JayDee's Movie Musings

Why did you inflict that picture of Sean Connery on us Jaydee..........WHY!!!!

Enjoyed the last few reviews. the Rock and Con Air are good for what they are, which is basically big dumb fun roller coaster rides.

I watched Demolition Man recently and it really does stand up quite well today like you said. Definitely one of the best action movies of the 90s if not ever.

I also liked and agreed with your Star Trek review in the Into Darkness thread and left a few thoughts of my own on the film.

Wash your mouth out with soap

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

First the Magnolia review and now this. I think I speak for Skepsis too when I say you're dead to me

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#31 on SC's Top 100 Mofos list!!

Plot - Eric Qualen (Lithgow) is a ruthless criminal who has constructed an elaborate plan to hijack a United States Treasury airplane in mid-air and steal the $100 million bounty they are transferring. The operation is botched however and the money falls to the ground below, scattered across the foreboding Rocky Mountains. With the ability to track the cases which hold the money however it still seems like a sure win for Qualen and his gang of henchmen. After all, all that's standing between them and their haul are some measly mountain climbers. These climbers however are amongst the most skilled in the world, and they have the courage to match it. Gabe Walker (Stallone), Hal Tucker (Rooker) and Jessie Deighan (Turner) are in no mood to let the criminals get away with their plan so a frantic race to locate the money begins.

So far as part of my move musings I've done reviews of Die Hard on a cruise ship (Speed 2), Die Hard on a warship (Under Siege), Die Hard in a hockey stadium (Sudden Death) and probably some others I'm forgetting. Plus I also reviewed the original granddaddy of all of them; Die Hard itself. Now we come to perhaps the most ambitious of all the Die Hard clones that have been relentlessly churned out over the years; Die Hard on a mountain. While all of those films relied on containing the hero and the action within a single claustrophobic setting, Cliffhanger thrives on opening its world up, setting its sprawling action across the epic and wild expanse of the Rocky Mountains. As the end credits begin to roll the final image that we see is of those mountains themselves, and that feels like a very appropriate end as in many ways that setting becomes a star in its own right, perhaps even the star of the movie. It provides the film with some stunning scenery and vistas as its backdrop which means it's always interesting to look at. While its setting was the Colorado Rockies that isn't where Cliffhanger was actually filmed, it was instead filmed in the Cortina d'Ampezzo-Dolomites mountains in Italy because of their remarkable similarity to the Rockies. Captured by Alex Thomson's cinematographic eye the scenery just adds another layer of interest to the film; so scenes that we've seen countless times before in action films feel fresh thanks to the locations they are based in. It also creates

To really make the grade as an action film what you clearly need is some great action, pure and simple. And Cliffhanger certainly delivers. It both opens and closes on a high note with two great set-pieces and keeps the action flowing in between. In the opening scene Stallone's Gabe attempts to rescue his friend Hal and Hal's girlfriend, Sarah, who have become stranded high in the moutains after Hal injured his knee. After winching Hal to safety Gabe attempts to do the same for Sarah, but with disastrous results. Her harness breaks and she is left dangling above a massive chasm and certain death. Disregarding Hal's advice Gabe goes out onto the line in an attempt to save her but she slips from his grasp and falls into oblivion. The scene actually acts as a bit of a surprise. I mean this is Sylvester motherf*cking Stallone!!! He's the heroic dude who always saves the day, he's not going to let her fall is he? I mean there's no way, he's going to pull her up and....oh s*it she fell! And that vulnerable thread actually runs throughout the film. This isn't the type of character that Stallone or his action counterparts would play all that often; he's no tough-as-nails cop, no bad-ass soldier. He may be a tough, rugged mountain climber but he is also very human and is left completely shaken by the accident. It gives the character just a little bit more for Stallone to work with. And as a big fan of the man I think that he does a great job. Oh and as a little aside to that great opening set-piece, it's a scene which is hilariously spoofed by Jim Carrey and a racoon in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.

Cliffhanger also features a series of rather awesome deaths which befall the villainous characters. These include Stallone riding one of the bad guys like a sled down the mountain (resulting in vicious ice burns down the guy's face) before depositing him over the cliff, the giant fireball that eventually claims Qualen and Qualen's despicable, heartless sacrificing of his own lover. And then there is the best death scene, one of my favourites throughout all of cinema actually. Having fallen down a crevice in the moutain Stallone finds himself getting his ass kicked by Kynette, one of the villain's henchmen. Seemingly at Kynette's mercy Stallone all of a sudden grabs Kynette by the family jewels and crushes them with his bare hands! He then hoists him up into the air and body presses him into the cave's roof, causing a stalactite to puncture through his body.

Film Trivia Snippets - John Lithgow was actually a last minute addition to the production. Christopher Walken had originally been cast in the role of Qualen but left just before filming began, necessitating the 11th hour piece of casting. /// Cliffhanger was actually a bit of a compromise which arose as the result of others projects being cancelled. The studio, Carolco, had originally signed Stallone to appear opposite John Candy in a John Hughes comedy about feuding neighbours. While Renny Harlin had been signed to direct “Gale Force”, a 'Die Hard in a hurricane' action film whose effects were deemed to difficult and expensive. After both projects fell through they were brought together for Cliffhanger. /// At one point in an effort to demonstrate his faith in the safety equipment, Renny Harlin put on a harness and flung himself out on a cable over a cliff. /// During the version that was seen by audiences during sneak previews a rabbit was killed by gunfire. Their horrified reaction was enough to make Stallone invest $100,000 of his own money to have the scene re-shot and have the rabbit be seen to escape. /// One of the men who acted as a stunt double for Stallone was Ron Kauk and he really had to bulk up for the role. He ate 5 carbohydrate-heavy meals a day and pumped a lot of iron. As well as doubling Stallone, rather surprisingly he also doubled for Leon Robinson (a 6'3” black man) and Janine Turner (a 5'6” woman)!

As anyone who saw the fourth season of Dexter will be able to attest to John Lithgow makes for one terrific villain. Although here he is in more hammy, outlandish form than the quietly chilling way he played the Trinity Killer. He is just delightfully smarmy as Eric Qualen, smirking and sneering his way through the film. The man just has a face for evil. With hardly any effort at all it just takes on this natural look of pure disdain, giving his character this real sense of superiority as if he is disgusted to be having to share the same planet as the rest of us. And as is fitting for a villain in a 90s action film Lithgow employs an English accent. When it came to action films, the 80s and 90s were a time where just about every single villain came with an accent, typically from one of three camps. They were either English (Last Action Hero, Gone in 60 Seconds, Tomorrow Never Dies, The Lion King etc), German (Die Hard, Die Hard With a Vengeance, Rocketeer) or Russian (Air Force One, Red Dawn, First Blood Part 2, Top Gun, Rambo 3, Rocky IV, Red Heat, Hunt for Red October, Goldeneye etc etc. Man the Russians had a really tough time of it! ).

Backing him up in the villain stakes is a fun performance from Rex Linn as Richard Travers, the dirty US Treasury agent who hooks up with Qualen and orchestrates the theft. The only previous work that I would really associate him with would be as the police officer on CSI: Miami so it was nice to see him playing a much nastier a*shole character. And even though he's not playing a villainous character Michael Rooker also gets a lot of traction out of clashing with Stallone. Rooker played Hal Tucker, a fellow mountain climber and previously a close friend of Gabe's. Following the death of Sarah he blames Gabe and from then on Rooker plays Hal with a great deal of intensity and a real bitter fury towards Gave. The only real disappointment in the cast is Janine Turner as Jessie, the supposed love interest of Stallone's Gabe even if I never really felt it, but in her defence a large part of that is down to the underwhelming character she is lumbered with.

One thing that really adds to the thrill of the film and how much the audience becomes invested in the story and its characters is how genuine much of it clearly is. While it did employ a series of cinematic tricks such as CGI, miniatures, matte paintings and even a motorised Sylvester Stallone pippet to impressive use, for the most part this is principal effects at work. These are real people that you're seeing climbing on that mountain, including the actors themselves on a number of occasions climbing the mountains and hanging over cliffs and voids. And when it's not them you've got a series of the world's best mountain climbers acting as their stunt doubles, meaning that we get some fantastic examples of mountain climbing. Although that's not the only piece of stunt work to catch the eye. The scene that depicts the attempted theft from the Treasury plane is insane. The plane is hijacked mid-flight and a line connecting it to another plane is put in place. The Travers character then uses the line to transfer from one plane to another in mid-air, a feat that was actually achieved through principal means, no CGI. Stuntman Simon Crane performed the stunt for real at 15,000 feet without even any safety devices and was paid $1 million to do so; and in my eyes he earned every penny. And while Cliffhanger was filmed in Italy this scene was actually filmed back in America as performing such a stunt was illegal in Europe. As a result of this stunt Cliffhanger resides in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the costliest aerial stunt ever performed. And Sylvester Stallone is to thank for making it happen. The insurance company that were underwriting the film refused to insure anyone to perform the stunt, so Stallone offered to have his salary cut to pay for the stunt. And because of the extreme danger involved, the stunt was only performed once.

Conclusion - Like the large majority of Stallone's back catalogue, Cliffhanger was never exactly going to trouble the big award ceremonies or be a darling of the critics. Also like the large majority of his films however, Cliffhanger is a whole load of fun. It's got some exciting action, a deliciously evil villain in Lithgow and is actually quite a funny and witty excursion on occasion.

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Film Trivia Snippets - While filming the courtroom scenes in California, proceedings were interrupted by the powerful 6.7 Northbridge earthquake which left 57 people dead and over 8,700 people injured. Kevin Bacon was perhaps fortunate not to join one of those lists as at the time it hit he was handcuffed to a table, with no option but to duck underneath the table for shelter as an enormous crystal chandelier swung perilously above his head. The warehouse studio where the set was located was later condemned. /// At one stage Oliver Stone was apparently involved in an acting capacity, though for what role depends on the source. One role had him auditioning for the role of D.A. McNeill which went to William H. Macy, while according to Stephen Tobolowsky Stone was cast as Mr. Henkin but he didn't show up on the day of filming. So Rocco called Tobolowsky to take on the role just hours before shooting. /// As a result of the producers wanting a sense of authenticity Kevin Bacon, Christian Slater and Gary Oldman all spent much of their free time during the filming locked in jail cells.

In the film's opening stretch we find Henri confined in isolation in the dungeons of Alcatraz, with Rocco filming in extreme close-ups and inverted camera angles, emulating the horribly claustrophobic and cramped nature of Young's life at this time. Getting in so tight also allows us to really focus in on the pain in Bacon's eyes and to experience the dirt and grime of the foul dungeons. These scenes are contrasted by exterior shots of San Francisco and its bay which really revel in their wide expanses and liberation. In a more typical move of such films we also find Henri Young constantly behind and blocked by the bars of his prison. In fact framing proceedings behind bars or a close approximation is a touch that features throughout the whole film, using gates and window panes in place of actual bars at time. At one point the courthouse where the case is going to be tried is actually framed behind a gate which acts like bars, replicating how Slater's Stamphill is attempting to put the system on trial. I also enjoyed the little touch of recreating newsreel footage which opened the film and was then spliced throughout.

It's been a long time since I last watched either Murder in the First or Cliffhanger, but I do recall quite liking both.

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While I have not seen Murder in the First, I have seen Cliffhanger, and I thought it was a good movie. I have not seen it in over a decade, but I remember having fun with it.

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Fear and Loathing in MoFo... The Gunslinger 45's Top 50 Favorite Films

In the 10 Ring: Gunslinger45's reviews

I've never been able to get into Cliffhanger. I've only seen it once, but I've tried to watch it a few times. However, I get the impression that John Lithgow is more Raising Cain than Dexter season 4.

I've not seen Murder In The First since the late 90's, but it's stayed with me all that time. I'm glad to see you liked it, JD.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Jesus, JD, thread's being hijacked by tards with too much time on their hands. Start lighting 'em up.

And start reviewing films worth a damn again. This last batch is all fizzle but no bang.

To be fair I think I'm the one who's been hijacking the thread with my stupid pics!

Well the next couple of 90s films have more depth and complexity to them, and are quite well thought of. Don't know how you feel about them though.

Oh yeah absolutely. That's a good line actually, wish I thought of it! Don't know if you read the review or not but think I commented about how it's a much more hammy, scenery-chewing performance than the quitely menacing, intense Trinity Killer.

Yeah I remember you mentioning you were a fan of the film because of the great cast. Hope you enjoyed my review. (And yes that is me fishing for a compliment! )

Yes, I did enjoy the review, JD.

Plot - In the not-too-distant future, science has reached the stage where it has perfected the creation of the 'perfect' human being. Individuals who are not genetically engineered are looked down upon as inferior and have their opportunities in life severely restricted. One such 'natural birth' is Vincent Anton Freeman (Hawke), born with a heart defect which will limit his life and crush his dreams of travelling into space. To try and skirt the discrimination that comes along with his standing as a so-called 'in-valid' he illegally pays for and assumes the identity of Jerome Eugene Morrow (Law); a genetically engineered perfect specimen who is nevertheless paralysed as a result of a car accident. With the help of Jerome providing DNA samples to aid the ruse, Vincent is able to gain a place at the prestigious Gattaca Coroporation, where he is selected to go on a mission into space. At the same time however the director of the mission is killed, and the ensuing investigation threatens both Vincent's dreams and his freedom.

Gattaca is a very classy, intelligent slice of science fiction. It's a film that definitely seems to harken back to the genre's 1970s heyday, both in terms of its smarts but also the fact that it uses its sci-fi element to try and tell an intriguing and layered story with a message, and not just as an excuse for a series of explosions and space battles. It's certainly not a popcorn sci-fi flick, but more of a thinking man's movie. It's not a film which details and speculates about the far-flung possible future of spaceships, ray guns and aliens; but a film which takes our current society and levels of technology and just nudges them ever so slightly down the line; as the film itself tells us it's set in “the not-too-distant future”, and postulates how our civilization may adapt and change to advances in science.

It is an admirably restrained and understated addition to the sci-fi genre. In fact for much of the film it doesn't necessarily feel like a piece of science fiction. It just uses the sci-fi angle as the launching pad for a story encompassing romance, prejudice and mystery. In fact there's a strong noirish thread to the film, highlighted by Hawke's voiceover, a murder mystery and the use of dopplegangers amongst other elements. And in line with its constrained nature I appreciate the fact that the film doesn't just throw out lots of examples of futuristic technology just to get an easy wow from the audience, only doing so in the areas that are really prevalent to the story. And within the realm of genetics and science the film does a great job at detailing this advanced society. Showing all the little touches surrounding DNA and the numerous ways in which Vincent circumvents all of the tests is something I really enjoyed. I also love the lingo that Andrew Niccol created specifically for the film, a really great glossary of slang terms for this world. Individuals who were not genetically engineered are referred to by a number of terms, mostly in an unflattering and disparaging manner, such as 'utero', 'in-valid', 'faith-birth' and God-child.' By comparison those that have been engineered are addressed with great reverence as 'vitro', 'valid' or 'made-man.' People who were conceived naturally but have assumed the identity of an engineered person to 'get above their station' are referred to as a 'borrowed ladder' or by the cruder term, a 'de-gene-erate.' Oh and I love the slang term that Ethan Hawke uses to describe FBI agents - hoovers. It acts as a nod to both J Edgar Hoover (founder of the FBI) and to their practice of hoovering up skin cells and hair follicles in search of evidence.

I felt that the film was extremely well-acted throughout, even if it's not always immediately clear as a result of the nature of many of the performances. Most of the performances may appear to be rather staid, perhaps even wooden, but that fits in with the conservative, repressive disposition of this world's people. Uma Thurman in particular falls into this category, while she also suffers from existing purely as a means to help develop the character of Vincent. As a result it's quite a tough, thankless role but she does a solid job all the same. And just based on physical appearance alone Thurman is a great piece of casting. With her character meant to be one of these genetically engineered 'perfect' people, her face seems a likely product of such a procedure with its flawless, porcelain-like complexion. As someone who was once voted People's Sexiest Man Alive you could also say the same about the casting of Jude Law. Up until a couple of weeks ago I would have said that I didn't particularly care for Jude Law as an actor, but apparently I had just been seeing the wrong films. First off I was extremely impressed with his showing in The Talented Mr Ripley, and now it was a similar story here in Gattaca. I thought he did a great job in the role of Eugene, playing him with intelligence, intensity, bitterness and a touch of rebellious glee at being able to f*ck with the perfect system. Law's scenes with Hawke are frequently amongst the film's best. And speaking of Ethan Hawke I thought he did a great job in the lead role at building the character of Vincent, delivering a character of great focus and dedication, pretty much to a level of obsession. To realise his dreams he must display a really single-minded devotion and commitment to maintaining his façade at Gattaca, and Hawke does so with a real sense of drive and desperation. Oh and I also really enjoyed Alan Arkin's small contribution to the film, finding him very gently amusing in the role of Detective Hugo. While the investigatory techniques employed by the agents may be very much in line with the likes of CSI, by contrast Arkin himself seems much more comparable to Columbo; a little bit of a scruffy, bumbling fellow who hides his intelligence beneath his crumpled outer appearance.

I loved the look of Gattaca. Niccol's direction and the sharp, crisp photography of Sławomir Idziak deserve a lot of credit. While Niccol composed a lot of great shots and compositions, what I was really a fan of were the numerous colour schemes that were deposited across the film's landscape. The various filters that Idziak employs do a great job at presenting contrasts between the different facets of this world, as well as simply helping to create the feeling of a slightly different world from that which we currently inhabit. Probably the most commonly utilised colour scheme is a cold blue tinge that is used to represent the scientific side which is so prevalent in this world, creating a real sense of being immersed in a sterile, cold and glacial existence. These stretches also tend to be quite washed out in appearance to highlight the lifeless and emotionless personality of the valids. This is contrasted by green hues which evoke a sense of nature and creation, and a yellow/golden tint which creates a much warmer tone and frequently seemed to be incorporated more towards the in-valid characters. Another visual touch which helps to flesh out Gattaca's themes is its set and art design. The sets and locations feel very sterile and soulless to once again highlight the separation from humanity that is present. And the staircase in Eugene's home is excellent. A spiral staircase, it is quite clearly symbolic of the DNA double helix so obviously ties in to the film's story of genetics. And the scene where Eugene has to drag himself up the stairs shows him overcoming his physical limitations (he is paralysed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair) just as Vincent had to overcome his own physical limitations imposed on him in the form of his DNA. So yeah I loved how Gattaca looked, but I also loved how it sounded. Michael Nyman's score is spectacular; a truly beautiful and haunting effort which has a great depth all of its own and makes for a perfect companion piece for the visuals.

Been a long time since I have seen Gattaca. I remember nothing about it, might be worth a second look.

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Letterboxd

I remember watching Gattaca several years ago and I enjoyed the film. The extremes that Vincent goes to pretend to be someone else was to the point of OCD. To be honest I cannot only remember so much of the movie. I guess I will have to rewatch it sometime too.

Great review Gattaca forgotten how many times i have watched it, just replaced it with Blu Ray copy

Now that really is a great review, JD.

Just some housekeeping. I wouldn't mention it, but if I don't, when you spot it you'll accuse us all of not reading it properly.

There's also a misspelling of "every", but I can't find it now.

Thanks nebs. Could perhaps become a real favourite of mine as well over more viewings

So what you've just been lying previously? Humouring me? No to be fair I was quite happy with the review itself, felt it was one of my better ones in a while. Though it is easier when you've got themes and issues to talk about instead of best death scenes like in my action film reviews

You know I had to look at the section you quoted for ages before I spotted the problem! The way you said there's 'also' a misspelling of every made me think it was another spelling error and I just couldn't see it no matter how many times I went over it. Although to be fair my complaint does stand, the film really didn't convince me of the romance between Hawke and Kidman. And the fact that Kidman isn't in the film is no excuse!

By the way is there anyone who has seen Gattaca recently enough or enough times that they have an opinion of the 12 fingered man question I posed?


Oh yeah and I really need to find somewhere to back up all my reviews. Either another forum or site, or start up my own site or blog for it. Just I'm getting so many database errors just now and every time I worry that the board has crashed and all my precious, precious reviews will be lost forever!

I should've made the mistake clearer. Sorry I had you going mad over that piece.

Don't worry, JD, I think Yoda's looking for a new server.