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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Evil Genius in TV
Feb 25, 2021
If spending 7 hours in one sitting is still a bit daunting, you can always try this one that comes in at just over 3 hours over 4 easy to digest episodes. It focuses on a crime so bizarre you wouldn’t believe it wasn’t a film plot, unless you already have an understanding from these kind of shows just how bonkers America can be! It describes the events of a bank heist gone wrong in a small town, involving a middle aged man who claimed to have a homemade bomb clamped around his neck that he couldn’t take off… soon into episode one we see that it was real when we (sort of) witness it going off after he is apprehended, killing him instantly.
We then get led down an intriguing web of local suspects, whose motives and probable involvement becomes more and more bizarre and disturbing. The point of it all seems to be how it is possible to be extremely intelligent, manipulative and to an extent organised, whilst at the same time being quite clearly clinically insane. It is shocking to see and hear about the lives of people so off the rails, who believe themselves to be entirely normal. There are a lot of “oh my god” and “wow” moments in a short space of time, but you also feel a little like the case is being exaggerated and heightened for dramatic purposes. In the end it all seems fairly self explanatory, except that the case was never definitively closed because it is impossible to know if the guy with the bomb was part of the plan all along and therefore a willing accomplice, or whether he was entirely innocent and a victim of a very sinister crime. Being left to debate and decide for yourself is half the “fun” sometimes.
We then get led down an intriguing web of local suspects, whose motives and probable involvement becomes more and more bizarre and disturbing. The point of it all seems to be how it is possible to be extremely intelligent, manipulative and to an extent organised, whilst at the same time being quite clearly clinically insane. It is shocking to see and hear about the lives of people so off the rails, who believe themselves to be entirely normal. There are a lot of “oh my god” and “wow” moments in a short space of time, but you also feel a little like the case is being exaggerated and heightened for dramatic purposes. In the end it all seems fairly self explanatory, except that the case was never definitively closed because it is impossible to know if the guy with the bomb was part of the plan all along and therefore a willing accomplice, or whether he was entirely innocent and a victim of a very sinister crime. Being left to debate and decide for yourself is half the “fun” sometimes.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Band a Part (1964) in Movies
Jan 28, 2021
Of all the directors I have flirted with in my opening months with the BFI player, Godard is the one I am finding most accessible and least intimidating. He is the guy whose movies I am most tempted by when I don’t want to think or analyse too much, but simply sit back and enjoy for being cool. I also wanted to see why Quentin Tarantino named his production company after this movie. And now I have seen it his whole oeuvre makes total sense, at last! The exact feel of this Nouvelle Vague cornerstone is exactly what you find in 80% of what Tarantino is trying to do. The plot is incidental, of course. What is happening is only there to pin the characters and quirky dialogue on. Being cool is all. And this mid 60s confection is so cool, so French and so much style over content in the best possible way.
On the surface it is about two dodgy guys who take a shine to a girl and rope her into a heist. But the most memorable moments are the trivialities of them dancing the Maddison in a cafe because they are bored; reading the news aloud from newspapers whilst sat in the woods; driving erratically in a speedy little jalopy with a broken roof; and just making faces at one another as they flirt and express the bittersweet tediousness of being alive. It epitomises the time and place almost more than A Bout de Souffle, and in my opinion is the more mature, more knowing film. Ultimately it means very little, but is impossible not to like. It also sparked a greater interest in Anna Karina as a film icon, being the 2nd film on this list in which she impressed me.
On the surface it is about two dodgy guys who take a shine to a girl and rope her into a heist. But the most memorable moments are the trivialities of them dancing the Maddison in a cafe because they are bored; reading the news aloud from newspapers whilst sat in the woods; driving erratically in a speedy little jalopy with a broken roof; and just making faces at one another as they flirt and express the bittersweet tediousness of being alive. It epitomises the time and place almost more than A Bout de Souffle, and in my opinion is the more mature, more knowing film. Ultimately it means very little, but is impossible not to like. It also sparked a greater interest in Anna Karina as a film icon, being the 2nd film on this list in which she impressed me.
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JT (287 KP) rated American Hustle (2013) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
There’s a lot of love for American Hustle and with a cast such as this it is easy to see why. It’s a film that oozes glitz and glamour and has a slick sense of stability with shades Scorsese as an attempt at a crime caper.
Bale is top draw, an opening shot that requires no dialogue sees Bale’s stomach bloating Irving Rosenfeld carefully craft a balding comb over. Then in walks his partner throughout this initial sting, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) with a beautiful perm – and this is just the male cast.
The film is loosely based on a true story. Bale’s con man falls for Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and the pair look to collude together before being nabbed by the FBI and forced to help bring down a circle of corrupt politicians as a way to avoid prosecution. This is no heist from the Soderbergh play book, but a slow churning plan that involves fake sheikhs and mafia bosses and is the brainchild of agent DiMaso who targets Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) as one of the many poor unfortunates looking to make change in a growing 70s society.
Supporting cast are exceptional, none more so than Jennifer Lawrence, as Rosenfeld’s long suffering wife who during proceedings threatens to blow the whole plan wide open. That’s not to say that Amy Adams isn’t well worth her role, but the wardrobe department must have been short on ideas for her if all that was around were dresses with plunging necklines.
Overall it plays out well but does suffer confusion as you wonder who is playing who during the whole affair. All the way through I felt that something wasn’t quite right with it. For me it didn’t have the lasting impact that The Fighter had or even Silver Linings Playbook, but as a film that wants to capture everything the 70s were about it does a stupendous job.
Bale is top draw, an opening shot that requires no dialogue sees Bale’s stomach bloating Irving Rosenfeld carefully craft a balding comb over. Then in walks his partner throughout this initial sting, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) with a beautiful perm – and this is just the male cast.
The film is loosely based on a true story. Bale’s con man falls for Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and the pair look to collude together before being nabbed by the FBI and forced to help bring down a circle of corrupt politicians as a way to avoid prosecution. This is no heist from the Soderbergh play book, but a slow churning plan that involves fake sheikhs and mafia bosses and is the brainchild of agent DiMaso who targets Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) as one of the many poor unfortunates looking to make change in a growing 70s society.
Supporting cast are exceptional, none more so than Jennifer Lawrence, as Rosenfeld’s long suffering wife who during proceedings threatens to blow the whole plan wide open. That’s not to say that Amy Adams isn’t well worth her role, but the wardrobe department must have been short on ideas for her if all that was around were dresses with plunging necklines.
Overall it plays out well but does suffer confusion as you wonder who is playing who during the whole affair. All the way through I felt that something wasn’t quite right with it. For me it didn’t have the lasting impact that The Fighter had or even Silver Linings Playbook, but as a film that wants to capture everything the 70s were about it does a stupendous job.
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Snipers vs Thieves is a REAL-TIME multiplayer heist game! Protect your stash as a deadly Sniper or...
