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

Saturday, March 28, 2015

The Third Man


  • The Third Man
  • Director:  Carol Reed
  • Date:  1949
  • Studio:  London Films Productions (UK)
  • Genre:  Film Noir, Mystery, Drama
  • Cast:  Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Bernard Lee, Wilfrid Hyde-White
  • Format:  Black/White, Standard
  • DVD Format:  NTSC, R1 (Criterion Collection)
"Is that what you say to people after death? 'That's awkward.' " - Holly

"Death's at the bottom of everything, Martins.  Leave death to the professionals." - Major Calloway

"Look down there, would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you £20,000  [English Pounds Sterling] for every dot that you stopped - would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money? Or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to spend?" - Harry Lime

Holly Martins (Cotten) is a down on his luck American writer who jumps at the chance when his old childhood friend, Harry Lime, offers him a job in post-World War II Vienna. He arrives in a city that's still literally digging out from the destruction and rubble of war, and a city that's split into British, American, Russian, and French zones (so having your passport handy is of vital importance), only to find that his friend, Harry Lime, is dead. The police believe it to be an accident. Holly has trouble believing his old friend is dead. He starts to investigate - at first, merely to learn what happened. He talks to various people, the porter at Harry's building who witnessed a few things about the time of the accident, Harry's girlfriend, Anna Schmidt, other friend's of Harry's, and becomes suspicious that not only was Harry's death not an accident - but that something odd is going on in Vienna.

Harry also has several encounters with Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) a member of the British police for the British sections, and his aide, Sgt. Paine (Bernard Lee). When he takes his suspicions to the police, he's told, not unkindly, that even if Lime was murdered, the police won't waste resources investigating - because the man was a racketeer, involved in the Black Market, and most importantly he was involved in a scheme to steal, cut, and re-sell penicillin to sick and injured men, women and children - that resulted in several deaths, and a number of children with meningitis. As first, Holly doesn't believe his old friend would be involved in such a scheme. Later in the film, Major Calloway shows him proof of Harry Lime's involvement, and Holly reluctantly believes it. Still later on - Calloway takes Holly to a hospital ward filled with children who were left mentally disabled because of the tainted medicine and the resulting meningitis. There is considerable restraint in the scene, the audience doesn't see the sick children - only doctors and nurses tending to them, some shadows and medical charts, and the reactions of Holly, Major Calloway, and Sgt. Paine.

Holly also spends time with Anna, Harry's girlfriend. He begins to develop feelings for her - and she seems to return those feelings, but it's not to be.

About halfway through the film, when Holly's considering leaving Vienna altogether, he actually meets Harry Lime, who isn't as dead as everyone thought.

The second half of the film turns into more of a moral dilemma for Holly. Harry wants him to join him in another scheme to make money, that would probably harm as many people as his last one if not more. Holly tries to get Anna to go with him - but she's still in love with Harry. Anna's been having her own problems - she's living with a false passport, perhaps even a false name - because, as a Czechoslovakian she would be sent to Russia. Anna's reactions throughout the film are influenced by her blaming Holly somewhat for getting her in trouble with the police and her undying and unexplained love for Harry Lime.

Meanwhile, Major Calloway holds his duty to turn Anna over to the Russians, because she's an illegal immigrant, and the carrot of arranging her freedom over Holly as well.

Holly agrees to set-up Harry after Major Calloway presents him with proof of Lime's involvement in the drug stealing and selling scheme. They also discover that the person buried in Harry's grave is the missing hospital porter Calloway's been looking for.

However, an encounter with Anna again shakes Holly's resolve, he meets with Harry Lime, who turns out to be a real sociopath. Harry does not take up Lime on his implied offer to go into illegal business together someplace outside of Vienna.

Holly goes back to Calloway - who this time shows him the children in the hospital. Holly resolves to set-up Lime to help the police, especially as Calloway let's him have Anna's passport back.

Anna - gets off the train (Calloway had also supplied a ticket out of Vienna), she sees Holly and blows up at him because she knows he's setting up Harry. She even rips up her forged passport.

The conclusion of the film is a chase in Vienna's sewers, as Holly, then the Major and his troops, then police from the other districts of Vienna all chase down Harry Lime.

The brilliance of this film isn't in the overall plot, though the dead man who isn't dead was probably somewhat novel at the time - the brilliance is in the details. The cinematography of this film is just incredible. Director Carol Reed uses all sorts of unusual, tilted, and strange camera angles, which alongside the strange score, act to put the audience at unease. This odd setting emphasizes for example, Holly's isolation and grasping need to trust somebody. It sets all the characters apart, especially Harry Lime who towers over the film, despite not really being in it all that much. Lime is the "Third Man" of the title - referring to a Third Man who witnessed Harry's death as described by a witness, whom everyone else involved denies was even there. The discovery of a "Third Man" is an early clue that Holly discovers and uses to try to find out who "killed" Harry Lime.

The setting of this film is also unusual. Vienna is literally pulling itself out of rubble. Piles of concrete, and stone dust, and bombed out buildings are in nearly every shot. Nothing looks new and almost nothing is whole. There is evidence of war in nearly every scene. Oddly enough, the sewers are the only structures that seem solid, not crumbling or broken - and they are far underground. But it isn't just the buildings that are destroyed - the faces of the people, all very old or very young (except the main leads who are all probably in their 30s) - are a visual hint that the able-bodied men are all gone - and good young women don't appear on the streets. Anna, who works in a theater singing comedy opera in German, isn't exactly what the times would have called a "good woman". The faces of the bit players, and the few people in the streets, have character - but they have also seen pain and destruction.

Overall, I would highly recommend watching The Third Man at least once. Visually it's a film not to be missed, despite the bleak setting. I'd say it really needs to be seen because of the bleak setting.

Recommendation:  See it
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (SPOILERS)


  • Title:  Justice League:  Throne of Atlantis
  • Director:  Ethan Spaulding
  • Voice Director:  Andrea Romano
  • Date:  2015
  • Studio:  Warner Brothers Animation
  • Genre:  Animation, Action, Fantasy
  • Cast:  Matt Lanter, Sean Astin, Rosario Dawson, Nathan Fillion, Christopher Gorham, Shemar Moore, Jerry O'Connell, Jason O'Mara, Sumalee Montano, Sam Witwer, Sirena Irwin, Juliet Landau, George Newborn, Khary Payton
  • Format:  Color, Widescreen
  • DVD Format:  Blu-Ray
"Not all heroes wear capes." - Sub Captain

"Death by collateral damage in a surface war does not comfort me. They kill our race, they poison our oceans, they will destroy this planet and take Atlantis with it. We must protect our people and attack!" - Prince Orm (aka Ocean Master)

"You speak to me of betrayal - you who spilled Atlantean blood and blamed it on the surface world! I have eyes everywhere Orm and you will pay for your treachery!" - Queen Atlanna

"This coup is over!  I am Queen and war is not in my plans!" - Queen Atlanna

I really enjoyed this DC Animated Feature -- and it's the first time in several DC Animated films I've been able to whole-heartedly say that. Although technically a Justice League movie, Throne of Atlantis really concentrates on the character of Arthur Curry and his journey to becoming Aquaman, and part of the New 52 Justice League.

The teaser for the film has a sub near the Marianas Trench responding to an SOS call. The sub is attacked and all aboard are lost. Cyborg is called in to investigate, and he calls in the rest of the Justice League.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged man is in a seaside bar in Maine, getting drunk and sharing his troubles with a live lobster in a tank. The bartender cuts him off the booze. When the same bartender takes the lobster out of the tank to make it into someone's dinner - the man, Arthur Curry, gets in a fist-fight. He's very strong and a good fighter, despite being drunk. He rescues the lobster, keeps in in his vest, then escapes outside. Defeating several guys from the bar who attack him again, as well as one man armed with a knife, Arthur releases the rescued lobster, sans rubber bands on its claws, back into the ocean.

Cyborg holds a meeting of the entire Justice League, with Flash convincing everyone to show up, though it's Green Lantern who brings in Batman. Once everyone arrives he shows him the information about the attack on the sub. Wonder Woman recognizes the writing on the weapons as Atlantean. Shazam (Captain Marvel, Billy Batson) suggests contacting an expert in Atlantis and it's lore. Superman and Batman go to investigate.

Meanwhile, Arthur Curry is living in his father's lighthouse.

Prince Orm, in league with Black Manta, confronts Queen Atlanna, his mother, whom he blames for his father's death. His father, the king was warlike and was considering a war plan to "cleanse" the surface dwellers. Atlanna, by contrasts, wishes to abandon their isolationist practices and contact the surface to broker a peaceful co-existence. Atlanna sends Meara to find Arthur, her older son.

Black Manta talks to Dr. Shin, the expert on Atlantis, on the phone, then sends his troops after the scientist. Dr. Shin arrives at Arthur's door to give him some information about his father. Arthur is very hung-over and takes awhile to get to the door, he agrees to let Dr. Shin in, but when he closes the door to take the chain bolt off, Dr. Shin is attacked and killed by Manta's troops. At the same time, Black Manta's troops, under orders from Prince Orm, attack and kill Atlantean farmers.

Meara rescues Arthur from Manta's troops. She takes him to Atlantis and sees the dead villagers who have been attacked.

Superman and Batman investigate Dr. Shin's lab - but everything's been destroyed. They find enough to lead them to Arthur Curry.

Prince Orm uses the attack on the Atlantean villagers to stir up hatred and war. Queen Atlanna tries to arrange a meeting between herself and the Justice League. Meara explains to Aquaman that he is the son of Queen Atlanna and a human, his father, Thomas, this sequence uses flashbacks. Meara shows Arthur his armor. He wears the orange and green body suit but not the outer armor.

Meara and Arthur are attacked by Trenchers (sea creatures). The Flash arrives to help Arthur and Meara. A few minutes later, Green Lantern, then the rest of the Justice League arrive to help.

Prince Orm, who shares his dead father's hatred of the surface world, again confronts his mother, Queen Atlanna. However, she knows he was behind the attack on the farmers, and she insists they will not go to war. He kills her - then blames her death on a surface dweller. Orm and Manta will lead the Atlanteans to war.

Arthur and some Justice League members go to Atlantis. They meet an old woman who says the city is empty because Queen Atlanna is dead, at the hands of a surface dweller, and Atlantis prepares for war.

Arthur, Meara and the League investigate, and run into Orm in his Ocean Master uniform. He brags that he killed his mother, the Queen. He then uses the Trident, the symbol of royal power and a powerful weapon, to attack and imprison the League.

Meanwhile, Batman, the Flash, and Shazam who have stayed behind get an alert that a tidal wave is heading for coastal cities, including Metropolis.

Arthur uses his royal power to break out of the cocoon Orm trapped him in, then uses his telepathic power to call sea creatures to help. He gets the Leaguers free and defeats the sea monster guarding them. Arthur also rescues Meara.

A tidal wave heads for Metropolis, the National Guard arrives, and sirens go off in the city causing panic. An Army General orders the Atlanteans, led by "King" Orm to stand down. Orm orders his troops to attack. The army attacks back. The entire League joins the fray, both those who had gone to Atlantis, and those who had stayed on the surface, including Aquaman and Meara.

The League keep getting defeated in battle. Finally, Batman finds Cyborg and reboots his systems. He finds out from Cyborg that Orm killed Atlanna. Cyborg has computer recordings of this. He plays the recordings a couple of times to the Atlantean troops. When Orm claims it's a trick, Meara backs up the recording, swearing it's a true depiction of what happened. The Atlanteans lay down their arms and stop fighting.

Arthur makes a speech that he will guide his people. A little while later, Arthur is "knighted" as king, takes his place as ruler and king of Atlantis. The League meanwhile decide they need to meet on a regular basis, and Arthur is invited to join the League as Aquaman.

I really enjoyed this film. It's an origin story for Aquaman and explains how he became part of the Justice League. The film also had some great touches - the flashback scene of Arthur and his father when Arthur realises he can swim underwater without difficulty and he also sees his mother, the flashbacks explaining the ill-fated romance between the Atlantean Princess Atlanna and Thomas Curry, and my favorite - the scene at the beginning of the film of Arthur pouring out his heart and troubles to a lobster in a tank, then rescuing the lobster.

The Justice League are not the real stars of this film - it's Aquaman's movie. But they are all present, and they do have things to do. I also felt each character was in character and their individual tasks and actions suited their characters.

Overall the film was highly enjoyable and it's highly recommended.

Recommendation:  See It!
Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars
Next film:  The Third Man

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


  • Title:  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  • Director:  Michel Gondry
  • Date:  2004
  • Studio:  Focus Features
  • Genre:  Romance, SF, Drama
  • Cast:  Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson
  • Format:  Color, Widescreen
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC
"My embarrassing admission is that I really like that you're nice. Right now, I mean, I can't tell from one moment to the next what I'm going to like, but, right now, I'm glad you are." - Clementine

"Technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage, but its, its on a par with a night of heavy drinking." - Dr. Howard Mierzwiak 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind  is not your typical romantic comedy - it isn't even a typical film in the rarer genre of romantic tragedy. The film starts with Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) waking up, heading off to work, then playing hooky and taking the train to a beachside community in the middle of Winter, to be precise, on Valentine's Day.  He runs into a strange girl with bright blue hair, named Clementine, and the two start to hit it off. However, the film then diverges off into unusual and different territory. Joel discovers that Clementine, his girlfriend of two years, had him erased from her memory. Joel, in a pique of anger then decides to erase her from his memory.

However, the film doesn't tell this story linearly. We see Joel going to the Lucuna Clinic to have Clementine erased. He explains why he wants to forget her. He looks at objects from their relationship (mementos, gifts, etc) and thinks about his memories of her while undergoing CAT Scans to map his memory. That night he takes a sleeping pill. Three people from the Lucuna Clinic arrive at his apartment to erase his memory - Stan, Patrick, and Mary. However, they do not act like medical professionals, but rather like irresponsible party guys (and gal). While Stan's laptop computer performs the procedure - they drink, and do drugs. Patrick leaves pretty quickly so he can see his girlfriend - Clementine. Stan and Mary get even more drunk and stoned, and before long Mary's dancing on Joel's bed in her underwear.  Eventually, both Stan and Mary are dancing in their underwear.

Meanwhile, in a series of flashbacks, as Joel is undergoing the procedure - he remembers the times, the moments, he's spent with Clementine. He eventually realizes just how good some of those moments were - and tries to keep them. But the procedure works too well, and the audience sees scenes disappear piece by piece, or fade out of existence, or break apart in a pixelated fashion, or turn dark as if the lights were being turned off. The unusual effects heighten the strangeness of the film, but they also visually express Joel losing his memories. As the memories disappear, and Joel gets to his good memories with Clem, he realizes he doesn't want to forget. He and Clem try to outsmart the procedure by hiding in Joel's childhood memories - including some of his earliest memories.

At this point, the film flashes back to Joel having the procedure done - where Stan freaks out because "he's off the map." Joel calls in Howard (Dr. Mierzwiak) who gets the procedure back on track. However, Mary - who's still stoned, hits on Howard and even kisses him. Outside, Howard's wife watches. Howard finds out about this - as Mary tries to explain it was meaningless - Howard's wife tells her that she and Howard did have an affair, but he performed the procedure on her to make her forget.

Eventually, all of Joel's memories of Clementine disappear - but as he gets to the memory of the first time they met, a time when Joel walked out, Clem suggests he change what happened and make a new memory. We then flash-forward to the beginning of the film and Joel's compulsion to go to the beach in the middle of Winter, on Valentine's Day - where he meets Clem.

But this is not the end of the story. Because as Clem heads into her apt to pick up her toothbrush so she can spend the night with Joel (whom she's "just met") she find a letter from Mary, with a copy of her file and a tape of her conversation with the Doctor about why she wants to forget Joel. She starts the tape playing in the cassette player of his car - and he freaks out, accusing her of messing with him. But when he gets home, he find another letter and cassette from Mary for him. He starts to listen to the tape - when Clem arrives. Clem gets so angry at the things he says, she leaves - but Joel pursues her. In the hallway, Clem says they should forget it - bringing up the reasons why their relationship won't work again. But Joel seems to think they should try anyway.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind  is a forerunner of films like Inception - especially in terms of the effects used to show Joel's memories being destroyed. It has a very non-linear style - I've re-organized the story more linearly in this review, but when you are watching the film it slips easily back and forth between the "present" as Stan, Patrick, Mary, and later Howard work on Joel in his bedroom - and Joel's scattered memories of his relationship with Clementine. The story is gradually built up in pieces until the audience understands exactly what it going on - it's a very intelligent film. It asks intelligent questions, If you could completely forget someone - wipe them from your mind, would you? And, there are implications too - What if such a procedure was done without your permission? (The film gets into that briefly - when it's made clear that although Howard pressured her into it - Mary did give verbal permission for the procedure.) But the film is also about the way relationships twist over time - although Joel's early (meaning late - or most recent) memories of Clem are of fights and disagreements - his late (meaning earliest) memories are sweet and lovely - and those memories he fights to keep but fails. There are other tiny bits as well - the woman in the clinic with a dog bowl, leash, and such for example. Mary arguing with a woman on the phone that she can't have the procedure done three times (in a short period is implied). And even the idea of destiny in a relationship.

Jim Carrey is very reserved and quiet as Joel. Even when he and Clem are fighting - he barely raises his voice. He's very closed off as well. It's an understated performance, the complete opposite of Carrey's normal comedic roles - and it shows what a truly great actor he is. Kate Winslet plays Clementine as a free spirit but a bit dumb. Elijah Wood as Patrick is slimy as one of the med techs working on Joel - he admits to Stan he fell in love with Clem when she he erased her mind - and he even stole her panties. Patrick also used Joel's journal and other mementos of his relationship with Clem (gifts, jewelry, etc) in an attempt to win her over.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind  is a excellent and original film and I recommend it.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Justice League:  Throne of Atlantis

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Memento


  • Title: Memento
  • Director:  Christopher Nolan
  • Date:  2000
  • Studio:  Newmarket Capital Group, Summit Entertainment, Columbia-Tristar (distributor)
  • Genre:  Thriller
  • Cast:  Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Callum Keith Rennie
  • Format:  Color, Widescreen
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC
"That must suck. It's all backwards. I mean, like, maybe you've got an idea about what you want to do next, but you can't remember what you just did." - Hotel Clerk

"I'm disciplined and organized. I use habit and routine to make my life possible." - Leonard

Memento is a remarkable movie, because it uses a structure that I don't think any other film has used. The film is told backwards. It's also unusual in that there are two films in one. The main story, in color, has each scene taking place immediately before the scene that precedes it. The backing story, in black and white, does move forward in time and is almost a commentary on the other scenes. It also serves to orient the viewer some in any areas that might be really confusing.

The first time I saw Memento, I knew going in that the film would be told backwards - it is what it's famous for. And even though the film is a little confusing at first, one quickly becomes used to the idea - and it really isn't as confusing as you might think. The structure forces the viewer to pay close attention to what is happening in the film. The structure also really, really puts an emphasis on editing. And as you watch the film, you end up mentally re-ordering the scenes to put them in context.

However, the structure also emphasizes the character and his point of view. The main character, Leonard (Guy Pearce), is suffering from retrograde amnesia. That is, due to a trauma (we're told) he can remember his life before the trauma, but he can't make new memories. Leonard's life exists in the brief span of a scene, the minute he loses focus, or falls asleep, he forgets everything that's happened to him. The highly unusual structure, of telling the story backwards, emphasizes this - if you haven't seen the movie before, you don't know what happened before either. Therefore when Leonard finds himself chasing a guy - or as he quickly realizes - being chased by a guy with a gun, the audience also has no idea why.

Upon viewing the film a second time, the structure still works. Because the film is told in reverse order, it's hard to remember individual scenes - so one is, for example, still confused as to why Leonard's being chased. I was surprised when I watched the film a second time, that the structure still worked and the film isn't a one hit wonder. I knew the big secret from the end of the film, of course, which I'm not going to reveal in this review. Memento still works as a film even on a second viewing.

Memento is also a film that has a timeless look to it. It's a story told in cheap hotels, dive bars, and abandoned buildings. Even the one home we see (Natalie's), although nice, is incredibly nondescript. The anonymous places accentuate Leonard's situation.

However, Memento is, at it's center a disturbing film - not because of it's unique structure, which the viewer quickly gets used to, but because of the Big Secret at the end of the film, The end, which is really the beginning when you think about it. I don't want to spoil that for movie viewers who haven't seen it, but once you know, it changes how you view the film. And probably not in the way you think.

Recommendation:  See it! I would especially recommend this movie to film students.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind