Z List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
Z (1969)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
9/15
9/15:
Z was confusing to follow for the first hour or so because I kept focusing on the political platform.
Then, I realized it's not about that but rather how a government cover-up worked and how an investigation was carried out to
unearth it. Eventually, by shifting to this perspective, the movie became better. The aftermath was satisfying because it's
what I would expect.
Besides the murky foreign politics, the reason for the low rating is the editing which is annoying to put up with. Also, some
parts of what happened, especially the political leader walking in the open, are too simplistic.
Really, what it's about is fact-checking. Sure, the movie is boring, but it gives me a feel of how an investigation should
be conducted. Hence, there's authenticity. This aspect will either make or break a potential viewer's enjoyment.
All in all, Z merits another try in the future to see if I'll appreciate it more.
Z.P.G. (1972)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
12/20
12/20:
The letters for the title Z.P.G. ominously stand for Zero...Population...Growth.
In the tradition of Soylent Green and
Logan's Run, Z.P.G. presents a dystopian view of how
to get a smoggy, overpopulated planet under control in the future. This time, the solution is outlawing
pregnancies for the next thirty years; otherwise, it's death for the couple.
Does it sound far-fetched? Maybe not, but I can see the U.S. government doing this, having already dictated
people's actions and censored their freedom of speech. Yet I'm not sure about the masks worn by the characters.
There's no filter anywhere on them as they're still breathing the same poisoned air. This is doubly true while
indoors.
What bothers me a lot about the ending is Russ and Carol choosing to run away to a zoned land that's full of
radiation. Won't it be self-defeating by allowing themselves, including the baby, to be prone to cancer in no time?
Then again, if there are no plants and animals, how is Earth inhabitable for human beings? What are they eating
after all? And it's made from exactly what?
Oliver Reed tends to dominate pictures, but here, he's largely ineffective. Instead, it's about the plot which
is based on Paul Ehrlich's sensationalistic book The Population Bomb. Although the sci-fi concepts are
interesting, the movie is slow-paced that's almost lifeless and devoid of emotions. After the novelty wears off,
there's no meat left; hence, it runs on fumes for a while, giving me a hard time to reach the end.
Geraldine Chaplin, who's Charlie's daughter, has dots under both of her eyes. I thought at first she had a mascara
problem, but they were real after all; hence, they're called beauty marks. Her performance isn't great anyway:
just flat, causing the film to be slow.
All in all, by filling in more substance to cover up the plot holes while providing new concepts, Z.P.G.
can come closer to being in the same league with Soylent Green and
Logan's Run as great dystopian sci-fi pictures.
Zabriskie Point (1970)
Rate:
1
Viewed:
6/13
6/13:
Why is it that a failed film generates renewed interest years later and subsequently gains cult film status?
Is this movement per se becoming cliché? Anyway, I read in a book that Zabriskie Point was named one
of the fifty worst films made. Unnaturally enough, I became interested in seeing it.
It opens with a scene of fake thespians pretending to be revolutionaries by trying to look cool in the process (why
am I now thinking of Billy Jack?) and saying silly phrases
such as "power to the people" and "they're kicking down the door."
Soon thereafter, a couple of them decide to get guns, so they can protect themselves from uh...pigs? Some time
passes, and the boy with bad teeth decides to hijack a plane in order to recreate the well-known scene in
North by Northwest. It's how the girl driving
the car will meet him at some point later.
Finally, I'm at the moment of where the title of the film comes from when this "it's beautiful" girl runs after
the "it's dead" boy and they both frolic in the middle of the desert that's called...*drum roll* Zabriskie Point.
They're doing it while being covered in (you have to see this to believe it) sand, gypsum, boracite, and whatnot.
Minutes later, all of a sudden, many couples appear out of nowhere doing the same thing in a choreographed orgy.
They're licking sand, gypsum, boracite, and whatnot from each other.
When the brain-dead girl and the boy with hideous teeth come out of the desert to return to the car, they both look
sparkling clean as if they've just had a shower. All of a sudden, the plane is magically painted with corny words
that are supposed to be emblems of the 60's counterculture movement. I'm only surprised both of them did all of
the activities in one day.
One hour into Zabriskie Point, I thought there were enough elements to withstand the Worst Film label. But
no...as the boy with crap teeth decides to get back to Los Angeles with the hijacked plane, this is when the movie
began to shoot itself in the foot. The rest of the way is a long dragged-out sequence of ridiculousness and
pointlessness with the last ten minutes of stuff being repeatedly blown up in a slow-motion from different angles
before closing out with a sunset.
I had been wondering the whole time: was Michelangelo Antonioni mentally retarded? Also, did he watch
2001: A Space Odyssey
and Easy Rider too many times and then want to emulate
them? By the way, the following is seemingly a
Ripley's Believe It or Not! trivia. The boy with ugly teeth is named Mark Frechette. Zabriskie Point
was his debut film, and he had no prior thespic experience. Afterwards, he did some acting work and then
decided to rob a bank with his friends, landing himself in the slammer. One day, he was lifting weights, and the
bar weighing 150 pounds fell atop his throat, killing him at the age of 27.
All in all, any time a film reaches below Zabriskie Point, that's when it will begin to suck.
Zombie (1979)
Rate:
3
Viewed:
12/07
12/07:
Lucio Fulci's Zombie is a straight up rip-off of
Night of the Living Dead.
His idea is the fleshier the eating scenes are, the better the film is...not. The plot is simple yet scanty which
renders Zombie pointless. Ultimately, the bottom line is: it's all about the flesh eating.
When Lucio Fulci applies a distinctive style which is nothing new, it comes off as heavy-handed. That's why this
one fails to be any different from the king of all zombie movies:
Night of the Living Dead. Worst of all, it's
slow. The acting is often theatrical in a soap operatic manner.
At least, there's a particular scene that needs to be seen to believe. It's when a zombie went after the naked
female scuba diver and then had a battle with the great (miniature?) white shark. Since when did zombies dwell
underwater? On the positive side, I like the makeup work, and it looks realistic which may be the only aspect
that's superior to the other film.
All in all, Zombie has made a zombie out of me, and I don't mean that in a good way.
Zorro, The Gay Blade (1981)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
4/04, 12/06, 3/12
12/06:
Zorro, The Gay Blade is a refreshing breath of air after watching
The Mask of Zorro and
The Legend of Zorro.
It's one of the funniest films I've seen in my life and is quite high on the scale of creativity. I've forgotten how good it
feels to watch George Hamilton being the jack of all trades. What makes this one far away the best compared to other
Zorro films is that it stays true to the feeling of what the character represents and then wanders to the insane side
of hilarity.
I've mentioned many times villains can play a large part in making a film likable only if they're as appealing as the
hero. Well, there's no question Ron Leibman stole the show as the hated Alcalde. What a fantastic performance. He should've
gotten an Oscar for it.
All in all, Zorro, The Gay Blade has my highest recommendation because it's so funny.
3/12:
Although George Hamilton is sensational for playing the dual role of Zorro and his gay brother, it's Ron Leibman who completely
steals the show.
Alcalde reaches the zenith of his insanity when he attempts to solve the riddle out of Zorro's colorful costumes, resulting
in a salad mix. Then, he does this finger pointing to his taxmaster, making him sit down. One scene when Ron is walking
like he's ssssaaaa and ssssswwwingg yoouurrr hipssss still cracks me up.
Pretty much, Ron Leibman owns the role by giving it all. He's brilliant, and it's Oscar material for sure. George Hamilton
is outstanding, too, and perfectly cast as Zorro and his gay brother Bunny Wigglesworth. The whole film is pure farce with
a great play on words that's based on a crazy but workable idea.
All in all, Ron Leibman is easily the Oscar winner for his performance in Zorro, The Gay Blade.
Zulu (1964)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
11/02, 5/25
5/25:
I hate Zulu.
Calling it among the best films ever, the British should be embarrassed of what transpired. It's not an
accomplishment but is rather similar to scoring 100 points against a school of mentally retarded players in
a high school basketball game.
Although everything shown is historically accurate for the most part, the very first question that should be
asked is: what led to this battle at Rorke's Drift? The movie won't say. Things just don't happen out of the
blue. According to Wikipedia, the Anglo-Zulu War was started because of the following:
"Following the passing of the British North America Act 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon
thought that a similar political effort, coupled with military campaigns, might lead to a ruling white minority
over a black majority in South Africa. This would yield a large pool of cheap labor for the British sugar
plantations and mines and was intended to bring the African Kingdoms, tribal areas, and Boer republics
into South Africa."
That explains everything. In other words, the British had no business being in South Africa. As for the fighting,
the Zulu warriors would have to be either stupid or clueless about fighting. Who knows what the whole thing looked
like for real? They say the British were heavily fortified and were nearly impenetrable, but the movie shows
otherwise.
All in all, Michael Caine's line "I feel ashamed" says everything in terms of British's standing in history.