Venus (2006)
Elderly actor Maurice (Peter O’Toole) begins a relationship with Jessie, the much younger niece of his friend Ian. Jessie tolerates his amorous advances because she’s struggling financially and Maurice provides her with a steady income, while the pursuit of Jessie provides Maurice with a purpose and renewed vitality.
Richard Griffiths, Leslie Phillips, and Vanessa Redgrave are excellent in supporting roles but this is Peter O’Toole’s film, and in his mid 70s, he still commands the screen.
There’s a great scene where Maurice and his fellow actor friends are discussing another actor who recently died. They joke about how large his obituary was and wonder how impressive their own might be. This is especially poignant since O’Toole’s death in 2013 and his own impressive obituary.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is beloved, but I prefer Becket (1964), or The Lion in Winter (1968), or the under appreciated, anarchic The Ruling Class (1972).
This was O’Toole’s 8th nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He failed to win any of them, losing this time to Forrest Whitaker for his work in The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker’s an excellent actor, but Idi Amin is a showy role, while O’Toole’s work in Venus is quiet and devastating. He’s not a lecherous old man so much as an old man vainly, valiantly fighting the tide of time. He wants to be young and alive again, but spends his working day playing dying men because this is what older actors do. When he complains to his ex-wife he is playing little more than a corpse, she teases him it “sounds like typecasting.”
This sweet film is a mirror image of Harold and Maude (1971), about a relationship between an elderly woman and a young man, and a fitting bon voyage to a legendary career.
The Blood of Jesus (1941)
When a woman is accidentally shot by her husband, her soul is tempted by the devil. It’s a big screen version of the hell house staged by many churches during the Halloween season. In essence, the movie is saying: get right with God or go to hell.
Despite its limited message, the film is never as heavy-handed as you’d expect and is actually inventive and whimsical in its depiction of the afterlife.
This race film starring, written, and directed by Spencer Williams (star of the Amos ‘n’ Andy television program) was placed in the National Film Registry in 1991, but I prefer Cabin in the Sky (1940), a film with similar themes which barely preceded this one directed by Vincente Minnelli and also featuring an all African-American cast, including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Ethel Waters and Rochester Anderson.
The Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man (1975)
On February 26, 1972, Piston Coal Company’s dam burst four days after it had passed a federal safety inspection. The company claimed they were not responsible because it was an act of God. This film is critical of the position held by the company and inspectors of the dam.
It’s more like a well produced segment of 60 Minutes, but this short documentary about the Buffalo Creek Flood was placed in the National Film Registry in 2005.
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
In the near future, Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is an undercover federal agent working to infiltrate the drug ring responsible for a new drug which causes intense hallucinations. He maintains his cover by wearing an artificial device which completely changes his appearance. To protect the integrity of the investigation, no one at police headquarters is aware of Acrtor’s true identity and his superior officer, Hank, also wears a device to conceal his identity.
The plot gets complicated. No one is who they appear and the true subject of the investigation is only revealed at the end of the film.
Richard Linklater is one of my favorite directors. Dazed and Confused (1993) is a great portrait of life on the verge of adulthood. Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013) comprise one of the best and most honest cinematic looks at a relationship. School of Rock (2003) is an underrated family film. Bernie (2011) is a fun movie and contributed to the career resurgence of Matthew McConaughey and the emergence of Jack Black as a dramatic actor.
The cast includes Robert Downey Jr., who’s been on one of the biggest rolls of any actor since Iron Man (2008); Woody Harrelson, who is good in everything (unbelievably the role of Woody Boyd on Cheers may wind up being one of the least impressive things he does), and Winona Ryder.
Based on a novel by revered science fiction author Philip K. Dick, the plot is trippy and the twists are well-earned. It’s trying to ask real questions about friendship, and identity, and purpose. The animation is good and serves the story well, especially the futuristic suits which allow you to change your physical appearance, although the animation in Linklater’s Waking Life (2001) is a little more effective.
With this pedigree, I should have loved this film, but all I can muster is it’s okay.
Why didn’t it work for me? The troubled production of the film and the protracted animation phase stripped the movie of its soul. In Waking Life, the animation creates an artificial barrier which made the characters less real and this worked well in a movie about dreams and philosophy. In this movie, the animation creates an unnecessary additional barrier. A Scanner Darkly is about identity: how we define ourselves and how we allow ourselves to be defined, particularly with addiction. Creating an additional artificial barrier to these characters makes it harder to care about them.
I like the idea of this movie, but it’s slightly disappointing. It’s better than average movie, but I wanted it to be great.