George Orwell's dystopian warning about the dangers of a police state, thought-control, and the forced abrogation of individuality is a glorious satire, chock full of details and terminology that can be profitably applied to any number of real-world situations. And as science fiction, it still stands as a thoughtful, mature work that deserves its place on all those lists of the best books in the genre. Well-written, observant, and with a diabolic internal logic it tells the story of Winston Smith, a man trapped in the iron grip of a society that controls every aspect of his dreary existence through indoctrination, surveillance, torture, and fear. His minor rebellions lead him into the arms of Julia, a younger woman with whom he shares a hatred of the system, and eventually into contact with a man representing the rumored underground of resistance fighters. But what the book is really about is the society itself, its principles, how it operates, and what it does to its people. A genuine classic, both funny and frightening.
*****
George Orwell's dystopian warning about the dangers of a police state, thought-control, and the forced abrogation of individuality is a glorious satire, chock full of details and terminology that can be profitably applied to any number of real-world situations. And as science fiction, it still stands as a thoughtful, mature work that deserves its place on all those lists of the best books in the genre. Well-written, observant, and with a diabolic internal logic it tells the story of Winston Smith, a man trapped in the iron grip of a society that controls every aspect of his dreary existence through indoctrination, surveillance, torture, and fear. His minor rebellions lead him into the arms of Julia, a younger woman with whom he shares a hatred of the system, and eventually into contact with a man representing the rumored underground of resistance fighters. But what the book is really about is the society itself, its principles, how it operates, and what it does to its people. A genuine classic, both funny and frightening.
0 Comments
***** Delicious tale of three wives who worry and reminisce after receiving a letter from another woman telling them she is leaving town with one of their husbands. Mankiewicz, who also wrote the script -- based on an adaptation by Vera Caspary of John Klempner's book Letter to Five Wives -- unerringly weaves each wife's unique story into a funny and dramatic tale of friendship and love that ends in an unexpected yet thoroughly satisfying way. With Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, and Ann Sothern as the three wives, and Jeffrey Lynn, Paul Douglas, and Kirk Douglas as their respective husbands, all of whom, particularly the middle pair, turn in excellent performances. Celeste Holm plays the heard but never really seen homewrecker. Academy Award winner for Best Picture and Best Director. ***** Fascinating crime drama about two kids -- a 25-year-old misfit and the impressionable 15-year-old girl who falls for him, neither of whom have anything remotely resembling a conscience -- forced to go on the lam after the boy kills the girl's disapproving father. Features outstanding performances by both its young leads, Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, with the latter shining even in her narration. Always believable, even as the body count mounts, and cleverly entertaining: Sheen's bad-boy charm and Spacek's naïveté alleviate much of the horror without diluting the underlying and terrifying truth of what it means to be without empathy. Loosely based on the crimes of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate. ***** Superb supernatural thriller starring Bruce Willis as a child psychologist who sets out to help a young boy overcome his fears as a way of atoning for a previous professional failure. The first, and best, of the modern wave of gimmick films -- precisely because the gimmick here is so fully integrated into the plot that knowing it has no adverse effect on one's enjoyment of the picture. (For all that, though, it's a remarkable bit of prestidigitation.) Haley Joel Osment gives a terrific performance as the boy and Willis is perfectly subdued as his would-be doctor. Suspenseful and emotionally engaging. Also written by Shyamalan. ***** Though it eventually degenerates into rather dull roboto-a-roboto action, the humor- and character-driven first half of this science fiction film is so blazingly fun that it is one of the most enjoyable movies ever made. Shia LeBeouf plays manic teenager Sam Witwicky who unwittingly holds the key to a war between robot-like alien beings, but would much rather unlock the mysteries of Megan Fox. Witty and exciting, with an unparalleled opening in the deserts of Qatar, the site of mankind's first battle with the evil Decepticons. Sam, meanwhile, meets one of the good guys -- in a used car lot. Based on the Transformers toy line and succeeded by several inferior sequels. Turn That Frown Upside Down Funny quotations from negative reviews. "...most of the Autobots take the shape of GM vehicles, including Ratchet (a Hummer H2) and Ironhide (a TopKick pickup truck). The only Autobot that doesn’t wear that troubled automaker’s logo is the leader, Optimus Prime (a generic 18-wheeler tractor). Maybe that’s because the company didn’t want to be represented by a character that promises to blow itself up for the greater good, as Optimus does..." - Manohla Dargis, The New York Times “'Transformers' knows its demographic. A computer hacker being sweated by the FBI protests, 'I'm a virgin!' The actor who says these words is 36. At another point, a guy shopping for a car with his dad protests that he doesn't want a beater because it says '40-year-old virgin' to him. That one over there? It says '50-year-old virgin.' Members of the audience will titter nervously, thinking about their large collections of factory-sealed action figures. But no matter. Perhaps their Jedi mastery of 'Grand Theft Auto' will make Natalie Portman show up at their door?" - Kyle Smith, New York Post "(BTW, if you were known as a Decepticon, wouldn't it be kind of hard for you to...deceive anybody?)" - Richard Corliss, Time "A filmmaker who has profitably plundered his own arrested adolescence in movies like 'Bad Boys,' 'The Rock' and 'Armageddon,' director Michael Bay got his fingers burned two years ago with the relatively sophisticated sci-fi flop 'The Island.' It's obvious he's not going to be caught overestimating his audience twice." - Tom Charity, CNN "Now these delightful objets d’art have a movie to themselves. We should not be surprised. Long ago, when the impact of 'Star Wars' was beefed up by a line of merchandise, some of us noticed that the five-inch Lukes and Leias possessed a depth and mobility that was denied to their onscreen counterparts, and, decades later, we have reached the reductio ad absurdum of that rivalry: rather than spin the toys off from the movie, why not build the movie from the toys? 'Transformers' is not the first effort in this direction; I distinctly remember finding a couchful of children enraptured by a DVD of 'Barbie of Swan Lake' and realizing that Ingmar Bergman’s 'Persona' had not, after all, signalled the final disintegration of human personality." - Anthony Lane, The New Yorker ***** Terrific monster movie that is both fun and funny, with a pleasing cast of characters and an effective interpretation of Godzilla. Panned by critics — most famously by Roger Ebert, who is lampooned in the film — many of whom saw too many similarities to Jurassic Park in its effects and probably didn’t want to offend Spielberg by enjoying it. Matthew Broderick is very good as a happy man in not always happy circumstances and Jean Reno plays the surprising role of a French agent with amusing aplomb. Action-packed and exciting, with a clever twist in the middle that keeps Godzilla himself from becoming boring. Simply one of the best. Addendum (8/22/16) In 2016, Variety placed this film at #4 (in a catchall of horror movies) on its list of the 10 Worst Movie Remakes of All Time. Silly lemming. |
KinoLivresBooks. Movies. Mostly. Archives
July 2017
Categories
All
|