Blow Out (1981)

Intro
While pouring back through all the Tarantino films recently I realized a couple things:
1) There's not that many of them. I mean he's only one guy and he pretty much only works off of his own material that he wrote... which takes time, and thus this is very understandable.
2) His films make reference other movies constantly. Now call it what you want homage, reference or just plain theft but I'm thinking that a lot of people don't catch the majority of these references to other films because frankly, we don't have the film same exposure as a young Tarantino did going to the grindhouse theater constantly in his youth or working in a video rental store. However, hypothetically with the vastness of the internet and Amazon, Netflix etc. these films should be easier to get a hold of today, if you know what you're looking for that is.

So I figured there's probably more people out there, like me, who crave more Tarantino constantly and I could showcase some films that I'd consider essential viewing for Tarantino fans. And thus the 10 must-see films for Tarantino fans was born. Now let me warn you this is in no way a comprehensive list and there's no particular order to these either. There's probably hundreds of films that Tarantino references in his own films, and I found enough films I could write about to probably do this series again but that will have to wait until next time there's another big Tarantino release.

DAY 8: Blow Out (1981)

Blow Out is Quentin Tarantino's third favorite film of all time. This film is the reason he chose to cast John Travolta as a lead in Pulp Fiction (1994) and his performance in this film is uncannily similar actually. Brian De Palma does a lot of things in this film that Tarantino would later incorporate into his own "style" like the 360 shot to show confusion and this film also drops lots of references to De Palma's previous films but also to other films, sound familiar? Also Tarantino used a piece from this film's amazing score in Death Proof (2007).

"First it's a drink, then it's my place, now it's a hotel?" Things are moving a little fast, aren't they Sally?"

Blow Out is a conspiracy thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma. When Jack Terry, a sound designer for low budget films, randomly saves a girl's life from drowning he finds himself wrapped in a huge conspiracy, and his job comes in handy more than you'd think.

This film has a really simple story and a great premise. I also like how the film starts like a neo-noir film, I thought this was an interesting spin on the typical noir film. The simple story makes it easy to follow and allows for a lot of suspense. There's some very suspense-filled parts in this film, and that's a sign of a good film.

The acting in this film is pretty good too. Nancy Allen plays Sally, who is actually a bit annoying but it works for the film. John Lithgow plays the killer in one of his earliest feature roles, and although this is against type for him retrospectively, it actually works pretty well in this film, you've just got to get over the initial shock the first time you see him. And John Travolta has this very dark and moody performance that really adds a lot of depth and makes the role a lot cooler than it would have been otherwise.

The film has some less-believable parts in the end: like the car chase though a parade, (SPOILERS:) the fact the killer hesitated to kill Sally and decides to take her to the roof of a building when he was going to do it in a subway in front of a lot of people only minutes before, and the fact that the cops believed the victim killed the killer while somehow still getting killed? I believe all of this could have been stronger if De Palma didn't let the neo-noir aspects of the film dwindle about half to three-quarters of the way into it only to turn into a more traditional thriller film.

And this last part is a nitpicky thing that most people wouldn't notice, but it bugged me so I'm gonna mention it, there's a part where Jack makes an animation of the car crash with the magazine pictures and he does it totally wrong, to play at a normal speed the pictures would have need to be photographed at least twice and they would have needed to be lined up a hell of a lot better than he did otherwise the finished film would have been very shakey. True this doesn't really matter that much, but it shows a lack of attention to detail and then made me wonder how truthful the sound design parts actually were!

If nothing else, this film is proof that Brian De Palma is an amazing director. The cinematography stands out with it variety of shots and beautiful shot choices. I especially liked the high angle shots and the split screen shots (like the image at the top of this post) and the use of lots of quiet moments combined with the (fittingly) good sound design show great skill.

(SPOILERS:) Also the ending really showed a sign of great skill, I thought "well this is predictable, he's going to get there right in time and save her," but when he doesn't this really made me like the film that much more. It kind of saved a lot of things I didn't like about the second half of the film.

And lastly I got to mention the great score to this film, every song in this film is really great! A tiny bit of it seems rather dated, but it still really helps achieve some great emotional parts and some very chilling thriller parts too.

Blow Out (1981) is an unexpectedly thrilling story with amazing direction, and a great score. 4.5/5 Stars.

Happy watching!





This film is part of my month-long Tribute to Tarantino in honor of his latest film Django Unchained (2012) and his 20-year career. If you've missed any of my reviews so far, be sure to check out his filmography and click on any film you've missed.

The 10 must-see films for Tarantino fans countdown continues tomorrow, so be sure to check back!



Like this blog? You can support it by buying this film through these links:

The Killing (1956)

Intro
While pouring back through all the Tarantino films recently I realized a couple things:
1) There's not that many of them. I mean he's only one guy and he pretty much only works off of his own material that he wrote... which takes time, and thus this is very understandable.
2) His films make reference other movies constantly. Now call it what you want homage, reference or just plain theft but I'm thinking that a lot of people don't catch the majority of these references to other films because frankly, we don't have the film same exposure as a young Tarantino did going to the grindhouse theater constantly in his youth or working in a video rental store. However, hypothetically with the vastness of the internet and Amazon, Netflix etc. these films should be easier to get a hold of today, if you know what you're looking for that is.

So I figured there's probably more people out there, like me, who crave more Tarantino constantly and I could showcase some films that I'd consider essential viewing for Tarantino fans. And thus the 10 must-see films for Tarantino fans was born. Now let me warn you this is in no way a comprehensive list and there's no particular order to these either. There's probably hundreds of films that Tarantino references in his own films, and I found enough films I could write about to probably do this series again but that will have to wait until next time there's another big Tarantino release.

DAY 6: The Killing (1956)

The Killing is the main inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's first film Reservoir Dogs (1992). Like Reservoir Dogs, this film revolves around a heist carried out by complete strangers who are working together. This film is also told in a non-linear fashion not only like Reservoir Dogs but like a majority of the films in Quentin Tarantino's career. (SPOILERS:) This film also ends in a very similar fashion as Reservoir Dogs with a foul up in the plan, leading to everyone getting killed except for one man getting caught by the police.

“Five years have taught me one thing, if nothing else, anytime you take a chance you better be sure the rewards are worth the risk because they can put you away just as fast for a ten dollar heist as they can for a million dollar job.”

The Killing(1956) is a heist, film noir from early in director Stanley Kubrick's career. It revolves around a group of strangers who come together to pull off a robbery at a horse racing track.

The characters in this movie are really interesting. I like how they're all seemingly normal people who each have their own personal reasons for committing the crime. This adds a lot of drama to the heist because for some of these guys you're really rooting for them. Some of the characters are pretty simple but they're all distinct and very interesting.

Most of the actors are good in this film but the ones who's performances really stand out to me are Elisha Cook, Jr. who plays the nervous bet teller, and Marie Windsor the teller's wife who doesn't love him but attempts to get in on the money and also Sterling Hayden has a really solid performance as Johnny the recently released criminal who is the mastermind behind the whole heist. These three add a lot to the film to ground it emotionally and their performances are really caught my interest in the movie.

I liked the plan for the heist, it's a bit complicated and could have been simplified (as Reservoir Dogs (1992) would much later do), but it's very intricate and well thought out, which makes it very interesting to watch as it playing out.

Although the ending is satisfying I think there's one too many coincidences in the end for my taste. The one that really sticks out to me is the one involving the random dog at the airport.

The best thing about this film is how the non-linear storytelling enhances the heist. At the beginning of the film this is intentionally confusing, to bring your attention to it. But by the end it's used to show a wider picture of the whole crime. It's pretty genius actually. And this really helps to enhance the drama of the story as you watch each of the puzzle pieces fit into the larger crime.

And lastly I want to mention the direction of this film. It's no wonder to me that this film is what really put Stanley Kubrick on the map early in his career because this is a film that could have easily not worked half as well if it had a lesser director at the helm. A lot of the camera moves are simple but interesting and the film really does a whole lot with a very little budget.

The Killing (1956) is a great low budget heist movie that is an early example of Stanley Kubrick's genius direction. 4.5/5 Stars.

Happy watching!





This film is part of my month-long Tribute to Tarantino in honor of his latest film Django Unchained (2012) and his 20-year career. If you've missed any of my reviews so far, be sure to check out his filmography and click on any film you've missed.

The 10 must-see films for Tarantino fans countdown continues tomorrow, so be sure to check back!



Like this blog? You can support it by buying this film through these links:

Mother (2009)

"The most important thing is that you remember what happened that night."

Mother [마더] (2009) is a Korean Neo-Noir film about intellectual disability and a mother's love. From acclaimed Korean writer/director Bong Joon-ho, this film tells the story of an unnamed mother who lives alone with her only son Do-joon, who has some form of learning disability. When Do-joon is convicted of a murder that he says he didn't do and the police have no interest going any deeper, Do-joon's mother sets out to find out who the real killer is.

The film has some humor that is mostly situational or from a lines of dialogue and I felt these were expertly placed. But there's not too much, so that it overpowers the dark tones that drive the rest of the story.

I honestly don't think I could find anything negative to say about this film. :)

This film's story is expertly crafted. Everything in the setup leads to something else later, even little things you didn't think you noticed. Every clue along the way expertly leads to the next and the story is just plays with the viewer leading you exactly where it wants. I thought the story was going to end where the film starts but then it keeps going for a couple more minutes and unlike most films that do this, this only pluses the story even further, toward such a bittersweet ending.

Likewise the direction in the film is absolutely perfect. I enjoyed the dark mood that surrounds the even darker story and the blue hue that parallels this mood in most every frame of the film, I liked how the weather seemed to change and escalate as the mother grew more and more desperate, and I loved how the film shows you before and after the supposed incident so there's always that thought in the back of your mind of "well, maybe he did do it."

The camera work is absolutely stunning, there's not a single camera move that is done without purpose or reason and the placement of the camera angles and set up of shots is both beautiful and also single-handedly sets up a lot of suspense in a lot of the scenes.

I also really loved the characters and think they were brilliantly brought to life by each of the actors. Won Bin plays Do-joon with such sincerity it's really hard not feel sorry for him and Jin Goo offers a very memorable role that's both comedic and charming as Do-joon's only friend Jin-tae. But major props for Kim Hye-ja who plays Do-joon's mother and the title role. A lot of what is required for this film to work relies on how the viewer feels follows the mother character, the viewer needs to feel sorry for her and hope that she can find justice for her only son, and I think that Kim Hye-ja is absolutely perfect in the role.

Mother (2009) is an excellent modern spin on the film noir genre, and an amazingly crafted story that is really quite perfect. 5/5 stars.

Happy watching!





Like this blog? You can support it by buying this film through these links: