Post by Quorthon on Dec 20, 2005 17:33:57 GMT -5
Falling Down
Drama
1993
Color
MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Ever have one of those days where you just must’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed and every little thing just seems to irritate the hell outta you until you just can’t handle it all anymore and pretty soon… yah snap?
And then, you feel really refreshed for a moment… And then everything just gradually, somehow, incredibly… gets worse?
That’s Falling Down. “A Tale of Urban Reality.”
Michael Douglas stars as the guy that just can’t take it anymore. But he doesn’t just snap. He calmly goes berserk through Los Angeles. All he wants to do is see his little girl on her birthday. So he walks away from his car, leaving it stranded on a busy highway so he can meander through the city to go see his daughter. And along the way, he meets countless interesting jerks and pricks and gradually takes revenge on the world that has so thoroughly screwed him and left him broken. Robert Duvall plays “the desk cop on his last day” who’s seeing connections between spots of random lunacy as they crop up in a straight line in the city. It’s all uphill from there, right?
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--This is a rare film and one to be applauded for it’s stark raving visualization of a broken-down middle-aged white man. In this day and age of rampant, raging political correctness, here we have a film following someone screwed by the system—who isn’t a minority. It lends to the idea that society itself has dealt the protagonist a mighty blow. Okay, to some people, this sounds stupid, I’ve met them. “Oh the poor white man!! (sarcasm, followed by:) Who gives a fuck?” Well, for one, white guys that have lived in a system that prides itself on helping everyone but heterosexual healthy white males—the ones blamed for everyone else’s misfortunes—this is a film of pride and sorrow. It hits home. Down on your luck and it just gets worse and no one wants to fight for you—the white man. Left to fend for yourself in a system increasingly against you—the white man. Down on your luck and no way out. So, granted, this film has a small audience, but that doesn’t lessen the impact of the story—and that’s my top spot here for The Good—this film has some balls on it.
--Within about five minutes, your eyes widen and you wonder just how far this film will go to show how on the end of his rope, Michael Douglas’s character, known only as D-FENS is. The outburst he exhibits from being charged 85 cents for a can of pop gets the movie off to a great start—one which helps hold attention.
--Excellent acting through and through. Douglas hits all the right notes and buttons from agitation to confusion, he exhibits, not just traits growing in our modern, busy-as-hell yuppie white middle-aged males, but also a frustration that can be shared by most all people for the little things here and there that pick and bite at our stress tolerances.
--Surprising, shocking, and funny scenes crop up throughout the film—though they aren’t “ha ha” funny so much as they are very entertaining. Just watch the scene in Whammy Burger and tell me that’s not as funny as it is tense.
--Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall are both top notch in their performances. We have quite a bit of depth in both of them and get to know them quite well. We’re introduced to their minds and ways and the problems they’ve experiences which have dominated their lives and the different ways they’ve handled all that life has done to them.
--Some great dialog, simply beautiful. No, the words aren’t pretty, but the phrases really grab your attention—and several are really quite amusing. “What’s that? Pills? You’re pills are in the cart? Well what can I do? Now aren’t you sorry you didn’t let me pass through your golf course? And now you’re gonna die wearing that stupid little hat.”
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--The music and cinematography are about average, nothing overly special.
--The “desk cop out to solve one last mystery” does feel kind of cliché, however, Robert Duvall carries the character extremely well—and is immensely likable. Both main characters are done so well that part of me rooted for one and part of me rooted for the other. Perhaps, in the end… maybe they could “get each other…?”
The Bad:
--Like I said, this really feels like a film to grant some strength and pride to white guys as well as sympathize with them. I’ve personally had my own “screwing over by the system,” so this film still resonates with me. But a lot of people will just be annoyed by the message and tale.
The Ugly:
--Some possible stereotyping going on here and there. Nothing major.
--That Nazi is quite a fellow. Quite a slimy fellow.
Memorable Scene:
--“But I want to order breakfast”
“I’m sorry, but we stopped serving breakfast a few minutes ago.”
Acting: 9/10
Story: 9/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Character Development: 9/10
Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10 (it’s hard to do gunshots wrong, nothing major)
Nudity/Sexuality: 0/10 (nothing to note)
Violence/Gore: 6/10 (some violence, no gore)
Dialogue: 10/10
Music: 6/10
Direction: 9/10
Cheesiness: 1/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 9/10
I really enjoy this film, pretty much everything about it is entertaining and eye-catching. But then, hey, I’m a white male with a problem with “the system” these days. So of course it appeals to me. I’ll recommend it, but be warned, it’s a good movie but not for everyone. It’s kind of a “dude flick” for disenfranchised, angry white guys. Top notch performances from Douglas and Duvall. For the most part, women may not care for it.
Drama
1993
Color
MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Ever have one of those days where you just must’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed and every little thing just seems to irritate the hell outta you until you just can’t handle it all anymore and pretty soon… yah snap?
And then, you feel really refreshed for a moment… And then everything just gradually, somehow, incredibly… gets worse?
That’s Falling Down. “A Tale of Urban Reality.”
Michael Douglas stars as the guy that just can’t take it anymore. But he doesn’t just snap. He calmly goes berserk through Los Angeles. All he wants to do is see his little girl on her birthday. So he walks away from his car, leaving it stranded on a busy highway so he can meander through the city to go see his daughter. And along the way, he meets countless interesting jerks and pricks and gradually takes revenge on the world that has so thoroughly screwed him and left him broken. Robert Duvall plays “the desk cop on his last day” who’s seeing connections between spots of random lunacy as they crop up in a straight line in the city. It’s all uphill from there, right?
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--This is a rare film and one to be applauded for it’s stark raving visualization of a broken-down middle-aged white man. In this day and age of rampant, raging political correctness, here we have a film following someone screwed by the system—who isn’t a minority. It lends to the idea that society itself has dealt the protagonist a mighty blow. Okay, to some people, this sounds stupid, I’ve met them. “Oh the poor white man!! (sarcasm, followed by:) Who gives a fuck?” Well, for one, white guys that have lived in a system that prides itself on helping everyone but heterosexual healthy white males—the ones blamed for everyone else’s misfortunes—this is a film of pride and sorrow. It hits home. Down on your luck and it just gets worse and no one wants to fight for you—the white man. Left to fend for yourself in a system increasingly against you—the white man. Down on your luck and no way out. So, granted, this film has a small audience, but that doesn’t lessen the impact of the story—and that’s my top spot here for The Good—this film has some balls on it.
--Within about five minutes, your eyes widen and you wonder just how far this film will go to show how on the end of his rope, Michael Douglas’s character, known only as D-FENS is. The outburst he exhibits from being charged 85 cents for a can of pop gets the movie off to a great start—one which helps hold attention.
--Excellent acting through and through. Douglas hits all the right notes and buttons from agitation to confusion, he exhibits, not just traits growing in our modern, busy-as-hell yuppie white middle-aged males, but also a frustration that can be shared by most all people for the little things here and there that pick and bite at our stress tolerances.
--Surprising, shocking, and funny scenes crop up throughout the film—though they aren’t “ha ha” funny so much as they are very entertaining. Just watch the scene in Whammy Burger and tell me that’s not as funny as it is tense.
--Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall are both top notch in their performances. We have quite a bit of depth in both of them and get to know them quite well. We’re introduced to their minds and ways and the problems they’ve experiences which have dominated their lives and the different ways they’ve handled all that life has done to them.
--Some great dialog, simply beautiful. No, the words aren’t pretty, but the phrases really grab your attention—and several are really quite amusing. “What’s that? Pills? You’re pills are in the cart? Well what can I do? Now aren’t you sorry you didn’t let me pass through your golf course? And now you’re gonna die wearing that stupid little hat.”
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--The music and cinematography are about average, nothing overly special.
--The “desk cop out to solve one last mystery” does feel kind of cliché, however, Robert Duvall carries the character extremely well—and is immensely likable. Both main characters are done so well that part of me rooted for one and part of me rooted for the other. Perhaps, in the end… maybe they could “get each other…?”
The Bad:
--Like I said, this really feels like a film to grant some strength and pride to white guys as well as sympathize with them. I’ve personally had my own “screwing over by the system,” so this film still resonates with me. But a lot of people will just be annoyed by the message and tale.
The Ugly:
--Some possible stereotyping going on here and there. Nothing major.
--That Nazi is quite a fellow. Quite a slimy fellow.
Memorable Scene:
--“But I want to order breakfast”
“I’m sorry, but we stopped serving breakfast a few minutes ago.”
Acting: 9/10
Story: 9/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Character Development: 9/10
Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10 (it’s hard to do gunshots wrong, nothing major)
Nudity/Sexuality: 0/10 (nothing to note)
Violence/Gore: 6/10 (some violence, no gore)
Dialogue: 10/10
Music: 6/10
Direction: 9/10
Cheesiness: 1/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 9/10
I really enjoy this film, pretty much everything about it is entertaining and eye-catching. But then, hey, I’m a white male with a problem with “the system” these days. So of course it appeals to me. I’ll recommend it, but be warned, it’s a good movie but not for everyone. It’s kind of a “dude flick” for disenfranchised, angry white guys. Top notch performances from Douglas and Duvall. For the most part, women may not care for it.
