life looks like …
Well, it’s a bloody great movie if you ask me and thankfully it has developed quite a following over the years (read the BBC article for all the details and many great comments).
The Big Lebowki has this rare kind of humor that is rooted in reality and surrealism at the same time. Most of all it’s not the usual slapstick kind of humor.
And all of it’s characters are very trivial as well, that makes them so endearing and loveable.
France is mostly know for it’s arty and serious movies – but "OSS 117" is just pure comedy. Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath was actually created long before Ian Fleming came up with James Bond – and he is actually an American.
I love the trailer – Jean Dujardin has that old school charm so many new Bonds lack and he doesn’t take himself too serious either – which is always good.
I saw the first Matrix and I was blown away. I saw the second Matrix movie and I was bored. I saw the third Matrix movie and finally understood that I was in the Matrix myself and watching a repeat.
Sometimes bad movies don’t get any better – even when you give them time to grow on you.
Repeating the same idea with loads of violence and special effect doesn’t improve it. And I still want my personal Latex Superchick to fight for me.
Poor old Barbie – and many other cultural Icons – you are no longer the coolest (girly) toy around. I wonder if people will remember Darth Vader, Pac Man, Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, Pokemons, Godzilla or King Kong in a 100 years?
So many movies these days are made in front of a green screen – to be mixed and composed with computer generated action later. The actor literally acts without context in a creative a vacuum.
I think we as an audience feel that emptiness and that lack of chemistry between the real actor and his virtual counterpart.
I consider Fritz Lang as one of the greatest directors ever. His movies were ground breaking in his days. His masterpiece ‘M – eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder’ still puts many modern productions to shame. But I also recommend watching his outdated movies like ‘Frau im Mond‘ from 1929. How times have changed … but this movie actually ‘invented’ the countdown, which is still in use today.
What a wonderful movie: quiet, challenging, personal and thoughtful. You hardly see any movie about a spiritual lifestyle today. It’s actually based on a true story.
Romantic movies are for chicks and action stuff is for guys. Right? Wrong. There seem an incredible number of chick flicks out there and an even greater number of dumb violent stuff for youngsters – BUT hardly any good stuff for ‘real men’.
Dead Poets Society – or how it feels like to be a boy. One of the few movies who don’t turn growing up into a screwball comedy. This one shows how important it is to have a good mentor (sort of older guy) to introduce young gentlemen to art and higher principles – as an alternative to ‘just’ sex and getting a proper job.
Birdy – Also a story about growing up, but also about coping with tragedy, pain, madness and – mostly – about finding your own way. Friendship also plays an important part in this one. Great Soundtrack by Peter Gabriel.
About Schmidt – This movie kills me every time. About the tragedy of a guy, who discovers at the end of his life that he hasn’t lived at all. Very heartbreaking and a huge warning sign. To do what is expected of you (getting a good job, starting a family and retire to a nice home) isn’t life …
Broken Flowers – Whatever happens to old womanizers? The story of Don and his search for a son or better say a family or steady relationship he never had or could ‘create’. A great movie about lonely guys, who have achieved something, but have nothing.
This was the last big Adventure movie made with Stop-Motion puppets. If you watch it today it’s cheesy and childish compared to all these computer generated action flicks. Even a decent episode of Xena or Hercules is better.
The list of actors is rather impressive: Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith and Ursula Andress. But even their greatness can’t help the bad script and usual Hollywood distortion of an old Greek myth (a norse Kraken has nothing to do with the Greek Titans).
I am still waiting for some TV show or movie series that tries to portrait Greek mythology in a good and serious manner! There are so many great stories waiting to be retold. But movies like ‘Troy’ or the above mentioned crappy Xena and Hercules certainly DON’T do these great tales ANY justice.
It is amazing how many bad movies Disney has made since the early 80’s. One of them is the SciFi flick ‘The Black Hole’. It coincided with the first Star Wars movie – and was pretty lame compared to Like Skywalker and the most nerve wrecking space battle ever.
The movies production was actually started way before Star Wars, which explains the old school special effects using wires and models – instead of computer animation and computer controlled space ships.
I can only recommend the movie if you really really really don’t find anything else to watch – or you want to bore some kids.
Instead of trying to come up with really good ideas, Hollywood just circles the drain and recycles the same idea over and over again.
Gene Roddenberry was a brave men and tried to break old taboos and limits with his wacky little show. He succeeded and that is why the show was so beloved. But today it’s only about the franchise and milking some more dollars out of plastic figures and re-released DVDs.
Why are they afraid to go where no one has gone before?
Since the mid-nineties Asian movies are conquering the global market. Tales from China and India are big hits with western audiences. India – or better Bollywood has always outproduced it’s American rival, but it took a long time until their products were universally accepted.
From a few ’serious’ movies, most Bollywood productions seem to have only singing, dancing and a lot of Kitsch romance in mind. So it’s not really my kind of stuff. But SOMETIMES I like the music, because it’s obscure at best – or has some excellent classical Indian bits in it. And I love classical Indian music.
So here is a typical pop music style Bollywood song with some typical weird English lyric fragments in it (from the movie "Bombay Talkie" (a short and very weird video excerpt here)):
More "traditional" Bollywood soundtrack (the title music for the flick "Teen Kanya"):
Today movies have to start with a bang – otherwise the crowd won’t know when to stop munching and pay attention to the big screen.
In the good old days proper movies started with an overture – and if they were longer then 90 minutes they had an Intermission (vulgo pee break).
Overtures are borrowed from classical music, mostly Opera. They were played before the curtain went up – often already introducing themes and Leitmotivs of the upcoming performance.
Three movies come to mind: 2001, Khartoum and Spartacus has all an Overture. Anyone else can remember a classic with an Overture (or peek at the Wikipedia list for such movies)?
As a big movie and soundtrack fan I love Overtures!
Johnny Depp has created one of the most memorable character here: the mad pirate Captain, with a twisted sense of honor and humor. I would love to see more movies with this irresistible character.
I think he has the potential to become a long lasting modern archetype, like Spock, Darth Vader or Goucho Marx.
I do hate sailing, but I do love a good ‘naval’ movie! Most of these are centered around the British Navy – and I have a weak spot for the period of British Empire anyway.
Most of the old movies tend to be charmingly naive and adventures (like Horatio Hornblower or the Sea Hawk), but only Master and Commander is both ‘modern’ (read: realistic) and exciting at the same time. And it helps a lot that no phoney love story is woven into the plot … it’s rather bloody, but full of friendship and the terrible truth about the moments of horror of war at sea.
Boy oh boy, one time I do not check an entry via Wikipedia and I am in trouble. Jolene and Edosan gave me a proper lashing for my failure!
The movie is based on a HUGE series of novels by the great writer Patrick O’Brian – who has been working on navel novels for over 35 years now. Here is a NPR radio special about the author. There is obviously a huge maritime fan base out there – I was completely ignorant about …
I am pretty sure you many of this great Maestro’s artwork. His movie posters are legendary. His style is breath taking and often reminds me of ‘Jugendstil’ and the great Alfons Mucha.
In recent years we have seen a huge flood of computer animated specials – and Penguins – in the movie theatres.
Cuteness doesn’t work for me – at least not to watch a whole movie. But this one is weird, cool and many times very surreal. I mean surfing Penguins are strange enough – but a surfing chicken?
It’s make fun of itself (it’s made like a documentary) and all the other Penguin, Surf and Animal flicks out there. How very refreshing and actually funny.
This movie makes an excellent addition to the ‘Fog of War‘, but not so intellectual and focus on a single person (Robert McNamara) – and it gives you a much better oversight how it all developed.
This is the perfect lone wolf and lonely fighter movie. It provided a template for many Hollywood imitations like ‘Last Man standing’ with Bruce Willis.
His solid storytelling and his talent to create amazing characters, just glues me to the screen every time! Hardly any director – apart from Steven Spielberg or David Lean has made so many epical movies.
I have always been a great fan of Frank Oz’s work. He produces the kind of silent comedies I love so much. Less slapstick, but great characters and stories.
If you are looking a a dark comedy with some brains – go and watch it, rent it or buy it some other form. Watch the trailer to see what you are getting into.
So many movies from the Film Noir period are visually simply stunning. In our colorful world the extreme black and white contrasts feel almost alien today. Some more images here.
Herr Lorre was a magnificent actor. His performance in "M" is still top notch. But when he later immigrated to Hollywood he was mostly abused for minor and ridiculous roles (although his act as mad wizard in the "Raven" is pretty adorable). Hollywood was just not ready for deep stories (like "M").
post dedicated to Moira – who is a big Peter Lorre fan
I am a great fan of Nick Parker’s work and all the Wallace & Gromit shorts – their last movie is simply brilliant: charming, wonderful humor, hardly any violence, hardly any sex at all (it’s a British movie – remember) and lovely characters. In essence really entertainment for the whole family.
And I have two new favorite characters: Phillip the bad guys dog and you rabbits. Couldn’t find any good pictures – sorry. So if you are looking for a great comedy watch the movie or rent the DVD. Highly recommended.
The final scene of Sunset Boulevard [watch it on YouTube] always sends shivers down my spine. Although this movie is already half a century old it’s still fantastic and has lost nothing of it’s impact, madness and magic [here is the old trailer]. Not many old Hollywood productions age so gracefully. Thank you Billy Wilder, William Holden and most of all Gloria Swanson.
William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Nancy Olson, Erich von Stroheim – who was a great director himself.
