"Of all the arts, movies are the most powerful aid to empathy, and good ones make us better people."
-- Roger Ebert, The Great Movies

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Double Indemnity

  • Title:  Double Indemnity
  • Director:  Billy Wilder
  • Date:  1944
  • Studio:  Paramount
  • Genre:  Film Noir, Drama, Suspense, Classic
  • Cast:  Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
  • Format:  Standard, Black and White
  • Format:  R1, NTSC, Two-disc Legacy Edition
"I killed him for the money and for a woman.  I didn't get the money and I didn't get the woman."  Walter Neff

Double Indemnity is one of my favorite movies -- because it is such a classic noir film.  And Wilder is a brilliant, brilliant director, especially when he directs dark film noir movies in black and white.  The film has it all - a cold, calculating, manipulative femme fatale, an innocent drawn into a web of crime that destroys him, snappy dialogue, brilliant black and white photography, and an intriguing crime that, in the end, falls apart taking it's participants down with it.

Part of  the brilliance of  Double Indemnity is it's choice of  lead actor in Fred MacMurray.  Yep -- the guy from Disney flicks like The Absent-Minded Professor, and Flubber, and the dad in My Three Sons (OK, yes, it's true, all those roles were from the 1960s, or after this movie, but still) actually plays the bad guy in this film.  But, that's part of  brilliance of the film -- MacMurray looks like an average guy, he sounds like an average guy, and we can believe he's an insurance salesman.  I don't think the film would have been as successful with standard villian type or "baddie" in the role of  Walter Neff.

 But MacMurray isn't the only piece of reverse casting:  Edward G. Robinson was famous for playing gangsters, tough guys, and baddies.  Yet, in Double Indemnity, he's practically the good guy.  He's Neff's boss Keyes, who ends up investigating the husband's "accident".  There's also a very close friendship between Neff and Keyes.

As with Wilder's other brilliant Film Noir picture, Sunset Blvd (to be reviewed when I get to "S"), Double Indemnity is told back to front, and thus it's the tale of a man's slide into destruction and death.  The film begins with Neff  returning to his office at Pacific All Risk Insurance, and using a dictating machine to record his confession (the line quoted at the beginning of this review is practically the first line he speaks).  The film then cuts to scenes showing us what's happening and winding back to the start.  And somehow, the audience almost forgets that Neff  is a dying man as they are completely entranced by the story.

Interestingly enough, the actual murder goes off almost perfectly.  But as the second half of the film develops, the characters' own guilt (especially Neff's) and Keyes own intuition and experience at spotting insurance fraud leads, Tell-a-Tale-Heart -- like to the downfall of  both Neff  and Phyllis.

The filming and cinematography are brilliant -- the use of  light and shadow to highlight and conceal detail, and the suggestion, as the film moves along, of characters trapped by their own actions, is highlighted by the black and white photography.  It's a dark film, and only black and white really captures that, especially at the time the film was made.   It's really only been rather recently that very dark, yet color, films have been possible, previously the amount of light required for the film to properly develop, especially for Technicolor films, made filming in color with the amount of darks in this film, impossible.

There's also a lot of very fast, very snappy dialogue.  The double entendres fly fast and furious, but even the cut and parry of the dialogue between Neff and Phyllis (Stanwyck) works to emphasize their hot and steamy relationship without actually ever showing you anything.  (Likewise, one thing that makes the murder in this particular film so effective is that it is off-screen, letting your imagination fill in the blanks).

Overall, if  you want to know what film noir is all about -- this film, more so than even The Maltese Falcon, is the one to see.

Recommendation:  See It
Rating:  5 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Dracula (1931)

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD (Dr. Who)

  • Title:  Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD (Dr. Who)
  • Director:  Gordon Flemyng
  • Date:  1966
  • Studio:  AARU Productions LTD, British Lion Films LTD
  • Genre:  Science Fiction
  • Cast:  Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, Roberta Tovey, Ray Brooks, Jill Curzon, Andrew Keir
  • Format:  Technicolor, Techniscope (early widescreen process)
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC, Widescreen
This time Dr. Who (Peter Cushing), as he is called in these films, is traveling with his grand-daughter Susan, and his niece, Louise, when a policeman named Tom Campbell mistakes the TARDIS for a real Police Call Box and stumbles inside.  The Doctor travels to 2150 AD anyway, and discovers that London has been destroyed in an Dalek invasion.  The film's first half hour or so actually works pretty well, as the Doctor and his companions are split up and manage to meet up with the local rebel / resistance group.  The iconic scene of a Dalek coming out of  the waters of  the Thames River is repeated in this movie.  However, the equally iconic shot of the Daleks crossing the Tower Bridge, waving their plungers, isn't present.

The Dalek spaceship is actually a very nice model, and it has Thunderbird Two -like jets on the back.  Why, I have no idea, as jets would be rather useless in space.  But I digress.  The majority of  the Daleks are grey in this film, but with silver and periwinkle accents.  Yes, you read that right, periwinkle.  And yes, it's hard to take light purple Daleks seriously.  Leader Daleks are red, black or gold.  So, overall, the Daleks aren't the really awful technicolor variety of  the previous film.

However, after a promising start, the film wanders as various members of  the Doctor's group get lost, reunite, get captured, reunite again, etc.  Plot involves first a rebel attack on the Dalek spaceship, which seems to go well, but ends a dismal failure.  (And yes, that was an effective portion of  the film.  The TV Series Doctor Who, which is much better than these films, is often at it's best when the Doctor doesn't completely win).  After the failed attack, each of the survivors separately makes their way to Bedfordshire and the Daleks' mine, either as prisoners or in hopes of rescuing the prisoners.  Finally at the end, Dr. Who, foils the plot of the Daleks to drop a bomb to the core of the Earth in an attempt to crack the Earth in some sort of plan to re-fuel their spaceship.

I will say the acting is a bit better than the previous film.  However, Susan's been dumbed down considerably, and she even manages to "twist" her ankle.

Again, I only have this because I got it in a set, for free, from a friend.  And I have it as a collectible.  But it's really not a good movie.  BTW -- bit of trivia, Bernard Cribbins, who plays Tom Campbell, more recently played companion Donna Noble's grandfather in the recent television series of  Doctor Who.

Recommendation:  Don't Bother.
Rating:  2 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Double Indemnity

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Dr. Who and the Daleks

  • Title:  Dr. Who and the Daleks
  • Director:  Gordon Flemyng
  • Date:  1965
  • Studio:  AARU Productions LTD, Regal Films International LTD
  • Genre:  Science Fiction
  • Cast:  Peter Cushing, Roy Castle, Jennie Linden, Roberta Tovey
  • Format:  Technicolor, Techniscope (an early widescreen process)
  • Format:  R1, NTSC, (Widescreen)
"Anyone can understand science if  they put their minds to it."  -- Dr. Who

"Why did they want to kill us?  We came in peace."  -- Thal
"You are different from them, and they are afraid of anything different.  And what people are afraid of, they try to destroy."  -- Dr. Who
"If we could reason with them." -- Female Thal
"They are beyond reason, they wish only to conquer." --Dr. Who

I am a big, big fan of  the wonderful British television series Doctor Who (1963-1989, 1996, 2001-), which is part of  the reason I don't really care for this film.  I'd seen it before and remembered it as being pretty awful.  I did luck out an get a free second-hand copy from a friend (in a set with Dalek Invasion Earth 2150 AD, and Dalekmania) so I could add it to my Doctor Who collection without actually having to pay for it.

The film is basically a re-make of  the Terry Nation Doctor Who serial, or episode, "The Daleks" (aka "The Dead Planet").  However, it takes considerable liberties with what it borrows.  For example, even from the very beginning it was clear the Doctor wasn't human, but an alien from another planet.  Fairly quickly into the series, it was revealed the Doctor was a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey.  However, in this film, the Doctor is an eccentric Human inventor (called "Dr. Who" no less, rather than "the Doctor") -- a rather tired plot device often found in Disney live action films of  the 60s and 70s (and often played by Dick Van Dyke or Fred MacMurray).  Also, in the TV series -- Susan was a teenaged girl (and somehow the Doctor's grand-daughter), and Barbara and Ian were her human teachers.  In this, Susan is about five years old, Barbara is also the Doctor's grand-daughter, and Ian is Barbara's boyfriend.

Dr. Who, as he's called in this film, shows Ian his TARDIS, which he invented.  Soon they are whisked off to a mysterious dead planet.  The Doctor sabotages his own machine because he wants to explore a nearby alien city.  They run into Daleks.  They discover they are suffering from radiation poisoning.  They get a drug that cures the radiation sickness from the Thals.  The Daleks decide to destroy the Thals.  The Doctor convinces the Thals to fight.  They sneak into the city and stop the deadly countdown of another "Neutronic" bomb and destroy the Daleks.  Dr. Who finds his missing component to the TARDIS and they leave.

Taken by themselves, many of  these plot elements are identical to the televised serial (which ran as seven, thirty-minute episodes or parts), but the television serial, in spooky black and white is in many cases much more effective.  For example, the cliffhanger of an early episode has Barbara being attacked by something she can see but the audience can't ... all the audience sees is the infamous Dalek plunger.  This cliffhanger builds suspense -- what is attacking Barbara?  What does it even look like?  The film skips the scene completely and the first time we see the Daleks, there are several of  them -- it technicolor glory.

The brightly-colored Daleks are another problem.  Most of  the time in Doctor Who, even in later color episodes, the Daleks were all grey (with some black).  This uniformity stressed the uniformity and conformity of  the Dalek characters.  Also, some analysts have suggested the grey-and-black was reminiscent of  Nazi uniforms.

Finally, the acting in the film version of  Dr. Who and the Daleks is greatly disappointing.  Ian is silly, clumsy, and not at all brave.  Barbara is weak, screams a lot, and has no spunk.  Oddly enough, the young, yet intelligent, Susan (only five or eight, rather than a teenager), is the most engaging character besides Cushing's Doctor.  The guest actors are no better.  One Thal at one point thanks the Doctor with a tone that seems to suggest he thinks the exact opposite.  And the Daleks are chatty!  Daleks are not supposed to be chatty.  "Exterminate!"  "I obey!"  That's about it.  Not all the chatter.

Overall the only reason I have this film is I didn't have to pay for it, and it's a interesting and bizarre addition to my collection of  Doctor Who (TV series) memorabilia.  And, I am a bit of a complete-ist when I collect something.

Recommendation:  Don't bother.
Rating:  2
Next Film:  Dalek Invasion Earth 2150 AD

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Dr. No

  • Title:  Dr. No
  • Director:  Terence Young
  • Date:  1962
  • Studio:  United Artists (MGM)
  • Genre:  Action
  • Cast:  Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Jack Lord
  • Format:  Color, Widescreen
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC
The James Bond film that started it all.  Dr. No actually flows at a much more sedate pace than more recent Bond films, but it is still classic and still Bond.  The first half of the movie actually feels more like a mystery as Bond is sent to Jamaica to discover why an agent has disappeared and the regular radio transmission from the island was interrupted.

Soon Bond suspects something is going on on Crab Key, the local island the natives avoid, and one of  the last places the agent is said to have gone.  He investigates, running into Ursula Andress on the island (walking out of the ocean in a bikini with a knife strapped to her hip).  The two are eventually captured and taken to the underground hideout of  Dr. No.  Dr. No informs Bond he works for SPECTRE -- and organization of criminal masterminds, and that his (nefarious) plot is to knock out US space program launches from Florida.  His underground lair also uses nuclear power and is contaminating the island with radioactivity.

Despite being captured, knocked out, locked up a second time, and being beaten by No's goons - Bond prevails, preventing No from causing a Saturn rocket to crash and blowing up No's headquarters.  There's also a couple of  car chases (in huge 1960s sedans no less), and Bond kills more than once.

Besides Andress walking out of  the ocean and the setting in Jamaica, which were referenced in Die Another Day; this film is also referenced in the Bond parody Austin Powers International Man of  Mystery which also referenced the tan and plastic uniforms with the clear plastic flat-topped helmets.

Connery is also plays Bond with a chilling attitude, that's almost off-putting in this film.  And the pacing is a bit slow.  But it's where a very long series of films started, and it's a fairly good film in it's own right.

Recommendation:  See it
Rating 3 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Dr. Who and the Daleks (Movie Version with Peter Cushing)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

  • Title:  Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
  • Director:  Joss Whedon
  • Date:  2008
  • Studio:  Mutant Enemy Productions
  • Genre:  Musical, Comedy
  • Music:  Joss Whedon & Jed Whedon
  • Lyrics:  Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen
  • Cast:  Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day
  • Format:  Color, Widescreen
  • Format:  R1, NTSC
"Destroying the Status Quo, because the status is not quo."  -- Dr. Horrible

"She talked to me!  Why did she talk to me now?"  -- Dr. Horrible (Billy)

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is what happens when creative people are told they can't work.  The project was made during the writer's strike.  Whedon, who as a member of the writer's guild, couldn't write for pay, got together with a bunch of  his currently unemployed actor buddies, and produced this -- and put it on the Internet for free.  Which is both why it's so short (roughly 42 minutes) and why it's in three "acts" (the parts would have been posted separately to allow for easier streaming and download on-line).  Later the movie was edited together and put on DVD.  The DVD also includes "Commentary - The Musical", which is a full-length musical commentary.  And yes, it is as fun as it sounds.

Plot is actually very much something the average geek, nerd, or dork can identify with -- though I mean that in a good way.  Dr. Horrible, aka Billy (Neil Patrick Harris), hosts a video blog, and is very shy around girls, especially Penny (Day) -- the girl he sees at the laundromat  twice a week.  Penny is sweet and kind, and works with the homeless.  Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion), Dr. Horrible's nemesis, is built, handsome, and totally clueless about the way he actually treats people.

Dr. Horrible is trying to get into the Evil League of  Evil, run by Bad Horse, the Thoroughbred of Sin.  He'd also like to win over Penny, but is too shy to really talk to her.  He also manages to accidentally introduce Penny to Captain Hammer -- and they start dating, much to Horrible's chagrin.  He develops his Freeze Ray to freeze time, and a Death Ray, but is about to realize he can't kill a defenseless and frozen Captain Hammer, when the freezing stops working.  In the ensuing fracas... well, buy the DVD.

The music is fun, and full of some very amusing lyrics.  If you've seen "Buffy:  The Musical", you'll recognize some of  the techniques used here -- lots of  over-lapping sung lyrics, duets and even trios between the three main characters, and returning themes in the music.  Overall, the storyline doesn't have a happy ending though, unlike most musicals -- but it is 80-90 percent sung, with very little dialogue.  The dialogue is only used to connect the various songs; and it's the songs that actually move the plot along.

Overall, a fun, amusing, and somewhat strange short film.

List of  Musical Numbers (Titles approximate)
  • Laundry Day -- Billy
  • Bad Horse Chorus
  • Caring Hands for Homeless Shelter -- Penny
  • A Man's Gotta Do, What a Man's Gotta Do (Dr. Horrible)
  • A Man's Gotta Do -- Captain Hammer
  • Thank You for Saving Me -- Penny
  • Evil Inside me Is On the Rise -- Dr. Horrible
  • Some Kind of Harmony is on the Rise -- Penny
  • Story of a Girl -- Penny
  • A Brand New Day -- Dr. Horrible
  • So They Say -- Captain Hammer
  • Everyone's a Hero in their Own Way -- Captain Hammer
  • Society is Slipping / Say It Was Horrible --  Dr. Horrible
  • Here Lies Everything, the World I Wanted at My Feet - Dr. Horrible
Recommendation:  A Must See
Rating:  4
Next Film:  Dr. No (James Bond)

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Die Another Day

  • Title:  Die Another Day
  • Director:  Lee Tamahori
  • Date:  2002
  • Studio:  MGM
  • Genre:  Action
  • Cast:  Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Dame Judi Dench, John Cleese, Samantha Bond, Colin Salmon
  • Format:  Widescreen, Color
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC
Pierce Brosnan's final foray as James Bond is hardly his best, and I remember disliking the movie when I saw it in the theater.  The only reason I ended-up with a copy of "Die Another Day" was I bought it at a "two fer" sale, and I was more interested in the other movie.  And when I watched the DVD for the first time this past summer, after watching all of Brosnan's other Bond films -- it does disappoint.

However, watching this movie tonight, standing alone without watching the other Brosnan Bond films before, I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it.  It really is the typical action-packed Bond film.  This film is unique in that it starts with Bond at his lowest point -- not only does a mission go wrong, but he's captured, imprisoned and "the secretary disavows all knowledge of  his existence", -- sorry, I couldn't resist that.  But seriously, Bond is tortured and kept alone, in prison, for 14 months.  He is led out to a firing squad, then traded for another political prisoner.  Upon his return to the UK he discovers he's now a burned spy.  But, knowing he was set-up, Bond sets out to clear his name and finish his botched mission.

This quest send him to Cuba, and Iceland, before returning to North Korea, where he was captured before.  The plot involves Blood Diamonds (which throughout the film are referred to as "Conflict Diamonds" -- the politically correct wording still irritates me.  Call 'em what they are, "Blood Diamonds", please.)  An huge satellite capable of reflecting the Sun's rays to Earth, basically creating a second Sun, and when focused, a very nasty pinpoint laser.  Oh, and gene-replacement therapy, which somehow gives people new identities and new looks, as well as having a nasty side-effect of permanent insomnia.

If this sounds complex -- it is.  The film might have been better if  it was simplified (note:  not dumbed down, just less of a mess) a bit, maybe cutting out the entire North Korean plot, and keeping the bad guy what he is -- a deluded wealthy megalomaniac, faking a new diamond mine to launder blood diamonds, while developing an terrible super-weapon.  Ah, well.

The other thing I noticed this time around, and I honestly don't know how I missed it previously, because I've seen most of  the James Bond films, and all the classic ones -- are all the references to other Bond films.  There's the beautiful Bond girl walking out of  the ocean in a bikini (Dr No?) only this time it's Halle Berry.  There's Bond using a small re-breather tube (.Thunderball).  There's somebody nearby being cut in half  by a laser ("No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die."  Goldfinger), and in Q's lab -- there's the knife-shoe from Goldfinger, and the human jet-pack (Moonraker?  One of  the Roger Moore films, anyway).  They don't come off as homages, but more as a series which is stealing from itself.

However, I will say this -- the cast all did a great job.  Brosnan is gorgeous as always, and his acting is perfect -- I love the twinge of angst underlying his characterization of  Bond.  Halle Berry is actually quite good as the American agent (tho' that theme's also not new to Bond; nor is the idea of  pairing Bond with a young female agent from another country).  Judi Dench,  John Cleese, and Samantha Bond are wonderful in their re-occuring  roles as M, Q, and Moneypenny.  And no way is Brosnan getting too old to play Bond -- he's just distinguished.  And still gorgeous.  Though I must admit , I twitched a bit at him bedding the character of  Miranda Frost, who really did look young enough to be his daughter.

Overall, a standard James Bond film.  Not quite as much fun or "high popcorn value" as usual because Bond's tortured at the beginning of  the film, and even suffers flashbacks to it (tho' all the torture scenes are in the opening sequence and credits, except the flashbacks), but still worth collecting as it is Brosnan's last Bond film.

Recommendation:  It's OK, good for the collection of  the Bond complete-ist, and I've seen worse Bond.
Rating:  3 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Dead Poets Society

  • Title:  Dead Poets Society
  • Director:  Peter Weir
  • Date:  1989
  • Studio:  Touchstone Pictures
  • Genre:  Drama
  • Cast:  Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke
  • Format:  Widescreen, Color
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC
"In my class you will learn to think for yourselves again.  You will learn to savor words and language.  No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."  -- John Keating

"Boys, you must strive to find your own voice, but the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.  Thoreau said 'most men lead lives of quiet desperation', don't be resigned to that."  -- John Keating

Dead Poet's Society is an extra-ordinary movie about an extra-ordinary teacher.  English teacher John Keating (Robin Williams) is the teacher most of us always wanted to have, some of us were lucky enough to have, and if you've ever taught or tried to teach -- the teacher we strive to be.  Keating doesn't simply read to his students, or have them read poetry aloud.  Rather, he brings poetry alive by bringing his students outside the classroom - to look at the pictures of  past students and remind the current ones how short life can be; or having them read a line of poetry aloud then kick a ball (again outside).  Whether it's a exercise in what creates conformity, or having students stand on his desk to get a view -- Keating not only knows how to reach his students, and turn them into admirers of  the great poets, but he touches and changes lives.

However, as one might guess in a movie set at a conservative boys-only prep school in the 1950s, where all the boys have had their entire lives mapped out from day one by their parents, Keating's unconventional style is noticed and Not Approved by the conservative staff.  It may have gone OK, but for the life of one student, Neil Perry.  Neil is, at heart, an artsy type.  At the opening of  the movie, Neil's father decides he's taking "too many activities" and forces him to drop the school annual (yearbook).  From the look on Neil's face, the audience can tell it's his favorite activity, but Neil caves and does what Daddy tells him to, because he feels he has no choice.  Later it's Neil who revives Keating's "Dead Poets Society", a social club for reading poetry, writing poetry, and Carpe Diem or "Seize the Day", the un-official anthem of  the film.

Neil, later discovers a nearby school is holding open try outs for a play and as he's always wanted to try acting, Neil goes ahead and tries out, gets the part, and forges the necessary permission slips.  He keeps the entire deal secret from his over-bearing, conservative, egotistical father.  His father does find out, though, and forbids Neil from having anything to do with "that acting nonsense" -- he's to become a doctor.  Neil doesn't know what to do -- so he sees Keating.  Keating tells him he has to talk to his father again, to explain his passion, that he wants to try the stage, just once.  Later, Neil lies about talking to his father and goes to the play.  As Puck in A Midsummer's Night's Dream, Neil is a smash success.  But his father sees him on stage, and gets angry.  He takes Neil home and tells him that not only would there be none of  this acting business, but he's pulling him from school and he will be sent to a military academy.  That most certainly sounds like hell to Neil - he kills himself.

After Neil's death, the school blames everything on Keating, who's fired.  But the last image of the film, of the Dead Poet's Society boys, calling Keating "Captain, my Captain", and standing on their desks in a salute is breath-taking, and will make you cry.

Peter Weir's direction is stunning in this movie.  From lovely, beautiful, monochromatic shots -- such as the boys running off into the blue, misty, night sky and literally disappearing; to the white, snowy scene right after Neil's death, when his roommate, Todd, throws up and runs off out of grief.  There are plenty of gorgeous shots of the beautiful scenery in this movie (in Delaware according to the credits), but Weir also films people with a deft hand.  He uses light and shadow well.  And he brings out emotion, beautifully, in a film with basically all male characters (there's a few girlfriends here or there, but that's it).

Dead Poet's Society is a film that changes whenever you watch it.  Initially, (and yes, I saw the film when it came out in 1989), it seemed like Neil's father was a complete jerk, and completely to blame for Neil's death -- and the way it was blamed on Mr. Keating.  Last time I watched this film, when I first bought the DVD (another $5.00 special no less!) -- I detected a hint of anti-homosexuality, theorizing that Mr. Perry's hatred of acting and the stage, and anything artsy at all, was actually because actors were thought to be "all gay", especially in the 1950s.  Thus, his attacks on Neil's interests in writing and acting.  This time around, I noticed Neil's complete inability to talk to or challenge his father -- though his father certainly didn't make any sort of conversation possible.  And the treatment of  Keating is still really horrible and unfair.  It's a testament to the director's skill that he can get so many different reads from a single movie.

And it goes without saying, that Robin Williams is brilliant as the unconventional Mr. Keating.  Robert Sean Leonard is brilliant as the tormented and artistic Neal.  And a very, very, VERY young Ethan Hawke gives a wonderful performance as Neal's new roommate Todd.  All the performances in the film are stunning, even the characters you dislike such as Neil's father, and some of  the more conventional teachers at the Welton Academy.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  4 Stars
Next Film:  Die Another Day (James Bond)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Date Night

  • Title:  Date Night
  • Director:  Shawn Levy
  • Date:  2010
  • Studio:  20th Century Fox
  • Genre:  Romance, Comedy, Action, Adventure
  • Cast:  Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Jimmi Simpson
  • Format:  Color, Widescreen
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC, Extended Ed.
"That's marriage, right, sometimes you do stuff you don't want to do."  --  Phil Foster

"It wasn't a crazy idea - it was just dinner in Manhattan, one night, one date where we're not talking about the kids the entire time or what we have to do next week."  -- Phil

"Everything you're doing,  I'm doing in heels!" -- Claire

There is an old saying that "Most men live lives of quiet desperation."  The opening of  Date Night, shows us a 40-something married couple who are both living quiet, suburban lives of quiet desperation - he's a tax accountant, she's a realtor.  They have two kids, a house in the New Jersey 'burbs, and the clichéd white picket fence.  Even their weekly "date night", has become hackneyed and boring.  When their best couple friends tell Mr. and Mrs. Foster (separately, no less) they are getting a separation out of sheer boredom, Mr. Phil Foster (Steve Carell) decides they need to do something different for the next date night.

So they head into Manhattan - and swipe a reservation at a swanky seafood restaurant.  And chaos ensues.  The couple is mistaken for another couple who are up to no good.  That's the basic set-up of the movie.

Date Night has everything - humor and character comedy.  Carell is instantaneously likable (in fact, "Phil Foster" reminds me very much of Carell's "Maxwell Smart" - except Max knew he was an agent; Foster really is just an accountant).  A couple of McGuffins and mistaken identity drive the plot of  the film, but what makes the film really work is having two normal people who are dropped into a ridiculous situation - finding excitement and a renewed relationship with each other.  These characters feel real - yet at the same time the movie is very, very funny.  Carell delivers one-liners like nobody's business, but Fey also manages to get in a few zingers .  And, like the best of the Cary Grant screwball comedies - from tiny beginnings (taking a reservation from a no show so they could have a nice date) the situation just gets more and more intense and thus funnier and funnier.  There's danger in Date Night and humor - a rare but perfect combination.

The relationship between Claire and Phil works because it feels real.  After meeting one of Claire's former clients (Mark Walhberg), Phil is, admittedly jealous -- he sees the guy as hot and built, so he's sure his wife does too.  So he points out to Claire that she sparked for him - why doesn't she spark for him anymore?  To which Claire goes on a rant about how exhausted she is - because she has to do so much, with taking care of the kids, working, cleaning the house, etc.  To which Phil responds, and this is the important bit, that he could help - she should let him do something.  "And yeah, you know what?  Maybe, occasionally, I might buy the toy made from Chinese lead or I might make a sandwich for Ollie that God forbid breaches the jelly perimeter.  But if you just let me do something for you... I think that I would surprise you.  I really do.  I know I'd surprise you.".  Phil admits their couple friends are breaking up, Claire says that she knows.  The conversation returns to sex fantasies -- and Claire says, if anything, she fantasies about being alone, just leaving, going to an air-conditioned hotel room, closing the door and just sitting in the peace and quiet, sipping a diet Sprite.  It's a turning point in their relationship as the two begin to realize just what they need to do.  But such quiet moments are rare -- in this screwball comedy that just gets bigger and bigger, and funnier and funnier.

This film also has the funniest car chase scene I've seen since The Blues Brothers.  It's a brilliant car chase, it really is.  The film is laugh-out-loud funny without making fun of the characters.  At no point are Carell and Fey's characters the butt of the jokes -- the situation is funny because normal people are put into an outrageous situation.  The occasional senses of danger work, but also have that 80s-TV feel of  "no one is going to get seriously hurt, here, even the bad guys, so just have a good time".  Good comedy comes from putting realistic characters in funny situations, not making fun of characters to the point where you cringe watching it, and Date Night is a good comedy.

I highly recommend seeing Date Night.  Despite the title, it's not your traditional romantic comedy - more of a romantic action/adventure/comedy thing.  The characters, especially Carell and the various people he and his wife run into in one wild night are also well-drawn.  If you watch Psych on USA Network, you might remember "Mary - the profiler"  from "An Evening with Mr. Yang", played by Jimmi Simpson, he's in this. And, no, I'm not telling you who he plays!  Oddly enough, because of the humor, action, and even a touch of romance - Date Night might be a great date movie, but definitely not in the traditional weepy chick flick sense.  It's a film virtually everyone can enjoy.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  5 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Dead Poets Society

Saturday, April 9, 2011

DareDevil

  • Title:  DareDevil
  • Director:  Mark Johnson
  • Date:  2002
  • Studio:  20th Century Fox
  • Genre:  Action, Fantasy
  • Cast:  Ben Affleck, Jennifer Gardner, Colin Farrell, David Keith
  • Format:  Color, Widescreen
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC
"We made each other a silent promise to never give up, to be fearless, to stick-up for the long shots like us.  We were two fighters on the come back trail."  -- Matt Murdock

"You killed the only two people I ever loved.  Why?"  -- DareDevil
"Business.  That's all it ever is, is business." -- Kingpin

"That this city is born of  heroes.  That one man can make a difference."  -- DareDevil

DareDevil is of course based on the Marvel character of  the same name.  I'm a DC gal, not Marvel so much, so I'm not that familiar with the source material, though I think I read a DareDevil graphic novel once.  The movie though explains what you need to know about the character's background and shows us Matt Murdock's journey.  Matt grew up in Hell's Kitchen, the son of  a former boxer.  His father, Jack, is washed-up now, but urges Matt to not fight but to get good grades so he can become a doctor or a lawyer.

Matt, at 10 or so, loses his sight in a bio hazard chemical spill.  At 12, his father is killed, leaving him all alone in the world.  However, he manages to become a lawyer anyway and specializes in helping innocent people -- ending-up doing a lot of pro-bono work, much to the chagrin of  best friend and partner.  Matt, also, at night is DareDevil, The Man Without Fear (formerly The Boy Without Fear), who uses his acute radar-like hearing and highly developed senses of  touch and smell to fight crime and to seek vengeance.

I loved how this movie visualized the way Matt "sees" by sound.  It was innovative, and just plain cool-looking.  I also liked that the credits were in braille which transformed into letters, though I don't know if the braille was accurate.  There are some other stunning visuals in the film as well - When Jack dies, it's in a dark alley, with a yellow caution sign at one end that says, "End".  Some symbolism there, don't you think?  And the brilliant red rose dropped on Jack's body is the only real color in the shot.  Actually, the color palette of  the entire film is very muted and dark -- emphasizing the darkness of  the world Matt Murdock inhabits - both literally as a blind man and figuratively as a masked vigilante.

Anyway, as an adult with a dual identity, Matt is working in the justice system by day, fighting criminals by night.  One day he meets Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner) in a coffee shop, as Matt, and the two begin to date.  However, when The Kingpin (of crime), hires the assassin, Bullseye, to kill Elektra's father, not only does he succeed, but it looks, even to Elektra, that DareDevil is the guilty one.  Elektra practices the martial arts she's learned since she was five, dresses in black leather (of course) and sets out to find and kill DareDevil for killing her father.  They fight, and Elektra stabs him in the shoulder.  She pulls off  his mask and is shocked to find it's Matt -- though she also now believes him -- she knows Bullseye is to blame, not Matt.  Speaking of -- Bullseye shows up, fights Elektra, and kills her.  Or does he?  The end of  the film makes one wonder.  DareDevil goes after Bullseye, they fight, he kills Bullseye (by throwing him through a church Rose window no less), then he goes after Kingpin.  But during his fight with Kingpin, he comes to a realization:  he no longer wants vengeance after seeing what it did to Elektra.  He leaves Kingpin to the police.  DareDevil will be the city's protector, not a masked vigilante seeking random vengeance.

Again -- I'm more of a DC gal, but I will say that the Marvel Comics characters make for good movies.  And, even though I see a lot of similarities between DareDevil and Batman, I still think DareDevil is a good movie - the visuals are very, very cool.  I particularly liked the ghostly images and white-on-blue or sparkly dots (e.g. rain) used to visualize how Matt "sees" -- unusual, visually stunning, and something that makes you think.  How unusual is that in a "comic book" fantasy movie?  This also is a fairly dark film, really.  Matt's life is grim, and Elektra's is about as bad.

Recommendation:  See it - at least once.
Rating:  3.5
Next Film:  Date Night

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Dante's Peak

  • Title:  Dante's Peak
  • Director:  Roger Donaldson
  • Date: 1997
  • Studio:  Universal
  • Genre:  Action, Adventure, Romance
  • Cast:  Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton
  • Format:  Color, Widescreen
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC
Dante's Peak is a typical  disaster movie, but that isn't a slight against it.  Pierce Brosnan is Dr. Harry Dalton, a vulcanologist, who is sent by the US Geologic Survey to the sleepy town of  Dante's Peak in the Cascade mountain range to check to see if the mountain is about to turn volcanic.  His early investigation leads to some warning signs, but his boss, Paul soon arrives and urges caution - since a false alarm could be an economic disaster for the town.  'Course, Paul doesn't seem to think about what having the volcano explode will do to the town.

After a week of  intense study, Paul decides that they can monitor the mountain remotely, and they will leave the next morning.  Harry and Rachel (Hamilton) have a last date on the town, only to find sulfur in the town's water -- a sure sign of  an impending eruption.  They go to pick up Rachel's children from her home, only to discover they have gone to their grandmother's cabin up the mountain.  The second half of the movie is the more traditional action-oriented part -- with plenty of narrow escapes and heart-break, as the situation goes from bad to worse to worst.

But at the end of  the day, Harry, Rachel, Rachel's two kids, and the dog survive.  Paul doesn't.  The crew of geologic survey interns does, though.   Actually, for a disaster movie, there isn't as much death as one would normally expect (as in most big Hollywood disaster flicks where huge casts of  famous people die horribly).  There are deaths, mostly of  the stupid -- and pretty much off camera or near off camera (the film has a PG-13 rating).  But it's also typical in the Hollywood disaster movie tradition in that Harry is a bit of  a "Cassandra" figure -- he keeps predicting the mountain will blow, which it does spectacularly, but he isn't believed until it's almost too late to do anything about it.

There's also a bit of romance between Harry, who lost his girlfriend Marion to another volcano they were studying four years previously, and Rachel who's divorced.  Brosnan and Hamilton have good chemistry and the two children and dog aren't nearly as annoying as they could be.  Overall it's a fun, exciting movie with good special effects.  Enjoyable to watch, especially as an escape (in a good way) or "popcorn movie" experience.

Recommendation:  See it - for the fun of  it.
Rating: 4 out of  5 Stars
Next film:  Dare Devil

Sunday, April 3, 2011

The Commitments

  • Title:  The Commitments
  • Director:  Alan Parker
  • Date:  1991
  • Studio:  20th Century Fox, Beacon Communications Inc
  • Genre:  Musical, Drama
  • Cast:  Colm Meaney, Andrew Strong, Robert Arkins, Michael Aherne, Angeline Ball, Maria Doyle, Bronagh Gallagher, Johnny Murphy
  • Format:  Widescreen, Color
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC
"It has to be 'The' something -- all the best 60s bands were 'The' something."  -- Jimmy Rabbitte

"The Irish are the Blacks of Europe, and the Dubliners are the Blacks of  Ireland, and the Northside Dubliners are the Blacks of  Dublin."  -- Jimmy Rabbitte (explaining to the band why they're going to play "Dublin soul")

I love this movie!  The music, Motown, Blues, and Soul -- is great, both in the background and the numbers that The Commitments actually sing.  The movie is told from the point of  view of  Jimmy, an Irish teenager / young 20-something who is fascinated by the music business and wants to get out of the poverty he's living in.  However, rather than pulling at the heartstrings, or telling Jimmy's story in a sad way -- Jimmy tells his own story by interviewing himself, answering questions from the unseen or heard "Terry", like he's become the success he's always envisioned.

The film starts with Jimmy deciding to form a band -- he puts an ad in the paper and starts gathering up a group of  people for the band -- mostly people he knows, some who come to him, and even a few he's heard sing -- at weddings, in church, etc, and puts together the band.  However, the montage sequence of the open auditions is hilarious -- singers, musicians, and band fronts-people of all descriptions show up at his house and just start singing or naming their "influences".  It's great.

The band begins to come together and Jimmy invites in a girl he knows, her friend who he thinks is gorgeous, and the two bring a third friend -- becoming the back-up singers or "Commitment-ettes".  They also get to perform several Motown-inspired numbers in the film (think Aretha Franklin or Diana Ross and the Supremes).  He also finds an incredible lead singer, Deco Cuffe (Andrew Strong), who's rude and dirty-mouthed, but can really sing.  He also finds a sax player, drum player, and piano player.  Finishing out the band is a trumpet player who's old enough to be the father to most of  people in the group -- but claims to have played with all the greats, even the Beatles.  Jimmy believes all of Joey Fagan's stories.

First rehearsing over a pool hall, then slowly getting gigs, things seem to be building up to a slow rise to success.  There first gig is a community center -- which falls apart when the overly-excited Deco somehow manages to cause an electric explosion on the "stage".  As a result, Derek needs a run to the E/R, but ends up OK and unhurt.

Each gig seems to get better and better -- but tensions erupt between members of  the band.  And at their best gig, as the group sounds their most professional, and an agent even approaches Jimmy to sign them with a small record label -- the personal conflicts boil over.  When Wilson Pickett fails to show to jam with the group, like everyone was depending on, and Joey had said would happen, it all falls apart.

In the end, unlike other films with this type of structure -- The Commitments don't become the next big thing.  They don't even become a small success, everything falls apart.  What makes the film great is it's unpredictability, and it's sense of atmosphere.  These kids are poor, the poorest of  the poor -- thus Jimmy's statement about the Irish being the "Blacks of  Europe", and as working-class poor kids, music is one of  the few ways out.  And that doesn't even work for this group of  misfits who just have bad luck.  Something happens at each of  their gigs, until the final one features some of  the best music - and some of  the worst personal interaction, as the girls are all fighting because Joey's slept with all of them, the drummer and Deco can't stand each other, the saxophonist would rather play jazz, etc.

Finally, there is a lot of  humor in the film, too.  The description may sound grim, but it isn't a grim movie.  I enjoyed it -- and I continue to enjoy it where ever I see it.  There are lots of  quips, and even character humor.  For example, Colm Meaney, Jimmy's Da, is an Elvis fan -- his reactions to the "auditions" are priceless.

And everywhere and everyone in the film is playing music or singing or dancing -- from the granny with her violin, to Meaney singing "Unchained Melody", to traditional Irish songs sung or played by street musicians.  The background music that's mostly Motown is also fantastic, as is the music actually sung by The Commitments.

This is an Irish movie, filmed completely in Ireland, yet the Irish teenagers, especially Jimmy, the band's manager, love Motown and identify with the rhythm of  Soul.  It's also great fun.  The characters are sharply drawn and sympathetic.  The music is great.  The background Motown/blues/soul music is excellent.  The music sung by The Commitments is also excellent.  And the storyline really sings.

Musical Numbers

Mustang Sally
Too Many Fish in the Sea
Mr. Pitiful
Bye Bye Baby
Show Me
Take Me to the River
The Dark End of  the Street
Hard to Handle
Chain of  Fools
Mustang  Sally
I Never Loved a Man
Try a Little Tenderness
In The Midnight Hour

Recommendation:  See It
Rating:  5 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Dante's Peak

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Citizen Kane

  • Title:  Citizen Kane
  • Director:  Orson Welles
  • Date:  1941
  • Studio:  RKO Radio Pictures
  • Genre:  Classic, Drama
  • Cast:  Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten
  • Format:  Standard, black and white
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC  (2-disc Special Edition)
"One item on your list intrigues me, the New York Inquirer, a little newspaper I understand we acquired in a foreclosure proceeding, please don't sell it, I'm coming back to America to take charge, I think it would be fun to run a newspaper."  -- Charles Foster Kane 

"The trouble is you don't realize you're talking to two people.  As Charles Foster Kane who owns 82,364 shares of Public Transit Preferred, you see I do have a general idea of my holdings, I sympathize with you, Charles Foster Kane is a scoundrel, his papers should be run out of town, a committee should be formed to boycott him, you may, if you can form such a committee, put me down for a contibution of  $1000.
... On the other hand, I am the publisher of  the Inquirer, as such it is my duty, and I'll let you in on a little secret, it's also my pleasure to see to it that decent, hardworking people in this community aren't robbed blind by a pack of money-mad pirates just because they haven't anybody to look after their interests!" -- Charles Foster Kane

Citizen Kane is thought by many film critics and historians to be the best film ever made.  Personally, I think that honor should go to Casablanca... but anyway.  Kane is an odd film -- the direction is incredible, and the shots, angles, tricks with shots, use of lighting, shadows, mirrors, are incredible.  In fact, I'd say if you're one of the people who doesn't like Citizen Kane, I'd suggest try watching it with the sound off, just to notice the picture more.

However, it is true that there aren't really any sympathetic characters in this movie.  Kane, who is vaguely sympathetic when he starts out as the crusading newspaper publisher, also starts a war for his own aggrandizement and to sell papers (Kane even paraphrases the famous William Randolph Hearst quote, "You provide the pictures, I'll provide the war."  More about Hearst later.)  His personal life is in shambles, but not in a way that the audience can sympathize with -- we know both of  his wives left him, and his first wife died in a car accident along with his son.  We know he was more or less sold off  by his parents and raised by a banker and boarding schools, though with a silver spoon in his mouth, so to speak, without real love.

We're not really sympathetic to the reporter who's trying to discover the meaning of  Kane's last word either.  Though the non-linear story-telling was probably revolutionary at the time (1941), now audiences are much more accustomed to even more complicated methods of  explaining the plot.  So the reporter's running around interviewing old friends, acquaintances and ex-lovers of  Kane's seems more like a device for structure.  I don't even remember the reporter's name -- if  he has one.  And "Rosebud" is a verbal McGuffin, that is, "the thing everyone in the film is looking for -- that may or may not be found".  In this case, only the audience learns that "Rosebud" is his sled.

Which brings me to the point of what the movie is about.  As Kane's life crumbles, his first marriage growing colder and colder, until she finally leaves, taking his son, and subsequently dying -- he begins to acquire more and more -- not only building his newspaper and radio empire, but buying statues, art, even parts of castles.  In my opinion, this buying spree represents two things -- the habit of the nouveau riche of  buying expensive things to impress others, whether or not they like looking at them or even know anything about the art they are buying.  And second, Kane's obsession with a need to possess.  Whether it's for a sense of  security, or only a way of  lording it over those who don't have what he has, or even simply an attempt to be accepted in the highest circles of  the wealthy is completely unknown and unanswered in the film.  Kane's second wife is no better -- she quickly becomes rude, screeching, mean-spirited and even cruel, though in truth Kane responds in kind.  Susan never seems to appreciate what Kane does for her (he did after all, build her an Opera house and a palace) but he's also doing things that he thinks will impress her or make her happy, rather than what she wants.  In the end, though it appears Kane married both women for love -- in the end, neither loved him.

So Kane ends up, all alone, in his stately pleasure dome of  Xanadu, probably pretty miserable, surrounded by his art treasures which are for the most part, still in their packing crates.  It's the ultimate story of  stuff and things not being as important as love, living life, and caring about friends and family.

And Rosebud?  I think besides being his sled, it represents the last time Charles Foster Kane was truly happy.

Course besides the incredible, incredible direction, the perfect use of  shadow and light, contrast, basically just really, really good black and white photography, and the incredible shots and images (the breaking of the glass snowball, Kane towering over Susan, the increasing table size and growing physical distance representing the increasing coldness in Kane and Emily's marriage, the row of  Kanes as he passed the mirrored archway in his palace, etc, etc) there's also the famous "controversy" about Citizen Kane.

William Randolph Hearst hated the movie.  He saw it as a direct insult to him, his wife, and his girlfriend, and set out to destroy the film and almost succeeded.  Being a newspaper tycoon -- he ordered bad reviews in all his papers (still a strategy that works today - you want something to fail, spread bad press about it), not only that -- his movie theaters would not run the film.  The 2-disc special edition includes a documentary about the feud between Hearst and Welles, which I watched when I bought the DVD set several years ago.  I didn't re-watch it this time, but in many ways it's more interesting than the actual film.  Especially if  you're interested in the history of  censorship.  So if  the 2-disc special edition featuring the documentary is still available that's the version one should buy.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars
Next film:  The Commitments