Vincent-D'Onofrio Movie Reviews

The interplay between caracters was great. Very realistic diolog for some very intense situations.

The interplay between caracters was great. Very realistic diolog for some very intense situations.

What really surprised me was the high quality & top notch storytelling. Honestly - this is on par with Billy Wilder's 'The Private Life' or Nicholas Meyer's 'Seven Percent Solution'. No exaggeration. 'Case Of Evil' will be a welcome DVD addition to a true fans library.

Viewers will be treated to a gritty, human Holmes - one that stays true to the character but reveals a more intimate and flawed person coexisting within that machine-like mind. Craving fame, happily accepting the adulation of many female admirers, and desirous of public recognition - wow. :)

And you won't be disappointed with the always energetic Vincent D'onofrio. I can't help but enjoy this delicious twist: He plays the crime fighting Holmes-like character Detective Goren on 'Law & Order Criminal Intent' deducing the bizarre schemes and motivations of criminals - and then simultaneously accepting the role as Holmes' archnemesis Professor Moriarty - just fantastic!

Filmed entirely in Romania and on a less-than-blockbuster budget - the filmmakers did an outstanding job of recreating London circa 1880. I hope that the "made for tv movie" label does not deter you from watching a wonderful adaptation of Conan Doyle's creation.

Based on the memoirs of Novalyn Price, veers around her relationship with the creator of "Conan The Barbarian" and "Kull The COnqueror", Bob Howard, who committed suicide. The period is 1930s, location: small-town Texas. Novalyne is a school teacher who wishes to be a published writer, and Howard is already established as a pulp fiction maverick. Both are in their late 20's.

As such, you'd think that's a weak scaffolding to lay a spectacular movie on, but the story tiptoes at a very good pace. The script is honest and addictive, and the chemistry between the two protags has that elusive, seductive charm of lovers without being overly somatic.

If you think you have seen Zellweger's true class as an actress from Bridget Jones or One True Thing, you haven't seen nothin' yet! The lady is marvellous. D'Onofrio does a fabulous job of being the creative mess of a story writer.

What I relished most, apart from the beautiful potrayal of love, was an unspoken grief of being an outlier in society -- the kind of palpable but overt ostracism that "geniuses" face simply by virtue of being extraordinary.

Required viewing for the romantics, and some delectable worthy escapism for others.

Johnny Depp is obviously at ease with director Burton, even to the extent of playing off Wood's penchant for wearing angora blouses and skirts with panache. His earnestness lifts the movie from what could easily have been made something far more depressing given Ed Wood's spectacular failure with regards to his career. Martin Landau, in an Oscar-winning performance, is very impressive indeed as Bela Lugosi, playing his extreme patheticism and drug addiction in a brave and unflattering light. The rest of the cast are good also, including the novelty of seeing Sarah Jessica Parker as Wood's girlfriend. Clearly a versatile actress she should find no problem finding work once TV's Sex And The City has finished. Juliet Landau (Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Drusilla) puts in a good turn as one of Wood's leading actresses.

Whilst there are parts that drag, Burton's minute attention to detail (which never takes your attention away from the movie itself) makes it seem like you're watching a real 50's movie, especially given the mannered yet somehow realistic performances. It might not be Burton's most accessible or even most enjoyable picture, but it stands as something of a standout in the genre of the biopic. It's strange, magnificent, on a grand-scale, in short exactly what how you can imagine Wood wanting his life to be committed to film.

Ed Wood always knew he would be remembered, but probably not in the way he expected. In this film we see his misfortunes, trials and disappointments, and can't help laughing. Ed Wood tried to overcome adversity, and mostly failed. Some of the problems were not of his making, he needed money to finance his movies and was open to exploitation by those with their own vision. Or the people around him were clownish amateurs, not quite understanding what Wood wanted.

All in all, this is a great movie about the making of three very terrible movies.

10. Filmed in gorgeous Black and White
9. An Oscar-winning performance by Martin Landau
8. A "should have won an Oscar" performance by Johnny Depp
7. A gigantic fake rubber octopus
6. Mariachis
5. Johnny Depp wearing multiple dresses.
4. Black booties
3. Angora sweaters
2. It's the best film ever made about what movies can mean to us
1. There's not one bad line, or false note, or miscast performance. It's perfect!

The script is based on 2 books about the case and centers around New Orleans DA Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner, in his best role to date) and his investigation into the assasination. Gary Oldman gives a great performance as would be killer Lee Harvey Oswald The other cast members are top notch too. The movie is filled with surprising cameos from Edward Asner Jack Lemmon Walter Mathau and the "real life" Jim Garrison among others.

From a technical standpoint, as I hinted at earlier, the very complex movie is just about flawless. It boasts some of the best editing work I have ever seen on film. The score by John Williams is one of his best and very fitting. The director's cut comes in at 3 hours 27 minutes. You'd never know it. Stone draws you in and the film goes by pretty quickly.

This latest 2 disc DVD set is actually the second of its kind released. The bonus materials are pretty much the same, save for a newly created feature lentgth documentary, on the film and the historical events. It's well made and is worth a look. Disc 2 also has at least 30 minutes worth of deleted scenes-with optional commentary by Stone-going even beyond the 17 additional minutes of the director's cut presented on disc 1. The main audio commentary track by Stone offers not only facinating details on making the film but also provides information about the people places and events depicted in the movie. There's a facinating interview with the real life Mr.(played by Donald Sutherland in the movie). There is also a 30 minute update about the declassification of documents related to the investigation that happened as a direct result of the film's release. Multimedia essays from various writers and DVD-ROM material, like reviews of the film, a theatrical trailer sampler, additional essays and web links

If you already own the previous 2 disc set, this latest release may not be worth a rebuy. But it's definately worth it if you like the film a lot. You may not agree with everything Stone's got to say in his movie about the subject. However, even if you don't, you still have to admire him for making a complex film entertaining and engrossing, while at the same time giving viewers a lot to think about after they watch it

Stone treats the entire story, start to finish almost as a Hitchcock thriller. Sure we know where the story is heading and of course there is no surprise ending. So how does he keep us intrigued for two solid hours? How do we remain transfixed on the characters; Osewald, Ruby, Clay Shaw, Jim Garrison and others? Simplely put this project was flawlessly cast, expertly edited, well written and masterfully directed.

Oliver Stone has made some great movies, The Doors, Wall Street, Platoon and Natural Born Killers to name a few. But, JFK will remain his masterpiece. Forget the historical incorrectness. Don't get hung up on the conflicting information from the Warren Commission and other sources. It's easy to dismiss this flim as inaccurate or half-truth. It is however, much harder to dispute the artisic value found here. This is simply one hell of a movie.

The script is based on 2 books about the case and centers around New Orleans DA Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner, in his best role to date) and his investigation into the assasination. Gary Oldman gives a great performance as would be killer Lee Harvey Oswald The other cast members are top notch too. The movie is filled with surprising cameos from Edward Asner Jack Lemmon Walter Mathau and the "real life" Jim Garrison among others.

From a technical standpoint, as I hinted at earlier, the very complex movie is just about flawless. It boasts some of the best editing work I have ever seen on film. The score by John Williams is one of his best and very fitting. The director's cut comes in at 3 hours 27 minutes. You'd never know it. Stone draws you in and the film goes by pretty quickly.

This latest 2 disc DVD set is actually the second of its kind released. The bonus materials are pretty much the same, save for a newly created feature lentgth documentary, on the film and the historical events. It's well made and is worth a look. Disc 2 also has at least 30 minutes worth of deleted scenes-with optional commentary by Stone-going even beyond the 17 additional minutes of the director's cut presented on disc 1. The main audio commentary track by Stone offers not only facinating details on making the film but also provides information about the people places and events depicted in the movie. There's a facinating interview with the real life Mr.(played by Donald Sutherland in the movie). There is also a 30 minute update about the declassification of documents related to the investigation that happened as a direct result of the film's release. Multimedia essays from various writers and DVD-ROM material, like reviews of the film, a theatrical trailer sampler, additional essays and web links

If you already own the previous 2 disc set, this latest release may not be worth a rebuy. But it's definately worth it if you like the film a lot. You may not agree with everything Stone's got to say in his movie about the subject. However, even if you don't, you still have to admire him for making a complex film entertaining and engrossing, while at the same time giving viewers a lot to think about after they watch it

Stone treats the entire story, start to finish almost as a Hitchcock thriller. Sure we know where the story is heading and of course there is no surprise ending. So how does he keep us intrigued for two solid hours? How do we remain transfixed on the characters; Osewald, Ruby, Clay Shaw, Jim Garrison and others? Simplely put this project was flawlessly cast, expertly edited, well written and masterfully directed.

Oliver Stone has made some great movies, The Doors, Wall Street, Platoon and Natural Born Killers to name a few. But, JFK will remain his masterpiece. Forget the historical incorrectness. Don't get hung up on the conflicting information from the Warren Commission and other sources. It's easy to dismiss this flim as inaccurate or half-truth. It is however, much harder to dispute the artisic value found here. This is simply one hell of a movie.