ardavan_sh2006 Reviews

Body Heat (1981)

decent noir of 80's

[8/10 · 20 December 2011]

"Body Heat" is a decent noir.it follows all the rules of the genre & the result is stunning.

actually everything in this movie, is HOT! the weather (Florida state)is HOT, Kathleen Turner (in her film debut ) is really HOT ( she's perfect as a femme fatale), the passionate liaison between Hurt n Turner, is Hot, Mickey Rourke (in a tiny role as an arsonist) makes buildings HOT! & last but not least, Hurt's penis is too HOT (at the boiling point!!)

memorable quote is where Ted Danson's character( whom is a friend of Hurt),tells him: "eventuallly your co** will put you in a deep trouble"!

The Forbidden Room (1977)

Gassman's Eyes

[6/10 · 20 December 2011]

i had heard about this flick,as a giallo & i liked the previous collaboration of Risi/Gassman in "Profumo Di Donna", so i was curious to watch this "anima persa".

even though this movie is't a gaillo at all,(it doesn't have typical giallo's elements), but it could be classified as a decent horror film. it's impossible for the viewer to forget a major thing : Gassman' penetrating eyes! (what a good actor he is) & he definitely steals the movie.

it could be predictable after the half,that what's going on , but this movie is entertaining to watch.

Teorema (1968)

Not for all tastes

[7/10 · 18 December 2011]

i'm afraid that "teorema" is a complicated movie & it's not like Pasolini's "trilogy of life" which could attract the mainstream viewers.

this movie has an obscure structure with a mysterious stranger who makes everything upside-down. (who's that stranger? another Billy Budd?(with the same actor), why he sexually influences them all ?)..

it could be interpreted as Pasolini's attack to the fake solidarity in a bourgeois-class family. what i like particularly in "teorema" is Pasolini's masterwork with color, landscapes n architecture.

Depends on your taste & recommended for Pier Paolo's fans,only.

In the Realm of the Senses (1976)

Love & Cascrate

[4/10 · 18 December 2011]

"In the Realm of the Senses" aroused MUCH controversy in 70's and it's a kind of movie which only could be made in that decade. Even a lot of controversial flicks in 70's(like last tango in Paris) could be easily rated PG in comparison with this one!

"Love & Cascrate" as the motif , is explicitly illustrated in the most shocking scenes & it's difficult to watch for a general viewer. honestly i never understood what is it all about, but tough buffs of this movie(& they are many) believe in Oshmia's perfect use of mise en scene in describing a mentally-disturbed female character. no wonder that it's the most favorite movie of Catherine Breillat.( top ten choosing in Sight n Sound 2002)

Psycho (1960)

Hitch's Best

[10/10 · 18 December 2011]

this top box office of 1960 is my most favorite flick among Hitchcock's. "Psycho" (which is considered as the most Notorious movie from the master of suspense) has influenced a LOT of directors ( Brian De Palma at the most & even Gus Van Sant who became obsessed & did the greatest mistake of his career to remake it frame by frame!).

I barely know any more famous classic sequence than the bathing scene in "Psycho" n let's do not ever forget the role of Bernard Hermann & his extra-ordinary score in immortalizing this movie.

I recently read an interview with Roman Polanski & once he said:(concept) " ... most of Hitchcock's became old-fashioned n out of date for me during the time but i still love "Psycho", cos' i like to horrify the viewers in the dark theaters".

that's the fact that "Psycho" still does after near 50 years.

The 4th Man (1983)

Paul's best flick of Dutch era

[8/10 · 18 December 2011]

I always have been a great fan of Paul Verhoeven & i believe that "Basic Instinct" is the BEST erotic-thriller ever made( no matter what the others say, it's undoubtedly a masterpiece of the genre & time will enhance the judgments, i'm sure).

And....this "the Fourth Man" is the best flick of Paul's "dutch" era.

As it always has been said , it's a wonderful combination of Bergman(for its philosophical theme) & Hitchcock (for the kind of suspense it creates) , too.

it has a compelling screenplay with a touch of surrealism. "the third man" (sorry, it's my other favorite,...Carol Reed always stays in my mind!).."the 4th man" also opened the gates of Hollywood for the dutch director.

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

Sirk & permanent sympathy with women

[7/10 · 18 December 2011]

Doughlas Sirk is famous for directing a couple of flicks in the most "dishonored" genre in cinema history,called melodrama.

usually intellectuals (those broad-minded guys who wear glasses) are not interested in melodrama. they find them cheap,shallow & out of any dept to take seriously. but that's not convincing for me & i'm afraid each genre has its own highlights & failures & Sirk's samples are definitely among the best in this particular genre.

he always had a great sympathy with women in his movies & here he truly sympathizes with a widow surrounded by a "mannish" public.

I should mention that Douglas Sirk always reminds me "Pulp Fiction",too! i mean the scene where Vincent(Travolta) & Mia(Thurman) go to dine in a place full of 50's atmosphere & when the garçon brings the menu, what Vincent orders is : "Douglas Sirk Steak"!!!

Naked (1993)

Mike leigh's best flick i've ever seen

[10/10 · 18 December 2011]

"naked" is one of the best flicks i've ever seen. i never forget the 1st watching,..it made me totally upside down, i didn't want to watch any other flick in a couple of weeks.( & i didn't!).. I wanted the influence to last, to engage my soul forever.

the story of a God-damned wanderer who has his own philosophy of life & talks TOO MUCH (some times f**cks ur brain with the dosage of talking n talking..!) is so gripping that becomes the obsession of your mind for a while.( if not 4ever )

Thewlis gives a memorable performance & Mike Leigh's deep touch of ordinary people never has been reflected better than "naked".

it's the kind of movie that u wanna watch n watch to revive the undeniable major effect...

the most memorable dialog is near the end, when Johnny's ex-gf asks him why did he ever come to London?

he answers: " i come to run in the marathon! " she becomes angry & wants a direct reply..& that's where Johnny (Thewlis ) says:

" well..i had to get out of Manchester 'cause i was gonna get a beating..& i came down here & uh...get a beating "

That night journey in London's low-life could last 4ever,..night after night & Johnny doesn't change it with anything, not even with money or even with considering a cripple leg.

a must see.

The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)

Ameican Dream

[7/10 · 18 December 2011]

It was the 3rd movie that i've watched from Rafelson in his golden 70's era (after Five Easy pieces n Stay Hungry).

I found it brilliant. it could be named as "Five Easy Pieces,part ii". all of director's elements are present here:

the story of frustrated Americans in 70's, their alienation from their families(i just reminded that poetic sequence in the final of " 5ive Easy Pieces",where jack talks to his handicap father n the symmetric sequence in "Marvin Gardens" is at the beginning when Jack narrates a fiction story about his grandfather).

the movie truly criticizes the "American dream" and Rafelson is definitely 1 of the first directors who dared to create the story of this disillusioned generation with poetic n compelling structure.

i am afraid that i'll remember "Marvin Gardens" by one sequence n 1 quote: the scene where two brothers arrange a show to elect(!) Miss America. that's a fantastic satire about "opportunism-like" evaluation of American dream.

and the quote in near final where Jason (Dern) says: "if everything don't work out for you like magic,then it's all a mirage"...

Angel Heart (1987)

Parker's Immortal Masterpiece

[10/10 · 16 December 2011]

once Mickey Rourke said : "Alan Parker wears that glasses to look like Oxford's graduates, but he's been raised in the streets indeed & that's why he's a great director".

"Angel Heart" was the first shock. i do not believe in silly top 10 but if i ever commit to choose, "Angel Heart" will be undoubtedly 1 of 10.

the magical atmosphere which combines Raymond Chandler-style detective stories with high dosage of religion-related references & of course with the 50's ( not familiar, promising 50's of America's post-war era ) is so unique & every single plan in any sequence is so thoughtful that makes "Angel Heart" an obsession of mind for any serious viewer.

i'm a guy from VHS era & i never forget the 1st time i watched "Angel Heart ". it was near 14 years ago( i was in high school), it was a LD(laser disk) copy with poor quality (yellow background all around) & it had hard-coded Japanese sub! the sex scene( which is disturbing but vital) was tamed & the sound was disaster with today' standards, ...but the impact was shocking. i stayed awake till morning, thinking about that 2 hours of shock experience. i still could hear the mixture of Harry's footsteps on thick snow with "heart beat"-based score during that cold night. i still could feel the echos of some sentences: "do you like an egg?" , "..so Johnny picked up a young soldier" , "my name's not Johnny" , "the flesh is weak Johnny, but the soul is immortal", "..and your soul belongs to me"...

i was wondering why Harry Angel couldn't pronounce "Louis Cyphre" correct, even once! i was thinking about the close-up of Cyphre's ring in the beginning. i could visualize the voodoo's ceremony Harry watched. i could applause Parker's flawless use of flashbacks...

after years & years, the main motif seems familiar now : being hired to search the truth, searching the truth & frustrating after finding the truth. doesn't seem familiar? same as sir Alfred's "Vertigo" and Polanski's "the Ninth Gate". while "Vertigo" concentrates on untouchable immortal beloved, but "the Ninth Gate" is far closer to "Angel Heart",with less impact of course.

thanks to the technology, i've watched better(quality) versions of "Angel Heart" since then. vcd, DVD-copy on VHS & DVD itself.( blue-ray next?)now i watch it 1ce a year & the impact is still the same.