White Heat.

Review #907: White Heat.

Cast:
James Cagney (Arthur "Cody" Jarrett), Virginia Mayo (Verna Jarrett), Edmond O'Brien (Hank Fallon / Vic Pardo), Margaret Wycherly ("Ma" Jarrett), Steve Cochran ("Big Ed" Somers), Ford Rainey (Zuckie Hommel), John Archer (Philip Evans), Wally Cassell ("Cotton" Valletti), Fred Clark (Daniel "The Trader" Winston), Ian MacDonald ("Bo" Creel), and Paul Guilfoyle (Roy Parker) Directed by Raoul Walsh (#399 - The Thief of Bagdad (1924))

Review:
This review has been in the making for a long time, if you can believe that. Ever since I bought the film from my local Blockbuster over two years ago, this movie has been on the backburner of things I wanted to cover, but its time hadn't quite aligned with me, until now. When it comes to film noirs and gangster movies, White Heat certainly does not disappoint, being one of the seminal movies of its time. Cagney is a good chunk of why the movie works so well, portraying the instability of this villain without any sort of fakery nor too much overblown nature to him. The scene with him on his screen mother Wycherly's lap is also a good scene in showing the strange nature and dynamic of the two that plays off well with a movie that doesn't play to easiest gangster types. The scene where he reacts to a death personal to him is also quite exceptional in how he conveys the agony of that moment without stock elements in any way. Mayo does a fine job as the femme fatale, having good chemistry with Cagney along with being respectable with her charms. O'Brien is quite exceptional in his role by managing to size up well with Cagney without being overwrought with too much hero hokeyness. The rest of the cast does a good job in their roles, serving their purposes with the right kind of competency. The cinematography is good, having the right balances of color (for a black-and-white film) and picture. This is a movie with the right kind of tension and action, where even though you know how movies of the time might roll you still manage to really invest in how the movie plays itself out, owing to its great cast, all starting with James Cagney. I highly recommend this movie.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Halloween II.

Review #268: Halloween II.

Cast
Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie Strode), Donald Pleasence (Dr. Sam Loomis), Lance Guest (Jimmy Lloyd), Tawny Moyer (Jill Franco), Ana Alicia (Janet Marshall), Ford Rainey (Frederick Mixter), Gloria Gifford (Virginia Alves), Leo Rossi (Budd Scarlotti), Hunter von Leer (Gary Hunt), Cliff Emmich (Berand Garrett), Nancy Stephens (Marion Chambers), Charles Cyphers (Leigh Brackett), and Dick Warlock (The Shape) Directed by Rick Rosenthal.

Review
It is near the time of Halloween (six days in fact. Ooh, the number 6 is spooky? Not really), so I'm reviewing a film called...Hallowen. Wait, I already did that (#68. The original, not the remake thank goodness.) This is the sequel to that film, continuing the events of the first film. In fact, I'll continue from the last line of that review: "It does the scares slowly but steady, building up to a conclusion that mystifies you." Indeed those words stand up 200 reviews later. Woah. It's been 200 reviews since I reviewed the last one. That's probably the largest gap between reviewing a sequel I've done, which astounds me. I'm getting off track here the question here is this sequel as good as the first? Yes...and no. Pleasence and Curtis do a good job while the supporting cast' acting is relatively decent. It has some good moments at times, but it has one flaw that doesn't make it as good as the first: Its violence. You might think that's a bit odd, given the film, but it feels a bit too excessive for my taste, where as the first film did a better job of conveying it (Examples are when Michael slashes some throats in close up, dunks a person's head in hot water or even when he uses a needle to stab someone.) While the film continues the cliffhanger from the first film with some class, it doesn't rise up to the occasion as the first did. It does have a great way of ending the film and it could have ended the story perfectly. Could have being the main word here.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.