Bideodromage
1991’s The Silence of the Lambs, directed by Jonathan Demme, still unquestionably stands as a landmark of psychological terror. Jodi Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Ted Levine all turn in remarkable, iconic performances. This immortal film features some of the most intense, memorable dialogue ever committed to the medium.
This Sci-Fi Adventure film depicts the battle between the mostly mechanical police officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) and archvillain drug lord Cain (memorably portrayed by Tom Noonan). A certain mayor (Willard E. Pugh) may also momentarily almost lose his composure.
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 informing 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.
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.
The 1996 film Fargo, a Coen Brothers masterwork, presents the story and precipitous moral/psychological decline of Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), the misadventures of the bungling kidnappers (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) whose “help” he enlists, and the dogged attempts of Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) to make sense of it all. Macy’s performance is mind-boggling, Buscemi and Stormare are brilliant, and McDormand carried away an Oscar for her finely-nuanced portrayal. Carter Burwell composed the memorable theme.
This offbeat, rather twisted Western presents the intertwined stories of Tom Logan (Jack Nicholson) and his good-hearted, somewhat hapless rustling gang, and Lee Clayton (Marlon Brando), a so-called “regulator” (hired killer) whose job it is to identify and curtail the activities of Logan, et al. As the film progresses, an ever-increasing sense of dread and disquiet permeate the proceedings, as it becomes clearer all the time that the eccentric Clayton is a ruthless, sadistic sociopath, who relishes his deadly machinations and depraved exploits. The bounty hunter’s bewildering array of accents and disguises also merits mentioning.
Arthur Penn directed this cult masterpiece, and allowed the actors, especially Brando, to find their own way with the characters, including improvising much of the dialogue. Idiosyncratically paced, this oddball absurdist comedy/western thriller deconstructs the genre to beautiful effect, and Marlon Brando’s incomprehensibly stunning performance ultimately defines and lifts the film to the very heights.
The serial predator and killer Martin Vanger appears in both the American and Swedish iterations of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. He is equally disquieting in both. Peter Haber portrays Vanger in the 2009 Swedish release, and Stellan SkarsgΓ₯rd does the honors for the 2011 American film. Both performances are brilliant, and chilling. Haber’s portrayal is earnest and volatile, while SkarsgΓ₯rd is more haughty, detached, dispassionate. Both work perfectly.
Bideodromage 