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Monthly Archives: April 2020

The River Wild

29 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

1990's, Action, Curtis Hanson, David Strathairn, John C. Reilly, Joseph Mazzello, Kevin Bacon, Meryl Streep, The River Wild, Thriller

A well directed action thriller that isn’t breaking any original ground but at the same time isn’t trying to, The River Wild has tension, great scenery and fine acting headed by an athletic Meryl Streep.

Gail Hartman( Meryl Streep) is a history teacher for the deaf who used to be a river guide along the rivers of Idaho. She still occasionally practices something similar, albeit in Boston and with no sign of danger or adrenaline rush. Gail is married to the distant Tom(David Strathairn); a constantly busy architect who spends more time on his job than being there for his wife and kids, in particular Roarke( Joseph Mazzello). The young boy resents his father for never being around and believes that his approaching birthday will be another when his father won’t show. Gail takes Roarke to Idaho for some white water rafting, Tom surprisingly tags along but their journey down river is still awkward as Tom doesn’t know how to connect with his family. Along their journey and as Gail tries to repair her strained marriage, they come across charming Wade(Kevin Bacon) and his friend Terry(John C. Reilly) . They are having trouble navigating the river and are pretty ill prepared. Gail starts to help them, which causes them, especially in the case of Wade, to become closer to Gail and Roarke. Gail enjoys the company of someone she sees as needing help and being likeminded. Roarke finds someone to talk to in Wade, in comparison with his staid father who he doesn’t have the best of relationships with, stemming from Tom’s frequent absence and dedication to his work. Though they are friendly at first, the fact that Wade and Terry keep popping up along the river alarms Tom and later Gail, as does some questionable actions like spying on Gail and Tom when they briefly wander off and being cagey on the reasons they are on the river. A reconnecting Gail and Tom decide to ditch Wade and Terry as subtly as possible after becoming increasingly alarmed by the duo. Just as try to escape with Roarke, they are violently stopped by Wade, who begins to show his cruel and nasty colours . It transpires that the duo have robbed a large sum of money and to evade capture decided to go down the river. They really hadn’t thought their plan through very well as Wade can’t swim and they must advance further than The Gauntlet to get away. The Gauntlet is a death defying set of rapids that adventurous Gail went through in her youth, but it has since been declared too dangerous following a death to one rafter and paralysis for another. Threatening the family, Wade forces Gail to take them to The Gauntlet, despite her warnings of its impending doom and how barely anyone makes it out alive. The family is separated after a scuffle between Tom and Wade. Tom, beginning to shed his image as a boring, corporate drone goes ahead on foot through the wilderness, hoping to figure out a way to ensure the safe return of his wife and son. But just how long can Gail protect her son and herself from danger as treacherous water lies ahead? And can Tom catch them up and derail Wade’s deadly plans?

Curtis Hanson efficiently brings out the adventure, tension and drama at the heart of The River Wild with considerable skill. The story may seem familiar and some beats that you’re well aware of take place, but Hanson has you glued with his direction. He knows it’s all in the mounting of tension and then letting things take flight, complete with some surprises. The use that the family has of sign language is an inspired choice that allows them to communicate in a way unfamiliar to their kidnappers and wonderfully succeeds in being in the family back together in crisis. The first part of the film is all in the build up that effectively introduces terror through little hints that take on greater meaning once the kidnapping and forcing to help begins, the big set pieces come. And they are spectacular scenes as the beautiful yet treacherous landscape is observed( in a stunning showcase of cinematography) as a race for survival ensues. Though not every part of the story works and it can smell of contrivance, the overall content is pleasingly action packed yet has some emotion to make a difference. For a movie conveyed with action and thriller elements, The River Wild doesn’t scrimp on character development or getting us to know the central players in the story. There’s already some tension before anything truly suspenseful happens. The family unit is already falling apart and thankfully being well observed, while resisting the urge to go into full on soap opera on water territory. Jerry Goldsmith is on score duties and his skill in dripping suspense in is key to the atmosphere here; along with sneaking in some gorgeous pieces of moving symphony to compliment the lush surroundings about to be overtaken by nail biting tension.

The acting is of a high calibre it must be said. Heading things is the ever impressive Meryl Streep flexing a sense of physicality we are not used to from her while retaining a humanity that grounds things. Streep is a force of nature; glowing with a radiance and an intimidating stare, coupled with protectiveness, vigour and freedom. Simply stated, Meryl Streep is the driving force behind The River Wild with a dedicated role that shows off her dedication to her work, a great physical presence of toned arms and legs and how she can slot easily into any genre like the true professional she is. Projecting evil and oozing dangerous charm is the talented Kevin Bacon, whose boyish appearance is used to great effect in masking the true depravity and violence of his character before letting it out. Bacon just really knows how to unsettle here as he plays games with the other characters and tries to really get inside their heads. His frequent clashes with Streep are a highlight as they face off wonderfully in a thrill ride of a movie. I always enjoy seeing Kevin Bacon in a film and in The River Wild it is no exception. Also very strong here and an actor that I feel is often overlooked is David Strathairn, who is superb as the absent father forced into action. Strathairn gets the sense of a man too wrapped up in his life that he’s become desensitised to everything important to him and also credibly charts his rise to being a reliable thinker and survivor. Once Strathairn is separated from the others, his journey begins and its pretty great to see him change so realistically and excellently from a boring workaholic to quick thinking and unrelenting in his hope of saving his family. Its a classy turn from the gifted David Strathairn. John C. Reilly shades his supporting role as lackey with some nice grey areas, while Joseph Mazzello plays the plucky kid with the right amount of spirit and hear.

For my money, The River Wild is an underrated action/thriller that is spearheaded by a sensational Streep and generates some real excitement. By the numbers as sine of it is,

Raiders of the Lost Ark

29 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

1980's, Action, Adventure, Alfred Molina, Denholm Elliott, Harrison Ford, John Rhys-Davies, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ronald Lacey, Steven Spielberg

Action/ adventure was given a new lease of life in Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark ; a rollicking, entertaining tribute to old adventure serials with a classic turn by Harrison Ford and all the right ingredients for an energetic blockbuster. Raiders of the Lost Ark is truly one of those iconic films that never gets boring no matter how many times you’ve seen it. Trust me, this movie is simply irresistible.

The year is 1936 and rugged Indiana Jones(Harrison Ford), often refereed to as Dr. Jones or Indy, is an archaeologist/adventurer with a dry sense of humour, skill with a whip, fear of snakes and ability to think quickly on his feet. He works as a college professor when he’s not facing immense danger around the globe. We first meet him in the jungles of South America where he procures an artefact, faces down danger and meets his slimy rival René Belloq( Paul Freeman), who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Back at the university he teaches at, his friend Marcus Brody(Denholm Elliott) a museum creator approaches Jones with two American agents. As Indy has knowledge of ancient relics and cultures the U.S government wants his help in dealing with the growing power of the Nazis. It’s come to their attention that the Nazis are fixed on discovering the burial place of The Ark of Covenant; an ancient and innumerable chest that according to the Bible held the two stone tablets bearing The Ten Commandments. Also housed in it is immeasurable power that the Nazis wish to harness to further advance their cause. Jones worked with Abner Ravenwood, his old mentor and had a relationship with his daughter Marion(Karen Allen). Travelling to Nepal, he meets the tough talking Marion once more and learns her father is dead. She is now in possession of a headpiece that when used properly shows the whereabouts of the Ark. She isn’t too pleased to see Indy as he romanced her and then disappeared, which leaves him with a hell of a punch across the face on their reconnection. The fact that Marion has the key to discovering the Ark puts her in the firing line for trouble. This in turns leads the Nazis to her door, headed by the very creepy and sadistic Gestapo agent Arnold Toht(Ronald Lacey). Escaping and discovering the Nazi’s, along with Belloq are digging in Cairo, Indiana and Marion head there intent on stopping them. With aid from loyal digger Sallah( John Rhys-Davies), it’s up to Indy and Marion to stop the Ark falling into Nazi hands and being wielded as a devastating weapon on the world. 

Steven Spielberg directs this action adventure classic with panache, wit and a rip-roaring sense of entertainment and it ranks as one of his best films. You can clearly see the love and feeling of breathless action he infused Raiders with to make it so rightfully iconic. His infectious enthusiasm to recreate 30’s adventure serials transfers to the audience who are swept along with Indiana Jones in his quest to retrieve the eponymous artefact from the clutches of evil. Raiders of the Lost Ark bristles with excitement right from the celebrated opening and continues on with breathless action that also houses great characters and many instances that have become synonymous with pop culture. You’ve got that opening with Indy retrieving a golden idol from a cave that’s laced with booby traps( including one menacing boulder), a journey into the resting place of the Ark which is littered with snakes, Indy hilariously shooting a show off swordsman in a nonchalant manner, a scintillating truck chase sequence that puts the A in action and the unveiling of the Ark itself. It’s hard to just talk about one moment but I’ll do my best. The cinematography has a warm glow of yesteryear and just adds further to this exciting and escapist adventure that never leaves you. The visual effects still hold up and make the finale a sight to behold in both wonderment and shock. And one of the finest and most fondly remembered parts of this movie has to be the score from the maestro that is John Williams. I’ve long been a fan of his work and his score here is one of the reasons why. I mean you only need to hear a few notes of the now famous theme to feel chills on your neck and know you’re listening to greatness that embodies adventure, danger and just that giddy feeling of something magic at work.

Essaying the role of Indiana Jones is the incomparable Harrison Ford. He’s got the humour down, the intrepid feeling of adventure, plus charm and smarts to burn. Ford is compelling and it’s pretty damn impossible to imagine anyone else playing the part because he makes it his own with star quality, wit and a certain level of old school, heroic cool. It’s hard not to warm to Indiana Jones with Harrison Ford in such fine form and creating one of the most recognisable heroes of the silver screen. Aiding him is the beautiful but strong presence of Karen Allen. She portrays Marion as feisty and not afraid to rough and tumble; thankfully she has more to do that just a be a love interest. Not that her chemistry with Ford isn’t impressive( it’s extremely good), but it’s great to see that she serves a purpose here and can take charge when needed. A slimy turn from Paul Freeman makes Belloq a cultured yet rotten to the core adversary for Indy, while is creepiness personified as the Nazi agent with the most unnerving demeanour. Humour and a certain lovable nature comes courtesy of John Rhys-Davies, making the most out of his supporting role as loyal friend. The refined Denholm Elliott also stands out in a small role with his well spoken air and sense of a gentleman. Watch out for a young Alfred Molina in the opening scene as a treacherous tour guide who meets a grisly end after showing his true, deceitful colours. 

With compelling action, imagination, fine acting and a masterful director at the helm, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most rip-roaring pieces of adventure entertainment you’re likely to see and trust me, you’ll never tire of it.

8 Year Blog Anniversary

20 Monday Apr 2020

Posted by vinnieh in Announcements, Awards and Achievements

≈ 35 Comments

Tags

8 Year Anniversary, Blog Anniversary

I was just informed that today is my eighth year on my blog. I’m usually prepared for these things but have been occupied with all the upheaval in the world. I can’t believe it’s been 8 years that I’ve been on here, it’s a wonderful feeling. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank every one of you who has been there for me and supported me on this journey. I love you all.

House on Haunted Hill

18 Saturday Apr 2020

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 23 Comments

Tags

1950's, Alan Marshal, Carol Ohmart, Carolyn Craig, Elisha Cook Jr, Horror, House on Haunted Hill, Julie Mitchum, Richard Long, Vincent Price, William Castle

The delightful Gill and Barry asked me to take part in a blogathon celebrating the career of Vincent Price. I naturally obliged and decided to write about the devilish horror with a mischief loving edge, House on Haunted Hill.

A campy and creepy horror movie from William Castle that may show its age but is still rightfully entertaining due to some clever sleight of hand trickery and scintillating script, House on Haunted comes highly recommended from me.

Eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren(Vincent Price) invites five people to a haunted house party and promises to pay each $10,000 if they can stay the night there. The doors will be locked from midnight with no discernible way out. The house has been the sight of many a grisly event since it was built centuries before.None of the people invited really know one another, the only thing that links them is a need for money. They are rugged test pilot Lance Schroeder(Richard Long), ageing newspaper columnist with a gambling problem, Ruth Bridges(Julie Mitchum), psychiatrist who specialises in hysteria Dr. David Trent(Alan Marshal), the worried worker at one of Loren’s companies, Nora Manning(Carolyn Craig) and the owner of the property Watson Pritchard(Elisha Cook Jr.), who is scared stiff of the place and drops ominous warnings about ghosts. Loren’s wife, a mysterious and beautiful woman named Annabelle(Carol Ohmart)  is supposed to be the one who wanted the party, but we see that her union with Loren is toxic and constantly involved in a game of oneupmanship that once turned near fatal with a poisoning. With the guests assembled and a little confused as to why they would all be invited, the night starts. Soon enough, creepy things start to happen around the spooky dwelling; there’s a nasty surprise in the cellar , Loren’s seductive wife drops hints that her life is in mortal danger from her jealous husband but could be up to something and  with everyone locked in, deception stats to set in. But just who will make it through to morning and is there really a haunting going on?

William Castle was adept at churning films like this out with great success. He even used a gimmick of a floating skeleton in the cinema screenings for mimic one of the ghosts in skeleton form for novelty value. The effect is pretty neat here( obviously it doesn’t come off the screen), if a little showing it’s age in terms of effects and retains a somewhat kitsch appeal. Still there are genuinely creepy and twisty moments that reveal that House on Haunted Hill is rather clever at fooling us beneath the slightly goofy and campy surface. It’s akin to a dangerous cat and music game of Cluedo, just infused with a good deal of menace. Creepiness and campiness abound here with neither winning out as overruling the other; rather settling for a compromise that’s at times tongue in cheek and others atmospherically fun to watch. There’s a certain sense of impishness and skullduggery to events here that more than compensates for dated areas. The script is the main source of greatness here, playing events out as tongue in cheek and loaded with suspense. Vincent Price sinks his teeth into many a darkly amusing one liner and has a great moment of speaking directly to the audience. The score is pretty impressive, with the repeating sounds of a haunting and distorted voice signifying something very sinister bubbling away.

Now we come to the man of the hour, the one and only Vincent Price. Using his well cultured and spine chilling voice yo great effect as well as darkness and devilish charm , Price is the cherry on top of this film. You can sense he’s having a lot of fun being so devious, naughty and slithering in sinister nature and it shows in a very entertaining performance from the horror icon. Vincent Price is at some of his most charming and yet chilling here. Carol Ohmart makes an impression as the vampy wife of Loren; her deep voice and dazzling eyes suggesting someone passionate and scheming but maybe afraid. Elisha Cook Jr seems born to play the timid owner of the house who is as twitchy as a mouse in a room full of hungry cats. His character is the main introduction to their possibly being ghosts afoot, though its left ambiguous as is his integral character. The rest of the cast are serviceable enough, but the film ultimately belongs to Vincent Price.

So while creaky in places, House on Haunted Hill is still a good old-fashioned horror mystery laced with dark humour and Vincent Price on sinister and urbane form.

Getting to grips with things

15 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by vinnieh in Announcements, Uncategorized

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Announcement

With lockdown in place, my schedule along with many others has been thrown out of sync. It’s only now I’m finally finding a rota. My apologies for absence, I’m sure you’ll all understand that it’s stressful times. I promise there will be content on here soon and I’ll be looking round the blogs of all of you. So stay safe people

R.I.P Honor Blackman

06 Monday Apr 2020

Posted by vinnieh in Rest In Peace

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Honor Blackman, Rest In Peace

I just saw the news that Honor Blackman has died aged 94. To many viewers she will best be remembered for her roll in The Avengers as Cathy Gale and as the seductively named Bond Girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. It’s very sad news to read as she was great on screen. She will be missed but never forgotten for her physical strength, charm, beauty and talent.

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