Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973) 3/5 - Back when this was first made in 1973, this was considered a marvelous depiction of Hitler's last days of life in the bunker beneath the Reich Chancellery. But time and subsequent films have made this more of a curiosity and comparison piece to judge against those that followed. I love Alec Guinness, he's one of my favorite actors of all time, but aside from being made to look like a carbon copy of Adolf Hitler, his performance lacks something that I can't quite put my finger on. All throughout the film, I saw other characters that he has portrayed over his illustrious career. When Hitler is throwing a tantrum, he comes across as a manic version of Jock Sinclair from Tunes of Glory. In pensive or laid back moments, he's Henry Holland from The Lavender Hill Mob. What I'm trying to say is this, he never comes across as anything other than Alec Guinness with a toothbrush mustache. The story itself, kind of plods along and there never ever seems to be a sense of desperation as the situation above ground in Berlin worsens. To be honest, it's a bit dull. I would only recommend it as a vehicle for comparing Bruno Ganz's excellent portrayal in Der Untergang.
Very intriguing and fascinating movie even though at times I was confused as to what was going on. It was like playing connect the dots... only the dots keep moving.
The message was clear... big business, more directly OIL business, dictates much of what happens in the world. Corruption, terrorism, political unrest, the removing of obstacles with extreme prejudice... all in a days work for the powers that be who jockey for control of the world's most valuable natural resource. Also, this movie does little to endear the viewer to the Arab oil barons whose obscene wealth is prominently on display. Clooney was good, Damon was good, Jeffrey Wright was great! Also I've never seen Tim Blake Nelson in a suit before and it was quite a shock to the system.
Great movie if not a bit confusing. Likely no more confusing than the real life double dealings employed by the oil companies.
Synopsis: Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader, Stargate, Boston Legal) is one of the Top 10 FBI Most Wanted. And one day he simply walks into the headquarters and gets himself "caught". He presents a proposal: He helps the FBI to catch some of the most dangerous people in the world - people the FBI sometimes doesn't even know about - and in exchange he gets to work with a young female FBI profiler of his choosing.
My Opinion: This is the first real hit for me. I only caught wind of the show shortly before the season began. I watched the trailer (see below) and was immediately sold. So far I watched the first three episodes and come to really like the show and its characters. I used to love puzzles but since TV writers don't really share my passion in the sense of that the final picture must be clear before you start I have given up trying to figure out any long-term mysteries on TV shows, for example what's really going on with Lizzy's husband. If the writers decide to, they will change his background halfway through the season anyway. * So I limit myself to watching and enjoying one episode at a time and see how the story unfolds. But there's one puzzle that's caught my attention: The true relationship between Red and Lizzy. It's is so blatantly obvious to any watcher that she is his daughter (whatever her official history says) that I can't help but wonder if it is in fact a red herring.
* Guess which show made me dislike such puzzles: LOST
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May 18, 2024, 08:09:48 PM
It was like playing connect the dots... only the dots keep moving.
