THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION -- Movie Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 5/7/16

 

For his debut feature film, Frank Darabont burst out of the starting gate with a vengeance by directing one of the most beloved American classics of modern film as well as writing the screenplay.

When I first heard that a movie was being made from Stephen King's novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" I figured that the short, somewhat sketchy story would have to be heavily padded out to make an entire feature. Darabont proved otherwise by augmenting King's prison yarn in ways that were a deeply satisfying enhancement to the original material, and then turning THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) into an engrossing, visually and emotionally rich cinematic experience that few who have seen it will ever forget.

The story involves a brilliant young banker named Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) unjustly convicted and sentenced to life for the murder of his wife and her lover. Aging lifer Red (Morgan Freeman) gradually forms a grudging respect for Andy due to his quiet perserverance and refusal to be cowed or dehumanized by the prison system, which is embodied by a hypocritical warden (Bob Gunton as Warden Norton) and the brutally sadistic guard Capt. Hadley (Clancy Brown).

Andy becomes an invaluable resource to his jailers when he starts doing their tax returns for them and helping the warden launder all the money he's skimming from various illegal endeavors. But whenever he steps out of line by asserting his basic humanity, he's slapped down hard. This comes to a head when a new inmate (Gil Bellows) who may have information about the true killer of Andy's wife is murdered by the warden and Hadley.

After this, it appears as though Andy, who has become something of a heroic inspiration to his fellow convicts, has finally been beaten down and demoralized. There even comes a point in which they and we fear he's on the verge of suicide.

But the beleagered and embittered Andy Dufresne has a trump card up his sleeve, one which he's been holding for several years until just the right time to play it. And when he does, it leads to one of cinema's most dazzling and satisfying examples of comeuppance and righteous revenge, not to mention the exhilarating redemption promised by the title.

Proving himself a consummate screen artist, Darabont presents this story with the richest period production design and cinematography that the viewer could wish for and populating it with a cast filled with great A-list and character actors, each of whom seems inspired by his role.

Robbins is keenly attuned to what makes Andy Dufresne tick, letting us see both the sharply-perceptive intellect and deep emotions beneath the character's sometimes aloof manner. As Red, Freeman (whose character provides the film's soulful narration) expresses wisdom, melancholy, and an aching remorse for the crime he committed as a youth, and we're glad when Andy is able to instill in him--as well as the other prisoners--a feeling of hope after years of despair.

Darabont contrasts this with the frequent brutality of prison life, including Andy being beaten and raped by the monstrous Bogs (Mark Rolston of ALIENS and ERASER) and "The Sisters" while being subjected to lengthy stays in solitary confinement whenever he courts the warden's displeasure. A particularly sad interlude occurs when an old, institutionalized con named Brooks (played by the great James Whitmore) is released against his wishes and finds himself half a century behind the times in a world that's completely alien to him.

 

Yet even at its darkest THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION doesn't revel in graphic violence or ugliness for its own sake. Darabont displays admirable taste and restraint, relying on his rock-solid screenplay to convey what is needed while filming it in a beautifully classical, deliberate style that takes its time and eschews such things as shaky-cam and attention-deficit editing.

The actual prison location is remarkable. The abandoned complex, filmed shortly before a date with the wrecking ball, looks almost like a medieval castle, while Darabont's team has worked their movie magic with the interiors. The vast, specially-built cell block that houses our main characters is worthy of a Ken Adam 007 set.

Among those familiar faces adding their acting talents to the project are William Sadler (the main bad guy from DIE HARD 2, later to appear in Darabont's THE GREEN MILE), Jeffrey DeMunn (THE GREEN MILE, THE MAJESTIC), Larry Brandenburg (FARGO's Stan Grossman), Neil Guintoli (MEMPHIS BELLE), David Proval ("The Sopranos"), Jude Ciccolella (SIN CITY), and Paul McCrane (ROBOCOP, THE BLOB, "ER").

While stuck with a title that didn't exactly draw people into theaters or encourage positive word-of-mouth (nobody could remember it), THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION overcame initial bad box office and a seven-nomination strikeout at the Oscars to become one of the most popular home video and cable-TV favorites of all time. (As of this writing, it's voted #1 by members of the Internet Movie Database.) Redemption indeed, both in the film's heartrendingly upbeat ending and in real life as well.



Read our review of THE FRANK DARABONT COLLECTION

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION -- Movie Review by Porfle

THE GREEN MILE -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

 

 Originally posted on 5/8/16

 

 

Four years after 1994's THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, Frank Darabont once again tapped master storyteller Stephen King (in addition to his own screenwriting talents) for another prison tale, THE GREEN MILE.

I recall the novelty of reading King's tale when first published not as a lengthy single volume but as a series of small paperbacks released in serial form a la Charles Dickens. I was skeptical when I heard that this riveting but highly unusual tale would be turned into a movie, a skepticism that Darabont proceeded to dash into smithereens by creating what I consider to be his finest and most thoroughly accomplished work to date.

The story takes place on Death Row in a Southern prison circa 1935, where head guard Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) strives to treat the condemned men with a fair amount of dignity and compassion until their date with "Old Sparky." Brawny, reliable Brutus "Brutal" Howell (David Morse) is his right hand man, aided also by the other guards Harry Terwilliger (Darabont regular Jeffrey DeMunn) and young Dean Stanton (Barry Pepper, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN).

Paul's biggest headache, besides the occasional psycho prisoner such as fiend killer "Wild Bill" Wharton (Sam Rockwell, GALAXY QUEST, GENTLEMEN BRONCOS), is a cruel, cowardly weasel of a guard named Percy Wetmore, brilliantly played by one of my favorite actors, Doug Hutchison (MOOLA). As the spoiled nephew of the governor's wife, Percy threatens to tattle on Paul whenever he doesn't get his way or is caught abusing the prisoners. It's Hutchison's best role since that of inhuman super-creep Eugene Tooms on "The X-Files."

While his connections could secure any job he wishes, Percy remains on Death Row because he aspires to be lead guard during an execution. Anxious to be rid of him, Paul grants him this opportunity. But it turns disastrous when Percy deliberately botches the electrocution of a hated inmate, turning it into a horrifying, agonizing ordeal (which Darabont stages with exquisite aplomb) both for him and the mortified onlookers in the film's most grueling, deliciously Grand Guignol sequence. (The SPFX as the ill-fated inmate's smoking body jerks, spasms, bursts into flames, and finally roasts alive are gruesomely convincing.)

While all this horror is going on, the Green Mile--named for its faded green linoleum--receives its strangest guest yet, a monstrously huge but mild-mannered black man named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), convicted of murdering two little girls but seemingly unable to hurt a fly. Duncan, whose only previous film credit was in ARMAGEDDON, sought the services of an acting coach for the role and this paid off handsomely when he delivered a bravura performance as the doomed behemoth with the mind and heart of a child.

The film plunges full-bore into the supernatural when it's discovered that Coffey has miraculous healing powers which he uses to bring life back to the pet mouse of fellow condemned man "Del" Delacroix, an eccentric Cajun (Michael Jeter), after Percy cruelly stomps on it. (The mouse, "Mr. Jingles", will be a crucial element of the story in unexpected ways.)

After Coffey heals his painful bladder infection as well, Paul suddenly gets a wild, farfetched idea upon which he's willing to stake not just his job but his very freedom--that perhaps, somehow, John Coffey might be able to heal the dying wife of his boss and friend, Warden Hal Moores (James Cromwell). But if Coffey is capable of doing this, how in the world can Paul preside over the man's execution? Especially now that he's convinced Coffey is actually innocent?

It's a dilemma to haunt the viewer for some time to come, as impeccably rendered by Darabont with the skills of a master screen craftsman. Here again he tells the story unhurriedly and in a formal, old-school fashion that evokes the satisfaction one feels delving into a fine novel. Beautifully designed sets and another ideal prison location, this one with a distinct Gothic atmosphere, combine with gorgeous cinematography to create a film whose period ambience is intoxicatingly effective.

Hanks is at his best here, as is Morse, both portraying the kind of good and stalwart men you'd want in such positions. (Ditto for actors DeMunn and Pepper as their fellow guards.) Duncan gives the performance of his career and earned the Oscar nomination he received for it. James Cromwell and Patricia Clarkson, as Warden and Mrs. Moores, help make their strange encounter with John Coffey unforgettable, while always likeable Bonnie Hunt provides endearing moral support and domestic romantic interest as Paul's wife, Jan.

Gary Sinise (FORREST GUMP), Eve Brent, and SHAWSHANK alum William Sadler appear briefly as well, and in the film's wraparound segments, an older Paul Edgecomb is portrayed by none other than the great character actor Dabbs Greer in one of his juiciest and most high-profile roles ever.

As in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, Darabont and King present prison inmates who are more like members of a social club than hardened criminals in order for us to more easily accept and identify with them. The first one to walk the Green Mile is Graham Greene's Arlen Bitterbuck, who gets one wonderfully poignant scene in which he wistfully recounts his happiest moment in life to Paul. 

 

 Michael Jeter is profoundly effective as Del in his scenes with Mr. Jingles the mouse, which never fail to have me blubbering like a baby even more than the film's powerful finale. As Wild Bill, Sam Rockwell is both repellent and perversely hilarious. Harry Dean Stanton is also funny in a smaller role as a prison trustee.

THE GREEN MILE ultimately becomes not only a highly absorbing tale of life on Death Row from both sides of the bars, but also a fascinating and moving morality tale that mines some of our deepest and most profound emotions. Darabont achieves a perfect balance here between the story's darker, uglier aspects, which manage to hold us in morbid fascination even at their most repellent, and the joyously uplifting passages that radiate with the compassion, empathy, and love which human beings sometimes display in the unlikeliest of circumstances.


Read our review of THE FRANK DARABONT COLLECTION

 

THE GREEN MILE -- Movie Review by Porfle

VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN'S PRISON -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 Originally posted on 4/19//2018

 

Not one of Bruno Mattei's more extreme works, nor even his most vicious "women in prison" film (THE JAIL: THE WOMEN'S HELL beats it handily on that count), VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN'S PRISON, aka "Caged Women" (1982) still manages to entertain thanks to the usual exploitation elements and some relatively outstanding moments.

The former, not surprisingly, includes plenty of sadomasochistic mayhem between butch female prison guards and their hapless prisoners, gleefully joined by a  monstrous warden and her sadistic club-wielding lieutenant.

Much nudity and softcore lesbian sex ensues, though I found most of it thoroughly unerotic.  Still, no women-in-prison exploitation flick is complete without indulging in such hijinks, and Mattei (directing here once again under the pseudonym "Vincent Dawn") delivers same with his usual rough-hewn panache.

This is also true for the obligatory gross-out stuff, especially when the new inmate (beautiful Laura Gemser in her signature role as "Emanuelle") is confined to solitary and attacked by slimy, ravenous rats. 

Mattei (MONDO CANNIBAL, ISLAND OF THE LIVING DEAD) likes to have three or four horrible things happening at once so that he can intercut amongst them for awhile, so we see Laura fighting off toothsome rats while guards molest other unfortunate prisoners and the wardens of the male and female sides of the prison engage in sick, voyeuristic sex games themselves.

We also visit the men's side of the prison where a gay inmate is constantly being gang-raped after his fellow prisoners get worked up watching one of the women exposing herself at a window.  These scenes usually end with a horde of guards descending upon the men in the exercise yard and beating them all senseless with clubs.

All of which takes place within an ideal found location--some kind of sprawling old European castle or something--that adds immeasurably to the film's atmosphere and production values.  An enthusiastic cast also adds to our enjoyment.

Getting there a decade before ALIEN 3, this movie also has Gemser waking up in the prison hospital being lovingly attended to by a handsome, sympathetic doctor who turns out to be a fellow inmate convicted of an unfortunate crime (in this case, the euthanasia of his cancer-ridden wife).

When it turns out that Laura may actually be working undercover to expose the horrific abuses at the prison, and is in danger of discovery, Dr. Moran (Gabriele Tinti) comes up with an escape plan that will generate ample suspense later in the film. 

While that's going on, however, the best moment in VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN'S PRISON occurs when an aging prisoner named Pilar (Leila Ducci), who's so lonesome she keeps a cockroach in a tiny makeshift cage as a pet, takes on the evil head guard after a bloody riot in the day room. 

For two minutes or so, the film raises to a level of greatness that had me in awe.  I had to rewind and watch it again, it was so riveting and exquisitely done.  In fact, it seemed as though Dario Argento and Alfred Hitchcock had dropped by that day for a visit and decided to co-direct a scene just as a lark.

Besides that, though, VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN'S PRISON is your standard Bruno Mattei effort, unpolished and very, very uncouth yet good fun for those who are up for this brand of cheerfully grotesque entertainment.


Buy it at Severin Films

Special Features:
Brawl In Women’s Block: Interview With Co-Director/Co-Writer Claudio Fragasso and Co-Writer Rossella Drudi
Archive Interview With Director Bruno Mattei
Radio Spot
Reversible Box Art


Reversible box art:

VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN'S PRISON -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Best Female Fistfight Ever? "SWAMP WOMEN" (1956) (video)

Best Female Fistfight Ever?

You be the judge.  In any case, it's ONE of the best ones ever.

With Beverly Garland, Marie Windsor, and Mike "Touch" Connors


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

Best Female Fistfight Ever? "SWAMP WOMEN" (1956) (video)

BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 2/28/18

 

Whenever I used to see a picture of a wizened, bespectacled Burt Lancaster gently tending his birds in a jail cell in the 1962 classic BIRDMAN OF ALCATARAZ (Olive Films), I got the impression that watching it would be a bit like seeing an episode of "Mr. Rogers' Cell Block."

Well, Mr. Rogers this guy ain't.  The real-life Robert Stroud was a killer of two men, one a prison guard, and he barely escaped the hangman's noose only to find himself in perpetual solitary confinement for most of the rest of his life.

The film based on his experiences isn't entirely a sweet stroll down Memory Lane either, although the grittier, more hardcore "prison thriller" scenes are confined to two passages: one, Stroud's early confinement in which he is a bundle of violent anger, and two, a deadly prison riot in which the older, wearier Stroud loathes to participate. 

In between, the eternal loner finds a wounded sparrow during his daily stroll in the prison yard and decides to nurse it back to health in his cell, partly for something to do and partly for some simple company. This is the beginning of a long journey of research and discovery that will eventually result in his becoming the foremost expert of birds and bird diseases. 

But that comes later, and Lancaster brilliantly expresses Stroud's growing empathy and love for these creatures he so patiently cares for until they're ready to do what he cannot, which is to fly away to freedom.

Stroud's evolution from almost Cody Jarrett-level instability (like Cagney's character he's a mama's boy, probably because she's the only one in his life who can tolerate him) to a caring, nurturing soul is subtly convincing, thanks both to Lancaster's sensitive performance and a delicately-wrought screenplay brought elegantly to life by director John Frankenheimer (THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, SECONDS, THE TRAIN). 

"The Birdman", as he becomes known, is seen amassing a veritable aviary in his cell over the years, meticulously crafting cages from scrap material and scouring books from the prison library to aid in his quest to cure avian diseases.  But despite a genius I.Q., his simmering rebelliousness keeps him at odds with the prison system except for a sympathetic guard solidly played by the great Neville Brand. 

Telly Savalas (complete with black side-hair) is a joy as Stroud's cell neighbor Feto Gomez, who inherits his interest for birds to such an extent that we're touched by the big lug's clumsy efforts to love and care for his own feathered friends. 

As Stroud's clinging mother, Thelma Ritter ably conveys the singleminded obsession for her son's well-being that will later turn to spiteful jealousy when he forms a business partnership with Betty Field (OF MICE AND MEN) that will result in a more intimate relationship. 

Karl Malden is fine as the spiteful warden who vows to make life difficult for Stroud however he can.  The ever-stalwart Whit Bissell, Edmond O'Brien, and Hugh Marlowe also get to shine in brief but choice roles. 

In addition to being one of the 60s' leading stylists in starkly exquisite black-and-white photography--which nobody should ever even dare to think of colorizing--Frankenheimer's direction is so sensitive at times that the film takes on almost the same heartrendingly evocative tone as TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (which also benefits from a beautiful score by Elmer Bernstein) and we find ourselves siding with Stroud as he fights the system or strives to gain parole. 

It's all a bit morally ambiguous, and I suspect the real convict on which the story is based might not have been quite as sympathetic as Burt Lancaster's gentle soul (I had to keep reminding myself that he was a double murderer). By the end, however, none of this matters as the film works its sentimental magic and earns our emotional investment. 

We wonder whether or not Stroud will remain neutral during the big climactic riot and attempted breakout that occurs after he's been transferred to "The Rock." But I can't imagine being neutral toward BIRDMAN OF ALCATARAZ, a richly rewarding viewing experience of great intelligence, sensitivity, and depth.


Order the Blu-ray or DVD from Olive Films

Rated: NR (not rated)
Subtitles: English (optional)
Video: 1.66:1 aspect ratio; b&w
Runtime: 149 minutes
Bonus features: commentary by Kate Buford, author of "Burt Lancaster: An American Life", trailer

BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

What If "The Shawshank Redemption" Had An Unhappy Ending? (video)

 

 (Caution: May cause sadness)

"The Shawshank Redemption" has one of the most feelgood endings ever.

It's the total opposite of the ending of, say, a certain Terry Gilliam film.

But what if the ending was a total bringdown? Huh? What if?


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

What If "The Shawshank Redemption" Had An Unhappy Ending? (video)

Laurence Fishburne in "IMPRISONED" Streets Jan 7th -- Watch Trailer HERE!

LAURENCE FISHBURNE STARS IN "IMPRISONED"

FOLLOWING LIMITED THEATRICAL RELEASED IN U.S. & PUERTO RICAN CINEMAS

DVD, BLU-RAY & STREAMING JANUARY 7


Los Angeles, CA. – December 11, 2019- Following a multi-city U.S. and Puerto Rican release, IMPRISONED is a powerful prison drama that stars Laurence Fishburne, Juana Acosta, Juan Pablo Raba and features Esai Morales, Edward James Olmos, Jon Huertas, Ana Isabelle, and was the last film in which John Heard performed. It was filmed entirely in Puerto Rico in 2017, before Hurricane Maria hit, and premiered during the Cannes International Film Festival earlier this year. 

IMPRISONED will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and streaming platforms (Amazon, Vimeo, Hoopla) starting January 7th with additional platforms (iTunes, Google, Vudu) to follow.

In the thriller, Dylan Burke (Juan Pablo Raba), attempts to move on from his former life as a criminal with his true love, Maria (Juana Acosta).He soon realizes that his past will continue to haunt him when he learns the new local prison warden, Daniel Calvin (Laurence Fishburne), has not forgiven him for a previously committed crime.

WATCH THE TRAILER:



Calvin does everything in his power to make sure that Burke pays for his past mistakes, even going as far as to frame him for a murder he didn’t commit, landing him back in jail. When the prison erupts into a riot, Burke and Calvin are each forced to make a choice between righteousness and revenge.

In addition to Laurence Fishburne, the film’s stars include Latin American actors: Colombian-born Juan Pablo Raba, best known for his role in Netflix’s “Narcos” who soon will join Liam Neeson and “Vikings” actress Kathry Winnick in the action thriller,  “The Minutemen.” Juana Acosta, also a native of Colombia, is best known for her role in “Velvet,” a Spanish television series streaming on Netflix.  Puerto Rican Ana Isabelle will play Rosalia in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story.

The Bonus features on both DVD & Blu-ray include: 3 deleted Scenes, Interview with Edward James Olmos, Social Impact Filmmaking with Equitas Entertainment Partners, Trailers, Closed Captions.

Equitas Entertainment Partners’ mission is to produce films with a social impact.  With that in mind, they included over thirty formerly incarcerated and a dozen currently incarcerated men as part of the production. Eight of these inmates, still serving time, received a special pass to leave the jail and attend the World Premiere of the film on September 10th and to speak about the positive impact the experience had on their lives.

Cast:  Laurence Fishburne, Juan Pablo Raba, Juana Acosta, John Heard, Esai Morales, Jon Huertas, Edward James Olmos and Ana Isabelle


Written & Directed by:          Paul Kampf
Producers:                           Paul Kampf, Luillo Ruiz, Tom Sperry, Holly Levow
Executive Producer:              Positive Catalyst & Equitas Entertainment
Run Time:                           104 minutes
Language:                           English & Spanish w/English Subtitles
Rating:                                R (for violence, disturbing images, some sexuality and language)


DVD
SRP: $24.95 (881394127722)
Audio: Stereo 5.1
Ratio: 16:9

BLU-RAY
SRP: $29.95 (881394127821)
Audio: Stereo 5.1

www.theimprisonedmovie.com  |  Facebook & Instagram @TheImprisonedMovie


Genre: Thriller  | Language: English & Spanish with English subtitles


ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE
Cinema Libre Studio is a full-service mini-studio known for producing and distributing high caliber feature films and social impact documentaries.  Headquartered in the Los Angeles area, the team has released over 200 films.

cinemalibrestudio.com  | facebook.com/cinemalibrestudio | @cinemalibre

PhotoCredit: Equitas Entertainment/Cinema Libre Studio

Laurence Fishburne in "IMPRISONED" Streets Jan 7th -- Watch Trailer HERE!

VERY Visible Cameraman in "Bad Boys" (Sean Penn, 1983) (video)

I watched "Bad Boys" a bunch of times on cable in the 80s. 

But I never noticed this until it was pointed out to me.

It's during the big fight between Sean Penn and Esai Morales.

VERY Visible Cameraman!



I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

VERY Visible Cameraman in "Bad Boys" (Sean Penn, 1983) (video)