Bideodromage
Ridley Scott‘s psychological thriller Hannibal features Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, and Giancarlo Giannini, who all turn in memorable performances. Stylishly directed by Mr. Scott, this film features some seriously dark humor to both lighten yet enhance the considerable sense of dread. Masterfully done by one and all.
This gripping police procedural details the travails and triumphs of Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren), and features chilling perpetrators, such as George Marlow (John Bowe) and Milan Lukic (Oleg Menshikov).
This film noir from John Huston features Humphrey Bogart, in a truly iconic, star-making performance, and the great Sydney Greenstreet, in his debut on the big screen. Peter Lorre, Mary Astor, and Elisha Cook, Jr. are also all brilliant, with the latter portraying the “Gunsel” (a term author Dashiell Hammett snuck by the Powers That Be).
Iconic scenes from Pusher, Elegy, and Jose Chung’s From Outer Space. Featuring Robert Wisden, Nancy Fish, and Charles Nelson Reilly.
This chilling remake of the 1971 film features Crispin Glover at the very height of his mighty powers. R. Lee Ermey also provides a top-notch performance as Willard’s less than sympathetic boss. Certain people get what’s coming to them. In the first vid, Willard (Glover), in total impotent outrage, shakes his metaphorical fist at the gods of futility and unfairness, with William S. Taylor as the messenger of said dreadful gods. A meltdown of ΓΌber proportions. The subsequent clip involves Willard informs Mr. Martin, in no uncertain terms, who is now in charge.
This extremely undervalued film features a fascinating, rather offbeat and unsettling screenplay by author William Peter Blatty, and excellent performances by George C. Scott, Nancy Fish, and Scott Wilson. Brad Dourif’s mesmerizing tour de force as the Gemini Killer is iconic and unforgettable.
This quirky, moody, disturbing, occasionally hysterical crime drama boasts a fine ensemble cast, but Crispin Glover steals the show with a stunning, unforgettable performance as druggy ringleader-of-sorts Layne. Iconic, a tour de force. Keanu Reeves is very good as Matt, a relatively sane teenager. Dennis Hopper has a nice turn as dealer/murderer/weirdo Feck.
A legal thriller from 2007, brilliantly directed by Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton chiefly revolves around the relationship between the title character, a “fixer”, and Arthur Edens, a brilliant attorney who is suffering a breakdown but also grasps more of the truth than is perhaps good for him. George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson star, along with Tilda Swinton, who portrays a ruthless general counsel and chief antagonist. All provide memorable performances, with Wilkinson at the height of his powers as the bipolar Edens.
More immortal Star Trek highlights, from Return of the Archons, and Day of the Dove.
LΓ©on, the Professional, is a brilliantly twisted and complex film focusing on the relationship between a good-hearted yet ruthless hitman, the young girl who comes under his guidance after her family is massacred, and the sociopathic DEA agent Stansfield, who performed said massacring. A certain houseplant also plays a significant role. Jean Reno and Natalie Portman are both exceptional, and Gary Oldman renders forth a truly iconic performance as the depraved, mercurial, cunning, pill-popping Stansfield. Each character has their own internally consistent moral code. Luc Besson directed this fascinating, haunting, offbeat, darkly comical film.
