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Five Easy Pieces (1970) Directed by Bob Rafelson

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 2:39 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , ,



Once in a while, you come across a great movie, with an impressive cast, that yet no one has ever seemed to heard of before. "Five Easy Pieces" is definitely such as movie, that deserves a whole lot of more recognition.

It's a very simplistic movie in its setup; a man, his girl, his family, his friends. Those are the things that sum up this movie and is all this movie basically features and needs. There is of course a whole lot more to it but the movie at all times remains a humble and deliberately small one, that never exaggerates with any of its drama or characters.

It's the more realistic sort of drama, that shows not everything is black and white in life. You don't just either are in love with a girl or not and you don't just get along with your family or not. There are ups and downs and pluses and minuses about certain situations and persons. That's what I love about this movie. It shows how things truly are in life and I also just love that Jack Nicholson has always continued to make movies like this. More recent movies such as "As Good as It Gets" and "About Schmidt" for example are all movies that can be placed in the same category as this one, in my opinion. Realistic drama's, about real people with a twist of irony and comedy to it as well.

The realism helps to make the movie its story and characters easy to relate with. It makes the movie very pleasant to follow, despite that it's still mostly being a drama of course. But it really never gets anything too heavy or melodramatic and whenever the movie threatens to become too serious, there is a funny moment to balance things out again.

Of course the movie also definitely gets uplifted by its performances. Jack Nicholson is a great leading man and the movie further more stars a whole bunch of other persons who later in their careers became established and well known names, such as Sally Struthers, Karen Black en Lois Smith.

You of course need to be able to appreciate a good drama but when you do, this is definitely a great, little, hidden gem to watch!

8/10

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Easy Rider (1969) Directed by Dennis Hopper

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 7:47 AM / comment : 0 , , , , ,



Well, first of all, I can totally understand someone not liking this movie. In today's perspective, it might come across as a bit of a weird and pointless movie, that doesn't even necessarily follow a script. But you have to put this movie in perspective and really look at it as a product and reflection of its time.

Back in 1969, this was an incredibly relevant movie. An entire generation of course grew up during this period, in which people were in constant search of themselves, true freedom and happiness. They wanted to break free from the system and live life to the max, by their own rules and morals. Yes, drugs were also a big part of this philosophy, as this movie also very clearly shows.

Life was taken as a true journey, which is exactly what the two main characters out of this movie are doing. They are traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans, in search. In search of what? Well, I don't necessarily believe they knew that themselves but in order to go in search of something, you don't always have to set a main goal. Sometimes you just don't know what you are searching- and in need for and just have to take things as they happen and look at everything with a free and open mind. I think this movie reflects all of those themes perfectly.

And like I said before, the movie doesn't really follow a clear main plot line, just like life basically. Some people might have problems with this while watching but I in this particular case liked the approach, since it suited the movie its themes and atmosphere.

And all of the drug use in this movie was obviously all too real, since otherwise there could have been no way that a movie like this could had been made, the way it is, in my opinion. It can get a pretty trippy movie at times, in which the main actors are obvious just improvising away. But again, also this truly adds to the movie its themes and overall atmosphere.

It of course also was the movie that launched the careers of many involved, mainly of course Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson. And all do a great job with their roles, no matter how crazy and stoned they got at times, which probably is the secret though as to why their performances work out so well within this movie.

A great minimalistic and on its surface also simplistic movie, that is being a great reflection of its time and of an entire generation.

8/10

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Blood and Wine (1996) Directed by Bob Rafelson

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 12:18 PM / comment : 0 , , , , , , ,



(Review originally written at 15 July 2007)

 This movie leaves a totally pointless impression. It adds noting new or original to the genre and on top of that the movie is just not a well made one.

 They desperately tried to make things more interesting with its script but the movie in fact remains nothing more but a generic genre movie, that unnecessarily makes things hard on itself with its script and redundant characters.

 The story also doesn't always flow, which is due to some bad pacing and editing. At times it feels like sequences are missing and things occur too fast after each other. The story lacks proper back-story for the characters and when the movie tries to put in some emotions they work out blank and come over as artificial and forced and completely unrealistic or believable. You can also blame the director for this. I'll bet the movie would had been way better if it didn't took itself as serious as it did. Some more 'fun' wouldn't had damaged the movie.

 Because of the failed script not much works out in the movie. It's not tense, it's not mysterious, it's not surprising. The action feels lame and the love-story misplaced and unrealistic. Some of the dialog is horrendous and it makes the characters at times seem like dumb Neanderthalers. A real offense to the viewer's intelligence.

 Despite the fact that the movie is filled with stars, the movie still is miscast. In all fairness, I think Jennifer Lopez is a good actress but it just doesn't show in this movie, in which she plays a character with a thick Cuban accent, who is supposed to be the love interest of the movie of the two main characters. Stephen Dorff feels out of place since he's only ever real good and convincing as an actor when he plays a villain, which is mostly due to his looks. Still it's interesting to see Jack Nicholson and Michael Caine as partners in crime. Especially Nicholson makes the movie worthwhile at times and his character is perhaps the only real good and enjoyable one of the movie. Though Caine is also good at times but mostly when he acts as a different person in the movie.

 A movie to forget really fast.

 4/10

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The Departed (2006) Directed by Martin Scorsese

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 8:26 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , , , ,



(Review originally written at 12 May 2007)

 Let's face it, Martin Scorsese has made some good movies the past few years but nothing too brilliant or remarkable, at least not compared to his more early work from the '70's, '80's and early '90's. The last real brilliant Scorsese was in my opinion the remake "Cape Fear", which dates back from 1991. But "The Departed" is really again a movie that deserves to be on the long list of brilliant Martin Scorsese movies.

 From the opening sequence on it's obvious; this is a typical Scorsese movie. For this movie he went back to the genre were he already was successful with in the past; the gangster-movies. It's a nice touch for a change that the movie is set in present time. After all, why should the best gangster-movies always take place in the past?

 "The Departed" is a greatly told and constructed modern crime movie about an infiltrator in the state police and an infiltrator in a crime syndicate who have to hunt each other down. It's a movie that provides the movie with some thrills, unexpected twists (especially toward the ending) and some great confrontations between different characters. The story on its self is already quite good (Just loose the love-story next times. It adds nothing to the characters or story.) and interesting but it's made all the more great by the way it is told. Not only kudos to Scorsese's directing for that but also most definitely for the editing by Thelma Schoonmaker, with lots of good quick flash-forwards and other tricks. All I can say is that she really deserved her Oscar for this movie. It really helps to tell the story and give the movie a look and identity of its own.

 The movie its cast doesn't seem like the most likely won but it works out perfect in the movie. I think a lot of people were screaming for Robert De Niro but also Jack Nicholson is perfectly believable and just great as a gangster-boss. Mark Wahlberg was great as a bastard-cop and Alec Baldwin as a nice cop. The other way around would seem more logical but they work out surprisingly well in their roles. It was good to see Matt Damon in a more villainous and tougher role for a change, mostly because it shows how great as an actor he actually is. Leonardo DiCaprio also shows once more that he is more than just another pretty face.

 It's not a movie that relies on its action but more on its characters and story. The movie is exciting, tense and spectacular regardless of that it hasn't a lot of action in it.

 Of course this isn't Scorsese's best (which really says something about the extremely high qualities of this man), so is it fair that he finally won his Oscar for this movie? I mean after all, if this movie won, then should had movies such as "Heat", "Training Day" and so on. As a matter of fact it is of course true that if this movie was completely the same but had another director's name attached to it this movie would probably not had been nominated at all. It's just not the Oscar-type of movie but alas, I'm glad that Scorsese finally has an Oscar now, only just 3 decades too late.

9/10

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