Greg Ragan is an avid movie fanatic and college student
who lives in the frigid icebox that is Northern Michigan. He enjoys
playing poker with polar bears and harassing penguins in his 'spare time...'
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Reviewing the Flicks
by: Greg Ragan
Dr. Strangelove:
or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the
Bomb (1964)
Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickens
Dr. Strangelove is simply the best dark comedy ever made. And
that being said, it's also one of the greatest films ever made. It
was nominated for the Best Picture academy award in 1964, and also voted
one of the top 100 films by the American Film Institute. This is
one of Stanley Kubricks masterpieces (yes, I know you can only have one
masterpiece, but Kubrick has 4 as far as I'm concerned). The directing,
acting, and cinematography in this film are simply marvelous. The
plot is very complicated, but I'll try to summarize it as best I can:
A general goes crazy, and orders a nuclear attack on the USSR. He
is the only one who knows the code that can call back the fleet.
The US then finds out that the Soviets have a "doomsday device", that will
automatically destroy all life on earth if an atomic bomb is dropped on
its soil. When the US finally figures out the code, one plane's radio
burns out, and that one plane can't be called back....and you'll have to
rent this one to find out what happens. If the it sounds somewhat
serious, that's because it wasn't originally supposed to be a comedy.
It's based on the novel Red Alert, which is NOT a comedy, but when Kubrick
and Terry Southern were writing the screenplay, they realized that some
of the scenes they were writing were quite humorous. They then decided
to cast the comic genius of Peter Sellers. Sellers gives not one,
not two, but three of his greatest performances. He plays Group Capt.
Lionel Mandrake, US President Merkin Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove.
He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance(s). Scott and Pickens
also give wonderfully memorable performances. If you're a fan of
dark comedy, go out and RENT THIS RIGHT NOW! You WON'T
be disappointed. This is a MUST SEE!!!!
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