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Originally Posted by Tommy Jarvis
Escape from New York 1981 ★★★★½
The master Carpenter at work in this dystopian sci-fi action romp. With a bit of imagery that will probably have some audiences squirmish in the 2000s. Also, Doctor Loomis is now president of the United States. Carpenter went there.
So the story is the template for a lot of dystopian sci-fi action flicks. Anything from Mad Max to Army of the dead if somehow indebted to Escape from NY. So in the near future, Manhattan becomes a giant prison where they somehow manage to capture the president (don't ask) and his only hope is Snake Plisskin, a convicted felon played by Kurt Russell. Russel oozes so much machismo and badassery here that it made me wonder why he was never considered for the Expandables-franchise.
Carpenter turns this into a super entertaining rollercoaster ride with plenty of because of course he does-moments
Plisskin landing on the roof of the World Trade Centre tower (the one where they put all the jerks)
Plisskin stopping just at the edge of the roof
a ring fight where Plisskin kills a huge bald fella with a beard
Plisskin being coerced into the plot with a bomb in his body
Needless to say, the entire cast is on point. Ernest Borgnine as Cabbie, Carpenter regular Adrienne Barbeau, Harry Dean Stanton, Lee Van Cleef, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Adkins,... And of course Kurt Russell as the shining star. They all know what their job is and they do it excellently.
If you are a fan of action and sci-fi and you have not seen this one yet, look out for it.
A Clockwork Orange 1971 ★★★★
I love this one.
A surreal, dystopian take on society in a near future. Looks like something Black Mirror would take a cue from.
I always enjoy hearing the language and the inflections in this one. Always manages to give it an extra cachet. The visual style makes it all the more thrilling, thus providing inspiration for thrill rides like Trainspotting and Natural Born Killers.
Also interesting how Alex at first is not deterred by the violence, but it's more the presence of Beethoven getting to him.
From reading other reviews, it would appear that the movie in fact has a bleaker ending than the novel. Making me want to read the latter.
A clockwork orange. Timeless masterpiece.
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Good overview of ACO-while the violence seems to be the main point of contention, at this point of time, it appears more staged (particularly the "Surprise Visit") and nothing like the bloodbaths that followed in its wake.
One thing not really mentioned is the humor, particularly Alex's treatment of Dim, Alex's whining at his parents and particularly, his "rescue" from the Police-His reaction is priceless as is the use of the word "Well"
WELCOME TO ARROW BEACH (1974). A Hippie girl (Meg Foster-those lovely eyes) becomes acquainted with a guy who lives nearby with his sister and at first, it seems to be nothing more than hospitality. Of course, things are not always as they appear..
This was Laurence Harvey's last film acting and directing, while being ill with cancer. It's more disturbing than anything else-one wonders what exactly is going on between Laurence and his lovely sister, JoAnna Pettit and not much goo, although there is a pretty nasty sendoff, filmed in a different fashion than You would expect. Some name performers help out and WTAB is worth a watch. ***