Movie-Viewing Experiences 12/2/18 - 27/2/18
A+ = Adored Masterwork A = Excellent A- = Very Good B+ = Good B = Nice Try B- = Tolerable
C = Significantly Flawed D = Pretty Bad E = Truly Dreadful: Looking Into the Void F = Vile & Repugnant: The Void
MY MAN GODFREY (1936)
A+ MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: Gregory La Cava
CAST: William Powell; Carole Lombard; Gail Patrick; Alice Brady; Eugene Pallette; Mischa Auer
> my favourite screwball comedy, my favourite Great Depression movie and my favourite film of the Thirties; this is a once-a-year viewing joy, usually reached for when I'm on an "Up" and want to extend the feeling a bit longer; still a topical film (homelessness and the practical morality needed to help vanquish it), this has many ongoing pleasures: Alice's stunning comic turn (a 1930's highlight) + William's stellar display of his class act mixed with his flair for physical comedy + Carole as the most extreme airhead of her tragically short career + Mischa as a nitpicking gorilla; best sad scene: "and so...goodbye..." and the drape flutters...sigh
Award-Worthy Performances
William Powell; Carole Lombard; Alice Brady; Eugene Pallette
LADY BIRD (2017)
A- FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Greta Gerwig
CAST: Saoirse Ronan; Laurie Metcalf; Tracy Letts; Lucas Hedges; Beanie Feldstein
> a sweetheart of a coming-of-age movie which, while not quite hitting the highmarks of Juno or The Perks of Being a Wallflower, remains wholly endearing; Saoirse is (yet again) wonderful as the teenage misfit (a deliberate misfit...the clash of wanting to belong and wanting to rebel is the essence of adolescence... remember?); her long suffering mother (the pain comes from not being able to admit that she doesn't want her daughter to grow up and no longer need parenting) is played equally beautifully by Laurie; kind-in-spirit side stories (a young boy's reluctant sexuality + Depression is everywhere, in everyone) add to the people pleasure
Award-Worthy Performances
Saoirse Ronan; Laurie Metcalf
CHARLIE'S COUNTRY (2013)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Rolf de Heer
CAST: David Gulpilil; Luke Ford; Peter Djigirr
> an Indigenous Australian story that encompasses humour, tragedy and hope; David is an old-before-his-time Aborigine living far away from his long-lamented Mother Country...he tries to exist without hassle, but is increasingly frustrated by the impositions placed upon him by modern white culture; the film is split into 5 sections: living in a town & taking handouts + living in the bush & nearly dying + living in a city and sliding into the alcohol abyss + living in jail & becoming a zombie + returning to town & accepting a future of compromise; just as It's a Wonderful Life is a Christmas staple, this film should be broadcast every Australia Day
Award-Worthy Performance
David Gulpilil
BLACK PANTHER (2018)
B+ FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Ryan Coogler
CAST: Chadwick Boseman; Michael B. Jordan; Lupita Nyong'o; Letitia Wright; Danai Gurira
> yet another step towards the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War topper, this film's greatest asset is its difference...it has a grander feel than the others... inter-continental + global politics + royalty; while the urban action scenes are been-there/done-that (a car chase?...c'mon fellas...and while you're at it, step back a bit and hold the camera still!!), the final battle on African soil is very Hollywood: The VistaVision Years and quite spectacular (love the rhinos!); an exceptionally well-cast and well-acted movie, with a special nod to Michael as Killmonger... very clever to make him an angry young man from the mean streets of Oakland USA (birthplace of the Black Panther Party); the hi-tech city/nation of Wakanda is a designer's marvel and the upgrade of the Panther suit is action-effective without being a CGI overkill
EL DORADO (1967)
B SECOND VIEWING
d: Howard Hawks
CAST: John Wayne; Robert Mitchum; James Caan; Arthur Hunnicutt; Charlene Holt
> it's impossible not to state the obvious: this is an undisguised remake of Director Howard's own 1959 Rio Bravo...and it's just not as good...but it's close enough; some scenes are taken holus-bolus from the original and while they still work, it all seems a little like lazy wellspringing; John Wayne remains John Wayne, Robert = Dean Martin, James = Ricky Nelson (and is the only improvement), Arthur = Walter Brennan, Charlene = Angie Dickinson; a couple of differences add a little spice but I could do without the let's-make-the-drunk-throw-his-guts-up played for comic relief; I miss the Dean & Ricky duet (one of the few musical highlights in any Western) and there's nothing here like the original's TNT-tossing climax, but it remains a mildly enjoyable entertainment...but click on Rio Bravo if you've got the choice
PHANTOM THREAD (2017)
B FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Paul Thomas Anderson
CAST: Daniel Day-Lewis; Vicky Krieps; Lesley Manville
> initially a Jane Eyre-ish romance which evolves into a genteel but icky S&M relationship, this film captivates but doesn't entirely convince; Daniel is a renowned 1950's London fashion designer who is brilliant at his craft but is a fastidious soul...he lives with (and is protected by) his well-ironed sister and runs through a bevy of female muses, none of which stay around long because their ways start to annoy him (he has his routines, you see)...but along comes Vicky and she is quite a match for the pair of siblings; main flaw is Vicky's abrupt shift to the Dark Side: it just doesn't ring true; this isn't a troubled love story...it's a domination contest
Award-Worthy Performances
Daniel Day-Lewis & Vicky Krieps & Lesley Manville
IT ALL CAME TRUE (1940)
B FIRST VIEWING
d: Lewis Seiler
CAST: Ann Sheridan; Humphrey Bogart; Jeffrey Lynn; Una O'Connor; ZaSu Pitts; Jessie Busley
> strange little movie which is a musical / gangster / romance / comedy hybrid that just shouldn't work (and it doesn't really) but is still surprisingly enjoyable; Bogie is a killer who hides out in a boarding house run by two dear old mothers... plus Ann is a singer, Jeff is a songwriter, the boarders are eccentrics and they all agree to turn the large house into a nightclub(!); while most of the songs are fairly anonymous (exception: "Flat Foot Floogie With a Floy Floy"...aha), the cast is strong (usual special nod to Una), the comedic turns are actually funny and you get to see Bogie pre-empt his Casablanca sacrifice-love-for-a-noble-cause finale; just don't be picky
Award-Worthy Performance
Una O'Connor
WINCHESTER (2018)
B FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: The Spierig Brothers
CAST: Helen Mirren; Jason Clarke; Sarah Snook; Finn Scicluna-O'Prey
> this horror film has received quite a number of negative reviews...while it is no masterpiece, it has merit and maybe some social depth; its greatest strength is the intriguing kickoff: the Winchester family (owners of the famous Winchester Rifle Company) is cursed by the spirits of those who have been killed by their company's guns; I love the thinly veiled attack on the American pro-gun lobby (as of this writing, the Florida school shooting is only 10 days old) and you just know that someone is going to borrow this film's premise for a Horror High School version; while the film is classily made, it suffers by not being much more than a haunted house movie delivering jolts via jump scares; while the kid could have been creeped up more, Sarah is wonderful (again)...she's got to be next in line to the Cate / Nicole throne, surely
HEIST (2001)
B- FIRST VIEWING
d: David Mamet
CAST: Gene Hackman; Delroy Lindo; Danny DeVito; Sam Rockwell; Rebecca Pidgeon; Ricky Jay
> I am usually reluctant to get wrapped up in the thrill of a caper movie unless it has something special going for it, like humour (The Lavender Hill Mob), spectacle (The Italian Job), absolute class (Heat) or ironic comeuppance (The Killing)... my reluctance comes from not wanting to cheer on violent criminals; Heist has none of these redeeming qualities, so relies on the cast (which is fine but not much else), the suspense inherent in the takedown itself (which is okay, if a little brief) and the doubledoublecross / trick ending (which is suitably complex, but quite far-fetched); the dialogue goes for that clipped thiefspeak which is cool I guess, but only occasionally comes across as real conversation; Rebecca overdoes the tough moll routine and Danny is nobody's idea of a mob boss, surely; it gets the job done (The Anderson Tapes)
ALMOST ANGELS (1962)
C SECOND VIEWING
d: Steve Previn
CAST: Vincent Winter; Sean Scully; Peter Weck
> a Vienna Boys Choir story by Disney, so it's pre-suspicions (although a hideous villain still lurks about: Puberty); I remember watching this on Sunday night Disneyland...even when I was 9 years old, I knew that these boys were not real...they were clean with combed hair and had probably never been in a piss-up-the-wall contest; usual movie kids stuff: the little rascals get up to pillow fighting & sneaky plans which exasperate the plastic adults but it all works out with blinding smiles all round; this is a musical with far too much music and not enough plot, and while the two lead boys are adequate, they are nowhere near scampish enough; it's all too Bavarian oompah-ish to suit me, but the singing sure is pretty...in fact, it makes a compelling case for an expansion of Andre Rieu's secret Eunuch Program
NED KELLY (2003)
D FIRST VIEWING
d: Gregor Jordan
CAST: Heath Ledger; Orlando Bloom; Naomi Watts; Joel Edgerton; Geoffrey Rush
> unlike many Australians, I am not proud of Ned Kelly...he was game, sure, but he was also a cop killer (Ben Hall is more worthy of idolatry)...hey, I'm not a fan of Chopper Read either; this is better than the ridiculous 1970 version with Mick Jagger, but not up to the 17 minute fragment of 1906's The Story of the Kelly Gang; Heath is fine as Ned (his voiceover is particularly effective) but no one among the supporting cast makes an impression; the story jumps too quickly into the Bullied-By-the-Coppers years of the Kelly clan, so the characters stay as they started; the soundtrack is orchestral white noise with only the occasional breather of silence; the iconic helmet-headed shootout is a fictitious fizzer (a monkey & a lion? are you mad??); less reverence and more guts'n'grit is needed to tell this story properly
WATERHOLE #3 (1967)
E FIRST AND LAST VIEWING
d: Blake Edwards
CAST: James Coburn; Carroll O'Connor; Claude Akins; James Whitmore; Timothy Carey
> starts off as an amiable enough comedy-Western; James is a Looking-After-#1 gambler who lucks upon a treasure map...various varmints want the gold it leads to and go in pursuit; Roger Miller sings/yodels/scats a story-ballad, never bloody shutting up...and then this happens...
MAJOR BLIGHT ALERT: there is a rape scene early on played for laughs...even worse, the assault "awakens the woman" in the victim and she "pines for her man" BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: her father actually responds to this by saying "there's worse things, girl. Hell, if I wasn't your Pa..." AND THEN an Army captain chips in with "which man among us wouldn't do the same thing if the opportunity was to arise"...after all that muck, the film is poisoned; docked three notches for being disgusting and unforgivable
Go something you want to tell me?
GO RIGHT AHEAD: masted59@gmail.com
MY MAN GODFREY (1936)
d: Gregory La Cava
CAST: William Powell; Carole Lombard; Gail Patrick; Alice Brady; Eugene Pallette; Mischa Auer
> my favourite screwball comedy, my favourite Great Depression movie and my favourite film of the Thirties; this is a once-a-year viewing joy, usually reached for when I'm on an "Up" and want to extend the feeling a bit longer; still a topical film (homelessness and the practical morality needed to help vanquish it), this has many ongoing pleasures: Alice's stunning comic turn (a 1930's highlight) + William's stellar display of his class act mixed with his flair for physical comedy + Carole as the most extreme airhead of her tragically short career + Mischa as a nitpicking gorilla; best sad scene: "and so...goodbye..." and the drape flutters...sigh
Award-Worthy Performances
William Powell; Carole Lombard; Alice Brady; Eugene Pallette
LADY BIRD (2017)
d: Greta Gerwig
CAST: Saoirse Ronan; Laurie Metcalf; Tracy Letts; Lucas Hedges; Beanie Feldstein
> a sweetheart of a coming-of-age movie which, while not quite hitting the highmarks of Juno or The Perks of Being a Wallflower, remains wholly endearing; Saoirse is (yet again) wonderful as the teenage misfit (a deliberate misfit...the clash of wanting to belong and wanting to rebel is the essence of adolescence... remember?); her long suffering mother (the pain comes from not being able to admit that she doesn't want her daughter to grow up and no longer need parenting) is played equally beautifully by Laurie; kind-in-spirit side stories (a young boy's reluctant sexuality + Depression is everywhere, in everyone) add to the people pleasure
Award-Worthy Performances
Saoirse Ronan; Laurie Metcalf
CHARLIE'S COUNTRY (2013)
d: Rolf de Heer
CAST: David Gulpilil; Luke Ford; Peter Djigirr
> an Indigenous Australian story that encompasses humour, tragedy and hope; David is an old-before-his-time Aborigine living far away from his long-lamented Mother Country...he tries to exist without hassle, but is increasingly frustrated by the impositions placed upon him by modern white culture; the film is split into 5 sections: living in a town & taking handouts + living in the bush & nearly dying + living in a city and sliding into the alcohol abyss + living in jail & becoming a zombie + returning to town & accepting a future of compromise; just as It's a Wonderful Life is a Christmas staple, this film should be broadcast every Australia Day
Award-Worthy Performance
David Gulpilil
BLACK PANTHER (2018)
d: Ryan Coogler
CAST: Chadwick Boseman; Michael B. Jordan; Lupita Nyong'o; Letitia Wright; Danai Gurira
> yet another step towards the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War topper, this film's greatest asset is its difference...it has a grander feel than the others... inter-continental + global politics + royalty; while the urban action scenes are been-there/done-that (a car chase?...c'mon fellas...and while you're at it, step back a bit and hold the camera still!!), the final battle on African soil is very Hollywood: The VistaVision Years and quite spectacular (love the rhinos!); an exceptionally well-cast and well-acted movie, with a special nod to Michael as Killmonger... very clever to make him an angry young man from the mean streets of Oakland USA (birthplace of the Black Panther Party); the hi-tech city/nation of Wakanda is a designer's marvel and the upgrade of the Panther suit is action-effective without being a CGI overkill
EL DORADO (1967)
d: Howard Hawks
CAST: John Wayne; Robert Mitchum; James Caan; Arthur Hunnicutt; Charlene Holt
> it's impossible not to state the obvious: this is an undisguised remake of Director Howard's own 1959 Rio Bravo...and it's just not as good...but it's close enough; some scenes are taken holus-bolus from the original and while they still work, it all seems a little like lazy wellspringing; John Wayne remains John Wayne, Robert = Dean Martin, James = Ricky Nelson (and is the only improvement), Arthur = Walter Brennan, Charlene = Angie Dickinson; a couple of differences add a little spice but I could do without the let's-make-the-drunk-throw-his-guts-up played for comic relief; I miss the Dean & Ricky duet (one of the few musical highlights in any Western) and there's nothing here like the original's TNT-tossing climax, but it remains a mildly enjoyable entertainment...but click on Rio Bravo if you've got the choice
PHANTOM THREAD (2017)
d: Paul Thomas Anderson
CAST: Daniel Day-Lewis; Vicky Krieps; Lesley Manville
> initially a Jane Eyre-ish romance which evolves into a genteel but icky S&M relationship, this film captivates but doesn't entirely convince; Daniel is a renowned 1950's London fashion designer who is brilliant at his craft but is a fastidious soul...he lives with (and is protected by) his well-ironed sister and runs through a bevy of female muses, none of which stay around long because their ways start to annoy him (he has his routines, you see)...but along comes Vicky and she is quite a match for the pair of siblings; main flaw is Vicky's abrupt shift to the Dark Side: it just doesn't ring true; this isn't a troubled love story...it's a domination contest
Award-Worthy Performances
Daniel Day-Lewis & Vicky Krieps & Lesley Manville
IT ALL CAME TRUE (1940)
d: Lewis Seiler
CAST: Ann Sheridan; Humphrey Bogart; Jeffrey Lynn; Una O'Connor; ZaSu Pitts; Jessie Busley
> strange little movie which is a musical / gangster / romance / comedy hybrid that just shouldn't work (and it doesn't really) but is still surprisingly enjoyable; Bogie is a killer who hides out in a boarding house run by two dear old mothers... plus Ann is a singer, Jeff is a songwriter, the boarders are eccentrics and they all agree to turn the large house into a nightclub(!); while most of the songs are fairly anonymous (exception: "Flat Foot Floogie With a Floy Floy"...aha), the cast is strong (usual special nod to Una), the comedic turns are actually funny and you get to see Bogie pre-empt his Casablanca sacrifice-love-for-a-noble-cause finale; just don't be picky
Award-Worthy Performance
Una O'Connor
WINCHESTER (2018)
d: The Spierig Brothers
CAST: Helen Mirren; Jason Clarke; Sarah Snook; Finn Scicluna-O'Prey
> this horror film has received quite a number of negative reviews...while it is no masterpiece, it has merit and maybe some social depth; its greatest strength is the intriguing kickoff: the Winchester family (owners of the famous Winchester Rifle Company) is cursed by the spirits of those who have been killed by their company's guns; I love the thinly veiled attack on the American pro-gun lobby (as of this writing, the Florida school shooting is only 10 days old) and you just know that someone is going to borrow this film's premise for a Horror High School version; while the film is classily made, it suffers by not being much more than a haunted house movie delivering jolts via jump scares; while the kid could have been creeped up more, Sarah is wonderful (again)...she's got to be next in line to the Cate / Nicole throne, surely
HEIST (2001)
d: David Mamet
CAST: Gene Hackman; Delroy Lindo; Danny DeVito; Sam Rockwell; Rebecca Pidgeon; Ricky Jay
> I am usually reluctant to get wrapped up in the thrill of a caper movie unless it has something special going for it, like humour (The Lavender Hill Mob), spectacle (The Italian Job), absolute class (Heat) or ironic comeuppance (The Killing)... my reluctance comes from not wanting to cheer on violent criminals; Heist has none of these redeeming qualities, so relies on the cast (which is fine but not much else), the suspense inherent in the takedown itself (which is okay, if a little brief) and the doubledoublecross / trick ending (which is suitably complex, but quite far-fetched); the dialogue goes for that clipped thiefspeak which is cool I guess, but only occasionally comes across as real conversation; Rebecca overdoes the tough moll routine and Danny is nobody's idea of a mob boss, surely; it gets the job done (The Anderson Tapes)
ALMOST ANGELS (1962)
d: Steve Previn
CAST: Vincent Winter; Sean Scully; Peter Weck
> a Vienna Boys Choir story by Disney, so it's pre-suspicions (although a hideous villain still lurks about: Puberty); I remember watching this on Sunday night Disneyland...even when I was 9 years old, I knew that these boys were not real...they were clean with combed hair and had probably never been in a piss-up-the-wall contest; usual movie kids stuff: the little rascals get up to pillow fighting & sneaky plans which exasperate the plastic adults but it all works out with blinding smiles all round; this is a musical with far too much music and not enough plot, and while the two lead boys are adequate, they are nowhere near scampish enough; it's all too Bavarian oompah-ish to suit me, but the singing sure is pretty...in fact, it makes a compelling case for an expansion of Andre Rieu's secret Eunuch Program
NED KELLY (2003)
d: Gregor Jordan
CAST: Heath Ledger; Orlando Bloom; Naomi Watts; Joel Edgerton; Geoffrey Rush
> unlike many Australians, I am not proud of Ned Kelly...he was game, sure, but he was also a cop killer (Ben Hall is more worthy of idolatry)...hey, I'm not a fan of Chopper Read either; this is better than the ridiculous 1970 version with Mick Jagger, but not up to the 17 minute fragment of 1906's The Story of the Kelly Gang; Heath is fine as Ned (his voiceover is particularly effective) but no one among the supporting cast makes an impression; the story jumps too quickly into the Bullied-By-the-Coppers years of the Kelly clan, so the characters stay as they started; the soundtrack is orchestral white noise with only the occasional breather of silence; the iconic helmet-headed shootout is a fictitious fizzer (a monkey & a lion? are you mad??); less reverence and more guts'n'grit is needed to tell this story properly
WATERHOLE #3 (1967)
d: Blake Edwards
CAST: James Coburn; Carroll O'Connor; Claude Akins; James Whitmore; Timothy Carey
> starts off as an amiable enough comedy-Western; James is a Looking-After-#1 gambler who lucks upon a treasure map...various varmints want the gold it leads to and go in pursuit; Roger Miller sings/yodels/scats a story-ballad, never bloody shutting up...and then this happens...
MAJOR BLIGHT ALERT: there is a rape scene early on played for laughs...even worse, the assault "awakens the woman" in the victim and she "pines for her man" BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: her father actually responds to this by saying "there's worse things, girl. Hell, if I wasn't your Pa..." AND THEN an Army captain chips in with "which man among us wouldn't do the same thing if the opportunity was to arise"...after all that muck, the film is poisoned; docked three notches for being disgusting and unforgivable
Go something you want to tell me?
GO RIGHT AHEAD: masted59@gmail.com
