Oct 19
Creature features are generally compelling because the focus tends to be on the human beings stuck dealing with the monster(s). In most cases, the monsters are oversized and elaborate creatures. Sometimes they are based on some form of folklore. One of the more interesting aspects of the monster movie genre is that the creatures are generally not malicious; they are behaving according to biology and instinct.
Fun and entertaining from top to bottom, Ghost is one of those pictures that packs in a bunch of iconic scenes with some hokey romance and corny action sequences. It’s admittedly a bit of a mixed bag, but I couldn’t help but enjoy every single moment. Directed by Jerry Zucker, Ghost recently inspired a musical version that premiered at the Manchester Opera House in March of 2011. The 1990 picture was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Zucker is perhaps best known for his work with his brother David and Jim Abrahams in spoof pictures like Airplane! and Naked Gun. Ghost is certainly a step in a different direction for the director, but there are still elements of raucous humour to be experienced. There are also sequences that seem ripe for parody, like the famed pottery sequence that would eventually be mimicked in Naked Gun 2 ½, a movie Zucker wrote.
Patrick Swayze stars as banker Sam Wheat. He’s dating Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) and they’re deeply in love, even though he can’t say it yet. One day at work, Sam discovers some discrepancies in an account and confides in a friend (Tony Goldwyn) about them. Soon after, Sam is attacked by a thug (Rick Aviles) and murdered.
Sam, now a ghost, can’t be seen or heard by Molly any longer. Forced to watch her grieve, he finds a con artist/psychic (Whoopi Goldberg) and finds out that he can communicate to his love through her. The psychic soon becomes instrumental in helping Sam discover that what happened to him was more than a mere mugging.
It’s true that Ghost is very formulaic, but it’s also true that the flick plays those formulas well. The use of “Unchained Melody” in the love scene that everybody knows about is a stunning decision, something that helps the sequence soar to heights of romance seldom seen on screen. The use of the song later on in a few key moments is smart, especially toward the end of the picture when it is used to frame a moment of divine peace.
The action and comedy sequences are designed to offer more layers and they work to an extent. They don’t dilute the romance like they could have, which is a plus, but sometimes things get a little hokey and out of hand. Still, Goldberg’s performance is essential comic viewing and she more than earned her Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
It’s satisfying to see the movie’s villains get their just desserts because they were instrumental in tearing down the great love story. They interrupt the love we witness in the beginning, so there’s something gratifying about watching Sam get his vengeance. While the concluding action sequence is all kinds of standard procedure, complete with rousing score, I couldn’t help but enjoy it.
Ghost is one of those movies that could be a lot better, but it still strangely works as an entertaining, silly, romantic flick. It’s an audience pleaser for a reason, packing action, romance and comedy into one package. While it is a little overlong and could use a little more quality direction, Ghost is still worth checking out for its love scene and some truly funny material with Whoopi’s “psychic.”
Jul 28
Akira Kurosawa’s beautifully lyrical and spectacular Dreams is based more on imagery than dialogue, but it still contains an incredible amount of broad ideas and striking poetry. The film consists of several dreams experienced by Kurosawa throughout his lifetime. The broader truth contained in the dreams he brings to life reveals the heart of the legendary filmmaker and shows an imagination that is unrivalled, even among the true film greats.
Dreams is not a film that can simply be dissected and partitioned into various categories. It is a deeply profound set of visions, some puzzling and some magical, that comprise a free form journey through the mind of Kurosawa. It is interesting to note that Dreams was released in 1990, amid a storm of Hollywood actioners and fart jokes that would likely sweep right over the beautiful poetry of the master without many taking notice. But Kurosawa, ever defiant, wouldn’t simply make a movie to fall in line. He was eighty years old at the time he decided to reveal his innermost thoughts to the world.
1990′s Reversal of Fortune is a chilling little mystery about arguing the facts and arguing the truth. It is about finding the truth, if there is any, between the biased testimonies of the parties involved and weeding through the nonsense and ego to find some reality. In the end, Reversal of Fortune leaves the audience to make up their own minds and to come to their own conclusions.
Directed by Iranian-born Barbet Schroeder (Single White Female, Kiss of Death), Reversal of Fortune is essentially a black comedy-drama. Based on the book by Alan Dershowitz, the film takes us through the true life story of Sunny von Bulow and the attempted murder trial of her husband, Claus von Bulow.
