The Layman's Review: The Usual Suspects

Welcome to the Layman's Review, where we give you a simple overview and a rating of some of history's most famous films. We're here to entertain you with facts and trivia, and to help you decide if any of these films are worth your time and interest. For a full list of movies on review, check out my previous post 'The Very Sciency Science Behind Film Choices'. 

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Film: The Usual Suspects

Director: Bryan Singer

Year: 1995

Running Time: 106 minutes

Big Names

             Kevin Spacey - “Verbal” Kint

             Gabriel Byrne - Dean Keaton

             Chazz Palminteri - Dave Kujan

             Pete Postlethwaite - Kobayashi

             Dan Hedaya - Sergeant Jeff Rabin

Plot Summary

Five criminals - four veterans and one rookie (Spacey) - are brought into a lineup and questioned about a robbery in Queens. Claiming innocence, the five men agree to pull a revenge job together before “retiring” to Los Angeles. Once in L.A., however, they are approached by a man who claims to work for the mysterious Keyser Söze - a man of terrifying power and violence who feels he has been wronged by each of these “usual suspects”. Söze gives the men a task in return for forgiveness; this task lands Roger “Verbal” Kint back in police custody, where he is forced to recount the events of the past six weeks. 

Top Quotes

“Keaton always said, ‘I don’t believe in God, but I’m afraid of him.’ Well, I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Söze.”

             - Verbal Kint

“Old McDonald had a farm, e i e i o. And on that farm he shot some guys. Badda boom badda bing bang boom.”

             - Michael McManus

“Really? I live in Queens. Did you put that together yourself, Einstein? What, do you got a team of monkeys working around the clock on this?”

             - Todd Hockney

Fun Trivia

• Kevin Pollak resented Stephen Baldwin’s method acting approach to the character of Michael McManus, which led to an ongoing feud between the two men.

• In order to maintain a genuine level of secrecy and ego, director Bryan Singer convinced each of the five actors playing “the usual suspects” that his character was actually Keyser Söze. The truth was only revealed to them at the initial company screening. 

• Writer Christopher McQuarrie worked at a law firm and a detective agency before writing the script for ‘The Usual Suspects’ and named all of his characters after people he had worked with.

• Many of the scenes and shots are unscripted or unintentional, including when Redfoot flicks his cigarette into McManus’ face, and Hockney’s reaction to Fenster’s unintelligible accent. 

• Director Bryan Singer loves the movie ‘Jaws’, which was vetoed from our viewing list by yours truly. 

Ratings

Jessica’s Rating: 3 Martini Glasses

My problem with this film is that the ending, which reveals the long-anticipated identity of Keyser Söze, isn’t rivaled by the rest of the movie. The entire plot hangs on the twist, which doesn’t seem epic enough to justify the first 105 minutes. 

Jeni’s Rating: 3.5 Martini Glasses

It’s worth watching twice, because then you get to see some of the clever plot twists which you might have missed in an initial viewing. However, it is not a film I would watch over and over again.

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Got a fun fact of your own? Want to give us your two cents? Feel free to use the comment box below to submit Readers' Ratings, queries and thoughts. 

The Layman's Review: Henry V

Welcome to the Layman's Review, where we give you a simple overview and a rating of some of history's most famous films. We're here to entertain you with facts and trivia, and to help you decide if any of these films are worth your time and interest. For a full list of movies on review, check out my previous post 'The Very Sciency Science Behind Film Choices'. 

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Film: Henry V

Director: Kenneth Branagh 

Year: 1989

Running Time: 138 minutes

Big Names

             Kenneth Branagh - King Henry V

             Derek Jacobi - Chorus

             Robbie Coltrane - Sir John Falstaff

             Judi Dench - Mistress Nell

             Paul Scofield - King Charles VI 

             Emma Thompson - Princess Katherine

Plot Summary

Offended by King Charles VI, King Henry V of England declares war on France, and leads his troops into a series of battles, culminating in a bloody skirmish at Agincourt. The young king intends to claim France as part of his kingdom, and yet ends up falling for Princess Katherine. Henry also finds himself facing difficult monarchical decisions, as former friends betray his trust and test his ability to maintain impartial rule. 

Top Quotes

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; or close the wall up with our English dead!”

             - King Henry V

“Customs curtsy to great kings. We are the makers of manners, Kate.”

             - King Henry V

Fun Trivia

• Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson were married in real life between 1989-1995, before splitting due to Branagh’s affair with Helena Bonham Carter. They have acted in a number of films together, including ‘Dead Again’ and ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and were also love interests in the latter. 

• More recently, Branagh and Thompson shared the screen in 2002’s ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’; they acted alongside Robbie Coltrane, who played Falstaff in Branagh’s adaptation of ‘Henry V’. 

• Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh both appeared in the 1996 rendition of ‘Hamlet’, as Hecuba and Hamlet, respectively. 

• Kenneth Branagh has directed four other film versions of Shakespeare plays: ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ (1993), ‘Hamlet’ (1996), ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ (2000) and ‘As You Like It’ (2006). 

Ratings

Jessica's Rating: 4.5 Martini Glasses

"I'm a sucker for most anything Branagh or Shakespeare-related. Also, I believe that Shakespeare's histories are some of the most difficult to adapt and keep captivating, and 'Henry V' was beautifully done. Jacobi's rendition as the chorus was unique and - frankly - stellar."

Jeni's Rating: 4 Martini Glasses

"The beginning was quite enthralling, but I did get slightly bored in the middle. I like this version, but I think there are better Shakespeare adaptations out there."

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Got a fun fact of your own? Want to give us your two cents? Feel free to use the comment box below to submit Readers' Ratings, queries and thoughts. 

The Very Sciency Science Behind Film Choices

Synopsis

For millenniums the brightest minds have questioned, wondered, posited and studied. Mathematicians and world-renowned doctors have sacrificed their lives in search of an answer. Galileo, thought by many a simple physicist and astronomer, only stumbled upon the secrets of the universe while attempting to decode the what many have deemed un-crackable. Homer, Turing, Einstein, Curie, Mister Rogers, Shakespeare and even a few others dedicated sweat, blood and tears to unearth and unwrap this particular riddle. Alas, they all failed to discover the one most vital truth:

How do we determine the greatness of a film? 

Okay, so maybe I exaggerated a wee bit, but a lot of people do spend an inordinate amount of time debating movie greatness and history’s “Best Films”. 

Luckily for humanity, our local research team has spent countless minutes and wasted dozens of milliliters of pen and highlighter ink in an effort to succeed where all else had failed. Today, I am proud to announce that we have a reasonably useful outline for you to follow, if you so wish. 

After weeks of listing all the “classic” movies we were desperate (and yet far too disorganized) to watch, my associate and I developed a system to determine a personalized Canon of Films. If you, like us, long to say things such as, “You know, I still maintain that Citizen Cane is hugely overrated,” and “That King Kong remake was just abysmal compared to the original,” then do we have the solution for you! 

Read on to learn how we generated our own list of 15 must-see classic films, and how you can do the same! 

List of Convenient and Not-at-all Confusing Acronyms (LCNCA):

• Base Selection List (BSL) = This is your initial list of films. However you choose to assemble this list, you will want to begin with a wide selection. We suggest a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 200 films for your BSL. 

• Rough Selection List (RSL): This is your second-level list; it may end up being your Final Selection List (see below), but more-than-likely, it will be amended and expanded. For more details, refer to the forthcoming section on ‘The Very Sciency Science’. 

• Final Selection List (FSL): This is your completed list; it enumerates all of the films you and your partner(s) have determined to watch. 

The Very Sciency Science (© 2014)

Now, thanks to my Very Sciency Science, you too may develop your own Canon of Films (sometimes referred to as ‘List of Movies You Should Watch So You Can Impress People at Parties or LMYSWIPP for short’). 

Please keep in mind that these rules have been devised for the use of two people, and should be properly modified to accommodate three or more participants. We recommend no more than five consultants per list.

** WARNING: The following steps are extremely sciency and can be tough to follow. Do your best. **

Step One: Develop Your BSL

Before you can devise your FSL, you will need to determine a starting point. For the purposes of our list, I researched a number of ‘Top 100’ lists across the internet and ultimately landed on the BBC’s ‘Top 100 Films Poll’ (2001), a list generated by Channel 4 viewers. This, we felt, added a human element, whereas a list drawn up solely by critics and filmmakers might not be as approachable. You may base your BSL around genres and sources that pertain to your personal preferences. 

To add a little more diversity, we mixed in movies from Rotten Tomatoes’ ‘Top 100 Movies of All Time’. Due to space constraints (i.e. I ran out of room on my word document), we counted in the top 12 films from the Rotten Tomatoes list, skipping any duplicates. 

Our BSL of 112 titles is below:

Step Two: Determine Your RSL

Now that you have a suitable BSL, you can begin implementing the Very Sciency Science to pare down the number of viewing options. 

You Will Need:

             Two identical copies of your BSL

             Two very secretive participants 

             Two blue pens

             Two red pens

             Two highlighters (we used yellow)

Without discussion, each player will consult his or her list and select a total of 35 films they super duper want to see. Unknown titles may be looked up, but no clear interest OR disinterest should be relayed to the other party. 

Circle your chosen titles using the blue pen provided.

In addition, each participant will be given up to three vetoes for films they unequivocally refuse to accept in their FSL. It is not obligatory to use your vetoes, but if one is used, that person’s discretion must be honored. 

Cross out your vetoed titles using the red pen provided. 

Step Three: Confirm Your RSL

Once this has been done, you will be able to reveal your combined RSL. Go through your BSL film-by-film and see what your associate has chosen or vetoed. 

• Any film that shares overlap (i.e. both parties have selected it) will automatically pass through to your FSL. Highlight your “Must-Have” titles using the highlighter provided. 

• Any film that has been vetoed by one or both consultants is removed from your list. 

• Any film that has been selected by one participant but not the other becomes ‘ineligible’.

Now you can count your highlighted titles, which will show you your RSL. 

Our RSL looked like this:

While our collection of vetoed titles was as follows:

Step Four: Finalize Your FSL

At this point you must make a crucial decision: do you think your RSL is sizable enough? If you do, then your RSL becomes your FSL, and you are finished! If not, then you must mutually agree on how to widen the lineup. 

Having a mere 10 overlapping titles ourselves, we determined to include five additional movies. For the sake of fairness, each player was allowed to select one never-chosen film plus one ‘ineligible’ film.

To round out the list, we asked an impartial third-party contributor to select any one title from the BSL, excepting vetoed films. 

In the end, we created this as our FSL:

We have since decided to begin with ‘Henry V’ simply because I have a copy. Check back for some updates and reviews as the adventure continues. 

We hope you enjoyed our Very Sciency Science. Have fun!