Brief reviews of movies that I’d always been meaning to see and then finally sat down and watched recently.
The Deer Hunter – The type of performances you expect from all the leading men, but I just couldn’t get that excited by the story.
Apocalypse Now – Apparently Hearts of Darkness is better? Not sure. Feels the least “war”-centric of all the famous war movies, and yet it had scenes with helicopters razing fields.
Platoon – The switch of having Willem Dafoe the smiling good guy and Tom Berenger the angry scarred asshole was already worth the price of admission. Charlie Sheen kind of sucks but the rest of the cast made it a fun ride.
The Departed – I can’t tell if I really liked Jack Nicholson or if he was just being a parody of himself at this point. Probably both. Mark Wahlberg was hilariously over the top in this and that’s where his acting sweet spot lays.
Casino – Don’t watch this after Goodfellas because you’ll just be bummed out at how meandering Casino can be. I also just hate Sharon Stone so maybe that’s part of it.
Taxi Driver – Now this movie kicked some ass. DeNiro’s descent into madness is a fun thing to experience and everything about the movie makes you feel like you’re amongst classic New York City grime. 10/10.
Léon (The Professional) – Nobody can seem to agree on what this movie’s called anymore. Gary Oldman chewing scenery like he hasn’t eaten in three weeks. Jean Reno being his best self – a distinguished, quiet assassin trying to live a peaceful life. Great stylized 90s violence.
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