Rating: 
Summary: Watchable, but not really very good
Review: I recently got through watching the core of Dario Argento's work(75-87), and was sufficiently impressed that I decided to immediately check out some of his less acclaimed work. First I viewed Two Evil Eyes, and was surprised by how good his segment was, and felt it was nearly equal to some of his very best work. Next I viewed this film, Sleepless, and well, I think the title of the review pretty much says it all. I don't demand my time back, I may check it out again some day, but as of right now I'm not terribly excited about this film. On the plus side, it's got a really cool soundtrack, and is quite extraordinarily brutal and gory, more so than any of his other films.(It's no surprise that it's unrated) The soundtrack is by Goblin, and is quite reminscent of their classic work, particularly for Deep Red, but with more actual instruments and fewer synths.(and far more natural sounding synths too, for the most part) I've heard them score 8 movies, I believe, and generally find there work to be quite good,(if somewhat flawed), and this is definitely some of there very best work. The rest of the film, however, is either average or subpar.
Sadly, the film is largely lacking in the style department. The set design is fairly conventional, and there isn't a whole helluva a lot of interesting camerawork. (Though a widescreen version would certainly be more impressive in this regard.) Quite a few perspective shots, but not that much else, and those aren't terribly exciting anymore. Furthermore, many of the kills are very straightforward and conventional, with little buildup or flare. Still, it has it's moments. The double murder early in the film, both on a train and at the station is easily the best. More stylish than any of the other kills, and it actually has a long, reasonably suspenseful buildup. Sadly, the actresses portraying the two victims are quite bad, which brings it down a bit, but it's quite an effective section nevertheless. Also, the decapitation murder is done very well, with a nice long shot moving across a rug for extraordinarily long time whlie the Goblin score pounds away. As it ends we see the victim's shadow, seemingly suspended in the air, and then see the decapitated head plop on the ground. Definitely a grisly and effective scene. Despite there relative lack of style, most of the other murder scenes are at least fairly effective through their brutal, disturbing nature. We have some horrific stabbings, drowning, face-smashing, pen-jabbing, a really nasty gunshot wound and, worst and weirdest of all, the old english horn repeatedly smashed into the mouth bit. Still, the brutal nature of much of the violence in Argento's earlier films was made far more effective by the beautiful, highly artistic nature of the film surrounding the violence, or even the violence itself. Sleepless largely lacks this contrast, and suffers for it. Also, the effects aren't nearly as convincing as you'd hope for such a recent film, but they work pretty well anyway.
The murder-mystery is of no great interest. For the most part, people just sit around and talk, waiting for the next murder or the next break in the case, rather than doing all that much actual investigating. The characters themselves are of no great interest either. Max Von Sydow gives the best performance, as a retired detective drawn back into work by the murder's in the film, which seem to be a continuation of a supposedly solved case which he worked on nearly 20 years earlier. Other than that the performances are pretty hit and miss, and never all that great. The 2 first victims are particularly bad, as is the homeless man Leone, and a witness who attempts to extort money from the killer. Most everyone else is at least passable, though no one is really sympathetic at all, other than Von Sydow's character.(and he isn't all that likable, really)
If you've seen and liked Opera, Deep Red, and Tenebre you might as well check this out. You'll probably enjoy, even if you're not likely to be terribly impressed. Worth a look for Argento fans, but definitely want to rent it, if at all possible. Definitely not the first Argento film you should see.
Rating:
Summary: Read this before buying this DVD
Review: If you are an Argento fan (like me) and are intent on owning this film on DVD, then do yourself a favor keep reading. I went to www.amazon.co.uk and bought the movie there. It comes as a two DVD set with all kinds of goodies, including the documentary "Dario Argento, An Eye for Horror". This European issue also has a much better quality transfer than is currently available here in the US version. It has 5.1 Dolby Digital sound and unlike the edited down US release, this copy contains the full 117-minute film shown in 1.85:1 widescreen. The Amazon UK site mistakenly states that the DVD is Region 2, but it appears that the DVD is in fact Region Free. I have a Region 1 DVD player and it plays fine. One UK reviewer did mention that the DVD is in fact Region Free.Now for the film. It's not a bad movie, but I would rate it as mediocre for the genre. It's certainly not Dario's best effort, but there are still lots of good scares. Argento returns to his use of vivid color themes, and though not as dramatic as in some of his earlier films, the technique still makes for interesting cinema. "Sleepless" also marks the return of "Goblin" to an Argento soundtrack. This provides one element that has certainly been missed in recent Argento films. The movie wastes no time in getting things going with a highly suspenseful and sexually charged opening scene. As the "Italian Hitchcock", Argento once again proves that he currently has no equals in the creation of pure suspense! Unfortunately, after that initial intense 20 minute beginning, the film begins to fade a bit and never quite seems to make it back to those levels. Finally, there is Max Von Sydow. Not much can be said given his illustrious carrer. I'm a big Von Sydow fan, but he is almost too talented for this film! He is a very high quality actor trapped in a somewhat shallow role. All the other actors and characters in this film seem pale by comparison. If you're new to Argento or just exploring; then go for Tenbre, Deep Red, Phenomena, or Suspiria. If your a big Argento fan, make sure to order from Amazon.co.uk!
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Disappointed
Review: Is this the beginning of some sort of trend? I've been collecting DVDs since the format debuted, and I've been quite happy to see that even smaller titles have been available in widescreen. Now that the format is becoming incredibly popular, there seems to be a trend to go with P&S on some titles (family, horror, etc.) DVD is not just another video format, it's a way to preserve films as they should be seen, and as such should always represent the most complete version of the film. There's just no excuse for cropping and chopping the movie to fit a soon-to-be-obsolete tv format.
Rating: 
Summary: "Sleepless" is one of Argento's best movies!
Review: It's been almost a decade since Dario Argento released his last good movie ("Opera"), and although "Sleepless" is no masterpiece like "Profondo Rosso", "Suspiria" or "Tenebrae", it is a most welcome return to form for Argento. It's nice to see that in this day and age Argento can still make a disturbing and entertaining movie like he once used to (John Carpenter eat your heart out!), so now we can finally forgive him for his previous outings.
"Sleepless" contains a sublime Goblin score, extremely bloody murders, exquisite camerawork, an okay cast (contrary to what most people believe, "Sleepless" was recorded on-set in English, with most actors being redubbed for the Italian version) and a typical Argento storyline that doesn't make much sense, but is always tremendously enjoyable. All these ingredients contribute to make this an excellent vintage Argento movie.
I'm not going to mix myself in the Artisan-release debate. All you need to know is that the DVD version released in the UK by MIA is in glorious widescreen and uncut, and features a second disc with the one-hour documentary "Dario Argento - An Eye for Terror" on it! Even better: the discs are Region Free! Still, in my opinion, "Sleepless" truly deserved a release on the big screen, to be appreciated by both Argentophiles and horrorfans interested in discovering what this Master Of The Giallo is all about! Enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: WARNING NOT WIDESCREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: My rating isn't for the film, we all know that the film is a 5 star film. What my rating is for is Artisan's (terrible) decision to put it in PAN AND SCAN not full frame. FULL FRAME refers to movie that were shot in 1.33:2 ratio like many of Stanley Kubrick's movie. In full frame you will see more on the top and bottom. In pan and scan you lose picture on the sides, like in this one. These ppl(Artisan) are complete idiots and they did the same thing with ginger snaps. i'm boycotting artisan. If Fartisan won't respect the integrity of a film's composition that they are releasing then they shouldn't be in the business of producing DVD's. It's the year 2002 and pan and scan dvd's should not be tolerated just because some idiots at blockbuster think they are "losing the picture" in widescreen. If they don't want widescreen then they shoul go back to VHS.
Rating:
Summary: WHY DON'T I READ THE REVIEWS!!?!??!
Review: No Widescreen? Golfball sized grain? Editing that looks like it was done with a meatcleaver held in the pudgy fist of Emeril? YES! It is ALL HERE! Artisan does it again as they prove they are to great horror films what Madacy is to public domain! Please film producers, we implore you--DO NOT LICENSE YOUR FILMS TO ARTISAN! They'll only be returned like the full screen atrocity I purchased and no one will be pleased. License your films to Anchor Bay, heck, even Synapse, at least Argento, one of the last of our beloved Italian giallo manufacturers, will get the respect--and releases--he deserves!
Rating:
Summary: Welcome back, Argento!
Review: Non Ho Sonno (Dario Argento, 2001) Dario Argento moves back to giallo, which seems to have distressed a number of reviewers. He also didn't take himself or the film too seriously, which seems to have distressed even more (one of the early gimmicks for the film was posting polls on its website asking the fans which methods of offing his characters they'd most like to see). Somewhat depressing, because they're missing all the fun of this minor gem. To be fair, though, the fans don't seem to be listening; this is Argento's first film that's been widely available in America since its video release in a number of years (possibly going back as far as 1983's Creepers). Someone had to decide it needed to be on the new release shelf at your local vidshack. And more power to 'em. Non Ho Sonno is the story of Giacomo (Stefano Dionisi, probably best known to American audiences from The Loss of Sexual Innocence), whose mother was murdered twenty years before by a psychopath known as the Killer Dwarf. (Yes, you heard me right.) At the time, detective Ulisse Moretti (Max von Sydow) promised the young Giacomo he'd find the killer, even if it took him his whole life. Well, it didn't take that long; the alleged Killer Dwarf, a friend of Giacomo's named Vincenzo de Fabritiis, took his own life not long after. The problem is, twenty years later, the murders start again, and with the unmistakable signature of the Killer Dwarf. Giallo isn't known for being deep, meaningful cinema. The enterprising video renter (for you're not going to find giallo in American cinema, thanks to Argento's Profondo Rosso doing profondo malo when released here in 1975, thanks to a butchered cut far more offensive than any of the movie's murders) who picks up a giallo should expect a whole lot of blood, a sweeping cinematic style that is unique in cinema (it has been called, and rightly, "operatic"), and a murder mystery with a twist ending. And in the best giallo, even though you know the twist ending is coming, it's usually not what you're guessing it will be-which is, of course, the hallmark of a fine mystery. It's also worth noting that Non Ho Sonno pairs Argento once again with one of his golden boys, Gabriele Lavia, who played two different characters named Carlo in Profondo Rosso and Inferno. (Here, his character-the father of Lorenzo, Giacomo's best friend-does not have a first name revealed during the movie. Want to take a guess at it? heh.) Lavia is always fun to watch, and it's nice to see him play someone who's not unhinged, for once. American audiences who have missed out on giallo may know him from the wonderful Tim Roth film The Legend of 1900. The best giallo films, like Profondo Rosso, will warp your head in ways you never imagined. The rest will allow you to turn off your mind for two hours and be grandly entertained. Non Ho Sonno falls into the latter category, but that's not to denigrate it. If you're new to Argento, and your local vidshack isn't fnod of carrying twenty-five-year-old murder mysteries, this is a fine place to start. ****
Rating:
Summary: Sleepless put me to sleep
Review: Sleepless is the absolute worst Dario movie I have seen. I regret having bought a used copy! I am an ardent Dario fan but this is the first movie by him that does not seem like it was made by him at all. (...) Stay away and enjoy his other films. Let's hope his next one will be vintage stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Class act!
Review: Sleepless lacks some of the magic of Argento's earlier films such as Deep red, inferno and Phenomona but is obviously an "Argento" film. Good acting and a compelling plot keep the movie interesting throughout. Typically the body count continues to rise at a pace as actors suffer inventive deaths at the killers hand. Camera work is at times superb as the hunted try and out run the murderer and the "long carpet shot" is brilliant (see it and you will understand). Goblin provide yet another superb sound track. This film is worth watching a few times to appreciate it properly.
Rating:
Summary: Class act!
Review: Sleepless lacks some of the magic of Argento's earlier films such as Deep red, inferno and Phenomona but is obviously an "Argento" film. Good acting and a compelling plot keep the movie interesting throughout. Typically the body count continues to rise at a pace as actors suffer inventive deaths at the killers hand. Camera work is at times superb as the hunted try and out run the murderer and the "long carpet shot" is brilliant (see it and you will understand). Goblin provide yet another superb sound track. This film is worth watching a few times to appreciate it properly.
|
