atacta Blog

Under discussion:

Donnie Brasco  (1997)

Donnie Brasco

****/*****

A very interesting turn for Pacino in a middle level mobster role.  Based on a true story and directed by the same guy that did Four Weddings and a Funeral - odd mixture.  Depp is fantastic and Heche is very good/sexy in an early role for her.  I see black comedy in the particularly brutal scenes.

A non-conventional mobster tale - more of a character study of the Pacino/Depp characters.  Pixote, I think it would make the top 100 list for the 90s but it would not make the top 50.

Under discussion:

Robocop  (1987)

Starship Troopers  (1997)

Black Book  (2007)

Paul Verhoeven - 2006

On the heels of Starship Troopers I ventured through this and it took me three nights to do so because of various distractions.  My feelings are that this is certainly his premier film, his 6th feature after RoboCop (filmed in my home town of Dallas).  It is interesting to see (and perhaps poll?) directors' finest efforts six to seven films in.  Watch the "making of."  Verhoeven has an irresistable love of the medium and the energy of a first time director.

The female leads in the film are outstanding.  Carice van Houten and Halina Reign brilliantly capture the desperate attempt to stay alive using sexuality and male manipulation.  In this sense, Verhoeven gives Camille Paglia a run for her money and solidifies himself as a Dutch feminist.

The production value of the second act is weak and is the only hint at the relatively small budget that Verhoeven had on the picture – it does play like a weak Sunday night television thriller.

This stands among the best of Holocaust films.  It is on par with http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077025/ and better than Schindler’s List.  Its a thiller that stands above all Verhoeven’s previous work.  I think it’s the film that he was meant to make.  Again, watch the "making of."  His lead stars agree with me.

**** / *****

Starship Troopers (1997)

Robocop (1987)

Under discussion:

The Conversation  (1974)

The Lives of Others  (2007)

A companion piece to Black Book only for the significant contribution of Sebastian Koch as Georg Dreyman.  But Ulrich Mühe takes the film and its heart.  In a way Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler is a poor man's Oskar Schindler but in this case - he is a champion of the arts first.

The production values on the film are first rate (filmed in David Fincher greens ala Zodiac) and the palpable fear of 1980s East Germany is brilliantly portrayed.  Back to Black Book.  The story concerns the totalitarian state in its last phase just as in Black Book's Nazi Holland.

The story of Surveillance harkens back to The Conversation in the way it affects the lives of those on both sides of the table.  Earlier this week 'name the plot game' had this as the answer but could have very well been The Conversation.

The only weakness in the film is the pat way Wiesler is dismissed at the end.

Really enjoyed this film and Ulrich Mühe's performance is fantastic.

The Conversation (1974)