From Dusk Till Dawn (5 Stars)

"From Dusk Till Dawn" is a film that practically splits itself in half; a crime thriller mutates into a vampire siege, and the clash between its two central families sits right at the heart of that transformation.

On one side we have the Gecko brothers, Seth and Richie; criminals defined by chaos, instinct and a complete absence of moral restraint. George Clooney plays Seth as cool and calculating, a man who understands violence as a tool, while Quentin Tarantino makes Richie something far more disturbing; impulsive, erratic, and barely tethered to reality. Their family bond is real, but it's warped; loyalty exists, yet it's rooted in survival rather than care.

In stark contrast stands the Fuller family; a broken but fundamentally decent unit led by Jacob, a former preacher struggling with his faith after personal tragedy. Harvey Keitel gives Jacob a weary gravity, a man trying to hold his children together even as his beliefs crumble. Kate and Scott represent a more recognisable familial dynamic; tension, grief and affection all coexisting in an uneasy balance. Where the Geckos are united by crime, the Fullers are held together by something more fragile; the remnants of love and moral responsibility.

The early part of the film thrives on this contrast. The Geckos dominate through fear, forcing the Fullers into submission, yet there's a quiet sense that the balance could shift at any moment. The Fullers' decency becomes a kind of resistance; they endure rather than retaliate, and that endurance gives them a moral strength that the Geckos lack.

When the film pivots into horror at the Titty Twister, the dynamic evolves rather than disappears. Faced with a supernatural threat, the distinction between the families begins to blur. Survival becomes the common ground; Seth's ruthlessness suddenly has value, while Jacob's moral compass regains purpose. The Geckos' amorality and the Fullers' ethics, once opposed, now function as complementary traits in a fight neither family could survive alone.

What makes "From Dusk Till Dawn" compelling isn't just its genre switch; it's how that shift forces both families to confront what defines them. The Geckos, stripped of control, reveal flickers of reluctant cooperation, while the Fullers, pushed to extremes, discover a capacity for violence they would never have chosen.

By the end, the film suggests that family is less about moral purity and more about what people are willing to do for one another under pressure. The Geckos start as predators and the Fullers as victims, but the night reduces everyone to the same basic instinct; survive, protect, endure. It's in that levelling that the film finds its strange, blood-soaked unity.

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Reservoir Dogs (5 Stars)

Michael Madsen is dead.

I heard the news late last night. It saddens me, because he was an outstanding actor. I have about a dozen films in which he appears, most of them directed by Quentin Tarantino. I wasn't sure what film of his to watch today, and then I read that he's best known for his role as the psychopathic Vic Vega in "Reservoir Dogs". After a few minutes thought I agreed with this statement, but actually he's hardly known at all. He's an actor that only dedicated film fans know. When I mention him to my friends the reaction is "Michael who?" It's only when I mention a few films that they say, "Ah, so that was him".

In case you're one of the people who doesn't know him – which I doubt if you're reading my blog – he's the man who dances to "Stuck in the middle with you" by Stealers Wheel while torturing a policeman. I'm not a fan of the song, fortunately, because the scene has ruined it for me. Every time I hear the song I can't help thinking of Michael Madsen dancing with a knife.

"Reservoir Dogs" is a milestone in the history of cinema. It was an independent film that proved that independent films could have great artistic value. It took a few years to be recognised, but now it's a cult film which has a lasting legacy. There were many famous actors in the film, but Michael Madsen, relatively unknown at the time, contributed to its success.

The film opens with a scene in a restaurant in which eight men are sitting at a table discussing popular music and tips. Mr. Pink refuses to tip and complains that waitresses have to pay taxes on their tips. That was 1992. Now Donald Trump has passed a law that tips are no longer taxed. Good for him. His opponents claim that he's only done this to gain favour with lower paid voters, but I think it's something he always had on his mind. I too have always considered it somehow immoral to tax tips. Tips are a gift that I give a waitress out of the goodness of my heart, so the IRS shouldn't take part of it. Mr. Pink thinks it's wrong, so do I, and so does Donald Trump. That's one of the few good laws that he's passed since becoming president.

Farewell, Michael Madsen. You'll be missed by your friends and fans.

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Reservoir Dogs (5 Stars)

Today I finally saw "Reservoir Dogs" in the cinema, 30 years too late. I just have one question:

Who shot Nice Guy Eddie?

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Thelma and Louise (5 Stars)

Déjà vu? Didn't I write about this film yesterday?

Yes, I did. To be precise, I wrote about it just over three hours ago.

So why am I writing about it again so soon?

The answer is simple. It's because I watched it twice in a row. Technically speaking, my blog isn't a film review site. It's a film diary. Since September 2010 I've been recording every single film I've watched. There are a few off topic posts scattered in between, but if you remove all of them you'll have a list of every film I've watched for the last ten and a half years. If I've counted correctly, that's 3,634 films. That's not quite one film a day. In my first three years I watched films less often (because I watched more television series). For the next three years I watched two films most days. For the last five years I've settled into a rhythm of one film a day, with very few exceptions.

But the question remains why I watched "Thelma and Louise" twice in a row.

I have a good excuse. My ex-wife walked into my room just as the film was coming to an end, the last five minutes. She sat and watched it with me. She told me that she'd watched the film with our daughter Fiona a long time ago, and she'd enjoyed it, so she wanted to watch it again. That was all the reason I needed to go back to the start. There's one thing about me that you should know. I watch the vast majority of my films alone, but I enjoy films much more in company. The occasional sideways glimpse to see another person's reaction to a scene is magical.

This is the first film I've watched twice in a row since September 2010, but there were other films before then. Only two. The first was "Inland Empire", which I bought from Amazon in October 2007. I was excited when it arrived in the mail, because David Lynch was my favourite director. I sat and watched it, and when it came to the end I didn't understand it. Even though it was a three hour film, I immediately watched it a second time. Three hours later, after six hours in front of my television screen, I still didn't understand it. In frustration I shoved one of the Schoolgirl Report films into my DVD player, I forget which one. That was a film I could understand; it was about schoolgirls having sex. I only ever watched "Inland Empire" again once, in June 2014. I enjoyed it and gave it a five star rating, but I still didn't understand it. Maybe it's time for me to watch it again.

The second was "Downfall", the film about Adolf Hitler's last days in his Berlin bunker. I watched it in my house in Malmesbury Road with Fiona. It must have been some time in 2008, maybe 2009. Those were the magical days when she used to watch films leaning against me. I wish those days had never ended. She was a real Daddy's Girl. But in 2012 she suddenly stopped, practically overnight. I never asked her why. Maybe she'd just grown up. But I'm getting off the point. What I wanted to say is that she liked the the film so much that she asked if she could watch it again. I gladly agreed, which meant another two hours of her sitting with my arm around her shoulder.

"Thelma and Louise" is now the third film that I've watched twice in a row on the same day. (I didn't finish the second viewing until after midnight, but I started watching it on the same day). This second review gives me a chance to start earlier in the film rather than just writing about their spectacular death.

It's difficult to say what the main theme in the film is. Is it a pro-woman film or an anti-man film? It's been called both. It's been called neo-feminist (which I presume is a compliment), and it's been called misandric (which is definitely not a compliment). The two women rise from weakness to strength in the two hours of the film, but only as a result of all the men around them being despicable. Apart from Thelma's husband Darryl, the men all make an initial impression of being perfect gentlemen before their true nature is revealed. Harlan Puckett behaves perfectly, until he hits Thelma and tries to rape her. J. D. (played by Brad Pitt) seduces Thelma with his southern charm, but he robs her before leaving. Louise's soft-talking boyfriend Jimmy has himself under control most of the time, but when he's in a bad mood he throws things across the room. This turns the women from timid little mice into aggressive killers.

Boys will be boys, men will be men. When the traffic cop stops the girls, he looks at more than their license and registration. To be fair, Louise does push her shoulders back to distract him.

The distraction stops him noticing Thelma sneaking up behind him with a gun.

In the past I've compared this film to David Lynch's "Wild at Heart". That's still the strongest similarity I see, but the barren scenery also reminds me of Russ Meyer's films, especially "Supervixens".

Doesn't this scene remind you of "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill"?

Woman is approached by man. Is Woman scared?

No. Woman knows she has all the power.

Woman looks man straight in the eye.

Woman is united and will never be divided.

This is a beautiful film. We fall in love with the two titular characters. We don't criticise them as they descend into crime, because we can see that they're also rising in strength. They're not evil. They're just doing whatever they can to survive in a world filled with evil men. The film teases us, giving us hope that they'll escape the police in a happy ending. Instead of this, their death itself is the happy ending.

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Thelma and Louise (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #46

"You can only die once, so make sure your death is a good one".

That's something I used to say a lot when I was younger. Nowadays I say it less often, but I still stand behind it. I invented the saying myself, but I've found out that others have said similar things. Their words are almost identical to mine, but they mean it differently. The others who speak paraphrased versions of my words mean that you should die for a good cause, i.e. the purpose of your death should be noble. It's something that soldiers might have as a motto when they march into battle. That's not what I mean. I mean that the moment of death should be accompanied by great pleasure. It would be a wonderful experience to die by being strangled during sexual intercourse. To anyone who says that I'm being weird, consider the alternatives. You could die with your body being mangled in a car crash, or you could die a long, lingering death while your body is being eaten away by cancer. I'm not weird, I'm the one talking good sense.

When I was young I wanted to die before I was 30. Then I said I wanted to die before I was 40. Then I said I wanted to die before I was 50. Now my life is slowly trickling away, day by day, year by year. By the time I die I'll probably be too weak to enjoy my death. If death is the ultimate goal in life, I should have planned my death when I was young.

That brings me to the film. Thelma Dickinson and Louise Sawyer are living dreary lives in a small town in Arkansas. Thelma is in a dead end marriage that gives her no pleasure. Louise is single and in a dead end job as a waitress. They have nothing to live for. The only thing that keeps them sane is their friendship.

But they have a good death.

After an adventure together which culminates in a high speed car chase, they meet their death by plummeting into the Grand Canyon. That's one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It's one of the most beautiful places to die.

What a wonderful way to die! It's not quite up to the level of death during intercourse, but it still looks like a splendid experience. Flying through the air for endless seconds, before the car finally hits the ground with such velocity that an instantaneous death is guaranteed. It's notable that the film doesn't show the moment of death. The film ends while the two friends are flying through the air. It's as if the moment of ecstasy never ends.

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Pulp Fiction (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #50

This is Quentin Tarantino's second film, made in 1994, two years after "Reservoir Dogs". Many of the scenes look like a reunion of the Reservoir Dogs actors. Of the six dogs, four of the actors appear in "Pulp Fiction": Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi and Tim Roth. Their characters were all killed in "Reservoir Dogs", so some people have come to the conclusion that "Pulp Fiction" is a prequel that takes place in the same universe as "Reservoir Dogs". This is reinforced by the fact that a fifth Reservoir Dog (Vic Vega) has the same family name as one of the gangsters in "Pulp Fiction" (Vincent Vega). This is impossible, because the Reservoir Dogs were men who didn't know one another's names. It's not a shared universe, it's just Quentin Tarantino using good actors that he's worked with before.

I'm aware that it's not just these two films. There have been attempts to tie all of Quentin Tarantino's films together, including "From Dusk Till Dawn". That's just ridiculous. Is Mia Wallace the same person as Beatrix Kiddo in "Kill Bill"? Impossible! I've read the arguments in favour of a single universe, the Tarantinoverse, but I shan't quote them here because I don't believe they hold up. The only thing I like about the theories is that the word Tarantinoverse sounds so cool.

Most films tell a story with a single consistent narrative, unless they're true stories. A typical film goes from A to B with only minor deviations. "Pulp Fiction" is full of random incidents which have an influence on the main narrative. This gives "Pulp Fiction" the feeling of a true story, without it actually being true. Important characters are introduced late in the film. If someone who had never seen the film read a summary of the plot he'd say it's bad screenwriting. It breaks all the rules. And yet the end result is a work of pure brilliance.

The gangsters Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta) are professional killers. They're friends who work together for their boss, Marcellus Wallace, but there's one big difference between them: Jules believes in miracles, Vincent doesn't. Only Jules survives to the end of the film. Is it his faith that saves him? I'll let you decide for yourself.

This is a trademark Quentin Tarantino scene of people looking into a car trunk, although Vincent is distracted. Maybe a girl dressed in a mini-skirt is walking by.

Here's another Quentin Tarantino trademark, a foot close up. Do you recognise the actress? I'll give the answer at the bottom of this post, so don't read on until you know.

I shan't keep you in suspense with the second actress with naked feet. It's Angela Jones, playing a barefoot taxi driver called Esmarelda. I don't get it. Isn't it too difficult to drive a car without shoes?

Never mind the feet, I'm more interested in Angela's beautiful face. There's an aura of evil about her. Is it just the way she looks in the film? I'll never know.

The film is well known for its non-linear narrative. Today I watched it while asking myself if it would be better if the scenes had been re-ordered to make the film chronological (with slight rewriting, of course). For the first half of the film I wasn't sure, but by the end of the film I was convinced that the non-linear narrative is advantageous to the plot. The first half tells Vincent's story, and the second half tells Jules' story, even though they appear together in some of the scenes.

Did you recognise the feet in my little test? They belong to Uma Thurman. We'll see a lot more of them in "Kill Bill".

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Despite the recently added daisy-chaining of my top 100 posts, here's a summary of my films so far as an assistance to my new readers.

51. Evita (1996)
52. Assaunt on Precinct 13 (1976)
53. Death Proof (2007)
54. Falling Down (1993)
55. Adaptation (2002)
56. The Raid 2 (2014)
57. Summer in Orange (2011)
58. Flowers of War (2011)
59. Scream (1996)
60. Scream 2 (1997)
61. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
62. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
63. The Gift (2000)
64. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
65. Ip Man (2008)
66. Ip Man 2 (2010)
67. Snatch (2000)
68. Lock, stock and two smoking barrels (1998)
69. Tragedy Girls (2017)
70. Gladiator (2000)
71. Enter the Dragon (1973)
72. Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
73. The Legend of 1900 (1998)
74. Young Frankenstein (1974)
75. The Virgin Psychics (2015)
76. The Man who would be King (1975)
77. John Rabe (2009)
78. The Paperboy (1994)
79. The Walk (2015)
80. Perfume (2006)
81. The Green Mile (1999)
82. Little Nicky (2000)
83. Monster (2003)
84. Gloomy Sunday (1999)
85. We are the night (2010)
86. Dark Water (2002)
87. What to do in case of fire (2001)
88. The Shining (1980)
89. Azumi (2003/2005)
90. The Mummy (1999)
91. Wie Feuer und Flamme (2001)
92. Attack of the 50 Foot Centerfold (1995)
94. Titanic (1997)
95. Mad City (1997)
96. Leon (1994)
97. Iron Rose (1973)
98. Kick-Ass (2010)
99. Rush Hour (1998)
100. Bella Martha (2001)

Reservoir Dogs (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #61

It's difficult to define what a cult film is, but if any film is a cult film it has to be "Reservoir Dogs". It's an independent film that was made with a (relatively) low budget. It went almost unnoticed when it was released in 1992, and it wasn't fully appreciated until it was released on videotape in 1995. Critics went overboard with praise, some calling it the greatest independent film of all time. Video rental stores could hardly keep up with the demand.

The film is deliciously minimalistic. With the exception of flashbacks, the whole film takes place in an empty warehouse. The film is about a jewel robbery, but we don't see the robbery itself. The robbery is described in detail in the conversations in the warehouse. We don't need to see it. It's possible that the reason for omitting the robbery was to save money, but it gives the film greater artistic value.

The flashbacks show the planning for the robbery, although the robbers spend more time talking about other things than the robbery itself. The conversations are what make the film. This is the trademark of all films written by Quentin Tarantino, whether he directs them or not.

Nina Siemaszko didn't quite make it into the film. Her only scene was deleted.

It's a shame. She seems like a fun character. Quentin Tarantino probably decided that she didn't fit the film's style. He wanted to make an all-male film.

"Reservoir Dogs" is a perfect film. I can't fault it in any way. I can only fault myself for putting it so low in my top films list.

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From Dusk Till Dawn (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #64

Seth Gecko, played by George Clooney, is in prison for armed robbery. His brother Richie, played by Quentin Tarantino, breaks him out of jail. They rob a bank and head towards the Mexican border to retire with their riches, killing 16 people on the way. Seth is a cold-hearted killer, but he's a professional. He only kills if he has to. Richie is a paranoid psychopath, who hears voices and can't keep his sexual urges under control. Seth is ashamed of his brother, but he still loves him and tries to look after him.

At a motel near the Mexican border the brothers meet Jacob Fuller, who's on holiday with his two children. He used to be a Baptist pastor, but he quit his job after having a disagreement with God. He hasn't completely lost his faith; he still believes that God exists. He just doesn't love God any more, because God allowed his wife to die a slow painful death after a car crash.

These are his children, Scott and Kate. Scott's adopted, in case you couldn't guess. Scott's wearing a T-Shirt that says "Precinct 13". This is a subtle hint that the film is in part based on John Carpenter's "Assault on Precinct 13".

Seth forces Jacob to drive him and his brother across the border. As I've already said, he's very professional and promises to leave Jacob's family unharmed if they do whatever he says. Richie has other plans with Kate, but Seth says he'll keep her safe.

This was the first film in which I saw the actress Juliette Lewis, and I was immediately impressed with her acting abilities. Since then I've seen her in a lot of films. It could be argued that she always plays the same character in her 1990's films: an innocent little girl. But she does it so well! I prefer her 1990's roles to the films that she made later.

Isn't she beautiful? Those eyes!

Could this be her signature role? Possibly.

In Mexico the Gecko brothers and Jacob's family take a break in a biker's bar called the Titty Twister. Ugh! I wouldn't be seen dead in a place like that. The name enough is enough to put me off. And this man welcoming the guests at the door would make me turn and run.

The Titty Twister is the home of a vampire clan. My regular readers know that I have vampire fantasies, but not when they're this ugly. I'll never complain about the ugly vampires in "Buffy" again.

Not all the vampires look so bad. Salma Hayek, whose stage name is Santanico Pandemonium, looks quite delicious.

She seems to have a leading position among the vampires.

And she can dance with a snake!

She has a tempting offer for Seth:

"I'm not gonna drain you completely. You'll be my slave".

"You'll be my footstool, and at my command you'll lick the dog shit from my boot heel".

"Since you'll be my dog, your new name will be Spot".

"Welcome to slavery".

If it had been me, I would have asked for more time to think it over. As it turned out, Seth shot her. That's not cool!

"I don't surrender to vampires! I'm Batman!"

Or is that another film?

"From Dusk Till Dawn" is a brilliant film, written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez. It's a throwback to the Italian horror films of the 1970's, but with modern production values.

I know his name has become unpopular in recent years, but the film would never have been made without the backing of Harvey Weinstein. In fact, none of Quentin Tarantino's films would have been made. The people who criticise Harvey Weinstein don't realise how important he's been in the film industry. He's done more for the advancement of cinema than anyone else in the last 40 years. That's no excuse for the way he's abused women. The "casting couch culture" has been commonplace in Hollywood for a hundred years, and Harvey Weinstein was convicted to set an example. In court he was found innocent of most of the charges against him, but he was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual assault and third degree rape.

Was it right to punish Harvey Weinstein so harshly? In my opinion, Yes. I just regret that it had to come to it. He's not the worst offender in the last 100 years. If other directors and producers had been punished for their crimes 50 years ago, Harvey Weinstein would have been too scared to abuse his position.

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