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Reviews
Dream Doll (1979)
A fine parody
Actually this film is not entirely original, it is a parody based on the great French short film "Le Ballon Rouge" (The Red Balloon - 1956). Saw this tonight as part of a short film program at a The Chauvel Cinema in Sydney. Dream Doll was Oscar nominated in the Animation category. If anyone ever reads these reviews, I would strongly recommend you source both the films to make your own comparison. My preference is still far and away with the Le Ballon Rouge - this won the Grand Prize at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Short Film in 1957. A good film to accompany Dream Doll is another Bob Godfrey Oscar nominated animated short film: Kama Sutra Rides Again. This was also on the program tonight.
Inside Man (2006)
Entertaining Heist
More entertaining than expected and a good intense, yet fun ride throughout. The idea of the perfect heist is always enthralling. The wits of "good" versus "evil"; who will outdo the other - when well written - usually makes good viewing!! The characters of Dalton Russell and Keith Frazier make this a true cat & mouse game in which one is never sure if the mouse is too cool to be caught. Best left to the viewer to determine who is truly the bad-egg.
Overall, another stellar performance from Denzel Washington, with great support from Clive Owen and Christopher Plummer. Was somewhat disappointed at Jodie Foster's character and felt that she overdid the cocksure nature of Madeline White. A little too grating and annoying for my liking and far from her best performance(s).
The direction is interesting and varied with the typical Spike Lee trademark of the "moving-non-walking-person" - however some of the panned shots are nauseating and just that little bit too long.
Overall though, a film that should please most who watch it.
****** For those who like the heist genre, a strong recommendation would be Jean-Pierre Melville's, "Le Cercle rouge (1970), starring Alain Delon. An extra-ordinary heist film....so quiet, meticulous and intense. ******
Chiller (1985)
Cold Cut
Interesting topic. Pathetic delivery - script and direction.
Our hero, Miles, thaws out and has his emergency world-first life restoration surgery. This is where the fun begins. The underlying issue is that Miles has NO SOUL!!! This is used to explain his quasi-erratic behaviour of being indirectly responsible for two deaths (I believe this to be the total number of deaths in 104 minutes).
On the livlier side, Miles prefers the odd glass of brandy, blazing fireplaces and his young, maturing female cousin. The finale does indeed do justice to this film.
Some thoughts: 1. Producer $$$ were parted with to create this tripe. J.D. Feigelson was the script writer and a (or sole) producer. Looks like he did not learn a lesson on "how not to bring an interesting idea to life" when one views his other writing credits. This will support the credibility of this script.
2. Now available on DVD!!! This IS truly scary. Should be forever "Bottom of the Shelf" in VHS format.
3. A re-incarnated human without a soul will default to an evil entity.
4. The score offers minimal support. Not even an in-form Jerry Goldsmith could save it.
5. Deserved the 0230 time slot on TV and a touch more entertaining than the infomercials + test patterns it was competing against at the time of my viewing.
6. Thankfully did not spawn any sequels ala Wes Craven's "Nightmare" franchise. Chiller Too: The Return Return of Miles, or something like that.
Despite my rating of 1, I still recommend this movie as a great example of how to kill an acting or script-writing career. This should apply to directing, however Wes Craven will eternally be exempt due to his sole good piece of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" 1984.