North by Northwest – Review

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The famous espionage story we’ve already come to know done to the very best of its ability. An innocent man getting himself tangled into a case of mistaken identity, and the quest to clear their own name – something that we can only expect Alfred Hitchcock to make the very best from, and with North by Northwest, he has done exactly that and formed what is without a doubt one of his very best films. But of course one can only count on Alfred Hitchcock to have made some of the most exciting thrillers of Hollywood’s classic era, and nowadays they still wouldn’t lose a touch of what made them exciting to watch during their time. But the case with Hitchcock is that his thrillers haven’t only been the very best of their own genre, for films like North by Northwest only show why he was among the most clever of filmmakers working in Hollywood, he was one of the very best in general.

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West Side Story – Review

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A part of myself has a soft spot for Hollywood musicals as together with film-noir, they were among some of the first of classic Hollywood films which I had grown around (Singin’ in the Rain was a favourite in my younger years, and still remains one to this day). One of those reasons as to why I still hold an attachment to musicals arises out from West Side Story, which always succeeds with pulling in myself towards all the energy it revels in while it lasts – a joyful, heartbreaking, and all-around blissful experience from start to finish. A glorious update from the setting of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this may very well be the one interpretation of the story that I enjoy the most. Like Maria sang, she felt pretty. That is certainly what West Side Story is, but more too. Continue reading →

Sweet Smell of Success – Review

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Every last line of dialogue in Sweet Smell of Success signifies greatness. Yes, it comes out of 1957, but that doesn’t make it any less significant today, especially within the world of journalism for it still bites on every viewing. This is a perfect example of one of the very highest points you can imagine film-noir achieving, as this is truly a pitch perfect film in every regard, but knowing what relevance it maintains today, it is all the more incredible an achievement. Alexander Mackendrick’s film is not merely any ordinary film-noir with an excellent script, it boasts what we can go ahead to see as one of the very finest of its own kind and it’s also rather cynical, but to its own merit. Continue reading →