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Read my thoughts on the film several pages back.
The film is let down by the naff acting of Norton. Overrated egocentric little knob of butter.
Just viewed The Mechanic....rather good and beautifully shot. Two great leads in this film.
Edit: Just watched Blitz - nice set up for a sequel, loved the characters but I feel it needed a bit more meat. Good though.
<center><font size = 4>part 3</font></center>
<center><font color = darkblue size = 6>MANHUNTER (1986)</font></center>
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Three years have passed since The Keep and Mann returns to the crime genre, only to face a bit of a strange fate. With Manhunter, produced by Dino De Laurentiis, Mann would actually be the first to bring Hannibal Lecktor to the big screen. However, it would be Brian Cox playing the notorious cannibal, and not Hopkins (who is to star in The Silence of the Lambs, directed by Jonathan Demme, five years after Manhunter). Even more important is that Mann heavily reduced Lecktor's involvement in the story - Manhunter is based on Red Dragon, the same Thomas Harris novel that Brett Ratner's later film Red Dragon will be based on - only to have Graham and Dollarhyde suck up most of our screentime. In a way, this makes sense. Mann is interested in criminals who are actually in the process of committing a crime, and occasionally in the cops who try to catch them. There's little room for Lecktor in this script. Altogether I think this is a good thing. Graham's quest for finding the Tooth Fairy is more up to Mann's talents and in retrospect it would be virtually impossible for Cox' performance to stand the test of time, all because of Hopkins' infamous performance in Silence, Hannibal and Red Dragon post 1990. So let's make it perfectly clear that we're watching a Lecktor film merely by the fact of the character's presence but that Manhunter neither feels like a Lecktor film nor plays in the 'Hopkins canon'. It really is about Graham versus Dollarhyde, a police procedural without even the slightest traces of Hannibal horror. This is a cop movie.
So, the cop then. Will Graham, played by William Peterson, who besides being an 80s fashion victim in this film (pink shorts and shirts that are too darn short ;-) ) is also an actor of modest fame, sets out to catch a killer by deploying some remarkable powers of deduction. The Tooth Fairy is played most effectively by Tom Noonan, a frighteningly stoic presence. Of course any comparison to Edward Norton and Ralf Fiennes would be appropriate, but since this is a Michael Mann retrospective, allow me to further omit such obviousness.
What matters is the film itself, as a standalone project, mind. And here we need to focus on the cinematography for a moment. Dante Spinotti, with whom Mann would collaborate in several other of his future films, is a genius. Applying beautiful colours (notice the blue shades in the Graham bedroom) and various types of graininess for various moods, Spinotti brings the ominousness of every moment to life in ways no other cinematographer ever could have. Using slow motion only where it is due but precisely when it really is needed, he creates an atmosphere which perfectly captures the pressures to which Graham is exposed and the dangers that lurk in the shadows for Joan Allen's blind Reba character. I can't help it: no matter how often I watch the film, the awesomeness of Spintotti never ceases to thrill me.
Music is always a great aspect of Mann's films. Energetic synth sounds and 80s ballads build the very pulses that drive the story, to the point where our central character, Graham, even gets his own theme music, put to best use in a great scene when Graham figures it all out. Iron Butterfly's legendary In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida actually dominates the tense climax of the film, making it an odd yet creative mix of image and sound when the film reaches its conclusion. I think it can best be described as effortless bravery on behalf of Mann.
Manhunter didn't perform very well back in the day but has climbed higher on the ladder of cult appreciation since. I can safely say that I love this film but I must emphasise that I watch it not as a Lecktor film but as a pure Michael Mann film. Its aesthetics and narrative structure are unlike those of most of the Hopkins Lecktor films - to be fair, Red Dragon does feature notable similarities to this film (and actually had Spinotti as the cinematographer as well). In any case, if you give this film a chance, drop all your expectations based on Silence Of The Lambs or its sequels right where you stand.
I recommend Manhunter. I'm in love with the visual and musical experience and I like Mann's very era specific (the 80s, folks!) police procedural treatment of the Thomas Harris novel. I will advise aspiring viewers to understand that this film more or less introduced certain elements that we now hold for granted in police procedurals, therefore any comments concerning 'clichés' or 'unoriginal plot elements' are probably unjust.
One more thing, after this film's lacklustre performance, Dino De Laurentiis decided to put a full stop to his short-lived Hannibal Lecktor project. When Silence drew loads of financial sweetness and critical acclaim, guess who rushed to get back in business and put out more Hannibal product...
<font color = red>Final score:</font> 8/10
DD's Michael Mann retrospective score card:
Thief: 9/10
Manhunter: 8/10
The Keep: 5,5/10
DD's David Fincher retrospective score card:
Seven: 9,5/10
The Social Network: 9,5/10
Zodiac: 8,5/10
The Game: 8/10
Panic Room: 8/10
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: 8/10
Alien³: 7,5/10
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button: 7,5/10
Fight Club: 7/10
I fear I'm going to stop paying attention to the film because I'm too focused on Monroe's incredible beauty.
It was interesting, mostly because of its artistic characteristics. I want to see it another time to fully appreciate it. I can't say it's my favorite of the Hannibal pictures (that honor goes to the Silence) but I can see why it has become a cult film.
That's actually one I haven't seen. A tragic behind the scenes film. At the time she was married to baseball player Joe Dimaggio, and when they were filming too many shots of her skirt blowing up he went ballistic. That anger he let out led to Marilyn divorcing him, amongst other reasons most notably physical abuse.
I haven't seen it in a few years, but I remember it being a very good prequel, and incredibly gory. I need to see it again soon.
@0BradyM0Bondfanatic7, that's quite tragic, indeed. Well I know you're a big Monroe fan, and while I haven't seen many of her films, I would most certainly recommend what I've seen so far.
I apologize, too, as I just remembered 'Batman Begins' is on FX right now. I really wish I had this Dish receiver in my room. Looks like I'll have to go out and purchase it now. Shame...*sarcasm*.
It'll have to be Sunday for me :/
I leave for the beach around 1 AM on Saturday, and as bad as I want to see the film, it'll still be in theaters when I return, so I don't want to spend a whole evening seeing that movie, instead of soaking up the beach and boardwalk.
But think about which is better, mate! The beach will always be there and the sand will always feel the same, but TDKR will change your life!!!
I myself am having troubles. My two friends and I had planned to go at midnight to see it, but one is unsure of parental permission, and one is just downright uncertain at the moment. And it is lukewarm, because I need to see this film right away. If a single piece of information leaks, I am doomed. Everyone will say DID YOU SEE THAT ENDING? WHEN THE THING HAPPENED? I NEVER THOUGHT NOLAN WOULD DO THAT!!! I don't want to hear that, as it ruins the surprise coming at us. I know literally next to nothing about this film, and I am not going to let it be spoiled just days before the release.
If I can't go on premier, might as well go during daylight when it's cheaper! (and less crowded)
Batman Returns (1992)
We will once again begin with the cons:
*The film is simply overly Burtonesque, overly bizarre. There are moments where I just shake my head with how silly it all gets, like a scene where I kid you not,
Other than those two points, I really don't dislike much of this film. I will make a gambit by stating I prefer this film over 89's Batman. I have a lot of pros to this, so I thought I would just put it all in straight paragraph form. The major things I like in this film were Keaton, Michael Gough as Alfred, the mention of Vicki from the past film, Gotham itself, Michelle as Selina/Catwoma, Chris Walken as Max Shreck, and DeVito as the Penguin. Everything I liked from the first Burton film is back. The music is brilliant, the sets are great, and that is a big reason why I prefer this over 89's Batman. Burton's Gotham City just looks amazing when it is snowing. I love to see snow in Gotham, as it adds a great aesthetic to it, and my love of Christmastime also affects why I love it so much. It can't get any better than to have a Christmastime set Batman film with the snow falling in piles. Obviously I prefer this Gotham over 89's as well, for the sheer beauty of the snowfall everywhere.
Keaton is back and much better in my opinion as the caped crusader. His Batman lays out some serious arse whooping this time around, much more so than his first performance. Batman actually feels like a powerhouse in this one instead of the somewhat promising amateur of the 1989 film. I also adore his Bruce Wayne and the chemistry he and Michelle had as both Selina and Catwoman. My favorite scene of not only this film, but of the two films entirely is a moment where
I won't spoil how Vicki fits back into the story, but I really appreciate that all involved don't just pretend that she up and disappeared off the face of the earth, LIKE ANOTHER FILM FRANCHISE I KNOW *COUGH* *COUGH*. It is interesting how they tie it in, and the story of what happened and Bruce's reaction to it all is well written and well acted on Keaton's part. Now, we have the main villains of the piece, and though they like the film come off as extremely bizarre, I enjoy the hell out of them. Chris, like Nic Cage does his best work playing crazy characters, much because there isn't any acting that needs to be done. That is simply why I love his Max Shreck. The guy is slimy and evil, but really enjoyable to see on screen. Same with DeVito's Cobblepot. I love how the film fits in the story of
All of this forms into my final opinion of the piece. I thoroughly enjoy it, and there are so many well done scenes in this film, like the few that I have mentioned, and the acting is magnificent from all of the cast and really fits the bill of the film. Yes, some moments are very bizarre, but they work very well, and a Burton film is not a Burton film without that feeling of the peculiarity. Liberty is taken with the characters, but this also works in the film's favor. I like what they did with the stories of the prime foils of the film in the sort of anti-hero Catwoman and villain Penguin. They are not lifted from the comics, but given a new life on screen like they did with Jack's Joker in some respects. The only reason I dislike what they did with Joker in the 1989 film is because
Not one of my favourite Dracula films from Hammer. Dracula's ressurection at the beginning feels a bit too convenient (not too mention it's nothing like where Dracula "died" at the end of Dracula: Prince Of Darkness). The film never really recovers after that. And I do wish Freddie Francis hadn't used that colour filter which appears now and again throughout the film, it's very distracting.
Hammer Horror Dracula Films:
1. Horror Of Dracula (1958)
2. Dracula: Prince Of Darkness (1966)
3. Brides Of Dracula (1960)
4. Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968)
I visited a good friend in Maine a few years ago, and he had a few of Chan's older movies, including that one. I love it! All of his stunt work is always entertaining, especially the credits at the end when we see the stunts go wrong.
Absolutely! Chan is an incredible professional at his craft, and from what i have seen over the years? An all round nice guy, fun to work with, and highly respected by his fellow actors and stunt performers! ^:)^
oh thanks for the heads up on that one "Creasy47". Did not know that! That'll be one for me too to see! :-bd
It was on TV last night, and I'd watched the 1989 Batman on DVD not long before, and I hadn't seen it in years so I thought I'd give it a watch. Not bad at all. Keaton is still my favourite Batman and I still like Gotham in the Burton films better than in any of the other Batman films. But sometimes, like @Brady said in his review, it gets really crazy and too Burton-like.
I was suprised to see how brutal he was. There was one fight scene where he shoved dynamite onto a thug and threw him into a pit, followed by an explosion, I was thinking "did Batman actually just kill somebody?"
Anyway, I also like catwoman, she's hot and entertaining. Danny Devitto is brilliant as penguin, my 2nd favourite Batman villian after Ledgers joker. Walken is also great. There's some good action and I also like the story. I really enjoyed this, I liked it more than the original Batman film.
8/10