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Reviews
Blue Murder (1995)
blue murder classic
i don't generally comment here. but, i'll make this an exception. this tele-mini-series, in my humble opinion is better than 90% of what the rest of the world produces. other poster have covered the plot, etc, so i won't repeat that stuff. truth is, i was connected unwittingly to some of this in real life. my second wife Robyn Walkinshaw had an affair with Kenneth Carter Langstom, bodyguard of Tony Ustis, just before he was killed by Flannery. you'll say - so what, i suppose. this movie goes further than you think, into this underworld. pity that we, now in the country cannot maintain this very high standard of movie making. you know why? because we've been sold to interests overseas, and those same entities do not want Australia to have it's own personality anymore. Blue Murder? what is happening here now in 2009, make this most excellent mini-series seem like nostalgia for a "better" time. Australia - what happened to you?
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
an ending worthy of leone
this movie is underrated. i've never read the book so the only thing i can judge this by is what is on the screen. i've also never seen any other works by DD Lewis but from this his is one (in)credible actor. my favourite tho is Russell Means, his portrayal as the Mohican patriarch is outstanding. he must have all of three lines but his credibility is always present. M Stowe, much underused in movies, is beautiful in this and is no shrinking violet when needs be. W Studi is one of the best villains in film and, as Magua, shines. from the time that hawkeye enters the Huron encampment, the action rises to a new level, taking on a ballet like character set to an irish jig. a very good choice by M Mann. the last sequences are Mann at his very best, and there are such focused emotions here. the heroics of Lewis and others, while a little unrealistic, suit the emotional mood, a do what you'd expect from them as characters. only the fabulous S Leone could have done the climax better than this.
C'era una volta il West (1968)
Leone's Best Western........
without a doubt. Yes, it's slow by today's standards. Purposeful, and sure footed would be more apt. The pacing is deliberate, and for me, adds to the overall effect. Operatic? Yes, as in the "grande gesture". Operatic, as was Stravinsky's "Oedipus Rex", and just as timeless. Morricone's theme for Harmonica is based on Mozart's "Don Giovanni", and this plays out much like that tragedy. Things are set in motion, before the film starts, that can only reach one end - death, for most of the characters. Delli Colli's lensing is so beautiful, like paintings from a master. The final showdown between Frank and Harmonica is only rivaled by Leone's other showdowns for it's ballet like quality: truly breath taking.
All in all, probably the finest "western" ever made. 10/10. if i could award it more, i certainly would.
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)
the genius of tonino delli colli.
well now, GBU has reached the IMDb top 5. this is a genuine card carrying work of art. up there with the likes of davinci's mona lisa, beethoven's 5th, and michealangelo's David. it will reach number one here i'm sure of that. the saddest thing is most of the crew are now dead. and the living are very old. soon we will loose these as well. no matter what happen's in my life i've just got to remember Tuco and the way he would say "Blondie!?" to Eastwood's character, and a big smile comes to my old face. Wallach is a wonderful actor - he WAS/IS Tuco. i knew when i saw this on the big screen in 1969 it was something very special. very, very special indeed. for those who have seen this masterpiece as many times as i, any further praise would be redundant. but let's, now spotlight cinematographer delli colli for a moment. in terms of composition, this man must have just about the best eye in the business. color balance and perspective taken into account, here are some of my picks for the top shots in GBU. shot of the deserted town's main street as the gunmen ride up to kill tuco. shot of angel eyes in the doorway of ranch house where he kills the family. zoom shot of blondie shooting the rope and missing. shot as the trio move out into the circle for the final showdown. they are on the right third of the screen and at one point, form a triangle for a moment. flattened into 2D, this has almost perfect geometry.(a triangle in an ellipse). i could go on but, i'll leave to all you other fans to find your own classic shots. as i've said before, this is not a movie so much as a work of true art. David Robinson,Sydney Australia.