Darren Aronofsky's Best Film, a Sublime Surreal Nightmare
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It's as if Darren Aronofsky filmed your very own worst nightmare, assuming you had anything to do with drugs or drug addicts.  If ever a viewer wondered about the interior state of being of drug addiction, this is the movie for you. Aronofsky used Hubert Selby Jr.'s book and screenplay as his source material and the source material is brilliant.

I love movies which explore surreal states.  This must come in part from my fascination with surrealist art. Aronofsky's film probably owes more to the late Salvador Dali than to any other film director. I'm also fascinated by movies which move as if you were viewing them in a dream state.  We do spend a great deal of our lives in a dream state and see life from an entirely different perspective in REM time. Aronofsky seems to understand this very well. Aronofsky and Selby, in intended irony, load their characters with dreams of their own which are destined to remain unfilled in large part because of their drug addictions.

Ellen Burstyn plays the easiest addict to understand and she does her usual masterful job.  She wants to lose weight so takes diet pills (speed) to do so.  Her dream is to be on tv which is what spurs her to the speed. Her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion, and his best friend Tyrone use the outright illegal street drugs and dream of becoming big drug dealers instead of low level pushers.  On the way to drug fortune, they themselves become addicted.

Jared Leto as the son Harry Goldfarb does a first rate acting job.  Frankly, prior to this role, I didn't think he had any acting talent. There is a growing problem with his injection infected arm which will remain visually with you long after the movie is over. Jennifer Connelly as Marion Silver is every bit as wonderful as Burstyn in this film. She is Harry's girlfriend, soon to enter a life of degradation due to the nightmarish descent into drugs.

Because this film is so visual, it is an ideal one for seeing in the best possible format available.  Blue-ray was invented for just this kind of film.

Visit my blog with link given on my profile page here or use this phonetically given URL (livingasseniors dot blogspot dot com). Friday's entry will always be weekend entertainment recs from my 5 star Amazon reviews in film, tv, books and music. These are very heavy on buried treasures and hidden gems. My blogspot is published on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.
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5 Stars = Masterpiece

David Lynch films always walk the thin line between reality, & surrealistic, nightmarish fantasy. Both can be equally as grim & bizarre, & you know what, some of his scenes hit me like a chapter out of my own book. The weird things you see, & unusual characters you meet on your road through life. A strange dj vu resonates in his films. It feels like a half forgotten dream that you had, that is so blurred, that it may just be reality.

This film is no different, filled with strange characters, surrealism, nightmarish scenes, & one helluva scene stealing performance by William Dafoe, as the physically grotesque, pure unadulterated evil, Bobby Peru. Hired by the equally scene chewing, evil, Diana Ladd, mother to "Lula," (Laura Dern's real life mother) Laura Dern, to kill "Saylor," Nicholas Cage, who has ran off with her daughter, but her reasons for wanting him dead is much deeper than that!

One scene really haunts this film. Lula & Saylor are driving down a lonely desert highway at night, & run upon a car wreck. There is a girl left alive, & the tragic pathos of this scene gets to me every time. It is truly a heart rendering experience, that one will never forget. Those of you who have seen this movie, will know what I'm talking about. I won't say anymore, for those who have not watched this film, other than Chris Issak's song, "Wicked Game," will haunt your mind forever. A brilliant score to this truly transcendently beautiful scene of tragedy.

"Wild at Heart" is a quasi, nightmarish, "Wizard of Oz" road movie in reverse, reverse of everything that movie is & more! This is one of Lynch's most straight forward films. There is no contemplating what this film's message is afterwards. It is a film of love, hate, fear, ambition, & desperation. A film that can in trance the viewer with all it's ugly glory. A film about the baser side of life that most people never see, or pretend it's not there, & one more thing, this is my favorite Lynch film by far! Along with "A Clockwork Orange," one of the most brilliant films in cinema!
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As a child (pre-STAR WARS), comic books, horror magazines and Japanese sci-fi had captured my innocence. These seeds-of-the-fantastic (along with A LOT of fatherly-encouragement) took root upon my things-from-another-world-starved psyche and helped to nurture a more than cursory interest in U.F.O.'s, the paranormal and monsters. In the early 1970's, I was introduced to a frightening film that captured perfectly the mystery, thrill and foreboding of the unknown and one for which I would forever associate with the cryptozoological phenomena that is BIGFOOT/SASQUATCH.

That film was The Legend of Boggy Creek; a low-budget, psuedo-documentary which relied on reenactments to tell the tale of a monstrous nocturnal creature which was purportedly prowling the ominous, lonely backwoods of Boggy Creek, Arkansas and terrifying locals with harrowing after-dark raids on isolated farm houses. The uncertainty of just WHAT was lurking in the murky bottoms of the creek and the ability of the filmmakers to convey feelings of dread and unspeakable horror in the face of abject terror haunts me to this very day. The washed-out look of the film and candid performances from the actual people to whom these encounters were said to have occurred lends an overall sense of realism to proceedings and renders CREEK a landmark in the pantheon of Bigfoot cinema.

Which brings us to THE WILD MAN OF THE NAVIDAD; a sly and inventive homage to early-70's shock-cinema which faithfully and respectfully adheres to a formula similar to other films of it's ilk (BOGGY CREEK included). Operating on a shoestring budget, filmmakers Duane Graves and Justin Meeks move things along at a brisk clip as they depict the (supposedly-true) strange goings-on in the remote Texas town of Sublime. Seems the town (and one local in particular) are harboring a sinister secret - a secret which all but unhinges the town's inhabitants and propels them over a cliff of self-induced paranoia and into a chasm of riotous fear. You see, Sublime is home to a crazed-wildebeast-of-a-man, which prowls a restricted and cordoned-off area of the wetlands and preys upon unsuspecting wayward lovers and over-zealous hunters.

Over-the-top in it's depiction of some of the creature's kills (not even children are spared a gruesome demise at the expense of this beast's ravenous appetite), WILD MAN OF THE NAVIDAD work's best when it follows the exploits of the hapless few  who embark upon ill-advised hunts for the creature and less-so when it focuses on a bizarre sub-plot involving the owner of the land, (on which the WILD MAN prowls) his wife and caretaker. Cinematography (also by Graves) is gritty and captures the despair and unfrequented town of Sublime in all it's remote glory.  Graves camera manages to also convey moments of stark helplessness, especially during a scene where the beast ransacks a home.

The WILD MAN itself is an abominable creature; gargantuan, primitive and possessed of enormous strength. Graves and Meeks do an admirable job in keeping the creature cloaked-in-darkness for the majority of the film so that when it comes time for the big reveal, it is both shocking and disturbing.

THE WILD MAN OF THE NAVIDAD is a creative diversion from the ususal Hollywood horror-fare and is an impressive effort by the fledgling-filmmakers. Adventurous horror-buffs and those into films with a quasi-cryptozoological bent are recommended to hunt this WILD MAN down at all costs.
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This is an extraordinary film, an oneiric phantasmagoria capping Robbe-Grillet's career as a filmmaker.  If you're new to his work, whether as a director or as a novelist, don't worry if you start off thinking it's the story of the discovery of some lost Delacroix sketches, then change your mind and see it as the story of a frame-up, and then change your mind again and take it for a psychological thriller, and then see it as a retelling of Madama Butterfly.  (If you're not new to his work, you'll be expecting something like this.)  It's all those things, and, while you won't be able to lay out the cause-and-effect relationships of all the pieces on graph paper, it nonetheless all coheres.  The realism of classic storytelling--the Dickensian or Balzacian plot--has never had a place in Robbe-Grillet, but he offers instead a vision of reality beneath what we've trained ourselves to see day-to-day.  In this he shows himself an heir of the Surrealists, and it's not for nothing that Gradiva's male lead is named John Locke.  Indeed, one rather droll way of reading the film is as a critique of the sort of rationalism the flesh-and-blood Locke espoused.  So approach this as a cinematic dream.  (Indeed, pay particular attention to the little scene in which we learn all about the profession of dream acting, including how the government, while banning a great many things, still permits murders and sexual crimes to occur in dreams; Robbe-Grillet's sense of humor too often goes unnoticed.)  The film does contain a good deal of sado-erotic imagery, but it's of a curious type, with none of that Dickensian realism to it, but rather the stuff of dreams, at least certain ones.  Make of it what you will, but Robbe-Grillet never was a respecter of convention, and I suspect there is at least an element of pater le bourgeois to be had here.
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For all the horror films that depend on zombies, vampires, werewolves and the like to place a fantasy make believe world before us to frighten us, none is as terrifying as this very realistic, extraordinarily well written, well photographed, well directed and well acted gem from Film Movement. It is a British product (BBC) and seems to have had a minimal response in the theaters. Now more available to the public, hopefully this brilliant work will attract enough attention to place it in the categories for many awards it so justly deserves. But more important, it may expose many people to the tragedies that surround us and are too often unnoticed or misunderstood.

In North London there are three families whose houses form a cul-de-sac: Archie (Tim Roth, never better) is a single father whose wife left him to raise 11 year old insulin dependent, adventuresome tomboy Skunk (Eloise Laurence) and her brother Jed (Bill Milner) and their housekeeper Kasia (Zana Marjanovic); The Oswalds  Bob (Rory Kinnear)  is an out of control easily enraged father of three loose and trashy daughters Susan (Rosalie Kosky), Saskia (Faye Daveney) and Sunrise (Martha Bryant); and the Buckleys  Mr. and Mrs. Buckley (Denis Lawson and Clare Burt) and their severely mentally challenged son Rick (Robert Emms). Bob Oswald finds a condom that one of his daughters had been exploring, jumps to the conclusion that Rick has raped his daughter, and beats Rick mercilessly  a sight Skunk witnesses. This cruel error is the first play in the downward spiral of this profoundly sad tale of how these three families interact. There are a few subplots  Kasia is dating a local school teacher Mike (Cillian Murphy) as well as trying to convince Archie to marry her, Skunk is befriended and has her first rocky encounter with a boy named Dillon (George Sargeant) and they find an empty trailer house by the nearby junkyard where massive machines toss old cars around like unwanted bugs, one of the Oswald girls secret pregnancy ends badly, Rick Buckley is blamed for every odd happening and is institutionalized, Skunks friendship with Rick involves her in tragic consequences, and more. Every member of each family is broken in some way and the manner in which these pieces of shattered lives influence each other makes for some of the most profoundly moving scenes and themes ever filmed.

The story is based on the novel by Daniel Clay, adapted for the screen by Mark O'Rowe, and Rufus Norris makes his impressive directing debut. The entire cast is first class  this is the first film experience for Eloise Laurence and she is stunning, as are Tim Roth and Cillian Murphy and the rest. For this viewer this is one of the finest movies of the past year, a film so challenging and exquisitely crafted that it should be seen by everyone. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, November 13
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A very unusual and strangely haunting film, `American Beauty' starts off by depicting a seemingly `normal' scenario (an ordinary neighbourhood, an everyday suburban family) and then gradually peels the layers off to reveal  the subversiveness that lies within. It's protagonist Lester Burnham is an  archetypal middle aged family man who has been letting his life chug along  for the past so many years...until inspiration, in the unlikely form of lust  for his teenage daughter's nubile friend, sparks new life into him, and he  begins the process of rebelling against the monotony of his existence. This  is, of course, a sore inconvenience (to put it mildly) to people around  him, not least to his wife, a fanatically, obsessively organized real  estate dealer. Drawn into the fabric of the plot are the Burnhams' new  neighbours - a strange, intense young man with a fascination for Lester's  daughter and for photography, and his domineering, violently conservative  ex-armyman father.  A rich cast of characters and, fittingly, a cast of  performers that more than do them justice. Kevin Spacey's remarkable  talents find their full expression here, in an extremely difficult and  courageous role. Annette Bening is better than one had ever imagined she  could be, the underrated Thora Birch and Mena Suvari are outstanding, and  Chris Cooper, that brilliant, understated actor, is superb as the martinet  father next door. Wes Bentley is very impressive too...but he will have to  prove himself in more varied roles in the future. For all its serious and  disturbing concerns, `American Beauty' is an immensely entertaining film.  Somehow, it manages to be unreal, often very theatrical (director Sam  Mendes is predominantly a theatre person) without ever seeming overdone or  obvious. There are laughs aplenty - mainly as the audience goes along with  Lester, taking malicious pleasure in his digs at conventionality and  orderliness - and only later, in retrospect, can we realize that we were  really laughing at ourselves. For `American Beauty', despite its very  endemic title, is really the story of what modern life has degenerated  into. It's quite possible that even the filmmakers themselves meant it as a  satire on American values and lifestyle...yet, the film is full of moments  that each and every one of us can identify with. Take, for instance,  Lester's impassioned appeal to his wife - `IT'S ONLY A COUCH!" - when, on  the brink of a rare moment of intimacy, she shouts to him not to spill  champagne on the expensive furniture piece. Without ever adopting a preachy  or self-righteous tone, this film speaks volumes on subjects like  alienation, self-awareness, tolerance, and complacency - themes that are  perhaps even more crucial today to our part of the world than to the  audiences the movie was made for.
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The other reviews are very thoughtful and worthwhile, but I personally believe this film is not an example of Eastern philosophy or specific meanings of any kind, but rather of pure dream-on-film. As such, you can make many interpretations, but it is Lynch's genius to create a work that enables and even inspires people to do so. In that sense it is like a particularly striking dream you might have - it keeps you speculating about its meaning with its vivid details and compelling images, yet never fully reveals its true nature.
The actors do an excellent job with their difficult and sometimes intensely intimate roles, and the production values are uniformly high. Among the scenes that are most memorable are two of the most terrifying nightmares ever committed to celluloid - the narrated nightmare of the young man in the cafe near the beginning, which is one of the only filmed scenes to approach actual nightmares I have had in their intensity and suggestiveness, and the implied nightmare of the discovery of the heroine's dead body - by herself - in a seedy apartment.
But beyond everything else in this film, it is Lynch's mastery of surrealism and cinema that make this his best film since "Eraserhead."
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A surreal 80s horror masterpiece. 3 friends go to a shady strip club in a very shady part of town. Little do they know its full of vampire strippers. This film captures a very dark and surreal feeling with use of different camera and background colors. A very lonely, dangerous, disturbing and decrepit city to say the least. The kind of area you would be scared out of your mind if you ever broke down in. Special effects are impressive, story is original. This film is a hidden gem, and you get to see half naked girls. Bravo !!!!
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Much more than a horror film, 28 Weeks Later takes the original premise of the outbreak of Rage (the disease that decimated the population of Great Britain) and takes the concept of human vulnerability a giant leap further. The rage victims are as frightening as ever (and for gore fans, there are lots of them in this sequel), but the storyline of rebuilding Great Britain (starting with a "green zone" in London) is what's really chilling about this film. Think "Andromeda Strain" on steroids.

The way this film was shot and edited is superb. The quick cuts and frenetic action makes you feel as if you are being chased and mauled. The acting is wonderful, and the writing is top notch. I'm a complete horror junkie -- everything from Herschell Gordon Lewis and Dario Argento to Ji-Woon Kim and Takashi Miike. But 28 Weeks Later is one of the best conceptualizations of true horror that I've ever seen.
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This exceptional, unique classic film, the sole directorial effort by Charles Laughton, presents the world from a child's perspective and as a child's worst nightmare.  A menacing, psycopathic adult has all the other adults around him fooled as to his true nature....with only he AND the child knowing what he really is and what he is capable of....and he is after the child (children).
Many have remarked on the German expressionist cinema influence on the the look of the film.  To me, Laughton and his cinematographer Stanley Cortez created the exaggerations and frights of childhood...of the fairy tale and the Boogie Man and the things that go bump in the night.  It has a very real/unreal texture to all of it.  Graphic and then dreamlike.
Mitchum's performance treads a thin line between reality and nightmare as well, almost bordering on self-parody, he exaggerates just enough to be likewise frightenly real yet unreal. Look at the scene in the cellar with his stentorian overboard "Git down those stairs thar" followed by his truly frightening Abraham-like threat to John then hilarity and fright mixed at the revelation of the doll and the children's escape.  It is a masterfully complex performance throughout.  Arguably Mitchum's best.
All the adults fail John and his little sister Pearl and they take to the river for escape eventually  to be pulled from the rushes and saved by a truly good person, Lillian Gish, who's faith isn't of the loud and demonstrable kind, but of the deep and practical and living kind.  She's marvelous.
The film has a multitude of unforgettable scenes and moments.  My personal favorites:  Mitchum waist deep in water watching the children just slipping out of his grasp and howling like a banshee in rage and frustration;  John seeing the silhouette of Mitchum riding across the horizon singing "Leaning" and plainively wondering "Don't he never sleep?";  the look on Mitchum's face when staring down the wrong end of Gish's 12 guage shotgun; and, of course, who will ever forget Shelley Winters, trussed up with a long black line under her jaw "like a second mouth" in the car with her hair weaving gently with the river seagrass.
Mesmermizing, hypnotic, moody, with unexpected humor and some observations as to religion, both that feigned and used to deceive and debase, and that truly felt and practiced as deep spiritual solace.  Simply a great movie.  A Classic.
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Awful words told by the Stalker when he thinks in loud voice when he goes to the Zone .

This film is superb and unique ; vivid and powerful ; sinister and cerebral ; poetic and captivating ; stark and eerie.

Grinko and Solonitsin are the two sides of the coin ; science against humanism exchange its disagreement points of view when they decide to make the journey to the wasteland : the Zone .

The mysterious goes in crescendo till you will find its powerful meaning .

This movie runs slowly ; very slowly and it demands from you all the possible attention , the images run with dyonisiac and majestic flowness ; the visual metaphors are countless : the water as a freedom symbol runs before your eyes and are wonderful mesmerizing .

Stalker is a simple man ; a faith man who decides to carry all the people really interested to know the Zone . The riddle is a very complex puzzle ; but Tarkovsky gives you the clues , but beware with certain requisites you need .

Think for instance in The divine comedy and go to the hell journey ; that film has too many devices that run parallel to this concept . Remember the intense dialogue in the last circle of the hell when in his exhaustive seeking for Beatriz he is forced to see the face of a monster consuming men ; he will have to face the monster face to face and he will watch a sad face with tears in its eyes .

The Zone is a very special place ; there is a desire room which only will give you your most sincere desire ; and that premise is clearly hazardous ; because it is going to reveal your real nature and for many people who still scare to their inner demons is really better deny this challenging proposal .

The crudeness and the overwhelming message against the political opressing in those ages in the ancient USSR meant to Andrei Tarkovsky was exiled from his beloved country . You know ; the Politburo patient reached the limit and this collosal , giant , intelligent and artistic work crossed the forbidden red line. The art , intelligence and the talent have always been subversive in totalitarian regimes . And this was the last soviet opus of Tarkovsky, who was forced to live in Italy .

So think it about the powerful and brave message this film meant .

This is one of the giant films in any age ; because as any masterpiece its deep significance trascends its own time to inscribe in the highest artistic and cosmic levels.

A real triumph of the art .
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This film is a complete tour-de-force of cinematic brilliance.  I have seen this film twice in the theater.  My girlfriend wanted to leave during the movie, but not because it was bad, but because it was so powerful she couldn't handle it!  I forced her to stay and she and I were both totally blown away by the raw energy and authentically unnerving psychosis the film unrelentingly explores.

  Jim Van Bebber is an amazingly talented filmmaker who is unafraid to push the limits of creativity.  To paraphrase Henry Miller's 1931 review of Luis Bunuel's seminal surrealist work "L'Age D'Or": "They should take Jim Van Bebber and crucify him or at least burn him at the stake.  He deserves the greatest reward that man can bestow upon man!"

  If they have room on the cross for two, then they should nail cinematographer and co-producer Mike King up there with him.  His work is spellbindingly savage, poignantly crazed and completely befitting this twisted exploration of demented and depraved 1960s zeitgeist.
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Try not to read any reviews of "The Village" that might contain spoilers. This is one movie you DO NOT want to spoil for yourself.

It's really disappointing to read about the multitudes who hate/dislike this movie, when it's so wonderfully done. First of all, the suspense is fantastic. Though the secret is out after the first viewing, watching it a second time still had me hiding behind a pillow. This isn't meant to be a horror movie in the way we've come to know the genre. In fact, this isn't  a good movie for the people that like gore and violence in their Friday night flicks -unlike many horror movies, the frightening circumstances are used to tell the story and are not THE story. It's more creepy than terrifying, though there are definitely a handful of frightening moments. The love story element is sweet. Ivy's spunky attitude and Lucius' quiet nature fit well together, culminating in a touching dialogue on Ivy's porch and a strong romantic connection throughout the film. Under all this is the gradually revealed commentary on the horrors and follies of human society, even in such a secluded settlement. It's a film that makes you think, gasp, and enjoy it for all its ingenuity.

The casting couldn't be more perfect. Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard not just act but become their characters. Phoenix delivers the perfect blend of the shy but stubborn nature of Lucius, while Bryce Dallas Howard entertains as a delightfully spunky but determined Ivy. They each become our heroes as they fight to save each other. Adrien Brody's Noah is also compelling: his mental state and actions are alarming and one must wonder if he had any real conscience or control through it all. Even the movie's score is riveting, from the haunting lilts to its more intense melodies.

My only complaint comes upon seeing the movie a second time. The twist (which is fantastic) seems to come a bit too early and we are left with too much knowledge for the rest of the film to remain mysterious. But that's only true when you've already seen it once and know what's going to happen. But that first time is a doozy.

It's a Village well worth the visit, even multiple times, in spite of all its loud and unmerited negative reviews. But if you choose to watch it, it's best if all the lights are out.
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This bizarre oddity of genres is something that if given time will become a genuine cult classic.  It details the exploits of Boyd (Pearce), a disgraced officer sent to a virtually abandoned post in the middle of nowhere in 1847.  But when a mysterious stranger (Carlyle) arrives with a chilling tale of cannibalism in the wilderness and they set out on a rescuse mission to find the remaining survivors things start spiralling out of all proportion.
As weird as it is bizarrely gripping, 'Ravenous' is also genuinely horrific and there are scenes which will make even the most strong-stomached viewers look away.  It's a strange mixture of disgusting gore and comedy that will definitely make you laugh, albeit nervously.  There's also a strong vampiric feel to the film (especially in Carlyle's excellent performance) and the expected sexual imagery to go with the cannibalism.  There's even an eclectic bluegrass score worked on by Damon Albarn, ;ead singer in British indie group Blur.
Pearce again turns in a magnificent performance that could easily have fallen into self-parody, and Carlyle is great fun.  There's even a somewhat surprising appearance by David Arquette as a bumbling fool.  Admitedly this won't be for everyone's taste, but as a modern cult classic it is right up there with 'The Addiction'.  Best watched late at night.
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The success of THE PIANIST recalls Roman Polanski's glory days, when in just over a decade he turned out such stunning classics like KNIFE IN WATER, REPULSION, THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS, ROSEMARY'S BABY, and this film, CHINATOWN.  One thing all these films have in common is the great difficulty the main character has in each film in discovering what is appearance and what is reality, perhaps in the end discovering that reality is an illusion.  CHINATOWN is a detective film that isn't.  In the usual detective film, the gumshoe follows a string of clues and in the end is able to assert order over chaos by "solving" the mystery.  In CHINATOWN, on the other hand, Jack Nicholson's J. J. Gittes solves the mystery only to uncover the incomprehensible and the unfathomable.  Instead of asserting the primacy of order over chaos, the chaos engulfs him, visually represented by the crowding of Asians around Gittes in the films' closing shot.  "Chinatown," where the final shot takes place, becomes a metaphor for the inscrutable and opaque quality of life itself.
This is a meticulously made film, and it is susceptible to analysis at a very deep level.  For instance, it isn't accidental that at one point Faye Dunaway tells Nicholson, upon noticing a discoloration in her eye, that it is a flaw in the iris.  Later, that is the eye through which she is shot and killed.
The plot is very, very loosely based on the life of William Mulholland, who was responsible for building the viaduct that brought water to LA from Owens Valley.  That real life incident took place several decades earlier than the time in which CHINATOWN was set, but with the central role that water has played in the Los Angeles's, the incident was well chosen.  The part involving Faye Dunaway and her daughter had, thank god, no counterpart in Mulholland's life.
It is almost impossible to say of an actor like Jack Nicholson that one role is his finest, but one can at least state that his turn as Jake Gittes is one of his very finest performances.  His fortitude in the face of moral horror provides the foundation for the narrative, and his collapse upon looking into the heart of the void at the end of the film establishes precisely the right tone.  If we weren't ourselves horrified and crushed at the end, we would be merely by gazing into his stunned and bewildered face.  Similarly, Faye Dunaway was as good as she would ever be as Evelyn Mulray.  John Huston managed to create one of the vilest characters in the history of film, while Roman Polanski himself managed to be one of the scariest.  The scene where Polanski cuts Nicholson's nose is rightfully remembered as one of the most vivid in the movies.
Unfortunately, after this film Polanski's string of great films came to an end, those following in the next couple of decades ranging from decent to out and out awful.  Hopefully his resurrection with THE PIANIST will signal a return to form of one of the most interesting directors of the 1960s.
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Not an adaption of "Dracula" so much a quasi-remake of "Nosferatu," the film rises out the long gliding shadow of the original thanks to the genius tag team of Kinski and Herzog, who are ambitious enough to actually re-interpret the material instead of simply re-creating it.  In one of his all time top five performances, Klaus Kinski injects an incredible amount of depth into the Dracula character.  He's of course menacing, but he's also sympathetic, pathetic, wise, weary, and at times even clownish.  He approaches the role with the gloomy boredom and longing of a creature that has endured too many centuries alone in his crumbling castle.

In contrast to say the more charismatic Draculas we've seen over the past century, Nosferatu is quiet and meek in nature as he uses the minimal ghoul make up to not only provoke creepy unease but also vague sympathy. When he first meets Lucy, his slight shy mannerisms give the impression that he's shameful of his hideous appearance.  In contrast, there is the terrifying scene when Jonathan cuts his finger; resulting in the lurching Dracula transforming into a speedy, towering, blood thirsty predator(all thanks to Kinski's seemingly unnatural movements.)  As said, he also uses his appearance for tasteful comedy as well, especially during the playful scene where he's tip toeing around like a cartoon character as he plants his caskets around the town under the cover of darkness.

This isn't just the Kinski show however as Herzorg's incredible eye does more than hold up his end of the deal.  The natural locations of  the ruined castle, the mountains, the beach....etc. are all effectively haunting and he makes certain to linger on them just long enough for the viewer to burn them into their memory.  The shots of dusk skyline are both beautifully grand and imposingly claustrophobic.  Despite this being a rare venture into horror, Herzorg certainly understands how to create overwhelming apocalyptic doom and dread with startling images of gathering rats, gradually deserting streets, and increasing mass funerals.  It's a very visual film with more moody atmospheric droning than dialogue and other more straightforward means of storytelling.  It's very dream like, though it's one very strange and creepy dream to be sure. As the protagonist Lucy, Isabelle Adjani's gothic beauty serves the film well but she's also excellent at portraying the innocence and strength of the tragic character.  Bruno Ganz's Jonathan plays the role mostly for camp which is perhaps one of the film's few missteps.
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The Last Minute is one of those truly rare motion pictures that deserves far wider recognition than it will ever get. How unfortunate. I'd never heard of the thing until recently stumbling across quite by accident. A virtual eye popping, roller coaster of a flick, it starts with a BANG and never lets its hooks out of you.  Visually, The Last Minute is as impressive looking a picture as I've ever seen.

The DVD extras are (mostly) exceptional adding to the whole experience as few extras features ever do. As darkly hilarious as it is, this "Minute" also packs quite an emotional punch. Kudo's to Mr. Norrington who deserves greater recognition for this amazing film.

One caveat: Norrington wisely employs a terrific device by which we never know what our protagonist does to earn then lose his fame (director and star are on record as being at odds as to what Billy actually does). Were only that same thing had been employed for one scene: When Billy is told he doesn't want to know what's behind a certain door, we shouldn't find that out either. Personally, I laughed (in horror, but laughed) at this scene but I know others who were put off by the movie altogether because of these few seconds.

Every other aspect of the truly most bizarre nightclub "Prosthetic" is genius (as, actually is the moment in question, just too off-putting for most people). It is here where one of the film's most brilliant moments occurs:  Percy "Sledge" breaking into the Sinatra classic "I've got you under my skin" while wreaking a gleeful malevolent stream of violence that is about as close to movie magic as we've ever seen.

Norrington has a cast that, quite simply, could not have been improved upon with Max Beesley giving a stand out performance as Billy - to watch the youthful energy of his clubby dance moves and the enthusiasm with which he embraces his burgeoning fame slip into confused despair, hopelessness and attempt at self redemption. Beesley has us routing for him even at his worst, for I think most of us can identify with Max's plight.

As the aforementioned Percy "Sledge" - Jason Isaacs is nothing short of terrifying, executing his violence with a Fred Astaire like grace and precision which is utterly disarming.

The Oliver Twist twist of the underground urchins with their modern day, more violent, Fagin (who doles out drug treats to the kiddies) is chillingly beautiful.

I also found the extended mad scene similar resonating strongly with Shakespeare's Lear - Max's meltdown/unhinging being so closely tied with what is happening in nature. Brilliant.

If "Minute" had been released theatrically stateside, I can't imagine it wouldn't do huge box office. There are audiences literally screaming for this type of originality. Hopefully, it's not too late to try. The seconds are ticking . . .

Seriously.  See this movie.  Or else!