I have always thought that a good romantic comedy can be fun to watch. Even though I think that the genre is a dying breed, I still believe that there are a number of gems out there. Elvis Has Left The Building is a wonderful example of a charming comedy that, unfortunately, probably did not get the attention that it deserved.
Elvis Has Left the Building is the story of a Pink Lady Cosmetics representative who meets an ad agency executive as she is travels across the country accidentally and inexplicably murdering Elvis impersonators. While this film does not deliver a barrel of laughs, you will be chuckling constantly throughout the film. The ways each Elvis impersonator is killed are so inventive and funny, and leave you wondering how many creative ways they can pull of the gag. I also enjoy the two characters who are FBI Agents attempting to crack the case. The characters are complete opposites, and add to that that one of them is a germaphobe, and this comedy duo almost steal the entire film. This is such an enjoyable film that has a good story, great acting and solid comedic charm.
Kim Basinger plays Harmony Jones. Basinger delivers brilliant comedic timing throughout the film, and brings a certain genuineness to her character that adds to the overall film. She also has good dramatic scenes both with Angie Dickinson and John Corbett. This is a well-rounded performance that truly showcases how talented Kim Basinger is as an actress.
John Corbett plays Miles Taylor. Overall, I like Corbetts' performance in this movie. He displays a certain charm and wit that could make any woman fall in love with him. However, I do feel that there is a severe lack of development with his character. It just feels as if he was cast as the typical good looking man who falls for the female character. We do not even see his character involved with his ad agency much at all. His motives just seem unclear to me. Do not misunderstand me, Corbett is solid in the movie, but I just did not care about his character enough.
Joel Zwick is the director of Elvis Has Left The Building. Ultimately, this movie is about how much Elvis Presley had an impact on Harmony Jones' life and career. You can feel that impact throughout the film as there are countless Elvis-inspired sets, clothing, vehicles, outfits and memorabilia. Also, even though this film is a comedy, the dramatic scenes do stand out because they are so good, and Zwick handles them with care. The chemistry between the actors is solid as well, which is the mark of a good director. Zwick does a wonderful job directing this film.
Elvis Has Left The Building is such a delightful gem of a comedy, and it is a shame that it got so unrecognized on its initial release. The acting is great, the sets and atmosphere are wonderful, and the comedy bits will have you smiling throughout the entire film. If you have not seen Elvis Has Left Building, I highly suggest that you pick it up. As with all cinematic gems, it may be hard to find, but trust me, it is worth it.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Friday, October 27, 2017
Forbidden, Foreign Love
Tom Hanks is one of my favorite actors of all time, and yet there is much of his early work that I have not seen. I always find it interesting to discover earlier and lesser known films in the careers of certain actors because it is a window into how they became as great as they are today. I had never seen Every Time I Say Goodbye, nor had I even heard of it. While the film does have some good performances in it, unfortunately it is riddled with cliches right up until the very end.
Every Time We Say Goodbye is the story of a pilot and a girl from Jerusalem who fall in love, even though their individual backgrounds suggest that they should not be together at all. As I said before, this film is your typical "forbidden love story". These two characters are not meant to be together because of their different backgrounds, but they do not care and continue to see each other anyway. The big problem with the film is that it does not focus on this aspect as much as it should. It is more focused on the fact that David (Tom Hanks) is an American, and does not understand the Jewish culture and heritage. The entire film consists of David and Sarah (Cristina Marsillach) seeing each other behind the back of Sarahs' family. The storytelling falls completely flat, and were it not for the performances of Hanks and Marsillach, this movie would be dead on arrival.
Tom Hanks plays David. Even though his character arc is predictable in every way, I like what Hanks brings to the table. There are scenes where he displays his classic comedy chops, but for a majority of the film he displays a serviceable dramatic range that is nice to see so early in his career. The scene where he is attempting to see Sarah one last time before he leaves is actually quite moving to watch because he is almost violent in his determination to see her. This is a solid performance from an an actor who would go on to become one of the greatest ever.
Cristina Marsillach plays Sarah. While I do like Marsillachs' performance, her character arc is the most cliched element of this film. She meets David, and they start spending time with each other even though she is forbidden from seeing him. She falls in love with him, tells her family, then tells David to leave so that she is spared more pain, and chooses to marry her best friend. Then, she realizes she cannot marry him because she is in love with David. Marsillach does what she can with such limited material, and her performance, along with Hanks' is the only other reason to watch this film in its entirety.
Moshe Mizrahi is the director of Every Time We Say Goodbye. The relationship between David and Sarah is the most important aspect of this film. Mizrahi uses this to his advantage because not only is the chemistry good between the actors, but all of their scenes together are quite touching to watch. My favorite scene in the film is when Sarah confesses her love for David to her family. The performances of every actor in this scene are so genuine. You can feel the emotional conflict within Sarah, just as you can feel the anger and hatred from her family. The location of Jerusalem is beautiful to look at as well. Mizrahi chooses nice shots to showcase the landscape. There is not much to like about the direction of this film, but these aspects do stand out in a positive way for me personally.
There is not much to like about Every Time We Say Goodbye. The story and character arcs are all too familiar and predictable, but I honestly think that the acting is serviceable. I would say if you are fan of Tom Hanks, and would like to experience his earlier work, check this movie out. If not, you are better off skipping it.
Every Time We Say Goodbye is the story of a pilot and a girl from Jerusalem who fall in love, even though their individual backgrounds suggest that they should not be together at all. As I said before, this film is your typical "forbidden love story". These two characters are not meant to be together because of their different backgrounds, but they do not care and continue to see each other anyway. The big problem with the film is that it does not focus on this aspect as much as it should. It is more focused on the fact that David (Tom Hanks) is an American, and does not understand the Jewish culture and heritage. The entire film consists of David and Sarah (Cristina Marsillach) seeing each other behind the back of Sarahs' family. The storytelling falls completely flat, and were it not for the performances of Hanks and Marsillach, this movie would be dead on arrival.
Tom Hanks plays David. Even though his character arc is predictable in every way, I like what Hanks brings to the table. There are scenes where he displays his classic comedy chops, but for a majority of the film he displays a serviceable dramatic range that is nice to see so early in his career. The scene where he is attempting to see Sarah one last time before he leaves is actually quite moving to watch because he is almost violent in his determination to see her. This is a solid performance from an an actor who would go on to become one of the greatest ever.
Cristina Marsillach plays Sarah. While I do like Marsillachs' performance, her character arc is the most cliched element of this film. She meets David, and they start spending time with each other even though she is forbidden from seeing him. She falls in love with him, tells her family, then tells David to leave so that she is spared more pain, and chooses to marry her best friend. Then, she realizes she cannot marry him because she is in love with David. Marsillach does what she can with such limited material, and her performance, along with Hanks' is the only other reason to watch this film in its entirety.
Moshe Mizrahi is the director of Every Time We Say Goodbye. The relationship between David and Sarah is the most important aspect of this film. Mizrahi uses this to his advantage because not only is the chemistry good between the actors, but all of their scenes together are quite touching to watch. My favorite scene in the film is when Sarah confesses her love for David to her family. The performances of every actor in this scene are so genuine. You can feel the emotional conflict within Sarah, just as you can feel the anger and hatred from her family. The location of Jerusalem is beautiful to look at as well. Mizrahi chooses nice shots to showcase the landscape. There is not much to like about the direction of this film, but these aspects do stand out in a positive way for me personally.
There is not much to like about Every Time We Say Goodbye. The story and character arcs are all too familiar and predictable, but I honestly think that the acting is serviceable. I would say if you are fan of Tom Hanks, and would like to experience his earlier work, check this movie out. If not, you are better off skipping it.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Tragedies In The Wilderness
Time to Kill is another early film in Nicolas Cages' career that I had not seen, or even heard of, until recently. I have always liked him as an actor, so I was automatically intrigued to watch the film. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and I think Cage gives one of his best performances of his entire career.
Time to Kill is the story of an Italian Army Lieutenant who is suffering from a toothache, travels to the nearest hospital to get it treated, but encounters many horrors throughout his journey. In fact, that is the most intriguing thing about this movie. The experiences that Lieutenant Silvestri (Nicolas Cage) has throughout the film are almost, if not just as, terrible as experiencing the war itself. There are even times when you think that Silvestri would have been better off fighting in the war. This is a heavy film to get through, and some of the characters are downright unlikable. In fact, this might be one of those movies that you only watch once a year. However, this is an incredibly well-made film that I highly recommend you make the effort to watch. There are a few plot holes with this movie that I must address. Firstly, it is unclear where the war in this film is being fought. I actually had to do some research online to find out that the war was being fought in Ethiopia in 1936. Also, at one point in the movie, Silvestri accidentally shoots a woman and kills her. We do not learn this womans' name until moments before her death, and her name-drop feels completely random. Later in the film, Silvestri has a standoff with an enemy, and his enemy has stolen has his gun. Silvestri reveals that he has unloaded his gun so that the enemy cannot fire it. While this plot point can be somewhat debatable as to whether it should be seen or not, I personally feel it necessary. Despite these extremely minor flaws, this is an incredible film that every movie buff should have in their collection.
Nicolas Cage plays Enrico Silvestri. This is one of Cages' most emotional and vulnerable performances. Silvestri is a man who has plenty of war experience, but when it comes to surviving on his own in the wilderness, he has no idea what to do or where to go. He suffers horrors beyond his imagination, and because of that he will have personal demons for the rest of his life. The scene where he accidentally shoots and kills a local woman is particularly moving because there is no one/nowhere to go to for help. Even though Silvestri is not a likable character in the slightest, his journey is quite remarkable. Cage is brilliant in this film.
Giuliano Montaldo is the director of Time to Kill. I like what Montaldo does with this movie for a couple of reasons: Firstly, the wide shots that show Silvestri traveling across the vast landscape are absolutely spectacular, and almost make you forget about all of the terrible things that have happened to this character. Second, I like the way all of the incidents are filmed. Montaldo does a brilliant job of making us feel like we are experiencing these events along with Silvestri, which makes you feel empathy for the character even though he is not particularly likable. Montaldo does a fine job directing this movie.
Time to Kill is heavy on dramatic storytelling and dark character arcs. However, it is a must for any film connoisseur. This film might be hard to find, but if you do, I highly suggest that you pick it up.
Time to Kill is the story of an Italian Army Lieutenant who is suffering from a toothache, travels to the nearest hospital to get it treated, but encounters many horrors throughout his journey. In fact, that is the most intriguing thing about this movie. The experiences that Lieutenant Silvestri (Nicolas Cage) has throughout the film are almost, if not just as, terrible as experiencing the war itself. There are even times when you think that Silvestri would have been better off fighting in the war. This is a heavy film to get through, and some of the characters are downright unlikable. In fact, this might be one of those movies that you only watch once a year. However, this is an incredibly well-made film that I highly recommend you make the effort to watch. There are a few plot holes with this movie that I must address. Firstly, it is unclear where the war in this film is being fought. I actually had to do some research online to find out that the war was being fought in Ethiopia in 1936. Also, at one point in the movie, Silvestri accidentally shoots a woman and kills her. We do not learn this womans' name until moments before her death, and her name-drop feels completely random. Later in the film, Silvestri has a standoff with an enemy, and his enemy has stolen has his gun. Silvestri reveals that he has unloaded his gun so that the enemy cannot fire it. While this plot point can be somewhat debatable as to whether it should be seen or not, I personally feel it necessary. Despite these extremely minor flaws, this is an incredible film that every movie buff should have in their collection.
Nicolas Cage plays Enrico Silvestri. This is one of Cages' most emotional and vulnerable performances. Silvestri is a man who has plenty of war experience, but when it comes to surviving on his own in the wilderness, he has no idea what to do or where to go. He suffers horrors beyond his imagination, and because of that he will have personal demons for the rest of his life. The scene where he accidentally shoots and kills a local woman is particularly moving because there is no one/nowhere to go to for help. Even though Silvestri is not a likable character in the slightest, his journey is quite remarkable. Cage is brilliant in this film.
Giuliano Montaldo is the director of Time to Kill. I like what Montaldo does with this movie for a couple of reasons: Firstly, the wide shots that show Silvestri traveling across the vast landscape are absolutely spectacular, and almost make you forget about all of the terrible things that have happened to this character. Second, I like the way all of the incidents are filmed. Montaldo does a brilliant job of making us feel like we are experiencing these events along with Silvestri, which makes you feel empathy for the character even though he is not particularly likable. Montaldo does a fine job directing this movie.
Time to Kill is heavy on dramatic storytelling and dark character arcs. However, it is a must for any film connoisseur. This film might be hard to find, but if you do, I highly suggest that you pick it up.
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