The Robe (1953)

Winner of the golden globe for the best dramatic film in 1953 and nominated for four Oscars and won two. Another cinemascope release, and one that I was able to find in high def, which made it look really nice.

Starring Richard Burton, who plays Marcellus a Roman tribune who is assigned the task of putting Jesus Christ to death. He then wins Jesus' robe in a game of dice after the crucifixion and becomes haunted by what he has done. He returns to Jesus' home town to learn more about the man he killed and becomes a Christian himself in the process.

I have to say that I was a little bored for the first 15-20 minutes, I wasn't sure how the film was going to develop and felt it was getting to the point in a roundabout way. After the film got going and the plot became clear it was a really moving film. It is the 1950's so in high def it doesn't do the sets favors at some times. It is clear the "night sky" is a backdrop in a studio, but when you look past some of this you really have an excellent film here.

Personally I would have given this my Oscar vote that year over From Here to Eternity.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046247/

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A One And A Two: Yi Yi (2000)

Let me start by saying this is a three hour dramatic epic about a family in Taipei. We follow a number of family member through everyday life starting at a major family gathering, and ending at another.

Winner of "Best Foreign Language Film" at a number of film festivals, but not garnishing any major nominations. This film starts with a family at a wedding. The boy in the post is one of the two key characters in the film. His father is at a turning point in his life as he wonders about "the one that got away," if his son will follow in his footsteps, and if his company is headed in the right direction. The younger brother of the father is getting married, not to the one he loves, but to the one he knocked up. Working for the same company he is risky and careless in all matters of life, and the film revolves around a lot of mistakes he makes with money, women, and business.

It is a somewhat compelling story, I enjoyed the footage surrounding the son, who is quirky and mischievous. It is hard to say if it should have been edited down because it really was about the whole family and the issues they all had in their daily lives. Cutting any of it out would have made it incomplete. Problem is I don't know if this film was memorable enough to remember in a few years. It is a chore to get through, so I can't see suggesting it to anyone. I didn't see many faults, it just wasn't incredibly compelling. 


Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0244316/

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The Ten Commandments (1956)

This epic film very well could have been titled "The Life of Moses." A four hour epic film starring Charlton Heston [as Moses] and Yul Brynner [as King Rameses] and directed by Cecil B. DeMille. You have probably heard of DeMille, the Academy Awards has a lifetime achievement award given annually in his name. He was a founder of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and won an Oscar in 1952 for The Greatest Show on Earth.

This film was nominated for 7 Oscars, and won Best Picture along with the Golden Globe for Best Film: Drama. It is the 5th highest grossing movie ever in North American [with inflation adjustment]. The parting of the red sea scene was one of the most expensive scenes filmed at the time. They has multiple dump tanks full of water empty into a basin at the same time. The footage is then shown in reverse in slow motion to create the effect. If you had not guessed yet, the Oscar was for Special Effects.

A monumental film. If you won't want to rent it then wait for next Easter. It is almost always shown on network television that Saturday night. I personally am not a huge Heston fan because of his actions with the NRA over the last 10 years. I loved this film despite that. Great movie, and a must watch.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049833/

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Way Down East (1920)

Even if you don't like silent films, you have to experience a D.W. Griffith film at some point in your life. His most well known works include The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages. This film, Way Down East, was only two and a half hours, short compared to these other two epics. He is a very opinionated director, Birth of a Nation is very racist [South viewpoint of the Civil War, also known as "The Clansman"] and this film is about a wealthy womanizer who takes advantage of a country girl.

This film definitely makes the villain an over-the-top heartless person, a little unrealistic for me, but not impossible. He makes the leading lady extremely naive, almost to the point of being stupid. She passes out in the woods on a sheet of ice floating down stream... come on...

I have trouble really liking Griffith's films and saying they are worth watching again. Once was enough, and if you aren't into silent films (e.g. a VAST majority of people) then read the plot outlines of the other two I listed and pick one. If you watch it though Apple Quicktime you can easily watch these films at about 1.25x which is still easy to follow, read along to, and the music doesn't sound too much like a carnival. A good trick and makes them a little easier to follow when the pace is picked up (personally I don't get distracted and pay more attention as well).

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011841/

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Reds (1981)

Movies that break the 3 hour mark tend to distract me to wonder how I am going to find the time to finish them. They also suffer from having to be broken up by most viewers, and stopping at exactly the intermission can be hard.

This film simply put is about the rise of Communism in the United States and why Americans became so afraid of it. The movie is set around 1912 and follows the on and off relationship of John Reed (Warren Beatty) and Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton), and includes supporting roles from Jack Nicholson and Gene Hackman.

To review an epic movie without spoiling it can be hard. There is so much going on and to give you an idea of what this is about I have to give you some information. Reed is a radical with strong ideas about how workers do not need politicians and leaders, and that if the workers banded together we would all be living in a wonderful utopia.

Inspired by the actions of the Bolsheviks (the Social Democratic Labor Party in Russia), he decides that he can make more of an impact actually going to Russia. The movie follows the rest of his life and his struggles as he learns that this utopia is unrealistic and that political change can be very bloody.

I felt like I learned a little bit about some of the things happening in Russia at the turn of the 20th century and a little more about why Americans feared Communism. In the end I do think this movie could have been condensed a little, the length alone will probably turn some potential viewers away. This was not Beatty's best performance, I didn't feel like his reactions were sufficient and while struggling in the bitter cold on his way to Norway he was a little ridiculous. Other than that Hackman and Nicholson provided some good performances and Keaton was at her best.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082979/

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