1998 Review Blog
Pi
Grade: B 05/27/2009
Darren Aronofsky is quite an original filmmaker. The only misfire I have seen of his is THE FOUNTAIN, which was still oddly fascinating. THE WRESTLER and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM are fantastic films. His first film, PI, is madness...but a good madness. Watching this man either work out the mysteries of the universe or slip into insanity is very exciting. He is trying to find out an equation that can predict the stock market, which leads him to Jewish Mysticism, the Golden Ratio, and the madness that comes with unhinged obsession and genius. The High contrast Black & White are a nice touch since it just adds to the insane atmosphere. Quite original, and quite interesting.
1001 Movie to See Before You Die
Grade: B 05/27/2009
Darren Aronofsky is quite an original filmmaker. The only misfire I have seen of his is THE FOUNTAIN, which was still oddly fascinating. THE WRESTLER and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM are fantastic films. His first film, PI, is madness...but a good madness. Watching this man either work out the mysteries of the universe or slip into insanity is very exciting. He is trying to find out an equation that can predict the stock market, which leads him to Jewish Mysticism, the Golden Ratio, and the madness that comes with unhinged obsession and genius. The High contrast Black & White are a nice touch since it just adds to the insane atmosphere. Quite original, and quite interesting.
1001 Movie to See Before You Die
The Thin Red Line
Grade: B 11/16/2010
After seeing Terrence Malick's THE NEW WORLD in 2005, I understood why English settlers would contemplate their place in nature and the order of the universe...mostly because they were integrating themselves into the world where Native Americans seemed so knowledgable about such musings. The same can't be said about his THE THIN RED LINE. It is a compulsively watchable movie, especially since it is 3 hours long and has some very slow points...but to believe that soldiers were thinking about THEIR place in the natural order while participating in the Battle of Guadalcanal...stretches credulity. I was reading Roger Eberts account of the film and he was exactly right. The thoughts and philosophical rants about the universe in such a movie are shared by scholars and philosophers...not by the soldiers themselves....and thus the movie is incredibly uneven. That being said....it IS enjoyable to watch because Malick is a master photographer and the performances by the ensemble cast are superb.
1001 Movie to See Before You Die
Grade: B 11/16/2010
After seeing Terrence Malick's THE NEW WORLD in 2005, I understood why English settlers would contemplate their place in nature and the order of the universe...mostly because they were integrating themselves into the world where Native Americans seemed so knowledgable about such musings. The same can't be said about his THE THIN RED LINE. It is a compulsively watchable movie, especially since it is 3 hours long and has some very slow points...but to believe that soldiers were thinking about THEIR place in the natural order while participating in the Battle of Guadalcanal...stretches credulity. I was reading Roger Eberts account of the film and he was exactly right. The thoughts and philosophical rants about the universe in such a movie are shared by scholars and philosophers...not by the soldiers themselves....and thus the movie is incredibly uneven. That being said....it IS enjoyable to watch because Malick is a master photographer and the performances by the ensemble cast are superb.
1001 Movie to See Before You Die