Tag Archives: Bruce Campbell

#66 Favorite Film, 1996 Films, Best Feature- Independent Spirit Award Winners, Bruce Campbell, Coen Brothers, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Frances McDormand, Harve Presnell, Independent, Independent Drama, John Carroll Lynch, José Feliciano, Peter Stormare, Steve Buscemi, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films, William H. Macy

Fargo-1996

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Fargo-1996

Director Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy

Top 250 Films #66

Scott’s Review #366

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Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Fargo (1996) is a treasure as far as I’m concerned, and the role that deservedly propelled Frances McDormand to the forefront of the film audience’s minds, not to mention a gold statue for Best Actress.

The film epitomizes dark humor and zany freshness during a time in cinema when originality was emerging, and independent films were gaining popularity.

Fargo led the pack.

The film suffers from derision from locals in and around the upper Midwest U.S.A. for its depiction of accents — perhaps overdone, but hysterical all the same.

Set against snowy, icy locales, the film effectively conveys a harsh, small-town atmosphere.

The introduction of a crime, initially done innocently, escalates out of control.

Fargo is a part caper, part thriller, and part adventure, and is a layered, cool film.

The fact that it’s 1987 is excellent. The cars, the Oldsmobile dealership, all work particularly well.

McDormand plays a local Police Chief, Marge Gunderson, who is very pregnant and stumbles upon the crime, slowly unraveling the mystery.

All the while, the character keeps her cool, cracks jokes, and delivers witty one-liners after another, presenting a slightly dim-witted image but brilliantly deducing aspects of the crime.

William H. Macy, largely unknown in 1996, is perfectly cast as a car salesman, Jerry Lundegaard.

Nervous and shaky, yet with down-home respectability, he hatches a plot to have his wife kidnapped, the ransom to be paid by her wealthy father, enabling Jerry to pay off an enormous embezzling debt, and splitting the money with the kidnappers.

Predictably, things go awry and spiral out of control.

I love how the film crosses genres and is tough to label- is it a crime drama, a thriller, or a comedy? A bit of each, which is the brilliance of it.

Fargo (1996) is an odd little piece of art and is remembered as one of the best films of the 1990s, making Frances McDormand a star.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director- Joel Coen, Best Actress- Frances McDormand (won), Best Supporting Actor- William H. Macy, Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (won), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 6 wins-Best Feature (won), Best Director- Joel Coen (won), Best Male Lead- William H. Macy (won), Best Female Lead- Frances McDormand (won), Best Screenplay (won), Best Cinematography (won)

2013 Films, Adventure, Betsy Baker, Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Fantasy, James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Robert Stromberg, Sam Raimi, Zach Braff

Oz The Great and Powerful-2013

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Oz The Great and Powerful-2013

Director Sam Raimi

Starring James Franco, Mila Kunis

Scott’s Review #433

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Reviewed June 30, 2016

Grade: B

Being a huge fan of the original The Wizard of Oz epic classic in 1939, I was interested in seeing this extension of the original version.

While it has its moments of charm and good old-fashioned adventure, it is ultimately good, but nothing great.

James Franco is fantastic as the Wizard of Oz, the highest point of the film,  and has great charisma in the role. He brings a fun flair and is quite appealing.

The witch characters are okay, but not terribly interesting or deeply explored. Further character depth might have been helpful as I did not notice much-rooting value for either of them.

On a positive note, I loved the first sequence, which was in black and white, true to the original, and the twister scene is impressively done.

The set/art design in this sequence and once the setting was Oz were beautifully done.

Toward the end of the film, though, the story becomes more of a silly fantasy action series that draws away from the heart of the original.

The first half of Oz The Great and Powerful (2013) excels, while the second half disappoints.

2013 Films, Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Fede Álvarez, Horror, Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez

Evil Dead-2013

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Evil Dead-2013

Director Fede Alvarez

Starring Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez

Scott’s Review #425

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Reviewed June 21, 2016

Grade: B

Having recently seen the original Evil Dead, directed by horror master Sam Raimi, from the early 1980s, the recent remake is fine but not as compelling as the original.

It’s hardly the most terrifying film you will ever experience either.

While the original was quite a low-budget film, the remake is very modern and glossy looking, though with only a tiny cast of characters.

The film is set almost entirely inside of a cabin in the middle of nowhere, at night, and has a wonderful mood and contains all the necessary horror elements.

A Book of the Dead is unearthed and one by one the youngsters are possessed by evil spirits.

The film is entertaining, has lots of well-done gore (loved the bathroom face-cutting scene), and while over-the-top, did not seem overly cartoonish.

It has fresh energy.

Some liberties are taken (in reality someone with a torn-off limb would not continue to walk around as if nothing happened).

There is a silly drug addiction subplot that feels unnecessary.

There are some genuine scares and all in all Evil Dead (2013) is an enjoyable horror movie-going experience.

1981 Films, Betsy Baker, Bruce Campbell, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Ellen Sandweiss, Horror, Horror-Camp, Independent, Independent Horror, Richard DeManincor, Sam Raimi, Theresa Tilly

The Evil Dead-1981

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The Evil Dead-1981

Director Sam Raimi

Starring Bruce Campbell

Scott’s Review #144

484369

Reviewed July 31, 2014

Grade: B+

For its time, The Evil Dead (1981) was a unique, creative, visually impressive horror classic, far different from the wave of mediocre slasher films of the era.

In the story, five teenagers head to a remote cabin in Tennessee for spring break.

From the beginning of the trip, there is trouble: they are almost killed in a head-on collision, their car almost falls off a rickety bridge, and, finally, at the cabin, they stumble upon a haunted book.

From this point, even stranger events unfold, and the haunting, crazy action begins.

Director Sam Raimi does an excellent job from a visual standpoint- the camera racing through the woods from the demon’s point of view is very effective and scary.

The ambiance is creepy- fog, mist, smoke, and the lighting is great.

The film has all the elements- darkness, a remote cabin, and woods coming alive for a genuinely scary horror flick.

Yes, the film seems a bit campy to watch now, but at the time, the special effects were brilliant.

My personal favorite is the long shot of the twitching, dismembered body and the various, hysterically funny chattering and gibberish among the demons.

The ending of the film is very well done.