‘VIEWS FROM A BURNING WINDMILL
The online movie watching diary/review roundup of LA FRANKENSTEIN. Follow my cinematic journey from the glimmering towers of Hollywood’s greatest filmmaking achievements, to the stinking needle strewn alley of the schlockiest straight to video crap. The next time you can’t decide what to watch, check back here. You’re sure to find something new to love…or hate…or both! ~L.A. Frankenstein
‘VIEWS FROM A BURNING WINDMILL: DRIVE
TITLE: DRIVE
YEAR: 2011 RUNNING TIME: 100 min
DIRECTOR: Nicolas Winding Refn
STARRING: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks
GENRE TAGS: Heist-Mob-Single Mom Love Story
FS: 2 GRS: 2
SYNOPSIS: Bland crime/love story gets most of its hype from the soundtrack and absolute attractiveness of its leads. Starts out like a character study of a getaway driver but quickly devolves into standard save the single mom/don’t cross the mob fare. I’m not saying this should have been a Fast & Furious movie, but a flick called Drive should have more/better car chases. Gosling’s rich character development includes not talking much and precariously dangling a toothpick from his mouth for much of the movie, assumedly because that’s what his research told him criminals do. The opening sequence promises a different movie than what we end up with, leaving you yearning for an original crime thriller when what you get is a paint by numbers mob story as a side dish to an unfulfilling love story.
TAGLINE: THERE ARE NO CLEAN GETAWAYS
TRAILER
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‘VIEWS FROM A BURNING WINDMILL: ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE
TITLE: ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE
YEAR: 1973 RUNNING TIME: 114 min
DIRECTOR: James William Guercio
STARRING: Robert Blake, Billy Green Bush
GENRE TAGS: 70’s-Cop-Corruption
FS: 4 GRS: 3
SYNOPSIS: This is a great 70’s movie. It’s got car chases, moral ambiguity, gorgeous but dirty cinematography, and the kind of “eh” denouement that hits you like a punch in the gut. The title refers to the name brand of motorcycle ridden by Arizona highway patrol cops. Blake plays an amusingly short one who comes to find that he may have a misplaced idealism when it comes to the force. The cinematography deserves another mention both for the interesting shot choices and for making the overshot (see this year’s Lone Ranger) Monument Valley look better than I’ve ever seen it. Aside from the murder case at the heart of the story, this is also interesting as a “square guy tries to understand the counterculture” flick.
TAGLINE: HE’S A GOOD COP. ON A BIG BIKE. ON A BAD ROAD.
TRAILER
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