Birthday bloggeroo

Tropic Thunder (2008) – Overstuffed comedy feels like an expanded gag from the old Ben Stiller Show and that’s not a bad thing exactly, especially when Ben the star lets his costars have most of the fun. Robert Downey, Jr. got an Oscar nod for his blackfaced “serious” actor, and he and Stiller have nice, loose chemistry together. Nick Nolte and Danny McBride have slobby fun together too, with Tom Cruise under heavy makeup as a studio bigshot hamming it up painfully. Plus, Matthew McConaughey as a cheesy agent, Steve Coogan and co-star Jack Black as the most superfluous and ineffective character of them all. Overstuffed with underutilized comic talent, but still funny enough. Ben the director should have trimmed it by 20. Grade: B

The Americanization of Emily (1964) – I’ve read a lot about this anti-war comedy as a real frank standout during the slick ‘60s, but it’s not quite a definitive black comedy about the nature of heroism. Interesting but a bit cool and flippant in that way that passed for sophisticated then…still mostly smooth and refined, with Paddy Chayefsky writing the words, all the talk is mostly entertaining. James Garner and Julie Andrews are the leads, with a standout Melvyn Douglas (especially affecting near the end), James Coburn (very funny as a fellow officer), William Windom and Keenan Wynn (who did make it in a classic black comedy this same year, Dr. Strangelove). Grade: B

Ben X (2002) - Courtesy Gloria Fan, this Danish teen drama tells the story of an outcast loner whose fantasy world threatens to spill over into the real one. Familiar beats here but it’s really a calling card for the director, who spins this in a unique way, especially during the finale. Grade: B-

Hamlet 2 (2008) – Rock me sexy Jesus, rock me back to the elevated heights of the film fest where this OK comedy spoof-ish thing was sold for a way-too-high price. Steve Coogan is a strangely sincere drama teacher trying to put on a show, complete with too-studied silliness like the Jesus song. Trying too hard is not the way to create a cult film, and a neutered, “sweet,” Coogan is just about pointless. Grade: C

Traitor (2008) - Muddled and dullish spy thriller has occasionally bursts of action but it's all weathered with a weary this-world-sucks pallor. The serious cast includes Don Cheadle, Jeff Daniels, Guy Pearce, all working from a story by Steve Martin (not in a funny mood). Grade: C

The Sicilian Clan (1969) - Fun Franco-fest with the coolest one, Jean Gabin, squaring off against the beautiful Alain Delon. Grade: B+

Saturday, September 6 – 7:30 PM

Rare! New 35mm Print! THE SICILIAN CLAN (LE CLAN DES SICILIENS), 1969, 20th Century Fox, 118 min. Expatriate Sicilian mobster Jean Gabin and his family shelter homicidal, lone-wolf jewel thief Alain Delon after his daring escape from a prison van. Delon proposes a multimillion-dollar jewel heist to Gabin that is fraught with danger, but the semi-retired patriarch signs on when he decides it will allow him to retire home to Sicily all the faster. But no one counts on dogged police inspector Lino Ventura (CLASSE TOUS RISQUES, SECOND BREATH) on Delon’s trail. Ventura is extra-surly from trying to kick cigarettes and channels all his frustrations into nabbing Delon and his accomplices. Director Henri Verneuil collaborated with Gabin and Delon on another heist picture ANY NUMBER CAN WIN (MELODIE EN SOUS-SOL) in 1963. Ennio Morricone provides another memorable score. Dubbed-in-English version. NOT ON DVD

Street Kings (2008) - Ugh, great cast flounders in this elaborate cop thriller that plays like a bastard cousin of Training Day - Keanu Reeves, as the LAPD badass, needs not worry about an Oscar campaign. Hugh Laurie wanders around like House goes to Internal Affairs. Grade: C-

Marlowe (1969) - Did I watch this again? I guess so, but it's still so unmemorable...playing less like Chandler and more like a lousy TV detective show from the same time period, all plastic and cheese. James Garner doesn't put much of a stamp on Marlowe, he much too flip and smooth. Bruce Lee steals the show (though his final fate is unbelievable). Grade: C

Suburban Girl (2007) - In this final year of the Video Hut...I bought this and I'm Not There for less than renting them...so maybe the 7-11 guy helped drive them out of town. Still, I started up with The Wire about here, intrigued at first until I saw the light...indeed, indeed. Oh, and this mostly awful Sarah Michelle Gellar/Alec Baldwin romantic comedy? Um, not much to say...actually. Kinda creepy and mostly focusing on the May/October...April/November? romance. Grade: C-

Barry Lyndon (1975) - Showed this to T and she told me that her father took his mother to the movies - a big deal in the big city - and it was this epic tale of a scoundrel's rise and fall. They did not enjoy it, and yes, I can see why. Still, it's one of my favorite Kubricks...and this interview with him is the only other thing I have to add. Grade: A+

Then, there was Tony Bennett...and he was awesome...at the Greek this time and it was sweet (we even got a table) - his daughter opened and she was not great but the old man, belting it out among the swaying trees, that was something special. The fourth time I've seen him I think (Tahoe, Dallas, Hollywood Bowl)...keep swinging Tony...

Burn After Reading (2008) - My favorite of the year maybe. The Coen win an Oscar and come back with a comedic gem, filled with laugh out loud moments (this has happened before, Fargo, then Lebowski) and an A-list cast. Naturally, little critical acclaim and a lack of Oscar attention followed. Grade: A

Righteous Kill (2008) - Well, the best I can say about this Robert De Niro/Al Pacino teaming is that we didn't start drinking until about halfway through...the aged duo strike few sparks as a pair of world-weary cops after a killer whose identity is pretty obvious from the start. Fun supporting cast includes Carla Gugino and 50 Cent. No ever-lasting shame for the old guys, but nothing worth remembering. Grade: C+

The Golden Salamander (1950) - Fun start to this mystery/adventure, with Trevor Howard in the lead...and young Herbert Lom as a shady young man, but it goes on and on before sputtering to a halt. Grade: C-

He Walked By Night (1948) - Inspired early noir set the stage for Dragnet (and Jack Webb co-stars here) as the cops go after tormented Richard Basehart in the now-familiar semi-documentary style. Mix that with the passionate performance by Basehart and you have an intriguing mix. Grade: B+

Now, with the Fall, the great Paul Newman passes away. Damn. He lived a good life though and his passing provided the excuse for watching some of his old stuff:

The Young Philadelphians (1959) - Pretty blah drama among the rich and troubled, Paul is just so sincere as the poor boy struggling to make good, even as his true Pa Brian Keith must labor under old age makeup for most of the running time. His false Pa was Adam West (!), who left his boy nothing but tragedy. Robert Vaughn is his drunk pal, a scene stealer of Oscar nominated proportions. And you know a big courtroom scene is involved somewhere...Grade: B

The Sting (1973) - It's a shame Newman and Redford didn't make more movies together, but they have a precious few great moments in this underwhelming Oscar winner. It's mostly Redford's show, with Paul providing muted support. Robert Shaw is the mark, waxy as his mustache. Grade: B

The Left-Handed Gun (1958) - Poor tormented Billy the Kid gets the Method treatment here, with a mumbly Paul looking great but sounding a little too much like James Dean. Arthur Penn doesn't try too hard with the staging, mostly interested in the psychodrama. Grade: B-

Twilight of Honor (1963) - West Side Story (Devon, Pa.) star Richard Chamberlain comes on as Paul Newman-lite in this courtroom drama, with only wise Claude Rains' supple voice saying anything worth listening to (although Nick Adams was nominated as Supporting Actor). Part of Richard's initial burst of fame, and rightfully forgotten. Grade: C

"You can't go home again, Johnny."
Yes, you can...and you can watch more Newman movies while there:

Pocket Money (1972) - Well, seemed like the perfect flick to watch with Dad, Newman and Lee Marvin in their only teaming, as a couple of low-level con men...or something like that...in this aimless mumbling story that made me very aware of how unentertaining it was. The cast is loaded, a few titters here and there, but I never liked Paul as a dummy, which is what he plays here. Weird one, not satisfying at all. Grade: C-


Now, this is the definitive Paul for me, as Lew Harper, private detective...Harper (1966) is the best in my book, with William Goldman hitting one out of the park in his first at-bat. The commentary track is not as good, but it's still fun to hear Goldman tell many of the stories I'd only read before. Sequel The Drowning Pool (1975) keeps us on Newman's side all the way, he fights a lengthy battle with a seat belt before diving into a deep Southern stew of murder and intrigue in New Orleans. Fun, fun, fun. Grade: A, A-

CP