Dog Day Afternoon

An interesting look back at the way things were…and how they’re not necessarily so different from now after all. Sure, there are major differences between now and the mid '70s, as we see in this film—but there are some similarities, too, stuff that would be somewhat hidden in a time capsule like this one if you don’t specifically look for them. For instance, as shown in this slice-of-the-criminal-life in disco-era New York City, the people and the cops have not always the best of friends, just as they have been experiencing some tension these days. This is all the more true as relates to certain cultural subgroups; ethnic and sexual cohorts come into play here, in a tableau that vaguely mirrors what you see today. Beyond all that, what this film is really all about is the raging talent that Al Pacino was back in the day (and can still be, occasionally, when he calls up the energy). This is truly his show, and his performance is a tour-de-force in commanding the stage (so to speak) and standing front and center all the way through. He's so dominant that the viewer could possibly even miss out on noting the scattering of later-famous faces that populate the supporting cast (abetted considerably by the fact that, in a few cases, they’re barely recognizable to later eyes). On top of it all, the film presents a story that is packed with both humor and tension; it veers between the absurd and the deadly serious in a most entertaining way, and the entire work demands the audience's attention all the way through. I don't know that a movie like this could be made today--which is why it is all the more important that it be relished as both a message from the past and a terrific piece of cinema.

Alien3

Now I know why I didn’t watch this one when it first came out. I could tell, even then, that this Alien would, ironically, lack any real bite. Indeed, despite its plethora of viscera, this outing lacks that certain, all-important visceral impact. We’ve seen all of this by now, two movies worth, and without any real new wrinkles to the saga, the tale just doesn’t have the effect it once did. Plus, there’s a bit too much stupid in the story here. (Really, when there’s a horrifying beast running around being murderous, just tell somebody, for Christ’s sake. Why keep the facts to yourself?) One more outing showed up in this sequence before the later Prometheus revival--which successfully injected a new viewpoint to the saga--but by this stage of the process viewers were starting to wonder what was the point, besides delivering a denouement that, it turned out, wasn't really. Like all annoying bugs, this one deserved swatting.

Tarzan (1999)

Original review: A shrug-of-the-shoulders movie. Not bad, but nothing special. It keeps you interested, and I suppose that's enough. And Phil Collins--despite being everyone's favorite musical whipping boy--actually did a pretty good job on the songs.
Re-view review: Weirdly, it’s the most Disney stuff in this film that gets in the way of this movie. The story works far better when the focus is on the Tarzan-Jane interaction, or even just Tarzan's relationship with his gorilla family. What is less successful is the comedic characters and their antics, which create jarring shifts in tone every time the sillier stuff starts up. Thus, this film tries to walk the fine line that The Lion King did before it, but doesn’t quite succeed. What does succeed, in a big way, is the animation, which is excellent throughout and occasionally, in some sequences, downright spectacular. It’s some of the best artwork in the whole canon, at least to this point and arguably right up to today’s works. The songs mostly work, too, though more so, again, where they support the main story and not the humorous antics. Mix it all together and you get a flick that largely works, if you forgive its more noticeable faults.