Reviews by PvtCaboose91

"They call me MISTER Tibbs!"

In the Heat of the Night is a genuine classic and one of the greatest films of the 1960s. The film is a provocative, enthralling mystery thriller that is atmospheric and entertaining.

The years have not dissipated the film's original impact in the slightest. The racial issues conveyed through the discriminatory characters are exact. At the time of the film's release, which was during the time when African Americans were fighting against racism, these were the typical police officers that you'd find on the streets. As one who has studied the decade in detail I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the period is portrayed with a great degree of realism.

In the 60s the film was an accurate representation of the time; now the film is timeless and a nostalgic trip back in time.

Sidney Poitier plays an African American homicide detective named Virgil Tibbs who becomes inadvertently embroiled in the murder investigation of a prominent businessman.

Tibbs is waiting for a train while police are searching for suspects. Due to the high level of racism he is first accused of the crime - then he is asked to solve it! The policemen that Tibbs finds himself working with are very unsupportive due to the colour of his skin. And hence as Tibbs attempts to find the killer it becomes a difficult task. But in order to solve the case they are forced to put their prejudices and differences aside, and join forces in a race against time to uncover the shocking truth.

In the Heat of the Night is a fantastic social commentary of the period of its release; it's also an unforgettable, enduring classic filled with fascinating characters to compliment the intriguing plot.

The experience is atmospheric, funny and engrossing. While watching the film I found it almost impossible to be bored.

Sidney Poitier's performance is triumphant and spellbinding. His character is shown to be smart and proficient when it comes to his profession. Poitier breaks through the conventions and stereotypes of African American characters; presenting the audience with something fresh and innovative. It's a shame the Academy overlooked Poitier for an Oscar.

Rod Steiger earned himself an Oscar for Best Actor as the racist Sherriff of the town of Sparta. There's little wonder as well. The rest of the policemen were conventional but real. At the time these were the people that policed the streets; lazy and quick to blame the closest black person in sight.

In the Heat of the Night delivers thoughtful, intelligent entertainment that is hard to beat. I personally didn't have much interest in watching the film. I ultimately loved it and detract all the negative things that I previously thought about it.

The film is a landmark production that is poignant and accurate. It's entertaining and confronting. Winner of 5 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Sound, Best Writing and Best Editing.

"I wouldn't sell my bike for all the money in the world. Not for a hundred million, trillion, billion dollars!"

Pee-wee's Big Adventure is Tim Burton's first feature length movie...and it is FANTASTIC!

From start to finish the film is a total riot. There are stacks of visual gags that had me in stitches, and a great script that also had me in stitches for every second of the running time. Tim Burton's visual imagination proves to be a perfect match for Pee-wee's fanciful exploits.

The whole movie is goofy, silly and just plain hilarious. Pee-wee Herman (Reubens, under the pseudonym of Pee-wee Herman) is simply a 9-year-old boy trapped in the body of an adult.

When his beloved bike is stolen one morning in broad daylight, Pee-wee embarks on a big adventure across the U.S. mainland in order to get it back.

I can't believe how underrated this movie is. Most people pass it off because of the silly title (as I did, but wanted to see it because of Tim Burton's involvement), but in all honesty the film is pure comic genius.

Reubens is absolutely hilarious in the title role. He always looks incredibly cute whenever he delivers a line, and his flamboyant antics had my sides aching with laughter.

The kids will absolutely adore this movie, and the adults might love it even more. While I was watching the movie it felt like it was okay to be a kid again. All the silly gags left my cheeks aching because of so much non-stop laughter and scenes filled with hilarity.

Face it, this isn't your usual Tim Burton movie and many will give it a pass because of this. But Burton's imagination, along with the witty screenplay penned with Paul Reubens among others, just makes for sensational entertainment.

Danny Elfman's score was just perfect here as well, and set the tone rather nicely. The bright music assisted in the film being as much fun as it is, especially during scenes that contain extensive visual gags. And the visual gags are so incredibly clever that it will take many viewings just to pick them all up.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure is little gem of a movie that you cannot afford to miss. The characters are quirky, the gags are cartoonish and the whole film is wildly inventive as well as being perfect entertainment for the whole family. This is a film that everyone can enjoy.

He chose you, honey! From all the women in the world to be the mother of his only living son!"

Roman Polanski's classic horror film Rosemary's Baby is the best and most terrifying supernatural horror film of all time bar none.

This movie is an example of the horror genre done right; there are spine-chilling moments, satanic images and horror themes that will stay with you forever.

A young couple named Rosemary (Farrow) and Guy (Cassavetes) move into a new apartment in the city of New York. The couple have plans of raising a family there, and start trying for a child.

But the two soon meet an elderly couple living in the same building who seem peculiar but caring. When Rosemary ends up pregnant, Guy strikes a deal with a group of devil worshippers unbeknownst to his wife. Rosemary's pregnancy is plagued by troubles - odd pains that last for extended periods of time, ill health and lack of good advice from the people around her.

Slowly, and surely, Rosemary learns to realise that she may be having the son of Satan.

Polanski has made this film nothing short of perfect - the film is effective, terrifying and spine-chilling. Some of the satanic images and black magic rituals will leave you terrified...and towards the end it's impossible to feel bored or to tear your eyes away from the screen.

The themes of witchcraft and devil worshipping are the icing on the cake. Mia Farrow's performance was astounding. It's obvious that she put everything she could into portraying such a pivotal character.

John Cassavetes is just brilliant here as well. He is able to play his character so well and believably. Both Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer are superb as the very strange neighbours.

Rosemary's Baby is unmissable for any horror fan. It's incredibly creepy, atmospheric, eerie, brooding and creates an incredible sense of unthinkable danger.

Heck, Polanski even tops a bunch of Hitchcock's classic thrillers...and this is coming from someone who adores Hitchcock's work. Adapted from the novel by Ira Levin, and basically a modern take on demons and witchcraft.

In a nutshell, it's absolutely unthinkable to miss this movie. It's just an incredible experience and one of the most terrifying movies of all time.

"Thanks a million, Maximilian."

Ridley Scott was the perfect choice for the director for this absolutely sublime, entertaining drama.

I never really had an interest in seeing it because of the mediocre reviews it received, but it came as highly recommended by my uncle (a man obsessed with wine). I am extremely glad that I finally saw it.

Russell Crowe plays snobby expert businessman Max Skinner who has dedicated his life to his crucial career. Max learns that his uncle (Finney), a man who essentially raised him, had died and left him his French estate.

Max heads to France to visit the estate with intent to fix it up, and sell it. But once there, nostalgic memories are invoked when he views the estate and remembers all the great times he had with his uncle before he died.

There are many intriguing sub-plots that appear, but it's a lot more fun if I don't spoil it for you.

Russell Crowe's performance was absolutely exceptional. This isn't his usual performance, but rather an interesting twist and with a brilliant accent. This could well be his best performance to date.

Abbie Cornish was superb here. Her great acting skills really shine in her performance.

Albert Finney was also really, really great.

At a glance, not many people would expect someone like Ridley Scott to be at the helm, but his direction is absolutely perfect.

The score, though, just blew me away. The music was just perfect in every scene and set the atmosphere magnificently.

I can't believe how underrated and overlooked this movie is. It's such an underrated gem and one of the biggest surprises of 2006 for me. The film is extremely bright, well made, refreshing, charming and indescribably entertaining.

Marred only by a bit of a tedious ending. Other than that, A Good Year is a delightful way to spend the evening with the family. Highly recommended!

"Everything you create, you use to destroy."

I found The Fifth Element to be an extremely enjoyable and entertaining experience; without being the greatest sci-fi film ever, it's bucket loads of fun.

The plot is about a great evil that comes to Earth every 5000 years with the intent of destroying it. The only way to combat this evil is using four stones and a "fifth element", a perfect being.

In a colourful vision of the 23rd century, a N.Y.C. cab driver named Korben Dallas (Willis) comes into contact with the "fifth element", named Leeloo (Jovovich), who drops into his cab. Dallas is ex-military, and is called upon to battle the evil forces that descend upon Earth.

I will not waste your time writing a more elaborate plot synopsis, because if I did then I'd spoil the whole movie for you.

The film moves at a slick pace, and contains some absolutely outstanding visual effects and amazing set design. The vision of the future is just fantastic; many clever ideas, great designs and some of the best costumes you will ever see in a sci-fi movie.

Bruce Willis is in one of the best performances of his career. This can be classified as a Die Hard of the 23rd century due to the traits exhibited during the movie; he's in the wrong place at the wrong time, and gets mixed up in some rather large plot that threatens the lives of many. Willis was nothing short of exceptional.

I could barely recognise Milla Jovovich in some very exquisite costume design, and delivering such peculiar dialogue. Nevertheless, she is superb. Chris Tucker shines like always. He plays a flamboyant radio host who steals the spotlight in every scene he's in.

One of the film's biggest strengths was its sense of humour. Into the second half there's some great action mixed with a host of hilarious gags. Chris Tucker in particular is just downright side-splitting as always.

The great visual images are accompanied by an excellent score by Eric Serra.

The Fifth Element is nothing short of great entertainment. There's action, great sci-fi images, has some great humour mixed in...and it's just a whole lot of fun. Highly recommended.

"Lucky there's a family guy!"

Family Guy is basically The Simpsons on crack. Each episode is filled with random gags, hilarious one-liners, off colour gags and memorable characters. This also marks one of the most quotable cartoons in existence. I don't think I can remember the last time I could frequently quote a show without getting sick of it.

So why does Family Guy work so well? Other shows try to focus on laughs as well as interesting drama. But the drama and meaningful underneath just ruins everything. I realised after the umpteenth season of The Simpsons that if they focused just on the laughs then the show would be a lot better.

My prayers were anwered. Family Guy moves from one hilarious memorable scene to the next. It's brilliant because of how genius each and every episode is. Plots are clever, ideas are creative, characters are exceptional. In the space of one week I found myself watching about 55 episodes. It was all I did of an afternoon. And I thought it was fantastic!

Family Guy had such a strong entertainment influence that it tainted my image of other shows. I flipped on The Simpsons again not too long ago and found it painful to watch. Family Guy is the future of cartoon comedy. It has been cancelled so many times but comes back with a vengeance. If every show was of this high standard then TV would be a whole lot better.

The voice cast of Family Guy is sublime. The characters are well thought out and conceived. It's hard to choose just one favourite character because they are all so hilarious. Peter, Quagmire, Brian, Lois, Stewie - the list is endless.

Family Guy is also notorious for its clever parodies. Every episode could spoof several films in the space of 21 minutes. They also spoof TV shows and popular culture. The gags are so random but so funny. The creators of this show are genius.

I can't imagine a world without Family Guy. Its high entertainment value points out the flaws in other cartoon programs that just aren't funny after so many seasons. In its seventh season, Family Guy is still fresh. If anything it gets better with age. I could watch an episode everyday and never get sick of it.

This show is essential viewing.

"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster."

Martin Scorsese is a director who will always be remembered for a long list of classic mob dramas. The beginning of his career was marked with the brilliant Taxi Driver. Since then, Scorsese has continued to produce great quality work. It's a rare occasion if he produces a faulty product.

GoodFellas is arguably Scorsese's best film to date; this slick, fast-paced crime drama is engrossing, captivating and riveting. Before GoodFellas many had regarded The Godfather to be the best mob drama in existence. Since the release of this film, that statement continues to spark debate.

GoodFellas is based on the true story about a gangster named Henry Hill (Liotta). As a teenage local boy Henry becomes part of the mafia. He becomes partners with gangsters Jimmy Conway (De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Pesci). The film is a tale that follows this certain mafia family over the course of about 30 years; chronicling the rise and fall of Henry and his two counterparts.

Even with its 140-minute running time, GoodFellas is exceptionally told. The film encapsulates everything that should be present in the genre; strong characters, heavy profanity and lots of repulsive violence. Each performance is engaging and compelling with a smart script to boot.

The script is smart and enthralling. The whole film is told with outstanding voice-over narration that gets us into the mind of the character being portrayed.

This could be Robert De Niro's finest hour. His screen presence is brooding and unnerving. Because of his character's reputation there is good reason to fear him. De Niro plays Jimmy Conway as terrifying and intimidating.

Ray Liotta is a realistic gangster figure. At times his bitter anger seems very genuine. He spits out a tonne of profanity during the compelling drama that frequently occurs during the film's running time.

Joe Pesci pretty much stole the show. De Niro may be terrifying, but on the other hand Pesci is the epitome of sadistic gangsters. He frequently swears and cannot hold his temper. Whenever he's in a fit of rage it is quite menacing.

GoodFellas is a film that exposes gangsters for what they truly are - people who preach loyalties, respects and principles. But when it comes down to it they are just a bunch of two-bit criminals that will stab each other in the back for money, power or otherwise. They have an outward persona of being calm and tolerant. Underneath they are capable of incredible rage and are quite detestable people.

Martin Scorsese is very talented when he is at the helm of a mafia drama. His directing makes everything seem so authentic like it's actually happening. Of course this is the beauty of Scorsese's work - that nothing ever feels contrived or staged.

GoodFellas is an exceptional movie powered by remarkable performances and great directing. The R rating truly signifies the film's nature. The profanity levels are through the roof, the violence is off-putting, the experience is unnerving. But despite its ghastly nature the film is a brilliant mob drama. For aficionados of Scorsese or the genre, this is a must.

"Can't rain all the time..."

The Crow is a film I approached because of its cult following and massive popularity.

I had also heard of the tragic story regarding actor Brandon Lee during filming. For those of you who don't know said story, Lee tragically passed away before filming concluded. While a scene was being filmed a prop gun fired a live round into the actor, causing his imminent death.

Lee's death didn't prevent director Proyas from creating a remarkable action movie based on a series of comics. The Crow is a film with an atmosphere of dread and decay; its gothic set design and visuals look incredible.

The film is also quite repulsive and heavy. There are scenes showcasing heavy violence, strong profanity and disturbing images.

Brandon Lee plays Eric Draven. Eric is a musician who comes home on Devil's Night (a tradition among those who commit crime in the city) to find his fiancée Shelly (Shinas) being savagely beaten and raped. The hooligans kill Eric and Shelly that night.

One year later Eric returns as an invincible undead vigilante ready to avenge the death of his beloved Shelly. And so Eric hits the streets one night with plans to kill the group of urban criminals.

The simple plot is executed with phenomenal style; featuring amazing stunts, plenty of action and fascinating gothic imagery. This makes for a memorable movie experience.

Brandon Lee's final performance is unforgettable. When he becomes the invulnerable vigilante he seems relentless and evil. The beauty of his performance is that his character also has a softer side that is shown during flashbacks when his character was still alive. This softer side is also visible when he meets people from his past. It's hard to recognise him beneath the heavy make-up that almost looks like a darker version of The Joker.

The Crow also boasts an array of highly impressive visuals. The special effects are stunning to look at. The action scenes are complimented with these incredible special effects. Said effects also needed to be utilised to complete a few scenes that required the use of Brandon Lee's face after he had passed away.

Proyas establishes a tremendously sophisticated style throughout the film as well. There are fast flashy cuts and some bizarre uses of the camera. Needless to say, this added to the gothic feeling of the production. In addition, most of the movie takes place at night when it's raining quite heavily. The action scenes do feature some ultra fast cutting but the action is still dazzling and brutal; displaying a high level of graphic violence. This fast cutting isn't as distracting as the style used in modern action films.

One thing that I realised while watching the movie is the very little shadow detail during the darker scenes. I'm not sure if this can be attributed to a creative decision by the director or the transfer that was available to me. The visuals are accompanied by an aggressive soundtrack featuring some dynamic music. This is usually played over the action scenes. I thought the soundtrack was fantastic; keeping in the dark gothic atmosphere of the movie.

The Crow is an action film that is smart and taut; over its 95-minute running time I never found it at all boring. Some of the dialogue is a bit contrived and there are a few clichés, however the film is profoundly good entertainment. If you have not seen The Crow then I suggest you get your hands on a copy immediately.

"Have you ever seen blood in the moonlight, Will? It appears quite black."

Michael Mann is a director who went on to get a number of big titles against his name. Heat and Collateral are my personal favourites of director Mann.

However, little do people remember that he directed this classic mystery thriller back in the 1980s. After the success of the movie Silence of the Lambs audiences never really realised that it was the sequel to Manhunter; a film that introduced us to the psychotic genius known as Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lector (incorrectly spelt as 'Lecktor' in the film).

I had seen both Silence of the Lambs and its eventual follow-up Hannibal before laying my hands on this film. In hindsight I really wish that I watched them all in order because I guess my opinion has been tainted with the image of Anthony Hopkins playing Hannibal Lector as menacing and unbeatably brilliant.

Because Hopkins walked away with an Oscar for his portrayal in Silence of the Lambs I approached Manhunter with caution because Brian Cox portrays the role. Manhunter is an exceptional film on its own merits without taking its sequels into consideration.

The film's style is vastly different to the style utilised by those who helmed the sequels. Mann skilfully uses long shots, full faces, large spatial separation, or cutting from one character to another in isolation, all with slightly out-of-focus backgrounds. Because of Mann's unique directorial style Manhunter is a film with something new to offer with each new screening. Clues are easier to pick up, more cinematic techniques noticed, etc.

The character of Hannibal Lector (Cox) takes a sideline position in this film. He appears very rarely throughout the film's duration because the focus is on other characters. The main character of this story is a former FBI agent named William Graham (Peterson) who has been hurt physically and mentally while in the process of apprehending the serial killer Hannibal Lector.

In this film, Graham is coaxed out of retirement to help the FBI track down a serial killer nicknamed "The Tooth Fairy" (Noonan). Graham seeks minor assistance from Lector while he tries to solve the case.

Manhunter is a chilling thriller as well as a captivating character study. Mann is notorious for expertly crafting dialogue scenes that drive the movie with incredible pace. Some may find the pacing slow because of so much dialogue. If you listen to the lines you won't find the pacing as painfully slow as some people have complained.

William Peterson is very skilled in the leading role. The purpose of his character was to dissect all the clues that will lead to revealing the identity of the serial killer. As his character tries to get into the mind of the killer he's tracking, he says a lot of strange things out loud that help the audience understand what he is thinking about. This is an intriguing character trait without making things too blatant.

Brian Cox plays a very unique Hannibal Lector. While my personal preference is Anthony Hopkins' more menacing image, I thought Cox still did a fantastic job.

Tom Noonan's performance is chilling and intimidating. The film is powered by not only the performances and proficient direction, but the right script is also vital. The dialogue was sometimes convoluted but becomes easier to decipher when you watch the production multiple times. This dialogue is realistic; however I would have preferred some lines that were easier to understand.

At first I thought that there were a number of useless dialogue scenes. With closer inspection I realised that these were pivotal scenes to include in order to get into the mind of the characters.

Manhunter is a film with very few flaws. Mann is a director who rarely delivers a faulty product. Definitely worth seeing!

"He's not your husband, not anymore."

The Astronaut's Wife had two things going for it that eventually persuaded me to commit to a screening.

One is that it's a thriller. I love watching thrillers that can successfully send a chill down my spine and was anxious to see if the filmmakers had done a good job this time.

The other thing, of course, is Johnny Depp in the lead role. I make no effort to hide the fact that I admire Depp because he is a versatile actor capable of executing any role if he puts his mind to it.

When I read the synopsis for The Astronaut's Wife I thought it had potential and sounded quite chilling, although I couldn't shake off the feeling of déjà vu in relation to Roman Polanski's classic horror film Rosemary's Baby. And so I settled in with lunch and a great friend of mine to watch this thriller.

Regrettably I must have raised my expectations too high because the film turned out to be quite dreadful. This film had a very intriguing concept but ultimately failed in its execution.

The Astronaut's Wife is a trip into clichéd territory where the scares are predictable and the characters are stupid. The writer/director appears to have no problem with travelling from obvious plot point A to even more obvious plot point B. I lost count of the plot holes and loose ends that are never addressed.

There isn't much you can say about the plot without spoiling the whole thing (not that it would be a bad thing - by all means save 100 mins of your life for something more productive) so I will attempt to outline the plot with very little detail. An astronaut named Spencer (Depp) leaves his wife Jillian (Theron) to embark on a mission into space. After a lapse in communication following a mysterious problem, Spencer returns home to his wife in good health.

But Jillian soon realises that her husband has gone rather peculiar since he returned from his dangerous mission; acting strangely and never wishing to discuss what happened while in space. Although I didn't go into much detail, you can pretty much predict what is going to happen from there.

The film is sort of a cross between Rosemary's Baby and perhaps a little bit of Species II mixed with The Omen. The combination could have produced something a little better quality than this ineffective thriller that missed all opportunities to be something decent.

The cast were at least some compensation for bad scripting. Johnny Depp steers away from all his prior characters; developing something fresh and innovative. It seems that Johnny tried to add some intensity to his character. This is ultimately let down by some poor filmmaking. The editing and cinematography, not to mention the special effects, are what I refer to in that statement.

Charlize Theron sports a haircut that suitably mirrors Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby. Like Depp, she tried and you have to give her credit. There were some scenes when the terror in her performance seems genuine.

One of my central complaints about the film is that evidence is sometimes spilt out far too blatantly. From about an hour into the movie we know that the crazy ravings of Joe Morton's character are going to be right; and can suitably predict the film's subsequent events. I thought it was tradition for thrillers to spill the beans a few scenes before the climax. The film also ends with an uncertain whimper rather than something conclusive.

I am happy I watched The Astronaut's Wife as I am an avid fan of Johnny Depp. I enjoyed the pleasure of being in the company of one of my best friends as well. Thank God for these two things to overshadow the shallow, predictable writing.