The Last Temptation of Christ review

 Number 659 on the top 1000 films of all time is Martin Scorsesee's epic religious-drama 'The Last Temptation of Christ.'

'The Last Temptation of Christ' is a semi-fictionalised retelling of the last days of Jesus Christ (Wilhelm Defoe) after he is betrayed by Judas (Harvey Keitel.) It portrays Jesus as battling against different temptations like love, sex and the devil himself.

Last Temptation felt like the wet fever dream of an American White Christian Nationalist. And Defoe's portrayal of Jesus Christ was like a crazed televangelist. Everything was just too surreal and bizarre to really take seriously. Although I enjoyed the original score which brought together traditional instrumentation and musicians from Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye and Armenia, they sounded like something I would hear in the throes of a fever.

This was only exacerbated with Defoe's very peculiar portrayal of Christ, not as some benevolent saviour of humanity, but as a revolutionary who would bring about the revelation whether humanity was prepared for it or not. It was all very much this is my army and this is my revolution. I'm almost surprised that he didn't go all Pete Hegseth and start talking about holy wars, warriors and crusades. However, perhaps some of this might be down to the writing.

Last Temptation was based on Nikos Kazantzaki' book of the same name. It was adapted by screenwriter Paul Schrader. Despite how he received the credit, most of his script, including all the dialogue was rewritten by Scorsesee himself as well as fellow writer Jay Cocks. Perhaps that's why all of the dialogue seemed over-the-top.

The film was also over-long at almost three hours with the last part of the film acting as a superfluously long denoument/epilogue. Of course, Scorsesee is the same director who went onto to direct the marathon-long 'The Irishman,' so long films shouldn't be a surprise to me. Yet the length of Last Temptatin wasn't justified. And the ending just stretched on forever. 

It was a bit like LOTR with its ten endings. Don't get me wrong, LOTR will always be a GOAT of cinema, but did we need ten endings? Similarly here, did we need a fever dream ending on top of a fever-dream film? Too many dreams. Too much dreaming. It was like I was watching Inception again.

This isn't even getting into all of the controversy about the film. Last Temptation severely angered the Catholic church for portraying Jesus getting it on with Mary Magadelene, but just like the film itself, this review is becoming long and surreal. I'll finish it by saying I didn't care for this film at all.

Harvey (1950) review

 Number 254 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1950 comedy-drama 'Harvey.'

Elwood Dowd (James Stewart) is a peculiar young man who lives with his aunt Veta Louise Simmons (Josephine Hull). What's so peculiar about him? He believes in a 6 foot tall white rabbit called Harvey. Harvey is his best friend, but he's imaginary. Considered a quack by his queers, it is possible that Elwood is wiser than us all.

In my last review, I reviewed the courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder starring James Stewart as the charming and whimsical lawyer Paul Biegler. However, Harvey, made a mere nine years earlier, lacked a lot oft he same charm and whimsy. Far from being a heart-warming, comedy drama, it was a soulless affair.

James Stewart lacked a lot of the charisma I saw him display in Anatomy of a Murder and the Philadelphia Story. Rather, with Elwood, he seemed to be in a mindless daze for the entire film. if anything, he was just a vessel for the imaginary Harvey. It wasn't the most compelling of characters or performances. I'm not really sure why he was nominated for an Oscar.

While Jimmy Stewart was nominated for an Oscar, Josephine Hull won for Best Supporting Actress. I was confused as to why Stewart was nominated, but I was shocked at how Hull won. Her performance was fine, but it was hardly Oscar-worthy. For one thing, she disappears halfway through the film only to reappear later. I know this was only a Supporting Oscar, but her screentime didn't seem to warrant such a prestigious award.

Going into this film, I was expecting this to be something similar to It's a Wonderful Life, where a character, in this case, Harvey, has an unexpected/unrealised effect on those around him. Yet, I saw little evidence of this. Dr Sanderson (Charles Drake) and Nurse Kelly (Peggy Dow) are a couple working at the sanitorium that Veta wants to commit Elwood to; it is also implied they are having marital problems. The head of the sanitorium Dr Charles (Cecil Kedaway) is lamentful that he never had a chance to holiday in Akron with a beautiful woman. However, after a supposed encounter with Harvey, the couple sort out their problems and Dr Chumley resolves to carry out his wish. Rubbish. There wasn't enough foundation for these emotional beats to land.

And I could very well say the same for the film Harvey. What should have been a fun feel-good affair left me feeling indifferent.

The Manchurian Candidate review

 Number 271 on the top 1000 films of all time is John Frankenheimer's 1962 neo-noir thriller 'The Manchurian Candidate.'

Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) is a decorated Korean war veteran returning home as a hero. Used by his mother Eleanor Islin (Angela Lansbury) and her partner Senator John Iselin (James Gregory,) as a pawn to advance John Iselin's political career, some suspect him of being a sleeper agent brainwashed by the enemy. None so more than his commanding officer Major Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra.)

This was a tense, gripping thriller. One thing that surprised me so much was the sheer lack of background music. Less confident film-makers than Frankenheimer might have been tempted to force music into the background of every single scene, regardless of that scene warrants music or not. I think of a couple of very famous directors who have a piece of pop music in every other scene. But this lack of music was a great device for generating tension. It kept the pace throttling along.

Speaking of music, The Manchurian Candidate had some serious star power with Frank Sinatra receiving the top billing. I've never really known him as an actor, but I thought he was very good in the role. Laurence Harvey also deserves some credit. I loved the initial scenes of him. Upon returning back to the US, there is a massive fanfare as he is awarded the Medal of Honour. His parents also lavish on the praise. But he quickly sees through their cynical facade, knowing that he is little more than a pawn to them. 

This struck a chord with me, as it is the case for many of our veterans now. When they're fighting and dying for us in foreign lands, they're heroes. But when they return home, many are forsaken with little to no government support. Many of them suffer from PTSD or other mental health issues, and with no support network, some of them end up on the streets. It's a terrible business.

I've spoken a lot about the men of the Manchurian Candidate, but they all paled in comparison to Angela Lansbury. As very much a Lady Macbeth character, she was a true Machiavellian mastermind, pulling the strings behind the scenes. She was an absolute powerhouse and surely one of the best parts of this film.

I very much enjoyed the Manchurian Candidate. It has excellent performances, not least from Angela Lansbury, but is also a damning indictment of how we treat our veterans after they come home from war.  

Mean Streets review

 Number 850 on the top 1000 films of all time is Martin Scorsese's directorial debut - the crime drama 'Mean Streets.'

Charlie Cappa (Harvey Keitel) is a low-ranking mafioso in New York. His best friend is the hot-headed Johnny Boy Civello (Robert De Niro.) Johnny Boy is reckless, aggressive and rude. He also owes a lot of money to many loansharks including the dangerous Michael Longo (Robert Romanus.) Cappa has to work hard to keep his friend out of trouble...and Johnny Boy gets into a lot of trouble - angering almost every gangster in the neighbourhood.

As well as being Scorsese's directorial debut, it also marked the start of his many collaborations with actors Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. Their relationship is at the heart of the film and the actors work brilliantly together. De Niro provides a chaotic, even manic energy which is balanced out by Keitel's straight-man approach. Johnny Boy antagonises every lone shark in the neighbourhood by stubbornly refusing to pay back his debts. As the film progresses, so does the tension and the drama. 

I certainly think you could argue that Mean Streets isn't always the most believable. No loan shark will give a little hot-head like Johnny Boy chance after chance to pay him back even if Charles Luciano was vouching for him. They might knock him around once or twice but if they don't get their money soon then they'll simply kill him. It is only at the end of the film that Michael Longo shoots Johnny Boy as punishment for not repaying his debts. And this happens as Johnny is attempting to drive to safety. And it's a botched attempt too. The car crashes and Johnny Boy stumbles to an uncertain fate. In reality, a loan shark would never let things get this out of hand. A loan shark would kill him earlier and far more efficiently than Michael Longo does. But this is a film, and not real life, so I'm prepared to suspend my disbelief. 

And I think that's because Scorsese creates such a fantastical world. Mean Streets, being Scorsese's first film, obviously didn't have the same budget as the Irishman or the Wolf of Wall Street, but Scorsese did well with what he had. He brought his world to life. And it is a dirty, gritty world. We are far away from the splendour and romance of the Godfather. It's grotty, ugly and unglamourous. But the best thing is that he presents this world without judgement. By completely immersing us in his world, he doesn't pass judgement on any of the characters living within it. Rather he allows the audience to judge for themselves. And I do judge Johnny Boy as a being an impetuous, little boy who would never measure up to the likes of the Corleones.

Also a quick shout out to the sound track. There were some great tunes that exemplified the sixties and the seventies. All of this helped provide some colour to a morally grey world.

If you're a Scorsese fan and you haven't already watched his directorial debut then what are you doing? It's a hell of a ride. Granted, not the most realistic of rides, but a great one nonetheless.