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Once Upon a Time in the West, a review by Antares

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) 100/100The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, is that GBU plays out solely like an action western. Once Upon a Time in the WestCarmen It would have bled irony, and given more time for Frank to realize who Harmonica was, as he fell forward into the dust of eternal darkness.

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on March 11th, 2019)

Sunset Blvd., a review by Antares

Sunset Blvd.





Year: 1950
Film Studio: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Drama
Length: 110 Min.

Director
Billy Wilder (1906)

Writing
Charles Brackett (1892)...Written By
Billy Wilder (1906)...Written By
D. M. Marshman Jr....Written By

Producer
Charles Brackett (1892)

Cinematographer
John F. Seitz (1892)

Music
Franz Waxman (1906)...Music Score

Stars
William Holden (1918) as Joseph C. 'Joe' Gillis
Gloria Swanson (1899) as Norma Desmond
Erich von Stroheim (1885) as Max Von Mayerling
Nancy Olson (1928) as Betty Schaefer
Fred Clark (1914) as Sheldrake
Lloyd Gough (1907) as Morino
Jack Webb (1920) as Artie Green
Franklyn Farnum (1878) as Undertaker - Chimp's Funeral

Review
       In 1950, two films would be released that painted a darker, more cynical picture of the entertainment industry, All about Eve and Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd.. The former would tell the tale of a ruthless and conniving actress who would stop at nothing to achieve the fame and star status that she had craved all her life. The latter would focus on the other end of the spectrum, a faded icon of the silent screen, discarded by Hollywood and forgotten by the viewing public. While All about Eve focuses primarily on one aspiring actresses' manipulative ascent to her desired throne, Sunset Blvd.Queen Kelly, was the flop that would begin Swanson's descent into obscurity and would be director Erich von Stroheim's personal Heavens Gate. He would run excessively over budget and would be eventually fired by the producer, who just happened to be Swanson. Years later he would take aim at the system that did not appreciate his artistic vision, and the result would be a quote that best describes this movie; "If you live in France and you have written one good book, or painted one good picture, or directed one outstanding film, fifty years ago, and nothing ever since, you are still recognized as an artist and honored accordingly. ... In Hollywood, you're as good as your last picture. If you didn't have one in production in the last three months you're forgotten, no matter what you have achieved ere this. It is that terrific, unfortunately necessary egotism in the makeup of the people who make the cinema; it is the continuous endeavor for recognition, that continuous struggle for survival and supremacy, among the newcomers, that relegates the old-timers to the ash-can." With the emergence of successful independent film companies creating artistic films that are competing financially and aesthetically against the big blockbuster projects in Hollywood today, had he been born 100 years later, I wonder how he would have fared?


Review Criterion
5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.

(From Sunset Blvd. (1950) on May 15th, 2010)

The X-Files Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

6. Shadows
Original Air Date: October 22, 1993
Mulder and Scully investigate a series of unusual murders committed by ghostly force.

Guest Stars:
Barry Primus as Robert Dorland
Lisa Waltz as Lauren Kyte
Lorena Gale as Ellen Bledsoe
Veena Sood as Ms. Saunders
Deryl Hayes as Webster

My Thoughts:
This one is a good episode with an interesting story. I liked seeing that guy getting hit by no one... and blood flying. Looked pretty cool.

My Rating:

(From The X-Files Marathon on March 28th, 2010)