ken215 Reviews

M*A*S*H (1970)

Overrated Hippie Garbage.

[4/10 · 11 June 2024]

Elliott Gould proves once again that nobody can play a pasty, hairy, mook quite as well as he can. Donald Sutherland is wasted playing an utterly unlikable a55hole, which pretty much describes every other character in the film.

Plot-wise, there is none, playing more as slice-of-life vignettes, each jarringly different in tone, seemingly written by at least three different people- which results in a strikingly uneven film.

The few honestly funny parts are lost among the thinly-veiled anti-Vietnam references (VERY thinly veiled), and set pieces that expose Altman as a promising new talent that still hasn't found his voice yet: after an enjoyable trip with Trapper and Hawkeye to Tokyo and some legitimately funny banter, we're forced to suffer through an overlong sequence featuring Painless the Dentist facing an existential crisis because of a sudden inability to perform with the latest nurse to join him in his quarters, causing him to ceremoniously attempt suicide. Which seems an excessive overreaction to a couple of bad nights in the bedroom.

The entire film degenerates into an utterly pointless third act when it morphs into a football movie, and not a very good one.

Robert Duvall plays everyone's favorite punching bag, the hyper-religious Christian, and there's just enough "Regular Army" personnel floating around quoting regulations and trying to enforce discipline, rules and standards of behavior to emphasize how stupid and hung up all these old squares are, can you dig it?

Stream the first three seasons of the TV show instead- legitimately funny, still brings home the anti-war agenda in a digestible way, and you actually enjoy the characters as human beings instead of the cringy, mean-spirited jerks that infest this overhyped, unjustly revered monument to Hollywood pandering to countercultural mores.

The Wind and the Lion (1975)

I'm confused...

[6/10 · 13 May 2024]

I love John Milius, both in terms of his writing as well as his directing. His dialogue, in particular, is imminently quotable, whether it be a single line or a whole soliloquy.

I love Sean Connery and I disagree with the accusation that he's miscast- I think he's completely adequate as Raisuli, and any misgivings with his casting are more than made up for with the near-perfect casting of everyone else, particularly Candice Bergen as Mrs. Eden Pedecaris, Brian Keith practically channeling Teddy Roosevelt, and of course, Vladek Sheybal as, well... Vladek Sheybal.

The photography is gorgeous and is literally one chocolate-box shot after another. Jerry Goldsmith's score is perfect. The locations work, art direction and set dressing are excellent.

In short, it's really a fantastic film, and Milius succeeded as much as anyone could realistically and reasonably expect in his conscious emulation of David Lean and "Lawrence of Arabia."

So why don't I like it more than I do?

It isn't boring, literally everything about this movie is good, if not excellent, and yet, it seems to lack any sort of soul. Perhaps it's the kind of movie that never grabs you by the balls because you know exactly how it's going to turn out within the first 20 minutes.

Bottom line? "The Wind and The Lion is a perfectly good film, but you could do better- if you want to watch a Milius film taking place at roughly the same point in history and still featuring Teddy Roosevelt at least, try "The Rough Riders" instead. Sean Connery at approximately the same point in his career? Go with "The Man Who Would Be King." Arabs on horse and camel back in the desert? Stick with "Lawrence of Arabia."

What Is a Woman? (2022)

Nobody Gets A Pass

[10/10 · 5 June 2023]

The genius of this documentary is that Matt Walsh doesn't sheep-dip himself to catch any interviewee in an "ah-ha, gotcha!" trap. As another reviewer mentions, it's pure Socratic Method, and the questions are probative and tough for all interviewees, regardless. What is revealing is that while not all those in support of the trans issue end up unable to support their own argument or talking in circles, the ones that do find themselves struggling to make their points are ALL on the support trans side. Meanwhile, those on the opposite side are universally clear and concise in their responses, free of hemming and hawing, circular argument, or logical fallacy.

This movie is not phobic or bigoted against the LGBTQ community, but it pressures the more extreme views held by some members of that community to reveal, against their will, their own phobias and bigotry.

Everyone in America should watch this film.

Return of Sabata (1971)

Huh?

[4/10 · 22 February 2022]

A Fellini movie about the circus wandered into a Sergio Leone picture and the result is a total train wreck. I'm 30 minutes into this and I literally have no idea what the hell is going on.

The Samurai (1967)

Nice to be surprised...

[10/10 · 3 December 2007]

I'm a huge lover of film, and the French Nouvelle Vague ranks as one of my favorite movements in film. I'm also a shameless fan of hit-man flicks, from "The Killer" to the recent outrage "Hitman" and everything in between. After only vaguely being aware of this film for many years, I picked it up and watched it- WOW! After all the movies I've seen in my life, after some years where I logged over 200 films in twelve months, it's nice to know that there are still hidden gems out there that can surprise. This film is totally mesmerizing- I sat immobile on my couch for the entire 105 minutes and didn't even realize it until it was over- I usually finish a movie over the course of a day or two (if it's on DVD), getting a drink, bathroom breaks, etc... I give this film a ten, and I've given movies on IMDb a 10 a total of five times- I rank it with the best...