tdeeho (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} tdeeho) wrote,@ 2009-01-15 15:14:00 |
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If there's one thing I know: PACINO!
I like many things, but the thing I probably know most about is Al Pacino. I've been a fan for so long. I think he's the best actor in the world.
Here's all the Pacino movies and my personal critique. The ones with the '+' signs are my personal favorites.
The 70's:
ME NATHALIE (**1/2)
Pacino just had one scene in this movie. A VERY short one. The movie is not that good. Although, it does has some very funny moments. It's kinda like a female Wonder Years, but louder.
To prove that I'm a HUGE Pacino fan, I'm probably the only one in Canada who owns this movie on VHS. The movie is EXTREMELY rare. I got it from a guy from Atlanta who owned a movie theater and still had the original Me, Nathalie reels in his basement. He put it on tape and sent it to me.
PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK (***1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VMjZyfy
This is considered one of the best drug movies ever made. It's also the first film to show drugs being taken in a graphic way. It's filmed in a cinema verite style that give the movie power. Al Pacino proved that he was a good actor with this movie and it made Francis Ford Coppola hire him for The Godfather.
THE GODFATHER (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAfWMr26
One of the best movies ever made. No need to go in depth about this movie. It's just perfect. A must see!
SCARECROW (***)
A good but flawed film. The performances are amazing. (especially Gene Hackman) This is the first movie to show Al Pacino's talents as a comedic actor. The film only flaw is that it's a little too self-important and pretentious.
SERPICO (***1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtTRYnsD
Al Pacino's first vehicle. This film is a classic and made Pacino into a huge star.
THE GODFATHER 2 (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyTDRf0e
In my opinion, I think this film is better than the first Godfather. It's more epic and sad. It's the first movie that had Al Pacino acting like a bad guy. (which he does so well) A must see!
DOG DAY AFTERNOON (***1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF1rtd8_
A classic. The best bank robbery film of all time most critics say. I agree with them. The only flaw this movie has at times is that it's pacing at times is a bit slow. But it's still a must see.
BOBBY DEERFIELD (***)
A lot of people hate this movie or find it boring, but I beg to differ. It's very european and slow, but it's never boring. I find this movie to be very beautiful and the script and the acting is amazing.
...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQzYNoLA
If there's a Pacino film that is always argued about in terms of saying it's a classic or not, it's '...And Justice for All'. In my opinion (and many fans opinions), it's one of Pacino's best movies. It deserves to be a classic. (NOTE: it's amazing that the final courtroom scene was filmed in ONE take!) A must see!
The 80's:
CRUISING (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x3infcA
Cruising was never a successful movie. It was always too heavily edited for my liking. but as the years went along, I (along with the general population) began to like/accept this movie. The movie is creepy as hell and very sure of it self. It's pretty powerful stuff at times. My only other complaint, other than the editing, is that the movie is a little too anti-gay at times.
AUTHOR AUTHOR (***1/2)
One of my personal favorite Pacino movies. The dialogue is so witty and funny. Author Author was a flop, but that was just because Pacino fans wanted him to do gangster pictures. But this is a great movie.
SCARFACE (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciF2CYn3
An iconic film and arguably Pacino's best character. Surprisingly, this movie wasn't a hit at first, but it's now considered a classic and Scarface merchandise sells more than any other film merchandise. A must see!
REVOLUTION (**1/2)
This movie is considered one of Al Pacino's worst. And I kinda agree with them. There's nothing worst than a bad movie that could of best great. This movie has everything in the right place, but horrible casting and editing made this movie into a failure. After this movie, Pacino retired from the screen for 4 years.
SEA OF LOVE (***1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DQJIoyq
This film was Al Pacino's comback. It was a film noir and had the perfect role for him.
Sea of Love and started the 'is the woman I love a murder?' that many film did in the early 90's.
The 90's:
THE LOCAL STIGMATIC (***)
This was a movie based on a play of the same name. Very enigmatic dialogue and a weird atmosphere makes the movie hard to understand, but after 3 viewings I started to understand it. Pacino didn't release this film until 2008 for his boxset.
DICK TRACY (**)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAHj3IsS
I never liked this movie. But the costumes/sets and Pacino's performance is what makes this watchable.
GODFATHER 3 (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCAcWDDP
A lot of people complain about this movie saying that it's not as good as the other two. While I agree that Sophia Coppola's acting is bad, I still think this is as good as the others. The plot is interesting and this film has a lot of good scenes. A lot of them surpassing the others Godfathers. A must see!
FRANKIE AND JOHNNY (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS_5oooC
A sweet romantic comedy. The performances are great and I can see why it was a hit. But lately I read up on it and this movie was based on a play in the which the characters were originally supposed to be ugly. This little casting change would have made this movie better and more real.
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgAU2RJH
Great dialogue. Funny as hell. Maybe the best cast ever on film. One of my favorites. A must see!
SCENT OF A WOMAN (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYA2Us8o
A lot of people pick on Pacino's performance in this movie. Probably because it's so great and over the top. He finally one an Oscar for the performance. It's a great film and one of my favorites. A must see!
CARLITO'S WAY (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Jw2F77
Every Pacino fan has a personal favorite, and Carlito's Way always seems to be it. This was the first movie I saw with Pacino in it, and from then on I was hooked. It's an amazing movie and a must see for those who like gangster pictures.
TWO BITS (**1/2)
Not bad movie. A little too subtle. And it's clear it wants to rip off 'Cinema Paradiso'. An adequate movie.
HEAT (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbBLJ1W
Finally, after all these years, Heat is considered a classic. In my opinion it's one of the best movies ever made and maybe the best cops and robbers movie ever made. Michael Mann at his best. A must see!
CITY HALL (***)
A good movie that could of been great. The performances are amazing. But the movie suffers from pacing and an obvious ending.
LOOKING FOR RICHARD (****)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq7-fVED
A great documentary about the play Richard III and how Pacino relates to it. Pacino's directorial debut.
DONNIE BRASCO (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShM8bGKV
Yet another great Pacino gangster picture. One of my favs. A must see!
THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpkTjtmu
A lot of people REALLY like this movie and consider it one of Pacino's best, but I beg to differ. It's a good movie. And Pacino is fantastic in it, but as a thriller it has it's flaws. The bottom line is next to Pacino's other movies he was doing at the time, this was average to great.
THE INSIDER (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zHUTfgx
This was nominated for best film of the year. It's a great Micheal Mann movie and the preformances are top notch. Especially Russell Crowe. A must see!
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ijP87T6
In my opinion, this movie is sorely underrated. I think it's one of Oliver Stone's best films. And it's probably the best sports movie ever made. The performances and the casting is fantastic. A must see!
The 2000's:
CHINESE COFFEE (****) +
It's very unfortunate that Pacino didn't release this film. (you can only see it if you buy his boxset) It's one of his best movies and a personal favorite of mine. A must see!
INSOMNIA (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_mETVs
Christopher Nolan has done it again! This movie is fucking great! It's a remake and it's a lot better than the original. One of my favorites and a must see!
S1MONE (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=salcZxws
A good comedy that should of been great. This movie has so many clever elements in it that it's a shame that the movie fell apart during the last 20 minutes.
PEOPLE I KNOW (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df0n7Wex
This is one movie that I find very confusing: I love this movie because of the acting and what it's about, but I feel that there's something missing. It's strange. I guess, the movie is just too subtle.
THE RECRUIT (**1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4oTLmG2
A very entertaining movie, but a little too dumb for my taste. Especially since Pacino is in it. I know that a lot of people like this movie, and I can see why, but I just find it could of been better. Smarter even.
GIGLI (**)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-7iv6-8
The universally panned movie that everybody loves to hate. (even if they've never watched it) I've seen it, and here's the deal: the movie is not that good, but it's far from horrible. It has great performances and great dialogue, but yes, a lot of things are not very successful. My favorite: Ben kidnaps a retarded kid and decides to drive around town with him for a few days while he has the car top down. Pacino has just one scene.
ANGELS IN AMERICA (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTDcbJcC
An HBO movie, and one of the prettiest smartest movies ever made. The cast and the script is fantastic! A must see!
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (****)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdbzRtxV
The best Shakespeare film adaption ever made. It's a crime that the academy didn't nominate this film as best picture. It deserves it. A must see!
TWO FOR THE MONEY (***1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtKTG0DE
If there's a movie that I seem to argue about the most, it's this one. I (along with Roger Ebert) thinks this movie is great, but there's a lot of people who don't like it. It has smart dialogue and the performances are fantastic. It's based on a true story.
88 MINUTES (*1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPtuR3T_
In my opinion, this is the worst Pacino film ever made. He will not be able to beat this one in badness. It's so bad.
OCEAN'S 13 (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-EyG12L
I didn't like the fact that Pacino took this role since I feel he's too good for these kind of movies. The film is pretty good (not as good as the first part, but better than the second one) but it feels unnecessary.
RIGHTEOUS KILL (**)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5ON67d7
From the same director who brought you 88 Minutes, we have this movie. Is it as bad as 88 Minutes? No, but it's not good either. It's pretty flat screenplay-wise and the only redeeming factor the film has is that it stars Pacino and Robert Deniro.
I like many things, but the thing I probably know most about is Al Pacino. I've been a fan for so long. I think he's the best actor in the world.
Here's all the Pacino movies and my personal critique. The ones with the '+' signs are my personal favorites.
The 70's:
ME NATHALIE (**1/2)
Pacino just had one scene in this movie. A VERY short one. The movie is not that good. Although, it does has some very funny moments. It's kinda like a female Wonder Years, but louder.
To prove that I'm a HUGE Pacino fan, I'm probably the only one in Canada who owns this movie on VHS. The movie is EXTREMELY rare. I got it from a guy from Atlanta who owned a movie theater and still had the original Me, Nathalie reels in his basement. He put it on tape and sent it to me.
PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK (***1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VMjZyfy
This is considered one of the best drug movies ever made. It's also the first film to show drugs being taken in a graphic way. It's filmed in a cinema verite style that give the movie power. Al Pacino proved that he was a good actor with this movie and it made Francis Ford Coppola hire him for The Godfather.
THE GODFATHER (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAfWMr26
One of the best movies ever made. No need to go in depth about this movie. It's just perfect. A must see!
SCARECROW (***)
A good but flawed film. The performances are amazing. (especially Gene Hackman) This is the first movie to show Al Pacino's talents as a comedic actor. The film only flaw is that it's a little too self-important and pretentious.
SERPICO (***1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtTRYnsD
Al Pacino's first vehicle. This film is a classic and made Pacino into a huge star.
THE GODFATHER 2 (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyTDRf0e
In my opinion, I think this film is better than the first Godfather. It's more epic and sad. It's the first movie that had Al Pacino acting like a bad guy. (which he does so well) A must see!
DOG DAY AFTERNOON (***1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF1rtd8_
A classic. The best bank robbery film of all time most critics say. I agree with them. The only flaw this movie has at times is that it's pacing at times is a bit slow. But it's still a must see.
BOBBY DEERFIELD (***)
A lot of people hate this movie or find it boring, but I beg to differ. It's very european and slow, but it's never boring. I find this movie to be very beautiful and the script and the acting is amazing.
...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQzYNoLA
If there's a Pacino film that is always argued about in terms of saying it's a classic or not, it's '...And Justice for All'. In my opinion (and many fans opinions), it's one of Pacino's best movies. It deserves to be a classic. (NOTE: it's amazing that the final courtroom scene was filmed in ONE take!) A must see!
The 80's:
CRUISING (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x3infcA
Cruising was never a successful movie. It was always too heavily edited for my liking. but as the years went along, I (along with the general population) began to like/accept this movie. The movie is creepy as hell and very sure of it self. It's pretty powerful stuff at times. My only other complaint, other than the editing, is that the movie is a little too anti-gay at times.
AUTHOR AUTHOR (***1/2)
One of my personal favorite Pacino movies. The dialogue is so witty and funny. Author Author was a flop, but that was just because Pacino fans wanted him to do gangster pictures. But this is a great movie.
SCARFACE (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciF2CYn3
An iconic film and arguably Pacino's best character. Surprisingly, this movie wasn't a hit at first, but it's now considered a classic and Scarface merchandise sells more than any other film merchandise. A must see!
REVOLUTION (**1/2)
This movie is considered one of Al Pacino's worst. And I kinda agree with them. There's nothing worst than a bad movie that could of best great. This movie has everything in the right place, but horrible casting and editing made this movie into a failure. After this movie, Pacino retired from the screen for 4 years.
SEA OF LOVE (***1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DQJIoyq
This film was Al Pacino's comback. It was a film noir and had the perfect role for him.
Sea of Love and started the 'is the woman I love a murder?' that many film did in the early 90's.
The 90's:
THE LOCAL STIGMATIC (***)
This was a movie based on a play of the same name. Very enigmatic dialogue and a weird atmosphere makes the movie hard to understand, but after 3 viewings I started to understand it. Pacino didn't release this film until 2008 for his boxset.
DICK TRACY (**)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAHj3IsS
I never liked this movie. But the costumes/sets and Pacino's performance is what makes this watchable.
GODFATHER 3 (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCAcWDDP
A lot of people complain about this movie saying that it's not as good as the other two. While I agree that Sophia Coppola's acting is bad, I still think this is as good as the others. The plot is interesting and this film has a lot of good scenes. A lot of them surpassing the others Godfathers. A must see!
FRANKIE AND JOHNNY (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS_5oooC
A sweet romantic comedy. The performances are great and I can see why it was a hit. But lately I read up on it and this movie was based on a play in the which the characters were originally supposed to be ugly. This little casting change would have made this movie better and more real.
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgAU2RJH
Great dialogue. Funny as hell. Maybe the best cast ever on film. One of my favorites. A must see!
SCENT OF A WOMAN (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYA2Us8o
A lot of people pick on Pacino's performance in this movie. Probably because it's so great and over the top. He finally one an Oscar for the performance. It's a great film and one of my favorites. A must see!
CARLITO'S WAY (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Jw2F77
Every Pacino fan has a personal favorite, and Carlito's Way always seems to be it. This was the first movie I saw with Pacino in it, and from then on I was hooked. It's an amazing movie and a must see for those who like gangster pictures.
TWO BITS (**1/2)
Not bad movie. A little too subtle. And it's clear it wants to rip off 'Cinema Paradiso'. An adequate movie.
HEAT (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbBLJ1W
Finally, after all these years, Heat is considered a classic. In my opinion it's one of the best movies ever made and maybe the best cops and robbers movie ever made. Michael Mann at his best. A must see!
CITY HALL (***)
A good movie that could of been great. The performances are amazing. But the movie suffers from pacing and an obvious ending.
LOOKING FOR RICHARD (****)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq7-fVED
A great documentary about the play Richard III and how Pacino relates to it. Pacino's directorial debut.
DONNIE BRASCO (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShM8bGKV
Yet another great Pacino gangster picture. One of my favs. A must see!
THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpkTjtmu
A lot of people REALLY like this movie and consider it one of Pacino's best, but I beg to differ. It's a good movie. And Pacino is fantastic in it, but as a thriller it has it's flaws. The bottom line is next to Pacino's other movies he was doing at the time, this was average to great.
THE INSIDER (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zHUTfgx
This was nominated for best film of the year. It's a great Micheal Mann movie and the preformances are top notch. Especially Russell Crowe. A must see!
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ijP87T6
In my opinion, this movie is sorely underrated. I think it's one of Oliver Stone's best films. And it's probably the best sports movie ever made. The performances and the casting is fantastic. A must see!
The 2000's:
CHINESE COFFEE (****) +
It's very unfortunate that Pacino didn't release this film. (you can only see it if you buy his boxset) It's one of his best movies and a personal favorite of mine. A must see!
INSOMNIA (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_mETVs
Christopher Nolan has done it again! This movie is fucking great! It's a remake and it's a lot better than the original. One of my favorites and a must see!
S1MONE (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=salcZxws
A good comedy that should of been great. This movie has so many clever elements in it that it's a shame that the movie fell apart during the last 20 minutes.
PEOPLE I KNOW (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df0n7Wex
This is one movie that I find very confusing: I love this movie because of the acting and what it's about, but I feel that there's something missing. It's strange. I guess, the movie is just too subtle.
THE RECRUIT (**1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4oTLmG2
A very entertaining movie, but a little too dumb for my taste. Especially since Pacino is in it. I know that a lot of people like this movie, and I can see why, but I just find it could of been better. Smarter even.
GIGLI (**)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-7iv6-8
The universally panned movie that everybody loves to hate. (even if they've never watched it) I've seen it, and here's the deal: the movie is not that good, but it's far from horrible. It has great performances and great dialogue, but yes, a lot of things are not very successful. My favorite: Ben kidnaps a retarded kid and decides to drive around town with him for a few days while he has the car top down. Pacino has just one scene.
ANGELS IN AMERICA (****) +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTDcbJcC
An HBO movie, and one of the prettiest smartest movies ever made. The cast and the script is fantastic! A must see!
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (****)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdbzRtxV
The best Shakespeare film adaption ever made. It's a crime that the academy didn't nominate this film as best picture. It deserves it. A must see!
TWO FOR THE MONEY (***1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtKTG0DE
If there's a movie that I seem to argue about the most, it's this one. I (along with Roger Ebert) thinks this movie is great, but there's a lot of people who don't like it. It has smart dialogue and the performances are fantastic. It's based on a true story.
88 MINUTES (*1/2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPtuR3T_
In my opinion, this is the worst Pacino film ever made. He will not be able to beat this one in badness. It's so bad.
OCEAN'S 13 (***)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-EyG12L
I didn't like the fact that Pacino took this role since I feel he's too good for these kind of movies. The film is pretty good (not as good as the first part, but better than the second one) but it feels unnecessary.
RIGHTEOUS KILL (**)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5ON67d7
From the same director who brought you 88 Minutes, we have this movie. Is it as bad as 88 Minutes? No, but it's not good either. It's pretty flat screenplay-wise and the only redeeming factor the film has is that it stars Pacino and Robert Deniro.
