Reel Reviews

From Russia With Love -- More Bond movies in order. Quite the step up from the first flick. Everything in the execution of the story seems more confident and skillfully done. It's all there: the action is almost non-stop, the familiar Cold War setting is firmly in place, the gadgetry plays a key role, and Bond gets a metric ton of tail. No wonder the next film in the series is widely regarded as the best of them all -- they already had the template down cold by the one before it. Sweet.

Reel Reviews

Dr. No -- Kicking off a project to rewatch all the Bond movies, in order, we begin at the beginning, as they say. Viewed today, this is a strange mixture of rough draft of a very familiar story yet also featuring fully formed aspects of the genre--considering Bond flicks as their own genre--right there, present and accounted for from the beginning. Either way, it’s a good watch, and no wonder folks decided they’d be up for more (and boy did they ever get it). Works for me.

Reel Reviews

Blade Runner: The Final Cut -- I’m pretty sure I’ve seen BR before, in one of its many incarnations, but I never remembered it enough to have much of an opinion on it. Hence this viewing of what it supposedly director Ridley Scott’s preferred version of the movie. The verdict: it’s pretty good; not spectacular, just pretty good. The film certainly scores by the questions it raises; not so much “Is he or isn’t he?” as “What does it mean to be human? To have a life? To be?” Beyond its philosophical implications, this movie holds up rather well for a sci-fi flick; its vision looks less dated and more like just an alternate version of the future. There’s just a little something lacking; hard to say what’s the fault (story? characters? action?). But some crucial element is just not quite there. Ultimately, a decent diversion, but not really a monument in filmmaking history, whatever anyone tells you.

Reel Reviews

Harvey -- The proof that this is a fantastic movie? When the moment of crisis comes, the moment when Elwood P. Dowd is in danger of becoming just an ordinary guy--maybe--the viewer will most likely be moved, possibly even heartbroken. That’s quite a bit of work for what is a fairly restrained film, one that gives its comedy a lot of room to breathe and injects just enough pathos to give it all some heft. It’s been remade at least once, but that was a quixotic idea, for without Jimmy Stewart and his essential self, the role of Dowd and the entire story would be either too silly (and not in a good way) or absurd to the point of falling entirely flat. Thankfully, we have this one result of when Stewart and company teamed up to do it right.