Movie #139 The Double Life of Veronique *1991*

Irene Jacob - Veronique / Weronika
Krzysztof Kieslowski (Director)

My favorite podcast Filmspotting is doing a Kieslowski marathon.  I am not sure if this film is on tap to be reviewed on the show, but I hope that it is.  Double Life is a movie about two unrelated women.  Both of whom are played by the stunning Mrs Jacob.  These women have some sort of a bond between them.  It is never really explained by more that a few sentences in the movie.   The women look almost exactly alike, and both have a feeling that they are not alone in this world.  Other than that there is no interaction between them.  Weronika sees Veronique on a bus and Veronique accidentally takes a picture of Weronika, but that is as close as they ever get to realizing that they may be another person sharing their lives.

Weronika is a young beautiful singer living in Poland who has a deadly illness.  Veronique is a beautiful music teacher living in France who has a puppeteer admirer sort of stalking her through the picture.  Their stories are told one at a time with little overlap.

The entire film has a dreamy mood to it.  The use of color and shadow in the film is amazing.  I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, after lambasting Susperia (Movie #82) for its bold use of color for no reason.  But I don't entirely understand why the color palate was chosen, or why certain scenes were infused with soft greens, reds and yellows.  But it worked.  I felt almost drunk watching this film.

Another thing that I really liked about the movie was the use of the POV (Point Of View) shots.  They shots would often go from a master or a two shot into a POV without an edit.  This helped give the film that dream like quality.  That along with upside down shots and a few other off axis shots also made you question if what you are seeing is real.  I read up on the movie a little and apparently the music within is a big deal.  It is operatic and fits the style of the film very well. Zbigniew Preisner is the artist behind the music.

I really enjoyed this movie.  It left me wanting to see more works of Kieslowski.  I give The Double Life of Veronique ★★★1/2.  Check out the Trailer Par to see for yourself.  This movie is available on Blu Ray through Criterion Collection.  I highly recommend seeing it on Blu if you can.

Movie #138 Year One *2009*

Jack Black - Zed
Michael Cera - Oh
Juno Temple - Eema
June Diane Raphael - Maya
Harold Ramis (Director)

I first saw this prehistoric film in a second run theater south of Chicago.  I was on a business trip and the days activities had been cut short so I did what I usually do and that is look for a theater that is playing something that I haven't seen.  Year One was on my list to watch mostly because of Michael Cera.  I am not a big Jack Black fan, but some of his more broad work is acceptable.  Year One is not one of those films.

Year one is the story of a couple of misfit cavemen.  They are kicked out of their tribe and forced to seek a life else where.  From this point on the films premise is "What would happen if these two were to come into contact with bible characters"?  How funny would it be if a caveman met Cane and Able?  How many laughs could you get out of a caveman interfering with Abraham and his sacrifice?  The answers are not very funny and not many laughs.

Normally I am down with spoofing the christian religion.  I remain unaffiliated and therefore can take pleasure in mocking, spoofing, poking fun at, and generally laughing at all the worlds religions.  I think where the movie went wrong is instead of taking the comedic rich material already printed in the bible, they added the caveman element wrecked the whole thing.

Jack Black is just not funny in this.  His shtick grows tired before he even gets out of the forest.  Michael Cera (my boy) manages to get a few laughs with his near perfect timing and "shoe gazing hipster of a caveman".  Even cavemen had to be teenagers at some point right?  There are a few good bits with some big name cameos.  Paul Rudd and David Cross play Cane and Able in a gag that made me laugh a little.  Hank Azaira is funny as Abraham (even though his part goes on for WAY too long).  I don't know what the heck Oliver Platt is doing in this film, other than not being funny.

The female roles in this movie have little to do, but the actresses who played them make the most of what they are given.  I thought both June Diane Raphael and Juno Temple were lovely and mildly funny.  As a whole the movie kinda stinks.  I watched it this time with the kids on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  There are worse ways to pass a rainy weekend.  The film is directed by Harold Ramis of Caddy Shack, Stripes and Ghost Busters fame.  He didn't live up to that collection with this film.

I give Year One ★★.  I have to steal a line from someone I read when this film came out.  Apparently comedy wasn't invented until year two. Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

If Country Strong wins best song I'll shut my TV off!

C'on Banksy!!!

I know my sound mixing and sound editing!

2/7 so far. The Academy really botched it giving The Kings Speech the screenplay over Kids are All alright.

Here we go. Hollywoods biggest night. I'm Social Network all the way!

Movie #137 Sweet Smell of Success *1957*

Tony Curtis - Sidney Falco
Burt Landcaster - JJ Hunsucker

Alexander Mackendrick (Director)

This is the sexiest "ugly movie" I can remember.  That is to say that the themes in this movie are greed, desperation, jealousy, ruthless ambition and dominance while the images and verbiage are gorgeous.  JJ Hunsucker is a gossip columnist for a NY newspaper.  He is an amoral cut-throat with a razor sharp tongue and a sinister disposition to match.  His down on his luck lackey is Sidney Falco.  Falco is a snide, slimy little weasel that would rat out his own mother to get a spot in Hunsuckers column.

The plot revolves around Falco attempting to break up the relationship between JJ's sister and her fiance.  A jazz musician that while being a half-way intelligent/stand up guy, he is no match for the depravity of Falco and the influence and callousness of Hunsucker.  He quickly becomes the mench. 

The relationship between brother and sister is a lit bit of an uncomfortable one.  JJ loves his sister.  A little too much.  The film never really hints at any foul play, but his intense feeling for his sister made me squirm a little.

Speaking of squirming, Tony Curtis is superb as Falco.  Known for his pretty boy roles, Curtis really breaks his own mold in this film.  He shows charm and charisma all the while slowly turning the knife in your back.  At one point he basically pimps out a female that had turned to him for help all in an effort in get a smear line in a rival paper.  Lancaster is great as JJ too.  The first scene we meet him he is having lunch with an "agent", his "talent" and an unexpecting Senator.  The way Lancaster emotionally breaks down everyone at the table simply by spewing his vitriol hooked me for the rest of the movie.

Fortunately the film doesn't rest on the power of its performances.  This is one of the shaprest scripts that I can remember.  Any fan of this years The Social Network (or at least its screenplay) should check out this movie.  The rapid fire dialogue reminded me a lot of the films of Howard Hawks.  you just don't hear people deliver lines like this anymore.  Then there is the direction.  The director had made The Ladykillers and would go on to make The Guns of the Naverone, but this is a true noir unlike any of his other films.  The pace is even and the atmosphere is tense and uneasy. 

I loved the music for this movie.  With a staring role is The Chico Hamilton Quintet.  They have a very 60's "beat" sound that works great for this film.  The entire picture had sort of a beatnik feel to it.  The film reminded me a lot of Citizen Kane.  I know that is high praise, but is about the newspaper business.  And I am sure anyone would agree with me that the themes are similar in both pictures. Also Glengary Glenn Ross came to mind while I watched this movie.  That should be a big plus too.

Sweet Smell of Success has just been re-released by The Criterion Collection on Blu-Ray.  I give the film ★★★★1/2.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #136 The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid *1972*

Cliff Robertson - Cole Younger
Robert Duval - Jesse James
Philip Kaufman (Director)
 
Who wouldn't want to watch a movie where one of America's most talented actors (Robert Duval) plays outlaw Jesse James?  The answer would be anyone that had the displeasure of watching The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid.

This movie is told with a very Dukes of Hazard story structure.  It open with a lousy narration, then cuts to establishing shot after establishing shot that leads to no where.  I had feelings that this film was a westernploitation import flick from Australia.  The movies director would later go on to direct very good movies.  I guess he was just getting his feet wet with this one.

The story is just what the title says. It is the events leading up to, during and the aftermath of the largest bank robbery attempt of its time.  This film sucked.  I lost interest very quick and it did nothing to regain it.  The production value was really low as well.  It neither looked or sounded very good.  The images were poorly lit and even more poorly staged.  The action and pace of the film was off from the beginning. 

The script had a few moments of promise, but the next scene was so totally out in left field that I didn't want to follow one of the most well known and idolized stories in American history.  I will give the film credit for that.  It took the story of Jesse James and made it dull, lifeless and nonsensical. 

There was a baseball game in the middle of the film that went on forever.  The film spent a lot of time on Cole's fascination with mechanics, but then when pressed to open a safe he couldn't.  The music was weak and annoying at times.  I am going to stop writing about this movie because I don't think I have a single positive thing to say about it.  I give The Great Northfeild Minnesota Raid ★1/2 .  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Criterion Collection Sale

The Criterion Collection is celebrating 50,000 fans on Facebook by offering a code that allows their "friends" to buy all their DVD and Blu Ray's on their website for 50% off.  The rub is that the deal is only going on for 50,000 seconds.  I picked up the following titles:

















































































































I got all these (4 DVD and 4 Blu Ray) for under $150!

Movie #135 Holy Rollers *2010*

Jesse Eisenberg - Sam Gold
Justin Bartha - Yosef
Ari Graynor - Rachel
Kevin Asch (Director)

My girlfriend and I have a bit of an inside joke.  While trying to explain if we enjoyed a movie or not we will start by saying "It's a well made movie".  That basicly means that there wasn't anything wrong with the film, but it wasn't entertaining in any way.  It is a polite way to say "I have had more interesting blackouts".

Holy Rollers is a well made movie.  It is the story (based on actual events) of a small gorup of Hasidic Jews in New York that got involved in a drig smuggling ring.  This unlawful organization had them running fack and forth from Europe to NY trafficing Extasy.  Why Hasid's?  Airport security never stopped them.

This film is the first feature of Kevin Asch.  I joke that it is a well made movie, but it really is.  It is not great ever, and it is pretty bland throughout (espicially considering all the potential for excitement, exotic locations and danger) but his techincal skills are there.  You could see that the nothing was done sloppy, it just wasn't interesting.  I mean you have the Hasidic cluture, a branch of Jewism that not many people (including myself) know much about and I feel like I didn't learn anything about their ways or beliefs.  You have a Central Europe drig scene, but the shots in the clubs and with the "gangsters" were sterile and polished.  I wanted gritty and dangerous.

The brightest light in the movie for me was Ari Graynor.  She is a beauty to behold and she did a fine job in the role of the Jewish temptrest.  You might have seen her in Nick and Norahs Infinite Playlist or Youth in Revolt. I think she has a bright future in front of her.  I would love to see her oppsite Emma Stone in a female Sherlock Holmes type.  Who am I kidding?  I would watch the two of them in anything!

Jesse Eisenberg (of Social Network fame) is the lead role in this.  He does a fair job with a weak, watered down script.  The other performances aren't really worth mentioning.  They aren't bad, they just aren't very good.  I give Holy Rollers **1/2.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #134 Le Samourai *1967*

Alain Delon - Jef Costello
Francois Perier - Superintendent
Cathy Rosier - Valerie
Jean-Pierre Melville (Director)

This is one of my all time favorite films.  I will keep my review brief instead of ranting on and on singing this films praises.  Le Samourai is the quintessential hitman movie.  Alain Delon plays Jef Costello with such poise and cool that I consider him to be the French Steve McQueen. The directive style is minimalism with expositions of action.  Melville is my favorite French director (sorry Godard and Trauffaut). 

In the French New wave there was this "Style = Substance" mentality.  It worked for many of the films and helped to redefine the rules of cinema.  While at times this theory sparked creativity and radicalism, at other times it fragmented any narrative to the point of banality and eventually boredom. What Melville did with his pictures was to take the principals of the FNW and apply them into his stories that were filled with plot and suspense.  Melville used the rules of cinema and the concepts of to turn even mostly still moments into gut wrenching scenes.  One demigod to the FNW was Alfred Hitchcock.  He used his camera to create suspense.  He didn't simply rely on the story.  Melville learned this better than any other director of the time.

Le Samourai is about a hitman that completes a job then gets investigated by the police.  When his employers find out about the legal complications they hire an assassin to kill off Costello.  Another thing that makes this film so enjoyable is the believable detective work.  Costello is super cool under pressure and doesn't get rattled no matter how bad things get.  But the Superintendent is a worthy adversary.  This is not a point that should be overlooked.  I maintain that one major factor that makes a movie like this successful is that the viewer has to believe that the bad guy (or in this case the good guys) can bring down their opponent.  Look at The Dark Knight.  Batman is kind of a secondary character in that film.  It is the Joker that made that movie a hit.  Yes, Heath Ledgers performance is among the all time greats (in my not so humble opinion).  But we as viewers get invested into that story because we actually believe that the Joker could get the best of Batman.  Day of the Jackal is another great example of this.  The Jackal is a deadly professional killer, but the police that are after him keep him sweating and on his toes.

One could call this movie a police procedural, and it certainly has elements of that type of film making, but I think that would be a backhanded compliment.  The procedural aspects of the film (the line up and the chase though the subway) are among my favorite moments.  Le Samourai subverts most simple genre outlines.  This is mastery film making at it's finest.  I give Le Samourai *****.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.  This film is available through the Criterion Collection. 

Movie #133 Ten *2002*

Mania Akbari - Herself
Amin Maher - Himself
Abbas Kiarostami (Director)

Abbas Kiarostami is a director that I have been wanting to check out for a long time.  He started making waves in the international film circuit in the early 90's even though he had been making film for almost 20 years at that time.  He is an Iranian film maker who makes Iranian films.  A sometimes dangerous profession in that country.

Ten is an interesting film.  That is a terrible way to start off a review, but I don't know how much I can speak about this movie.  It is a documentary of sorts.  The entire films is shot on the dashboard of a car.  The only shots are of either the driver, Akbari or her passengers.  The passengers range from her brat of a child, to her sister, a friend, an old woman she gives a ride to and a prostitute that gets in the car when she isn't looking.

I say this is a documentary of sorts because you can tell some of the situations are staged.  One thing I will not forget for a while is the son, Amin.  Mania is a progressive Iranian woman, standing up for herself, working, divorcing Amin's father because he didn't treat her well.  Amin (I think) is used to represent the traditional Iranian male.  He is very abusive towards his mother.  He calls her horrible names and talks back and is totally disrespectful towards her.  A position that is allowed and encouraged by many Iranian men.

The opening shot is 17 minutes of dialogue between mother and child.  I wanted to beat the crap out of the kid and I didn't know if I was going to be able to finish the films if it were only about their relationship.  But fortunately Kiarostami gives his viewers a break from the family drama, but not for long.  We then get a parable about falling in love from a friend that has lost a man and is a wreck, a sister that lost a man and shaves her head to reveal a beautiful / strong woman, and a prostitute that has a different man every 30 minutes.  We can contrast all these relationships and their concepts of "love".

As a whole there is only so much you can do with 2 digital cameras mounted on the dashboard of a car.  I will say that I enjoyed the movie and I am interested in seeing more of the directors work, but I need a little more visually.  I enjoy minimalism as much as the next guy, but this film pushes the limits.  I give Ten ★★★.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #132 Fantastic Mr Fox *2009*

George Clooney - Mr. Fox
Meryl Streep - Mrs. Fox
Jason Schwartzman - Ash
Bill Murry - Badger
Willem Defoe - Rat
Wes Anderson (Director)

Let me geek out on the technical elements of this film for a moment then I will provide my review.  Wow!  Fantastic Mr Fox is a stop-motion-animation film based on the book by Roald Dahl.  It is the story of a former chicken thief fox who has been domesticated.  He has two longings:  To be something bigger than he is, and to feel the rush of thievery again. 

Wes Anderson directed this animated gem and my God what a feat.  I saw this in theaters and had a blast watching it.  I also was stunned by the visual and left wondering "How'd he do that".  I can now find out.  I purchased the Blu Ray with all the extra features.  I can't believe everything that goes into a stop-motion film.  They take 32 pictures for 1 second of film.  In between each picture the dolls have to be moved ever so slightly.  That way, wen sped up they appear to be moving at a normal pace.

There were something like 24 different sets with hundreds of dolls that were in the process of being shot at any given day.  These dolls came in 4 sizes each so that they could films different depths of focus.  Big dolls for close up's and tiny dolls for wide or long shots.  Then just to make things even more difficult, have the most attention to detailed director working today make this movie.  Everything had to be perfect.  When shooting a diner scene, a plate the size of a dime had to have the same print as a diner plate Anderson ate on while in Bali. It is crazy the amount of precision that went into this film.

Now for the review.  It is bad ass.  Clooney is pitch perfect (pun intended) in his voice work for Mr Fox.  He has a cocksuredness that has a tiny bit of inadequacy woven in.  Like a knight armor with a hairline fracture in it.  Meryl Streep...Meryl Streep.  I don't think I need go on there.  I love Willem Defoe as the Rat.  he is sort of a long time rival of the fox.

The story is not a typical Hollywood one.  There are some real moments of truth in this picture.  The characters are forced to deal with issues (both external and internal) that most film makers wouldn't touch.  Forget about doing so in a kids movie.  Pixar is about the only studio I can think of that has enough balls to do this on any sort of regular basis.  Noah Baumbach co-wrote the script and it is noticeable.  He signature melancholy is all over this picture.  One thing that I love about the script is that it deals with a concept like "you can't change what you're made of" in a really original way.  The characters in the film stand upright, talk, even read and paint.  But they know at the end of the day that they are still wild animals.  I really enjoy the way that Anderson deals with that towards the end of the film.

I loved Fantastic Mr Fox when I saw it in the theater and I love it now even more that I can see how they did the wonderful shots like the cider cellar and the quarry and the waterfall.  I give Fantastic Mr Fox ★★★★.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #131 Jackie Brown *1997*

Pam Grier - Jackie Brown
Samuel L. Jackson - Ordell Robbie
Robert Forster - Max Cherry
Robert De Niro - Louis Gara
Bridget Fonda - Melanie Ralston
Michael Keaton - Ray Nicolette

Quentin Tarantino (Director)

I remember the first time I saw Jackie Brown like it was yesterday.  I was a cold Midwestern night and I was a cinematic neophyte.  It was QT's prior film Pulp Fiction that turned me on to the art of film making and made me realize that the medium of film could be more than simple entertainment.  This was the most excited I had ever been to see a movie.  After seeing Pulp I began absorbing everything movie through a Tarantino filter.  I went back and watched his first film Reservoir Dogs.  I watched Four Rooms.  I watched True Romance and Natural Born Killers.  All of which he wrote, directed or both.  All of which had movie references littered throughout.  I watched all the movies referenced.  I watched the other films made by these directors.  I studied Tarantino and watched he friends films, I watched his favorite films.  I watched just about everything I could get my hands on that had anything at all to do with QT.

I remember standing in line to see Jackie Brown with a smile on my face so big and so pronounced that I can still remember the mussels in my face hurting.  I finally took my seat and there it started.  An opening that was a direct homage to The Graduate.  Pam Grier on a people mover at the airport. Across 110th Street was blasting through the speakers (a 1970's blaxploitation reference).  I was in film geek heaven. 

Jackie Brown was based on the book Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard, an author who I have actually read some of his books.  It is the story of a down-on-her-luck flight attendant who is smuggling money in the country for a small time arms dealer.  When the DEA busts her, she acquires the help of her bail bondsman and then sets out to fool them all and make out like a bandit.  If you have ever read any Leonard then you would know that my description matches most of his work.  I is kind of like saying the Coen Brother movie where the guy finds some money and get into a situation that he can't get out of.

But with Jackie Brown you have all the QT touches.  You get an awesome soundtrack, titillating banter, camera work like you won't find anywhere else, perfect close-up's, performances that will blow your mind and so on and so on.

Watching Jackie Brown again it was the performances that struck me the most.  I watched this with a friend and I was stunned at how good everyone in it is.  They all know exactly what they are supposed to be doing.  I give a lot of credit to the actors of course, but QT gets a fair amount of props as well.  Pam Grier is perfect.  If you casted this film every 10 years for the next 1,000 years you would never get a better performance.  First off there is her natural beauty, then she brings A TON to this role.  Being a former star then getting left behind as did so many of the black actors of the 70's, she had a bruised ego that you can't "act".  It is either there or it isn't and the only way to get it is to have been on top and then hit rock bottom and stay there for a long while.  QT has a line in Death Proof "There is little more fetching than an angle with a bruised ego."

Then you get to Robert Forster (the bail bondsman).  Once upon a time he had been a big time character actor in quite a few movies that cinephiles geek out on.  Until Jackie Brown he had been doing work on TV shows like Walker Texas Ranger and Murder She wrote.  QT really went out on a limb by hiring actors that Hollywood were past their prime (Grier, Forster, even Keaton).  Forster is amazing as Max Cherry.  He never seems too big nor too small for the role.  I commented to my friend on just how natural he was.

Of course Sam Jackson knocked a role that might as well have been written for him right out of the park.  De Niro seemed a little out of place as the goof ball ex-con, but his scenes with Bridget Fonda were pretty good. There are a few notable other bit roles, but in the consideration of time I will bypass them.

One thing I love about QT's movies is that you don't have to know all the movie references to appreciate his films.  He gets criticized a lot for not being original enough, or being too dirivitive.  His detractors say that anyone can take segments of their favorite films and make a movie.  I say "then do it".  Why aren't people doing it?  The reason is that it is not that easy.  Many have tried.  Once Pulp hit there was a surge of copycat films (2 Days in the Valley) that tried to do what QT does and they couldn't.  The thing about his films is that if you can catch that Sid Haig, who plays the judge in Jackie Brown, was also a bad guy in the movie Foxy Brown with Pam Grier in 1974 then you receive a bonus.  But if not, there is no detriment to the viewer.  He doesn't punish the common viewer for not having a cinematic roladex like he has.

Many people refer to Jackie Brown as QT's "grown-up" film.  I think that this is in response to the change of pace and style (sort of) from Pulp.  Jackie Brown is far more of a character study then any of his other films.  I think people associate that with maturity.  I feel like QT came to maturity with Pulp.  Dogs was his adolescence and everything after has been a grown man making grown film.  I place Jackie Brown in the bottom half of QT's films, but that is not a knock.  He hasn't made a film that I don't absolutely love.  I give Jackie Brown ★★★★1/2.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #130 La Strada *1954*

Anthony Quinn - Zampano
Giulietta Masina - Gelsomina
Richard Basehard - Il Matto
Frederico Fellini (Director)

I watched La Strada over the course of a couple of days.  I kept getting pulled away for other things.  I think this would be better appreciated in one sitting, but here goes the review anyway.

La Strada is about a gypsy that buy a woman from her mother because the family is starving.  Traveling by a half motorcycle half mobile home he takes her all over Italy as his assistant.  He treats her like property most of the time, and occasionally acts out violently towards her. 

The woman is Giulietta Masina in the role of Gelsomina.  This is only the 3rd Fellini film I have ever seen, but it is far and away the most humanistic.  And that is due largely to Masina and her performance.  She reminded me of a female Chaplin.  She has one of the most expressive faces I have ever seen.  She can convey every thought, feeling, and yearning with a simple break of a smile or a turn of her head away.

Gelsomina doesn't want to admit it, but she enjoys the nomad lifestyle.  She even falls in love with Zampano although she never says it.  You can see it in her face.  It is an uncomfortable love.  He is her master for all practical purposes, but we can see that she is hurt when he "cheats on her" with women from the towns they visit.  She conveys the pain and disappointment in her by mearly dipping her head.  Maybe even shame and pity for him.

The him is Anthony Quinn who is good in his role, but pales in comparison to Masina.  Another performance is that of Richard Basehard as Il Matto or "The Fool".  He is charming and silly.  He is more like the Italian clown that I was expecting from this movie, but even his character has depth and resonance. 

This is the earliest of Fellini's films that I have seen. Often times with the first works in a directors cannon you can see their potential, but not their brilliance.  That is not the case here.  I would say that La Strada is no much like the other 2 Fellini films that I have seen (8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita).  I would rank 8 1/2 first (and one of the 10 best movies ever made), La Strada second and La Dolce Vita third.

I saw this picture on Netflix Watch Instant in High Def and it looked amazing.  It wasn't letter-boxed, but I didn't mind it so much after a while.  The cinematography was crazy good.  Fellini captured Italy in a way that few directors have been able to do with their films.  Even fewer when restricted to black and white.  Jules Dassin and Woody Allen both paid tribute to New York with Manhattan and The Naked City respectively.  

If this film did anything to me, it made me rearrange my Netflix Queue.  I now have Night of Cabiria in the #1 position.  It is another Fellini film staring Masina in a huge role.  She carries the film I am told.  I can't wait to see it and her again.  I give La Strada ★★★1/2.   La Strada is available on Blu Ray through the Criterion Collection.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

X-Men: First Class - Trailer 1 (OFFICIAL)

***Attention Thor, Captain America, The Green Lantern and The Green Hornet***
***This is how you make a frecking superhero movie trailer***

Movie #129 Pierrot le Fou *1965*

Jean-Paul Belmondo - Pierrot / Ferdinand
Anna Karina - Marianne Renoir
Jean-luc Godard (Director)

I have heard that Godard's movies are more fun to talk about than they are to watch.  I disagree with that theory.  Now at times I did catch myself looking down at my watch during Pierrot, but just because a movie drags in a few places doesn't make it boring or not interesting to watch.  Honestly, even when Godard's films get boring they are still fun to watch.

Pierrot le Fou is about a cool hipster husband that runs of with the even more cool babysitter.  They shack up in her place for the evening.  Once morning comes around it is shown that there is a dead body in the room, but no one seems to either notice or care.  Eventually they have to flee Paris and the gangsters that are after them. At this point it becomes a road trip romance, but without a drop of sentimentality.

I love the way in which Godard deals with plot.  He discards it.  He is substance through style.  The style is almost a character in the film. The use of vivid color and irrelevant dialogue are staples of Godard's later work.  He was a staple of the French New Wave and this is another crowning achievement in that movement.

The movie has reflections on tons of other films and genre's.  I bet that Shawn of the Dead director Edgar Wright loves Godard.  I can see the influence in his approach to film making.  It references old MGM gangster movies, American Musicals, Bogart pictures, and so forth.

The performances are hard to gauge because it is difficult for me to understand what they are getting at because so much of what they are saying is tongue in cheek or irrelevant to the already thin story line.  I will say this about the performances.  Belmondo is f'ing cool and there is no two ways about it.  You want "cool" personified?  Belmondo, Alain Delon and Peter Fonda is a pretty good place to start.  Then there is Anna Karina.  What a beauty.  She is absolutely breath taking in this movie. She was good in Bande, but she may be the first manic pixie dream girl in cinema history.

I enjoyed watching this movie a lot and I am having a very difficult time describing why.  Maybe because I haven't slept much in the past 24 hours, or maybe that old adage about Godard's film is flat wrong.  I give Pierrot le Fou ★★★1/2.  This movie is available on Netflix Watch Instant and on Blu Ray through the Criterion Collection.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #128 American Grindhouse *2010*

Robert Forster - Narrator
John Landis - Himself
Allison Anders - Herself
Elijah Drenner (Director)


I love movies about movies.  American Grindhouse is a documentary about a classification of movies known as Grindhouse or Exploitation films.  When I think of an Exploitation flick I usually harp back to the gritty movies of the 70's.  Movies with titles like "Caged Heat", "Blackula", "Hell is for Children" and "The One Arm Swordsman".  Exploitation movies generally were made with little to no budget.  They were largely directed, produced and written by independent film makers in a time when "indy films" meant something.  It meant you were on your own.  There was no one to market your movie.  There was no Harvey Wienstien or Miramax to distribute your picture.  If you were and independent film maker you went out on the road and played you movie at every screen, theater, picnic and side of a barn that would let you.

An Exploitation movie was a movie that had something to exploit.  Women, African Americans, Teens, etc.  The films were made fast and cheap.  They were made outside of the studio system and shown in smaller, cheaper theaters.  This way they could completely avoid censorship boards like the MPAA.  Therefore they could show nudity, gore, sex, violence, you name it.  They more taboo the better.



The term "Grindhouse" has duel meanings.  The first meaning comes from the theaters that would show exploitation films.  These theaters would run a film for a weekend then put a new movie in the next weekend.  These films (and film makers) would travel from town to town.  Because of the theaters high turnover they really cranked out the movies.  Cranked out....Grinded them out....Grindhouse.  The second meaning comes from the content of the movies.  Like I said, they were not afraid to show nudity or even sex.  Where in a burlesque show you might get a lap dance (grinding) "Grindhouse" referred to a theater where naked women could be seen.  Often time the actresses were active burlesque dancers.

I could have told you all this before seeing American Grindhouse.  I am in no way an expert on these films, but I have seen quite a few of them and the history of American Cinema has been an interest of mine for some time.  Along with all its ugly spots.  The documentary is basically a collection of talking heads that were either directed related to the Grindhouse movement, or film historians in some sense.  I particularly enjoyed listening to John Landis talk about Grindhouse films.  He is knowledgeable on the subject and he has razor sharp wit.  Robert Forster was a good narrator.  He of course stared opposite of Pam Grier in QT's Jackie Brown.  A film that owes a lot to Grindhouse cinema.

In the 90's and 00's there was a small Grindhouse revival.  Quentin Tarintino and Robert Rodriguez teamed up for a double feature called Grindhouse.  RR directed the campy yet redux of grindhouse cinema called Planet Terror.  QT however I feel created a true Grindhouse picture with Death Proof.  An homage to slasher flicks and mussel car pictures.  I think that Death Proof could have played right next to any of that era's movies without notice.

All in all the documentary was serviceable.  I was able to add a few movies to my Netflix queue that the movie talked about.  I was surprised at how many of the films I had seen.  The doc also went deeper into the history of indy film than I knew about.  If any of these topics hold any interest to you, then I would recommend American Grindhouse.  I give the flick ★★★.  I watched this movie that is in select theaters now on Netflix Watch Instant.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #127 Picnic at Hanging Rock *1975*

Rachel Roberts - Mrs. Appleyard
Margaret Nelson - Sara
Karen Robson - Irma
Jacki Weaver - Minnie
Peter Weir (Director)

Peter Weir has a style.  That is undeniable.  While watching Picnic at Hanging Rock I instantly started thinking about other films in that Weir style.  Of course the first thing to come to mind was another Weir film that I recently reviewed, Fearless (Movie #101).  But then it stuck me.  Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko I think was heavily inspired by the films of Mr Weir if not Hanging Rock in particular.

The dark ominous sound-scape, the hints of mysticism, the lucid camera work, the transgressive nature of the story.  It's all there in both films.  As I watched more of the movie even more films came to mind. I reviewed Suspira (Movie #82) a couple of months ago. Both of these movies conduct similar use of music and tone.  Both audible and visual tone.  I of course can't say that Argento was inspired by Hanging Rock, but it would be a great coincidence to see such similar shots and sounds in two films made only a few years apart.  The biggest difference is that Hanging Rock is a good movie!

The story behind Hanging Rock is one of a boarding school in Australia for girls.  They are being raised in a very prim and proper way.  This is the most British film I have ever seen made in and about Australia.  One day the class goes on a field trip to Hanging Rock.  Four students go off exploring and only 1 returns.  A teacher goes looking for the missing girls and she doesn't return.  The rest of the movie is a bout the impact this has on the school and the town near the tourist attraction.

Weir creates a supernatural melodrama with hanging rock.  His uses sounds and rumblings along with 360 degree camera movements to confuse and get his viewers as lost as the girls in the story.  But it is more than that.  He uses the fear of the unknown (both Hanging Rock and Australia as a whole) to and imply that perhaps there is something going on that is spiritual and maybe even sinister.  When the music evolves from a deep bass grumble, Zamphir and his pan flute is heard.  The pan flute has been used in many films to evoke a sense of the paranormal.

The performances are all good in the movie.  I enjoyed seeing Jacki Weaver in another film besides Animal Kingdom (Movie #18).  She is good in the role, but not used much.  The children actors are all sound and the head of the school is near sadistic.  She reminded me a lot of Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest.  I will throw out one more cinematic similarity.  Lars Von Trier's Anti-Christ has a lot of nature scenes that reminded me a lot of this film.  I think might have been lifted right off the screen.

Overall I enjoyed this movie quite a bit.  It is a little meandering and I can only watch Brit's for so long, but the end result is clearly a very inspirational movie that left me both entertained and engaged.  I give Picnic at Hanging Rock ★★★★.  This movie is available on Netfilx Watch Instant and on Blu Ray through The Criterion Collection.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Moive #126 Lust for Life *1956*

Kirk Douglas - Vincent Van Gogh
Anthony Quinn - Paul Gauguin
Vincente Minnelli (Director)

It is timely that I am reviewing this movie during the days leading up to the Oscars.  There is a term used now a days "Oscar Bait".  It refers to a performance that seems to be in line with what Oscar voters reward. 

These roles are: 

• Mentally or physically handicap
• The struggling artist
• Europeans
• Characters who must overcome insurmountable odds
• Characters based on real people

And so forth...

Any one of these gives you a leg up in the competition.  Combine these tropes to increase your odds.  This year we have Collin Firth playing the will-be King of England who happens to have a speech impediment, and will be taking over as king as Hitlers army's begin their attempt to take over the world.  That is why I have him as a lock in my Oscar pool.

I have to be honest and state that Lust for Life didn't hold my attention very well.  Usually I like to sit and watch an entire film in one sitting if possible.  If at home and I have to leave the room I will pause the movie.  During this movie I entered and exited several times.  I feel like very little was lost.

The movie is a very sterile 1950's Hollywood telling of the life and death of Vincent Van Gogh.  He began his work as a clergyman.  I didn't know that before the film.  Then he attempted to make himself a martyr for the small mining town where he was to be the priest.  A trend that would follow him throughout his entire life.  Another thing that I didn't know about Van Gogh was that he was not a brilliant painter from the first time he put brush to canvas.  I always assumed that he was.  I hear about the painting savants and I assumed he was one of them.  According to this movie he had to work and struggle to become a great artist.  

I think one of the shortfalls of the story is the lead actor.  That is rare of me to say about such a great talent as Kirk Douglas.  I think he was directed to be charming and a likable character.  Therefore, for me, when he would go on a rant or a "crazy spell" it was endearing and sympathetic when it needed to be violent and spiteful.  Another problem is the cleanliness of the movie.  These 50's MGM color roadshow attractions is that they were made to appeal to the largest audience possible.  You couldn't really show the grime and filth and debauchery that was prevalent during the days of Van Gogh.  Especially in Europe and even more so in Paris.

Quinn did provide a little life when he entered (he did win the Oscar for the role)  I wonder if maybe he had just gotten off the stage or if he was performing on a theater stage at night.  Because his performance was so large that  it was bigger than anything else on the screen.  He didn't fit in after a while and I grew tired of him.  There is not much of any real female presence in the movie.  And the music was hitting every emotional moment with a gong.  I like my music to be persuasive, not manipulative.  Even the sets are not good to the time period.  The entire movie had a very thrown together feel to it.

Another strange element of the movie was that it sort of served as a slideshow for Van Gogh's actual paintings.  There is a special message at the films into where they thank a series of different for their permission to shoot Van Gogh's art work.  I thought at first that this was going to be a cool interlude.  What ended up happening to me is that I felt like showing the art really made the movie choppy and messed with mood and pacing.

I have to give Lust for Life ★★.  Check out the trailer park to see for yourself.  I caught this film as part of TMC's 31 Days of Oscar programming.

The Black Keys - Howlin' For You (Official Video)

Jean luc Godard once said all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun. This movie might put that theroy to the test. It looks awesomly campy. A new Grindhouse treat. Also it features music and performances from one of my new favorite band The Black Keys.

Movie #125 Birdman of Alcatraz *1962*

Burt Lancaster - Robert Stroud
Karl Malden - Harvey Shoemaker
Teddy Savalas - Feto Gomez
John Frankenheimer (Director)


Macho.  That word brings a few names to mind right away.  Charles Bronson, Eastwood, Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen, James Coburn and a score of others.  The names listed are all male actors that reached the height of their success in the 60's or early 70's.  In the 80's everything changed.  "Macho" almost became a curse word.  The village people song Macho Macho Man even added a homosexual undertone to the word.  Men of courage, men of strong will and stronger opinions were a relic.  They were a generation past.  Then in the 90's these men were almost gone entirely from popular consciousnesses.  They were replaced with sympathetic, caring sensitive men.  The kinds of men that Marvin or Bronson would trompled over and used to wipe the bottoms of their boots. 

Personally I wouldn't add Burt Lancaster to this list.  He was in a rare group of actors that could bounce from role to role without carrying much typecasting around.  I would add Gregory Peck to that list as well.  In Birdman, Lancaster plays a convict without remorse for his crimes.  He has killed a few men.  Two while in prison.  But Lancaster doesn't make this guy into a monster.  He is simply a man of principal.  He does what he believes is right without regards to what society thinks is correct or proper. 

After butting heads more than a few times with the warden Storud is sent into solitary confinement.  Therein he finds a small bird in the yard and decided to nurse it.  This leads him on a journey to become one of the countries foremost experts on aviary science. The funny thing about this movie is that most of it does not take place in Alcatraz Prison.  I guess it helps to name that detention center when it comes time to sell tickets.  Even through this film was made in 1962, it has the feeling of a much older movie.  Yet one that is still relevant and entertaining and engaging.  I watched this with my daughters and it held their attention throughout.

One interesting relationship he has is with his mother.  The fights he got into were due in part to people either disrespecting or even just asking about his mother.  We later see that his mother has a very unhealthy control over her son.  He later meets a woman while in prison that he marries.  The puts the mother on a jealous tear.  Both the female performances were very good. 

While I wouldn't add Lancaster to my Top 5 Macho Men list, the director of the movie John Frankenheimer might compete for it.  This film along with The Manchurian Candidate are my 2 favorite of his films.  Both feature strong, if misguided, male characters.  Both are chocked full of testosterone.  Both have political implications. 

I loved Frankenheimer's camera work in this black and white movie.  The cinematography is great.  The film is a touching one with a good sense of humor to boot.  The music by Elmer Bernstien and pitch perfect (pun intended). 

The film reminded me of a lot of other prison movies, probably to no surprise.  I think one or two films might have borrowed from this one.  I watched this movie as part of TMC's 31 Days of Oscar event.  I give Birdman of Alcatraz ★★★★.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #124 Alamar *2009*

Jorge Machado - Himself
Natan Palombini - Himself
Pedro Gonzalez - Rubio (Director)

I am not going to spend a lot of time blogging about this documentary.  That isn't because I didn't like it, because I did.  A lot.  It is because everything about this film is short.  The run time is only 70 minutes.  The subject matter is a boy spending time with his father and grandfather fishing off the coast of Mexico.  The dialogue is minimal.  The only thing about this movie that is big is the setting.  The crystal waters of Quintina Roo, Mexico.

Almost the entire film is spent exploring the relationship of a father who doesn't see his beloved son much now that his marriage has ended.  Now that I think about it, I guess there really isn't that much exploration going on.  This is a document.  Here are the (breath taking) visuals, and here is the (sparse) conversations.  It is presented to the viewer without any preconceived notions or inflection.

I have been thinking a lot about documentary film making lately.  I think this is a great example of non-fiction film making.  This movie made a lot of critics "Best of..." lists this year.  I would say that it is deserving of all the acclaim it is getting and more.  I give Alamar ★★★★.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.  This film is available via Netflix Watch Instant.

Movie #123 White Dog *1982*

Kristy McNichol - Julie Sawyer
Paul Winfield - Keys
Burl Ives - Carruthers
Sam Fuller (Director)

If Sam Fuller made after school specials...

This is an awesome film!  It is 100%, totally ridiculous.  The plot is that a young actress finds a stray dog in the Hollywood Hills.  She adopts and cares for him.  But she notices that the dog has a mean streak in him.  Never towards her, but towards some of her friends.  She determines that it is an attack dog.  She takes the dog to see if it can be tamed.  This is where you find out a crazy ass secret about the dog that drives the rest of the story.  I won't spoil anything, but I so want to.

Kristy McNichol is very sweet and cute in the picture.  But Burl Ives, wow!  He chews up the scenery in every shot he is in.  His dialogue (as well as most of the characters) is terrible.  He has lines like "Ummm sour cream.  I love it!" And he plays them to the nines.  How good is a movie when Paul Winfield is the best thing in it.

The story is crazy and the set up's are ludicrous.  I am not usually one to recommend a "so bad it's good" movie, but I will make an exception for this film.  This movie was shelved by Paramount due to its themes that I promised not to talk about.

One nice thing about the movie is the camera work.  Some of it.  Fuller was getting on in years when he made this film.  I think he was trying to stay relevant with this.  Funny when his attempts to stay contemporary gets the film banned.  Despite all that, Fuller knows where to put his camera and this movie has some great shots in it.

In closing, if you watch this try not to notice the dog's mouth is clearly tapped up when they wanted him to look "mean".  You will drive yourself crazy trying to figure out how they did it.  Aslo try not to notice how face the blood on the dog looks.  I give White Dog ★★★.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.  This film is availible via Netflix Watch Instantly and through The Criterion Collection (I don't know how!)

Movie #123 Collapse *2009*

Michael Ruppert - Himself
Chris Smith (Director)

Whistle Blower, Alarmist, Prophet, Lunatic, Antagonist.  These are all names that the subject of the documentary Collapse have been called in the press.  Michael Ruppert is the creator of the newsletter From the Wilderness, a publication with intentions of exposing the "truth" behind government activities.  Especially those that have an air of conspiracy to them.  The articles in the newsletter have had subjects like:

• The CIA dealing drugs in the United States
• The federal government covering up activities in Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia
• Global warming in regards to cooperate knowledge and encouragement

The films centers on a very interesting subject that I knew little to nothing about.  Peak Oil.  Peak Oil is the point where oil manufacturing has reached it's peak.  Oil is a finite substance.  There is only so much to refine.  Ruppert is claiming that we have passed the 50% mark.  We are now producing oil at a rate faster than ever in order to keep up with our consumption.  Eventually we will run out of oil and Ruppert claims that there is nothing in place anywhere on earth to supplement this.

The doc did an excellent job of conveying the message of just how much we depend on oil.  At this very moment I am typing this blog on a plastic keyboard that contains oil.  If this is printed, the ink has oil.  Cars, tires, tractors, planes, plastics, any lubricants, almost everything that we use in a day has some natural oil or natural gas.

The doc only features Ruppert and he fills the running time with his rants and prophecies.  I found him to be an extremely fascinating character.  One thing I like about the doc is that is allows Ruppert all the rope he needs to hang himself.  He is an arrogant, self important figure.  His sarcasm and "I told you so" attitude allows for several uncomfortable moments.

To go along with the oil issue, the film touches on topics like over population, the financial collapse, mass agriculture and consumerism.  I enjoyed listening to Mr Ruppert, even if he seemed at times like chicken little.  If he is incorrect about the topic addressed, he provided me with food for thought.  If he is correct we all need to begin building bomb shelters and collecting organic seeds and shotgun shells.  This movie is availible via Netflix Watch Instant.  I gave the film ★★★.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #122 The Social Network *2010*

Jesse Eisenberg - Mark Zuckerberg
Andrew Garfield - Eduardo Saverin
Justin Timberlake - Sean Parker
Armie Hammer - The "Winklevie" twins
David Fincher (Director)

The Best Film of 2010 in my opinion.  This movie is so good I was afraid to watch it again.  This is not the first time that this has happened.  I watch a movie once, or I watch it a bunch and aquire a love for the film then I suddenly stop watching it.  I get scared that somehow it won't live up to its own hype that I have developed in my head.  The first time I watched this movie it was in a nearby college town with my girlfriend.  We left the theater and I knew right away that I had seen something special.  At the time I couldn't put it into words.  I hope I can do a better job of that now.

Let me start with the script.  The script was penned by Arron Sorkin.  The head writer for The West Wing and Sports Night television shows.  I (not one to watch television) have never seen so much as 1 episode of either of these programs, but I understand that they were both considered to be very well written and acted.  Mr. Sorkin is known for his ferocious, machine-gun-like dialogue.  This is completely on display.  "Words are like weapons".  I know that sounds trite, but there are no explosions, no car chases, no Mexican standoffs in this picture.  All the drama, all the suspense and all the vitriol comes from the spoken word.

And who is responsible for how those words are spoken?  David Fincher.  The director of Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to name a few.  But his responsibility doesn't stop there.  If you are in aggreance with the auter theory then you believe that a director is the creative force behind a film as a whole.  Of course they have to work with all sorts of people: Sound, effects, writters, camera and lighting, and so forth.  But all of those tasks are (or should be) in service of telling telling the story which is the job of the director.  In The Social Network Fincher's fingerprints are all over this movie.

Lets talk for a second about the sound and score.  The film was scored by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and Atticus Ross.  This is an electric, pulsating score that washes over you like a warm bath.  I tried to constantly notice the music in the film, but the movie is too damn captivating.  I couldn't focus on any one element of the movie because all of the elements are so well woven. 

In brief, The Social Network is the story of the founding of Facebook.  It is how a smartass 19 year old had (or stole) an idea to make a website that would change the way people communicate in first part of the 21st century.  Courtroom drama stuff?  It could have been in the hands of lesser talent.  Lesser film makers would have turned this story into another Pelican Brief or The Rainmaker or some other John Grishman stories.  Instead Sorkin and Fincher look deeper than that.  The themes in The Social Network are themes that have been in stories since stories were first told.  Revenge, greed, friendship, power, trust.

When I first watched the film I knew one thing.  The performance were mostly good but none of them were outstanding.  Eisenberg was very good in by far his most difficult role.  I loved Justin Timberlake in the newest version of Pontius Pilate, Sean Parker.  The only one that I didn't really care for was Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin.  I though he was not committed to the role. He seemed to be acting in front of a green screen while the rest of the cast was on set.  I don't know what changed with this viewing, but I take it back.  I felt this time around that he at least held his own with the rest of the cast.  At this point I need to mention Armie Hammer in the role of both twins.  My girlfriends favorite part: "I'm 6'5", 230lbs and there's two of me".  He is dreamy.  But seriously he was great.  I can't imagine playing two roles.  Twins.  They need to look and act similar, but they have to have different personalities.  And he pulled it off.  Also props to Fincher and his special effects team.

There is one scene that I want to talk about from solely a visual perspective.  That is the big rowing match on the Thames river.  I have no idea how Fincher achieved that look.  I have never seen anything that looked like that as far as I can remember.  I hope there is something on bonus content that explains how he made that segment look like that.

I could go on and on about this movie and I am sure that I will be watching it a few more times before the end of my year. I wish this film good luck at the Oscars.  I give The Social Network ★★★★★.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.   Wow.  I made it to the end of this blog and realized that I blogged about this movie already (Movie #25)  Check out that post as well!



http://365degreesoffilm.blogspot.com/2010/10/movie-25-social-network.html

Movie #121 The Devil's Backbone *2001*

Marisa Paredes - Carmen
Federico Luppi - Dr. Casares
Irene Visedo - Conchita
Eduardo Noriega - Jacinto
Guillermo del Toro (Director)

Set at the end of the Spanish civil war with Franco's Nationalists overtaking Spain, The Devil's Backbone is a film about loyalty, trust, friendship and faith.  The location is an orphanage fill with children of the war (a well that del Toro visits often).  The principal and head master are scraping trying to provide some sense of normality for these children.

Some time back a bomb was dropped in the courtyard, but tit didn't go off.  That same night a child (Santi) disappeared.  It is believed that he got scared and ran away, but the children speak of a voice the hear.  Perhaps the voice of a ghost.  Perhaps the voice of Santi.

The films starts with the arrival of a new boy, Carlos.  He is hazed at first, but soon proves his worth and forms an alliance with the other boys.  There is a handyman and his lover at the school.  He seems to be up to no good and has the children suspicious.

I was impressed with the special effects in this movie.  They were easy to see, but not corny.  They really added an element to the film that other directors would have tried to polish out more.  I am a fan of del Toro and now I know why.  It is his world building abilities.  In all his films (Pan's Labyrinth, Cronos and this film) he establishes a world and an atmosphere unlike any other director.  They should seem foreign or insane but some how it all makes sense within that world.

I loved the performances in this movie.  Marisa Paredes is one of the best things going.  She is in a lot of Almodovar's films and I have never seen her and not be captivated by her.  Federico Luppi was also in Cronos (Movie #78).  He was just as good in this film as he was in that one, which is a major complement. 

The Devil's Backbone is available on Netflix Watch Instant.  I give the film ★★★1/2.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #120 Wild Strawberries *1957*

Victor Sjostrom - Dr Isak Borg
Bibi Andersson - Sara
Ingrid Thulin - Maranine Borg
Ingmar Bergman (Director)


This is the second of Bergman film I have ever watched.  The first being The Seventh Seal.  I watched that film when I was much younger and to be truthful I don't remember that much about it.  Now, after having seen Wild Strawberries, I must go back and re-watch that film.

Wild Strawberries is a story about an aging doctor, Isak Borg, that has to travel to his boyhood home to receive an honorary degree from the university.  Along the way he discovers quite a few things about himself, his family, and life in general. 

His daughter-in-law rides with him and divulges some intimate secrets to him such as she is pregnant and that his only son despises him.  They stop along the way and the doctor has a flashback to his youth where in his first and true love rejects him for his brother.  Once back on the road they pick up some stranded teens and give them a ride.  The youngsters remind Borg of the innocence of youth.  Another stop on the journey is to the doctors mothers house where he see all the bitterness and disillusion in him manifested in his mother.  Yet again they stop and provide assistance to a married couple that nearly caused a car crash with them.  This couple bickers and spews forth such bile towards one another that Maranine pulls over and kicks them out.  Both Maranine and Dr Borg can't help but think of their failing or failed marital relationships.

Finally they arrive at the university and the ceremony begins.  This grand occasion that all has been looking forward to ends up being a an empty and non-redeeming event.  A formality without grandeur.  Not at all the fulfilling and justification the doctor has been looking for.

The end of the film is bittersweet in that I believe the doctor has learned the error of his ways and intends to correct what rights he can.  But he is clearly now in the autumn of his days and perhaps it is to late to enjoy life and provide grace to those around him.

This is an extraordinarily existential film, but I was amazed at how accessible it was.  There are some great dream sequences and flashbacks that are haunting and tender.  I got the feeling that this isn't an art film at all.  This is a commercial film.  I believe the movie intends to entertain and enlighten.  I wish more modern films could take this approach.

Finally I recognized several moments that had been "borrowed" by Woody Allen.  The entire plot is basically the premise for Woody's "Deconstructing Harry".  A film that I champion and believe is one of Woody's most under appreciated piece of work.  I place it high among his best films.

I give Wild Strawberries ★★★★.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.  This film is available on Netflix Watch Instantly.

Movie #119 Inception *2010*

This is going to be a brief post about Inception.  I have already blogged about this movie (Movie #98).  And in this review I noted that there is a excessive amount of exposition.  I seemed to be even more aware of all the explaining going on with this viewing.  Perhaps this is the case due to watching it with my father and step mother.  I felt like I needed to explain the movie in order to ensure that they were getting everything.  In doing so I noticed some of the nuances of the film that I had missed in my prior 3 viewings.

This is clearly a film that rewards repeat viewing.  In my last blog about this film I stated that "the movie thinks that it is smarter then it really is".  I am afraid that I may be stupider that I thought I was.  Some of the details that I had missed before made for a much better and well rounded film.

So why did I miss these lines?  Probably because I was paying so much attention to the visuals.  A few other things that I noticed this time around:

The is the best dressed movie of the year.  The team is dressed in designer clothes throughout the entire film.
The score for the film is really good, but totally all-up-in-your-face.  Blind people would have no trouble telling when something important is happening on screen.  Not only the score, but the back ground noise is well constructed and woven into the action very tightly.

My final observation is about the use of slow motion.  I find it fascinating that Nolan found a narrative use for slow motion.  Most movies have scenes in slow motion because it looks cool.  In Inception the slow motion serves a purpose.  When the van is falling off the bridge it is doing so in slow motion.  But in actuality this isn't true.  If you were to view the van falling from the dream within the dream it would be falling at that rate because time slows down the further you get into a dream.  The slow motion is actually used to represent the decelerated passage of time in the dream state.  That is genius!

I guess this wasn't that brief of a post.  Sorry.  Maybe it would be a shorter blog if you were reading this in your sleep.

Movie #118 State of Grace *1990*

Sean Penn
Ed Harris
Robin Wright
Gary Oldman
John Turturro
John C. Reilly
Phil Joanou (Director)

State of Grace has a murderers row (no pun intended) of powerhouse actors.  A lot of times when films have this many great actors the final product is less that the sum of its parts.  I didn't feel that way about State of Grace.

This film is part Departed, part Donnie Brasco, part Carlito's Way.  It is the story of a young Irishman from New York's Hell's Kitchen who had disappeared for a while.  But now he is back and teaming up with his old gang of thugs and criminals.  They are all part of a small Irish organized crime family that is having beef with the Italians that run everything in the area.

The twist is (and this is explained in the first 10 minutes so it is not a spoiler) the protagonist is an undercover cop.  He is working for the Boston police department in an attempt to infiltrate the gang and bring them down.  The films is mostly an undercover cop procedural.  He falls in love with an old flame, who happen to be the sister of the mob bosses.  He lets her into his life and she is torn between her lover and her family.  There are complications within the Irish mob and people are torn between their alliance to their families and the neighborhood.  The protagonist is torn between his job and his roots.  There is a lot of tearing in this movie.

I personally love Gary Oldman.  He is as almost as bat shit crazy in this film as he was in Leon.  Sean Penn gives a good, understated performance (understated is not always Mr. Penn's strong suit).  Ed Harris reminded me of how great he can be when he is kept on pace with everyone he is working with.  There is even a brief cameo from Burgess Meredith that is wonderful.  The movie even comes complete with a score from Ennio Morricone that is enriching without being overpowering.

I thought this was a solid addition to the oeuvre of undercover cop films.  It's sum was calculated out to exactly what it should have.  I give State of Grace ★★★1/2.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.