Review of The Maltese Falcon (1941) by Luiserghio M — 20 Nov 2008

Hello, all. I've been extra super busy with my [i][font=Georgia][size=5][u][b]LEAD ROLE[/b][/u][/size][/font][/i] in my school's production of Dracula (I played Dr. Seward to much accolades from people who had no option but to compliment me). It was a really great experience and I grew as an actor and person greatly. Now we do Cats. Fun...

I haven't had too much time to watch movies on my free time. Between school and Dracula, the films I've watched have been in classes (and they have been much better on average than they usually are). Here is the round-up:

[u][b]Citizen Kane[/b][/u] (1941).

[u]Class[/u]: American Film.

[u]My Score[/u]: 10/10.

I know that I previously gave this a 0/10 when I was in (I believe) 7th grade. But no 7th grader should be expected to understand or like this movie. I've become much more mature since then and absolutely loved this movie. I didn't find it boring and I thought that Orson Welles' performance was just spell-binding in the same way that Day-Lewis' performance in [b]There Will Be Blood[/b] was. This is a work of pure genius and it has earned its spot on the top of lists.

[u]Funny story[/u]: The movie fades to black and I hear from my classmates: "That movie sucked!" "Worst movie ever!" "That was so boring!" "Why would anyone like [i]that[/i]?" I laughed - they are seventh graders.

[u][b]The Maltese Falcon[/b][/u] (1941).

[u]Class[/u]: American Film.

[u]My Score[/u]: 8/10.

It's good, yeah, but there wasn't anything terribly, out-of-this-world fantastic about it. It set a standard for mystery/detective films after that and it deserves mass respect. Humphrey Bogart is a BAMF and the characters are interesting, but it didn't strike me as a brilliant film.

[u][b]The Thin Red Line[/b][/u] (1998).

[u]Class[/u]: Responding to Violence.

[u]My Score[/u]: 8.5/10.

What a potential work of art this was. Malick just had too much on his hands. But for philosophical weight, artistic passion, and brilliant cinematography, [b]The Thin Red Line[/b] is certainly a great work. It feels very disjointed and extremely truncated, but that's because it basically is. I feel bad for the editor. How do you cut a 5 hour movie down? Malick is a great director, he just tried to do too much. The moments are moving, though. Those moments he captures are spot on.

[u][b]Hamlet[/b][/u] (1996).

[u]Class[/u]: AP Literature and Composition.

[u]My Score[/u]: 9/10.

We didn't watch all four hours, we probably only watched three, but I got a good idea of what the film was like and was happy to see a positive reaction from my fellow classmates. I love Shakespeare - the language is just beautiful - and Branaugh just [i]gets it[/i]. It's great to see him take on as monolithic a work as Hamlet and be successful. We just finished King Lear and I thought it was easily Shakespeare's best work, but this adaptation of Hamlet is just great. Worth your four hours.

[u][b]Chinatown[/b][/u] (1974).

[u]Class[/u]: American Film.

[u]My Score[/u]: 9/10.

I thought this to be just excellent, particularly the ending and Faye Dunaway's performance. Her character arc is fascinating and she is just fascinating. Jack Nicholson also does a good job as the somewhat stereotypical/somewhat not detective. Follows alot of the anachronisms of [b]The Maltese Falcon[/b] but the ending is just powerful in its message and bleakness and profundity.

Well, there ya have it. Senior year, baby. Watchin' movies.