I confess I don't watch many martial arts movies. Even the popular ones rarely rise above average in my estimation, because they tend to have all the plot complexity of an '80s video game. They're almost a kind of porn that substitutes fighting for sex. But they don't hurt to watch once in a while, and I get curious about artists I haven't seen before.
In this case, the director and main actor is Stephen Chow, known for comedies first and foremost. Indeed, this one isn't just on-and-off humor like The Legend of Drunken Master; it tries to be funny pretty much all 99 minutes. And the loose physics and mysticism go beyond Zhang Yimou-style wuxia and straight into cartooniness. Bill Murray praised it supremely on this score.
Before I get into those details, I might as well describe what plot there is. In a stylized version of the '40s, Sing, a young man disillusioned by his childhood attempt at heroism, wants to join the Axe Gang, who reign over all but the poorest neighborhoods of Shanghai. While amazing at picking locks, he and especially his buddy are incompetent at acting like thugs. Sing draws the attention of the real Axe Gang to deal with a slum that won't respect them. Fortunately, the slum has a few excellent fighters to oppose them. It becomes increasingly apparent that Sing will revise his idea that bad guys always win -- and will then discover his untapped potential.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Hell Is for Heroes (1962)
Have you ever marked a Netflix suggestion "Not Interested" and later changed your mind? I have several times, but this may be the first time I've gone ahead and watched such an entry on my list. The very title both catches my eye and repels me, but then, isn't that what war movies are supposed to do? Besides, it formed the basis of a popular "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode, so it had to offer something.
Steve McQueen headlines as John Reese, a WWII master sergeant demoted to private who still acts too much like an authority for comfort. More surprising are the castings of Bobby Darin as the second most prominent private and, in his silver screen debut, Bob Newhart as a military typist who winds up on the battlefield by accident. There's not much to the premise: A U.S. squad, having mistakenly thought they were about to go home, must hold off a German assault across the Siegfried Line despite the Allied forces being spread too thin.
Steve McQueen headlines as John Reese, a WWII master sergeant demoted to private who still acts too much like an authority for comfort. More surprising are the castings of Bobby Darin as the second most prominent private and, in his silver screen debut, Bob Newhart as a military typist who winds up on the battlefield by accident. There's not much to the premise: A U.S. squad, having mistakenly thought they were about to go home, must hold off a German assault across the Siegfried Line despite the Allied forces being spread too thin.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
I know what you're thinking: "What a follow-up." I may be the only person in the world to have chased The Force Awakens with one of the least popular Star Trek films. Why did I? Mainly because I was donating platelets and had only so many options for viewing on the portable screen.
This is not to say that I'd never have seen it otherwise. Sure, it was the Die Another Die of its franchise, breaking the pattern of esteemed even-numbered entries and precipitating a longer hiatus than usual followed by a reboot. But I didn't feel like I wasted my time watching DAD, and my taste in Trek fare differs from most who watch a lot of it; The Wrath of Khan, for instance, appealed to me less than Insurrection did. (How many brains just popped?) I couldn't help feeling a tad curious.
Continuing with the "Next Generation" crew under Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Nemesis sees them on an unexpected mission to head to previously verboten Romulan Empire space for an announced peace treaty. Given the misadventure in Star Trek VI with the Klingon pact, I don't blame several key crew members for having their doubts. But neither Klingons nor Romulans form the main threat this time; in fact, a young villain named Shinzon (Tom Hardy) hates the Romulans above all, for personal reasons. So why should the Enterprise crew intervene, apart from, y'know, heroism? Because Shinzon has a keen interest in Picard for other personal reasons, which I spoil below.
This is not to say that I'd never have seen it otherwise. Sure, it was the Die Another Die of its franchise, breaking the pattern of esteemed even-numbered entries and precipitating a longer hiatus than usual followed by a reboot. But I didn't feel like I wasted my time watching DAD, and my taste in Trek fare differs from most who watch a lot of it; The Wrath of Khan, for instance, appealed to me less than Insurrection did. (How many brains just popped?) I couldn't help feeling a tad curious.
Continuing with the "Next Generation" crew under Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Nemesis sees them on an unexpected mission to head to previously verboten Romulan Empire space for an announced peace treaty. Given the misadventure in Star Trek VI with the Klingon pact, I don't blame several key crew members for having their doubts. But neither Klingons nor Romulans form the main threat this time; in fact, a young villain named Shinzon (Tom Hardy) hates the Romulans above all, for personal reasons. So why should the Enterprise crew intervene, apart from, y'know, heroism? Because Shinzon has a keen interest in Picard for other personal reasons, which I spoil below.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
I considered skipping this review, because it's quite likely that you've already formed your opinion from multiple other reviews if not the movie itself by now. But it's also quite likely that you'll take more interest in this subject than in my usual fare, so why not? And it's not like I never read what other people say about what I've already seen.
In a way, TFA is inherently sad from the get-go: Only a generation after the end of the Empire, the galaxy faces an equal if not worse threat called the First Order. General Leia (no longer going by "Princess") naturally leads the Resistance, but Luke Skywalker has lain low for so long that many think him a mere legend, Han Solo and Chewbacca have been up to their old smuggling and other shenanigans more than heroism, R2D2 has been inert in Luke's absence, and C3PO is only so useful without R2. Taking more of the spotlight now are Rey, who resembles a young female Luke with a bit more fire; FN-2187, nicknamed Finn, a rookie stormtrooper disenchanted with the First Order's cruelty; BB-8, a diminutive droid carrying an important map; and Poe, a pilot and BB-8's master. The most prominent villain for now is Kylo Ren, an open Darth Vader wannabe who may actually outdo Vader's command of the Force. Where is the Jedi who can hold his or her own against him?
In a way, TFA is inherently sad from the get-go: Only a generation after the end of the Empire, the galaxy faces an equal if not worse threat called the First Order. General Leia (no longer going by "Princess") naturally leads the Resistance, but Luke Skywalker has lain low for so long that many think him a mere legend, Han Solo and Chewbacca have been up to their old smuggling and other shenanigans more than heroism, R2D2 has been inert in Luke's absence, and C3PO is only so useful without R2. Taking more of the spotlight now are Rey, who resembles a young female Luke with a bit more fire; FN-2187, nicknamed Finn, a rookie stormtrooper disenchanted with the First Order's cruelty; BB-8, a diminutive droid carrying an important map; and Poe, a pilot and BB-8's master. The most prominent villain for now is Kylo Ren, an open Darth Vader wannabe who may actually outdo Vader's command of the Force. Where is the Jedi who can hold his or her own against him?
Saturday, December 26, 2015
My Life as a Dog (1985)
Although the Netflix summary mentions only summer, I recalled from what little I had already seen of this movie that it gets snowy -- not a surprise for Sweden. It turns out that we hear the characters preparing for Christmas near the end, so I was not remiss in my timing of this viewing.
Not that the mood is especially upbeat. A slice of life based loosely on the writer's real life, it follows preteen Ingemar during his mother's severe illness and beyond, which he first understands as a nervous breakdown from having to deal with him and his older brother fighting. Each brother is sent away to extended family; their dog Sickan (no pun intended, I presume) is said to go to a kennel, but Ingemar grows increasingly suspicious of her fate. At his most frustrated, he has his own sort of breakdown, exhibiting canine behaviors that explain the title, albeit not for much screen time.
Not that the mood is especially upbeat. A slice of life based loosely on the writer's real life, it follows preteen Ingemar during his mother's severe illness and beyond, which he first understands as a nervous breakdown from having to deal with him and his older brother fighting. Each brother is sent away to extended family; their dog Sickan (no pun intended, I presume) is said to go to a kennel, but Ingemar grows increasingly suspicious of her fate. At his most frustrated, he has his own sort of breakdown, exhibiting canine behaviors that explain the title, albeit not for much screen time.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
Many movies and shows stop streaming on Netflix on January 1. This one stops on December 31 for some reason, so I gave it priority. At least I won't take as long to decide what to watch for the next week or so.
Set in Ireland in the early '20s, the plot moves from one war (of independence) to another (civil) so swiftly that I didn't immediately realize there was more than one. For the first, brothers Damien and Teddy become inclined to fight the British when some Black and Tans kill their friend for little reason. For the second, they are on opposites sides regarding whether to accept the compromise of the peace treaty until a better time to push for more rights. I might as well tell you now: It does not end well for them.
Set in Ireland in the early '20s, the plot moves from one war (of independence) to another (civil) so swiftly that I didn't immediately realize there was more than one. For the first, brothers Damien and Teddy become inclined to fight the British when some Black and Tans kill their friend for little reason. For the second, they are on opposites sides regarding whether to accept the compromise of the peace treaty until a better time to push for more rights. I might as well tell you now: It does not end well for them.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
The Legend of 1900 (1998)
Netflix gives the length of this Italian-made English-language film as 170 minutes, while IMDb gives it as 165 -- until you poke around the latter site and find that the international version runs 123. When I watched, the end credits stopped at 125. That annoyed me, as I'd set it aside for a time that I could afford (and stand) to watch another 45 minutes, but it beats the opposite confusion.
Anyway, the title refers to Danny Boodmann T.D. Lemons 1900 (played in adulthood by Tim Roth), named by an eccentric stoker (Bill Nunn) who found him abandoned in infancy on an ocean liner on January 1, 1900. The stoker decides to raise him right there on the ship, hiding him from authorities for the time being. Even after his de facto godfather's death, 1900, who rarely goes by any other name, opts to stay on board at all times, a boy/man without a country or much else. What he does have in abundance is piano talent, which gets him the attention needed to become a legend. The narrator for most of the movie is a trumpet player, Max (Pruitt Taylor Vince), who knew 1900 for years.
Anyway, the title refers to Danny Boodmann T.D. Lemons 1900 (played in adulthood by Tim Roth), named by an eccentric stoker (Bill Nunn) who found him abandoned in infancy on an ocean liner on January 1, 1900. The stoker decides to raise him right there on the ship, hiding him from authorities for the time being. Even after his de facto godfather's death, 1900, who rarely goes by any other name, opts to stay on board at all times, a boy/man without a country or much else. What he does have in abundance is piano talent, which gets him the attention needed to become a legend. The narrator for most of the movie is a trumpet player, Max (Pruitt Taylor Vince), who knew 1900 for years.
Monday, December 21, 2015
Liza, the Fox-Fairy (2015)
This rivals Son of Saul for the year's most popular Hungarian film. I don't think I ever saw one before. But in light of (heh) its dark comedy status, I might have skipped it at a European Union showcase anyway, if not for a Meetup invitation and my dad's interest.
The setting is a fictional variant of 1970s Budapest, for reasons still not clear to me. On the surface, the story could take place almost anywhere and at any time. Liza (with a long E sound for the I) starts out as a nurse for a Japanese ambassador's widow, both of them fond of the music of dead J-pop singer Tomy Tani. Liza actually sees an ethereal Tomy before her, mistaking him for an imaginary friend while the on-and-off narrator identifies him as a ghost. More importantly, he's a sort of grim reaper, taking the shape of whatever his victim desires. You don't want someone like that to develop a crush on you.
The setting is a fictional variant of 1970s Budapest, for reasons still not clear to me. On the surface, the story could take place almost anywhere and at any time. Liza (with a long E sound for the I) starts out as a nurse for a Japanese ambassador's widow, both of them fond of the music of dead J-pop singer Tomy Tani. Liza actually sees an ethereal Tomy before her, mistaking him for an imaginary friend while the on-and-off narrator identifies him as a ghost. More importantly, he's a sort of grim reaper, taking the shape of whatever his victim desires. You don't want someone like that to develop a crush on you.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Friendly Persuasion (1956)
William Wyler was an unusual director, in that he made many hits and I've seen nearly half his body of work, yet I can hardly characterize his style. He did mostly drama, with perhaps greater overall emphasis on women than
other directors did, but could excel in multiple genres. That explains why I keep forgetting -- completely -- which movies he directed, even after reviewing two of them on this blog.
In this case, I think I was drawn in less by the credit to Wyler and more by the plot summary. Based on a book by Jessamyn West, it details the Birdwells, a family of five Quakers in rural Indiana during the War Between the States. Their faith solidly supports abolitionism but forbids fighting in its name, or even in self-defense. But several factors weaken their convictions during the story, and not just regarding violence. Eliza (Dorothy McGuire), the mother, remains the most devout and thus the most upset by the changes, while father Jess (Gary Cooper) and elder son Josh (early Anthony Perkins) face building pressure to take up arms. Yeah, that's kind of a running theme in Cooper's acting career.
In this case, I think I was drawn in less by the credit to Wyler and more by the plot summary. Based on a book by Jessamyn West, it details the Birdwells, a family of five Quakers in rural Indiana during the War Between the States. Their faith solidly supports abolitionism but forbids fighting in its name, or even in self-defense. But several factors weaken their convictions during the story, and not just regarding violence. Eliza (Dorothy McGuire), the mother, remains the most devout and thus the most upset by the changes, while father Jess (Gary Cooper) and elder son Josh (early Anthony Perkins) face building pressure to take up arms. Yeah, that's kind of a running theme in Cooper's acting career.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
I was not pleased when Sony announced the release of another Spider-Man origin story only ten years after the last. It's not that focuses on origins always bog down superhero movies -- Batman Begins and Iron Man are among my favorites -- but it sounded utterly unnecessary. If Spider-Man 3 was bad enough to induce a reboot, why not try showing him at a later point in his life, like most of the franchise outside cinema? Nevertheless, when I found this title on the library shelf, I got curious to see what changed.
I hope you don't mind heavy, albeit spoiler-free, comparisons and contrasts to Spider-Man (2002) and, to a lesser extent, Spider-Man 2 (2004). It's a bit hard for me to think about the reboot on its own terms, because the original series is something of a sore spot for me. Despite usually liking popular or even middling adaptations from comic books, and despite liking Spidey at least in concept, these entries utterly failed to take my breath away. No way would I check out the threequel. TAS-M has slightly lower ratings across the usual sites, but I knew that I might well beg to differ.
I hope you don't mind heavy, albeit spoiler-free, comparisons and contrasts to Spider-Man (2002) and, to a lesser extent, Spider-Man 2 (2004). It's a bit hard for me to think about the reboot on its own terms, because the original series is something of a sore spot for me. Despite usually liking popular or even middling adaptations from comic books, and despite liking Spidey at least in concept, these entries utterly failed to take my breath away. No way would I check out the threequel. TAS-M has slightly lower ratings across the usual sites, but I knew that I might well beg to differ.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
I had known next to nothing about Catherine the Great, and what I had learned of her was not from school. I couldn't have told you that she lived in the 18th century. I might not even have remembered that she ruled Russia. This alone was enough to justify my viewing, but it's not the only justification.
The film starts in her youth as German Princess Sophia and ends with her becoming the Russian empress. In adulthood, she is played by Marlene Dietrich. The focus lies primarily on her disenchanting arranged marriage to unhinged Grand Duke Peter (Sam Jaffe in his silver screen debut), her mother-in-law Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (Louise Dresser) demanding that she be fully dutiful and bear a son, and her unstable adulterous feelings toward Count Alexei (John Lodge). You may well imagine how the tension builds within the royal family -- and what happens after Elizabeth passes away.
The film starts in her youth as German Princess Sophia and ends with her becoming the Russian empress. In adulthood, she is played by Marlene Dietrich. The focus lies primarily on her disenchanting arranged marriage to unhinged Grand Duke Peter (Sam Jaffe in his silver screen debut), her mother-in-law Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (Louise Dresser) demanding that she be fully dutiful and bear a son, and her unstable adulterous feelings toward Count Alexei (John Lodge). You may well imagine how the tension builds within the royal family -- and what happens after Elizabeth passes away.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
A Perfect Day (2015)
Now here's something I didn't expect: a movie shot in Spain by a Spanish director and crew, but set in Bosnia and with mostly English dialog. While director Fernando León de Aranoa didn't make anything that I'd heard of before, he must have some overseas pull, because the cast includes Benicio Del Toro and Tim Robbins.
Nor did I expect such a conflict to carry a whole movie: Back in the '90s, a group of volunteers tries to pull a body out of a well. Sounds easy, but in a wartorn mountain nation, it's not easy to find available rope or travel to reach it. Obstacles include poverty, hostility, evidence of mines, and bureaucratic UN workers being frustrating if not worse than useless. And the dead man isn't a minor issue; he could start an epidemic if not extracted in time, which was probably the intent of whoever dropped him in.
Nor did I expect such a conflict to carry a whole movie: Back in the '90s, a group of volunteers tries to pull a body out of a well. Sounds easy, but in a wartorn mountain nation, it's not easy to find available rope or travel to reach it. Obstacles include poverty, hostility, evidence of mines, and bureaucratic UN workers being frustrating if not worse than useless. And the dead man isn't a minor issue; he could start an epidemic if not extracted in time, which was probably the intent of whoever dropped him in.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009)
Yes, that Ben Carson. I hadn't heard of him before he entered the presidential race, but his past as a neurosurgeon is worth knowing. Since this TV movie predates his political career, I could count on it not to carry a political bias one way or another.
The biopic looks back as far as 1961, when Ben was in fourth grade -- and bombing at it, until his mother (Kimberly Elise) put his nose to the grindstone. We then see segments with him in eighth grade, when he had a violent attitude problem; and at Yale, where he started feeling like an underachiever all over again. About half the 90 minutes show him in adulthood, played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. He still faces tough challenges at that point, but they tend to be rarer, such as the need to perform a hemispherectomy. And his 1987 crowning medical achievement, previewed at the start: the first-ever separation of babies joined at the cranium with both surviving. (He had a large team, but he thought up the approach and directed their actions.)
The biopic looks back as far as 1961, when Ben was in fourth grade -- and bombing at it, until his mother (Kimberly Elise) put his nose to the grindstone. We then see segments with him in eighth grade, when he had a violent attitude problem; and at Yale, where he started feeling like an underachiever all over again. About half the 90 minutes show him in adulthood, played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. He still faces tough challenges at that point, but they tend to be rarer, such as the need to perform a hemispherectomy. And his 1987 crowning medical achievement, previewed at the start: the first-ever separation of babies joined at the cranium with both surviving. (He had a large team, but he thought up the approach and directed their actions.)
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Brooklyn (2015)
I hadn't expected to see this, especially in a theater. The advertising just hadn't grabbed me, if I even knew of it. But when my folks invited me for a Thanksgiving viewing, I thought, "Well, why not? It's popular enough."
In the early '50s, young woman Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) moves from a small Irish town to the titular borough for a prearranged job. It takes her some time to fit in, but a big boost comes when lovable Italian-American Tony (Emory Cohen) courts her and then her boarding housemates help her react appropriately. It looks as though that would be the end of her homesickness, but then some news from Ireland arrives in the second half....
In the early '50s, young woman Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) moves from a small Irish town to the titular borough for a prearranged job. It takes her some time to fit in, but a big boost comes when lovable Italian-American Tony (Emory Cohen) courts her and then her boarding housemates help her react appropriately. It looks as though that would be the end of her homesickness, but then some news from Ireland arrives in the second half....
The Raid: Redemption (2011)
For all the international movies I watch, I had never seen an Indonesian one before. I don't recall whether I took the recommendation from Netflix or IMDb, but it looked like another Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, which I vaguely recall liking. More importantly, I felt up for an action flick.
Here a SWAT team infiltrates an apartment building run by a notorious drug lord. Alas, they go in with too little preparation (under suspicious circumstances) and underestimate his power. Before long, nobody left alive outside the building knows that the team is there, and the drug lord announces free residence for life to anyone who helps make them disappear. Gang members or not, there sure are a lot of young male tenants prepared to take up arms against the cops, who spend most of the story just trying to leave.
Here a SWAT team infiltrates an apartment building run by a notorious drug lord. Alas, they go in with too little preparation (under suspicious circumstances) and underestimate his power. Before long, nobody left alive outside the building knows that the team is there, and the drug lord announces free residence for life to anyone who helps make them disappear. Gang members or not, there sure are a lot of young male tenants prepared to take up arms against the cops, who spend most of the story just trying to leave.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Kings Row (1942)
This love story was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Picture; Best Director (Sam Wood); and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White. That said, it's probably best remembered for something else: a young Ronald Reagan putting on possibly the best performance in his acting career and certainly the first to gain him much attention. He's not quite the male lead, though, and I'm not sure he ever was.
Taking place from 1890 to 1900, the book-based film focuses primarily on one Parris Mitchell from childhood to early doctorhood (by which time he's played by Robert Cummings) but also considerably on his friend Drake McHugh (Reagan in adulthood), a less career-focused party animal. One thing they turn out to have in common, besides their upscale childhood neighborhood, is an interest in hard-to-get ladies, specifically the daughters of two local doctors. One doctor (Charles Coburn) doesn't see much potential in Drake; the other (Claude Rains) likes Parris well enough as a student but is beyond overprotective toward his daughter. You might or might not be surprised at how much drama ensues.
Taking place from 1890 to 1900, the book-based film focuses primarily on one Parris Mitchell from childhood to early doctorhood (by which time he's played by Robert Cummings) but also considerably on his friend Drake McHugh (Reagan in adulthood), a less career-focused party animal. One thing they turn out to have in common, besides their upscale childhood neighborhood, is an interest in hard-to-get ladies, specifically the daughters of two local doctors. One doctor (Charles Coburn) doesn't see much potential in Drake; the other (Claude Rains) likes Parris well enough as a student but is beyond overprotective toward his daughter. You might or might not be surprised at how much drama ensues.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Selma (2014)
It's not easy to review a film with a focus on a civil rights hero. Viewers' passions are bound to run high, and some might take even a slight criticism as a sign of racism. Others might roll their eyes at me for going too easy on it, thinking I'm racist in its favor. Well, all I can offer is my earnest impression.
The story begins with MLK (David Oyelowo) preparing to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Before long come two indicators that he still has a lot of work to do: a church bombing and a ludicrous suffrage obstacle. Since talking to the president will accomplish only so much, he organizes a protest march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The march itself doesn't get a lot of screen time; there's more than enough drama in just preparing for it, what with threats of arrest and physical violence from multiple parties. It doesn't help that the FBI is typewriting the activist leaders' every move, as shown right on the screen.
The story begins with MLK (David Oyelowo) preparing to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Before long come two indicators that he still has a lot of work to do: a church bombing and a ludicrous suffrage obstacle. Since talking to the president will accomplish only so much, he organizes a protest march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The march itself doesn't get a lot of screen time; there's more than enough drama in just preparing for it, what with threats of arrest and physical violence from multiple parties. It doesn't help that the FBI is typewriting the activist leaders' every move, as shown right on the screen.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Il Sorpasso (1962)
At first I figured that the title translated to "The Overpass." It's actually "The Overtaking," which refers to the many times that the main driver speeds to pass another, and I suspect a metaphorical second meaning. In the English-speaking world, the film is sometimes advertised as "The Easy Life."
On a literal Roman holiday, driver Bruno can't get standard service, so he asks the first stranger he can find to help him phone some friends he plans to meet. That stranger, Roberto, is painfully shy and studying for a law exam, but when it's apparent that the meeting won't happen, he accepts Bruno's spontaneous invitation to do something more holidayish: drive around and pretty much do whatever promises to be fun. Roberto can hardly explain to himself why he's leaving his comfort zone, but Bruno's extremely different personality -- boisterous, cheerful, motor-mouthed, rude without provocation, unruly, mooching, arrogant -- clearly intrigues him.
On a literal Roman holiday, driver Bruno can't get standard service, so he asks the first stranger he can find to help him phone some friends he plans to meet. That stranger, Roberto, is painfully shy and studying for a law exam, but when it's apparent that the meeting won't happen, he accepts Bruno's spontaneous invitation to do something more holidayish: drive around and pretty much do whatever promises to be fun. Roberto can hardly explain to himself why he's leaving his comfort zone, but Bruno's extremely different personality -- boisterous, cheerful, motor-mouthed, rude without provocation, unruly, mooching, arrogant -- clearly intrigues him.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Bridge of Spies (2015)
You can't tell from any of my previous entries, but I'm a major Steven Spielberg fan. Maybe being named after him has biased me in his favor, but the projects that he directs and/or produces rarely disappoint me. I've seen nearly all his feature films to date, so don't expect me to review many more.
As in real life, in 1957, insurance attorney Jim Donovan (Tom Hanks) is asked to defend Soviet spy Rudolph Abel (three-time Tony winner Mark Rylance) in court. There's no getting Abel off the hook altogether, but Donovan persuades the judge to forgo a death sentence, not least because Abel could make a good bargaining chip. The opportunity for this comes before long, as two Americans become prisoners in rapid succession: a spy in the USSR and a mere student who attempted to break into East Germany for romantic reasons. Donovan once again steps up to the plate, this time in the even harder role of officially nongovernmental negotiator in Berlin. Can he get both communist governments to cooperate and trade two prisoners for one of questionable value?
As in real life, in 1957, insurance attorney Jim Donovan (Tom Hanks) is asked to defend Soviet spy Rudolph Abel (three-time Tony winner Mark Rylance) in court. There's no getting Abel off the hook altogether, but Donovan persuades the judge to forgo a death sentence, not least because Abel could make a good bargaining chip. The opportunity for this comes before long, as two Americans become prisoners in rapid succession: a spy in the USSR and a mere student who attempted to break into East Germany for romantic reasons. Donovan once again steps up to the plate, this time in the even harder role of officially nongovernmental negotiator in Berlin. Can he get both communist governments to cooperate and trade two prisoners for one of questionable value?
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Cat People (1942)
Oops. Due to a wait at the top of my Netflix queue, this got a "belated" delivery that I would have put off until next year if I had rearranged the queue in time. So The Babadook wasn't my last Halloween-type viewing after all. Shame.
Do not confuse the 1942 original with the 1982 remake. From what I hear, the latter is very overtly sexual, whereas the Hays Publication Code allowed nothing steamier than kisses -- and we see only one in this whole movie, for a plot-relevant reason.
It begins with one Irena Dubrovna intently drawing a panther at the zoo. She also draws the interest of one Oliver Reed (not the actor by that name), who courts and soon weds her, despite her standoffish behavior and lack of self-confidence in her worth as a wife. Oliver learns that she was raised on Serbian legends of people who turn into deadly, out-of-control big cats when sufficiently impassioned, and she believes herself to be one. He tries to convince her otherwise by introducing her to a psychiatrist, but that works as well as you'd expect. By the time her unromantic demeanor leads Oliver's heart to stray to a co-worker -- and the crooked shrink hopes that Irena's will stray to him -- we see evidence of truth to the legend....
Do not confuse the 1942 original with the 1982 remake. From what I hear, the latter is very overtly sexual, whereas the Hays Publication Code allowed nothing steamier than kisses -- and we see only one in this whole movie, for a plot-relevant reason.
It begins with one Irena Dubrovna intently drawing a panther at the zoo. She also draws the interest of one Oliver Reed (not the actor by that name), who courts and soon weds her, despite her standoffish behavior and lack of self-confidence in her worth as a wife. Oliver learns that she was raised on Serbian legends of people who turn into deadly, out-of-control big cats when sufficiently impassioned, and she believes herself to be one. He tries to convince her otherwise by introducing her to a psychiatrist, but that works as well as you'd expect. By the time her unromantic demeanor leads Oliver's heart to stray to a co-worker -- and the crooked shrink hopes that Irena's will stray to him -- we see evidence of truth to the legend....
Friday, November 6, 2015
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
I'm not sure what drew me to this pseudo-western (set in the modern West). Despite its recency and high ratings on multiple sites, I don't think I'd heard anything about it after seeing the trailer. Maybe the title alone got me curious.
"Mel," as his American rancher friend Pete (Tommy Lee Jones) calls him, is a Mexican farmer with no criminal past to our knowledge. Due to a forgivable misunderstanding, border patrolman Mike (Barry Pepper) shoots him dead. What's less forgivable is that when he realizes his mistake, he leaves the body in the desert and doesn't report it. After the authorities give him a slightly more dignified "second" burial, Pete does a little detective work and determines both who killed Mel and why the sheriff (Dwight Yoakam) isn't doing anything about it. Pete takes matters into his own hands and brute-forces Mike to give Mel a better burial -- well across the border, with the sheriff's department in pursuit.
"Mel," as his American rancher friend Pete (Tommy Lee Jones) calls him, is a Mexican farmer with no criminal past to our knowledge. Due to a forgivable misunderstanding, border patrolman Mike (Barry Pepper) shoots him dead. What's less forgivable is that when he realizes his mistake, he leaves the body in the desert and doesn't report it. After the authorities give him a slightly more dignified "second" burial, Pete does a little detective work and determines both who killed Mel and why the sheriff (Dwight Yoakam) isn't doing anything about it. Pete takes matters into his own hands and brute-forces Mike to give Mel a better burial -- well across the border, with the sheriff's department in pursuit.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
The Babadook (2014)
Somehow I had thought of this Australian horror as a potential companion piece to A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, probably just because it happened to be out around the same time, but it so happens that both are the first features of female directors. TB has the distinction of a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and a rather middling 6.9 on IMDb. I think I know why, but first, as usual, a synopsis:
After seven years, Amelia still isn't dealing well with widowhood. Her son Samuel (born the day her husband died) adds to her stress in many ways: always speaking his mind, practicing dangerous magic tricks and stunts, and believing in -- and preparing for -- monsters. The last behavior becomes more pronounced after she reads to him from The Babadook, an alleged children's book of mysterious origin, about a sort of bogeyman named for his distinctive style of knocking at the door. As the days pass, it gets increasingly hard for Amelia to dismiss Samuel's fears as unfounded....
After seven years, Amelia still isn't dealing well with widowhood. Her son Samuel (born the day her husband died) adds to her stress in many ways: always speaking his mind, practicing dangerous magic tricks and stunts, and believing in -- and preparing for -- monsters. The last behavior becomes more pronounced after she reads to him from The Babadook, an alleged children's book of mysterious origin, about a sort of bogeyman named for his distinctive style of knocking at the door. As the days pass, it gets increasingly hard for Amelia to dismiss Samuel's fears as unfounded....
Thursday, October 29, 2015
The Book of Life (2014)
No, the title has nothing to do with the biblical use of the term. In fact, it relies heavily on Mayan mythology. Since I'd forgotten that Mexico's Day of the Dead actually lasts three days, I am in no position to evaluate the authenticity of the traditions depicted herein, but that matters little in an animated comedy.
We get a story within a story as a museum tour guide (Christina Applegate) tells a group of kids -- far more rapt than their early misbehavior would portend -- one legend straight out of the allegedly comprehensive Book of Life. Set in an ambiguous post-Columbian era, it concerns two gods wagering on human love. If María (Zoe Saldana) marries Joaquin (Channing Tatum), popular son of a war hero, then Xibalba (Ron Perlman), god of the hellish Land of the Forgotten, gets to swap places with La Muerte (Kate del Castillo), goddess of the much more pleasant Land of the Remembered. If María marries Joaquin's friend Manolo (Diego Luna), an aspiring mariachi whose father pushes him to be a matador, then Xibalba has to stop intervening in the realm of the living. Both boys/men do awesome things with their divine blessings over the years, but neither has the advantage in María's heart for very long; the main change is in how they feel about each other. At no point does either god fear that she'll marry neither, though.
As you might have guessed, Xibalba is the nastier god, though not nasty enough to make an outright villain out of his champion. Due to some unfair moves on Xibalba's part, Manolo dies about halfway through the movie. But Manolo strives to return to life, not just for María's sake but to help save their hometown from the true main villain, Chakal (Dan Navarro), a bandit leader too dangerous even for Joaquin. This being the Day of the Dead, the separation between life and death is more negotiable than usual....
We get a story within a story as a museum tour guide (Christina Applegate) tells a group of kids -- far more rapt than their early misbehavior would portend -- one legend straight out of the allegedly comprehensive Book of Life. Set in an ambiguous post-Columbian era, it concerns two gods wagering on human love. If María (Zoe Saldana) marries Joaquin (Channing Tatum), popular son of a war hero, then Xibalba (Ron Perlman), god of the hellish Land of the Forgotten, gets to swap places with La Muerte (Kate del Castillo), goddess of the much more pleasant Land of the Remembered. If María marries Joaquin's friend Manolo (Diego Luna), an aspiring mariachi whose father pushes him to be a matador, then Xibalba has to stop intervening in the realm of the living. Both boys/men do awesome things with their divine blessings over the years, but neither has the advantage in María's heart for very long; the main change is in how they feel about each other. At no point does either god fear that she'll marry neither, though.
As you might have guessed, Xibalba is the nastier god, though not nasty enough to make an outright villain out of his champion. Due to some unfair moves on Xibalba's part, Manolo dies about halfway through the movie. But Manolo strives to return to life, not just for María's sake but to help save their hometown from the true main villain, Chakal (Dan Navarro), a bandit leader too dangerous even for Joaquin. This being the Day of the Dead, the separation between life and death is more negotiable than usual....
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Ringu (1998)
Some films get thoroughly noted for one particular aspect -- to the point that people who haven't already seen them wonder if there's enough else to justify actually watching them instead of hearing about them. Well, I learned with The Crying Game that there could be quite a lot more, and what people cite might not even be the best part IMO. With that in mind, I checked out this Japanese cult classic slightly more esteemed than its 2001 American remake The Ring.
The famous premise is certainly dated from a technological standpoint: a videotape that results in its viewers' death one week later. To my surprise, the movie wastes no time in establishing this premise as one teen girl tells another a rumor about someone falling victim to it. The listener gets concerned, as the creepily avant-garde-sounding video content description matches what she herself saw recently. The rumor also included a phone call to the victim (thus explaining the title), and sure enough, the phone rings now. No points for guessing the gist of what happens that night.
The famous premise is certainly dated from a technological standpoint: a videotape that results in its viewers' death one week later. To my surprise, the movie wastes no time in establishing this premise as one teen girl tells another a rumor about someone falling victim to it. The listener gets concerned, as the creepily avant-garde-sounding video content description matches what she herself saw recently. The rumor also included a phone call to the victim (thus explaining the title), and sure enough, the phone rings now. No points for guessing the gist of what happens that night.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
The Old Dark House (1932)
This early talkie is best remembered for two things. First, it was the first post-Frankenstein James Whale movie featuring Boris Karloff, though the latter is made up so differently that an opening written paragraph tells us who he plays. Second, legal complications on distribution rights caused it to be lost for decades until Curtis Harrington, a director and friend of Whale, campaigned to find and restore it.
Karloff gets top billing but not the most screen time, let alone the most lines (he plays a mute again). Other notable actors include Melvyn Douglas, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart, and Charles Laughton, all of whom play relatively good and normal characters. The gist: Two parties with a total of five people get caught in a terrible storm on a mountain road and beg shelter at the titular house. Unlike in many such setups, there's nothing supernatural about the mansion; it just has unhinged residents. Some of whom have tendencies to unprovoked violence....
Karloff gets top billing but not the most screen time, let alone the most lines (he plays a mute again). Other notable actors include Melvyn Douglas, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart, and Charles Laughton, all of whom play relatively good and normal characters. The gist: Two parties with a total of five people get caught in a terrible storm on a mountain road and beg shelter at the titular house. Unlike in many such setups, there's nothing supernatural about the mansion; it just has unhinged residents. Some of whom have tendencies to unprovoked violence....
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Kuroneko (1968)
The original full title, Yabu no Naka no Kuroneko, translates to "A Black Cat in a Bamboo Grove." The first three words can also refer to a mystery -- and/or a short story that became the basis of the classic Rashōmon. Given that the same bridge plays a significant role in the setting, it's probably no coincidence.
Beyond that, I failed to unearth much in the way of enlightening trivia, but apparently there's some tradition involving a strong spiritual connection between cats and owners. Kuroneko begins with a young woman and her mother-in-law home alone while their husband/son is off at a long war. A troop of samurai gang-rapes and kills them, burning the rural house to the ground. Their cat inspects the bodies and somehow fuses with their spirits to help exact vengeance -- somewhat like The Crow, but even more intimate and magical. Their MO is to lure individual samurai (whether known offenders or not) from the bridge to an illusory estate, seduce them, and kill them a la feline vampires. Little did they know that their husband/son would become a samurai and be assigned to annihilate whatever's killing the samurai....
Beyond that, I failed to unearth much in the way of enlightening trivia, but apparently there's some tradition involving a strong spiritual connection between cats and owners. Kuroneko begins with a young woman and her mother-in-law home alone while their husband/son is off at a long war. A troop of samurai gang-rapes and kills them, burning the rural house to the ground. Their cat inspects the bodies and somehow fuses with their spirits to help exact vengeance -- somewhat like The Crow, but even more intimate and magical. Their MO is to lure individual samurai (whether known offenders or not) from the bridge to an illusory estate, seduce them, and kill them a la feline vampires. Little did they know that their husband/son would become a samurai and be assigned to annihilate whatever's killing the samurai....
Friday, October 16, 2015
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
I imagine that nobody was "ready" for this film when it arrived. For starters, it's set in Iran but made in the USA; that's why the on-screen credits are in English but the dialog isn't. Outside sources tell me the actors speak a pidgin Farsi, so it probably has limited popularity with Iranians. Seemingly the only reason for the setting is a whim of the debuting Iranian-American director, Ana Lily Amirpour. Who, admittedly, would be hard pressed to get it made in the real Iran.
If nobody had told me that AGWHAaN was a horror, I'd have had no idea for the first 24 minutes. For all that time, it's a deliberately monochrome, deliberately paced study of unwholesome characters in a bleak town called Bad City. (It sounds to me like they pronounce it "Bahd," so it must not be intended as the English adjective, except maybe for a pun.) These characters include young drug dealer Arash, his junkie father, a mean pimp, a tired prostitute, and an impish boy. And then there's the titular, severely laconic, unnamed "girl" in the black cloak, who stalks...well, I'm tempted not to tell you, but enough ads and reviewers have given it away already....
If nobody had told me that AGWHAaN was a horror, I'd have had no idea for the first 24 minutes. For all that time, it's a deliberately monochrome, deliberately paced study of unwholesome characters in a bleak town called Bad City. (It sounds to me like they pronounce it "Bahd," so it must not be intended as the English adjective, except maybe for a pun.) These characters include young drug dealer Arash, his junkie father, a mean pimp, a tired prostitute, and an impish boy. And then there's the titular, severely laconic, unnamed "girl" in the black cloak, who stalks...well, I'm tempted not to tell you, but enough ads and reviewers have given it away already....
Sunday, October 11, 2015
The Bad Seed (1956)
You may question whether a mere thriller, with no sci-fi or supernatural elements and no gore, belongs on a Halloween-type schedule. But I tend to find movies scarier when they're basically credible...and when they leave something to the imagination.
Besides, Mervyn LeRoy's The Bad Seed may easily call to mind genuine horrors like The Omen, if only because of the enfant terrible. I can't name many films about evil children, partly because not every filmmaker wants to get kids thoroughly involved in something not fit for family viewing, but they are a promising ingredient for disturbance if not fear. Think about it: Young children, especially girls, are commonly upheld as symbols of innocence. But I for one remember having worse ethics then than now; I was "innocent" only in the sense that I'd had little time or ability to do anything seriously bad. A child with a bit more of the right talent and know-how could do much worse. And eight-year-old Rhoda (Patty McCormack) is one such child.
Besides, Mervyn LeRoy's The Bad Seed may easily call to mind genuine horrors like The Omen, if only because of the enfant terrible. I can't name many films about evil children, partly because not every filmmaker wants to get kids thoroughly involved in something not fit for family viewing, but they are a promising ingredient for disturbance if not fear. Think about it: Young children, especially girls, are commonly upheld as symbols of innocence. But I for one remember having worse ethics then than now; I was "innocent" only in the sense that I'd had little time or ability to do anything seriously bad. A child with a bit more of the right talent and know-how could do much worse. And eight-year-old Rhoda (Patty McCormack) is one such child.
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
I don't believe I'd ever seen a silent Swedish film before. Fittingly, it was Ingmar Bergman's favorite from an early age, though I couldn't have independently identified any sign of influence besides Grim Reaper imagery. Interestingly, TPC doesn't have a Grim Reaper in the sense we usually think of: The task of collecting dead souls (merely carrying them, not using the purely ceremonial scythe) falls to a new dead soul each year, namely whoever dies last in the year. Apparently, the legend makes no allowance for time zone differences.
As you can guess, this story includes the stroke of midnight, with chimes dutifully supplied in addition to a haunting score. Protagonist David, a homeless drunk, has been wary of the legend but injudiciously provokes his companions into a serious fight. Then he meets the titular carriage's retiring driver, Georges, whom he happened to have met shortly before his death. David reeeeally doesn't want to take over (is it that terrible a way to spend a year in the afterlife?), and we actually never see him take the reins or a soul in his hands. Georges forces him only to come along for information....
As you can guess, this story includes the stroke of midnight, with chimes dutifully supplied in addition to a haunting score. Protagonist David, a homeless drunk, has been wary of the legend but injudiciously provokes his companions into a serious fight. Then he meets the titular carriage's retiring driver, Georges, whom he happened to have met shortly before his death. David reeeeally doesn't want to take over (is it that terrible a way to spend a year in the afterlife?), and we actually never see him take the reins or a soul in his hands. Georges forces him only to come along for information....
Monday, October 5, 2015
The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)
Now that October has come, I've started a string of viewings appropriate to Halloween. Not all of them horrors, mind you. This rather light drama probably never scared anyone much. But the titular devil isn't just a figure of speech.
Surprise: Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold) is not one of the two most prominent characters; he kind of hovers in the background until the third act. Instead, Jabez Stone (James Craig, listed at the bottom of the abbreviated IMDb cast!), a New Hampshire farmer with a streak of bad luck in 1840, disregards his strong Christian mother (Jane Darwell) and wife (Anne Shirley) by privately declaring that he'd sell his soul for two cents. Of course, the sudden visitor who goes by the rather forthright name of Scratch (Walter Huston) offers far more than that to seal the deal: a guaranteed seven years of economic prosperity, followed immediately by payment. Stone takes Scratch's word for it that a soul is basically nothing -- which forms a fraction of his defense later on....
Surprise: Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold) is not one of the two most prominent characters; he kind of hovers in the background until the third act. Instead, Jabez Stone (James Craig, listed at the bottom of the abbreviated IMDb cast!), a New Hampshire farmer with a streak of bad luck in 1840, disregards his strong Christian mother (Jane Darwell) and wife (Anne Shirley) by privately declaring that he'd sell his soul for two cents. Of course, the sudden visitor who goes by the rather forthright name of Scratch (Walter Huston) offers far more than that to seal the deal: a guaranteed seven years of economic prosperity, followed immediately by payment. Stone takes Scratch's word for it that a soul is basically nothing -- which forms a fraction of his defense later on....
Advise & Consent (1962)
Sometimes, all it takes to get me to put off viewing a popular movie is an off-putting title. Such dry, stilted language, adapted to awkward verb form from the Constitution. I can enjoy legal dramas -- 12 Angry Men, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Otto Preminger's other great Anatomy of a Murder are among my favorite dramas in any subgenre -- but not so much when they focus on the more seemingly esoteric aspects of law. Was that the case here?
Not really, but it is a little tricky to follow. Initially, the most focal character is Robert Leffingwell (Henry Fonda), whom the curiously unnamed U.S. president (Franchot Tone) nominates for Secretary of State. It's not clear when the story takes place -- the novel was written three years earlier -- but apparently the Red Scare still has some steam, because opponents present evidence that Leffingwell has been moving in the wrong circles, if you will. By the second half, focus shifts to the hearing committee chair, Sen. Brigham Anderson (Don Murray), faced with a scandal of his own....
Not really, but it is a little tricky to follow. Initially, the most focal character is Robert Leffingwell (Henry Fonda), whom the curiously unnamed U.S. president (Franchot Tone) nominates for Secretary of State. It's not clear when the story takes place -- the novel was written three years earlier -- but apparently the Red Scare still has some steam, because opponents present evidence that Leffingwell has been moving in the wrong circles, if you will. By the second half, focus shifts to the hearing committee chair, Sen. Brigham Anderson (Don Murray), faced with a scandal of his own....
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Shall We Dance (1937)
At one time, I would have called musicals my favorite film genre. Alas, it gets harder and harder to find promising ones I haven't seen already. Most musicals from the last few decades are either made with kids in mind or dark in tone with nearly constant singing. The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers era has neither in abundance, but their works can have little good to offer besides dancing. I had no guarantee that I would get anything halfway new out of continuing to watch them.
Here Astaire plays a ballet star with a taste for tap dancing, whose stage name "Petrov" carries a different air from birth name Peter P. Peters. Like in Swing Time, he wants to marry a woman he knows almost nothing about, in this case tap dancer Linda Keene (Rogers), who feels ready to resign and never meet another dancing man. Petrov pulls strings with his unknowing, stodgy manager Jeffrey (Edward Everett Horton) to get on the same cruise as Keene. When an aggressive suitor pursues Petrov, Jeffrey tells her that Petrov has been secretly married for years. Word spreads on the ship...until irresponsible papers all over declare that Petrov and Keene are not only married but expecting, which makes an already awkward courtship even more so.
Here Astaire plays a ballet star with a taste for tap dancing, whose stage name "Petrov" carries a different air from birth name Peter P. Peters. Like in Swing Time, he wants to marry a woman he knows almost nothing about, in this case tap dancer Linda Keene (Rogers), who feels ready to resign and never meet another dancing man. Petrov pulls strings with his unknowing, stodgy manager Jeffrey (Edward Everett Horton) to get on the same cruise as Keene. When an aggressive suitor pursues Petrov, Jeffrey tells her that Petrov has been secretly married for years. Word spreads on the ship...until irresponsible papers all over declare that Petrov and Keene are not only married but expecting, which makes an already awkward courtship even more so.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
The Out-of-Towners (1970)
I might have taken no notice of this comedy if not for the remake with Steve Martin. That remake was thoroughly panned, but at least it did its part of calling attention to the original. With that in mind, I kept an eye out for the unfulfilled potential that would lead someone to decide on a remake.
George (Jack Lemmon) and his wife, Gwen (Sandy Dennis, whom I'd known only from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), head from small-town Ohio to New York City, where George expects to get a promotion. He sets off with an odd mix of anxiety and confidence, repeatedly attributing his own worries to Gwen. Bad weather delays the flight landing, upsetting what little equilibrium he had. It only gets worse from there.
George (Jack Lemmon) and his wife, Gwen (Sandy Dennis, whom I'd known only from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), head from small-town Ohio to New York City, where George expects to get a promotion. He sets off with an odd mix of anxiety and confidence, repeatedly attributing his own worries to Gwen. Bad weather delays the flight landing, upsetting what little equilibrium he had. It only gets worse from there.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
If someone had told me after the first or second M:I entry that there would be a fifth in 2015, I would have dismissed the prediction with a raspberry. If someone had told me in 2006 that it would star Tom Cruise, I would have rolled my eyes. Funny how these things change.
In Ghost Protocol, Ethan Hunt and company had their remote support cut off and dealt with failing gadgetry among other new problems. This time it's worse: The CIA director (Alec Baldwin), believing that the Impossible Missions Force made up the destructive force known as the Syndicate to justify its own less ruly acts, gets the IMF officially disbanded. When Ethan doesn't stop doing what he does, he becomes a wanted man, worrying the few people willing to help him track down Syndicate honcho Solomon Lane (Sean Harris, who needs little more than a stone face).
In Ghost Protocol, Ethan Hunt and company had their remote support cut off and dealt with failing gadgetry among other new problems. This time it's worse: The CIA director (Alec Baldwin), believing that the Impossible Missions Force made up the destructive force known as the Syndicate to justify its own less ruly acts, gets the IMF officially disbanded. When Ethan doesn't stop doing what he does, he becomes a wanted man, worrying the few people willing to help him track down Syndicate honcho Solomon Lane (Sean Harris, who needs little more than a stone face).
The Vanished Elephant (2014)
The AFI Silver Theater is having a Latin American film festival. TVE wasn't necessarily the most promising option, but I had a Meetup invitation. I knew going in that movies from countries not known for movies -- Peru and Colombia in this case -- are a pretty big gamble, especially when they don't have many raters yet. (At this time, TVE leaves a blank line on the Tomatometer and IMDb lists no trivia.) Thankfully, my worries didn't stick around long.
The story begins with Eduardo "Edo" Celeste, a successful if hackneyed crime novelist who used to work for the police, writing his announced final Felipe Aranda novel. His fiancee, Celia, had disappeared in the 2007 Peruvian earthquake. (The title alludes to a painting of a land formation that got destroyed in the quake, which he stares at often.) He likes to think she's still alive somewhere, but to this day, a hostile detective suspects him of murder. And much like in Tell No One, it won't be the last murder of which he's suspected.
The story begins with Eduardo "Edo" Celeste, a successful if hackneyed crime novelist who used to work for the police, writing his announced final Felipe Aranda novel. His fiancee, Celia, had disappeared in the 2007 Peruvian earthquake. (The title alludes to a painting of a land formation that got destroyed in the quake, which he stares at often.) He likes to think she's still alive somewhere, but to this day, a hostile detective suspects him of murder. And much like in Tell No One, it won't be the last murder of which he's suspected.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
In the Mood for Love (2000)
With a little more foresight, I would have followed my previous viewing with a movie that promised to be exciting, as with action. Instead, I chose something more popular but similarly simple in plot...and thus similarly slow.
My only prior experience with Wong Kar-wai was the singular Chungking Express, which, like so many accomplished foreign films, defies American genre standards. By contrast, ItMfL is a rather straightforward love story that could easily have been set in the modern U.S. instead of various parts of the Far East in 1962. Mrs. Chan (Maggie Cheung) and Mr. Chow (Tony Chiu Wai Leung) live in neighboring apartments and come to keep each other company while their spouses are on vacation. After they develop strong suspicions of their spouses' prolonged adultery, they are tempted to do likewise with each other in spite of their resolve to be better than that.
Monday, September 21, 2015
My Dinner with Andre (1981)
I knew very well that this might bore the heck out of me. It is little more than two men talking over dinner, after all. And some haters quip that it's not even that. But a 7.8 on IMDb and 91% on Rotten Tomatoes are nothing to sneeze at, and I've appreciated some films with few characters and/or minimal action, so I braced myself and went ahead.
It helps that there is some semblance of conflict. As Wally (Wallace Shawn, not as himself) says in the opening narration, he's been avoiding formerly close theater comrade Andre (Andre Gregory, also not as himself) for some time, after Andre suddenly left for a long journey of exploration. At their half-reluctant restaurant meeting, Wally decides to ask a few questions and let Andre do most of the talking. Only when the 110 minutes are more than half over does Wally start saying more than two sentences in a row. To say he's finally comfortable is a stretch, but at least his grievance is no longer with Andre himself.
It helps that there is some semblance of conflict. As Wally (Wallace Shawn, not as himself) says in the opening narration, he's been avoiding formerly close theater comrade Andre (Andre Gregory, also not as himself) for some time, after Andre suddenly left for a long journey of exploration. At their half-reluctant restaurant meeting, Wally decides to ask a few questions and let Andre do most of the talking. Only when the 110 minutes are more than half over does Wally start saying more than two sentences in a row. To say he's finally comfortable is a stretch, but at least his grievance is no longer with Andre himself.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
25th Hour (2002)
Netflix uses the term "post-9/11" in its description of this movie, which may have played a subconscious part in my queue ordering. While the story does take place in New York City, the only sign of anything related to 9/11 comes when protagonist Monty (Edward Norton) cusses out Osama bin Laden. Along with various groups and individuals in NYC. And Jesus. And finally himself.
Monty's not much happier than that for the rest of the movie, in which the DEA has found drugs in his apartment and he has a day left to party and say his goodbyes before turning himself in. (Yes, the law can work that way, though the federal agents shouldn't have mentioned the Rockefeller drug laws.) From the title, I had expected an action-packed thriller, not a drama. In fact, it's less a story than a character study, with a fair amount of focus on the quiet troubles of his friends Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Frank (Barry Pepper) and his father (Brian Cox) as they prepare to see him off, not knowing whether he'll spend seven years in prison, run away forever, or commit suicide.
Monty's not much happier than that for the rest of the movie, in which the DEA has found drugs in his apartment and he has a day left to party and say his goodbyes before turning himself in. (Yes, the law can work that way, though the federal agents shouldn't have mentioned the Rockefeller drug laws.) From the title, I had expected an action-packed thriller, not a drama. In fact, it's less a story than a character study, with a fair amount of focus on the quiet troubles of his friends Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Frank (Barry Pepper) and his father (Brian Cox) as they prepare to see him off, not knowing whether he'll spend seven years in prison, run away forever, or commit suicide.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Interstellar (2014)
Christopher Nolan is so popular that today's top news on IMDb is that he'll direct a movie in 2017 -- with no word on the title, subject, or actors. Personally, I have very mixed feelings about his work. It's consistently admirable and entertaining but always contains bothersome elements that prevent me from loving it, such as an obsession with dead wives and girlfriends. (How does his wife feel about that?)
The protagonist of Interstellar -- identified somewhat confusingly by just his last name, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) -- is a widower, but at least he's not loaded with guilt or vindictiveness. After all, in his time, crop blight has decreased the human population so dramatically that he fears that his daughter Murphy's generation will be the last. (For once, the disaster is not evidently the fault of humans or aliens.) A former astronaut, he's disappointed that schools now teach that the moon landing was a hoax so that kids will be less inclined to become anything other than farmers. Of course, he's not alone: The stealthy remains of NASA have been looking for a habitable world to reach before it's too late. As Cooper discovers, their methods now involve aid from a mysterious source to travel by extra dimensions. He's game to head a mission despite Murphy's protests, but no one can be fully prepared for what happens in the uncharted territory of physics....
The protagonist of Interstellar -- identified somewhat confusingly by just his last name, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) -- is a widower, but at least he's not loaded with guilt or vindictiveness. After all, in his time, crop blight has decreased the human population so dramatically that he fears that his daughter Murphy's generation will be the last. (For once, the disaster is not evidently the fault of humans or aliens.) A former astronaut, he's disappointed that schools now teach that the moon landing was a hoax so that kids will be less inclined to become anything other than farmers. Of course, he's not alone: The stealthy remains of NASA have been looking for a habitable world to reach before it's too late. As Cooper discovers, their methods now involve aid from a mysterious source to travel by extra dimensions. He's game to head a mission despite Murphy's protests, but no one can be fully prepared for what happens in the uncharted territory of physics....
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Tell No One (2006)
It's unusual for a French studio to adapt an American novel (now set in France, with English only in music), but writer Harlan Coben found director Guillaume Canet to understand his work better than correspondents in Hollywood. This might explain why, as French cinema goes, it strikes me as not very strange...almost strangely so. Which does not make it plain.
On a rural outing, protagonist Alex Beck gets beaten into a coma and wakes up to learn that his wife was murdered. A few details make him a suspect, but then the police convict a known serial killer, who doesn't admit to that particular murder. Most of the movie takes place eight years later, by which time Alex, while not exactly happy, seems to have a handle on life...until he's suspected of two more murders. It can't be coincidence that on the same day that he hears this, he receives an anonymous email showing footage of what appears to be his wife alive today. The email warns, "Tell no one. They are watching." Who are they, why are they causing trouble for him and others he cares about, and what can he do to stop them?
On a rural outing, protagonist Alex Beck gets beaten into a coma and wakes up to learn that his wife was murdered. A few details make him a suspect, but then the police convict a known serial killer, who doesn't admit to that particular murder. Most of the movie takes place eight years later, by which time Alex, while not exactly happy, seems to have a handle on life...until he's suspected of two more murders. It can't be coincidence that on the same day that he hears this, he receives an anonymous email showing footage of what appears to be his wife alive today. The email warns, "Tell no one. They are watching." Who are they, why are they causing trouble for him and others he cares about, and what can he do to stop them?
Friday, September 4, 2015
Carrie (1952)
The year above should tell you that this has nothing to do with the Stephen King story that became two horror flicks. It is instead a romantic drama directed by William Wyler, which, in my experience, means a minor gamble.
Based on a 1900 book confusingly titled Sister Carrie (she's not a nun and doesn't spend that much time with siblings), it follows a small-town young woman (Jennifer Jones) who moves to Chicago for opportunity. When things go sour, she turns to an outgoing new acquaintance, salesman Charles (Eddie Albert), for support. To minimize the scent of scandal, Carrie pressures Charles in vain to marry her. Then her heart wanders to their mutual friend, restaurant manager George (Laurence Olivier). He loves her too, but in his position -- wife Julie (Miriam Hopkins) owning the bulk of his wealth -- that's dangerous....
Based on a 1900 book confusingly titled Sister Carrie (she's not a nun and doesn't spend that much time with siblings), it follows a small-town young woman (Jennifer Jones) who moves to Chicago for opportunity. When things go sour, she turns to an outgoing new acquaintance, salesman Charles (Eddie Albert), for support. To minimize the scent of scandal, Carrie pressures Charles in vain to marry her. Then her heart wanders to their mutual friend, restaurant manager George (Laurence Olivier). He loves her too, but in his position -- wife Julie (Miriam Hopkins) owning the bulk of his wealth -- that's dangerous....
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Despite being an acceptable age to have watched "Pee-wee's Playhouse" regularly in childhood, I never saw a complete episode. It didn't bother me; it just didn't draw me in much for whatever reason. By the time I knew about the innuendo catering to older viewers, it was long off the air. My main exposure to the character of Pee-wee Herman (as opposed to Paul Reubens in general) was Big Top Pee-wee, which, while panned, didn't bother me for one viewing either.
So why would I care enough to see another Pee-wee movie at this point? Well, an acquaintance called it Tim Burton's most underrated film (it was his first silver screen feature, so no wonder people rarely associate him with it), and I agreed with said acquaintance that Batman was his most overrated. Beyond that, people kept making reference to PwBA online, if only for one particular scene and a loose comparison to Bicycle Thieves. At 91 minutes, the last several of which I'd caught on TV once, it could serve as a pretty painless session in cultural education.
So why would I care enough to see another Pee-wee movie at this point? Well, an acquaintance called it Tim Burton's most underrated film (it was his first silver screen feature, so no wonder people rarely associate him with it), and I agreed with said acquaintance that Batman was his most overrated. Beyond that, people kept making reference to PwBA online, if only for one particular scene and a loose comparison to Bicycle Thieves. At 91 minutes, the last several of which I'd caught on TV once, it could serve as a pretty painless session in cultural education.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Duma (2005)
I hadn't heard of this family drama when it was new. Only the poster displayed on Netflix drew my attention to it: a cheetah wearing a knit cap. (That happens in only one scene.) Further research indicated a fair amount of popularity, at least among those who've seen it, so I obliged. If nothing else, I could enjoy footage of one of the coolest big cat species.
Based loosely on a nonfiction book, the story begins with cheetah cubs getting orphaned by lions. One cub (try not to fret about the other two) wanders to a road, whereupon a rural South African human family rescues him. They raise "Duma" until he's old enough to fend for himself, but before they can return him to the wild, the family father passes away (not much of a surprise given his bouts of sickness), requiring them to move to Johannesburg so the mother can find work. As if to challenge the drama classification, they take Duma with them, which doesn't take long to look like a bad idea. Main boy Xan, circa age 12, sees only one way to save Duma from getting shot: make a hasty, unannounced retreat by motorcycle and sidecar to a distant plain, equipped with little more than a water bottle.
Based loosely on a nonfiction book, the story begins with cheetah cubs getting orphaned by lions. One cub (try not to fret about the other two) wanders to a road, whereupon a rural South African human family rescues him. They raise "Duma" until he's old enough to fend for himself, but before they can return him to the wild, the family father passes away (not much of a surprise given his bouts of sickness), requiring them to move to Johannesburg so the mother can find work. As if to challenge the drama classification, they take Duma with them, which doesn't take long to look like a bad idea. Main boy Xan, circa age 12, sees only one way to save Duma from getting shot: make a hasty, unannounced retreat by motorcycle and sidecar to a distant plain, equipped with little more than a water bottle.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Shoot the Piano Player (1960)
Sometimes marketed as Shoot the Pianist, this François Truffaut film had sat among the Netflix suggestions for me for a long time before I agreed to add it to my queue. I had found the title alternately intriguing and off-putting. Oddly enough, nobody in the film ever says the title (or its French equivalent), and enemies don't spend much time trying to shoot the title character.
That character, a former celebrity brought down emotionally by a personal tragedy, now makes a living playing in a dive. He'd rather have nothing to do with his career criminal brothers, but desperation leads one to beg for his help. One little favor is all it takes for him to gain further, much less welcome attention, like he might get in a Hitchcock classic....
That character, a former celebrity brought down emotionally by a personal tragedy, now makes a living playing in a dive. He'd rather have nothing to do with his career criminal brothers, but desperation leads one to beg for his help. One little favor is all it takes for him to gain further, much less welcome attention, like he might get in a Hitchcock classic....
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Journey to Italy (1954)
For once, I went to an event with both a Meetup group and my dad. Why he declined to register as my plus-one or participate in the group discussion afterward, I may never know. The important thing for my review is that I had access to multiple relevant opinions, from people I know both well and not so well. And we all had pretty much the same reaction: "What?"
I'd seen a little of Roberto Rossellini's directorial work before. IMDb reports that I'd given an 8 out of 10 to Rome, Open City, but I can't remember a single moment from it. The Flowers of St. Francis has some appeal to the pious, but I'd be very selective in recommending it. I'd sooner rewatch either than JtI, making this an even bigger source of disagreement with the BFI list than in my last review. This time I can hardly fathom their thought processes.
I'd seen a little of Roberto Rossellini's directorial work before. IMDb reports that I'd given an 8 out of 10 to Rome, Open City, but I can't remember a single moment from it. The Flowers of St. Francis has some appeal to the pious, but I'd be very selective in recommending it. I'd sooner rewatch either than JtI, making this an even bigger source of disagreement with the BFI list than in my last review. This time I can hardly fathom their thought processes.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Andrei Rublev (1966)
This may be the longest movie I've seen since I started this blog. Running nearly 3.5 hours with no overture or intermission, it feels like it could easily have been edited down to less than half as much. Even for a Russian classic, that's a lot.
It had also been one of the British Film Institute's favorite films that I hadn't seen yet, at #27 on their list of 50 greatest. But that did nothing to get me psyched for it. I have to say, the BFI's taste doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as the AFI's. Perhaps I'm something of an ugly American after all.
It had also been one of the British Film Institute's favorite films that I hadn't seen yet, at #27 on their list of 50 greatest. But that did nothing to get me psyched for it. I have to say, the BFI's taste doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as the AFI's. Perhaps I'm something of an ugly American after all.
Friday, August 14, 2015
The Candidate (1972)
Hard to believe it's not an election year, what with all the attention to who's running. In light of that, I moved the most obviously political movie to the top of my queue. I hear it's popular with politicians -- at least Democrats, seeing as the protagonist is one. (James Stewart declined a role because he disapproved of the opponent's portrayal.)
As grown-up as the focus is, the plot remains easy to summarize, as the laconic Netflix jacket reveals. Improbably named Sen. Crocker Jarmon (R-Calif.) seems to have a reelection in the bag. Election specialist Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) thinks the best he can do for the Dems is make a good impression, not secure a win. He chooses Bill McCay (Robert Redford), because McCay is both much younger than Jarmon and the son of a former governor (Melvyn Douglas), thus possibly appealing to different generations. Lucas tells McCay up front to say pretty much whatever he wants. This works out better than anyone predicted, which ironically leads to some pressure for McCay to start doing things more by the book....
As grown-up as the focus is, the plot remains easy to summarize, as the laconic Netflix jacket reveals. Improbably named Sen. Crocker Jarmon (R-Calif.) seems to have a reelection in the bag. Election specialist Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) thinks the best he can do for the Dems is make a good impression, not secure a win. He chooses Bill McCay (Robert Redford), because McCay is both much younger than Jarmon and the son of a former governor (Melvyn Douglas), thus possibly appealing to different generations. Lucas tells McCay up front to say pretty much whatever he wants. This works out better than anyone predicted, which ironically leads to some pressure for McCay to start doing things more by the book....
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Shaun the Sheep (2015)
Had it really been ten years since I last watched a feature film from Aardman Animations? I'm afraid so. After the success of Chicken Run and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, they had a string of less promising releases: Flushed Away, Arthur Christmas, and The Pirates! Band of Misfits. Fortunately, I had seen several episodes of the "Shaun the Sheep" TV series and thus knew it to be more in the vein of the Wallace & Gromit franchise. It was easier than I'd hoped to talk both parents into watching.
OK, the movie wasn't entirely a safe bet. Each episode streams less than 20 minutes, including the opening sequence, the end credits, two plots, and a little dance in the middle for filler. Maybe the studio just didn't want to spend any more time and resources on stop-action than necessary. But there was further room for doubt: Episodes consistently kept the setting to a little farm and, with only one human character, had absolutely no dialogue. Even in this 85-minute romp, which moves much of the action to "the Big City," humans say very little; and when they do, it's basically Simlish. Apart from the background music, I've heard more spoken English -- heck, more verifiable words in any language -- from Jacques Tati animations.
OK, the movie wasn't entirely a safe bet. Each episode streams less than 20 minutes, including the opening sequence, the end credits, two plots, and a little dance in the middle for filler. Maybe the studio just didn't want to spend any more time and resources on stop-action than necessary. But there was further room for doubt: Episodes consistently kept the setting to a little farm and, with only one human character, had absolutely no dialogue. Even in this 85-minute romp, which moves much of the action to "the Big City," humans say very little; and when they do, it's basically Simlish. Apart from the background music, I've heard more spoken English -- heck, more verifiable words in any language -- from Jacques Tati animations.
The Blood of a Poet (1932)
The Criterion Collection advertises this as part of "The Orphic Trilogy," which is a little odd as (1) the next in the series came two decades later and (2) it makes no mention of Orpheus. I'm more concerned about the deception on Netflix's part: I thought that TBoaP alone would run nearly three hours, but it's less than an hour. Had I known, I'd've arranged to see it during the week. But this confusion is arguably appropriate for one of the most surreal films I've ever seen.
My only past taste of Jean Cocteau was Beauty and the Beast (1946), which, though whimsical, did nothing to prepare me. TBoaP came long before any of his other screen works. Thanks partly to being an early talkie and partly to having his avatar-protagonist interact rather little with other characters, it features exceedingly little dialogue. Possibly a little more narration.
My only past taste of Jean Cocteau was Beauty and the Beast (1946), which, though whimsical, did nothing to prepare me. TBoaP came long before any of his other screen works. Thanks partly to being an early talkie and partly to having his avatar-protagonist interact rather little with other characters, it features exceedingly little dialogue. Possibly a little more narration.
Saturday, August 8, 2015
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
Looking for a heartwarming romance? Be warned: This is very much film noir, a genre in which "strange" typically doesn't work out for the better. Even examples with relatively happy endings will probably not raise your opinion of humanity.
Most of the movie takes place in its year of release, but the opening events of 1928 do a lot to put the rest in perspective. Early teen Martha has been suffocating under a strict aunt. Her efforts to run off with the help of Huckleberry Finn type Sam have failed repeatedly. On the night that Sam plans to leave town forever with or without Martha, her aunt provokes her into a mortal blow. (It's not clear to me -- maybe not even to Martha -- whether she meant to kill or just hurt.) Her tutor-turned-guardian, Mr. O'Neil, and his timid son, Walter, join her in perjuring against an uninvolved criminal to defend her. But this is no pseudo-familial kindness: Mr. O'Neil covets the Ivers fortune (they live in Iverstown, for crying out loud) and wants Martha and Walter to marry even if neither likes it. Nothing like a secret scandal to make them more receptive to the idea.
Most of the movie takes place in its year of release, but the opening events of 1928 do a lot to put the rest in perspective. Early teen Martha has been suffocating under a strict aunt. Her efforts to run off with the help of Huckleberry Finn type Sam have failed repeatedly. On the night that Sam plans to leave town forever with or without Martha, her aunt provokes her into a mortal blow. (It's not clear to me -- maybe not even to Martha -- whether she meant to kill or just hurt.) Her tutor-turned-guardian, Mr. O'Neil, and his timid son, Walter, join her in perjuring against an uninvolved criminal to defend her. But this is no pseudo-familial kindness: Mr. O'Neil covets the Ivers fortune (they live in Iverstown, for crying out loud) and wants Martha and Walter to marry even if neither likes it. Nothing like a secret scandal to make them more receptive to the idea.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Mr. Holmes (2015)
I've seen many adaptations of Sherlock Holmes in movies, TV shows, and plays. After a while, I felt that the next would have to be pretty innovative for me to bother. Well, Holmes at 93 in the year 1947 is one innovation. None of his traditional acquaintances are still around; he hasn't taken a case in about 30 years, despite ongoing offers by those who read Watson's accounts (which made up the deerstalker hat and pipe); and while he can still tell what someone's done lately by examining their appearance, he's getting slower and flakier.
Sir Ian McKellen is now 76, a bit less than halfway between the two ages he depicts in the film. At 59, he played a famed 68-year-old with neurological issues in Gods and Monsters. I'm not surprised to learn that the same director, Bill Condon, took the helm.
Sir Ian McKellen is now 76, a bit less than halfway between the two ages he depicts in the film. At 59, he played a famed 68-year-old with neurological issues in Gods and Monsters. I'm not surprised to learn that the same director, Bill Condon, took the helm.
Monday, August 3, 2015
The Stunt Man (1980)
Cult classic time! I had never heard of director Richard Rush (appropriate surname on an action flick) or any of his other works. Nor had I heard of star Steve Railsback (incredible surname). Some of his other roles are as real-life serial killers, so it figures he'd be cast as a fugitive, albeit not as bad as the police make him out to be.
The fugitive, Cameron, accidentally runs onto a movie set, has a misunderstanding with a stunt man, and evidently sends him to his death in self-defense. The intrigued director, Eli Cross (a middle-aged Peter O'Toole), decides to shoo off the police by claiming that Cameron is that same stunt man and treating him as such, more or less, thereafter. Just about everyone on the set knows he's a fugitive, but none of them squeal or even give him much grief for it. He merely comes to understand how precarious his situation is, which doesn't stop him from getting a little unruly. Or developing a relationship with main actress Nina (Barbara Hershey).
The fugitive, Cameron, accidentally runs onto a movie set, has a misunderstanding with a stunt man, and evidently sends him to his death in self-defense. The intrigued director, Eli Cross (a middle-aged Peter O'Toole), decides to shoo off the police by claiming that Cameron is that same stunt man and treating him as such, more or less, thereafter. Just about everyone on the set knows he's a fugitive, but none of them squeal or even give him much grief for it. He merely comes to understand how precarious his situation is, which doesn't stop him from getting a little unruly. Or developing a relationship with main actress Nina (Barbara Hershey).
Saturday, August 1, 2015
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
Here I am already reviewing another mid-'40s war movie in which the objective is to blow up a bridge. One key difference is that this one takes place in the Spanish civil war. Which doesn't stop the protagonist, Robert "Roberto" Jordan (Gary Cooper, at Ernest Hemingway's insistence), from being an American, present only on principle. Nor does it stop most of the Spaniards from being played by members of other nationalities, including quite a few born in the Russian Empire.
Nowadays, the film may be best remembered for its accidental influence on a bigger classic. It was somewhat important to the plot that Maria (Ingrid Bergman, also at Hemingway's insistence) had unusually short hair, as she was recovering from a shave of shame. Because of this, it was too late to redo certain Casablanca scenes in a timely manner, so "As Time Goes By" didn't get cut as planned.
Nowadays, the film may be best remembered for its accidental influence on a bigger classic. It was somewhat important to the plot that Maria (Ingrid Bergman, also at Hemingway's insistence) had unusually short hair, as she was recovering from a shave of shame. Because of this, it was too late to redo certain Casablanca scenes in a timely manner, so "As Time Goes By" didn't get cut as planned.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
A Walk in the Sun (1945)
Considering when the movie was made, it's a little curious that the narrator makes 1943 sound like a long time ago. But that's basically the only curious thing about this no-nonsense war piece. It even has Lewis Milestone of All Quiet on the Western Front fame at the helm.
Unlike AQotWF, it doesn't skimp on details to give you the impression of generic soldiers in any number of battles in any modern war. It starts pretty much in medias res, with an American platoon sailing to rural Italy under fire, having already seen substantial action elsewhere. Their objective: hike to a certain bridge near a farmhouse and blow it up. As war films go, that's a pretty small scope, running in real time or close to it.
Unlike AQotWF, it doesn't skimp on details to give you the impression of generic soldiers in any number of battles in any modern war. It starts pretty much in medias res, with an American platoon sailing to rural Italy under fire, having already seen substantial action elsewhere. Their objective: hike to a certain bridge near a farmhouse and blow it up. As war films go, that's a pretty small scope, running in real time or close to it.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Murmur of the Heart (1971)
Netflix describes this as a coming-of-age comedy. IMDb assigns it only the genre of drama. I definitely side with IMDb on this one. While French comedies are an even bigger gamble to me than other comedies (sometimes you'd think they found nothing funnier than rich people), I can at least tell when they're trying to be funny. I sure hope MotH is a "comedy" only in the sense of a happy ending; it doesn't even have an appropriate title for humor.
Yes, there is a literal heart murmur in the story. It serves primarily to initiate a midway change of scene for 14-year-old protagonist Laurent, from his ritzy Dijon home to a sanatorium, affecting which characters interact with him. For the most part, I take the title as metaphorical, as he's sorting out his sexual interests. And that should tell you right away that this film is, well, not for the faint of heart.
Yes, there is a literal heart murmur in the story. It serves primarily to initiate a midway change of scene for 14-year-old protagonist Laurent, from his ritzy Dijon home to a sanatorium, affecting which characters interact with him. For the most part, I take the title as metaphorical, as he's sorting out his sexual interests. And that should tell you right away that this film is, well, not for the faint of heart.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Kes (1969)
While popular internationally, this film saw limited release in the U.S. I could easily tell why: Never have I had more trouble understanding an English accent. For the first hour or so, I had to listen carefully to parse even half the sentences, especially those spoken by teens like the star. (Kids still said "thee" in northern England then?) It probably doesn't help that director Ken Loach favored amateur actors. Only later, reading the essay booklet included in the case, did I discover that the DVD offered an alternate dubbing -- and even that wasn't so easy. Why not offer subtitles?
Mercifully, unlike the last movie I reviewed, this one doesn't rely much on dialog. Oh, there's plenty of it, but I could get the gist of events by watching. I might go so far as to say that I didn't really need to hear any of it.
Mercifully, unlike the last movie I reviewed, this one doesn't rely much on dialog. Oh, there's plenty of it, but I could get the gist of events by watching. I might go so far as to say that I didn't really need to hear any of it.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Hakuchi/The Idiot (1951)
I've long known Akira Kurosawa to take inspiration from westerns and Shakespeare plays for his samurai epics. But while I'd seen some dramas of his set in contemporary Japan, it didn't occur to me that they, too, might owe something to foreign artists. In this case, it's the Fyodor Dostoevsky novel with the same title in English.
I picked this one out of curiosity, not for its literary basis but for its DVD case description as having had an especially troubled production and an initially lukewarm reception. It certainly gained popularity after spreading to other countries, judging from its 7.5 on IMDb and 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. The main signs of production problems come in the form of strange scene shifts and inconsistent handling of narration (or lack thereof): Early on, we get a few intertitles, despite this being far from a silent movie; later we get a brief anonymous voiceover, and that's it. We may have to blame the cutting of more than 1.5 hours, tho it still runs more than 2.5.
I picked this one out of curiosity, not for its literary basis but for its DVD case description as having had an especially troubled production and an initially lukewarm reception. It certainly gained popularity after spreading to other countries, judging from its 7.5 on IMDb and 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. The main signs of production problems come in the form of strange scene shifts and inconsistent handling of narration (or lack thereof): Early on, we get a few intertitles, despite this being far from a silent movie; later we get a brief anonymous voiceover, and that's it. We may have to blame the cutting of more than 1.5 hours, tho it still runs more than 2.5.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
The Wolfpack (2015)
When my mom described this to me, both before and after seeing it herself, I wasn't interested. Part of the problem is that I've lost some of my taste for documentaries, which often strike me as disturbing when not dull. But while house-sitting for my folks this weekend, I decided to see what was playing in walking distance, and TW was due in only a few minutes. It seemed as good a way as any to support the "independent" theater (which needs all the help it can get to stay open).
TW follows...well, "follows" is a stretch. It's about seven mostly male siblings in Manhattan who, at their dad's behest, almost never (zero to nine times a year) left their apartment, always accompanied and not talking to anyone when they did, until one teen dared to rebel in secret. Much of the footage is home video; other parts involve either the older boys or their parents. Their prime passion: movies. No wonder Mom thought of me.
TW follows...well, "follows" is a stretch. It's about seven mostly male siblings in Manhattan who, at their dad's behest, almost never (zero to nine times a year) left their apartment, always accompanied and not talking to anyone when they did, until one teen dared to rebel in secret. Much of the footage is home video; other parts involve either the older boys or their parents. Their prime passion: movies. No wonder Mom thought of me.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
The Lost World (1925)
No, it wasn't the release of Jurassic World that prompted me to watch the first dinosaur feature film ever. The AFI Silver Theater celebrated the latter's 90th anniversary with a screening and live expert musical accompaniment -- probably the best reason to watch a silent in a theater. Of course, the ticket costs about the same as a 3D movie ticket, so I won't blame you for declining the opportunity. But at least the standing ovation afterward doesn't feel as silly as applause at a regular screening.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle briefly appears at the beginning (the credits say "by himself" rather than "as himself"). A fairly famous other Arthur, Hoyt, gets a supporting role, his brother Harry O. being the director. The other likely familiar face is Wallace Beery, as the improbably named Professor Challenger.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle briefly appears at the beginning (the credits say "by himself" rather than "as himself"). A fairly famous other Arthur, Hoyt, gets a supporting role, his brother Harry O. being the director. The other likely familiar face is Wallace Beery, as the improbably named Professor Challenger.
Friday, July 10, 2015
The Big Clock (1948)
Rarely has a Netflix jacket description been so misleading. It says that this story concerns a man, George Stroud (Ray Milland), framed for murder by his boss, Earl Janoth (Charles Laughton). In truth, Janoth wishes to frame the one witness to his whereabouts at the time of the murder, believing said witness not to be Stroud. He even orders Stroud, in charge of investigative journalism, to dig up as much as he can about the mysterious fugitive. With self-protective deceptions on both sides, no character fully comprehends the situation until near the end of the 95 minutes.
Unsurprisingly, such intrigue and complexity, which can be confusing and amusing in turn, come from a novel that debuted a couple years earlier. Kenneth Fearing (appropriate name for a thriller novelist) wrote it partly to express his anger at his own overbearing boss at TIME, hence the otherwise curious obsession with clocks at a news magazine corporation. Funnily enough, contemporary reviews in TIME praised both the book and the movie.
Unsurprisingly, such intrigue and complexity, which can be confusing and amusing in turn, come from a novel that debuted a couple years earlier. Kenneth Fearing (appropriate name for a thriller novelist) wrote it partly to express his anger at his own overbearing boss at TIME, hence the otherwise curious obsession with clocks at a news magazine corporation. Funnily enough, contemporary reviews in TIME praised both the book and the movie.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
United 93 (2006)
IMDb helpfully listed 50 movies with (vaguely) patriotic American themes for the 4th of July. As usual for cinematic lists, I'd seen most and was not interested in most of the rest. I considered Clear and Present Danger, but it sounds pretty run-of-the-mill and I'd seen Patriot Games last year. Besides, U93 is about a half-hour shorter.
In truth, it could've stood to shave off another half-hour. The story of the one American plane that got hijacked on 9/11 but hit only the ground starts with a peek at the hijackers getting ready and then spends a bit too long on the regular passengers getting ready. To anyone who's flown commercially before, it's an utterly familiar scene. Maybe we're supposed to learn to relate strongly to the ordinary people, but my attention wandered as easily as if I were on a plane myself. It takes about 17 minutes for a sense of conflict to kick in, and when it does, it's not on the plane.
In truth, it could've stood to shave off another half-hour. The story of the one American plane that got hijacked on 9/11 but hit only the ground starts with a peek at the hijackers getting ready and then spends a bit too long on the regular passengers getting ready. To anyone who's flown commercially before, it's an utterly familiar scene. Maybe we're supposed to learn to relate strongly to the ordinary people, but my attention wandered as easily as if I were on a plane myself. It takes about 17 minutes for a sense of conflict to kick in, and when it does, it's not on the plane.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
The latest re-adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel inspired me to move an old one up in my queue, though it had a very long wait. Both movies presently have a 7.3 on IMDb; the newer has the higher Rotten Tomatoes rating. I've learned that newer ratings are less trustworthy, prone to going down later, so I knew my priority.
If people really don't like the oldie as much, I suspect that a significant difference in run time has something to do with it. Back in 1967, people still accepted epics with overtures and intermissions. The plot synopsis may not sound like enough to sustain nearly three hours, either: Victorian rural heiress Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie) gets courted by a shepherd (Alan Bates), a landowner (Peter Finch), and a soldier (Terence Stamp). Of course, the relative familiarity of those actors' names was another reason I had less interest in the 2015 version.
If people really don't like the oldie as much, I suspect that a significant difference in run time has something to do with it. Back in 1967, people still accepted epics with overtures and intermissions. The plot synopsis may not sound like enough to sustain nearly three hours, either: Victorian rural heiress Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie) gets courted by a shepherd (Alan Bates), a landowner (Peter Finch), and a soldier (Terence Stamp). Of course, the relative familiarity of those actors' names was another reason I had less interest in the 2015 version.
Friday, July 3, 2015
Chimes at Midnight, a.k.a. Falstaff (1965)
You can tell it was pretty late in the directing career of Orson Welles. Not having enough friends left in Hollywood, he turned to European production companies I'd never heard of before. His use of black and white at this point probably had more to do with budget than artistry. Oh, other famous people still got involved -- Harry Saltzman, John Gielgud, and Jeanne Moreau come to mind -- but a sizable portion of the (rather few) credited names reflect Switzerland, France, or especially Spain for a reason. Thanks to contested distribution rights, you'll be lucky to find the film in the U.S. My luck took the form of a Welles festival at the AFI Silver Theater.
As you might have guessed from the second title, Welles plays Sir John Falstaff, a popular minor character from several Shakespeare plays. His moderate-length screenplay combines mostly relevant portions of the tetralogy consisting of Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; and Henry V, plus some dialog from Merry Wives of Windsor and details from a 16th-century history text. Believe it or not, Welles saw fit to lose weight for a role consistently described as obese.
As you might have guessed from the second title, Welles plays Sir John Falstaff, a popular minor character from several Shakespeare plays. His moderate-length screenplay combines mostly relevant portions of the tetralogy consisting of Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; and Henry V, plus some dialog from Merry Wives of Windsor and details from a 16th-century history text. Believe it or not, Welles saw fit to lose weight for a role consistently described as obese.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Cinderella Man (2005)
Perhaps the most notable thing about the second collaboration between Russell Crowe and Ron Howard is the discrepancy between its reception by both critics and the general audience (great) and its box office take (inadequate). I blame the title, which may have confused audiences on what sort of movie it would be. When Damon Runyon gave real-life prizefighter Jim Braddock the nickname in reference to his rags-to-possible-riches situation, it had previously been a known insult. Who wants to see a girly boxer?
I wasn't sure what I'd get out of it myself. Sports mean little to me, and boxing is one of my least favorite. Even highly acclaimed movies about boxers (which somehow have become disproportionate in the sports film genre) rarely entertain me much. Sports films in general are prone to exaggerating the seriousness of the climactic game, in keeping with major fans. But CM has a pretty good excuse.
I wasn't sure what I'd get out of it myself. Sports mean little to me, and boxing is one of my least favorite. Even highly acclaimed movies about boxers (which somehow have become disproportionate in the sports film genre) rarely entertain me much. Sports films in general are prone to exaggerating the seriousness of the climactic game, in keeping with major fans. But CM has a pretty good excuse.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Horror of Dracula (1958)
Originally just called Dracula in its native UK, because Hammer Films was big on remaking Warner Bros. classics from a generation earlier. Normally I don't watch horror movies outside of October or November unless they're about to stop streaming on Netflix, but people keep associating the late Christopher Lee with this role (as opposed to a different Count D.), so I thought it my best choice for paying respect.
Unsurprisingly, Lee is the best thing about it. Sure, he doesn't have a non-British accent, but maybe he didn't want anyone to accuse him of trying and failing to imitate Bela Lugosi. Too bad he gets only 13 lines and not a whole lot of screen time -- and while not seeing a monster can ratchet up the fright factor, it doesn't work so well when we've already seen him at his nastiest.
Unsurprisingly, Lee is the best thing about it. Sure, he doesn't have a non-British accent, but maybe he didn't want anyone to accuse him of trying and failing to imitate Bela Lugosi. Too bad he gets only 13 lines and not a whole lot of screen time -- and while not seeing a monster can ratchet up the fright factor, it doesn't work so well when we've already seen him at his nastiest.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Inside Out (2015)
From an early trailer, as glad as I was to see that Pixar had skipped a year in order to return to creativity, I had my doubts. Main characters based on emotions? I mean, Happy the dwarf wasn't happy at Snow White's funeral, but wouldn't Joy have to be joyful at all times? How can you build a plot around anyone so static and one-dimensional?
Well, they're not exactly like that, but I did surmise one thing correctly: how I would feel about each, um, feeling. Joy (Amy Poehler) makes an easy choice for a favorite, yet Sadness (Phyllis Smith) is about equally cute in a different way. Likable jerk Anger (Lewis Black) is probably the funniest, tho Fear (Bill Hader) might gain more traction with children. In fairness to Mindy Kaling, it's almost impossible to make much to enjoy out of Disgust, but at least she doesn't drag down the movie.
Well, they're not exactly like that, but I did surmise one thing correctly: how I would feel about each, um, feeling. Joy (Amy Poehler) makes an easy choice for a favorite, yet Sadness (Phyllis Smith) is about equally cute in a different way. Likable jerk Anger (Lewis Black) is probably the funniest, tho Fear (Bill Hader) might gain more traction with children. In fairness to Mindy Kaling, it's almost impossible to make much to enjoy out of Disgust, but at least she doesn't drag down the movie.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
American Sniper (2014)
This is probably the most polarizing movie on my blog yet, if only for political reasons. Clint Eastwood has not endeared himself with the left wing lately, and some have bemoaned the implications of his latest runaway box office success. (I take it as a sign that few modern movies speak to conservatives at all, so they come out in droves for the outlier. That and they wanted to honor the recently deceased, a factor that played no small part in The Dark Knight's success.)
Personally, I was more concerned about Eastwood's record as a director. His films are consistently esteemed, but about a third of them almost make me wish I hadn't bothered to watch. They tend toward depressing themes and don't always offer enough to make up for that. But if I found Letters from Iwo Jima OK, how much worse would a biography of Chris Kyle be? My answer: not at all.
Personally, I was more concerned about Eastwood's record as a director. His films are consistently esteemed, but about a third of them almost make me wish I hadn't bothered to watch. They tend toward depressing themes and don't always offer enough to make up for that. But if I found Letters from Iwo Jima OK, how much worse would a biography of Chris Kyle be? My answer: not at all.
Friday, June 19, 2015
The Beloved Rogue (1927)
It had been a while since my last viewing of a silent film, and I wanted something on the short side. Since John Barrymore seems best remembered for his voice (in addition to being part of an acting dynasty), the thought of his pre-vocal work intrigued me. OK, I had seen Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but it didn't stay with me.
TBR is set in 15th-century Paris under Louis XI, with an All Fools Day parade early on. Sound familiar? There's a reason the studio reused much of the set of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Incidentally, the cast includes three actors who would go on to feature in Freaks, but none is a hunchback.
TBR is set in 15th-century Paris under Louis XI, with an All Fools Day parade early on. Sound familiar? There's a reason the studio reused much of the set of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Incidentally, the cast includes three actors who would go on to feature in Freaks, but none is a hunchback.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
I was planning to watch the first Pitch Perfect first, but my folks invited me to come to the theater with them. They adore a cappella and were already fans of at least one group who would appear briefly on screen. I like such singing almost as much, even when the singers cover a song I normally dislike.
My sister warned us that the writing was very stupid. Well, from what I hear of "Glee," that shouldn't stop anyone. In truth, I'd call it about par for intelligence among modern Hollywood comedies. And it is oh so much one of those.
My sister warned us that the writing was very stupid. Well, from what I hear of "Glee," that shouldn't stop anyone. In truth, I'd call it about par for intelligence among modern Hollywood comedies. And it is oh so much one of those.
JCVD (2008)
Does it make sense to see this film if you know very little about Jean-Claude Van Damme yet? His only other movies that I've seen are Last Action Hero, in which he cameos as himself; and Kung Fu Panda 2, in which he voices a minor character. Beyond that, I'd heard that he could do quite a split kick and his accent makes Street Fighter unintentionally funny. Oh, and he made an over-the-top Volvo ad.
Nor did I know much about JCVD going in. It sounded semi-comically self-deprecating for the 47-year-old martial artist, possibly like Birdman with the star's real name. But it's not all that strange. It's not even primarily about the travails expected of a has-been, tho it repeatedly touches on his issues of child custody and fewer role offerings. It's a would-be action flick in which the "real" Van Damme (or Van Varenberg, his non-stage name) gets into a scenario that he can't easily fight his way out of like one of his alter egos.
Nor did I know much about JCVD going in. It sounded semi-comically self-deprecating for the 47-year-old martial artist, possibly like Birdman with the star's real name. But it's not all that strange. It's not even primarily about the travails expected of a has-been, tho it repeatedly touches on his issues of child custody and fewer role offerings. It's a would-be action flick in which the "real" Van Damme (or Van Varenberg, his non-stage name) gets into a scenario that he can't easily fight his way out of like one of his alter egos.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Heathers (1988)
I considered streaming Mean Girls, but then I thought I'd better check out one of its predecessors first, particularly one that just became a musical. Almost all I knew about Heathers was the theme of mean teens. From that, I inferred that it wasn't for me exactly. High school movies rarely did much for me even in high school, and the '80s had a thing for bullies much worse than any I ever encountered (and I was an easy target).
Indeed, the alpha Heather has all the villainous subtlety of Snidely Whiplash, cold even to her "friends." How do people like that get so much social pull? She and the other two Heathers don't seem especially rich or anything. Protagonist Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) is sort of a Heather-in-training and still resents them as much as anyone else does. Then she gets acquainted and enamored with J.D. (Christian Slater), who first comes across as a somewhat likable jerk, a la Patrick in Ten Things I Hate About You, but has a more rebellious streak than she realized -- and will help her make her basest wishes come true....
Indeed, the alpha Heather has all the villainous subtlety of Snidely Whiplash, cold even to her "friends." How do people like that get so much social pull? She and the other two Heathers don't seem especially rich or anything. Protagonist Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) is sort of a Heather-in-training and still resents them as much as anyone else does. Then she gets acquainted and enamored with J.D. (Christian Slater), who first comes across as a somewhat likable jerk, a la Patrick in Ten Things I Hate About You, but has a more rebellious streak than she realized -- and will help her make her basest wishes come true....
Saturday, June 6, 2015
The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
I had to think a bit about whether to review a TV movie on this blog. After all, I leave off the TV series I watch. But apart from the occasional fade to black, presumably for commercial breaks, it feels much like a film that debuted on the silver screen. Why make the distinction on DVD? Netflix doesn't.
Be careful not to mix this up with other works by the same or similar titles; they have completely different stories and origins. This TSatB, based on J.P. Gallagher's book The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican, concerns the real-life Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (Gregory Peck post-The Omen), who not so secretly defied the Vatican's official neutrality during World War II to help people hide where they could in the vicinity of Rome. Colonel Herbert Kappler (Christopher Plummer post-The Sound of Music), who all but runs occupied Rome, finds O'Flaherty a thorn in his side.
Be careful not to mix this up with other works by the same or similar titles; they have completely different stories and origins. This TSatB, based on J.P. Gallagher's book The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican, concerns the real-life Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (Gregory Peck post-The Omen), who not so secretly defied the Vatican's official neutrality during World War II to help people hide where they could in the vicinity of Rome. Colonel Herbert Kappler (Christopher Plummer post-The Sound of Music), who all but runs occupied Rome, finds O'Flaherty a thorn in his side.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
A Wednesday (2008)
Another interestingly uninteresting title, this time with the partial excuse of coming from India, where the narrator pronounces "Wednesday" the way it's spelled (the dialog is about 20% English). I guess the idea is, in clickbaity terms, "It was just another typical Wednesday...or was it? You'll be surprised how much happened in one day!" The depicted events take place over a mere four hours, in fact, with a runtime of 104 minutes, counting the credits.
The relative brevity isn't the only factor to separate AW from other Bollywood works I've seen. It's a thriller with little comic relief and no musical numbers. Netflix describes it as "action-packed," but by modern American standards, that's misleading. We get a few acts of violence, especially consisting of a cop beating the daylights out of suspects until they spill the beans, but most of the thrill comes from bomb threats. Specifically, after about 20 minutes of four seemingly unrelated plotlines, a man tells police he'll blow up Mumbai if they don't deliver four al-Qaeda-linked prisoners.
The relative brevity isn't the only factor to separate AW from other Bollywood works I've seen. It's a thriller with little comic relief and no musical numbers. Netflix describes it as "action-packed," but by modern American standards, that's misleading. We get a few acts of violence, especially consisting of a cop beating the daylights out of suspects until they spill the beans, but most of the thrill comes from bomb threats. Specifically, after about 20 minutes of four seemingly unrelated plotlines, a man tells police he'll blow up Mumbai if they don't deliver four al-Qaeda-linked prisoners.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
The Westerner (1940)
Bland title, ain't it? It came out the year after Stagecoach, so it's not like there hadn't been many westerns yet. Nevertheless, with William Wyler at the helm, I got curious. Thankfully, it's not what I'd call a generic western. The dynamic is too unusual for that.
From what I'd vaguely heard before about "Judge" Roy Bean, he was about as controversial as Wyatt Earp. This highly fictional telling casts him pretty clearly as a villain, however well-intentioned with regard to cattlemen. One man, Cole (Gary Cooper), gets mistakenly accused of running afoul of his "law" but curries favor by pretending to know personally Bean's celebrity crush, actress Lillie Langtry, the only other historically real character. In the grand western cinematic tradition of figuring out the morally right thing to do, Cole may jeopardize his fair-weather friendship by pressing for the rights of Texan homesteaders.
From what I'd vaguely heard before about "Judge" Roy Bean, he was about as controversial as Wyatt Earp. This highly fictional telling casts him pretty clearly as a villain, however well-intentioned with regard to cattlemen. One man, Cole (Gary Cooper), gets mistakenly accused of running afoul of his "law" but curries favor by pretending to know personally Bean's celebrity crush, actress Lillie Langtry, the only other historically real character. In the grand western cinematic tradition of figuring out the morally right thing to do, Cole may jeopardize his fair-weather friendship by pressing for the rights of Texan homesteaders.
The Boxtrolls (2014)
This must be the first time I've taken Netflix's up-front suggestion for movie streaming. Now I've finally seen all the most recent Best Animated Feature nominees, ending with the one least widely welcome on the list. Personally, I can't blame the Academy for passing over the commercialism of The Lego Movie, but I'll have to check out The Book of Life for another possible replacement.
The Boxtrolls wastes no time (which there's never much of in stop-action) establishing a conflict: In a British town circa 1900, few humans have any love for the trolls who live underground, wear old cardboard boxes, and steal various objects off the street at night -- mostly inexpensive or even trashed. When loutish Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley gone Cockney) reports that the Boxtrolls have abducted a baby, supposedly for food, he persuades the mayor to authorize him and his three assistants to annihilate the menace by any means necessary. Ten years later, the former baby, dubbed "Eggs" due to his box, makes contact with a curfew-defying girl around the same age -- the mayor's daughter. Together they strive to dispel the false rumors about Boxtrolls, but Snatcher has his lordly ambitions as well as his influence....
The Boxtrolls wastes no time (which there's never much of in stop-action) establishing a conflict: In a British town circa 1900, few humans have any love for the trolls who live underground, wear old cardboard boxes, and steal various objects off the street at night -- mostly inexpensive or even trashed. When loutish Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley gone Cockney) reports that the Boxtrolls have abducted a baby, supposedly for food, he persuades the mayor to authorize him and his three assistants to annihilate the menace by any means necessary. Ten years later, the former baby, dubbed "Eggs" due to his box, makes contact with a curfew-defying girl around the same age -- the mayor's daughter. Together they strive to dispel the false rumors about Boxtrolls, but Snatcher has his lordly ambitions as well as his influence....
Sunday, May 24, 2015
The Women (1939)
Possibly the most popular '39 film I hadn't seen yet, it stands out for having an all-female cast of more than 130. This includes the servants, the children, and even allegedly the animals (except for the roaring logo lion). Every contemporary major MGM actress except Myrna Loy and Greta Garbo participated. No wonder it's been remade a couple times, albeit less successfully and once with men.
If you want something that passes the Bechdel test with flying colors, however, keep looking: The trailer's parenthetical subtitle aptly notes, "...and it's all about men!" Must've been the best way to sell tickets. Oh, the ladies talk about other things once in a while, especially each other, but the plot mainly concerns a mother (Norma Shearer) learning about a shameless gold digger (perhaps Joan Crawford's nastiest role) wrecking her home, so to speak. Everyone else will eagerly share an opinion on it, leaving us to wonder what they'd do without men in their lives.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Ipcress File (1965)
Another golden anniversary airing, this time with a group invitation. Someone asked why we'd all come. Apart from the two above reasons, I thought of young Michael Caine and the Cold War spy subgenre, which I hadn't seen in a while. (Alphaville doesn't really count.) This entry even has producer Harry Saltzman of James Bond fame, tho the group leader had told us that it felt more like The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
It actually brought several movies to mind, including Papillon and especially The Manchurian Candidate. Caine plays Harry Palmer (a name you couldn't use in seriousness today), a rather insubordinate secret agent assigned to investigate a curious "brain drain" of prize scientists that involves abduction -- and, as it turns out, nasty conditioning. As in many relatively heady spy stories, it's hard to know whom to trust even within the agency, including a female tail who seems interested in another kind of "tail." Things don't get easier with the CIA's ill-communicated involvement....
It actually brought several movies to mind, including Papillon and especially The Manchurian Candidate. Caine plays Harry Palmer (a name you couldn't use in seriousness today), a rather insubordinate secret agent assigned to investigate a curious "brain drain" of prize scientists that involves abduction -- and, as it turns out, nasty conditioning. As in many relatively heady spy stories, it's hard to know whom to trust even within the agency, including a female tail who seems interested in another kind of "tail." Things don't get easier with the CIA's ill-communicated involvement....
Saturday, May 16, 2015
The Remains of the Day (1993)
I have to reach pretty far back these days for an Academy Best Picture nominee that I haven't seen yet and might want to see, apart from some of the most recent. In truth, I didn't know much more than that about TRotD going in -- only that it was a rather esteemed drama starring Anthony Hopkins two years after his first turn as Hannibal Lecter. And Emma Thompson, accidentally in back-to-back reviews on this blog.
Had I noticed in advance that they play a butler and a maid in a mid-20th-century lord's manor, I would have thought hard before adding the DVD to my Netflix queue. Stories of old-time aristocrats, perhaps especially in Britain, threaten to bore me. A focus on their staff doesn't help much. Yeah, count me among the few non-fans of Downton Abbey. At least its predecessor Gosford Park has amusing moments, which I cannot say for TRotD.
Had I noticed in advance that they play a butler and a maid in a mid-20th-century lord's manor, I would have thought hard before adding the DVD to my Netflix queue. Stories of old-time aristocrats, perhaps especially in Britain, threaten to bore me. A focus on their staff doesn't help much. Yeah, count me among the few non-fans of Downton Abbey. At least its predecessor Gosford Park has amusing moments, which I cannot say for TRotD.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Right from the first minute of the preview -- establishing that one Harold Crick suddenly hears his life narrated by a novelist -- I got the impression that Will Ferrell was attempting what Jim Carrey did with The Truman Show and Bill Murray did with Groundhog Day: a sci-fi/fantasy comedy-drama just philosophically serious enough that we may finally consider the star something other than a full-time clown. I welcomed this prospect, as Ferrell's humor has always struck me as about half decent and half obnoxious. (Like some other comedians I could name, he fares better in voice roles.)
It turns out that STF doesn't spend much time trying to be funny. As absurd as the above, unexplained premise is -- not to mention the addition of an apparently sapient watch that goes on the fritz to affect Harold's actions -- the story quickly introduces some dark ways for his setup to suck. In particular, the narrator indicates that Harold is going to die very soon. From there, it's a question of whether to go quietly into that good night or struggle to find an escape. Yeah, he spends more time doing the latter.
It turns out that STF doesn't spend much time trying to be funny. As absurd as the above, unexplained premise is -- not to mention the addition of an apparently sapient watch that goes on the fritz to affect Harold's actions -- the story quickly introduces some dark ways for his setup to suck. In particular, the narrator indicates that Harold is going to die very soon. From there, it's a question of whether to go quietly into that good night or struggle to find an escape. Yeah, he spends more time doing the latter.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Some of the biggest weaknesses from the mostly great The Avengers have been reduced this time around. For example, with more screen time, more character importance, and an actual use of his code name, Hawkeye doesn't get nearly so shafted (no pun intended). The climactic battle doesn't feel quite so lacking in practical progress, nor does victory come at so little cost to the heroes. I think there's more cause for tender emotions.
But I must stop a little short of calling the latest sequel equal, let alone better. In particular, it has issues of pacing. A good chunk is either too fast or too slow, as evidenced by my dad sighing next to me. I suspect that the DVD will be loaded with deleted scenes or at least descriptions of planned moments. I almost wish director Joss Whedon threw in as much as he'd wanted, but 2.5 hours makes for a pretty uncomfortable sitting already. And you probably will prefer to see it in a theater.
But I must stop a little short of calling the latest sequel equal, let alone better. In particular, it has issues of pacing. A good chunk is either too fast or too slow, as evidenced by my dad sighing next to me. I suspect that the DVD will be loaded with deleted scenes or at least descriptions of planned moments. I almost wish director Joss Whedon threw in as much as he'd wanted, but 2.5 hours makes for a pretty uncomfortable sitting already. And you probably will prefer to see it in a theater.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Pickpocket (1959)
I had seen two Robert Bresson movies before: A Man Escaped and Diary of a Country Priest. Had I remembered, I would have approached this one with more trepidation. Bresson is...artsy, somewhat like Carl Theodor Dreyer. (Come to think of it, they both made films about the trial and execution of Joan of Arc.)
I wouldn't call this piece brooding exactly, but it's hard to enjoy on a surface level. For the plot, you need hardly look further than the title: Michel spends a lot of time picking pockets. (I'm not surprised that the depiction of his authentic methods caused some international consternation in those days, but hey, nice to warn people what could happen to them.) He has reasons to want to quit, including a girlfriend who doesn't know what he does and a police force waiting to pounce on proof; but between his existing criminal network and some depressed desperation, it's not easy. Does this sound like enough to carry even 75 minutes?
I wouldn't call this piece brooding exactly, but it's hard to enjoy on a surface level. For the plot, you need hardly look further than the title: Michel spends a lot of time picking pockets. (I'm not surprised that the depiction of his authentic methods caused some international consternation in those days, but hey, nice to warn people what could happen to them.) He has reasons to want to quit, including a girlfriend who doesn't know what he does and a police force waiting to pounce on proof; but between his existing criminal network and some depressed desperation, it's not easy. Does this sound like enough to carry even 75 minutes?
Friday, April 24, 2015
Easter Parade (1948)
What a ripoff: We never see the parade itself! ...OK, I didn't really come for that, and probably neither did others. In truth, the story doesn't have much to do with Easter festivities; it just happens to start on one Easter and end on the next, possibly because Irving Berlin didn't feel like stopping the theme with Holiday Inn.
Apart from Berlin, whose lyrics account for a large percentage of the dialog, the main draws are Fred Astaire and Judy Garland in her most attractive years. Fourth place might go to the employment of Technicolor to highlight the fashions, which were sadly anachronistic for the early 1910s. (Why did Garland keep playing characters from earlier generations, anyway?)
Apart from Berlin, whose lyrics account for a large percentage of the dialog, the main draws are Fred Astaire and Judy Garland in her most attractive years. Fourth place might go to the employment of Technicolor to highlight the fashions, which were sadly anachronistic for the early 1910s. (Why did Garland keep playing characters from earlier generations, anyway?)
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Alphaville: A Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution (1965)
It wasn't long ago that I rewatched Blade Runner at a theater, only this time aware that it was intended partly as a film noir. Now I see that noir and sci-fi can combine pretty easily. (No wonder Fritz Lang directed Metropolis.) But few movies blur the line as much as the rather distinctive Alphaville.
Part of the blurring comes from the general lack of visual cues to sci-fi. It's not shoestring minimalist like Stalker. Once in a while, we see what's supposed to be a supercomputer. But we have to take characters' word for it that, for example, humans have colonized space. I don't fault Jean-Luc Godard for this approach; it befits a brooding art piece where people have to question their concept of reality.
Part of the blurring comes from the general lack of visual cues to sci-fi. It's not shoestring minimalist like Stalker. Once in a while, we see what's supposed to be a supercomputer. But we have to take characters' word for it that, for example, humans have colonized space. I don't fault Jean-Luc Godard for this approach; it befits a brooding art piece where people have to question their concept of reality.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
A Night to Remember (1958)
Since Easter Parade understandably has had a long wait, I decided on another semi-timely viewing: one of the most popular depictions of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Like probably most modern viewers, I could hardly watch it without thinking of the 1997 depiction (which did draw inspiration from it), but this won't be another twofer review if I can help it.
It would not have been utterly out of character for a film that old to focus fictitiously on a handful of individuals, possibly as a love story, and then have an infamous disaster shake things up in the third act. Such had happened a generation earlier with In Old Chicago (1937, about the fire) and San Francisco (1936, about a more literal shakeup). Instead, ANtR pays more due to the main event and gives minor attention to a fair number of various characters, both on and off the crew.
It would not have been utterly out of character for a film that old to focus fictitiously on a handful of individuals, possibly as a love story, and then have an infamous disaster shake things up in the third act. Such had happened a generation earlier with In Old Chicago (1937, about the fire) and San Francisco (1936, about a more literal shakeup). Instead, ANtR pays more due to the main event and gives minor attention to a fair number of various characters, both on and off the crew.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Big Hero 6 (2014)
My previous meager knowledge of the Marvel Comics superhero team came from an X-Men video game that identified Sunfire as a former member. The rather dopey-sounding team name reflected a Japanese identity. Imagine my surprise that they would be getting an animated treatment that, from the trailer, looked very unlike other comic book adaptations these days. I wondered if this would be what Marvel fans had feared ever since Disney bought the company.
Well, as with many a modern Disney feature (more common with Pixar, which this isn't really), the trailer fails to capture the greatness. If I hadn't known the origin of the title, I would've thought that Baymax the robot was a "Big Hero" model with "6" as a numerical designation. We see one other teammate, early teen Hiro, and they don't show off any special abilities. I wasn't even sure that Baymax could speak. He can, quite well -- and while he doesn't match WALL-E in cuteness, I want one of him even more than I want a DreamWorks dragon.
Well, as with many a modern Disney feature (more common with Pixar, which this isn't really), the trailer fails to capture the greatness. If I hadn't known the origin of the title, I would've thought that Baymax the robot was a "Big Hero" model with "6" as a numerical designation. We see one other teammate, early teen Hiro, and they don't show off any special abilities. I wasn't even sure that Baymax could speak. He can, quite well -- and while he doesn't match WALL-E in cuteness, I want one of him even more than I want a DreamWorks dragon.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
You Can Count on Me (2000)
I'm pretty sure this used to be on IMDb’s top 250; that's
most likely how I took notice of it. Nowadays it stands out as having the first
major role for Rory Culkin. It's also the earliest I've seen of Mark Ruffalo
and the latest I've seen of Matthew Broderick.
The opening establishes Samantha and Terry as having been
orphaned when Sammy was a teen and Terry a bit younger. After a fast-forward, Sammy
(Laura Linney) is a single mother of eight-year-old Rudy (Culkin). Her new boss
at the bank (Broderick) is not very sympathetic to her need to leave early. But
as luck would have it, Terry (Ruffalo) shows up just in time…to ask for money.
Sammy makes him feel guilty for not replying to her letters for six months, so
he agrees to stick around and help take care of his nephew. As you can imagine,
the title is ironic.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Night Train to Munich (1940)
Fans of The Third Man may well lament that Carol Reed didn't direct much else anywhere close to its esteem. His next best-known work is probably Oliver!, followed by The Agony and the Ecstasy. Not much of a style or genre pattern here. Fortunately, nine years before TTM, he had made at least one other movie reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock.
Actually, the Hitchcock quality may not have been Reed's idea. The two screenplay writers had penned The Lady Vanishes two years earlier. NTtM even reprises the two British passengers Charters and Caldicott as understated comic reliefs with eventual importance to the story. Perhaps I'd do better to recommend it to TLV fans rather than TTM fans. Either way, I must add the caveat of a strong Nazi presence.
Actually, the Hitchcock quality may not have been Reed's idea. The two screenplay writers had penned The Lady Vanishes two years earlier. NTtM even reprises the two British passengers Charters and Caldicott as understated comic reliefs with eventual importance to the story. Perhaps I'd do better to recommend it to TLV fans rather than TTM fans. Either way, I must add the caveat of a strong Nazi presence.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Marriage Italian Style (1964)
My parents plan to visit Italy soon, so when we looked for a streaming movie of reasonably short length, it didn't surprise me that they both wanted to see this Vittorio De Sica piece. At the same time, they expected it to show its age. After all, their parents' generation had crushes on Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.
Not that anyone's likely to crush on their characters in this comedy-drama. It's hardly a steamy or heartwarming romance. Rich man Domenico takes to much younger prostitute Filumena under unusual circumstances. For the next 22 years, he takes care of her financially but seldom shows up despite her strong desire for him, apparently regarding her as a treasure to show off only in certain company. Both of them continue to bed others. This is revealed in flashbacks, while in the present, she finally gets him to marry her by feigning terminal illness. As you might imagine, this does not improve his feelings for her...immediately.
Not that anyone's likely to crush on their characters in this comedy-drama. It's hardly a steamy or heartwarming romance. Rich man Domenico takes to much younger prostitute Filumena under unusual circumstances. For the next 22 years, he takes care of her financially but seldom shows up despite her strong desire for him, apparently regarding her as a treasure to show off only in certain company. Both of them continue to bed others. This is revealed in flashbacks, while in the present, she finally gets him to marry her by feigning terminal illness. As you might imagine, this does not improve his feelings for her...immediately.
Hercules (1997)
In the past year or so, I've increased my viewing of animated features from the late '90s and early 2000s, when Disney had taken a dive in popularity, not counting collaborations with Pixar. Why? Well, sometimes I want to see something not only short but colorful, whimsical, and unchallenging, and I've already seen the bulk of the most esteemed fare in that category. Oddly enough, I tend to like the "middling" stuff almost equally; it must be a matter of expectations and backlash.
As you may recall, Hercules came out after the double whammy of underachievers Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. One of their alleged problems was working with darker stories than the target audience was used to watching. So someone had the bright idea of turning to Greco-Roman tragedy for something more uplifting! OK, if you remember anything from the trailer and your own studies of ancient history and mythology, you know that Disney took possibly even more liberties with the source material than ever before or since, as if nobody bothered to review what they learned in junior high. (Kudos to the ad makers for conveying the feeling accurately while not giving away the best moments.)
As you may recall, Hercules came out after the double whammy of underachievers Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. One of their alleged problems was working with darker stories than the target audience was used to watching. So someone had the bright idea of turning to Greco-Roman tragedy for something more uplifting! OK, if you remember anything from the trailer and your own studies of ancient history and mythology, you know that Disney took possibly even more liberties with the source material than ever before or since, as if nobody bothered to review what they learned in junior high. (Kudos to the ad makers for conveying the feeling accurately while not giving away the best moments.)
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
I had a few reasons for giving this AFI showing priority. First, it's not available on Netflix even to save, so I wouldn't get much chance otherwise. Second, it's very highly rated on IMDb, Metacritic, and especially Rotten Tomatoes. Third, I'd never seen a Max Ophüls film before (tho the credits list him as "Opuls" for some reason). Fourth, male lead Louis Jourdan recently died, and I wanted to know him from something other than Gigi and Three Coins in the Fountain. Other factors that would have reinforced my decision include a Howard Koch screenplay, Joan Fontaine calling it her favorite film among those she's been in, and Ringu director Hideo Nakata calling it the best film ever.
Unfortunately, there was also a big reason to brace myself: the genre. Romantic dramas rarely do it for me, at least in terms of warming the heart. They tend to run low on originality and/or credibility; running less than 90 minutes doesn't help in that regard. Characters often let their passions override their logic, so I hardly feel sorry for them when their choices don't pay off. Granted, the same could be said of many an action flick, so maybe I'm biased, but it seems to me that that genre relies less on storytelling to begin with.
Unfortunately, there was also a big reason to brace myself: the genre. Romantic dramas rarely do it for me, at least in terms of warming the heart. They tend to run low on originality and/or credibility; running less than 90 minutes doesn't help in that regard. Characters often let their passions override their logic, so I hardly feel sorry for them when their choices don't pay off. Granted, the same could be said of many an action flick, so maybe I'm biased, but it seems to me that that genre relies less on storytelling to begin with.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Ordet (1955)
The British Film Institute's favorite films include quite a few artsy numbers that do next to nothing for me. Taking a suggestion from the list, especially one that I'd barely heard of elsewhere, was pretty chancy on my part. I did enjoy The Passion of Joan of Arc and found Vampyr at least pretty interesting, so another Carl Theodor Dreyer hit would seem safe -- only I hadn't looked up the detail before. From the look of the title, I had assumed French, not Danish.
It means "The Word." If you guessed a religious connotation, congrats. The story concerns a Lutheran farm owner with three sons: Anders, who wants to marry a woman from a slightly (but too significantly for their fathers) different religious background; Mikkel, a bitter agnostic who nevertheless loves his wife Inger; and Johannes, who, having studied Kierkegaard, proclaims himself the second coming of Christ. When Inger has complications in giving birth, the philosophical focus rests almost entirely on whether faith can move mountains long after biblical times.
It means "The Word." If you guessed a religious connotation, congrats. The story concerns a Lutheran farm owner with three sons: Anders, who wants to marry a woman from a slightly (but too significantly for their fathers) different religious background; Mikkel, a bitter agnostic who nevertheless loves his wife Inger; and Johannes, who, having studied Kierkegaard, proclaims himself the second coming of Christ. When Inger has complications in giving birth, the philosophical focus rests almost entirely on whether faith can move mountains long after biblical times.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Ida (2013)
How appropriate: Immediately after a film with almost no female presence, I watch one in which the female presence outweighs the male presence. Both connect to WWII, only in retrospect in this case. You see, a Polish woman in her early 20s, who has spent most of her life in an abbey and is preparing to become a nun, learns that her parents were Jews and had given her a different first name from "Anna." This being the early '60s, you can guess how they might have gotten separated. She does have one known living relative, Aunt Wanda, who will reluctantly help her search for answers.
You're most likely to have heard of Ida via the latest Academy Awards, where it won Best Foreign-Language Film. But before I even knew of its nomination, I had taken Netflix's strong recommendation to put it on my list. Of course, one look at the deliberately black and white cover told me that it wouldn't exactly be fun.
You're most likely to have heard of Ida via the latest Academy Awards, where it won Best Foreign-Language Film. But before I even knew of its nomination, I had taken Netflix's strong recommendation to put it on my list. Of course, one look at the deliberately black and white cover told me that it wouldn't exactly be fun.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Run Silent Run Deep (1958)
For multiple obvious reasons, there aren't many submarine movies, which puts a lot of pressure (heh) on the few of them to excel. I'm sure this one was expensive for the time, even if the exterior shots used mere models. The filmmakers did aim for authenticity by having real submariners train the actors. They did not aim for fidelity to the Edward L. Beach book, from what I can tell.
Apart from that, the main aspect that I appreciate is the casting. Sure, Burt Lancaster and especially Clark Gable were a bit old for captains, but as I heard Gable repeatedly call, "Dive, dive!", I realized what a natural he seemed for a combination of Commander Queeg from The Caine Mutiny and Captain Ahab from, oh, you know. And Lancaster knew how to project a disciplined officer who strongly disapproved a superior (somewhat reversed in Seven Days in May). The film is also notable for the silver-screen debut of Don Rickles, who does better at non-comic roles than I thought.
Apart from that, the main aspect that I appreciate is the casting. Sure, Burt Lancaster and especially Clark Gable were a bit old for captains, but as I heard Gable repeatedly call, "Dive, dive!", I realized what a natural he seemed for a combination of Commander Queeg from The Caine Mutiny and Captain Ahab from, oh, you know. And Lancaster knew how to project a disciplined officer who strongly disapproved a superior (somewhat reversed in Seven Days in May). The film is also notable for the silver-screen debut of Don Rickles, who does better at non-comic roles than I thought.
Monday, March 9, 2015
The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)
There's a Frank Capra festival going on, so I decided to check out an earlier work of his than any I'd seen before. It's also his only non-comedy besides Lost Horizon that I've seen. Historically, it's most significant for advancing Barbara Stanwyck's career, along with Capra's The Miracle Woman in 1931.
Of course, the title and year should tell you something about values herein. In fact, it kept reminding me of Broken Blossoms: A Chinese man played by a white man develops feelings for a white woman, they don't really have my idea of a romance, and it doesn't end well. But unlike the saintly other man, Yen is domineering, cynical, and coldly pragmatic in matters of violence. This contrasts as well with Stanwyck's Megan, a missionary who was about to marry another missionary before the chaos of the Chinese Civil War ushered her into Yen's ostensibly protective clutches. Their irrational on-and-off chemistry has a Beauty and the Beast vibe in a bad sense. I was actually relieved to see that they wouldn't end up together, which would carry the ultimate "Nice guys finish last" message.
Of course, the title and year should tell you something about values herein. In fact, it kept reminding me of Broken Blossoms: A Chinese man played by a white man develops feelings for a white woman, they don't really have my idea of a romance, and it doesn't end well. But unlike the saintly other man, Yen is domineering, cynical, and coldly pragmatic in matters of violence. This contrasts as well with Stanwyck's Megan, a missionary who was about to marry another missionary before the chaos of the Chinese Civil War ushered her into Yen's ostensibly protective clutches. Their irrational on-and-off chemistry has a Beauty and the Beast vibe in a bad sense. I was actually relieved to see that they wouldn't end up together, which would carry the ultimate "Nice guys finish last" message.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Of Gods and Men (2010)
The preview had gotten me interested in this one. It's based on a true story of nine French Trappist monks in Algeria under threat from Islamic extremists during the 1996 civil war. With all that we hear about Middle Eastern violence to this day, a little tale like this can easily be overlooked.
That said, an early massacre elsewhere that sets fears in motion is about the only violence you'll see in this film. Mostly it's the monks talking with each other, authorities, unhelpful soldiers, or aggressors at their door. Despite internal and external pressures to pack up and leave, they continue to treat injuries in the community, no questions asked. Alas, it's not the next Hotel Rwanda: What little we know of the reality dictated an unhappy, if largely unseen, ending (putting aside the question of what happens to Catholic martyrs).
That said, an early massacre elsewhere that sets fears in motion is about the only violence you'll see in this film. Mostly it's the monks talking with each other, authorities, unhelpful soldiers, or aggressors at their door. Despite internal and external pressures to pack up and leave, they continue to treat injuries in the community, no questions asked. Alas, it's not the next Hotel Rwanda: What little we know of the reality dictated an unhappy, if largely unseen, ending (putting aside the question of what happens to Catholic martyrs).
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
I Remember Mama (1948)
It's too bad my mom didn't come when my dad and I saw this in a theater. Few movies in any era have more female major characters than male, breezing thru the Bechdel Test. And few of those are also this good.
The title is a little curious, as "Mama" (Irene Dunne) is still very much alive and living with the narrator, Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes), at the time of the narration. It hasn't even been more than a few years since the 1910 events in question, when Katrin was in her teens. Also strange is that Wikipedia, before my last edit at least, classified the film as a comedy. It has quaintly funny moments, such as dubbing a tomcat "Uncle Elizabeth" to accommodate stubborn youngest sister Dagmar, but I'd call it a "comedy" only in the old-fashioned sense of The Divine Comedy. It's more of a heartwarming melodrama.
The title is a little curious, as "Mama" (Irene Dunne) is still very much alive and living with the narrator, Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes), at the time of the narration. It hasn't even been more than a few years since the 1910 events in question, when Katrin was in her teens. Also strange is that Wikipedia, before my last edit at least, classified the film as a comedy. It has quaintly funny moments, such as dubbing a tomcat "Uncle Elizabeth" to accommodate stubborn youngest sister Dagmar, but I'd call it a "comedy" only in the old-fashioned sense of The Divine Comedy. It's more of a heartwarming melodrama.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
Yeah, it's one of those foreign films that had to wait a year for the Academy to notice. I made a point to see it before the Oscars for the sake of knowing as many Best Animated Feature nominees as possible, tho I knew from the outset it wouldn't win. The last non-CG winner came out in 2005, and TTotPK sports a watercolor look with a dash of charcoal.
I had thought that director/writer Isao Takahata, being older than Hayao Miyazaki, had retired. He has made few movies in the last 15 years, none of them well known in my circles. His works tend to be more quintessentially Japanese than Miyazaki's, as evidenced by Disney's embarrassing attempt to redub Pom Poko for an American audience. But I'll give him credit for variety: The tragedy Grave of the Fireflies and comic-in-motion My Neighbors the Yamadas could hardly have differed more. TTotPK, based on a Japanese folktale, makes a worthy addition to his legacy.
I had thought that director/writer Isao Takahata, being older than Hayao Miyazaki, had retired. He has made few movies in the last 15 years, none of them well known in my circles. His works tend to be more quintessentially Japanese than Miyazaki's, as evidenced by Disney's embarrassing attempt to redub Pom Poko for an American audience. But I'll give him credit for variety: The tragedy Grave of the Fireflies and comic-in-motion My Neighbors the Yamadas could hardly have differed more. TTotPK, based on a Japanese folktale, makes a worthy addition to his legacy.
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