November 23, 2015 – November 29, 2015
Monday, November 23, 2015
1) The Pursuit of Hippo-Ness (2015)
Why I watched: My friend Alan Franks made a film and I was invited to screen a rough cut of the film and give him some feedback.
Impression: Focused on a unique community founded on an obsessive love of hippopotami, this film is a great exploration of how we relate to other people, and the commodification of nature. It’s a fun look at obsession and how it can unite like-minded individuals.
3 stars.
2) The Decline of the American Empire (1986)
Why I watched: Included in the book 1001 Movies to See Before You Die.
Impression: It wanted to be a grand, eloquent statement about sexual relationships in the western world, but it’s a little whiny. These are all upper class individuals, who value their own needs and desires above their partners. They approach relationships for the most part with the mentality of what they can get from the other person. Focused on short-term gain, mostly sexual gratification, they don’t invest and work on their relationships.
Some of it has an intellectual, talky vibe it, but for the most part they seem like smarter versions of Sam Malone, a character motivated almost completely by his libido. The conversations were nice and occasionally illuminating, but mostly they were just trying to get in each other’s pants.
2 ½ stars.
3) Pride (2014)
Why I watched: Nominated for Best Musical or Comedy at the 72nd Golden Globes ceremony.
Impression: This was a great film about how hearts and minds are changed and how political alliances are about emphasizing common interests. Politics is almost always a trade-off; if you support us in this, we’ll support you in this, etc. I liked so many of the cast in this film, Dominic West, Andrew Scott, the always fantastic Imelda Staunton and Bill Nighy. The only real problem I had was the film’s downplaying of the communist ties of LGSM founder Mark Ashton. His political activism and specifically his championing of labor rights were obviously tied to his communist activities. A brief mention would have given the movie more credibility. Leaving it out, opens the film up to criticism it was trying to mislead.
One of the interesting things about the film is it casts gay and lesbian rights as a specifically political movement. This film makes it clear, it is not only about acceptance but about having political power and clout.
Most films about sexual issues tend to focus on the underlying humanity of the characters, and while this is certainly at play here, the underlying theme of the movie is political power.
3 stars.
4) Streets of Crocodiles (1986)
Why I watched: MUBI’s films of the day.
Impression: It’s a twenty-minute animated homage to loneliness. The Quay Brothers are some of the most famous stop-animation and the film is visually impressive, but it didn’t engage me.
2 ½ stars.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
5) Ask Father (1919)
Why I watched: Trying to watch at least ten movies released in every year of the twentieth century.
Impression: I’ve said it numerous times before, but Harold Lloyd is my clear number three of the silent film triumvarate. This is one of my favorite of his shorts. It’s clever and inventive. He wants to marry the daughter of an important businessmen, but every time he tries to get through to see her dad, he’s blocked by the lackeys and yes men. His inventive disguises and their inventive attempts to block him are great. And the end, while it seems sudden and unexpected, is a great statement on the way life often takes unexpected turns.
2 stars.
6) The Corporation (2003)
Why I watched: Included in a list of the 1000 best reviewed films of the 21st century.
Impression: This documentary traces the evolution of the corporation as an institution. In the mid-nineteenth century, there were very few corporations in the western world. Including comments from people on every side of the political spectrum, including former prominent businessmen, it’s an illuminating view into how much our world has changed and where the real political power lies. The idea that corporations can patent any biological life is disgusting and frightening. The stories of fights over rainwater are disturbing as well as the origins of Fanta and IBM’s potential profits from the Holocaust. I’m a capitalist, but maybe capitalism and corporatism are not exactly the same thing.
4 stars.
7) Elizabethtown (2005)
Why I watched: Jamie Porter’s Pick of the Week.
Impression: It started off promising, and the scenes with CEO Phil DeVoss (Alec Baldwin) and down on his luck shoe designer Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) are great. The meet-cute between Drew and Claire Colburn (Kirsten Dunst) is every cliché of romantic comedy films rolled into one. Their chemistry is so so at best, although I appreciated the all night phone call segment. But from the impromptu stand-up routine from Hollie Baylor (Susan Sarandon) at her husband’s memorial until the end of the film, it picked up tremendously. The central relationship and their courtship was lackluster, but the scenes with emotion around the passing of Drew’s father are well done. The musical road trip was really fun and I wish the film had featured more of this. Sadly Jessica Biel and Judy Greer are absolutely wasted in roles which could have easily been eliminated from the film. The good parts were really good, and the bad parts weren’t horrible as much as unoriginal and boring. I walked away with a favorable impression of the film.
3 ½ stars.
8) Tower (2012)
Why I watched: MUBI’s film of the day.
Impression: Derek is a loser. Not in any really definable way, but he just floats through his life. He obviously believes he’s a loser himself and gets super defensive quite frequently. He’s compelling at times, but not enough to merit a full hour following around the would-be animator.
1 ½ stars.
9) Spectre (2015)
Why I watched: Only James Bond film I hadn’t seen, and it’s one of the top grossing films of 2015.
Impression: It started off slowly, but once Waltz came on as Blofeld, the film really kicked into high gear. I loved the attempt to tie all the Craig-era Bond films together with a single-thru story. This sets his films apart from the others. Waltz is a perfectly cast and when he receives the characters signature scar, it’s much more effective than I thought. Not a great movie, but one of the better Bond films.
3 stars.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
10) From Hand to Mouth (1919)
Why I watched: trying to watch at least ten movies released every year of the twentieth century.
Impression: This was one the best shorts featuring Harold Lloyd. He stars as a poor vagrant who gets mixed up in a kidnapping plot of a young heiress. His attempts to get the attention of the policeman of the city are really funny. It’s really striking watching this nearly 100-year-old film demonstrates there has always been a certain distrust of police and authority by people on the lower end of the social spectrum well before “Black Lives Matter” and Michael Brown entered into our lexicon.
3 stars.
11) Song at Midnight (1937)
Why I watched: Included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
Impression: This adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera adds a political / historical element, placing it as a part of the tumultuous period of Chinese history at the beginning of the twentieth century. In this version, the Phantom is a victim as well as an aggressor. By sacrificing some of the character’s mystery, it makes the film more accessible.
3 stars.
12) Viy (1967)
Why I watched: Included in the book 1002 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
Impression: Adapted from a Russian folk tale, Khoma, a young seminarian, is seduced by a witch, but refuses her advances then beats her to death. Then, he’s unknowingly tasked to watch over her body and pray for her soul for three consecutive nights. It’s a bizarre film with an odd approach to theological and spiritual questions. The special effects, especially as Khoma is harassed and haunted by various demonic spirits during his nighttime vigils are amazing.
3 ½ stars.
13) The Bothersome Man (2006)
Why I watched: MUBI’s film of the day.
Impression: Andreas Ramsjfell wanders around Norway. Depressed by the seeming meaningless of his life, he lies down on a train track to die, but instead he finds himself working in an office building. His life in this world is even more meaningless. The only thing that provides any glimmer of purpose is a desperate materialism. He tries to escape, but cannot. Finally, he finds a crack in a basement which seems to lead to a promising world beyond, but his elation is short-lived. He’s caught trying to reach the other world and banished.
This is a darkly comic look at the meaninglessness of most things in life. The way in which we assign meaning to things in a desperate attempt to provide purpose to our lives. It’s a dark and depressing look at the world, but it’s compellingly told.
2 ½ stars.
14) Nothing Sacred (1937)
Why I watched: Nominated for AFI’s 100 Years 100 Laughs list.
Impression: Newspaper reporter Wally Cook (Frederich March) is embarrassed when his latest big story is revealed to be a fraud. Demoted to writing obituaries. When he discovers the story of Hazel Flagg (Carole Lombard), a woman dying of radium poisoning, he goes to interview her in Vermont. He’s convinced her compelling personal story will be the hit important story which will help him sell newspapers and get his career back on track. The only problem, Hazel was misdiagnosed and is actually perfectly healthy.
This is an odd film. Part screwball comedy, part biting satire of the news industry. Sometimes it goes for the easy, romantic comedy laughs, sometimes it goes dark and uncomfortable. First Flagg is upset she’s dying, then she’s upset she’s not dying. She goes along for the ruse and enjoys the attention she gets in New York, but then she feels bad because she knows she’s living a lie. She decides suicide would be an honorable way to get out of her situation, but then can’t do it. Finally, city officials and the management at the newspaper decide to fake her death to avoid embarrassment.
The strange mixture makes it a very unique and enjoyable film. Carole Lombard was the perfect screwball comedienne. Frederic March is a little stiff and out of his element, but somehow this only makes the film more charming and enjoyable.
3 ½ stars.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
15) Rush Hour 3 (2007)
Why I watched: I’d seen the first two, and it’s one of the highest grossing films of all time.
Impression: The plot of the film is incidental. The film is an excuse to showcase the delightful chemistry of Tucker and Chan. The choreography is nice and well executed. But everything hinges on Tucker and Chan. While the pair is really just another riff on any number of classic Hollywood pairings (including Gibson and Glover from the Lethal Weapon series), the cultural and language barriers between the two of them make it even more compelling. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
3 ½ stars.
16) Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Why I watched: One of the highest grossing films of all time.
Impression: I’ve never read the books. Prior to the film, I had a vague idea of the basic idea: orphans get taken in by a nefarious relative. However, this film is so much more than that. The cast is great, with Carey shining as Count Olaf, but also including Timothy Spall, Meryl Streep, Billy Connolly, Catherine O’Hara, Luis Guzman, Cedric the Entertainer, and Jennifer Coolidge. Streep and Connolly are particularly good as temporary guardians of the three Baudelaire children.
This is a very good, entertaining film.
4 stars.
Friday, November 27, 2015
17) Boy Meets Girl (1984)
Why I watched: MUBI’s film of the day.
Impression: Leos Carax’s first film as a director features many of the trademarks which make him such a fascinating director. Long takes of meandering conversations pepper the film. It’s an odd film about a pair of hopeless, hapless would be lovers. Carax’s muse Denis Lavant is here. There are some nice moments, especially the climatic conversation between Alex and Mireille, but the film feels a little forced, unsure if it should conform to expectations or subvert all of them. Carax was emboldened by the reception of this film, freeing him to pursue his artistic vision more completely in films like Holy Motors (2012). This was a step in that direction, but not quite enough.
2 stars.
18) Bridge of Spies (2015)
Why I watched: Spielberg + Hanks, plus it’s a possible nominee for the Academy Away for Best Picture.
Impression: When insurance salesman James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is recruited to represent captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, he initially only plans to provide an adequate defense, but his principles and his burgeoning friendship with Abel compel him to fight the case as long as he can. Because of his association with Abel and the lengths he went to in his defense, when American pilot Francis Gary Powers is captured behind Soviet lines, Donovan goes to negotiate an exchange: Abel for Powers. However, things are complicated when Donovan learns about an American student who is being held prisoner by the East Germans.
Working from a script by the Coen Brothers, Hanks and Spielberg do something very difficult, they make international diplomacy exciting and compelling. It was a little annoying the film never wanted to take sides and insisted on operating in such a gray area with regards to the two spies, but it was great to see a movie which unashamedly shows how dire the situation was in East Berlin in the early 1960s and dared to dramatize the complex political realities behind the Iron Curtain.
In the end, this was a movie about how principled action can lead to positive results. Spielberg’s recent work in Lincoln and here explore the intersection of politics and real world consequences, the limits of ideals, and the importance of fundamental principles. Spielberg, the wide-eyed storyteller of E.T., and Close Encounters of the Third Kind has given way to a grizzled moralist in Amistad, Munich, and War Horse.
3 ½ stars.
19) Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013)
Why I watched: Included in a list of the highest grossing films of all time.
Impression: A cross between Pan’s Labyrnith, The Host, and the Scary Movie series. It’s silly and ridiculous one minute, then batshit crazy intense the next. Somehow it manages to strike the perfect balance between these disparate elements. Based on one of the Four Great Classical Novels, this is a fantastic entry point to understanding the rich cultural history of China. Despite its Chinese pedigree, the humor struck me as very Western and accessible.
3 ½ stars.
20) Divide and Conquer (1943)
Why I watched: A part of Frank Capra’s seven film series about World War II, which is included in the National Film Registry.
Impression: Directed by Frank Capra, this was an interesting, in depth examination of Hitler’s strategy and objectives during World War II, but it didn’t really cover any new ground.
2 stars.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
21) You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939)
Why I watched: Nominated for AFI’s list of the 100 funniest films.
Impression: Larsen Whipsnade (W.C. Fields) is the owner of a shady carnival. He’s constantly avoiding his creditors and frequently fails to pay his performers. When the ventriloquist in his company, Edgar Bergen, falls in love with Whipsnade’s daughter, it forces the craft curmudgeon into action.
Having seen several films featuring W.C. Fields, this is one of the better ones. He’s not quite as cranky and mean-spirited here as he comes across in some of his other work. Edgar Bergen was very funny, especially his interplay with Fields. Although there is a very uncomfortable scene when Bergen paints his famed dummy, Charlie McCarthy, in blackface.
Overall, this had more enjoyable moments than cringeworthy ones.
3 stars.
22) Pan (2015)
Why I watched: I’m a sucker for anything Peter Pan related.
Impression: They wanted to given Peter Pan an origin story. So they imagined he was a WWII era orphan, kidnapped and enslaved to hard labor, by the nefarious Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman). Peter’s father was the Fairy Prince, but when his mother rejected Blackbeard’s advances, she abandoned Peter to the orphanage to protect him. Of course, there’s a prophecy about how a flying boy would usurp Blackbeard from power.
In this version of the story, Hook and Peter are bother slave laborers who strike up an alliance. Tiger Lily (controversially played by white actress Rooney Mara) is influential in aiding Peter’s rebellion and has a romantic relationship with Hook. Smee is Hook’s friend, but really a loyalist to Blackbeard.
The problem is the reimagining got away from them. Barrie’s original play was staged in 1904, so it doesn’t make any sense to set it forty years later during the war. And while I like the idea of Hook and Peter having a more complicated relationship, I don’t believe they established Hook with the potential to become Peter’s archnemesis. Hook was too kind and good-hearted. There needs to be some sense of the danger and evil lurking underneath. The Hook / Tiger Lily relationship was also ill-advised and poorly developed.
I don’t mind using reliable and established character as a template for new and different ideas, but I don’t particularly like films which seem hostile to the reasons people love the characters in the first place.
1 ½ stars.
23) The Battle of Britain (1943)
Why I watched: A part of Frank Capra’s seven film series about World War II, inducted into the National Film Registry.
Impression: In the United States, we tend to see World War II as all about our involvement. To be sure, the US entry into the war was a turning point which led to the downfall of Hitler’s plan. However, we sometimes forget how important the defiance and resiliency of Great Britain thwarted Hitler and held him off long before US assistance was assured. This documentary keeps the memory of the British resistance alive.
3 stars.
24) The Male Animal (1942)
Why I watched: Nominated for AFI’s list of the 100 funniest films.
Impression: English professor Tommy Turner (Henry Fonda) becomes the center of controversy when he plans to read a short letter written by Bartolomeo Vanzetti at his sentencing. The school threatens to fire Tommy if he goes through with the reading.
The stress of the situation reveals cracks in Tommy’s marriage to Ellen (Olivia De Havilland). This is further exacerbated when Joe Ferguson, a former football legend at the university and one-time suitor of Ellen returns to attend the school’s upcoming game.
The triangle of Tommy, Ellen, and Joe bears many similarities to the screwball comedies of the era, but the anti-censorship main plot involving Tommy’s efforts to teach the Vanzetti letter is the anchor of the film. The love story is just for padding and diversion. Tommy’s struggles with the conservative school board and the personal attacks and threats hurled at him for refusing to back down prefigure the ugliness of the McCarthy era by a decade.
In the climax of the film, when Tommy defends his decision and right to read the questionable material to his class, he effectively links this to the most fundamental concept of America. In the end, the very people who were criticizing him for reading anti-American propaganda are now celebrating him as the paragon of American virtue.
The love story is entertaining and hold up fairly well, particularly Turner’s simmering frustration and jealousy, but the film’s political content is outstanding and reminds us of the malleability of politics.
4 stars.
25) Flightplan (2005)
Why I watched: Included in a list of the highest grossing films of all time.
Impression: Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) is returning from Germany to the US with her six-year-old daughter and the body of her recently deceased husband. During the flight, her daughter inexplicably disappears. As her desperation to find her daughter increases, Pratt questions her sanity, especially when the flight attendants cannot find any record of her daughter getting on the plane and suggest the girl died with her father.
Finally, we learn Pratt is a victim of a large conspiracy to frame her for acts of terrorism, but we never fully learn the motives of the conspiracy, or if we do they don’t really make sense.
The first half is a slow burn which really build a great deal of suspense. Foster does a great job slowly unraveling as she fears the worst. But once the true nature of the threat is revealed, the film falls apart. It was interesting when we thought Pratt might be insane, but when she gets into a shootout with the corrupt air marshal, it was pretty lame. Still the first part was good enough and Foster was excellent, so I enjoyed it more than I would have otherwise.
3 ½ stars.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
26) The Arbor (2010)
Why I watched: MUBI’s film of the day.
Impression: I have never heard of British playwright Andrea Dunbar. She made a minor impression in the 1980s with her largely autobiographical plays about her life in a slum area on England. Despite her literary talent, her messy personals life (including three children bu three different fathers before she was twenty), and her alcohol dependency led to her death of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 29.
Her eldest daughter, Lorraine, the product of a biracial relationship, had a similarly rough upbringing and developed a heroin addiction. Lorraine’s child died when he overdosed on methadone which she was taking to combat her heroin addiction.
The story is sensational, but the devices Clio Barnard used to tell the story make it really special. The actors in the film are lip syncing to audio recording of the people involved, including Dunbar herself, her children, and her family.
And a few times, she stages scenes from Dunbar’s work in an impromptu stage in a real neighborhood similar to the one Dunbar lived. The characters would be sitting on sofas in the courtyard and going through a scene, such as when Dunbar announces her relationship with a Pakistani to her family.
It’s a haunting story about the prison of poverty and culture and how difficult it can be to escape or choose a different life. Many people are not born with choices and survival is the only option available to them. Even immense talent can only get you so far. Dunbar had talent, but by choosing to write about the only thing she knew, life in the slums, she alienated herself and her family.
This was a powerful and moving film.
4 ½ stars.
27) The Battle of Russia (1943)
Why I watched: A part of Frank Capra’s seven film series about World War II; now a part of the National Film Registry.
Impression: This portion of the documentary series was an incredibly informative film about Germany’s eastern front during the war. The first half is a short history lesson about Russia and the long history of conflict with people in Europe who desired the rich resources of the country. It’s fascinating because the film was made during the ascendancy of the Soviet Union and many of the component parts of “Russia” are not independent nations. The second half is not as eye-opening, but still pretty interesting account of Hitler’s attempted invasions of Russia, from the north, from the south, etc.
The history of the Western-Soviet alliance during WWII is a wonderful case of the old axiom: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
3 stars.
Best film I saw this week: The Arbor (2010)
Worst film I saw this week: Tower (2012)