DEATH WISH III / Michael Winner (1985)
December 29th, 2005 by Scott Marks
Death Wish 3 (1985)
Directed by: Michael Winner
Written by: Brian Garfield, Don Jakoby
Genres: Action, Crime, Drama
Cast: Charles Bronson, Deborah Raffin, Ed Lauter, Martin Balsam, Gavan O’Herlihy, Kirk Taylor, Alex Winter, Tony Spiridakis, Ricco Ross, Tony Britts, David Crean, Nelson Fernandez, Alan Cooke, Bob Dysinger, Topo Grajeda
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Running Time: Not long enough
Unintentional Laffs Rating: 
Bronson in the 80s has the same artistically debased ring as post-1960 Bob ‘For Amway’ Hope: two stars well past their prime (did Bronson ever have a prime?) picking up paychecks by vomiting all over themselves.
While Bob “For Texaco” Hope made his living reading anything and everything placed before him, Bronson carved a career as a stone-faced mute, a mound of permanent flesh modeling ears and a crewcut.
His rugged iconography was best put to use as Harmonica in Sergio Leone’s crowning Once Upon a Time in the West. Even then one can detect a hint of Charlie’s measured syllabic inflections that convert every line of his generally minimal dialog (declarative statement, command, greeting, you name it) into a question? Listen carefully for the subtle lilt at the end of each sentence? Focus even more intently and you will discover that Paul Kersey/Kimble has an ith, as in “Ith thith Chato’th Land?” Continue reading DEATH WISH III / Michael Winner (1985)
Tags: Charles Bronson, DEATH WISH 3, DEATH WISH III, Film, Movie, Movie Review, Paul Kersey, Paul Kmiball, ReviewBROKEBACK MOUNTAIN / Ang Lee (2005)
December 16th, 2005 by Scott Marks
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Directed by: Ang Lee
Written by: E. Annie Proulx, Larry McMurtry
Genres: Drama, Romance
Cast: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Randy Quaid, Valerie Planche, David Trimble, Victor Reyes, Lachlan Mackintosh, Michelle Williams, Larry Reese, Marty Antonini, Tom Carey, Dan McDougall, Don Bland, Steven Cree Molison, Anne Hathaway
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 :1
Rating: 
Forget about the New York and L. A. films critics and the Golden Globes. For the first time in the history of San Diego’s Hillcrest Cinemas, four of their five theaters will screen the same film. How’s that for an honor! After months of advance word the gay cowboys finally ride into tinsel town and you might be surprised to see how much dust they raise come awards season.
Rodeo clown Jake Gyllenhaal and ranch-hand Heath Ledger sign on as herders hired to “sleep with the sheep” in the isolated majesty of Brokeback Mountain As beautiful asthese introductory man-against-nature passages are, travelogues soon come to mind. It seems a waste to employ natural splendor for picture postcard effects. Make it a third character instead! If only Lee had used the rugged topography as a visual externalization of and/or commentary on his characters’ emotional states, but this is a far cry from the Anthony Mann/Jimmy Stewart cycle. Continue reading BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN / Ang Lee (2005)
Tags: Academy Award, Ang Lee, Anne Hathaway, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Cowboy, Film, Heath Ledger, Hillcrest Cinema, Jake Gyllenhaal, Landmark, Larry McMurtry, Michelle Williams, Movie, Movie Review, Randy Quaid, Review, San Diego, WesternFiled Under Reviews, Theatrical
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