shaun98
Joined May 2000
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Plot: John Travolta plays Jack, a motion picture soundman stuck in an unsatisfying career working on sleazy horror movies. While "capturing" sound on location, his career takes a bizarre turn when he unwittedly records what may be a political murder. His only ally is a dimwitted prostitute (Nancy Allen), his only clue with a shady private eye (Dennis Franz).
Critique: Brian DePalma's films are a mixed bag. Sometimes he's quite good, other times he's just mediocre. This variance in quality can be found within individual films. For example, his "Dressed to Kill" had some genuinely suspenseful moments, but dragged at times. Likewise, "Blow Out" is an uneven film. The first half effectively sets things up, promising a masterful thriller (the send-off of slasher movies is a hoot). However, the second half tends to lag. The director's trademark style is evident here. He uses split screen, slow motion, and deep focus photography to craft some truly striking bits. Full use is made of the Panavision frame, so this movie cannot be appreciated in pan-and-scan. Unfortunately the pacing is off, and "Blow Out" never quite gathers steam, despite its virtues. I finished it thinking that it was interesting, but still could have been better.
Travolta's magnetic performance anchors the film during its weaker moments--forget about his recent turkeys, this movie shows his true star power. His supporting players do not fare as well--Nancy Allen's character is too much of a ditz to generate much sympathy, and John Lithow, as the killer, just isn't interesting as a character (in part due to his limited dialouge). Dennis Franz is appropriately seedy, if one-dimensional, as the aforementioned private eye. In fact, the film tends to work best when focusing exclusively on Travola's character--it's always intriguing to see him use his skills to piece together the clues.
In the end, I'd recommend "Blow Out" to three main camps: DePalma fans, Travolta fans, and fans of cult movies in general. While stylish, it's too dated and uneven to appeal to most mainstream viewers.
Rating: 6/10 or (**1/2)
Released by Filmways Pictures
Critique: Brian DePalma's films are a mixed bag. Sometimes he's quite good, other times he's just mediocre. This variance in quality can be found within individual films. For example, his "Dressed to Kill" had some genuinely suspenseful moments, but dragged at times. Likewise, "Blow Out" is an uneven film. The first half effectively sets things up, promising a masterful thriller (the send-off of slasher movies is a hoot). However, the second half tends to lag. The director's trademark style is evident here. He uses split screen, slow motion, and deep focus photography to craft some truly striking bits. Full use is made of the Panavision frame, so this movie cannot be appreciated in pan-and-scan. Unfortunately the pacing is off, and "Blow Out" never quite gathers steam, despite its virtues. I finished it thinking that it was interesting, but still could have been better.
Travolta's magnetic performance anchors the film during its weaker moments--forget about his recent turkeys, this movie shows his true star power. His supporting players do not fare as well--Nancy Allen's character is too much of a ditz to generate much sympathy, and John Lithow, as the killer, just isn't interesting as a character (in part due to his limited dialouge). Dennis Franz is appropriately seedy, if one-dimensional, as the aforementioned private eye. In fact, the film tends to work best when focusing exclusively on Travola's character--it's always intriguing to see him use his skills to piece together the clues.
In the end, I'd recommend "Blow Out" to three main camps: DePalma fans, Travolta fans, and fans of cult movies in general. While stylish, it's too dated and uneven to appeal to most mainstream viewers.
Rating: 6/10 or (**1/2)
Released by Filmways Pictures
Plot: The earth's core stops spinning, causing deadly electromagnetic phenomena throughout the globe. The end result will be the destruction of all life on the planet by way of deadly cosmic radiation. The only hope for mankind is for a team of scientists and engineers to singlehandedly jumpstart the core, burrowing to the depths of the planet with an experimental, high-tech vehicle.
Critique: If not taken the least bit seriously, "The Core" works as a mindless action movie. The science is plainly ridiculous (I'm willing to be corrected on this, but I don't think a few nukes would have any effect on the earth's core, and I'm not even going to ask how that ship was able to maintain contact with mission control). For the purposes of this film, however, it doesn't matter. In fact, I suspect that hacker subplot was deliberately put there as a signal that no one involved in this project took it seriously. The performances are earnest, though Alfre Woodward (whom I will always think of as Lily from "Star Trek: First Contact") is completely wasted and D.J. Qualls (the guy from "Road Trip," no less) simply doesn't belong here at all. Overall, I'd say that Hilary Swank and Stanley Tucci (as a brave astronaut and cocky scientist, respectively) come of best, or at least they made the biggest immediate impressions on me. On the other hand, leading man Aaron Eckhart didn't really impress me with his performance here, though he's game. I suspect he's more at home with character acting. Some of the special effects are obviously computer-generated, but overall this movie will adequately serve as summer escapism.
Rating: 6/10 or (**1/2)
Released by Paramount Pictures
Critique: If not taken the least bit seriously, "The Core" works as a mindless action movie. The science is plainly ridiculous (I'm willing to be corrected on this, but I don't think a few nukes would have any effect on the earth's core, and I'm not even going to ask how that ship was able to maintain contact with mission control). For the purposes of this film, however, it doesn't matter. In fact, I suspect that hacker subplot was deliberately put there as a signal that no one involved in this project took it seriously. The performances are earnest, though Alfre Woodward (whom I will always think of as Lily from "Star Trek: First Contact") is completely wasted and D.J. Qualls (the guy from "Road Trip," no less) simply doesn't belong here at all. Overall, I'd say that Hilary Swank and Stanley Tucci (as a brave astronaut and cocky scientist, respectively) come of best, or at least they made the biggest immediate impressions on me. On the other hand, leading man Aaron Eckhart didn't really impress me with his performance here, though he's game. I suspect he's more at home with character acting. Some of the special effects are obviously computer-generated, but overall this movie will adequately serve as summer escapism.
Rating: 6/10 or (**1/2)
Released by Paramount Pictures
Plot: During World War II, a Marine Sergeant (Nicholas Cage) is assigned to guard a Navajo Indian (Adam Beach), who's entrusted with a secret code never broken by the enemy.
Critique: A decent war film, certainly watchable, but it's pretty much like every other movie like it. The whole angle with the Navajo Indians is interesting, but it isn't explored enough. I think it was Roger Ebert who pointed out that it's more or less a gimmick for a standard war movie. Most of the characters are two-dimensional, and the only female supporting player is entirely forgotten by the last third (leaving me to suspect most of her scenes were excised altogether). These are my gripes, so what's good? If you're looking for pyrotechnics, there's plenty of that. The combat scenes are well done, with plenty of gunplay and explosions. It doesn't quite have the artistry of "Saving Private Ryan," but it's still an impressive spectacle--undoubtedly even more so on a big screen. I did appreciate some of the more subtle touches, such as the Navajo soldier playing the flute. The acting is decent enough, overall. I'd give it a qualified recommendation to fans of the genre.
Rating: 6/10 or (**1/2)
Released by MGM
Critique: A decent war film, certainly watchable, but it's pretty much like every other movie like it. The whole angle with the Navajo Indians is interesting, but it isn't explored enough. I think it was Roger Ebert who pointed out that it's more or less a gimmick for a standard war movie. Most of the characters are two-dimensional, and the only female supporting player is entirely forgotten by the last third (leaving me to suspect most of her scenes were excised altogether). These are my gripes, so what's good? If you're looking for pyrotechnics, there's plenty of that. The combat scenes are well done, with plenty of gunplay and explosions. It doesn't quite have the artistry of "Saving Private Ryan," but it's still an impressive spectacle--undoubtedly even more so on a big screen. I did appreciate some of the more subtle touches, such as the Navajo soldier playing the flute. The acting is decent enough, overall. I'd give it a qualified recommendation to fans of the genre.
Rating: 6/10 or (**1/2)
Released by MGM