herbiehancock

No 284 - Scarface Director - Brian de Palma Well.... before I begin discussing this film, we have to comment on the fact that Brian de Palma made the most brilliantly bad film in existence . And for that very reason we must be eternally grateful. So now we move into surprisingly political territories, but I don't think it really is that much grittier. Or... if it is.... it is offset by the sheer 80's ridiculousness of it all - you can see how it inspired Vice City - all the bad suits and wide collar shirts and mindless excessive violence. It is the excess which is then mocked in films like American Psycho . What a cracking decade it was back then... This film is probably the best I've seen Pacino, his Tony Montana is a terrifying creation - he is a slurring power crazed madman. His quest for power and money - his belief that only this could ever make him happy - is terrible to watch but nowhere near as scary as the paranoia which seeps in once he HAS the power. Montana s...

No 38 - Heat Director - Michael Mann This film got a lot of press and a lot of attention because it finally joined two great actors together. Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. It is amazing to think that they had never acted together. Specially as they're both Italio -American actors from the same generation . Hell, they've even been in the same trilogy together. And yet it wasn't until 1995 that the two of them got to share a scene together. What surprises me though is the sheer number of big( gish ) names also appear in this film. People like a young Natalie Portman , the outstanding and unspeakably badass Danny Trejo (playing a character with the original name of Trejo ), Hank Azaria in non-comedy form, John Voight in strange old hippy form and Val Kilmer . This is great because whilst the film follows two fabulous actors it is filled with bit parts and supporting roles from equally talented actors. Natalie Portman gives the kind of edgy and real performance we know ...