Movie #261 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold *1965*

I started watching this film while I was in Japan.  I was enjoying it quite a bit, but I was very tired and decided to go to sleep.  I rented it from iTunes and by the time I made it around to watch it again my rental time had expired.

The film stars Richard Burton as a tough English spy.  His mission is to appear to be a drunk defector and try to lead to the capture and assassination of a former British agent.  Burton was excellent in the role.  First off I don't think he had to stretch his acting chops much to play a drunk.  By reputation Burton was known to be a hard drinker if not a blackout drunk.  But there was a desperation to the character that Burton brought to the role.  The character had to convey and almost nihilistic attitude.  All he cared about was booze and money, and the money was only to buy more booze.  He stopped caring about country, dignity and love.  

The film opens on a great set piece.  A guard shack in a joint security area.  I forget which countries are bordering each other.  He is in charge of the area.  They are waiting for a specific person.  The camera work, lighting and set design function very well to set the time and location of the story.  The script introduces us to Burton's character and we right away what type of a man he is.


Once Operation Rolling Stone is set into action (where Burton will attempt to look like a defector) the plot and story opens up and we are introduced to a few more characters.  Notably Nan Perry who plays Burton's communist sort-of-lover / girlfriend.  They work together in a library.  At first I think he was using her to make his new lifestyle look more believable.  Then I think he gained true feelings for her.   Also notably is Oskar Werner who plays Fiedler.  A German who is sent to interrogate Burton.  There is a great scene where he is standing and he asks for some papers from a guy who is sitting 10 feet away from him.  He reaches his hand out as down the man sitting.  Feidler just stands there with his arm out and makes the guy get up and hand the papers to him.  It was a very small thing, but it solidified Fiedler.  Fielder was a take charge man who would never let anyone get the better of him.  All the while Burton is playing him for a fool.

The film closes with a tribunal where all this is brought to the surface and there is a twist that can be seen coming a mile away, but the consequences of this twist were shocking.  The final scene is a little too classic Hollywood for me, but none the less it is effective.

Burton has a great line in the film that I will paraphrase: I don't believe in Father Christmas, God or Karl Marx.  I don't believe in things that shake the world.  This movie is filled with great British qoute.  And great actors to deliver them.  I give The Spy Who Came in from the Cold ★★★1/2.

Movie #260 I Know Where I'm Going! *1945*

I was looking at my movie list for this project and I noticed something.  I had watched at least 1 movie made in every year since 1935 with the exception of 12 years.  I decided that before my year long movie watching project was over I was going to have watched and review at least one film for each of the past 76 years.

So, I needed to mark off 1945.  I also am using this opertunity to watch some films that I haven't seen before.  I decided to watch the movie I Know Where I'm Going!  This is another Powell and Pressburger film.  I have reviewed two other of their films this year.  The Red Shoes, which I have reviewed twice and added to the list of my all time favorite films.  And Black Narcissus.  Another great film of theirs.  I began watching a third and couldn't make it through the thick English accents.  Also I reviewed Peeping Tom that was made by Powell alone.

This movie takes place mainly on the shores of Scotland.  A head strong English woman is set to marry her millionaire fiance.  The only thing keeping them apart are the storms, wind, waves and will of the Scottish weather and the local residents.  Mainly Roger Livesey as Torquil.  A local war hero and landowner.  He falls for Joan and relishes the opportunity to romance her in whatever way he can to try and sway her away from her beau.

Wendy Hiller as Joan Webster could be a surrogate for Kate Hepburn.  She was charismatic, attractive, intelligent, independent, diginified and most of all fun.  I enjoyed seeing how such strong female character bound by manners was going to handle the obsticles and seaward ways of the scruff and quirky locals.  None so quirky as to be unreal or characterizations.  They were fully fleshed out, unique individuals.

Powell and Pressburger are know for their visual spectacle and scope.  This film was shot in black and white, but it still looked wonderful.  Even on a poor DVD transfer.  It isn't as polished as some of their more later work, but the roots of their style is on display in this film.  Also on display is their use of language.  It is a funny and superbly written.  There isn't a wasted line or one that doesn't come into play later in the film.  Everything is there to move the plot forward and through that they develop rich characters.

A few other notes is that there is a phone booth on the island inconviently located directly in front of a huge waterfall.  That was apparently a compramise with one of the more difficult inhabbitants of the area that did want a phone at all.  It is very funny to see people in the phone booth yelling and getting wet just to make a call.  Also I wanted to point out that Pamela Brown is in this film and she is a rare beauty.  Not in the classic sense, but there is something about her that can not be overlooked.

I really enjoyed this film and I am looking forward to marking the rest of these movies off my list..  I give it ★★★.

Movie #259 - 9 Songs *2004*

Directed by a Year in Film favorite, Michael Winterbottom, 9 Songs is an attempt at presenting a relationship through hardcore sex scenes, London underground rock music concerts and Antartica exploration.

This is the story of Matt and Lisa.  They meet at a concert.  They have wild and passionate sex (in full view).  They go to more concerts.  Matt studies Antarctica.  They go to more concerts and they have more sex.  That is really all there is to this movie.  It has a really short run time at just over an hour, and it still feels too long for what it is getting at.

I have never seen hardcore sex look so bland.  I was never titillated during the movie.  I don't know if that was the intent or not.  I don't really know what Winterbottom was trying to get at.  Also I enjoy indy rock and rock music from the UK.  Here the music was poorly recorded and sounded terrible.  Like you were in the crowd at the venue but nothing else in the movie made any attempt to connect the music with anything else in the movie.  Basically there is no point for you to be in the theater.

I will comment briefly on the sex.  It could easily be called porn.  There are scenes of Matt going down on Lisa, up close and graphic.  Same goes for Lisa on Matt.  We even see Matt climax on his own stomach.  There are scenes of Lisa with a vibrator, there is a full penetration scene, there are numerous scenes of light S&M and bondage.

I am totally fine with the sexual nature of the film.  I just wish it was more organic to the story.  It seemed to me that it was only there for the viewers window into the relationship.  Again, that is a cool concept but the sex needs to reflect the condition of the relationship is that is the case.  And it didn't for me.  It really felt exploitative and ineffective. 

I have no clue why there are scenes of Antarctica in the picture.  It is an easy metaphor for loneliness and isolation and stagnancy, but for the better part of the picture both character seem in love (or at least lust) for one another.  Matt might as well have been a school teacher or boxer or salesman or anything.  His profession had nothing to do with the narrative.

I give 9 Songs ★★. 

Movie #173 The Long Good Friday *1980*

Bob Hoskins - Harold Shand
Helen Mirren - Victoria
John Mackenzie (Director)

I love it when I find these little gems.  This is a gangster movie from England.  It is the story of a the most polite yet professional gangster you will ever meet.  I'm not sure if is the traditional English manners or what, but Bob Hoskins as Harold Shand is the anti-Scareface.  He is a charming, polite, courteous man that just happens to be a no-nonsense mob boss.

He seems to be attempting to go legit by budding the interests of some American investors in a casino he is trying to establish.  At the same time, different members of his organization begin showing up dead.  Many of whom were blown up in a some fashion.  The film then focus's on his attempt to find out who is responsible for the attacks, keep the peace with his potential investors, and eventually end the slaughter of his men by crushing whatever force is massacring them.

Other than the nice guy gang leader there are a few other characteristics that set this movie apart.  I found the music light and playful.  Even when the action on screen had more of a serious tone to it.  This could be a product of its time and place.  British movies from the early 80's aren't my specialty.  The acting was very natural.  Mainly in the lead roles, but even a few of the henchmen really came across as real people.  It was like watching a stylized documentary at times.  The film also had almost a pro-homosexual message.  More than a couple of the mob members and associates were openly gay, and no one really seemed to care.  I think they went as far as to comment on the issue in extremely passive ways.  This is a topic that came up in the Soprano's as late as the early 2000's and was still not accepted at all.

The movie had undeniable Sexy Beast references.  I have not reviewed that film yet, but it holds a special place in my heart.  I respect nearly everything about that movie, even the stuff that doesn't quite work.  Both films have a very British slant to them that I found refreshing.  Another connection is that when the violence finally erupts in both films it is savage and brutal and sort of comes from no where.  Making it all the more intense and shocking.

Finally I should mention Helen Mirren as Victoria.  She plays the best "mob wife" I have seen on screen since Lorraine Bracco played Karen in Goodfellas.   Victoria is charming, incredibly intelligent (even more so than her husband in many scenes) extraordinarily level headed, with a fantastic business sense.  I don't know who could have played her better. 

I love the gangster genre and this is a wonderful addition to it.  I give The long Good Friday ★★★★.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.  This film is available on Netflix Watch Instantly. 

Movie #108 The Kings Speech *2010*

When it comes to Old English I prefer the malt liquor over the films. 

That is to say films about the royal family or the monarchy in any way.  It's just topic that I have very little interest in.  I am pleased to say that The Kings Speech was able to lure me in and keep me interested through out.

The Kings Speech is about King George VI.  Or at least the man that would be king.  Bertie as he was called by his family, had a sputter.  Not quite a stutter, but a serious speech impediment.  He was to take the throne as just the beginning of the rise of Hitler and his Nazi Party.  England needed a king that could bond and inspire.  Bertie and his wife decided to seek the assistance of a quirky speech therapist that would eventually become an aid and friend to the king.

I am not sure what it is that keeps me at an arms length when it comes to films about royalty.  Maybe it's that I can't relate to the privilege or the divine right.  These movies are generally lush, lavish costume dramas.  The Kings Speech does not rely on its setting to interest its viewers, although I did find the stripped down sets and locations a refreshing change of pace.  It is the performances that really shine in the movie for me.

I have heard a lot of buzz about Colin Firth and his portrayal of Bertie and for good reason.  He is fantastic.  I don't know much about his condition, but the sputter seems well crafted.  Helena Bonham Carter is wonderfully understated as his wife.  Geoffrey Rush shined more than anyone to me as the Australian therapist.  A role that isn't getting the accolades that I think it deserves.  Yes, he plays it for laughs.  But I don't think that should be a negative.  He helps keep the tone and pace of the film just right.  That is something that I don't think was written into the script.

The film is directed by Tom Hooper.  A name that I was not familiar with.  he has mostly done British television.  His other major film credit is the director of 2009's The Dammed United.  A film that I haven't seen, but heard good things.  I am looking forward to what he does next. 

The Kings Speech is getting a lot of focus around awards season.  It does have all the qualifications.  The Academy loves costume dramas, over-the-top performances, stories about people overcoming physical disabilities, and so forth.  I was aware of this as I was watching the film, but I felt that it overcame that stereotype and was a fully realized and executed film.

In closing, this movie only strengthened my resolve against The Church.  Towards the end of the movie The Catholic Church begins to play a more important role in the film.  I don't think the intent was to frustrate or enrage the viewer, but it certainly did just that for me.  Overall I give The Kings Speech a  4/5 stars.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #46 Day of the Jackal

One of my favorite parts about being a cinephile is catching references or homages to films that other people might not.  Have you ever seen an episode of The Simpsons where there is a line of dialogue or a particular frame that is totally lifted off a different film?  You know the rush you get of explaining that to you buddy of significant other?  That brief moment where you get gloat that you know something that they don't that fleeting thought that you are smarter than they are.  I love that feeling.

I had that feeling about 1,000 times during my viewing of The Day of the Jackal.  Released in 1973 and directed by Fred Zinnerman (who also directed From Here to Eternity, High Noon and A Man for All Seasons) "Jackal" is the story of a French group of terrorist or self proclaimed patroits who disprove of giving Algeria their independence.  There plan is to assisinate the French president.  Better yet have a foreigner do it since all of their attempts have been foiled so far.  The man they hire has the code name "Jackal". 

At this point we are taken on a two hour long procedural of the up's and downs of the life of a professional assassin.  This film takes it time, but in a beautiful way.  There are long stretches of  time where there is no speaking on screen.  It develops characters through action and reaction.  It spends time on segments that today's Hollywood films would either skip over or try to summarize in a montage.  This is the type of film that the Hayes Code would have never allowed because you kind of get an idea of how to kill the president.  Or at least you think you do.

Another reason this film works is because the law chasing the Jackal is just as sufficient and intelligent as the Jackal himself.  I have long said that the reason so many comic book movies don't work is because the villians are just characterizations.  There is no way that "The Sandman" is going to beat Spiderman.  The penguin didn't stand a chance against batman.  Now contrast that to The Joker in The Dark Knight.  I really thought that the Joker could defeat Batman in that movie.  In The Day of the Jackal that assassin has a several day lead on the law.  They have to play catch up and they do.  They then start putting the heat on him.  He then becomes a rat in a trap.  He is no longer thriving.  At this point he is less James Bond and more Jason Borune. 

The Jackal is played by Edward Fox.  A talent that I was unaware of before this film.  If this had been set in America I can easily see this role being offered to Steve McQueen.  I want to point out the detective who has been tracking the Jackal.  Michael Lonsdale is the actor.  I was really amazed with his performance.  Most of the other character have smaller parts and are only there to move the plot forward.  There are a few female roles in this film and they are all filled with beautiful actresses.

This is a 70's movie in every since, and I mean that as a compliment.  This year I saw a film called The American.  It did it's damnest to emulate this film as best it could.  However it couldn't generate the mood and feeling Jackal does.   There were a surge of these films in the early 70's.  A product of Watergate and other government conspiracies I guess.  While there is a lot of company for films like this, I think this one stands above all the others.  I instantly added this to my DVD to Purchase list.

I could go on singing the praises of this film, but as usual I am way behind on my reviews.  I usually tell you what I though of a film and leave it to my readers to see if they want to check it out.  This is the rare exception where I am urging you to see this if you haven't and if you have see it again.  And a third option is buy it for me for christmas on DVD and come over and I'll have a Day of the Jackal party.  We can have some pop corn and a couple of cold ones and try to figure out how we would kill the president.  Just kidding internet police.  I give Day of the Jackal a 5/5 star rating and place it high up amoung the films of the 70's.  Check out the link below for the trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6xMnTPEzPo