Movie-Viewing Experiences 11/9/16 - 26/9/16
AN ACT OF MURDER (1948)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Michael Gordon
CAST: Fredric March; Florence Eldridge; Edmond O'Brien; Geraldine Brooks
> the title promises a crime thriller, but that's not what you get; this is an unexpected story of love being truly tested, with not one but two twists in the telling which you won't see coming (well...I didn't anyway); the wife of a long-serving judge is diagnosed with a terminal illness and he wrestles with both euthanasia and double suicide as an appropriate response; Fred gives a mighty performance as the cruelly-torn husband and is ably supported by all around him; this could have so easily deteriorated into soppy soap-opera but, apart from the unfortunate big moral speech at the end, successfully avoids it; genuinely moving
Award-Worthy Performance
Fredric March
ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS (1940)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: John Cromwell
CAST: Raymond Massey; Ruth Gordon; Gene Lockhart
> I love American history: both the (often brutal) documentary examinations and the emotional mythologies like this movie; covers the same time-frame as 1939's Young Mr Lincoln by John Ford (one of my fave films of all time) but carries on right up to the election win; genuinely strong script supplies us with some excellent scenes and good one-liners (and occasional melodramatic touches) and these carry the film up; Raymond is fine (but not great...too vocally mannered at times) as Honest Abe; biggest weakness is the acting of the supporting cast, which ranges from merely adequate to downright dreadful; however, this remains an interesting bio of one of the world's truly great men
SNOWDEN (2016)
B+ FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Oliver Stone
CAST: Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Shailene Woodley; Melissa Leo; Rhys Ifans; Tom Wilkinson
> very straightforward (read: non-hysterical / non-muck-raking / a little bland) run-through of the Edward Snowden affair which has only ever marginally interested me (what? you didn't already know that the U.S. spies on EVERYBODY...including itself??); I kept recalling last year's similarly-themed Eye in the Sky and this movie falls way short in comparison - no tension & no suspense, even when it wouldn't have been dramatic license to inject some (Ed must've been scared shitless but that doesn't really come across); still, it is informative, well-presented and competently performed by all; the story of a brave and principled nerd who now lives under Vladimir Putin's control...how can that be better?
LAXDALE HALL aka SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS (1953)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: John Eldridge
CAST: A whole bunch of British actors with familiar faces & unfamiliar names
> for me, these 1950's British village comedies are akin to comfort food: don't do you much good, but they are warming and enjoyable; usual themes: common folk Vs bureaucrats & village = good, city = bad & progress is actually a step back & everyone needs to know and accept their position in the class structure; story is about Scottish highlanders who refuse to pay their taxes until London politicians fix one local road and one jetty; characters are either simple & cunning or pompous & redemption-bound; love the amateur production of Macbeth on the moors in the most driving of rain!; the makers of 1983's Local Hero and the producers of TV's Hamish Macbeth must have watched this movie many, many times
ADDRESS UNKNOWN (1944)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: William Cameron Menzies
CAST: Paul Lukas; Peter van Eyck; Carl Esmond
> goodhearted German-American art dealer moves himself and his family back to pre-WWII Berlin...and is corrupted into becoming a good little Nazi; morality tale with a surprise sting at the end, engagingly told; Paul is effective as a weak, watery man who is seduced by the organised power of the National Socialist Party and turns into something wholly despicable; film looks great with shadows & criss-cross lines; a little hysterical and cartoonish in its depiction of the bad guys (they are, of course, very very bad), but its intended point is entertainingly-made; the inevitable comeuppance the pathetic bastard faces is both sad and more than a little icky; love the Picasso joke!
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016)
B+ FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Matt Ross
CAST: Viggo Mortensen; Frank Langella; George MacKay; Steve Zahn
> a refreshingly-different topic: survivalist / alternate lifestyle family (Dad & 6 kids) is determined to be apart from society but is forced by tragic circumstances to fit back in; confronting opening scene is as tough as it gets; avoids feelgood schmaltz and becomes more emotionally-affecting because of it; kids are great (they feel like siblings) and Viggo is terrific as a father who simply wants to bring up smarter, stronger kids; some draggy spots once they leave their wilderness home; a couple of ethical issues emerge (teaching kids how to steal?? & little kids with really big knives??); flirts with being thought-provoking; dumb title
Award-Worthy Performance
Viggo Mostensen
MANPOWER (1941)
B FIRST VIEWING
d: Raoul Walsh
CAST: George Raft; Marlene Dietrich; Edward G. Robinson; Alan Hale; Frank McHugh
> pretty standard Warner Bros action movie of the era...which still means it's wonderful in parts; this time the two male protagonists are power company linesmen (rather than truckies / fishermen / pilots etc); the blend isn't as homogenised as usual: the blokey "laughing-in-the-face-of-death" is overdone and the humour is too slapstick too often; the charismatic performances of Eddie G and Marlene really show up George's wooden style; strong supporting cast includes Ward Bond and Eve Arden (yay!); amusing scene in a diner is unfortunately cut short by yet another tedious punch-up; truly exciting climax on top of a pylon during a downpour; doncha love how, when it rains in these old movies, it really RAINS!
SUNSET SONG (2015)
B FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Terence Davies
CAST: Agyness Deyn; Peter Mullan; Kevin Guthrie
> a British pastoral movie set in Scotland (y'know...green rolling hills & horse 'n' carts & bagpipes a'pipin' & wee stone cottages etc); I was worried it was going to go the Thomas Hardy route and make us care about people who are destined to meet with some cosmic tragedy...but it was only ol' WWI making a surprise intrusion (and I say surprise because I thought the film was set earlier than that); usual period-theme of the brutality of men vs the strength of women; gorgeous to look at which is a given in these kind of movies; bit draggy in spots and some of the dialogue is difficult to comprehend (accent / vocabulary); the recruited husband returns home an angry, vicious bastard...and he's only been to training!!
SLEEP, MY LOVE (1948)
B- FIRST VIEWING
d: Douglas Sirk
CAST: Claudette Colbert; Robert Cummings; Don Ameche
> it's that old husband-tries-to-drive-his-wife-insane plotline again; good beginning (wife wakes up on train with a gun in her bag and doesn't know how she got there) & good ending (shoot-out, of course, with deaths, of course); shame about the stuff in between though; Claudette was always ordinary in heavy dramas like this (her metier was light comedy); biggest flaw is the dual casting of Robert (good guy) and Don (bad guy), neither of whom could ever inject much excitement or passion or interest in anything they did: they're a double dud which sinks the film's obvious suspense-potential; character performances which flit around in the background are a compensation
THE COMPANY OF WOLVES (1984)
B- FIRST VIEWING
d: Neil Jordan
CAST: Sarah Patterson; Angela Lansbury; David Warner; Stephen Rea
> really just three episodes of Faerie Tale Theatre, with no humour but a lot more sex and violence; the film wants to have an elseworld feel about it, but comes across as set-bound & faked-up, which is not at all the same thing; the werewolf transformations are usually the highlight of these kind of movies, but these are more like extreme costume changes (the wolf is under the skin, you see); most horrifying moment is when Angela Lansbury actually says "piss in a pot"; and she overdoes the crotchetty old granny routine; Sarah has an ethereal quality which is perfect for her Red Riding Hood / Snow White role; some of it is more imagery (it's all a teenage girl's dream, you see) than narrative sense
STAY TUNED (1992)
C FIRST VIEWING
d: Peter Hyams
CAST: John Ritter; Pam Dawber; Jeffrey Jones; Eugene Levy
> a pretty stupid movie which wants to be a satire about American TV culture (therefore, the English-speaking world's) but its clunky style lacks wit; middle-class couple literally get sucked into TV programs by the Devil and they have 24 hours to survive and be redeemed; Tim Burton was the original choice of director and would've had a greater chance of making it work (a Beetlejuice feel maybe); the Joe Dante segment in 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie covers similar ground and is vastly superior; the humour is based solely on the evil re-versioning of well-known TV shows and movies (My Three Sons = My Three Sons of Bitches & Driving Miss Daisy = Driving Over Miss Daisy...like that...); if that lights your wick...
BEYOND THE FOREST (1949)
D FIRST VIEWING
d: King Vidor
CAST: Bette Davis; Joseph Cotten; David Brian; Ruth Roman
> without a doubt, the absolute worst Bette performance because it dumps on what came before ("nobody's as good as Bette when she's bad!" the poster-promo says); but you can't lay this abomination only at her feet...ahem..."This is the story of evil. Evil is headstrong - is puffed up. For our soul's sake, it is salutary for us to view it in all its naked ugliness once in a while. Thus may we know how those who deliver themselves over to it, end up like the Scorpion, in a mad fury stinging themselves to eternal death."; it is so awful that nerds have tried to make it one of those stupid "so bad it's good" movies; hey...crap is crap
P.S. Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town...what the hell is "toddlin"?
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Movie-Viewing Experiences 20/8/16 - 10/9/16
HUGO (2011)
A+ MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: Martin Scorcese
CAST: Asa Butterfield; Chloe Grace Moretz; Ben Kingsley; Sacha Baron Cohen; Jude Law
> a kids' film with emotional depth; as good as E.T. and Babe & better than The Wizard of Oz and The NeverEnding Story; this is the film where Marty proved that he was one of the all-time masters of celluloid storytelling; a glut of treasures: wonderful child acting & adult performances which support rather than dominate & a fantasy story which warms, intrigues and enlightens & stunning use of 3D (the best so far) & terrific props and sets and soundtrack & genuinely funny comedic touches & a hilarious dog actor & a lovely homage to early movie pioneers & the funniest faux-Euro accent since Inspector Clouseau; a great one
Award-Worthy Performances
Asa Butterfield; Sacha Baron Cohen
MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL (1975)
A MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones
CAST: Monty Python
> I am not a Monty Python tragic (I always thought the TV series was hit 'n' miss with more miss than hit...and many, many skits were stupid rather than silly) but this film is my laugh-out-loud fave of all time; just too many sublimely silly scenes to list with too many hilariously-clever lines (which are only hilarious because of how they are delivered by the team) and, yes, I do the classic lines in funny voices at get-togethers when I've had too much to drink; I acknowledge the usually-acknowledged flaws (the modern police procedural is crap and the guards at the door sketch is very unfunny) but who gives a shit?; ekky ekky ekky pitang...
Award-Worthy Performances
Monty Python
LOVE & FRIENDSHIP (2016)
A- FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Whit Stillman
CAST: Kate Beckinsale; Chloe Sevigny; Xavier Samuel; Tom Bennett; Stephen Fry
> wasn't expecting much from this Jane Austen adaptation (the BBC blighted my appreciation of classic English literary costume dramas during the 90's...overdose maximus...) but it proved to be wonderful; like 1940's Pride & Prejudice, the success of this is in its straightlaced humour...it's a hoot!; laughed out loud a number of times; Kate plays the Queen Bitch of social machinations, and all the men dance around her because they are morons; most moronic: Tom Bennett does a laugh-riot impersonation of Ricky Gervais circa The Office and is a 100% certified goob; enjoyed myself immensely
Award-Worthy Performances
Kate Beckinsale; Tom Bennett
THE SECRET GARDEN (1949)
A- MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: Fred M. Wilcox
CAST: Margaret O'Brien; Dean Stockwell; Herbert Marshall; Gladys Cooper; Elsa Lanchester
> a lovely old-fashioned children's film (so...no fart jokes & precocious kissing & cartoonish adults being outfoxed etc); this has been remade a number of times with far better production standards (the major flaw of this film) but this remains the best; very Jane Eyre-ish in mood with Herbert brooding away and Gladys being gargoylic; love the Wizard of Oz mix of B&W and colour; the three kids are terrific together with Margaret shedding her cute little girl image by portraying a stuck-up little cow (who becomes good, of course); genuinely nice
Award-Worthy Performances
Margaret O'Brien & Dean Stockwell & Brian Roper
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (2011)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Brad Bird
CAST: Tom Cruise; Jeremy Renner; Simon Pegg; Paula Patton
> never really accepted Tom as an action hero (hey, I'm sorry, but he's too short) & always preferred him as just a straight actor (y'know...Rain Man & Magnolia & Collateral etc.); the only thing I ever liked about the original TV series was the cool theme music; this movie cooks though...the action is close to non-stop and only occasionally ridiculous; closer to Skyfall than Moonraker thank Bond; truly amazing stunts with everybody (even the grey-bearded villain) really good at fancy fightin'; despite a not-funny comic-relief named Simon there is even a couple of pretty good jokes in it; the last 10 minutes shoulda been snipped off
THE ANNIVERSARY (1968)
A- SECOND VIEWING
d: Roy Ward Baker
CAST: Bette Davis; Sheila Hancock; James Cossins; Christian Roberts
> as much as I adore her in All About Eve and The Letter and admire her in Of Human Bondage and Dead Ringer, THIS is my favourite Bette Davis role: What. A. Bitch.; dripping with venom and having an absolute blast of a time with her emotionally-anemic children, Bette is one big Mother; if it had been anybody else, I would say the film was too talky, too obviously a stage-play, vicious to the point of being unpleasant with a couple of draggy spots; but Bette grabs hold of you and forces you to share the fun, running over all flaws; many laugh-out-loud moments if you're impressed by audacity; Movie Jukebox bound
Award-Worthy Performance
Bette Davis
SULLY (2016)
B+ FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Clint Eastwood
CAST: Tom Hanks; Aaron Eckhart; Laura Linney
> expertly crafted movie by a director who has turned into a master in his twilight years; interesting story about the commercial pilot who landed his plane in the Hudson River, New York in 2009; not sure there was enough story in this though to warrant a movie but Clint is clever enough to (nearly) camouflage its thinness; the actual fateful flight itself is pretty much shown in its entirety three times during the movie; while the crash landing is excitingly enacted, the subsequent investigation is curiously unaffecting; title character is a decent man (and a little boring) so Tom is the perfect choice to play him; doncha love the cuddly way New York is depicted in modern movies?
THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES (1940)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Nick Grinde
CAST: Boris Karloff; various members of the Zero Charisma Club
> a proud little second feature (which we now unkindly call a B-Movie) about a mad doctor who is an early practitioner of cryogenics; nifty setting underneath an island which somehow taps into a massive glacier; obligatory use of shadows to help camouflage the low production values...this of course also adds to the creepy atmosphere; Boris succumbs to obsession as his need to contribute to medical science leads him to kill pesky fools; love how the secret ingredient to help thaw frozen patients is hot coffee poured down their gullets via a hose & funnel; a minor movie for sure, but that doesn't mean it's not effective and enjoyable
FAMILY PLOT (1976)
B SECOND VIEWING
d: Alfred Hitchcock
CAST: Barbara Harris; Bruce Dern; Karen Black; William Devane
> Hitch's swansong and he stumbles off the stage in the worst possible way for him: the movie is just ordinary; apart from his cameo, there is just no way to discern that this is an Alfred Hitchcock production; light-comedy with a bit of murder and intrigue but the closest it gets to suspense is a car out of control; I kept waiting for a classic Hitchcockian scene but none materialize (well...maybe the hypodermic struggle); cast is fine with Barb being the stand-out (she usually was when in comedic roles); gives the impression of a made-for-TV movie (mainly due to the cliched soundtrack) or an episode of one of those old Columbo / Barnaby Jones / Ironside / Cannon etc etc 70's detective shows; bye bye Alfred
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (2011)
B FIRST VIEWING
d: Lynne Ramsay
CAST: Tilda Swinton; John C. Reilly; Ezra Miller
> a highly regarded film which I obviously don't regard highly; not a fan of the flashback / flash-forward structure (you can tell within minutes what's going to happen in the big finale) so the tension is leaked out...all drama & discomfort without any suspense; curious soundtrack-song choices; while Tilda's performance as the mother-martyr is impressive, the character is just unbelievable: why didn't she just piss off as soon as the kid was making her life a misery? & why did she keep visiting the abomination in jail?; Ezra is pure psychotic evil and gives autism a bad name, although it's the younger version who gives me the chills
Award-Worthy Performances
Tilda Swinton; Ezra Miller
HIGH-RISE (2015)
B- FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Ben Wheatley
CAST: Tom Hiddleston; Jeremy Irons; Sienna Miller
> just might be the bleakest film I have ever seen; no laughs in this one folks (despite being labelled a "dark comedy" in some critical quarters); enormously tall apartment block is a capsule-class society - the higher up you are, the higher up you are, with the building's architect living on the very top; all amenities (electricity, water) shut down as the rich out-consume the poor and the residents resort and are reduced to drugs, drink & debauchery just to cope with living in squalid conditions; violence, insanity, rape are not far away; within the first 5 minutes, the protagonist eats his dog...if you can handle that...; as a cinema patron said as the end-credits rolled, "That sure wasn't The Sound of Music"
FRANCIS (1950)
D SECOND VIEWING (FIRST IN AROUND 45 YEARS)
d: Arthur Lubin
CAST: Donald O'Connor; ZaSu Pitts; Chill Wills; John McIntire; Ray Collins
> in the Channel 7 Saturday Matinee Movie tradition of Abbott & Costello and Ma & Pa Kettle, here's #1 of the Francis the Talking Mule series; not much to really say about this movie apart from the obvious: it's pretty stupid and is only held together by the giving-it-his-best-shot approach of Donald O'Connor (who was poorly served by 50's Hollywood...other than Singin' in the Rain of course...which, it could be argued, was enough) and the vocal charisma of Chill Wills; humour rests solely on select people's gobsmacked reactions to the mule conversing with them...once he talks to all and sundry, it falls flat; dropped a couple of notches for the repugnant scene of mass-slaughter which sours this one-joke considerably
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