Movie-Viewing Experiences 4/6/18 - 26/6/18
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
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)
A- THIRD VIEWING
d: Charles Laughton
CAST: Robert Mitchum; Lillian Gish; Billy Chapin; Shelley Winters; James Gleason
> universally-hailed as one of the greatest of all American films, I've always admired this at arm's length; I appreciate that it is structured as a nightmare-fairy tale in the order of Hansel & Gretel, therefore gritty realism is hardly its aim, but I struggle with the broadness of the characters: Robert is too cartoonish + Lillian is too hokey + the kids are too amateurishly lousy...all intentional and fitting, but I find it off-putting; having said that, I acknowledge the primal impact of the film and much of the imagery (the LOVE vs HATE knuckle-tattoos + the drowned wife's hair floating in wisps + the starry starry trip down the river) is haunting; the confronting mix of Christian fanaticism, sexual violence and child abuse is the source of the story's horror; undeniably a powerful film but not flawless, despite what the universe says
EAST OF EDEN (1955)
A- THIRD VIEWING
d: Elia Kazan
CAST: James Dean; Julie Harris; Raymond Massey; Richard Davalos; Jo van Fleet; Burl Ives
> yet another certified 50's classic which I think is somewhat overrated; this is the only one of the 3 major Jimmy Dean performances (he was in 5 other films prior, all tiny walk-ons) where he nails the inner-turmoil / teen-angst role of which he is the historic icon...the twitchy tics and overwrought histrionics which marred the other two are new and relatively low-key here; while Cal's motivation is clear (he wants Daddy's love), Aron is more muddled: his shift from goody-two-shoes pain to shit-on-the-liver sulker is too sudden and not entirely logical; and the tilted camerawork is a pretentious irritation; definitely still a good film though, just not a great one
Award-Worthy Performances
James Dean; Julie Harris; Raymond Massey; Jo van Fleet
DEATH ON THE NILE (1978)
A- MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: John Guillermin
CAST: Peter Ustinov; Mia Farrow; Simon MacCorkindale; David Niven; Bette Davis; Angela Lansbury; Maggie Smith; Jack Warden; George Kennedy; Lois Chiles; Olivia Hussey
> a worthy companion-piece to 1974's Murder on the Orient Express, with completely different cast and director; just plain fun (despite / because of the bloody murders), the preposterous plot unravels surrounded by exotic scenery and sparkling with bits of humour (mostly courtesy of Angela's vampish lush and Bette Davis being Bette Davis); some of the acting is admittedly atrocious (how did George ever have a career?) but Peter is an enjoyably droll Hercule Poirot, ensuring that his moustache is not as prominent as his sleuthing...got that Kenneth?
Award-Worthy Performance
Angela Lansbury
EDIE (2017)
B+ FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Simon Hunter
CAST: Sheila Hancock; Kevin Guthrie; Paul Brannigan; Amy Manson; Wendy Morgan
> yeah, another one of those life-affirming looks at Old Age (ref. The Straight Story + The Trip to Bountiful et. al.); occasionally slumping into the gaggy (wistful melancholy & swells of music & wet-eyed staring), the film manages to sidestep total schmaltz with the help of the spectacular Scottish Highlands and the spot-on performance by Sheila; an 80-year-old dear decides to reclaim her life by hiking up a mountain, something she has wanted to do since she was a wee thing...with help from a young outdoorsy guy and a bucketload of determination, she makes it; only souls of the coldest stone could bollock such a warming story
Award-Worthy Performance
Sheila Hancock
HAMBURGER HILL (1987)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: John Irvin
CAST: Dylan McDermott; Steven Weber; Courtney B. Vance; Don Cheadle; Michael Boatman
> a Vietnam War movie in docu-drama style, based on the assault on the Ap Bia Mountain... actually, 11 assaults in total before the location was taken; standard structure for a war movie (you get to know the young men via at least one solo speech apiece and their downtime conversations...before they are butchered one by one) which works reasonably well (it usually does, that's why it's the standard), but I still found them to be a rather anonymous bunch; the battle scenes are gripping & appropriately awful, and this is one war film where the sense of Luck (who gets it; who doesn't) is right upfront; typical Sixties tags (chopper blades + Otis / Country Joe / Animals / Tempts etc playing way up loud + sex, constantly talking about sex) inevitably make you recall other VW films; anti-war of course, therefore worth watching once
KODACHROME (2017)
B+ FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Mark Raso
CAST: Jason Sudeikis; Ed Harris; Elizabeth Olsen; Bruce Greenwood
> a character study road-trip with 3 people who have issues; sadsack Jason is persuaded to accompany his estranged father on a trip to the offices of Kodak...old Dad is a photojournalist who long ago chose his job over standard family life, and wants his last rolls of film developed before Kodachrome becomes no more (and before The Big C kills him); Jason has an everyman quality about him which is very affecting and Ed perfectly plays an arrogant arsehole having end-of-life regrets...mix in a lovely, natural Elizabeth as nurse and you have a performance partnership with real emotional kick; a story of family and how hard it can be
Award-Worthy Performance
Jason Sudeikis & Ed Harris & Elizabeth Olsen
THE DESPERATE HOURS (1955)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: William Wyler
CAST: Humphrey Bogart; Fredric March; Arthur Kennedy; Martha Scott; Dewey Martin
> a hostage movie that starts off tense but struggles to maintain it for 112 minutes...it only just gets by; Bogie is the escaped crim who takes over a nice, average, WASPy family home headed by Fred (with wife + teenage daughter + precocious 8YO son)...Bogie's nasty partners include the obligatory psycho; Fred walks away with acting honours (he is the only one who seems to be genuinely desperate) / Bogie's heart doesn't really seem to be in the role, as if he needs something more to the character (mental illness or moral angst) to help boost his portrayal / the support cast is merely adequate; still, the story has its moments and simmers appropriately
Award-Worthy Performance
Fredric March
HEREDITARY (2018)
B FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Ari Aster
CAST: Toni Collette; Alex Wolff; Gabriel Byrne; Ann Dowd; Millie Shapiro
> a horror film which strives to unsettle more than terrify or (thankfully) revolt; impossible to go into the plot too much without ruining the viewing experience (it really needs to baffle to give you full bang for your buck)...Toni is an artist, wife and mother of two teenagers whose own mother dies...she has a history of tragedy and worries about her mental health and that of her children...sure enough, more tragedy unfurls which leads Toni to get in touch with her spiritual side and this has, er, consequences; this is the slowest of slowburn horror movies and it occasionally struggles with maintaining the creeps...the hysterical finale somewhat makes up for it, but some images / occurrences are dropped in for pure shock and seem to only have a vague connection to what has gone on before; not the next The Babadook, but not bad
NURSE EDITH CAVELL (1939)
B- FIRST VIEWING
d: Herbert Wilcox
CAST: Anna Neagle; Edna May Oliver; May Robson; George Sanders; ZaSu Pitts; H.B. Warner
> a moving true story delivered without the slightest breath of air (well, maybe a little from ZaSu); difficult to do a total hatchet job on this because the woman does deserve our admiration (WWI nurse Edith helped Allied soldiers escape to the Dutch frontier and was consequently executed by The Bosch); May R overacts to the point of unintentional silliness, but the major fail is from Anna / Edith herself...how bloody noble can you get?..all the cliched traits are on display...soft-spoken + calm in a crisis + calls on God when she doubts her strength + courteous & forgiving, even of the mongrels who shoot her + beautifully wan with skin that glows (no, it actually glows); look, instead of watching this, do what I did: climb Mount Edith Cavell in Alberta, gaze out over the magnificence and have a drink to the brave woman
TOO MANY HUSBANDS (1940)
C RE-EVALUATION Original Grade: B
d: Wesley Ruggles
CAST: Jean Arthur; Fred MacMurray; Melvyn Douglas; Harry Davenport; Melville Cooper
> a comedy which is more flimsy farce than classic screwball; the W Somerset Maugham story is about a woman who remarries after her first husband is declared drowned...but he selfishly reemerges dry and alive; rather limp when compared to the same year's (and similarly plotted) My Favourite Wife, which wins via the comic-chemistry of Cary Grant + Irene Dunne...in TMH, there is nil snappiness between players: as usual, Fred and Melvyn display a heavy-handed comic touch (it's a double thud) and, unusually, Jean is scatterbrained to the point of noisy annoyance (like she was in The More the Merrier...talks too much, too quickly and too mannered); even perennial scene-stealers Harry & Melville make minimal impact in support; the whole show thrashes about in search of risque laughs but barely divines a tee-hee
MASTER OF THE WORLD (1961)
C FIRST VIEWING
d: William Witney
CAST: Vincent Price; Charles Bronson; Henry Hull; Mary Webster; David Frankham
> based on two lesser-heralded Jules Verne novels (Robur the Conqueror and Master of the World), this is really just an aerial relocation of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; 4 Americans are held hostage by a looney mastermind in his airship...he floats around the world, threatening and wrecking in the pursuit of that ol' bugbear, World Peace (he wants to make people stop killing each other by killing them himself); as schlockmeister Irwin Allen once proved, low-budget SFX can only be ignored by the viewing public if the characters are appealing (that's why Lost in Space was more popular than Time Tunnel); there's not much acting going on...Vincent is boringly lowkey + Charles is mobile granite + Henry goes large 'n' loud + Mary & David say some stuff; graded gently because it's kinda pro-disarmament
THE EXCEPTION (2016)
D FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: David Leveaux
CAST: Lily James; Jai Courtney; Christopher Plummer; Janet McTeer; Eddie Marsan
> a Mills & Boon look at the Nazis; war-damaged German captain Jai beds scullery slut Lily (in what must be record time, even for the movies) in the household of the abdicated Kaiser...turns out that the maid is a spy, a Dutch war-widow and a Jew (geez...the Nazi captain sure can pick 'em)...then Himmler pops round for a chat and the woman sees a chance to strike a blow...but can her lover protect her from the Gestapo killjoys?; the romance is so unlikely and so stupid that it becomes borderline zany...an office party fling that goes too far...but the actors play it stonefaced, pleading with us to be moved; the Kaiser (y'know, the guy who cranked up World War I) is portrayed as a nice senior citizen with a twinkle in his eye and a longing for the good ole days; this is History as written inside a Hallmark card: flowery & forgettable
Go something you want to tell me?
GO RIGHT AHEAD: masted59@gmail.com
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)
d: Charles Laughton
CAST: Robert Mitchum; Lillian Gish; Billy Chapin; Shelley Winters; James Gleason
> universally-hailed as one of the greatest of all American films, I've always admired this at arm's length; I appreciate that it is structured as a nightmare-fairy tale in the order of Hansel & Gretel, therefore gritty realism is hardly its aim, but I struggle with the broadness of the characters: Robert is too cartoonish + Lillian is too hokey + the kids are too amateurishly lousy...all intentional and fitting, but I find it off-putting; having said that, I acknowledge the primal impact of the film and much of the imagery (the LOVE vs HATE knuckle-tattoos + the drowned wife's hair floating in wisps + the starry starry trip down the river) is haunting; the confronting mix of Christian fanaticism, sexual violence and child abuse is the source of the story's horror; undeniably a powerful film but not flawless, despite what the universe says
EAST OF EDEN (1955)
d: Elia Kazan
CAST: James Dean; Julie Harris; Raymond Massey; Richard Davalos; Jo van Fleet; Burl Ives
> yet another certified 50's classic which I think is somewhat overrated; this is the only one of the 3 major Jimmy Dean performances (he was in 5 other films prior, all tiny walk-ons) where he nails the inner-turmoil / teen-angst role of which he is the historic icon...the twitchy tics and overwrought histrionics which marred the other two are new and relatively low-key here; while Cal's motivation is clear (he wants Daddy's love), Aron is more muddled: his shift from goody-two-shoes pain to shit-on-the-liver sulker is too sudden and not entirely logical; and the tilted camerawork is a pretentious irritation; definitely still a good film though, just not a great one
Award-Worthy Performances
James Dean; Julie Harris; Raymond Massey; Jo van Fleet
DEATH ON THE NILE (1978)
d: John Guillermin
CAST: Peter Ustinov; Mia Farrow; Simon MacCorkindale; David Niven; Bette Davis; Angela Lansbury; Maggie Smith; Jack Warden; George Kennedy; Lois Chiles; Olivia Hussey
> a worthy companion-piece to 1974's Murder on the Orient Express, with completely different cast and director; just plain fun (despite / because of the bloody murders), the preposterous plot unravels surrounded by exotic scenery and sparkling with bits of humour (mostly courtesy of Angela's vampish lush and Bette Davis being Bette Davis); some of the acting is admittedly atrocious (how did George ever have a career?) but Peter is an enjoyably droll Hercule Poirot, ensuring that his moustache is not as prominent as his sleuthing...got that Kenneth?
Award-Worthy Performance
Angela Lansbury
EDIE (2017)
d: Simon Hunter
CAST: Sheila Hancock; Kevin Guthrie; Paul Brannigan; Amy Manson; Wendy Morgan
> yeah, another one of those life-affirming looks at Old Age (ref. The Straight Story + The Trip to Bountiful et. al.); occasionally slumping into the gaggy (wistful melancholy & swells of music & wet-eyed staring), the film manages to sidestep total schmaltz with the help of the spectacular Scottish Highlands and the spot-on performance by Sheila; an 80-year-old dear decides to reclaim her life by hiking up a mountain, something she has wanted to do since she was a wee thing...with help from a young outdoorsy guy and a bucketload of determination, she makes it; only souls of the coldest stone could bollock such a warming story
Award-Worthy Performance
Sheila Hancock
HAMBURGER HILL (1987)
d: John Irvin
CAST: Dylan McDermott; Steven Weber; Courtney B. Vance; Don Cheadle; Michael Boatman
> a Vietnam War movie in docu-drama style, based on the assault on the Ap Bia Mountain... actually, 11 assaults in total before the location was taken; standard structure for a war movie (you get to know the young men via at least one solo speech apiece and their downtime conversations...before they are butchered one by one) which works reasonably well (it usually does, that's why it's the standard), but I still found them to be a rather anonymous bunch; the battle scenes are gripping & appropriately awful, and this is one war film where the sense of Luck (who gets it; who doesn't) is right upfront; typical Sixties tags (chopper blades + Otis / Country Joe / Animals / Tempts etc playing way up loud + sex, constantly talking about sex) inevitably make you recall other VW films; anti-war of course, therefore worth watching once
KODACHROME (2017)
d: Mark Raso
CAST: Jason Sudeikis; Ed Harris; Elizabeth Olsen; Bruce Greenwood
> a character study road-trip with 3 people who have issues; sadsack Jason is persuaded to accompany his estranged father on a trip to the offices of Kodak...old Dad is a photojournalist who long ago chose his job over standard family life, and wants his last rolls of film developed before Kodachrome becomes no more (and before The Big C kills him); Jason has an everyman quality about him which is very affecting and Ed perfectly plays an arrogant arsehole having end-of-life regrets...mix in a lovely, natural Elizabeth as nurse and you have a performance partnership with real emotional kick; a story of family and how hard it can be
Award-Worthy Performance
Jason Sudeikis & Ed Harris & Elizabeth Olsen
THE DESPERATE HOURS (1955)
d: William Wyler
CAST: Humphrey Bogart; Fredric March; Arthur Kennedy; Martha Scott; Dewey Martin
> a hostage movie that starts off tense but struggles to maintain it for 112 minutes...it only just gets by; Bogie is the escaped crim who takes over a nice, average, WASPy family home headed by Fred (with wife + teenage daughter + precocious 8YO son)...Bogie's nasty partners include the obligatory psycho; Fred walks away with acting honours (he is the only one who seems to be genuinely desperate) / Bogie's heart doesn't really seem to be in the role, as if he needs something more to the character (mental illness or moral angst) to help boost his portrayal / the support cast is merely adequate; still, the story has its moments and simmers appropriately
Award-Worthy Performance
Fredric March
HEREDITARY (2018)
d: Ari Aster
CAST: Toni Collette; Alex Wolff; Gabriel Byrne; Ann Dowd; Millie Shapiro
> a horror film which strives to unsettle more than terrify or (thankfully) revolt; impossible to go into the plot too much without ruining the viewing experience (it really needs to baffle to give you full bang for your buck)...Toni is an artist, wife and mother of two teenagers whose own mother dies...she has a history of tragedy and worries about her mental health and that of her children...sure enough, more tragedy unfurls which leads Toni to get in touch with her spiritual side and this has, er, consequences; this is the slowest of slowburn horror movies and it occasionally struggles with maintaining the creeps...the hysterical finale somewhat makes up for it, but some images / occurrences are dropped in for pure shock and seem to only have a vague connection to what has gone on before; not the next The Babadook, but not bad
NURSE EDITH CAVELL (1939)
d: Herbert Wilcox
CAST: Anna Neagle; Edna May Oliver; May Robson; George Sanders; ZaSu Pitts; H.B. Warner
> a moving true story delivered without the slightest breath of air (well, maybe a little from ZaSu); difficult to do a total hatchet job on this because the woman does deserve our admiration (WWI nurse Edith helped Allied soldiers escape to the Dutch frontier and was consequently executed by The Bosch); May R overacts to the point of unintentional silliness, but the major fail is from Anna / Edith herself...how bloody noble can you get?..all the cliched traits are on display...soft-spoken + calm in a crisis + calls on God when she doubts her strength + courteous & forgiving, even of the mongrels who shoot her + beautifully wan with skin that glows (no, it actually glows); look, instead of watching this, do what I did: climb Mount Edith Cavell in Alberta, gaze out over the magnificence and have a drink to the brave woman
TOO MANY HUSBANDS (1940)
d: Wesley Ruggles
CAST: Jean Arthur; Fred MacMurray; Melvyn Douglas; Harry Davenport; Melville Cooper
> a comedy which is more flimsy farce than classic screwball; the W Somerset Maugham story is about a woman who remarries after her first husband is declared drowned...but he selfishly reemerges dry and alive; rather limp when compared to the same year's (and similarly plotted) My Favourite Wife, which wins via the comic-chemistry of Cary Grant + Irene Dunne...in TMH, there is nil snappiness between players: as usual, Fred and Melvyn display a heavy-handed comic touch (it's a double thud) and, unusually, Jean is scatterbrained to the point of noisy annoyance (like she was in The More the Merrier...talks too much, too quickly and too mannered); even perennial scene-stealers Harry & Melville make minimal impact in support; the whole show thrashes about in search of risque laughs but barely divines a tee-hee
MASTER OF THE WORLD (1961)
d: William Witney
CAST: Vincent Price; Charles Bronson; Henry Hull; Mary Webster; David Frankham
> based on two lesser-heralded Jules Verne novels (Robur the Conqueror and Master of the World), this is really just an aerial relocation of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; 4 Americans are held hostage by a looney mastermind in his airship...he floats around the world, threatening and wrecking in the pursuit of that ol' bugbear, World Peace (he wants to make people stop killing each other by killing them himself); as schlockmeister Irwin Allen once proved, low-budget SFX can only be ignored by the viewing public if the characters are appealing (that's why Lost in Space was more popular than Time Tunnel); there's not much acting going on...Vincent is boringly lowkey + Charles is mobile granite + Henry goes large 'n' loud + Mary & David say some stuff; graded gently because it's kinda pro-disarmament
THE EXCEPTION (2016)
d: David Leveaux
CAST: Lily James; Jai Courtney; Christopher Plummer; Janet McTeer; Eddie Marsan
> a Mills & Boon look at the Nazis; war-damaged German captain Jai beds scullery slut Lily (in what must be record time, even for the movies) in the household of the abdicated Kaiser...turns out that the maid is a spy, a Dutch war-widow and a Jew (geez...the Nazi captain sure can pick 'em)...then Himmler pops round for a chat and the woman sees a chance to strike a blow...but can her lover protect her from the Gestapo killjoys?; the romance is so unlikely and so stupid that it becomes borderline zany...an office party fling that goes too far...but the actors play it stonefaced, pleading with us to be moved; the Kaiser (y'know, the guy who cranked up World War I) is portrayed as a nice senior citizen with a twinkle in his eye and a longing for the good ole days; this is History as written inside a Hallmark card: flowery & forgettable
Go something you want to tell me?
GO RIGHT AHEAD: masted59@gmail.com
