Movie #299 A Woman is a Woman *1961*

Godard's 2nd feature film is a lot of fun.  He broke all the rules with Breathless.  Here he is laughing at the rules he just shattered.  It would be easy to call this film indulgent.  I have read a few reviews that was satisfied to do just that.  However I found this movie to be a romp and I had a lot of fun with it.

A Woman is a Woman is French New Wave turned up to 11!  If you want an example of the FNW look no further.  When people think of classic black and white artsy movies that usually go to Fellini's 8 1/2.  When they want existential artsy films they pick Bergman's The Seventh Seal.  A Woman is a Woman should be the poster boy for the FNW.  It's jump cuts, breaking of the 4th wall, its sense of self awareness, its playing with musical troupes, its camera movements all embody the traditional FNW ascetic.   

The film stars the lovely Anna Karina in the lead role.  She wants a baby.  Her lover, Jean-Claude Brialy, doesn't want to give her one.  His friend, Jean-Paul Belmondo (from Breathless), is willing to provide her that.  It has a love triangle unlike any movie I have ever seen.

My final comment is about the use of color in this movie.  It wasn't as bold as Pierrot le Fou, but it it clearly a stepping stone for that film.  I love the color, I love Anna Karina and I really enjoyed this moive.  I give A Woman is a Woman ****.

Movie #298 Dr Strangelove *1964*

This is my favorite comedy of all time.  You would think a review for one of your favorite films would be easy, but I hold this film in such high regards that I feel like anything I write about it would be a disgrace.  But here it goes anyway.

This year I watched Paths of Glory for the first time. It is a war movie by the same director of Strangelove, Kubrick.  The first time I watched Paths I noticed how wonderfully it was acted and shot. Stanley is widely thought of as a perfectionist and for good reason.  I also thought of how brutal and horrible the plot was.  It is a bout a group of soldiers that are sent out on a suicide mission.  They retreat after what they consider to be giving it their best, but they are court marshaled for being cowards.  Pretty serious subject matter.  Then the second time I watched Paths I realized another staple of Kubrick's work, his dark and twisted sense of humor.  Paths is a farce on the hypocrisy of military structure.

I mention Paths to help illustrate how dark Kubrick can be.  In Strangelove a rouge general has found a loophole in the US attack plans in cold war times.  Without the proper authority he sends dozens of bomber planes to attack the USSR.  An action that will surely result in a full on nuclear war.  Once the US president finds out, his choices become clear, either: comitt 100% to a full on attack of Russia or speak to the Soviets and order them to shoot down all the US planes.  The later is chosen, but one plane evades the Russians and makes an effort to bomb a new target.

While all this doesn't sound very funny, it only gets worse.  Apparently the Soviets had completed a doomsday device in which any attack on Russian soil will launch an planet wide launch of nuclear weapons.  Wiping out all of humanity. 

This is Kubrick's playground and he takes full advantage of it.  The humor in this film ranges from clever word play to down right absurdity.  This movie stops at nothing short of a pie fight to evoke laughter.  The characters (and character names) in the movie are by today's standards not as ridiculous as they should be.  And that is really the most frightening thing about this movie. 

The reason I admire this movie so much goes far beyond the great script and wonderful acting.  It is Kubrick's camera and his attention to detail.  As I said earlier, he is a perfectionist and it shows in this film.  It is shot in a vast and starkly opposing black and white.  The cinematography is perfect.  Not good, perfect.  Kubrick's use of props and sets blows my mind.  The light around the war room round table is often times shown over the head of someone in the room, making him look like an angel.  The way he frames shots, is that of a master.

I won't get into anymore details right now.  I will say this is my favorite comedy and a masterpiece if ever there was one.  I give Dr Strangelove *****.

Movie #297 A Trip to the Moon *1902*

I haven't reviewed any short films so far in this blog, but I have to take credit for this one.  Made in 1902 A Trip to the Moon is widely considered the first ever Science Fiction film.  It is about a group of would be astronauts that prepare and eventually journey to the moon.  Once there they must fight off "moon monsters".  They make a harrowing escape back to the confines of earth and their legions of adoring fans.

Georges Melies is the director of this film.  He is credited with 552 films between the years of 1896 and 1913.  Even considering that most of his films were under 15 minutes, that is an unimaginable feet by todays standards.  That averages out to a film every 11 days!

I will spare you a detailed analysis of this movie or more of Melies work, but I recommend that you go to Wikipieda and read up on him.  Or at the very least go to YouTube and watch some of his films.  They are mostly in public domain and free to view.

Movie #296 Henry: A Portrait of a Serial Killer *1986*

Lead by a great performance from character actor Michael Rooker, Henry is an after school special like movie about the dangers of serial killers.  The movie is set in Chicago and tells the story of Henry.  A ex-con who allegedly killed his mother.  He now works bit jobs and lives with another ex-con / sexual deviant, Otis and Otis' little sister.  Henry's real passion though is killing.

This movie is based on the life of a real person named Henry Lee Lucas who was reportedly responsible for nearly 600 murders.  One of his practices was that he wouldn't fall into cliches for serial killers.  Meaning; he didn't also kill woman, he didn't always cut them up or shoot them or hang them, he didn't always kill whites or blacks or adults or kids.  He killed anyone and usually did it for no real reason other than it was like a passion for him.  He even get's Otis involved with his obsession.  At first Otis is bothered by the thought of killing innocent people, but he is a quick convert.

The little sister in the film falls in love with Henry, not knowing of his "hobby".  She has had a checkered past with an abusive father and brother that is constantly trying to molest her even still.

The movie is bleak and gruesome.  If not in its depiction of violence then in its themes of hedonism and nihilism.  One of the most disturbing sections of the film is where Otis and Henry have obtained a VHS camcorder.  They use this camera to record some of their murders.  I thought these scenes worked very well and still held up even today with the resurgence of "found footage" horror films.  There is something about watching horrific events play out on very amateur recording devices that adds some authenticity to the piece.

I thought Henry was a well crafted and well executed (minor pun intended) film.  It does look a bit dated, but that can add to the atmosphere.  I give Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer ★★★1/2.

Movie #295 Rasing Arizona *1987*

I have already reviewed this gem from the Coen Brothers so here are my 3 Reasons to see it:

Reason #1. The Coen's use of language.  It blows my mind that they can write in so many different styles. 

Reason #2.  The chase scenes.  They pay homage to The Blues Brothers, Evil Dead, Keystone Cops and still feel fresh and wholly original.  

Reason #3.  Holly Hunter has never been better.

I give Raising Arizona ★★★★.

Movie #294 Hobo with a Shotgun *2011*

I couldn't wait to see this movie.  I almost rented it for like $12 a few months ago, but I decided to wait until it hit Netflix.  It was worth the wait.

I bet you are wondering what this movie is about.

The film was made in part because of the Grindhouse films that Quentin Tarintino and Robert Rodeguiez made.  They had a contest for the best fake trailer and this films entry won.  It was then made into a feature film.

The Hobo in the title is played wonderfully by Ruter Howard.  He seems to be the only one playing it straight.  Or at least he is playing it like he is the only person that doesn't realize he is in a B movie.  The rest of the cast os totally over the top, and they are written that way.  It sort of funny at first, then it grew a little tiresome.  The prostitue was a bad actress, but she was cute.

The film had a definite visual style to it.  It was overloaded with color and over contrast.  The result was a film that doesn't look like anything else I have seen in a while, but there is probably a reason for that.

The town in the city where the hobo visits is ran by a gang of hedonistic gang members.  They don't seem to have any motivation.  They just wreak havoc where ever they go.  In my eyes this made them seem uninteresting and one dimensional.  I know, I am not supposed to be looking for character motivation in a movie where a bikini clad woman dances in the neck blood spewing from a decapitated head after a truck has ripped it off with a chain.  But violence for the sake of violence does nothing for me.  Also, I don't think I would have minded so much if the hobo was acting the same way.  But because he seems based in reality, it made the over the top aspects seem all the more fake.

All in all I enjoyed the film, but I am glad I waited to see it for free.  I give Hobo with a Shotgun a ★★★.

Movie #293 Scott Pilgrim vs the World *2010*

I have reviewed this movie once and given it 2 different 3 Reasons.  Look those up if you want to know what I think.  The fact that I have watched this movie that many times this year should tell you something.