The Deer Hunter Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Deer Hunter
Year: 1978
Director: Michael Cimino
Country: US
Language: English

I first saw Director Michael Cimino's three hour war epic on a Remembrance Day many years ago. I expected the usual anti-war film, but instead witnessed an intellectual masterpiece with great depth. It discussed the alienation of fighting in a foreign country, along with the depravity of violence. Though it didn't give us the Vietnamese view of the Vietnam War, unlike Peter Davis' documentary Hearts and Minds, it did show the true horrors of battle. 

Michael, Steven and Nick are young factory workers from Pennsylvania who enlist into the Army to fight in Vietnam. After some time and many horrors the three friends fall in the hands of the Vietcong and are brought to a prison camp in which they are forced to play Russian roulette against each other. Michael makes it possible for them to escape, but they soon get separated again. 

The Vietnam war brought havok unto millions of lives, in ways none of us can fully understand. Many civilians and soldiers died, the majority of Vietnamese women became prostitutes for American soldiers. A generation was called upon to enlist in a war that they didn't understand. They faced terrible choices, and if they did return home they would never be the same again. Cimino wraps us in this uncertain time delivering brilliant photography and haunting cinematography. The picture is told in three parts; pre-war, war & post-war. It is excellently paced, driving the fact that American society had changed drastically due to war.

Michael's determination allows the group to survive and make it home. However when he arrives home, with medals on his chest, he cannot face the welcoming party that consider him a war hero. War has made everyone a victim of chance, it made every party guilty and emptied their humanity as well as taken their soul. While Michael is not physically crippled like his friend Steve, he is mentally destroyed. The very idea of innocence is lost on him. A warm and beautiful world has become a sinister wasteland of oppression.

In conclusion, the picture is also a warning against blind patriotism. Perhaps we should not be too attached to our own country, specially if they seem content on blowing foreigners to bits for no plausible reason. Each character is treated with respect, all are detrimental to the plot and all have a mind of their own.The Deer Hunter ends  with the singing of God Bless America, which is quite curious. Never before has a song meant so much and yet so little. Praise it! 5/5

The Jungle Book Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Jungle Book
Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
Year: 1967
Country: US
Language: English

I have seen many film adaptations of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, my favorite is Zoltan Korda's 1942 version which features Indian actor Sanbu.  A close second would be Disney's 1967 animated classic, which most North Americans are familiar with. It was the final Disney animated film that Uncle Walt produced himself, having died before its theatrical release in 1966. It is among Disney's best post-war films, but is more sentimental than the original source material.

Mowgli is a boy who has been raised by wolves in the Indian jungle. When the wolves hear that the fierce tiger, Shere Kahn, is nearby, they decide to send Mowgli to a local "man tribe". On his way to the village, Mowgli meets many animal characters in this musical tale

As with many of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales, Walt thought the original source material's tone was too dark and too serious for children of the late 60's. He did his best to make sure his writers, animators & composers didn't read Kipling's work as it might influence them to go another artistic direction. The Jungle Book became a Peter-Pan like coming-of-age parable about carefree childhood and adult responsibility. The main song of the film "Bare Necessities" stresses the importance of the theme. 

The Jungle Book is one of Disney's most entertaining, and enduring, classics. A vivid, energetic, funny and touching fable that undoubtedly will undoubtedly be remade in the near future for a new generation. The songs are among the most memorable of that period, it's difficult to forget the jazzy "I wanna Be Like You" sung by a wacky Orangutang voiced by Jazz legend Louis Prima. From what we know of Disney during this time, creating Jungle Book was not an easy task. He was a perfectionist that demanded the best of everyone involved in the creative process. He wrote and re-wrote the script numerous times before the picture evolved into something that he was satisfied with. 

In conclusion, The Jungle Book's bold colours, excellent character designs and nuanced animation makes it a film of real visual beauty. It is not the most fleshed out animation by today's standards, but it is unique and reminiscent of late 60s animation. Though it does have some dated racial stereotyping in the form of King Louie, it doesn't fall into the same  gender stereotyping that Disney pictures often do. Infact it provides us with same-sex parenting in form of Bagheera the Panther and Baloo the Bear. Praise it! 4/5

Robin Hood Review- By Michael Carlisle

 Title: Robin Hood
Year: 1973
Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
Country: US
Language: English

He steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Disney's Robin Hood tells the animated story of the heroic outlaw from English Folklore who, according to legend, was also a highly skilled archer. I saw this film many times as a child, always entertained by the spectacle of a fox taking arms against an evil...Lioness? Prince John and his dastardly snake. The film is very popular with furry fandom, with its characters being design inspiration for the furry community.

Robin Hood is the story of the swashbuckling hero of Sherwood Forest and his valiant Bear sidekick, who plot one daring adventure after another in order to outwit the greedy prince and his partner as they put the tax squeeze on the poor.

Generally considered by film critics to be one of the weakest pictures in the company's history, the film was successful with audiences upon its release. It has a strong storyline with an abundance of humor. Who can forget the bear dressed in drag, filling his/her bra up with gold to reveal enormous boobies which then arouses the rhino guard? The animals each character represents has a strong symbolic significance.  The lion is a symbol of regality, the male fox is cunning, the lady fox is, well, foxy and so on. 

Unfortunately Robin Hood is not perfect; much of the animation is recycled from older Disney pictures. The few dance scenes are taken directly from Jungle Book (1967) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937). It is also a feminist/queer theorists' nightmare. The views regarding femininity and masculinity are extremely narrow, though typical for a 70's Disney flick. The male fox is the typical masculine figure; strong, brave, smart and in charge. The women of the film are completely helpless. With the villains, Disney goes out of its way to show that femininity in men is wrong and therefore should be punished. Prince John is not depicted as a male lion like his older brother King Richard, but as a female lion. His actions are what only can be described as "sissy".

In conclusion, I found myself both entertained and disturbed by this movie. It is both mindless entertainment and patriarchal propaganda. It doesn't really fit in today's politically correct era of animation, though it does have a better story than Frozen. When read in a purely Marxian context one could consider this a "great" film, but I'm still not sure I'd show it to future generations. 3/5

Il Buono, Il Bruto, Il Cattivo Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Year: 1966
Director: Sergio Leone
Country: Italy
Language: Italian

Italian Director Sergio Leone is a legend; even those who are unfamiliar with the Western genre know his name,  more-so than John Ford and Sam Pekinpah. Influenced by Akira Kurosawa's samurai flicks (mainly Yojimbo & Sanjuro) Leone set out to make a unique type of Western, which American critics coined as "Spaghetti Western". His Dollars Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) changed the face of Cinema forever, as well as made Clint Eastwood a household name.

A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery during a civil war. Blondie (The Good) is a professional gunslinger who is out trying to earn a few dollars. Angel Eyes (The Bad) is a hit man who always commits to a task and sees it through, as long as he is paid to do so. And Tuco (The Ugly) is a wanted outlaw trying to take care of his own hide. 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is the third installment, and the most ambitious part of Leone's trilogy. It is deeply rooted in the tradition of the picaresque novel and the commedia dell’arte, two Latin literary traditions. The picaresque story of three adventurers chasing the same treasure is punctuated by brief but poignant images of the war. We see shocking instances of death, humiliation, degradation  and torture. The cruelty of the war defines the morality of the people in it. Sure the three main characters are bastards, but in comparison to their surroundings they are not the catalysts of pain and destruction. 

John Wayne couldn't dream of acting in a Western this good, Howard Hawks couldn't possibly direct such a complex picture under the old studio system. Leone is bigger, more brutal and more stark. The film's score by Morricone is iconic; I find myself in awe whenever I hear it. It fills the gap of silence, as the picture's character study is of artaud style; meaning the characters are illustrated by means of their actions and by confronting them to each other. We feel we understand each character's motives and mind, even when nothing is said. The mexican standoff in the cemetary is pure gold, perhaps the greatest scene put into film. It is incredibly tense, mainly because the camera fills the frame with the character's desperate eyes and shaking fingers.

In conclusion, Leone's Dollar Trilogy is a must watch even if you despise the acting of Clint Eastwood or aren't a fan of Westerns. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly breaks all the traditional rules of what people thought a Western should be, and becomes both a groundbreaking and inspiring work of art. Violent, Funny and intelligent, there's a lot to uncover in this treasure. Praise it! 5/5

Bigger than Life Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Bigger Than Life
Year: 1956
Director: Nicholas Ray
Country: US
Language: English

Many consider Rebel Without A Cause to be American Director Nicholas Ray's Magnum Opus, but I would disagree. Though that work is a masterpiece. Bigger than Life's startling depiction of the 50's nuclear family is even more remarkable. It's one of the greatest American films of that era, describing that particular decade in a way that would make even Edgar Allen Poe shiver. Does father really know best? Perhaps not. 

Schoolteacher and family man Ed Avery, who's been suffering bouts of severe pain and even blackouts, is hospitalized with what's diagnosed as a rare inflammation of the arteries. Ed agrees to an experimental treatment: doses of the hormone cortisone. Unfortunately the miracle drug turns his plain family life into a nightmare. 

In the 21st Century we often look at the 1950's as a Golden Age for the typical American family. Unfortunately this nostalgia is far too romanticized, we often forget the dangers that a single income nuclear household imposed upon society. The "father knows best" generation often had to learn the hard way that father didn't know best. For instance, what if the father had been abusive? what if the father was neglectful? In this particular case, what if the father had an addiction? Could the female of the house save the family? It was unlikely that she would even be able to get a divorce, as it was a logistical nightmare. One had to have a lot of time and money to remove themselves from a dangerous domestic situation back in the day. 

Bigger than Life depicts the patriarchal family system at its worst. At the beginning of the film Ed's family seems well adjusted, but there is always something off about them. Even when Ed tries his best to be the cheerful smile, we get a sense that there is something dangerous about him. Ray flips the American Dream on its head as the ideal class/race/family is thrown into chaos due to the institutions that bind them. Even the institution of religion is exposed as the masochistic Ed recites lines from the Bible in order to justify murdering his only son.

In conclusion, even though the picture ends with the family hugging as the father moves past his addiction it is not a satisfying climax. The family is still alienated; their isolation does makes it seem like another accident could happen. The dependency on the father as sole provider must cease if any American wishes to live a happy life. Praise it! 5/5

Alien Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Alien
Year: 1979
Director: Ridley Scott
Country: US
Language: English

"In space no one can hear you scream" Alien's chilling tagline is still commonly quoted amongst the film community 35 years after its original theatrical debut. The picture has become a franchise; inspiring 3 movie sequels, many spinoffs and a terrible Alien vs Predator crossover. Building on the seminal opening shot of George Lucas' Star Wars it was a direct defying response to the science fiction craze at that time. Ridley Scott wished to resurrect the cheeky genre of scary monsters in space, introducing high budget visuals and adult orientated horror in the process. 

In Alien, the commercial vessel Nostromo receives a distress call from an unexplored planet. After searching for survivors, the crew heads home only to realize that a deadly bioform has joined them.

At heart, Alien is a feminist film because of its representation of the workplace as an egalitarian place where traditional roles have been extinguished. Made during a time where women in America were constantly overshadowed by men - in 1979 they were earning annual wages that amounted to just sixty percent of the earnings of their male counterparts- the character of Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) is a refreshing step forward. Certainly she is one of the strongest female characters to ever grace the silver screen. 

Alien is also terrifying because  the gender roles are reversed and now men are the most vulnerable of the sexes. Haunting sexual imagery is abound throughout Alien. When Kane explores the cavern- a stand in for the female reproductive system- he becomes impregnated by a scorpion-like monster that attaches itself to his face. It is a textbook Freudian scene of his symbolic castration. Later he gives birth to a phallic Alien- the symbol of the male's anxiety towards feminism. With Alien Director Ridley Scott suggests that the ultimate unconscious male fear is that he will be equal with women. The penis is no longer the object of male power and men will have equal distribution of reproductive duties, including the burden of childbirth.  

In conclusion, Alien is a remarkable horror flick that is interesting to dissect. It is well paced, remembering to rely on atmosphere and symbolism rather than cheesy jump scares and cheap effects. It is enthralling and memorable, influencing current horror movies which unfortunately are rarely ever as intelligent as this picture is. Taking us back to the pinnacle of late 70's  second wave feminism, Ridley Scott's masterpiece is far greater than any review can give it credit for. Praise it! 5/5