garbstanley

Boy, talk about a letdown. This film is a poster child for what hype and too much positive publicity can do to a film- The Da Vinci code isn't a bad movie but nor is it the second coming of Christ(no pun intended). When you boil away the hype and hysteria, all that remains is a pedestrian murder mystery that isn't sufficiently challenging or scandalous to raise anyone's hackles. It's preposterous, overlong, and saddled with a sloppy denouement that defines the term "anti-climax." The film's two big "surprises" are telegraphed early, and the ease with which they can be guessed (using the "conservation of characters" process) leeches the movie of a large measure of its suspense. Individual scenes are entertaining in their own right, but the production as a whole is a lumbering mess.

Coogan's Bluff ranks as one of my favorite Eastwood films. Partly because of the time period & location which the story takes place. It's an excellent period piece. Late 1960's New York city in all it's Glory. I live in NYC and it's was nice to see the Pan Am Building in the backdrop. It's now the Met Life building. The Pan Am building was also the location of the final scene where the helicopter takes off. The other reason I like this movie is that Eastwood is essentially playing Dirty Harry before Dirty Harry. Coogan is just like Harry Calahan without the 44. magnum. The story is solid but it's the locales and the situations that Coogan finds himself in that sell the movie. Who cares of it's dated? Of course it's dated but that's part of the experience. Actually most movies made more than 20 years ago (or less) are dated. If you look at it in the context of the time it was made then you'll enjoy it. Ignore the negative reviews and check it out.

Is Citizen Kane truly the greatest of all films? That depends on who you ask but the film is indeed a force to be reckoned with. The story is about a lonely newspaper magnate as he loses touch with society and descends into madness and frustration. The cinematography was so influential that many DOPs even today consider Kane to be the film that influenced their style. The emphasis on deep focus, long takes and shadows is revolutionary. Of course at the center of Citizen Kane is Orson Welles who not only is the main lead but also the soul producer and co-writer, and of course the director- this film defines the wunderkind talent and genius of Kane. Such was the impact of this film Orson Welles probably never came out of its shadow. Citizen Kane is a masterpiece and there is no reason to not be enthralled by it.