Pick-Up Alley (1957) – What the hell was this about? Oh, yeah, that block of wood Victor Mature trying to do world-weary as he tries busting dope lord Trevor Howard. Anita Ekberg is along for production value. Diverting but not too memorable, except for the elegantly evil Howard. Grade: C+
Bonnie and
Hell’s Five Hours (1958) – Another Noir fest flick that we skipped and then found among the Bootleg Files. Not bad but not great either, and with a nuclear storyline and a crazed bad guy played by Vic Morrow, you rightfully expect something special. Coleen Gray really loses something when she wears that 50s housewife hair too. Grade: C-
The Ruins (2008) – Great book, pretty decent movie. Scott Smith's had good luck with his adaptations, maybe because he does them himself. The lean, mean A Simple Plan by Sam Raimi was one of the director’s best, though it's less bleak than the novel by far. Here, Smith's book was a great Stephen King-style horror tale with well-done POV shifts between the main characters. That's mostly lost, but the gruesome details mostly make the transition to the screen. Grade: B+
Heat Lightning (1934) – This melodrama comes off like a landlocked version of the blistering Safe in Hell, a similar pre-code delight in which a bunch of desperate scoundrels lock horns (and other body parts) on a sweltering tropical island. Here, it’s a desert setting but the song’s similar. Not as shocking as many early 30s flicks but still fast-paced, patter-filled fun. Grade: B
My Colt is My Passport (1967) - Egyptian Theatre fun with some 1960s Japanese noir, starring the unforgettable Joe Shishido, a star who had his cheeks filled with silicon to look tougher (?). Not quite as stylized as Tokyo Drifter or Branded to Kill, but still effective, with a memorable finale set among the charred sands of
Damn, I’ve reached the end of April 2008 already!
From the Egyptian calendar:
Saturday, April 26 – 7:30 PM
Joe Shishido Double Feature:
MY GUN IS MY PASSPORT (KORUTO WA ORE NO PASUPOTO) 1967, Nikkatsu, 89 min. Joe Shishido (GATE OF FLESH) and Jerry Fujio are hitmen hiding out in a remote, dust-blown trucker’s inn while waiting for the coast to clear. But, needless to say, complications ensue. Takashi Nomura was a journeyman director at Nikkatsu, who often turned out real gems that went largely unsung or underrated. This is his best, a visually stunning, black-and-white action opus, full of noir atmosphere as well as breakneck set-pieces, all culminating in a pulse-pounding, ultra-violent and surreal climax. Chitose Kobayashi and Ryotaro Sugi co-star. The Nikkatsu publicity department loosely linked this with other black-and-white 1967 Shishido gangster pix, Seijun Suzuki’s BRANDED TO KILL and Yasuharu Hasebe’s MASSACRE GUN. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Baby Mama (2008) – Tina Fey and her SNL pal Amy Poehler team for this obvious but still funny comedy that follows obsessed for a baby woman Liz Lemon- er, no, not quite but also very close. Not that memorable and a bit of a letdown from the comic highs of 30 Rock, but still an OK timewaster. Grade: B
Curious George (2006) – Post-Universal meeting, T and I figured we were not the writers to create new adventures for the Curious One. But we did watch this adaptation with Will Ferrell voicing the man in the yellow hat. A little too much Jack Johnson on the soundtrack for me but the movie is sweet and effective. But with so many Curious George rules to live by, we didn’t chase after the little guy. Grade: B
Cloverfield (2008) – WTF – another good idea shat out in an underwhelming splat by the JJ Abrams machine. What if NYC got attacked from the skies and you kept your video camera filming the whole time? Decent idea for a short, maybe, but here the shaky cam only captured 20-something douches worried about their romantic bs. Can’t even live up to its own premise and really runs out of energy about midway through its short running time. Grade: D+
The October Man (1947) – Trevor Howard again, this time in sensitive leading man mode, as a shellshocked vet who gets mixed-up in murder and finds himself a prime suspect. Nice visuals reflecting the tormented Trevor’s psyche are fun, for advanced studies, try comparing this with the better-known contemporary Spellbound. Grade: B
Enchanted (2007) – Catch up time with Tiffany and she loved it as much as I did the first time around. Too long with the overextended CGI finale, but Amy Adams is outstanding, very deserving of an Oscar nod that never arrived. Grade: A-
Irma La Douce (1963) – Now this, this is overlong (that’s what she said…sorry), a reteaming of Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine is all fakey sets and silly hijinks as Parisian cop Jack becomes a badass pimp by accident. Overlong and indulgent, not Billy Wilder’s finest moment. But it was still a hit, with 1964’s Kiss Me Stupid waiting in the wings to begin Billy’s box office fall from grace. Grade: C
Son of Rambow (2008) – Mike Myers in the audience (and being very cool to a kid who walked over to him) was the highlight of this lauded but unexceptional Brit flick about two young aspiring filmmakers. Shifts in tone are too great for the whimsy to support. Grade: C
Blood Money (1933) – Pre-code fun with a racy script and Judith Anderson vamping it up alongside George Bancroft (meh leading man) and Frances Dee. Occasionally inert, even at 65 minutes, but there are plenty of twists and turns that you will never see coming. Worthwhile for early movie buffs especially. Grade: B+
The Mackintosh Man (1973) – Fun but occasionally inert spy thriller with Paul Newman (always interesting but struggling a bit with an accent – or maybe I was struggling to listen to it), James Mason, Harry Andrews and John Huston behind the camera. Location filming and nice action bits, with a palpable icy tone to the characters and their weary work. Grade: B
The Onion Field (1980) – I remember the ads on TV but otherwise this based-on-a-true story police drama never appealed to me. So with T on the FHC beat, I developed a taste for the gruesome and true-to-life...and this period piece cop drama is both of those. James Woods and Franklyn Seales are two thugs who commit a horrific crime against two cops (John Savage and Ted Danson). Woods is spooky, with Seales an uneasy voice of conscience. I know Seales only from his role as the fancy pants lawyer from "Silver Spoons," but he's very good here. Grim and kind of unrelenting, but that was the mood I was in. Grade: B+
An American Crime (2007) – Well, this is indeed some grim grim shit, also true-to-life, about a crazy lady who takes in a young girl and proceeded to torture her and keep her imprisoned like an animal. Pretty great, with Ellen Page as the girl and Catherine Keener as the crazy woman. Especially well-handled in the finale, cushioning the horror just enough to make it bearable. No theatrical release, this debuts on Showtime. Grade: B+
Papillon (1973) – Action man Steve McQueen teams with Ratso Rizzo on
Damn, Firefox crash set me back a bit - anyway, it's a DAY OFF WORK (3/11/09) and two weeks before me birthday. Mental health day and a good chance to sneak in more more more of the old Movie Journal...under 100 is the goal today, starting up with the best and the worst of Summer 2008:
Iron Man (2008) - The Good: Robert Downey, Jr. using his powers for good, bringing wild playboy Tony Stark to the screen, with an overqualified cast bringing their A game to a pretty good script that doesn't completely collapse at the finale. Nice eyepatched cameo at the end too. Grade: A
Highway West (1941) - OK remake of Heat Lightning follows the same narrative but much earlier - where HL showed us the bitter woman who had been left, here we watch her get left and see more of her relationship with criminal Arthur Kennedy...cheap backlot stuff but an interesting compare and contrast to the earlier, more explicit version. Always nice to see Kennedy, here fine as a snarling baddie. Grade: C
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) - Who the fuck asked for this? With a mouthful of a title like that, I'd have to say George Lucas, who doesn't know when to leave well enough alone. Flashes of the old greatness were evident in the trailer, but those moments don't have much else to support them. Nuking the fridge is only the beginning, lots of CGI and Shia LaBeouf as Tarzan are still to come. An expensive supporting cast can't do much with this script, running from one exposition-filled scene to the next, leading up to a finale Lucas probably dreamed up in 1974 after reading "Chariots of the Gods." Nostalgia is a sucker's game, and I really hoped
To cleanse the palette, try this link to the original story session for the genesis of Indiana Jones the character...listening to George and Steven then, it's clear that they are serious movie fans.
http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/2009/03/raiders-story-conference.html
Now, tackling one I'd saved for quite a while, inspired by this essay by Matt Zoller Seitz:
http://www.thehousenextdooronline.com/search/label/Barry%20Lyndon
There are only so many Kubrick movies, but Barry Lyndon would wait no longer.
Barry Lyndon (1975) - Epic tale of a rogue's rise to high society is a surprisingly personal story, or at least I found sympathy with poor Barry's plight, right down to the gut-punch of a punchline. Ryan O'Neal was the only available star with enough wattage to get the needed funding (Robert Redford was who Kubrick wanted but he committed another project). Though generally considered a bit of a lightweight, O'Neal's wide-open face serves him well here, much in the same way as it does in his other best work (Hill's The Driver, Bogdanovich's Paper Moon). Here, he carries our sympathies but never asks for them. Technically a miracle, filled with wonderful supporting actors who all seem to have a story of their own. Grade: A+
Domino (2005) - Despite the degeneration of Tony Scott's ability to focus on one thing for more than three seconds (he suffers from advanced Bayism), this gritty life story of Domino Harvey has an ambitious script by Richard Kelly (the next big thing who hasn't lived up to his moniker yet) and solid perfs by Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramirez, Delroy Lindo...too bad the caffeinated camerawork pushes you out before you sink in. Grade: C+
HEY HEY back on it - post-car wreck-a-roo...3/13/09...almost done...
The Savages (2007) - Oh, so Tamara Jenkins finally gets around to following up her great Slums of
Bad Company (1972) - Great great great movie that needs to be rediscovered, certainly one that shows off the eternal charm of Jeff Bridges, as well as the appeal of tragic leading man Barry Brown. Shot and staged in a natural, low-key, this Civil War-era Western is, at turns, brutal, hilarious and shockingly sensitive. Robert Benton directs and co-writes in top form, a real unsung stunner of a movie. Grade: A
The Houston Story (1956) - Pretty kickass example of ruthless tycoon noir, with Gene Barry an oil man getting rich by any means necessary. Barbara Hale and old school great Edward Arnold back up a clever script, 79 minutes of nasty fun, directed with his usual pop by William Castle. Grade: B+
Duffy (1968) - James Coburn as a toothy swinger/master criminal who gets caught up with James Fox and James Mason (dueling son and father) and a crime via boat, plus seductive Susannah York and double crosses galore...strains at times to be hip and mod, the screenplay by Donald Cammell never quite packs the punch it should - you settle for a mild buzz, with Coburn helping you along. Not at all the cult item TCM made it out to be, though the cinematography had a definite '60s style. Grade: C+
Blue Collar (1978) - Drama with comedic overtones, with three autoworker pals (Harvey Keitel, Richard Pryor, Yaphet Kotto) getting in over their heads with stolen money and Union big shots. Paul Schrader doesn't always balance the varying tones of his script, but Pryor is superb, with the others equally good. Out of print on DVD now, but well worth seeking out. Grade: A-
Right at Your Door (2006) - Disappointing sci-fi thriller has a great set-up that maybe would make a classic short. At feature length, it grows annoying fast, despite good work from Rory Cochrane and Mary McCormack. Grade: C-
Hancock (2008) - Not-bad attempt to make a "grown-up" superhero story about Will Smith's attempts to come to terms with his origins, his powers and the society around him. It feels more original than many summertime flicks, though it's scattershot at times. Grade: B
Get Smart (2008) - Great source material + Pretty great cast = Fairly awful movie. As a Don Adams/Mel Brooks/Buck Henry fan, I think I'll leave it at that. Mosaic Media strikes again! Grade: C-
Stalag 17 (1953) - Billy Wilder working Oscar magic with a hit Broadway show and William Holden at his most heroically cynical, but the play's the thing and that thing is pretty creaky at this point. Still OK, but dated and a bit dull around the edges, with too much comic relief along the way. Grade: C+
Shutter (2008) - Mosaic Media strikes again in some form at least, because our good pal Gloria Fan got her first credit on this not-bad j-style horror tale that feels like a half-hour plot stretched too far past the breaking point. Joshua Jackson is pretty effective, with decent shocks but not enough to make it past the finish line. But go Glo go! Grade: C+
Keeping the bloggeroo going on 3/16/2009:
The Other (1972) - Wow, this is what happens when "serious" directors tackle pulp material...or maybe the pulp material in question was this pretentious to begin with, I will never find out. Robert Mulligan treats the screenplay (and novel) by lousy actor Tom Tryon with great grim reverence and that only leads to unintended laughs, 70s horror style. Grade: C-
Hellboy 2 (2008) - Guillermo del Toro seems to lose some level of talent when he enters the Hollywood machine, here, the return of Ron Perlman as the big red guy is merely OK, at least we're spared the soap opera love triangle bullshit that impeded Part One. Here, the pieces are in place but things get way too overstuffed - leading to unbelievable battles and zero suspense. Grade: C-
S*P*Y*S (1974) - Seriously, this is the best they could do to get Hawkeye and Trapper together again? Generally tries to be an international spoof of spy thrillers, I guess...with Donald and Elliott trying their best to inject life into things. This infamous bomb isn't all that bad, it's more a dull disappointment. Grade: C
Vantage Point (2007) - Decent B thriller with a nice, mid-level cast and a fast-moving script that tells an assassination from different points of view before converging them for a big finish. Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt lead the overqualified cast. Grade: B
Sergeants 3 (1962) - Finally, I get to see this Rat Pack take on Gunga Din on a nicer print than the faded TV dupe I scored a decade ago. Well, it's nice to finally see the whole thing but it's not exactly a classic, with a script like clings way too close to the original. The main problem is Sammy in the Gunga role, it's a nice update to place this in Civil War times, but Sam plays it too cute. Having the slight Sinatra in the bossy father figure role (played before by Victor McLaglen), treating Sammy like a two-year old, results in several cringe-inducing moments. Frank's not exactly straining in front of the camera here either. On the plus side, there's Dean in the old Cary Grant role (old Cary Grant fine, you?)...and director John Sturges wakes up long enough to provide one lengthy and effective action sequence. Lawford's swan song with the Pack. Grade: C+
I took some time this year to revisit Sturges and realized that his movies don't really age as well as I expected. Checked out bits of The Satan Bug and realized how stiff and slow Ice Station Zebra is compared to the other enormously entertaining Alastair MacLean adaptations (The Guns of Navarone, Breakheart Pass)...
The Dark Knight (2008) – Why so serious? Heath Ledger took home the Oscar post-death, but Bats couldn’t break into the director/picture categories. Much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments followed. The fanboys united with most every critic in the land to praise praise praise this…we saw it pretty geeked. Dunno, it’s not bad…but I saw a lot of Jack in the Joker, and the ham-handed morality would be easier to swallow if the plot made a bit more sense. Aaron Eckhart gets shoehorned in from an upcoming sequel, showing off how dull Christian Bale is growing up to be (onscreen at least). I guess I’m old-fashioned, but next time how about we just airlift Caine and Freeman out for another go at The Man Who Would Be King? Grade: C
Genevieve (1953) – Disappointing British comedy proved too sweet and gentle for me, as a bickering couple try and finish a cross-country road race for classic cars. Maltin calls it a legendary Brit flick, but it doesn’t reach near the heights of the Ealing laffers. Grade: B
Step Brothers (2008) – T and I laughed a lot at this super-silly Will Ferrell/John C Reilly teaming, and I think the secret to its success was the way the supporting family members played by Mary Steenburgen and Richard “Oscar Nom 2009” Jenkins were treated. They get some room to breathe and a taste of the spotlight now and then, a nice contrast to the inspired stupidity of the title dolts. Grade: B+
Running with Scissors (2002) – Ca-ray-zee family bullshit, another “memoir” that smelled a bit JT Leroy-ish around the edges. This one is stuffed with a great cast, but the central character (based on the author of course, played by Joseph Cross) stays unsympathetic and too removed from the hammy fun Annette Bening and Brian Cox are having… Alec Baldwin has a few effective scenes as our hero’s distraught father. Grade: C+
Scary Movie 4 (2006) - Did we actually watch this? I barely remember this one, except that it continued the lame post-Wayans brothers Zucker/Pat Proft style comedic journey from R-rated raunch to blah goofiness...it makes you long for the glory days of Top Secret. Anna Faris is good as always though. Grade: C
Red (2008) - on the free HD channel, this got play in Fango for the original novel by Jack Ketchum and for director Lucky McKee's involvement (he was replaced midway through production). A showcase for Brian Cox as a good man driven by dog-hating punks to the edge and beyond. Gripping despite occasional lapses into unbelievable melodrama. Grade: B+
The Last Winter (2006) - Ugh, the arthouse horror maestro Larry Fessenden again falls short of his obvious inspiration (here, arctic thriller The Thing) with a muddled tale that has some sort of pro-environmental message buried in it somewhere (I think). Grade: C-
Pineapple Express (2008) - This hybrid stoner comedy/80-style action thriller is high concept is more ways than one, but it's not nearly as funny as it should be. Starts well enough, with process server Seth Rogan getting mixed up with crooked cops led by a underused Gary Cole, eventually going on the run with his drug dealer James Franco. The title bud never really comes into play though, just some shaggy dog goofiness capped by lousy '80s graphic violence. However, these characters' Oscar sequel was hilarious. Grade: C+
Deadly Currents (1991) - Originally titled Curacao and set on and around the island that gave us Andruw Jones (and Jair Jurrjens)...this spy thriller is heavy on the cable-TV sexy (awful lighting, wind), with William Petersen as a burn-out CIA agnet mixed up with George C. Scott (and his "fancy lad") and some duller, lesser actors. Petersen and Scott have some good moments together but it's low grade stuff here. Grade: C-
The Counterfeiters (2007) - Oscar-winner about Jewish forgers working for the Nazis is OK, just the stolid treatment of an intriguing subject..the kind of lure Oscar can't resist. Grade: C
Trespass (1992) - This Walter Hill crime drama is a great neo-noir set-up down home in Memphis and Arkansas, with the perfect cast to punch it home. It doesn't quite hit the next level, but it's more than serviceable - a grim little shoot-em-up with a black heart. Ices T and Cube, Bills Paxton and Sadler square off. Saw it in the theatre back in the day, expecting more funny from Ice-T then...now, not so much. Grade: B
The Exiles (1961)...already covered - and this was a treat, a true independent film rediscovered at UCLA...Blogged about on Dad's birthday last year...see here.
CP
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