Movie-Viewing Experiences 8/1/19 - 24/1/19
A+ = Adored Masterwork A = Excellent A- = Very Good B+ = Good B = Nice Try B- = Scrapes Through
C = Significantly Flawed D = Pretty Bad E = Truly Dreadful: Looking Into the Void F = Absolutely Vile: The Void
DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975)
A+ MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: Sidney Lumet
CAST: Al Pacino; John Cazale; Charles Durning; Chris Sarandon; James Broderick
> the story of two guys who try to rob a bank and it turns into an urban sideshow; a comedy that's not and a heist that's not and a drama that's not and a commentary that's not, yet this work of art is funny, tense, moving and says something about how we live, even now; Al (in his best performance...soft & manic combined) looks like a 6YO at his first day of school...he doesn't entirely know what's going on, but he wants to do the right thing by everybody...in this case, his wife, his kids, his lover, his mother, his friend and his hostages... but no matter how hard he tries, nothing works out; THE great New York film: humanity in a pressure-cooker
Award-Worthy Performances
Al Pacino; John Cazale; Chris Sarandon
BABE (1995)
A SECOND VIEWING
d: Chris Noonan
CAST: James Cromwell; Magda Szubanski
> instantly joining the ranks of the great kid + animal films (Lassie Come Home & The Yearling & The Black Stallion etc.), this classic-for-everybody is slightly different in that the animal is the kid; an Australian/American co-production (the Aussies made it while the Yanks supplied the money & the expertise), the sheer exuberant whimsy of this is one of cinema's forever joys; Babe is a young pig who doesn't know his place in the scheme of farmlife...and through a combination of charisma and courtesy, becomes a sheepdog/pig; so many features are perfect in this (the voice casting & acting + the warm narration + the colours that pop + the NSW Highlands scenery + the moments of darkness + the three-part harmony mice + the duck); imagine if this had won the Oscar over Braveheart...now, wouldn't that have been somethin'?
THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (2018)
A- FIRST VIEWING ON NETFLIX
d: Joel & Ethan Coen
CAST: Tim Blake Nelson; James Franco; Liam Neeson; Tom Waits; Zoe Kazan; Tyne Daly
> feature film or made-for-TV movie??...the times they are a'changin'...; a compendium of 6 Western stories, all featuring Death as a punchline...the moods range from broad yucks to heavy sobs; as usual, the problem with compendium films is Quality Control...invariably, one or two of the vignettes stand out, some are okay, and at least one pales in comparison to the others...the same goes here, too; the best thing is that stories #1-5 are impossible to predict where they are heading...only #6 shows its hand early, and is the weaker for it; overall, I had a fine time with this, with a special nod to #1 (a fun kick-off with music and a hi-chuckling performance by Tim) and #3 (which somehow blends the bizarre with the darkly comedic and the downright sad); Word to the Wise: steel yourself for #5...it is not a prairie love story
IVANHOE (1952)
A- AT LEAST THIRD VIEWING
d: Richard Thorpe
CAST: Robert Taylor; Elizabeth Taylor; Joan Fontaine; George Sanders; Finlay Currie
> I was never much of an Anglo-action fan (y'know...knights, moats, merry men etc.), but this slab of MGM product has always been a joy and a 10YO's enthusiastic watch on a rainy weekend; taken from Sir Walter Scott's classic novel (sort of), this is given the full Hollywood We've-Got-To-Get-Them-Away-From-Their-TV-Sets treatment: the Technicolor is used to the hilt with rainbow brightness everywhere + the countryside looks hand-painted + the two women are drop dead gorgeous & frequently afraid + the hero is unbeatable + his friends are fearless & boisterous + the villains are rotten through & through (they can't even keep their word); but the real star is the weaponry: lances & arrows & battering-rams & swords & maces & axes(!!), used in association with jousts, castle-storming & shield-clanging, bloodless fights...what fun!
ROMULUS, MY FATHER (2007)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Richard Roxburgh
CAST: Kodi Smit-McPhee; Eric Bana; Franka Potente; Marton Csokas; Russell Dykstra
> set in early 1960's rural Victoria, this story of European migrants trying to make a go of it in a strange, changing land is classic Australiana...but not as uplifting or insightful as it could / should be, because the (true) tale is bleak to the point of injury...it lurches from one sadness to another, pretty much without let-up...some lightening would have worked wonders; however, it is completely rescued by the uniform quality of the performances, particularly young Kodi who is a freak of acting nature; a moving story of emotional fragility amongst decent people, this is beautiful to look at (the cinematography sops up the sunshine) but a little heavy to watch
Award-Worthy Performance
Kodi Smit-McPhee
PARENTHOOD (1989)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Ron Howard
CAST: Steve Martin; Mary Steenburgen; Dianne Wiest; Jason Robards; Rick Moranis
> pleasant comedy about parenting that tries to say a little something about that universal experience...which is risky...because it would be so easy to fall into the abyss of schmaltz...this teeters on the edge, but never completely topples over; the ensemble cast saves the show (with a special nod to Dianne, as usual), keeping the dread soap-operatics at bay through lightness & warmth of performance...they all seem to enjoy being with each other, like family; the film's wisest line comes from Grandpa Jason, complaining about being a parent: "No matter how grown they are or how old you get, it never ends. It never, ever ends." Can you relate?
Award-Worthy Performance
Dianne Wiest
X2 aka X2: X-MEN UNITED aka X-MEN 2 (2003)
B RE-EVALUATION Original Grade: B+
d: Bryan Singer
CAST: Hugh Jackman; Patrick Stewart; Ian McKellen; Halle Berry; Brian Cox; Alan Cumming
> generally considered to be the best of the Round 1 X-Men film franchise, I've always been slightly underwhelmed by all of 'em (including the Round 2 entries); while there is a lot of action going on, some of which is quite riveting (the opening attack on the White House + the raid on Xavier's school), it all just still comes across as a little...bland; part of this is due to the inconsistent quality-control of the acting: while Hugh & Patrick & Ian are perfectly fine, their characters are better portrayed (by them) in other X-Men/Wolverine installments; with the exception of Alan as Nightcrawler (difficult to not stand out in that role I guess), everybody else is a little...bland; complex (in the comics) characters such as Jean Grey and Cyclops are just good-looking people here who can do stuff; still fun if you're a fan, but it lacks staying power
THE WRONG ARM OF THE LAW (1963)
B FIRST VIEWING
d: Cliff Owen
CAST: Peter Sellers; Lionel Jeffries; Nanette Newman; Bernard Cribbins; Bill Kerr
> standard 50's/60's British comedy where the bright spots outnumber the flat ones and tits'n'bums humour hasn't yet taken over; Peter is in one of his typical pre-Strangelove/Clouseau roles, playing the head of a London crime syndicate (he gives us a spot-on preview of Michael Caine in Jack-the-Lad mode)...his heists are being continually disrupted/ripped-off by 3 thugs impersonating police officers (and, to rub salt in the wounds, they are all Australians!)...so, after meeting with the other ganglords, Pete teams up with real coppers to nab the imposters; some funny bits of business here (I love the criminal mobs thrashing out their grievances like a union meeting), especially from Lionel who does his usual pompous prat routine; the collection of familiar comic faces adds extra joy; don't expect too much and you'll have a nice mild time
THE LADY WITH A LAMP (1951)
B- FIRST VIEWING
d: Herbert Wilcox
CAST: Anna Neagle; Michael Wilding; Felix Aylmer
> another Herbert + Anna holier-than-thou British biopic, this time about Crimean superstar Florence Nightingale; while Flo was certainly an efficient nurse and a courageous woman, she was also a bit of an eccentric martyr (she was zealous to the point of mania and spent much of her last 40 years of life in bed due to brucellosis & depression)...here, Anna's portrayal makes her out to be a courteous shit-stirrer, butting heads with bureaucracy and refusing to be limited by the tag of "Lady"; a perfect example of John Ford's famous edict "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend", this film is all edifice with crumbly foundation, about as historically reliable as a Little Golden Book; for Anglophilic oldsters who are prepared to accept that someone would actually ask "Why must you blow a trumpet for Humanity?" in a time of war
DAREDEVIL (2003) [DIRECTOR'S CUT]
B- SECOND VIEWING
d: Mark Steven Johnson
CAST: Ben Affleck; Michael Clarke Duncan; Jennifer Garner; Colin Farrell; Jon Favreau
> if ever there was a movie of ups & downs...; on the upside, the casting of Ben & Michael & Jon is sharp and the saving grace of the whole show + the many in-jokes & set images are gifts to the comicbook fanboys + some of the action sequences (like the battle on top of the church organ) zing along + it gets the Catholic Guilt motivation of the character right; on the downside, there's the casting of Jennifer (who is more supermodel than superhero) and especially Colin (who gives an appalling cartoon performance as a psycho-assassin) + the soundtrack & cutting make it a rock video (how about a modern jazz score just for once?...it's an NY story after all) + some of the action sequences (like the playground stoush) are just bad + it blands-out the origin story; graded leniently because I love the graphic novels from whence it came
TALK ABOUT A STRANGER (1952)
C FIRST VIEWING
d: David Bradley
CAST: Billy Gray; George Murphy; Kurt Kasznar; Lewis Stone; Nancy Davis
> starts off as A Boy & His Dog story (all very Father Knows Best stuff), then turns sinister (the dog is poisoned...the boy is convinced it's the grumpy guy who recently moved in), passing through hysteria, finally settling back into mush; young Billy is stuck with playing a kid who is a defiant little horror with a personality disorder (he comes across as a truculent nutter) and all the other children are similarly combative and snarly...and not a believable one in the whole bunch; the adults barely exist, apart from supplying wisdom, understanding and super-tolerance when it's time for a quiet moment; some nice, moody camerawork here & there helps out, but hardly warrants giving this the worn-out label of "film noir"; claimed by desperate PHD wannahaves to be an allegory for the HUAC/Hollywood Blacklist disgrace, but that's just wishful thinking
MY SON JOHN (1952)
E FIRST & LAST VIEWING
d: Leo McCarey
CAST: Helen Hayes; Robert Walker; Dean Jagger; Van Heflin
> peculiar & disturbing; Helen & Dean (both of whom seem to be struggling with neurological illness throughout the film...their line readings are often bizarrely phrased, as if they're having petit mal seizures) discover that they have raised a Commie Rat Bastard in their middle-class, smalltown USA home...and what a viper he is...lying, egalitarian, manipulative, intellectual, honey-voiced, anti-motherlove, non-Christian and doesn't have a girlfriend; the best review I've read of this travesty came from The New Yorker: "(The film advises the public to) cut out thinking, obey their superiors blindly, regard all political suspects as guilty without trial, revel in joy through strength, and pay more attention to football"; this movie is American propaganda at its most anti-Democratic...thank Jeebers they're more enlightened nowadays...right? right?
Got something you want to tell me?
GO RIGHT AHEAD: masted59@gmail.com
DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975)
d: Sidney Lumet
CAST: Al Pacino; John Cazale; Charles Durning; Chris Sarandon; James Broderick
> the story of two guys who try to rob a bank and it turns into an urban sideshow; a comedy that's not and a heist that's not and a drama that's not and a commentary that's not, yet this work of art is funny, tense, moving and says something about how we live, even now; Al (in his best performance...soft & manic combined) looks like a 6YO at his first day of school...he doesn't entirely know what's going on, but he wants to do the right thing by everybody...in this case, his wife, his kids, his lover, his mother, his friend and his hostages... but no matter how hard he tries, nothing works out; THE great New York film: humanity in a pressure-cooker
Award-Worthy Performances
Al Pacino; John Cazale; Chris Sarandon
BABE (1995)
d: Chris Noonan
CAST: James Cromwell; Magda Szubanski
> instantly joining the ranks of the great kid + animal films (Lassie Come Home & The Yearling & The Black Stallion etc.), this classic-for-everybody is slightly different in that the animal is the kid; an Australian/American co-production (the Aussies made it while the Yanks supplied the money & the expertise), the sheer exuberant whimsy of this is one of cinema's forever joys; Babe is a young pig who doesn't know his place in the scheme of farmlife...and through a combination of charisma and courtesy, becomes a sheepdog/pig; so many features are perfect in this (the voice casting & acting + the warm narration + the colours that pop + the NSW Highlands scenery + the moments of darkness + the three-part harmony mice + the duck); imagine if this had won the Oscar over Braveheart...now, wouldn't that have been somethin'?
THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (2018)
d: Joel & Ethan Coen
CAST: Tim Blake Nelson; James Franco; Liam Neeson; Tom Waits; Zoe Kazan; Tyne Daly
> feature film or made-for-TV movie??...the times they are a'changin'...; a compendium of 6 Western stories, all featuring Death as a punchline...the moods range from broad yucks to heavy sobs; as usual, the problem with compendium films is Quality Control...invariably, one or two of the vignettes stand out, some are okay, and at least one pales in comparison to the others...the same goes here, too; the best thing is that stories #1-5 are impossible to predict where they are heading...only #6 shows its hand early, and is the weaker for it; overall, I had a fine time with this, with a special nod to #1 (a fun kick-off with music and a hi-chuckling performance by Tim) and #3 (which somehow blends the bizarre with the darkly comedic and the downright sad); Word to the Wise: steel yourself for #5...it is not a prairie love story
IVANHOE (1952)
d: Richard Thorpe
CAST: Robert Taylor; Elizabeth Taylor; Joan Fontaine; George Sanders; Finlay Currie
> I was never much of an Anglo-action fan (y'know...knights, moats, merry men etc.), but this slab of MGM product has always been a joy and a 10YO's enthusiastic watch on a rainy weekend; taken from Sir Walter Scott's classic novel (sort of), this is given the full Hollywood We've-Got-To-Get-Them-Away-From-Their-TV-Sets treatment: the Technicolor is used to the hilt with rainbow brightness everywhere + the countryside looks hand-painted + the two women are drop dead gorgeous & frequently afraid + the hero is unbeatable + his friends are fearless & boisterous + the villains are rotten through & through (they can't even keep their word); but the real star is the weaponry: lances & arrows & battering-rams & swords & maces & axes(!!), used in association with jousts, castle-storming & shield-clanging, bloodless fights...what fun!
ROMULUS, MY FATHER (2007)
d: Richard Roxburgh
CAST: Kodi Smit-McPhee; Eric Bana; Franka Potente; Marton Csokas; Russell Dykstra
> set in early 1960's rural Victoria, this story of European migrants trying to make a go of it in a strange, changing land is classic Australiana...but not as uplifting or insightful as it could / should be, because the (true) tale is bleak to the point of injury...it lurches from one sadness to another, pretty much without let-up...some lightening would have worked wonders; however, it is completely rescued by the uniform quality of the performances, particularly young Kodi who is a freak of acting nature; a moving story of emotional fragility amongst decent people, this is beautiful to look at (the cinematography sops up the sunshine) but a little heavy to watch
Award-Worthy Performance
Kodi Smit-McPhee
PARENTHOOD (1989)
d: Ron Howard
CAST: Steve Martin; Mary Steenburgen; Dianne Wiest; Jason Robards; Rick Moranis
> pleasant comedy about parenting that tries to say a little something about that universal experience...which is risky...because it would be so easy to fall into the abyss of schmaltz...this teeters on the edge, but never completely topples over; the ensemble cast saves the show (with a special nod to Dianne, as usual), keeping the dread soap-operatics at bay through lightness & warmth of performance...they all seem to enjoy being with each other, like family; the film's wisest line comes from Grandpa Jason, complaining about being a parent: "No matter how grown they are or how old you get, it never ends. It never, ever ends." Can you relate?
Award-Worthy Performance
Dianne Wiest
X2 aka X2: X-MEN UNITED aka X-MEN 2 (2003)
d: Bryan Singer
CAST: Hugh Jackman; Patrick Stewart; Ian McKellen; Halle Berry; Brian Cox; Alan Cumming
> generally considered to be the best of the Round 1 X-Men film franchise, I've always been slightly underwhelmed by all of 'em (including the Round 2 entries); while there is a lot of action going on, some of which is quite riveting (the opening attack on the White House + the raid on Xavier's school), it all just still comes across as a little...bland; part of this is due to the inconsistent quality-control of the acting: while Hugh & Patrick & Ian are perfectly fine, their characters are better portrayed (by them) in other X-Men/Wolverine installments; with the exception of Alan as Nightcrawler (difficult to not stand out in that role I guess), everybody else is a little...bland; complex (in the comics) characters such as Jean Grey and Cyclops are just good-looking people here who can do stuff; still fun if you're a fan, but it lacks staying power
THE WRONG ARM OF THE LAW (1963)
d: Cliff Owen
CAST: Peter Sellers; Lionel Jeffries; Nanette Newman; Bernard Cribbins; Bill Kerr
> standard 50's/60's British comedy where the bright spots outnumber the flat ones and tits'n'bums humour hasn't yet taken over; Peter is in one of his typical pre-Strangelove/Clouseau roles, playing the head of a London crime syndicate (he gives us a spot-on preview of Michael Caine in Jack-the-Lad mode)...his heists are being continually disrupted/ripped-off by 3 thugs impersonating police officers (and, to rub salt in the wounds, they are all Australians!)...so, after meeting with the other ganglords, Pete teams up with real coppers to nab the imposters; some funny bits of business here (I love the criminal mobs thrashing out their grievances like a union meeting), especially from Lionel who does his usual pompous prat routine; the collection of familiar comic faces adds extra joy; don't expect too much and you'll have a nice mild time
THE LADY WITH A LAMP (1951)
B- FIRST VIEWING d: Herbert Wilcox
CAST: Anna Neagle; Michael Wilding; Felix Aylmer
> another Herbert + Anna holier-than-thou British biopic, this time about Crimean superstar Florence Nightingale; while Flo was certainly an efficient nurse and a courageous woman, she was also a bit of an eccentric martyr (she was zealous to the point of mania and spent much of her last 40 years of life in bed due to brucellosis & depression)...here, Anna's portrayal makes her out to be a courteous shit-stirrer, butting heads with bureaucracy and refusing to be limited by the tag of "Lady"; a perfect example of John Ford's famous edict "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend", this film is all edifice with crumbly foundation, about as historically reliable as a Little Golden Book; for Anglophilic oldsters who are prepared to accept that someone would actually ask "Why must you blow a trumpet for Humanity?" in a time of war
DAREDEVIL (2003) [DIRECTOR'S CUT]
d: Mark Steven Johnson
CAST: Ben Affleck; Michael Clarke Duncan; Jennifer Garner; Colin Farrell; Jon Favreau
> if ever there was a movie of ups & downs...; on the upside, the casting of Ben & Michael & Jon is sharp and the saving grace of the whole show + the many in-jokes & set images are gifts to the comicbook fanboys + some of the action sequences (like the battle on top of the church organ) zing along + it gets the Catholic Guilt motivation of the character right; on the downside, there's the casting of Jennifer (who is more supermodel than superhero) and especially Colin (who gives an appalling cartoon performance as a psycho-assassin) + the soundtrack & cutting make it a rock video (how about a modern jazz score just for once?...it's an NY story after all) + some of the action sequences (like the playground stoush) are just bad + it blands-out the origin story; graded leniently because I love the graphic novels from whence it came
TALK ABOUT A STRANGER (1952)
d: David Bradley
CAST: Billy Gray; George Murphy; Kurt Kasznar; Lewis Stone; Nancy Davis
> starts off as A Boy & His Dog story (all very Father Knows Best stuff), then turns sinister (the dog is poisoned...the boy is convinced it's the grumpy guy who recently moved in), passing through hysteria, finally settling back into mush; young Billy is stuck with playing a kid who is a defiant little horror with a personality disorder (he comes across as a truculent nutter) and all the other children are similarly combative and snarly...and not a believable one in the whole bunch; the adults barely exist, apart from supplying wisdom, understanding and super-tolerance when it's time for a quiet moment; some nice, moody camerawork here & there helps out, but hardly warrants giving this the worn-out label of "film noir"; claimed by desperate PHD wannahaves to be an allegory for the HUAC/Hollywood Blacklist disgrace, but that's just wishful thinking
MY SON JOHN (1952)
d: Leo McCarey
CAST: Helen Hayes; Robert Walker; Dean Jagger; Van Heflin
> peculiar & disturbing; Helen & Dean (both of whom seem to be struggling with neurological illness throughout the film...their line readings are often bizarrely phrased, as if they're having petit mal seizures) discover that they have raised a Commie Rat Bastard in their middle-class, smalltown USA home...and what a viper he is...lying, egalitarian, manipulative, intellectual, honey-voiced, anti-motherlove, non-Christian and doesn't have a girlfriend; the best review I've read of this travesty came from The New Yorker: "(The film advises the public to) cut out thinking, obey their superiors blindly, regard all political suspects as guilty without trial, revel in joy through strength, and pay more attention to football"; this movie is American propaganda at its most anti-Democratic...thank Jeebers they're more enlightened nowadays...right? right?
Got something you want to tell me?
GO RIGHT AHEAD: masted59@gmail.com
