video review : Carlito’s Way

video review : Carlito's Way

This is the tale of a lifelong gangster trying to go straight. Released early from a 30-year prison sentence on a technicality, former drug lord Carlito Brigante returns to the free world a new man. The plan, his dream, is to take part in a legit car rental business with a friend, but of course life doesn’t always go according to plan.

Some of the characterization goes overboard; David Kleinfeld, Brigante’s best friend and lawyer, is particularly caricatural; but the plot is generally riveting. Even the sappy romantic subplot is handled with care. The one major flaw, in fact, is that the movie commits the crime of telling you how the story will end before it begins.

my rating : 4 of 5

1993
 

Lucky Luciano :

The way it shows the ending first is not uncommon in gangster movies, but in this case it doesn’t seem to do anything but leave a feeling of doom and tradgedy throughout the film. Which is fine, but it probably would have been more effective if that tradgedy came unexpected. Also, the overbearing love story sometimes gets in the way. Despite these shortcomings, it’s still a movie worth recommending for the performances and storytelling. If you want a film about a reformed man who can’t escape his past, this is it.

4/5

video review : Aerial America : Florida

video review : Aerial America : Florida

This Smithsonian Channel documentary, an episode of Aerial America, is all about Florida; my favorite state. It overlooks some notable cities in favor of hot spots like Miami, but it’s an interesting watch all the while.

It’s also somewhat educational as narrator Jim Conrad gives a history lesson on everything from important events like the 1565 settlement of Saint Augustine to trivial newsbits like the killing of Gianni Versace.

my rating : 4 of 5

2012

video review : The Irishman

video review : The Irishman

The Irishman is Frank Sheeran; a steak deliverer turned Mafia hitman. This is the story of that latter part of his life, which begins with him befriending crime boss Russell Bufalino. Russ eventually introduces him to Jimmy Hoffa, whose mysterious disappearance is explained in great detail.

The liberties director Martin Scorsese takes in regard to what really happened is part of what makes the plot thoroughly interesting for all of its three and a half hours. It’s his longest movie and one of his best; vintage Scorsese mob canon along with The Departed, Casino and Goodfellas.

my rating : 4 of 5

2019

video review : Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

video review : Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino says he wants to retire after ten movies. This is number nine. If he were to ask me what I think he should do to end his career on a high note, I’d sum it up with one word; suspense. That’s what makes his best movies; Inglourious Basterds and Jackie Brown; the classics they are. They’re filled almost to the brim with moments of suspense.

There’s a scene in Hollywood in which one of its two leading men; Brad Pitt as stuntman Cliff Booth; drives a sexy hitchhiker girl to Spahn Movie Ranch, where she says she lives. She invites him on the premises to meet her hippie friends. The tension that follows could be cut with a knife, but it leads nowhere. The suspense doesn’t return until the movie is about to end.

That ending, in which members of Charles Manson’s killer cult target Cliff and his famous actor buddy Rick Dalton; Leonardo DiCaprio as the other leading man; is violent and enthralling. Most of what comes before it is relatively uneventful. A lot of the movie is spent watching Dalton act in movies that are more entertaining than the one you’re watching.

my rating : 3 of 5

2019

video review : Stand Up Guys

video review : Stand Up Guys

The Guys this movie centers around are old crime buddies reunited after one, Val, is released from a 28-year prison stay, so the plot comes across as an epilogue. Their most thrilling days are far behind them, but still they manage to get into plenty of mischief in just a matter of hours. The gist is that Doc has been ordered by his crime boss to kill Val by 10-AM, something he’s only reluctantly going along with in order to save his own life. Val killed the boss’s son before going to prison, and the boss wants revenge, so if Doc backs out, he too will be killed.

That revelation brings with it a certain level of underlying tension, despite the fact that Doc immediately admits to Val what’s going on the moment he gets suspicious enough to ask about it. And tension, however weak, is a good thing. The problem is that the plot, which often runs in real time, has nowhere to go from there. 10-AM is the deadline and Doc makes it obvious he’s going to wait until then to do it, but the random things they do in the meanwhile; this movie is much better at drama than comedy; only strains the plausibility of the plot.

my rating : 3 of 5

2012