Chinatown

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Artistic Experience
Review: I saw a PBS special on Production Designers (those who plan the overall look of the film), and I found out that the man who worked as Chinatown's Production Designer is considered a legend in Hollywood: Richard Sylbert.

According to Mr. Sylbert, the central design metaphor was decided to be "burnt grass" because the plot is centered on a drought crisis in Los Angeles. Indeed, the drought in Chinatown is both actual and spiritual in that the "pillar" of its society, Noah Cross, is finally exposed as pure evil.

This is an adult film (in the best sense of the word) and works perfectly at every level: acting, writing, musical score, production design and direction. I am hard pressed to think of any other film that matches it in its flawless artistic execution.

Rating:
Summary: One of my Top 5 Movies of all Time!
Review: As little as possible! That's the best advice I can give to people who haven't seen this film but going to. The payoff is so much more rewarding when you don't know anything about the movie. The last 20 minutes of the film is a rollercoaster ride, just when you thought it's over, it's not. Just when you thought you're going to leave the theater with a smile on your face, your not. This has to be one of the most memorable extended endings in the movie history together with Seven and Casablanca to name a few.

The performances are all phenomenal. Jack Nicholson gave the performance of his career. He gets to exhibit a range of emotions combining subtlety and intensity. Faye Dunaway has the perfect mystique to capture the character and she made it really touching and compelling especially towards the end of the movie. John Huston has the creepy evil vibe that's both disgusting and freaky.

But the real star of the movie is the screenplay of Robert Towne. This is the best screenplay in movie history. Period. Overflowing with style but not in any way pretentious, compelling and deeply moving without being sentimental, mind-boggling without being contrived, and memorable scenes all through the movie. Perfection. But of course huge credit should be given to Roman Polanski who combine all this film making aspects and turn into a masterpiece unparalleled in it's genre up to this time.

The DVD is a little disappointing, totally disrespected the film. A commentary would suffice but I guess we have to wait because this film is so much good it deserves better treatment in DVD. As little as possible shouldn't apply here!

Grade: A+

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Homage To Film Noir
Review: "Chinatown" was the signature achievement of Roman Ploanski's career before personal peccadilloes forced his flight from the United States. From an Oscar-winning script by Robert Towne, Polanski crafts an excellent noir set in thirties Los Angeles that evokes the milieu of Chandler and Hammett and also some of the better film noir of the forties. To give away the surprises of this film would be a big no-no. Needless to say it involves a private detective hired for a routine snoop job and uncovers along the way a water diversion plot, a land grab, murder and other nasty business. Jack Nicholson gives an effective performance here as detective Jake Gittes, simultaneous determined and befuddled in his attempts to uncover the truth. Faye Dunaway is equally good as Evelyn Mulwray, the mysterious daughter of an industrialist who is central to Gittes investigation. John Huston gives a towering performance in a supporting role as Noah Cross, the ruthless industrialist who is used to getting his way. Director Polanski also has a cameo here as a knife-wielding punk who confronts Gittes at a reservoir. You would think that a film of this stature would be given some decent extras on it's DVD issue, however, Paramount at the time used to pretty much release all of it's films as vanilla discs and charge $29.99 retail.