Movie #109 The Maltese Falcon *1941*

I'm going to start trying something new.  I am sick of trying to decide how to discuss who is in every film I watch.  So I am going to start beginning my blogs with a quick rundown of the major players.  From then on I can refer to them in my actual review however I want.

Humphrey Bogart - Sam Spade
Mary Astor - Brigid O'Shaughnessy
Peter Lorre - Joel Cairo
Sydney Greenstreet - Mr. Gutman
Elisha Cook Jr - Wilmer Cook

The Maltese Falcon is an iconic movie about the gumshoe detective Sam Spade.  A role Bogey made famous.  This is a Raymond Chandler-esque story based on the book by Dashell Hammett.  The film is directed by the great John Huston.  These old films don't have a uniquely significant photographic style, but that doesn't mean that they are in any way of lesser quality. Nor should it mean that the direction isn't top notch.  Huston chose not to make the camera a character the way newer film makers do.  Wes Anderson I'm looking at you

Falcon is a twisting, turning tale of deceit, murder and false idols.  There is not much behind the scenes in these old yarns.  The story is all up on the screen.  This isn't a meditation on love and false ideology.  This is a straight forward chronicle, but it is one where no one can be trusted.  There is no narrator and if there was to be one you would have to assume that he would be as unreliable as every other character in the film.

At the movie's surface it is a story about a missing bird statue that is of significant value.  In reality the bird is really a mcguffin.  That is to say that the bird is the plot device that the actual story revolves around.  That is one of a Brigid putting Spade on the case of a missing person.  Because of this his partner gets murdered and he gets swept up in a world of international intrigue and betrayal.

For the most part the performances are good.  I found Brigid a little difficult to get a real read on.  Maybe that was the point, but would of appreciated a little more to hold on when it came to her.  Of course Bogart was perfect.  Personally I love Peter Lorre.  I have never seen a bad performance from him.  The supporting character that really stood out to me was Cook. 

This is a must see film.  I give The Maltese Falcon a 4.5/5 stars.  Time flew by when I watched this film.  I could have actually stood another 30 minutes of the movie.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #79 Mother (2010)

First off I have decided to start posting the year a film was released in the Title of my blog.  I hope that it helps me when it comes time to list my year end favorites next year.  I should state that my current "Best of 2010 Lists" are based only on movies that I saw in theaters that were released in 2010.  But now I watch so many movies on Netflix and other mediums that I need a better way to track them.  I decided to start this process with the movie Mother.  The reason I started with Mother was because if I was counting movies I saw outside the theater released in 2010, Hye-ja Kim would have made my Best Female Performances list.  She is a tour de force in this film.

Mother is about the mother of a slightly mentally challenged young man.  This is no "Forrest Gump" or "Radio" Hollywood treatment of mentally challenged.  This is a funny and frustrating and tender and irritable young man.  You know, kinda like in real life.  Anyway, the young man is charged with a murder of a high school aged girl.  He is imprisoned and his mother will stop at nothing to clear his name.

Much like the film Winter's Bone (with my favorite female performance, Jennifer Lawrence) this is a non-traditional detective story.  This movie is directed by Joon-ho Bong.  If you haven't noticed this is not an American film.  It is another film in the booming Korean movie market.  Joon-ho was also the man behind 2006's The Host.  A modern take on the monster genre that I loved.

Mother is a long film at 128 minutes, but I thought the time flew by.  I was completely invested in the mother and her quest.  Maybe it's just me but I saw a lot of Coen influence in this picture.  It really is a gumshoe noir told through Korean eyes.  The cinematography is splendid and the music is haunting. Joon-ho has a great eye for where to put his camera and how to move it.  Not only that he somehow holds long shots the perfect amount of time.

Mother has more twists and plot turns than the Korean streets, but I was never confused.  Keep in mind this is all communicated through sub titles.  Mother is skilled craftsman at work and I loved it.  I give Mother 4.5/5 stars.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.