Deliverance review

 Number 515 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1972 thriller film 'Deliverance.'

Lewis (Burt Reynolds) Ed (Jon Voight) Bobby (Ned Beatty) and Drew (Ronny Cox) are four business men who want to canoe down the Cahulawassee river in Georgia before it's dammed up. Lewis and Ed are experienced outdoorsmen while Bobby and Drew are not. Although it first seems this will be a boy's day out, it soon turns into a nightmare journey of survival.

This is a film that started slowly; we see these four townies try and fail to ingratiate themselves with the locals. There is a banjo duel. Nothing too interesting. I was beginning to question my life choices, but then this film proved why it features on this coveted list.

Shit hits the fan when Ed and Bobby are held hostage and tortured by two sadistic mountain men. The rest of the film becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse. Lewis - Burt Reynolds in a star-making role, with his tough-man, survivalist persona is the hero of the first half of the film. However, after he becomes incapacitated Ed emerges as the unlikely hero. Jon Voight proved why he went onto win an Oscar only six years later.

The pace slows down again as our heroes return to civilisation despite director John Boorman's insistence that these scenes were vital to the film. Our heroes swear to keep the traumatic events of the last few days secret. And the film ends on one final image that has been paid homage to in many countless films. The film was also notable for its distinct lack of incidental music other than the iconic duelling banjos tune. Instead we are treated to silence and incidental sound effects which ramped the tension up to 100.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Deliverance. Yes, the beginning and the ending are slow-paced, but the bit-inbetween was terrific.

Ray review

 Number 522 on the top 1000 films of all time is the biographical musical drama 'Ray.'

Telling the real-life story of the blind R&B musician Ray Charles, Ray stars Jamie Foxx as the titular singer from his humble beginnings in rural Georgia to his touring on the Chitlin Circuit to his blending of Gospel and R&B and eventual rise to absolute superstar.

To echo Roger Ebert, it would be worth watching this just for the music alone. Ray Charles has done so many iconic songs from Hit the Road Jack to the gorgeous Georgia on My Mind. And it is the legendary Brother Ray who does all the singing in the film. Jamie Foxx didn't think he could ever do the Genius justice so elected to have all his singing dubbed. Although Jamie Foxx does play the piano, as well as the Ray Charles songs that he covered later in his career notably I got a Woman. 

But otherwise I thought Jamie Foxx was excellent as Ray Charles. He thoroughly deserved the Best Actor Oscar win for the part. He brought the legendary musician to life. At times I forgot I was watching an actor, Jamie Foxx was that convincing. The voice, the mannerisms were all completely on-point. 

Beyond that, Ray was a thoroughly interesting film. It helped to peel back the layers of such a legendary superstar. I don't know much about the singer, so it was fascinating learning about his heroin addiction that so plagued much of his life. No doubt this would have been a deeply sensitive topic, but it was treated with great sensitivity. Ray Charles was sent a braille version of the screenplay and he loved it, but sadly he died before he had a chance to attend a cinema screening. 

I've spoken about Jamie Foxx, but the rest of the cast were also very engrossing. I very much enjoyed Kerry Washington as Ray's wife Della Bea - she captured the morally conflicted wife wanting to support her tortured husband, but struggles in looking past his heroin habits.

I could have done without the expository transition slides and there could have been more distinction between Ray's various mistresses - I did get a bit mixed up at times, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed Ray. Ray Charles was a hell of a singer.