Best Movie-Viewing Experiences 6/12/15 - 17/12/15
THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961)
A MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: J. Lee Thompson
CAST: Gregory Peck; Anthony Quinn; David Niven; Stanley Baker; Anthony Quayle
> my favourite "Men on a Mission" movie (along with Where Eagles Dare and The Dirty Dozen of course); rousing and heroic with some terrific action scenes...with the cliff-scaling scene being the highlight; David Niven breaks his usual dreariness and is actually amusing and effective this time; criminal sidelining of Stanley who is barely more than a cameo; Anthony Q#1 hams it up again but doesn't sink the proceedings; has the usual rat-in-the-ranks and personal vendetta plot twists, but this was before they became cliches; enjoyment is greatly increased if you're a bloke
Award-Worthy Performance
David Niven
TRUTH (2015)
A FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: James Vanderbilt
CAST: Cate Blanchett; Robert Redford; Topher Grace; Dennis Quaid; Stacey Keach
> the best film I have ever seen about TV journalism; makes the same point about society as Network and Broadcast News (serious news is being replaced by infotainment) but with more impact and gravitas; the controversial incident this was based on all but non-existed in Australia, so it's interesting to see the film featuring so many Aussie players; really does highlight how suddenly and voraciously the press feeds on itself in the spirit of commercial competition; Cate Blanchett proves once and for all that she is in the same league as Hepburn (K.), Streep and Stanwyck; criminally snubbed by all the awards groups
Award-Worthy Performances
Cate Blanchett; Robert Redford
THE MARK (1961)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Guy Green
CAST: Stuart Whitman; Maria Schell; Rod Steiger; Brenda de Banzie
> VERY brave and controversial film for its time (and even more so for our current times): sympathy and understanding for a pedophile; expertly handled on all counts (acting / scripting / direction) without being biased either way - just presents the story bluntly with zero sensationalism; the group therapy sessions are a bit clunky and unconvincing; the flashbacks & dreams / nightmares are handled with more dramatic impact; it's obvious as to why it rarely turns up on TV; the variation on a happy ending is incongruous but it is a relief of sorts I guess
COMFORT AND JOY (1984)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Bill Forsyth
CAST: Bill Paterson; Eleanor David; Clare Grogan; Alex Norton
> unashamedly quirky Scottish comedy based on (I kid you not) a true event referred to as the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars of the 1980's; mixture of the driest of humour with a distinct Monty Python sense of the absurd; the first attack on the ice cream van was so unexpected and so bizarre, that I had to instantly replay it twice with increased mirth each time; all the characters are determinedly lacking in flashiness, so come across as normal people behaving abnormally - which is what we all do, I guess; I kept looking for more a bit more substance though, but it never emerged; the very definition of the film term "sleeper"
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Anthony & Joe Russo
CAST: Chris Evans; Scarlett Johansson; Samuel L. Jackson; Sebastian Stan; Robert Redford
> a slight notch-above the standard Marvel movie; the tying-in of a political conspiracy adds a Three Days of the Condor / The Parallax View depth to the usual superhero veneer; shoot-out in the street reminded me of Heat; wish they hadn't used the jiggling camera technique so much to emphasise action... altogether now, 1-2-3: WE WANT TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON!; Cap is my fave superhero and Chris has finally won me over in the part; feels weird having Robert Redford starring in one of these; the fight between Cap & Bucky is appropriately thrilling for us fanboys; Ominous Observation: shit being blown up is becoming hohum
STATE AND MAIN (2000)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: David Mamet
CAST: William H. Macy; Philip Seymour Hoffman; Alec Baldwin; Sarah Jessica Parker
> entertaining film, but more pleasantly amusing than pricelessly funny; made enjoyable by the actors all doing their stuff and ricocheting off each other masterfully; William and Philip are both excellent; tacky underage-sex incident is the plot fulcrum which current social climate decrees is tasteless, especially in a film which claims to be a comedy - if you can go with that, you'll have a good time; makes you realise how good and how under-utilised in movies Rebecca Pidgeon and Julia Stiles are; cynical (but still satisfying) ending
Award-Worthy Performances
The ensemble cast
THUNDER ROCK (1942)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Roy Boulting
CAST: Michael Redgrave; James Mason; Finlay Currie; Lilli Palmer; Barbara Mullen
> what a weird little movie!; 1930's fascist-fighter abandons the world and becomes a lighthouse keeper, socialising with ghosts (which he conjures up in his mind) from a long-ago shipwreck...no, really; Michael does his usual neurotic routine and achieves his usual excellence; the script was fleshed out / altered to turn it into a WWII propaganda piece (nobody can run away from tyranny, so join the fight) and becomes both an intriguing and blatantly peculiar tale; more allegory than story however, which can be a little off-putting at times; an historical curio which comes close to transcending its time and original intent
FANNY (1961)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Joshua Logan
CAST: Leslie Caron; Charles Boyer; Maurice Chevalier; Horst Bucholz
> didn't think I could like this (just can't forgive the French for all the nuclear-testing in the Pacific right up until 1996...hey, so I'm a grudge holder), but it is totally charming; Leslie is a stunningly beautiful woman; Charles is terrific (he usually was) in what is no more than a supporting role; gorgeous cinematography in a pretty waterfront setting; lush and appealing musical score which doesn't scream at you to react; the writer (Julius Epstein, who co-wrote Casablanca) did an admirable job of condensing the original three movies down to one, although it is still a little draggy
Award-Worthy Performances
Charles Boyer; Leslie Caron
STARTING OVER (1979)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Alan J. Pakula
CAST: Burt Reynolds; Jill Clayburgh; Candice Bergen; Charles Durning
> okay little rom-com which is (unfortunately for the genre) one of the very best of the 70's; Burt certainly is no Cary Grant or even Joel McCrea - he seems to only exist in the movie to give the more animated actors a chance to respond to someone; Jill is fine in a usual role, but Candice's performance as the bad-singing / wholly self-absorbed ex-missus is a little comic gem; wonder why the director insisted / allowed Burt to underplay so broadly to the point of needing his pulse checked; minor, but pleasant
Award-Worthy Performance
Candice Bergen
99 HOMES (2015)
B+ FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Ramin Bahrani
CAST: Andrew Garfield; Michael Shannon; Laura Dern
> certainly a film for our times (even if its American ruthlessness seems a bit exaggerated to these Aussie eyes); I guess its the inevitable outcome of living by the tenet "Look after Number 1"; Andrew tries hard but to me he just doesn't seem to be old enough for such an adult role; Michael is his usual borderline nutjob/arsehole persona and runs away with the movie as a result; more interesting than arresting and somehow the ending is both totally just and mysteriously gutless; still, I became involved with the story being told
Award-Worthy Performance
Michael Shannon
Worst Movie-Viewing Experiences 6/12/15 - 17/12/15
SOMETHING WILD (1961)
B- FIRST VIEWING
d: Jack Garfein
CAST: Carroll Baker; Ralph Meeker; Mildred Dunnock
> classified as a, ahem, "rape and revenge" movie by Wikipedia, but when does the revenge kick in?; explicit for its time, but so what?; the rape scene is filmed appropriately (nothing exploitative; no attempt to inject any "heat" into the assault) and Carroll does a good job travelling through the shock, slow breakdown and emotional aftermath; then the story takes a bizarre turn and Carroll's trauma is just increased; Ralph's character is a big question mark who is never given a chance to explain himself, but you're still expected to take to him; an interesting tale I guess, but ultimately unpleasant and off-putting; considered a lost indie classic by Arty types but, as usual, they are wrong; what does the title mean?
THE LONG AND THE SHORT AND THE TALL (1961)
D RE-EVALUATION / ORIGINAL GRADE: B-
d: Leslie Norman
CAST: Richard Todd; Laurence Harvey; Richard Harris; David McCallum
> a genuinely lousy war movie where action has been replaced with endless talking, talking, talking; so...obviously based on a stage play then; despite a nice looking jungle, you are always aware that you are on an indoor set (lighting?); rarely is a single actor responsible for a film's downfall, but such is the case with Laurence: he is AWFUL and just keeps on braying painfully throughout (apparently Peter O'Toole was the first choice...a much better idea); the two Richards are fairly anemic in support; zero chemistry between the players; the film would love to pass on the message that "War is Hell" but the best it can do is that "Soldiers Yell a Lot When Stressed"
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Best Movie-Viewing Experiences 10/11/15 - 5/12/15
THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940)
A+ MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: Ernst Lubitsch
CAST: James Stewart; Margaret Sullavan; Frank Morgan; Joseph Schildkraut
> my favourite movie of all time; the greatest romantic-comedy ever made; excellence in all aspects: acting, dialogue, bits of comedy business, flawless direction; the attempted suicide scene is handled so ideally that it doesn't jar, despite featuring in a 40's rom-com!!; Jimmy & Margaret are the best romantic duo ever; the famed "Lubitsch Touch" is on show and puts to shame the vast majority of rom-coms which came after this; a perfect film
Award-Worthy Performances
James Stewart & Margaret Sullavan; Frank Morgan; Joseph Schildkraut
BABY FACE (1933)
A MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: Alfred E. Green
CAST: Barbara Stanwyck; George Brent; Theresa Harris
> AKA Fuck Your Way to the Top; the essence of pre-code immorality in film; social comedy which is cynical to the point of being poisonous; "Crush All Sentiment" is virtually the movie's tagline; Barbara is the poor/tough girl who becomes the rich/hard girl; where'd she get the idea from? Fredrich Nietzsche!!; check out a foetal John Wayne wearing too much makeup; as usual, Barbara's performance shrivels everybody else's; shame her moral reform is inevitable; P.S. love the open-back dress Barb!
Award-Worthy Performance
Barbara Stanwyck
THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1973)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Richard Lester
CAST: Michael York; Oliver Reed; Richard Chamberlain; Frank Finlay; Raquel Welch; Faye Dunaway; Geraldine Chaplin; Charlton Heston; Christopher Lee; Spike Milligan
> pretty ordinary as an action swashbuckler but pretty good as a costume comedy; cast are having a great time and that comes through the performances (especially Raquel, who discovered in this movie that her metier was slapstick!!); love the asides (fave: "But I can't put my back into it. I've got piles.") and the disgruntled mumblings of the dwarfs; definitely a touch of the Monty-Pythonisms, and Spike is always a blessing
Award-Worthy Performance
Raquel Welch
SUNSHINE (2007)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Danny Boyle
CAST: Cillian Murphy; Chris Evans; Rose Byrne; Michelle Yeoh
> good premise: The Sun is dying so we send a group up to reboot it; story hikes along at a c'mon-keep-up pace; terrific set design and SFX which, of course, is the norm for these things; interesting ensemble cast is all fine but could do with a charisma injection; having said that though, the absence of a standard action movie star (no Tom; no Bruce) is a major plus; bit hard to tell at times (especially near the end) exactly what is going on, but it sure looks good; definitely a re-watcher
TORRID ZONE (1940)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: William Keighley
CAST: James Cagney; Ann Sheridan; Pat O'Brien; Andy Devine
> the zenith of wisecracking movies: they fly thick and fast and funny right throughout; laughed out loud numerous times (which is rare for a Golden Age Warners flick); very un-PC Central American types with their Speedy Gonzalez accents add to the good-natured humour; three leads do their usual stuff (with Ann scoring highest because she has all the best lines); I expected a generic ripped-from-the-headlines action flick and got a fast-paced comedy instead... and was more than happy about it
Award-Worthy Performance
Ann Sheridan
THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON / PARADISE LAGOON (1957)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Lewis Gilbert
CAST: Kenneth More; Diane Cilento; Cecil Parker; Sally Ann Howes
> based on the play by the guy who invented Peter Pan; fun little satire of the English class system - master becomes servant & servant becomes master; Diane Cilento is a hoot!; always very enjoyable seeing upper-class twits getting their comeuppance; appealing scenery (deserted tropical island) in gorgeous technicolor; some added slapstick touches seem unnecessary; props and costumes are amusingly very Flintstones-like; a wry little entertainment
Award-Worthy Performance
Diane Cilento
MY BRILLIANT CAREER (1979)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Gillian Armstrong
CAST: Judy Davis; Sam Neill; Wendy Hughes; Robert Grubb
> it's all about Judy and that's more than okay; film moves along at a snail's pace (too slow / too little happens / too genteel) but as a pure character study of a strong-willed woman, it is superb; deals with Australia's greatest asset/detriment: our sense of isolation; life on a rural property is all about this, with art or booze being our usual escape options; gorgeous light, magpies gargling music, pretending to be British, a tendency towards roughhousing - sheer Australiana; just wish the story had a bit more heft to it
Award-Worthy Performance
Judy Davis
THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS (1974)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Peter Weir
CAST: John Meillon; Terry Camilleri; Chris Hayward; Bruce Spence
> refreshingly bizarre for Australia...or anywhere really; a satire of our consumerist society, similar in theme to 1978's Dawn of the Dead; a horror-comedy (very dark humour, naturally) tying in car-obsessives, small-town bizarros, demolition derbies and even involuntary medical experimentation; somehow still retains a primarily Aussie feel to the storytelling; always good to see many of our cinematic greats strutting their stuff together, but it's a shame that the protagonist is a walking void; the echidna-car has since become iconic; for those who are after something a little different
BROTHER ORCHID (1940)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Lloyd Bacon
CAST: Edward G. Robinson; Ann Sothern; Humphrey Bogart; Ralph Bellamy; Donald Crisp
> charming little movie about Eddie G the Ganglord who looks for something better in life and finds it in a monastery; unusual mixture of Warners crime film, sly comedy and social message movie; always love looking at what happens to Eddie G's hair when he gets clobbered; all players perform well (although Bogie doesn't seem to be in on the joke) and Ralph plays the typical Ralph part...he must've been sick to death of those!; the Sgt. Dibble-voiced Allen Jenkins drops out too early (he was always an asset in movies); not great Art, but certainly great fun
DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (1940)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Dorothy Arzner
CAST: Maureen O'Hara; Lucille Ball; Ralph Bellamy; Louis Hayward
> early feminist movie (y'know...men are fools + women must use all their feminine ways to get what they want etc); minor story about showgirls making it on-stage; wish it wasn't set in the dancing world though: too many ballet scenes to suit me; Lucy is right - she really can't sing, but watch her do another comedy warm-up for her TV show; Maureen is charming but only really kicks in when she does her Irish Firebrand routine; more historically significant (early female director and all that) than artistically, but still quite enjoyable
Award-Worthy Performance
Lucille Ball
Worst Movie-Viewing Experiences 10/11/15 - 5/12/15
THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959)
B FIRST VIEWING
d: Samuel Fuller
CAST: James Shegita; Glenn Corbert; Victoria Shaw; Anna Lee
> heralded as a lost masterpiece (probably because it is an early work of Fuller's...a cult director); starts with a stripper murder, becomes a plea for racial tolerance, ends with a surprise culprit; the wander through a bi-racial romance (without any kissing until the final scene) lessens the impact of the murder hunt to the point of actually not really caring whodunnit; Anna Lee stands out purely because she is the only actor who seems to be entirely comfortable; interesting Little-Japan-in-L.A. setting; not bad, but comes across as a pilot of an abandoned TV cop show; dated
CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN (1950)
B- FIRST VIEWING
d: Walter Lang
CAST: Clifton Webb; Myrna Loy; Jeanne Crain; Mildred Natwick
> wants to be quaint and charming, but doesn't get anywhere near it; a box-office smash in 1950 which proves that the public's taste has always been crap; Clifton Webb is fatally miscast: he just isn't up to a role which requires him to be cuddly and endearingly eccentric (and he is nobody's idea of a rampant reproducer or sexual stud); it really angers me to watch yet another film which totally wastes Myrna Loy; the phony/schmaltzy 1920's setting gives it that vague Disney feel, which just increases the sweetness of the whole thing; must have been used by China's One-Child policy-makers as propaganda
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Best Movie-Viewing Experiences 23/10/15 - 9/11/15
LANTANA (2001)
A SECOND+ VIEWING
d: Ray Lawrence
CAST: Anthony LaPaglia; Geoffrey Rush; Barbara Hershey; Kerry Armstrong
> one of the most grown-up movies I know; acknowledges that we all expect trust, honesty and openness with each other, but we don't know how to get it or give it; deals with sex as emotional communication rather than just a physical act; only a couple of glaring too-coincidental-to-be-believed plot contrivances mar the experience...but only slightly; acting is superlative by all involved; images from the film (the choking lantana weed being the most pervasive) linger in the memory; an Australian beauty
Award-Worthy Performances
Entire cast
SICARIO (2015)
A FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Denis Villeneuve
CAST: Emily Blunt; Benicio del Toro; Josh Brolin
> a horror movie impersonating an action film; an absolute journey into Hell; wasn't overly optimistic prior to viewing this (thought it was going to be very violent / gun-focussed / can't pick who the good guys are / typical US crime drama); I was right on all counts BUT it floored me; shocking, absorbing, repellent, very scary; makes the case for the legalisation of all drugs immediately; inexplicably isn't turning up on any of the Oscar-Prediction sites; exceptional film-making nonetheless
Award-Worthy Performances
Emily Blunt; Benicio del Toro
BRIDGE OF SPIES (2015)
A- FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Steven Spielberg
CAST: Tom Hanks; Mark Rylance; Amy Ryan; Alan Alda
> Hitchcock, Ford, Spielberg: the three greatest English-language directors with staying power who could produce celluloid art that was also popular; Steven is the most eclectic of them (only comedy seems to be beyond him), and with BoS, he has done it again, this time with a docu-drama about spies; flawless craftsmanship with a master's storytelling pace; engrossing from beginning to end; terrific performances; and it features that rarest of US movie scenes: people being shot which is meant to, and does, disturb you
Award-Worthy Performances
Tom Hanks; Mark Rylance
WHEN STRANGERS MARRY aka BETRAYED (1944)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: William Castle
CAST: Kim Hunter; Dean Jagger; Robert Mitchum
> fast, sheer entertainment storytelling; being a William Castle movie, you just know there has to be a gimmick or surprise twist of some sort (and I bet you figure it out as quickly as I did); William creates/chooses unusual and interesting shots; three strong actors in the lead roles helps proceedings along; loses a bit of steam about two-thirds of the way, but the nifty little ending repairs any minor damage; a shame that the director didn't end up using his powers for good rather than horror schlock - he could've been a noir master
Award-Worthy Performance
Dean Jagger
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: James Gunn
CAST: Chris Pratt; Zoe Saldana; Dave Bautista; Vin Diesel; Bradley Cooper
> who?; as everybody has already said, this is far, far better than what it should have been; usual complaints: too long (by about 20 minutes) / storytelling feels more like a franchise installment / fight scenes and staging are VERY familiar; saving grace is the nonstop humour and comedic stylings of Chris & Bradley; amazing how much oomph a pre-punk-pop soundtrack injects into the proceedings; looks fantastic of course with obvious nods to the comic books from whence it came; less complicated script than usual in these things helps enormously but, as always, once it's over, it's just over
DRAGONSLAYER (1981)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Matthew Robbins
CAST: Peter MacNichol; Caitlin Clarke; Ralph Richardson
> I'm not much of a dungeons 'n' dragons fantasy kinda guy, but I thought this was pretty good; a cross between a Grimm's fairy tale and Polanski's Macbeth; heavy orchestral score is a bit much at times; Sir Ralph's reappearance is fairly spectacular, as is his grand final duel with the star of the show, the dragon; would've loved to have seen Sir Ralph's King Lear on stage; I wonder if this film was an influence on James Cameron's Aliens?
Award-Worthy Performance
Ralph Richardson
THE PERFECT SPECIMEN (1937)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Michael Curtiz
CAST: Errol Flynn; Joan Blondell; May Robson; Edward Everett Horton
> hell...even Michael Curtiz had a shot at a 1930's screwball comedy!; a generic storyline: rich & mollycoddled young man meets dizzy & strong-willed young woman, and an on-the-road misadventure ensues; switch the genders around and you've got It Happened One Night (just not as good, of course); Joan & Edward are experts at this kind of fluff, but Errol seems to be wearing a straitjacket, only losing it when he does something physical; loaded with the usual array of quirky supporting characters with familiar faces & voices; dawdles a bit too much, but still quite enjoyable
ENEMY AT THE GATES (2001)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Jean-Jacques Annaud
CAST: Jude Law; Joseph Fiennes; Rachel Weisz; Ed Harris; Bob Hoskins
> set in 1942 Stalingrad, the capital of WWII; tense duel of sniper stalking sniper while the massacre of the city roars around it; outstanding depiction of war amongst the rubble; usual Russian tick-the-list cliches: vodka, dancing, balalaikas ringing out; some scenes are very moving (evacuation across the Volga; fighting around the Barmaley Fountain); ever-so British accents pretending to be Russian are jarring, especially Bob Hoskins as Khrushchev(!); the muffled sex scene belongs in a different movie; the tacked-on happy ending is dumb
Award-Worthy Performance
Ed Harris
STAR OF MIDNIGHT (1935)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Stephen Roberts
CAST: William Powell; Ginger Rogers
> AKA The Thin Man Rides Again (With a Different Woman); complicated murder mystery plot which has a genuinely surprise-twist ending; awash with alcohol of course; while William is wonderful as usual in this kind of thing (so suave, so unflappable), Ginger needs more to do and certainly should've been fed some wisecracks to shoot back at; some funny one-liners and bits of business (love the musical toilet!); not enough quirky side-characters to stoke the humour; minor but still enjoyable
Award-Worthy Performance
William Powell
CADDIE (1976)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Donald Crombie
CAST: Helen Morse; Jacki Weaver; Jack Thompson
> warming little film which has been overlooked; the Australian Experience of the Roaring Twenties collapsing into the Great Depression; Helen is superb as the struggling Mum who toughens before your eyes; so wonderful to have a film that blatantly overflows with Aussie slang and doesn't pander to the US market; two major mistakes: 1) midway departure of Jack and Jacki is a loss of charm and humour which the film never recovers from; 2) the suddenly-lopped ending doesn't satisfy; still, a bit of a joy (even if it does remind us of the infamous Six O'Clock Swill...which was our version of Prohibition)
Award-Worthy Performances
Helen Morse; Jacki Weaver
Worst Movie-Viewing Experiences 23/10/15 - 9/11/15
50/50 (2011)
B FIRST VIEWING
d: Jonathan Levine
CAST: Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Seth Rogen; Anna Kendrick; Anjelica Huston
> AKA The Lighter Side of Cancer; film means well but really...; it brings well-worn traits to a difficult-to-laugh-at story; Seth is the obligatory comic relief / buffoonish best friend, and does his usual sex-joke, sex-joke, gross-out-vulgarity, sex-joke, fleeting-emotional-admission, sex-joke routine; Joseph does his version of Tom Hanks in Philadelphia and, of course, scores high on the likability scale; you just know that it's all going to turn out cuddly in the end; it's a nice-ish experience for sure, but the blending of ever-looming Death with tittering sex comedy is tricky to pull off; shoulda spoken to Alan Alda first
MAD DOG MORGAN (1976)
D FIRST & LAST VIEWING
d: Phillipe Nora
CAST: Dennis Hopper; Jack Thompson; Bill Hunter
> told in a series of isolated clips, there is no flow to the storytelling; a jerking narrative which, at least, is in chronological order but that still doesn't help much; some ridiculous violence inserted for what seems to be purely gratuitous reasons; hard to tell if Dennis is wonderful or woeful in the title role because he keeps slipping into method mannerisms that don't always contribute to our understanding of the character; very much in the 70's Aussie exploitation style; ugly, amateurish, seedy film making; and I gotta ask: why did we need a Yank to play one of our iconic bushrangers? Next thing you know, they'll get Mick Jagger to play Ned Kelly!
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Best Movie-Viewing Experiences 10/10/15 - 22/10/15
THE NUN'S STORY (1959)
A+ MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: Fred Zinnemann
CAST: Audrey Hepburn; Peter Finch; Peggy Ashcroft; Edith Evans; Mildred Dunnock; Dean Jagger; Patricia Collinge; Beatrice Straight; Colleen Dewhurst
> it is a mystery to me (as it is to my movie-mates) as to why this film has such a strong personal impact - the best I can do is that it taps into my early Christian beliefs and eventual dismissal of them; Audrey's most fully-fleshed and affecting performance; support cast heaven; a long story which never becomes tiring due to its constant moving about; the final scenes show how cold and prejudiced religion really can be
Award-Worthy Performances
Audrey Hepburn; Edith Evans; Mildred Dunnock
LONE STAR (1996)
A SECOND VIEWING
d: John Sayles
CAST: Chris Cooper; Kris Kristofferson; Matthew McConaughey; Joe Morton
> wholly engrossing murder/mystery where the build-up to the killing is a side issue to the interactions of lives revolving around it; alien (to this Aussie) cultural/social issues of Tex-Mex region are fascinating and more than a little sad; love the fluid visual transitions between time frames; good assortment of quirky and endearing side characters; the solving of the mystery is satisfying but it's the surprise (and beautifully underplayed) ending which stays with you
Award-Worthy Performances
Chris Cooper; Kris Kristofferson
THE FRINGE DWELLERS (1986)
A- SECOND VIEWING
d: Bruce Beresford
CAST: Justine Saunders; Kristina Nehm; Bob Maza; Kylie Belling
> an Australian Experience film; there was a fair amount of controversy focussed on (I think) the depiction of the Aboriginal people in this movie, but I don't see why: they are flawed but mostly positive-in-outlook people; some scenes recall The Grapes of Wrath, Cry Freedom and Ma & Pa Kettle(!); largely (then) amateur cast is terrific, but special accolades to Kristina Nehm (whatever happened to her?) as the restless, ambitious Trilby; shamefully for us, things haven't changed that much even 30 years later
Award-Worthy Performance
Kristina Nehm
YIELD TO THE NIGHT (1956)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: J. Lee Thompson
CAST: Diana Dors; Yvonne Mitchell
> thought this was going to be another woman-who-was-wronged soap opera, but turned out to be so much more; film focusses on final two weeks of death row (UK version) inmate's life; flits between how murderess got into this situation and how she copes emotionally with her impending doom; Diana is a revelation in the lead role...who woulda thunk it?; Arty flourishes such as tilted scenes and unusual camera placement add unnecessary melodrama to the already loaded story; should be compulsory viewing in death penalty countries
Award-Worthy Performance
Diana Dors
GUILTY BY SUSPICION (1991)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Irwin Winkler
CAST: Robert De Niro; Annette Bening; Chris Cooper; George Wendt
> Hollywood Blacklist movie which I prefer to 1976's The Front due to its total lack of humour (Joe McCarthy was funny but what he did to people's lives was grim); avoids any type of satirical inflection by just telling a based-on-a-true story and produces a fascinating and frustratingly sad drama as a result; explains why so many people became informers and demonstrates how heroic the ones who refused to cooperate really were; an overlooked gem
Award-Worthy Performances
Robert De Niro; Annette Bening
THE WINGS OF EAGLES (1957)
A- MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: John Ford
CAST: John Wayne; Maureen O'Hara; Dan Dailey; Ward Bond
> the trademarks of the post WWII John Ford films were drunken punch-ups, drunken Irish blarney, drunken sentimentality, and above all, doing your duty after you've sobered up; these were the things that turned me off the great man's films during this later period; all of these factors are present in TWoE but for some bizarre reason, I thoroughly enjoy them all; maybe it's because it isn't a Western; maybe it's because it's (kind of) based on a true story; it is certainly due in part to Wayne's powerhouse acting (even when he gets a cream cake in the kisser) and Dailey's comic relief; it manages to be both silly and moving
Award-Worthy Performances
John Wayne; Dan Dailey
TAKE SHELTER (2011)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Jeff Nichols
CAST: Michael Shannon; Jessica Chastain
> a retelling of the Noah's Ark story; ordinary man is made aware that an apocalypse is coming; builds a shelter to protect his family, facing self-doubt and public ridicule; tension comes from the question: "is he a visionary or is he a loonie?"; the build-up is the essence of slowburn and I admit that I nodded off a couple of times in the first half hour; everyone raves about Michael Shannon's performance but he seems to me to be channeling Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade (minus the exuberance); last fifteen minutes makes it all worthwhile
THE BEAST OF THE CITY (1932)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Charles Brabin (who?)
CAST: Walter Huston; Jean Harlow; Wallace Ford; Jean Hersholt
> wise-cracking, two-fisted police procedural; very talky for a supposed action film, although the powerhouse ending makes up for it; despite busy camera (jerks and all...which still beats handheld), film remains surprisingly static; great grandfather of Hill Street Blues and latter-years of The Bill; Jean Harlow perfects the onscreen version of the nasally moll; usual 30's gangster movie amusements: speedy old cars & matter-of-fact killings & hats; film contains two of the all-time cringe-causing lines: "that's mighty white of you" and "you shot one of the finest white men who ever lived" - UGH.
QUEEN OF SPADES (1949)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Thorold Dickinson
CAST: Anton Walbrook; Edith Evans; Yvonne Mitchell
> gently-told fairy tale / horror story set in Tsarist Russia; you know the sort of thing: gypsies & soldiers, flickering candles & secret staircases, vodka & snow; lush orchestral score scoots the old-world Europe feel along; Edith Evans (in her cinematic debut) overdoes the crotchety dowager routine; Anton Walbrook manages to be emotionally large but somehow still 'right' in the lead role as the born-to-be-doomed protagonist; outstanding direction by Thorold - all long shadows and howling winds and eerie silences; moral of the story: You Can't Always Get What You Want (And Isn't That a Bugger?)
SMILEY (1956)
B+ MULTIPLE VIEWINGS
d: Anthony Kimmins
CAST: Colin Petersen; Ralph Richardson; John McCallum; Chips Rafferty
> geez, I loved this film as a kid; it turned up numerous times in the sixties and seventies on the Saturday Movie Matinee on Channel 7; Huck Finn crossed with Pollyanna; a Disney-style film but with the rough edges left in (drunkenness; drugs; gambling); made in Australia by a British crew financed by American money so, therefore, it is an outsider's idealised version of what small-town Australian life was like in the 50's; the kid is terrific and must have the world's toughest feet; followed by a right-wing sequel called Smiley Gets a Gun; plans for a third film in the franchise, Smiley Joins the KKK, were wisely shelved
Worst Movie-Viewing Experiences 10/10/15 - 22/10/15
THE MOUSE THAT ROARED (1959)
B- SECOND VIEWING
d: Jack Arnold
CAST: Peter Sellers X 3; Jean Seberg; Leo McKern
> this was big box office hit in 1959 and I'll be stuffed if I can figure out why; all three of the characters Sellers portrays are bizarrely underplayed (by Peter Sellers?!?); the subplot about a Q Bomb is stupid; a totally deserted New York for a bombing drill is both impractical and a ridiculous plot contrivance; it wants to have that Passport to Pimlico social message/farce feel but fails miserably; the only thing which saves it from being a complete disaster is the cleverness of its premise: a small bankrupt nation declares war on the USA so it can be defeated and receive rehabilitation funding! A film that screams out for a remake: are you reading this Joel & Ethan?
THE ODESSA FILE (1974)
C SECOND & LAST VIEWING
d: Ronald Neame
CAST: Jon Voight; Maximilian Schell; Derek Jacobi
> I really wanted this to be better than what it really is because the potential is all there...but I now reluctantly accept that it is a badly botched job; an espionage / conspiracy thriller with no thrills; time and again, opportunities for suspense and action are either fumbled (death by printing press) or just ignored (beaten up by neo-Nazi thugs); even the pushed-under-a-train scene is poorly staged, as if the hero merely tripped over and brushed himself off; I wonder if Maximilian ever got sick of playing old Nazi bastards?; at least Jon does a competent version of a German-Lite accent
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