Movie-Viewing Experiences 27/6/18 - 19/7/18
A+ = Adored Masterwork A = Excellent A- = Very Good B+ = Good B = Nice Try B- = Passable
C = Significantly Flawed D = Pretty Bad E = Truly Dreadful: Looking Into the Void F = Vile & Repugnant: The Void
DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: George A. Romero
CAST: Ken Foree; David Emge; Gaylen Ross; Scott Reiniger
> I am not a zombie film aficionado (if pushed, I shrug-offer 1943's rather arty I Walked with a Zombie)...but now I can mention this; this is Good Zombie because it is far more than mere bloody product designed to scare / repulse...it's a biting satire of our compulsive-consumer society AND of American gun-toting machismo AND of the banality of violence; genuinely funny in parts (admittedly, revolting in parts too...lots of body-munching going on), this film has a question to ask: Is Modern Life all it's cracked up to be?; nifty touches here and there (love the Hare Krishna!) with a couple of fumbles: the mall-muzak should've been Herb Alpert's Greatest Hits rather than the cartoonish drivel used and it could've done with some pruning in the midsection; still, it's something special: a gory chiller that will make you think and smile
THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH (1978)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Fred Schepisi
CAST: Tommy Lewis; Freddy Reynolds; Angela Punch; Steve Dodd; Ray Barrett; Jack Thompson
> based on the homestead murders committed by Jimmy Governor in 1900 (and other black/white massacres carried out and covered up in Australia), this film was hailed by overseas critics (like Pauline Kael) as a masterpiece... but was more harshly-considered here in Oz...which is hardly surprising; the violence is extreme (women and children are chopped) but historically accurate, as is the racist muck (the most common epithet given to Jimmie is "ya black bastard"); while I agree that this is an important Australian film (especially culturally), it is not without its flaws: the soundtrack music is overbearing and just wrong + the structure is at times quite rough-cut + the final scene is more a slam than an ending; and, while it is largely avoided, there is a little heroism which creeps in...hey, an axe-murderer is still an axe-murderer...
THE VIOLENT MEN (1955)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Rudolph Mate
CAST: Glenn Ford; Barbara Stanwyck; Edward G. Robinson; Brian Keith
> a Range War Western (y'know...rich rancher unscrupulously buys up all of the surrounding farms...one guy refuses to sell and fights for what is his...all hell breaks loose...David beats Goliath of course) that has had the 1950's tag "psychological" hung onto it for extra depth; exciting in parts with one helluva horse & cattle stampede (which is cut too short), this is an action movie that could've been a lot closer to mundane if it wasn't for the high-calibre acting; everybody in support stands around and gawps in reverence at what Glenn & Barb & Eddie & Brian do...show real STRENGTH...individually, none of them overly impresses, but as a combo...wow; Director Rudolph keeps things panting along for 96 minutes and, while the climax is a bit of a letdown and the coda is too cuddly, the film largely cooks
ABSOLUTION (1978)
B FIRST VIEWING
d: Anthony Page
CAST: Richard Burton; Dominic Guard; Dai Bradley; Billy Connolly
> now, here's two things you don't see everyday: Richard Burton & Billy Connolly co-starring in a film...and a story about a Catholic School student preying upon and terrorising one of the priests; Richard is the priest who is told by one of his boys during confession of wicked goings-on, which eventually lead to a murder...and possibly another...what to do? what to do?...can't break the seal of the confessional, but can't allow a child to be this evil; quite a taut thriller, but the transition of the kid into a killer is rather abrupt (it happens after befriending Billy!); the twist ending is a little too twisted, but gives Richard a chance to do his loud hammy thing
Award-Worthy Performance
Dai Bradley
SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO (2018)
B FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Stefano Sollima
CAST: Benicio del Toro; Josh Brolin; Isabela Moner; Catherine Keener; Elijah Rodriguez
> the original (and highly-recommended) 2015 Sicario film was a crime thriller which was secretly a horror movie...this sequel (of sorts) is only a crime thriller and, as such, knows about tension, but it won't scare you (although it may scare Trump-ophiles); the action-packed plot runs like this: the good guys do bad things, the bad guys do very bad things, the good guys do very bad things, the bad guys do very very bad things, the good guys get ordered to do very very bad things...but change their mind and refuse because they are good; irritatingly flippant I know, but hey, I miss simpler days when the good guys wore white and patted dogs; this is certainly exciting and, if you can put up with a bit of brain splatter, you'll get a rush...but you'll only get the horrors from it when suicide bombers do their thing in a supermarket
NURSE ON WHEELS (1963)
B- FIRST VIEWING
d: Gerald Thomas
CAST: Juliet Mills; Ronald Lewis; Joan Sims; Noel Purcell; Esma Cannon
> early Sixties British comedy made by the Carry-On production team...with Joan being the only import from the franchise's cast; young nurse scores a job in an English village...she pedals around from eccentric to eccentric, with jaunty music in the background and misunderstanding following comic situation, leading to the inevitable romance with a country squire; while I can't imagine anyone objecting to anything as lightweight and benign as this, I can see how they might be bored...you will either drift along contentedly or nod off completely; minimal nudie-rudie humour is a plus but you can see why it soon became a larger component...spice is definitely needed; Juliet is quite nice and typical and the supporting cast (with very familiar faces) tries its best to add the required chuckles; pleasant and eminently forgettable
ANT-MAN & THE WASP (2018)
B- FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Peyton Reed
CAST: Paul Rudd; Evangeline Lilly; Michael Douglas; Hannah John-Kamen; Michelle Pfeiffer
> Marvel Cinematic Universe business-as-usual in this flick: slick competence without inspiration + mild jokes sprinkled in between a handful of solid action sequences + small amounts of sentiment standing-in for deep feeling; the gimmick here of course is the shrink/grow effects which are definitely impressive and add novelty to many of the fight scenes; the comedic stylings of Paul are subdued (I've never found him overly amusing...he seems to me to be rather one-note) and Michael Pena does his motormouth routine; Michael D gives a rehash of his straightfaced, bemused performance in Wonder Boys (which is welcome) and I always enjoy seeing Michelle, but everybody else is easily replaceable; nothing here is as hilarious as the Thomas the Tank Engine scene in Ant-Man#1 but it gets by
THE MIND BENDERS (1963)
C FIRST VIEWING
d: Basil Dearden
CAST: Dirk Bogarde; Mary Ure; John Clements; Michael Bryant; Wendy Craig
> curious but decidedly thinnish film which I initially had great hopes for: a UK version of The Manchurian Candidate; all about enforced isolation and its possible military applications (prisoner brainwashing aka torture), this squanders its Cold War thriller potential and turns into a rather hysterical soapie instead; Professor Dirk volunteers to immerse himself in a sensory-deprivation tank to help solve the mystery of what happened to a colleague who did the same...he survives the ordeal, but Dirk has changed due to the power of suggestion...once a happily married man, he now despises his sixth-time pregnant wife; this film asks you to make the journey from espionage & national security concerns to domestic disharmony...from the martial to the marital (heh)...and the latter just isn't all that enthralling
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS (1932)
C FIRST VIEWING
d: Cecil B. DeMille
CAST: Elissa Landi; Fredric March; Claudette Colbert; Charles Laughton
> one of those "camp classics" much-beloved by trendies...clunky dialogue, large acting, a couple of memorable scenes (usually involving flesh or grisliness or both) and an overall atmosphere of High Drama; an Ancient Rome epic which begins with Nero lyre-fiddling while his kingdom burns and ends with Christians being served-up to the lions...in between we've got Claudette having a wash in asses' milk (a highpoint), a holy shindig disrupted by mass-slaughter and an arena bloodsport where the spectators carry on like they're watching a Brooklyn Dodgers game, complete with sidebets and snackfood vendors; Fred looks silly in centurion togs, Elissa is a pious pain and Claudette loses interest once she's had her bath...only Charles as a chock-nosed Nero is worth attention; an olde-time spectacle that has passed its use-by date
CATCH-22 (1970)
C RE-EVALUATION Original Grade: B
d: Mike Nichols
CAST: Alan Arkin; Martin Balsam; Richard Benjamin; Jon Voight; Orson Welles; Anthony Perkins
> no, I haven't read the book; lines and scenes were quoted by my High School teachers over drinks in the Greenock Tavern, so pervasive was the film's cult back then...but it didn't have the longevity of Monty Python or Dr Strangelove for a reason: it's not very funny; a dark comedy about the stupidity of war, it goes for the obligatory balance between ludicrous and horror, but is defeated by TV's MASH, the only military-comedy to get it right; hard to believe that Director Mike was once part of a hit Broadway comedy duo...his comic touch here is heavy, and he is slack with the cast...most go for buffoon (a common mistake made by dramatic actors)... only Richard Benjamin scores; the film's saving grace is the quality of its message (which is still best given by Edwin Starr); watch Buck Privates if you need to laugh at war
LOVE CRAZY (1941)
D FIRST VIEWING
d: Jack Conway
CAST: William Powell; Myrna Loy; Gail Patrick; Jack Carson; Florence Bates
> a dud screwball comedy that must have helped sound the death knell for the genre (along with the horrors of a world war); William & Myrna are happily married but after a series of misunderstandings, Myrna sues for divorce...the only way that William can hang on to her is to pretend to be insane (???) thus forcing her to take care of him...but she outfoxes Bill by sticking him into a mental asylum instead; yep, you're being asked to laugh at the silly mentally-ill people again (which surely got less funny when shellshocked vets started coming home), but for extra giggles you've got William Powell in drag, jamming his head between elevator doors and falling out of a tree naked; this crosses the line from screwball over to screwy, and to ask the classy rom-com team of Powell & Loy to carry on like this is just nuts
HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1974)
E FIRST & LAST VIEWING
d: J. Lee Thompson
CAST: Jeff East; Paul Winfield; Harvey Korman; David Wayne; Arthur O'Connell; Gary Merrill
> from the producer who brought you Battle for the Planet of the Apes and the director who brought you The Guns of Navarone, Cape Fear and Death Wish 4, comes this Reader's Digest musical for all the family; while the classic Huck Finn storyline mostly survives, this film is to Mark Twain as Harum Scarum is to Elvis...a pox on the persona; nobody here is even remotely a singer + Jeff is too Tiger Beat, too Disneyesque & too bland as Huck + none, absolutely none of the songs are catchy, mood-making or bearable + the dramatic / scary scenes (which Director J. Lee should be pretty sharp at) all seem too light + all of the uncomfortable (read: race) stuff that gets the novel banned from fascist libraries is largely drained away, robbing the story of historical grit; so, if you want to punish your kids...
Go something you want to tell me?
GO RIGHT AHEAD: masted59@gmail.com
DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)
d: George A. Romero
CAST: Ken Foree; David Emge; Gaylen Ross; Scott Reiniger
> I am not a zombie film aficionado (if pushed, I shrug-offer 1943's rather arty I Walked with a Zombie)...but now I can mention this; this is Good Zombie because it is far more than mere bloody product designed to scare / repulse...it's a biting satire of our compulsive-consumer society AND of American gun-toting machismo AND of the banality of violence; genuinely funny in parts (admittedly, revolting in parts too...lots of body-munching going on), this film has a question to ask: Is Modern Life all it's cracked up to be?; nifty touches here and there (love the Hare Krishna!) with a couple of fumbles: the mall-muzak should've been Herb Alpert's Greatest Hits rather than the cartoonish drivel used and it could've done with some pruning in the midsection; still, it's something special: a gory chiller that will make you think and smile
THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH (1978)
d: Fred Schepisi
CAST: Tommy Lewis; Freddy Reynolds; Angela Punch; Steve Dodd; Ray Barrett; Jack Thompson
> based on the homestead murders committed by Jimmy Governor in 1900 (and other black/white massacres carried out and covered up in Australia), this film was hailed by overseas critics (like Pauline Kael) as a masterpiece... but was more harshly-considered here in Oz...which is hardly surprising; the violence is extreme (women and children are chopped) but historically accurate, as is the racist muck (the most common epithet given to Jimmie is "ya black bastard"); while I agree that this is an important Australian film (especially culturally), it is not without its flaws: the soundtrack music is overbearing and just wrong + the structure is at times quite rough-cut + the final scene is more a slam than an ending; and, while it is largely avoided, there is a little heroism which creeps in...hey, an axe-murderer is still an axe-murderer...
THE VIOLENT MEN (1955)
d: Rudolph Mate
CAST: Glenn Ford; Barbara Stanwyck; Edward G. Robinson; Brian Keith
> a Range War Western (y'know...rich rancher unscrupulously buys up all of the surrounding farms...one guy refuses to sell and fights for what is his...all hell breaks loose...David beats Goliath of course) that has had the 1950's tag "psychological" hung onto it for extra depth; exciting in parts with one helluva horse & cattle stampede (which is cut too short), this is an action movie that could've been a lot closer to mundane if it wasn't for the high-calibre acting; everybody in support stands around and gawps in reverence at what Glenn & Barb & Eddie & Brian do...show real STRENGTH...individually, none of them overly impresses, but as a combo...wow; Director Rudolph keeps things panting along for 96 minutes and, while the climax is a bit of a letdown and the coda is too cuddly, the film largely cooks
ABSOLUTION (1978)
d: Anthony Page
CAST: Richard Burton; Dominic Guard; Dai Bradley; Billy Connolly
> now, here's two things you don't see everyday: Richard Burton & Billy Connolly co-starring in a film...and a story about a Catholic School student preying upon and terrorising one of the priests; Richard is the priest who is told by one of his boys during confession of wicked goings-on, which eventually lead to a murder...and possibly another...what to do? what to do?...can't break the seal of the confessional, but can't allow a child to be this evil; quite a taut thriller, but the transition of the kid into a killer is rather abrupt (it happens after befriending Billy!); the twist ending is a little too twisted, but gives Richard a chance to do his loud hammy thing
Award-Worthy Performance
Dai Bradley
SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO (2018)
d: Stefano Sollima
CAST: Benicio del Toro; Josh Brolin; Isabela Moner; Catherine Keener; Elijah Rodriguez
> the original (and highly-recommended) 2015 Sicario film was a crime thriller which was secretly a horror movie...this sequel (of sorts) is only a crime thriller and, as such, knows about tension, but it won't scare you (although it may scare Trump-ophiles); the action-packed plot runs like this: the good guys do bad things, the bad guys do very bad things, the good guys do very bad things, the bad guys do very very bad things, the good guys get ordered to do very very bad things...but change their mind and refuse because they are good; irritatingly flippant I know, but hey, I miss simpler days when the good guys wore white and patted dogs; this is certainly exciting and, if you can put up with a bit of brain splatter, you'll get a rush...but you'll only get the horrors from it when suicide bombers do their thing in a supermarket
NURSE ON WHEELS (1963)
d: Gerald Thomas
CAST: Juliet Mills; Ronald Lewis; Joan Sims; Noel Purcell; Esma Cannon
> early Sixties British comedy made by the Carry-On production team...with Joan being the only import from the franchise's cast; young nurse scores a job in an English village...she pedals around from eccentric to eccentric, with jaunty music in the background and misunderstanding following comic situation, leading to the inevitable romance with a country squire; while I can't imagine anyone objecting to anything as lightweight and benign as this, I can see how they might be bored...you will either drift along contentedly or nod off completely; minimal nudie-rudie humour is a plus but you can see why it soon became a larger component...spice is definitely needed; Juliet is quite nice and typical and the supporting cast (with very familiar faces) tries its best to add the required chuckles; pleasant and eminently forgettable
ANT-MAN & THE WASP (2018)
d: Peyton Reed
CAST: Paul Rudd; Evangeline Lilly; Michael Douglas; Hannah John-Kamen; Michelle Pfeiffer
> Marvel Cinematic Universe business-as-usual in this flick: slick competence without inspiration + mild jokes sprinkled in between a handful of solid action sequences + small amounts of sentiment standing-in for deep feeling; the gimmick here of course is the shrink/grow effects which are definitely impressive and add novelty to many of the fight scenes; the comedic stylings of Paul are subdued (I've never found him overly amusing...he seems to me to be rather one-note) and Michael Pena does his motormouth routine; Michael D gives a rehash of his straightfaced, bemused performance in Wonder Boys (which is welcome) and I always enjoy seeing Michelle, but everybody else is easily replaceable; nothing here is as hilarious as the Thomas the Tank Engine scene in Ant-Man#1 but it gets by
THE MIND BENDERS (1963)
d: Basil Dearden
CAST: Dirk Bogarde; Mary Ure; John Clements; Michael Bryant; Wendy Craig
> curious but decidedly thinnish film which I initially had great hopes for: a UK version of The Manchurian Candidate; all about enforced isolation and its possible military applications (prisoner brainwashing aka torture), this squanders its Cold War thriller potential and turns into a rather hysterical soapie instead; Professor Dirk volunteers to immerse himself in a sensory-deprivation tank to help solve the mystery of what happened to a colleague who did the same...he survives the ordeal, but Dirk has changed due to the power of suggestion...once a happily married man, he now despises his sixth-time pregnant wife; this film asks you to make the journey from espionage & national security concerns to domestic disharmony...from the martial to the marital (heh)...and the latter just isn't all that enthralling
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS (1932)
d: Cecil B. DeMille
CAST: Elissa Landi; Fredric March; Claudette Colbert; Charles Laughton
> one of those "camp classics" much-beloved by trendies...clunky dialogue, large acting, a couple of memorable scenes (usually involving flesh or grisliness or both) and an overall atmosphere of High Drama; an Ancient Rome epic which begins with Nero lyre-fiddling while his kingdom burns and ends with Christians being served-up to the lions...in between we've got Claudette having a wash in asses' milk (a highpoint), a holy shindig disrupted by mass-slaughter and an arena bloodsport where the spectators carry on like they're watching a Brooklyn Dodgers game, complete with sidebets and snackfood vendors; Fred looks silly in centurion togs, Elissa is a pious pain and Claudette loses interest once she's had her bath...only Charles as a chock-nosed Nero is worth attention; an olde-time spectacle that has passed its use-by date
CATCH-22 (1970)
d: Mike Nichols
CAST: Alan Arkin; Martin Balsam; Richard Benjamin; Jon Voight; Orson Welles; Anthony Perkins
> no, I haven't read the book; lines and scenes were quoted by my High School teachers over drinks in the Greenock Tavern, so pervasive was the film's cult back then...but it didn't have the longevity of Monty Python or Dr Strangelove for a reason: it's not very funny; a dark comedy about the stupidity of war, it goes for the obligatory balance between ludicrous and horror, but is defeated by TV's MASH, the only military-comedy to get it right; hard to believe that Director Mike was once part of a hit Broadway comedy duo...his comic touch here is heavy, and he is slack with the cast...most go for buffoon (a common mistake made by dramatic actors)... only Richard Benjamin scores; the film's saving grace is the quality of its message (which is still best given by Edwin Starr); watch Buck Privates if you need to laugh at war
LOVE CRAZY (1941)
d: Jack Conway
CAST: William Powell; Myrna Loy; Gail Patrick; Jack Carson; Florence Bates
> a dud screwball comedy that must have helped sound the death knell for the genre (along with the horrors of a world war); William & Myrna are happily married but after a series of misunderstandings, Myrna sues for divorce...the only way that William can hang on to her is to pretend to be insane (???) thus forcing her to take care of him...but she outfoxes Bill by sticking him into a mental asylum instead; yep, you're being asked to laugh at the silly mentally-ill people again (which surely got less funny when shellshocked vets started coming home), but for extra giggles you've got William Powell in drag, jamming his head between elevator doors and falling out of a tree naked; this crosses the line from screwball over to screwy, and to ask the classy rom-com team of Powell & Loy to carry on like this is just nuts
HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1974)
d: J. Lee Thompson
CAST: Jeff East; Paul Winfield; Harvey Korman; David Wayne; Arthur O'Connell; Gary Merrill
> from the producer who brought you Battle for the Planet of the Apes and the director who brought you The Guns of Navarone, Cape Fear and Death Wish 4, comes this Reader's Digest musical for all the family; while the classic Huck Finn storyline mostly survives, this film is to Mark Twain as Harum Scarum is to Elvis...a pox on the persona; nobody here is even remotely a singer + Jeff is too Tiger Beat, too Disneyesque & too bland as Huck + none, absolutely none of the songs are catchy, mood-making or bearable + the dramatic / scary scenes (which Director J. Lee should be pretty sharp at) all seem too light + all of the uncomfortable (read: race) stuff that gets the novel banned from fascist libraries is largely drained away, robbing the story of historical grit; so, if you want to punish your kids...
Go something you want to tell me?
GO RIGHT AHEAD: masted59@gmail.com
