The Parallax View
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Movie Reviews of The Parallax View
Movie Review: A beautiful and realistic conspiracy movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I probably would have had more trouble with this movie had I not had my dad helping me through some of the finer plot points (was that really the same guy as before?). This movie is a real test for the younger generation of today that have been saturated with action no-brainers such as 'Die Hard 4' and 'The Bourne Supremacy'. Current movies tend to blow out of proportion what the average man is capable of and by presenting a contrary reality 'The Parallax View' shines.
'The Parallax View' is an older movie, 1974, that is obviously lacking in the hi-tech department. The basic plot revolves around a reporter, Joe Frady, and his investigations into nefarious characters after an assassination of a senator. Any director of a conspiracy movie of today would take a plot such as this and infuse it with high-action car chases, cool gadgets and a minimum of 3 near-death escapes by the protagonist.
Here we are treated instead with a slower and more realistically paced movie. We follow Joe as his is presented with a reason to suspect certain people and how he goes about investigating them. He simply acts like any normal person would and does not show any 'superman' abilities in the scraps he gets in.
As far as the plot goes, I actually had trouble following some things because everything wasn't labeled in exposition. If Joe had to go somewhere he didn't shout his plans to the audience or a well-placed friend. People went about their actions like normal people.
Visually 'The Parallax View' forces the viewer (or at least a viewer from my generation) to slow down and take in the scene. The shots are long and expansive with very little music. Even the objects are not embellished like the spy gadgets of today. The movie didn't pretend to be some technically advanced version of the 70's. What was seen in terms of clothes and habits was almost like something out of a documentary.
What does all this amount to you ask? The movie is straight-forward. There is not superman protagonist with his specialized gadgets. You simply get a man trying to figure out what is going on. I loved this movie but if you are the person who needs everything explained with high-action scenes than I suggest a different choice.
Movie Review: Psychological Thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
Warren Beatty is great in this movie. So is Hume Cronyn and a host of others you'll recognize from the 1970's TV and Film. But the real star of this movie is the story ... a mystery inside an enigma wrapped up in a riddle. Born from the investigations into the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King Jr. and RFK and the investigations into each this story is all too plausible ... and frightenly believable. 1960's were turbulent times, with great movements and events all over the nation and the world. It's not unthinkable that some wanted to control the outcome of these events.Towards this theory, "The Parallax View" demonstrates how bogus corporations recruit certain profiled individuals to carry out their objectives using trickery and deceit to "compartmentalize" the actor and eliminate the "target". This movie requires close attention to see all the subtle elements. If you ever thought the assassinations of America's leaders in the 1960's were "glossed over" then this movie is for you. It's a paranoia storyline to be sure, but perhaps a little skepticism is healthy from time to time.
The only thing I'm not crazy about in the film is its 1974 production. So the clothes and cars are so out of date as to be distracting from the storyline. I think this film is an excellent candidate for remake and I'l like to see a director like Ridley Scott or James Cameron look at this script.
For movies of the same genre, be sure and check out "Executive Action" with Burt Lancaster. Another 5-star effort.
Movie Review: FInally the way it was supposed to be seen...
Summary: 5 Stars
Beatty plays journalist investigating mysterious deaths of witnesses to a political assassination.Pakula's dark and paranoid masterpiece was origninally shot by Gordon Willis (Godfathers I II and III, Klute, Zeilig, etc.) in 2.35 aspect. Willis, a master of light and composition, developed frames for this film that are practically abstract. His sense of composition (I'm sure Pakula was part of this) is brilliant: the static formalistic compositions; the use of long lenses to flatten each image into an (almost) isometric projection.
Now, maybe I'm getting carried away here, but "parallax" and "isometric"...? Hmmm... Both are terms related to geometry the "perception" of reality -- which is more-or-less the subtext of this film.
Anyway, after its dissapearance from theater screens this film made numerous appearances on TV (mainly late at night) in a pan-and-scan version. Same with the VHS version. So until the DVD was released, this was the only way I (and most other people) had seen it.
Well twice the frame is twice as good -- now entire sequences can be re-examined and reinterpreted (the ending has elements which appeared seperated in the VHS version).
I found the picture and sound to be good, but I'd hoped for more additional material (a documentary, a making of, an interview or two -- anything). This is certainly one film that deserves the extra attention. However I'm grateful for the 2.35 version.
Bottom line: a real treat for cinephiles, and a great movie for everyone else.
Movie Review: The Parallax View: "Mother Shouldn't Trust the Government"
Summary: 5 Stars
Between the bribery, corruption and megalomania of Richard Nixon then, and the Enron Scandal today, the idea of government manipulation is still chillingly relevant. Who doesn't find it unnerving that Enron had a hand in national energy policy? After all, you don't have to be conspiracy nut to think Dulles' leadership compromised the Warren Commision. And under this banner of fear and suspicion, director Alan J. Pakula wove a tapestry of paranoia like no other, and come on, who's a better crusader for the Truth than Warren Beatty, whose charm and appeal bring an earthly element to all the shadow madness. Through sterile office epicenters and rushing reservoir dams, reporter Beatty encounters stealthy executives and corrupt sheriffs, as he tries to unfurl the truth behind the assassination of an idealistic, young Bobby Kennedy-like figure, leading him to the Parallex Corporation. And the brain-washing scene there is indeed a classic. Images of birth, life, death, war, and consumption flash, drilling holes deep into the psyche. After all, you have to be taught to believe that one's patriotism can be measured by killing one's fellow man. And, in the end, what we have is a riveting thriller about how some truths will forever remain just out of our grasp, and behind closed doors....Oh, and I was wondering, does Steve Travers take steroids to write his reviews?Movie Review: Shades of gray and JFK
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is one of my personal favourites so I had to have it when I saw it was available on DVD. For those of you who are put off by political thrillers and their plethora of names that you can't attach to faces, then don't be, this isn't what "The Parallax View" is all about. The message of this film isn't who done it and why, but simply that they CAN and WILL. Criticism of Warren Beatty's acting is a little harsh, he just plays Warren Beatty. That's because he's a film star first and an actor second (don't knock it, plenty of people have got away with it over the years). A fine supporting cast help make the implausible story believable and the sparse music score adds tension at just the right moments. Certainly the late director's best film in my opinion (I always find "All the Presidents Men" just a little too wordy). The anamorphic 2.35 to 1 picture on the DVD is excellent, but I would agree that the soundtrack varies between barely audible and ear shattering. No commentary or making of documentary but I still give this DVD 10 out of 10.