Disturbing, Haunting

New Week's Offerings

A Burning Hot Summer

Philippe Garrel’s “A Burning Hot Summer” could be interpreted as yet another tangentially self biographical tale of tortured young love, but its more hopeful and engaging than many of his previous examinations. Yes there are bouts of suicide and depression, affairs and charged fights, but “A Burning Hot Summer” at least allows the escape of one young couple into much happier times. Frederic (Louis Garrel) is a painter married to successful actress Angele (the beautiful Monica Bellucci) when he meets Paul (Jerome Rabart). Paul eventually falls in love with Elisabeth (Celine Sallette). Frederic invites Paul and Elisabeth to live with them in Rome while Angele works on a movie. Their initial idyllic setting gives way to jealousy and boredom. The more disastrous of the pair is Garrel and Bellucci, constantly unhappy and seeking other partners. While director Garrel focuses most of the pain and anguish on these two, he allows a natural, almost sweet relationship to form between Paul and Elisabeth. If one couple is the ‘amour fou’ Garrel loves to examine, the other is the exact opposite. Filtered through this tale are many of Garrel’s tropes, including a meta-movie overlay as Angele works on a movie (with her new lover no doubt) and one long, unbroken scene as Bellucci dances at a house party. I’m a sucker for such an innocuous moment and it works to dizzying perfection here. “A Burning Hot Summer” deals in mood and surface emotions. At times, it’s difficult to take the film’s pensive and overdone scenario to heart (including a foreshadowing opening scene that drains some of the tension), but when the final scene does occur, I was surprisingly moved.


Cosmopolis

Based on an acclaimed novel by Don DeLillo (which has its vitriolic fans apparently), David Cronenberg’s “Cosmopolis” is a hermetic, ice cold blooded experiment. In the past, this probably would’ve been a good thing based on the director‘s need to sublimate precision over emotion, but “Cosmopolis” comes off as a crushing bore. Full of long winded, absurd speeches about global capitalism, dwindling fortunes and warped asides about human nature (and an asymmetrical prostate), “Cosmopolis” is essentially a dark parable that appeals to all the people searching for an assault on the ‘one percenters’. Starring Robert Pattinson as some sort of capital mogul, “Cosmopolis” is mostly confined to the back of his stretched limo as he descends across downtown Manhattan while his fortune crumbles on a risky market bet. Cameos by Samantha Morton, Mathieu Almaric, Jay Burachel and Paul Giamatti serve to liven up the deadening tone as best their monotonous conversations can, but the imprisoned backseat and clinical discussions of currency and non sequitors made me nauseous. And when Pattinson steps out into the real world, things get even weirder. A conversation with an old barber…. An explicable murder by a basketball court…. And Pattinson’s uneasy relationship with newlywed wife (Sarah Gadan) all emphasize the cyborgian nature of every character. I’m sure there’s some scathing points in DeLillo’s novel (adapted directly by Cronenberg) but as a film, “Cosmopolis” failed to stimulate me intellectually…. And for Cronenberg that’s a major disappointment.


Lawless

John Hillcoat makes some violent movies. They feel violent… full of droning soundtrack noises that heighten the tension and an unflinching camera that patiently observes killings and neck snappings and blood and dirt. “Lawless” (his most Hollywood film to date) doesn’t shirk from the violence, creating a highly stylized universe where tommy guns are loud, a hotel room covered in blood is truly traumatic and the big final showdown between two men is draped in shadows. Technically, “Lawless” is peerless. It’s when the characters within his story try to express emotion, vengeance or lust that the story comes to a screeching halt. Following the moonshine exploits of a backwoods Virginia family of Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke and Shia LeBouf, their peaceful criminal dealings come against Chicago special attorney Guy Pearce when he tries to make his mark on the profitable trade. Pearce (a mainstay of Hillcoat) as always, chews the scene with relish, creating a character we all wish was dead. But it’s the clumsy performance of LeBouf and forced love entanglements with female stars Jessica Chastain and Mia Wiskowski that dampen the film’s energy.

Cinema Obscura: Anima Persa

"Anima Persa" (translated as "Lost Souls") is a completely weird effort. With acting pedigree as sublime as Catherine Deneuvue and Vittoria Gassman and shades of the giallo genre played out amongst the indelible images of a sprawling Venetian mansion, its a shame that "Anima Persa" isn't quite as good as it means to be.

Released in 1977 by the obviously prolific Dino Risi, "Anima Persa" deals with the arrival of a young student Tino (Danilo Mattei) in Venice to study painting. He moves in with his aunt (Deneuvue) and uncle (Gassman) and is quickly apprised that the old mansion holds secrets.... namely the confinement of another crazy uncle upstairs. Tino is forced into the psychological game between aunt and uncle. He is misogynistic, continually blaming Deneuevue for being "a stupid woman", unable to appreciate the finer things in life like his cherished opera records. She tells Tino about her daughter, supposedly murdered by the insane, pedophile uncle upstairs. Unable to believe or decipher the hatred between them, Tino goes on his own quest to uncover his family's secret past.

A better title would have been "Imprisoned Souls". Owing some rudimentary elements to the giallo genre, "Anima Persa" is far too tame in its suspense to qualify. Taking as its setting only two or three different locations- and a few exterior shots of the lovely Venice canal ways- "Anima Persa" instead chooses to act out a family psychological horror that often borders on extreme parody. Tino's love interest, Lucia (Anicee Alvina) meets him in art class (which looks like a holdover hippie protest) where she blithely strips nude for the class to sketch. Deneuvue, in one of her more strange, emotionless performances, rarely gets out of her pajamas and night gown and Gassman, as the controlling Uncle Stolz, is given a quick gambling habit towards the end of the film that neither explains him or the strange conclusion. A bit of Hitchcock and Argento thrown in for good measure don't tidy up the quite boring mess of Rosi's film. Perhaps my high expectations of an unheralded giallo gem soured my experience, but "Anima Persa" probably belongs as a true cinema obscura for good reasons.

70's Bonanza: Sky Riders

Terrorism. Susannah York kidnapped. James Coburn. Hang gliding. Need I say more for pure, unadulterated 1970's bliss? In all seriousness, Douglas Hickox's "Sky Riders" (aka "Assault On the Hidden Fortress", which is a pretty kick ass name in and of itself) is great fun... an actioner that never takes itself too seriously and dispenses with deep characterizations and motives and focuses on it's loopy, Saturday afternoon serial style.

On a quiet morning, American diplomat Robert Culp leaves his wife (York) and two children at home. Soon after, a group of hockey masked terrorists break into the guarded compound and kidnap the family, whisking them away high atop a mountain in Greece. Ex husband James Coburn becomes involved with the rescue process and tracks the kidnappers to their abandoned monastery in the mountain, eliciting the help of a group of professional hang gliders in attacking the compound. Forget that Coburn only needs a day or two to learn hang gliding and that the assault involves daringly guiding oneself through impending, jagged mountain cliffs. This is James Coburn, and he does it all with flair.

Directed by Douglas Hickox, "Sky Riders" best asset, besides the wide grin that Coburn flashes every few minutes or Susannah York's (again) bra-less performance, is the majestic Greek landscape anchoring the narrative. The point of view shots as the hang gliders are in flight, or the terrific night-time raid set piece towards the final half of the film are outstanding examples of mise-en-scene. Hickox, a director best known for "Zulu Dawn" or my personal favorite piece of 70's nihilism "Sitting Target", probably should have gotten more chances at directing large action films instead of the TV series work he was relegated to later in his career. The final shoot-out between the terrorists, the police and Coburn's crew igniting mayhem in the skies turns into a "Wild Bunch" scenario of machine guns, grenades and falling bodies. Even if one doesn't buy the exagerrated scenario, "Sky Riders" wins you over through sheer gusto.

Produced and Abandond #14

Ten more titles deserving a R1 DVD release:


1. M (1951)- Joseph Losey's remake of the Fritz Lang classic is available on a Blu-Ray Import from Spain, but no where to be found on these shores. TCM does have it in the rotation, and with a West Coast Losey retrospective upcoming, maybe this one will finally get a relese.

2. Black Cat, White Cat (1999)- Available on the old (and great) New Yorker VHS, Emir Kusturica's Serbian tale was part of the IFC channel's rotation back in the day, but long gone since. It's a bit sad that Kusturica has fallen off the cinematic map- although IMDB does show a couple of works in production- and his 90's run with lengthy, crazy masterpieces such as "Underground" and "Arizona Dream" were impressive.

3. The Goddess (1960)- Really more of an impassioned plea for more... any... Satyajit Ray on DVD. The synopsis, about a young woman's imposed marriage and the destruction it causes in her household, sounds immersive. One major blind spot in my cinematic viewing is Ray.

4. Before the Revolution (1964)- Another terrific film, once available on New Yorker, that served as one of my very first introductions to foreign cinema. I can remember picking up this Bertolucci film and Godard's "Contempt".... and the rest is history. I honestly don't understand why a major film such as this isn't available in the US, strictly confined to a BFI Blu-Ray version.

5. Night Wind (1999)- Like Satyajit Ray, "Night Wind" is more of a request that Philippe Garrel films are available out there. Granted, my appreciation of Garrel's work is inconsistent at best. I loved "Regular Lovers" and "Frontier of Dawn", yawned my way through his highly experimental "The Inner Scar" and remain lukewarm about "Emergency Kisses" and "I Can Hear the Guitar Singing". Having said all that, his films are exciting and meta-movie.... and I like that.

6. The Alphabet Murders (1965)- Frank Tashlin's detective spoof follows Detective Poirot (Tony Randall) as he investigates the above mentioned murders of the alphabet. I really have no idea how good this film is, but it routinely crops up on the lists of most requested movies wanted on DVD.

7. Air Doll (2009)- Maybe the idea of a blow-p doll coming to life and falling in love with a vieo store clerk is too risque for modern audiences? Nah. The more shocking fact is that "Air Doll" was directed by the acclaimed Hirokazu Koreeda and it can't find a home beyond a Canadian and Japanese DVD version.

8. El bonaerense (2002)- One of my favorite international directors working today is Pablo Trapero. Please, please seek out "Carancho" and "Lion's Den". This 2002 film tells the story of a locksmith who joins the Buenos Aries police force. Receiving alot of attention from Cannes and Toronto in '02, it's a complete mystery why this film isn't available (except in the UK, Spain, Greece....) and Trapero's other films are.

9. Man Without A Map (1968)- I do know where a copy of this long-lost Hiroshi Teshigahara film can be found and I'm considering it, since I doubt it'll ever be released. From IMDB- "A private detective is hired to find a missing man by his wife. While his search is unsuccessful, the detective's own life begins to resemble the man for whom he is searching." Teshigahara is such a provocative filmmaker. Three of his films were recently released in a boxset ("Woman In the Dunes", "Pitfall" and "The Face of Another") and all are worth your time.

10. Night breed (1989)- Oh the wrath this film brought upon itself from hard core Clive Barker fans. As a fourteen year old, it just scared the shit out of me. With Halloween approaching, I'd love to see it again. The DVD is OOP but can be bought reasonably on amazon.

Trailers I Love.... The Master

Urban Wasteland: Killer Joe

William Friedkin's "Killer Joe" is an aggressive white-trash film noir that consistently shifts its point of view between its characters, creating a bizarre and almost over-the-top narrative that accelerates as its progresses to its shattering finale. And did I mention it's brutally funny... as well as just brutal?

Starring Matthew McConaughy as the titular cop turned contract killer, he's brought into the illicit scheme of a dumber-than-dirt Dallas family to murder and collect the insurance money of another family member. The father and son duo of Emile Hirsch and Thomas Haden Church fail to realize the full implications of their plan, especially after Joe falls in love with their damaged, vulnerable sister/daughter Juno Temple. Snaking its way through the noir machinations, "Killer Joe" is a dirty, grimy experience that feels like a B-movie from the mid-90's Oliver Stone... and I mean all of this in the most positive way. I was riveted, unable to take my eyes off the screen as McConaughey owns every scene and plot the reversals fly from out of nowhere. "Killer Joe" also takes as its milieu the downtrodden, dilapidated wasteland of West Dallas. Nary a skyscraper or downtown skyline is in view, instead placing the characters among the Trinity river outflow boundary.... a cesspool of abandoned train tracks, broken down pool halls and graffiti rimmed highway underpasses. It's probably one of the most striking films I've ever seen filmed in Dallas without actually revealing any charm or technology of the city.

Adapted from a play by Tracey Letts, this is the second collaboration between he Friedkin, the first being the equally tough "Bug" in 2006. Both films frame their collective genres- psychological horror and film noir- within a strictly interior mode. "Killer Joe" features a wham-bam editing style, whose cuts and reaction shots are incisive and almost hurtful. "Killer Joe" is much closer in style to Freidkin's "The Exorcist" than anything else he's done. Secondly, the sound design is amazing, crafting barking dog noises, helicopters whirling overhead and engines revving into an overwhelming canvas of buzz. All of this frames "Killer Joe" as a technically unnerving effort. But perhaps the most interior moments of all reside in the outstanding finale, where tense conversation and psychological warfare meet over a dinner table full of fried chicken and almost unbearable silence. I doubt this was the type of endorsement KFC was looking for.

Summer 3

Polisse

Writer-director Maiwenn’s French language film “Polisse” is much more an actor’s showcase than a genuine police procedural. It’s obvious reference point, Bertrand Tavernier’s brilliant and still unavailable “L.627”, “Polisse” follows the rambling day-to-day actions of the Child Protective Unit whose scenarios within the film are said to be based on actual events. But Maiwenn, who co-stars as the beautiful, lanky photographer given access to the close-knit group of cops for a pictorial book, is much less interested in meticulous real-life police work and more enamored with the messy personal/sexual relationships of the cops. Instead of plausible police investigations, we get over-the-top histrionics as we’re introduced to a pair of lesbian partners, a cop who develops a crush on his pregnant co-worker and Maiwenn becoming involved with Fred (Joey Starr) who emerges as the eventual protagonist of the group. Eventually, “Polisse” dispenses with truthful “thriller” aspects of the police unit altogether and actually becomes insulting in some ways, turning one scene of a young girl’s sexual confusion over oral sex in exchange for the return of her cell phone into a raucous outburst of comedic reactions from the questioning officers. If that’s based in reality, then the cops profiled in Maiwenn’s sub par effort are the worst law abiders on the planet.



Trishna

Carnally transferred from the strict confines of late 1890’s England to the bustling, sun-drenched land of modern day India, Michael Winterbottom’s “Trishna” is a wonderfully twisted variation on Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the d’Ubervilles”. Starring the magnetically beautiful Freida Pinto as Trishna, Hardy’s lingering tale of sexual power plays and emotional control is a devastating example of modern creativity putting a spin on old fashioned literature. Plucked from relative poverty by rich, handsome Jay (Riz Ahmed), their relationship blossoms then turns sour when the consequences become real. Winterbottom’s hurried yet succinctly edited style of filmmaking tracks the sexual power plays between Pinto and Jay with charged energy… a style that’s worked so well for Winterbottom since the mid 90’s. “Trishna” also continues the director’s fascination with depicting sex in a frank, uncompromising light. But it’s the cold realization in the film’s final moments that really sticks with the viewer…. A fade out to white that is certainly more nihilistic than many of Winterbottom’s previous efforts. A really good film.



Total Recall

Visually flamboyant and building on the rain-soaked, culturally cross pollinated future of Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” ghetto, Len Wiseman’s “Total Recall” is almost a really good film. There are some terrific set pieces here, negated by Wiseman’s odd choice to distractingly cut over and over, sometimes during conversations with no regard to who is talking and almost always a few seconds short during its action sequences. As for the story, based on a Philip K. Dick and previous Paul Verhoeven adaptation, “Total Recall” gets a pass even though Colin Farrell maintains a consistent “what the hell?” look on his face and the effort is marred by the-villain-who-talks-too-much-and-allows-the-good-guy to-escape syndrome.

Mortal Storms: Edward Yang's "That Day On the Beach"

Even though director Edward Yang already had one short film under his belt (a portion of the omnibus "In Our Time" in 1983), nothing would quite compare to the ambition and brilliance of his debut feature length film "That Day, On the Beach" one year later. Sprawling and intimately epic, "That Day, On the Beach" has quickly become my very favorite Yang film... and considering his brief but magnificent output, that's saying alot.

With a running time of two hours and 45 minutes, "That Day, On the Beach" takes its time in telling a story in flashback (and even flashback within the flashback) of the reunion between old friends JiaLi (Syvlia Chang) and Qin Qin (Terry Hu). Qin is a successful pianist in town for a show when she decides to reach out to her old friend. In casual conversation, JiaLi tells of her struggle after the two friends parted after high school and her subsequent relationship with Daiwei (David Mao) and their turbulent affairs together. To complicate matters, Qin Qin was once in love with JiaLi's brother, and this is the reason she initially wanted to reunite with her. Still, "That Day, On the Beach" is Sylvia Chang's story, seamlessly shifting from past to present as she tells her story to her old friend, including the strange disappearance of her husband and the tender bonds between the family she once left behind.

Perhaps seeing Yang's debut film last gives me a more deliberate appreciation of his total work. Yang is no stranger to epic family dramas ("Yi Yi" and "A Brighter Summer Day" among them), and with "That Day, On the Beach"), the characteristics that define so much of his later work are on prominent display. Characters, who have a small part in the beginning of the story, return later to define and emphasize a fragile moment that felt minimal earlier in the film. Like the boy gangs that run rampant in "A Brighter Summer Day", Yang's marginal characters can, at any moment, rise up and become the focus. I suppose I should learn that the term "marginal" has no value in Yang's worldview. Also, the beauty of "That Day, On the Beach" is the way Yang shifts our perception and feelings. In one early scene, JiaLi escapes her imposed arranged marriage.... her image seen cat walking outside the window of her parent's home in a driving rainstorm. Years later, when her mother comes to visit her and the two are engaged in a quiet conversation, Yang takes us back to that scene, this time shown through the mother's eyes and her small, reassuring gasp as she sees her daughter escaping into the night... and then back to the present conversation where her mother smiles slightly, approvingly. And I can't imagine a more loving, creatively omniscient image in any Yang film than Christopher Doyle's camera panning down to capture the furtive embracing of hands between newlywed husband and wife Dai wei and JiaLi. Though life (and happiness) doesn't always work out, "That Day, On the Beach" is mostly about survival. And although the film focuses on Syvlia Chang, both her role and that of Qin Qin reveal Yang's attraction to strong, mindful female characters, another trait that would mark so many of Yang's other passionate works. Nothing short of a masterpiece, "That Day, On the Beach" cements Edward Yang's position as one of the most influential directors of the last 30 years. Now if only ALL his films were readily available for mass consumerism.

Revisiting the Faves: The Killer Inside Me

Michael Winterbottom's "The Killer Inside Me" ranked as my number 7 favorite film from 2010.

Michael Winterbottom's twisting Texas noir, "The Killer Inside Me", is a chilling and repugnant adaptation of the great Jim Thompson's pulp novel, sending waves into the pop culture universe for its unflinching violence towards two pretty starlets Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson) and not really giving a damn about it. I use words like repugnant above in the best sense. This is a great film for the way it buries so many emotions, none more so than the quiet facade led by Texas sheriff Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) as he deviously sacrifices everything he loves to satisfy the demons within. "The Killer Inside Me" doesn't wink at the audience or service any post-modern demands for the neo-noir genre.... it's a film that simply observes it characters strutting around in the well manicured southern locations, quietly tracking the serial killer sheriff with a voice over that almost lulls one to sleep and making one's skin crawl when the inevitable violence does overtake the narrative. In the varied oeuvre of British director Michael Winterbottom, he upholds his chameleon streak with a stifling portrait of small town Texas life in the 50's as if he's always lived here.

Affleck, as he did in "The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford", tackles the central performance like a soft spoken Jekyll and Hyde. If one were to go into "The Killer Inside Me" with no preconceived ideas of the story, Affleck sells his genteel southern sheriff in the opening moments as a true good 'ol boy... someone we could easily see as a hero. But when the shoe drops and Affleck presents Sheriff Ford as a masochistic sex addict and killer, he turns the performance into something altogether tragic, most wince-inducing after the brutal fist beating of local prostitute Joyce (Jessica Alba) in the film's first 30 minutes in an effort to unwind himself from family secrets and a complicated blackmail plot. From there, Winterbottom and screenwriter John Curran slowly spin their tale as the noose tightens around Ford's neck and he attempts to hold together his 'other' life, namely his impending marriage to local girl Amy (Kate Hudson) while a suspecting federal agent (Simon Baker) works to pin the guilt on Affleck.

If the violence shown against women is the central point of contention for so many people, what seems to be missing is the idea that Winterbottom and Curran have done nothing but adapt a story that is 50 years old. In it's updating, there's nothing titillating about the violence, which only strengthens the craftsmanship of the film. Definitely the most radical and consuming of Thompson's novels, "The Killer Inside Me" still feels radical and consuming today, especially in it's apocalyptic ending.

Top 5 List: Halfway Point in 2012

The top 5 things that have stirred me in 2012:


5. The duo of Keira Knightely and Steve Carell in "Seeking A Friend For the End of the World"

In my recent review for Lorene Scafaria's apocalypse dramamdy, I stated "Knightely is wonderful again, although it wouldn’t take much for me to fall in love with a 28 year old Brit-hipster chick who totes around Walker Brothers and John Cale vinyl and who scribbles David Bowie sayings on her wall." This is very true. I'm an easy mark for this "pixie girl" as I've seen her described, and no doubt that Knightely's performance and "bean-pole" persona sways my affections easily. But it's the film itself- and its never wavering finale- that has lingered with me for over a month now. If that's not the sign of something good, then I don't know what is.


4. Sigur Ros and their new album "Valtari"
 
I know the criticisms..... but I still love this band and everything they do. Just magical moments in so many songs on this new album.


3. Mood Films

Three new films this year dispense with traditional storytelling for the most part and paint wrenching portraits of a very specific time and place.... what I love to call mood films. Oren Moverman's "Rampart" is the thinking man's "Training Day", following a terrific Woody Harrelson over the course of a few days in early 90's Los Angeles as he deals with police corruption, impending debts and his own fractured, confusing home life with two ex-wives and two daughters. Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" is style and place tilted to perfection in "Moonrise Kingdom" with 1960's New England coastline and tweener love. Benh Zeitlin's debut film, "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is certainly the most experimental of the three, but no less acute in its representation of a group of poverty-ridden people living on the outskirts of the Louisiana coastline. Not only are these three of the very best films of the year, but when placed in a time capsule, these films should show how beautiful, fucked-up and complex our modern world is.

2. Films on YouTube

This very well may be a wave that I'm just now catching onto, but the wealth of obscure and not-readily-available-on-home video films that are cropping up on YouTube is overwhelmingly good. If one is searching for something, go there and type in the title. You may be surprised. Or you can check out blogs such as the excellent Lerner International blog whose mission in life is to direct consumers to overlooked gems available there. Add to that a few software downloads and one can always own a ready-made dvd version.... not that I'm promoting such an act but throwing it out there as rhetoric.

1. HBO Continues Strong

Select television continues to be the defining initiative for intelligent, culturally impactful works of art. Channels such as HBO, FX and AMC continue to push the envelope (yes, "Breaking Bad" begins its assaulting final season tonight!) and churn out unbelievably impressive series. Aaron Sorkin's "The Newsroom", Louis CK's "Louie" and others such as "Boardwalk Empire", "Game of Thrones" and "Eastbound and Down" have firmly planted themselves as challenging, sometimes uncomfortable but always meaningful works of art.

The Last Ten Films I've Seen: June edition

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)- Starts out with a trance-like fervor, endlessly following a group of poverty ridden people living on the outskirts of the levee in Louisiana, and then turns powerfully raw and magical. A terrific debut for director Benh Zeitlin.

2. Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (2011)- Slow moving but hypnotic, this is probably the longest film (2 hours and 37 minutes) that's ever dealt with what is 30 second fodder in most other 'crime' movies. A group of policeman and a doctor scour the countryside in search of a body when the killer can't exactly remember where he buried it. Nuri Bilge Ceylan is a master of composition and lighting here, none more so stunning than one sequence drained in candlelight and each man noticing the beautiful young girl's face behind it. Pure magic. The film's themes about masculinity and past sorrow are also resounding. Another terrific film.

3. X, Y and Zee (1970)- Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Caine are a couple in swinging London. He falls into a relationship with Susannah York and Taylor wears gaudy dresses and holds martini glasses in her hands ever so carefully. At one time I'm sure the film qualified as edgy, but it just comes off as passe now with static performances and even less emotional connectivity.

4. Jeff, Who Lives At Home (2012)- It's surprising how much one begins to care about a certain character in this film as it winds down. Quirky, slacker independent comedy from the Duplass brothers that does reach for some heightened emotion and earns it.

5. Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)- More Mark Duplass, this time in the starring role.... but just as quirky and slackerish as the above film. If low-fi time travel films is your bag, then "Safety Not Guaranteed" is probably your fix. The way it weaves several plot threads together left me a bit cold, but I do appreciate the way the film avoids an easy conclusion.

6. Endless Desire (1958)- Imamura’s deeply black comedy is an interesting set-up for what will come in the rest of his career. A rag-tag group of thieves (including one woman) rent a shack in the center of town in order to tunnel beneath the ground and steal a cache of morphine hidden before the war. While the copy I was able to view is saddled with a horrible set of subtitles, Imamura’s dark humor and fondness for the impossibility of the lower class to get ahead is clear. “Endless Desire” also features some stunning camerawork for the late 50’s. When a majority of Japanese cinema was imbued with the static low gaze of Ozu, Imamura is playful and almost Hitchcockian in the way he frames several scenes right at the floorboard level, raising the tension of the men burrowing underneath and staying quiet while visitors and the police rummage around on the wooden floor above them.

7. Gambling City (1972)- Euro crime from the great Sergio Martino about a card shark wrapped up with a casino boss and his bloodthirsty son. It's no "Rounders", but above average.

8. Ted (2012)- Like a live action version of "The Family Guy".... err wait. Written and directed by Seth MacFarlane, one gets what they see in the trailers, which is always a problematic exercise. This could have been so great... a cult classic comedy for this generation but instead we get fart and cock jokes.  Maybe that's all this generation wants?

9. Game Of Thrones (2011)- Halfway through season one on and yes, I'm hooked.

10. A Certain Killer (1967)- Kazuo Mori worked in prolific fashion during the 60's, but his work is largely overlooked and unavailable for distribution. This late 60's thriller, obviously influenced by Sejun Suzuki, tracks the machinations of a hit man hired to do a job and the trouble he gets sinto when he involves a woman (Yumiko Nagawa). Vibrant colors, paint that spills out in place of blood and lots of suits and shades highlight the effort which certainly places it in the pop candy 60's. I really want to explore more of Mori's work.

70's Bonanza: The Destructors aka The Marseille Contract

Part of the charm of Robert Parrish's mid 70's actioner is exactly what makes it just an average film... some over-thee-hill actors trotting around European locations embued with clumsy editing and Saturday afternoon style violence. Well, except for Michael Caine who sems to handle himself pretty well and gets to enjoy one helluva car ride. Recently unavailable on home video until MGM released it in its dvd-r series, "The Destructors" is an amiable way to fill 90 minutes.


It's plot consists of two stories. The first 30 minutes or so follows DEA agent Anthony Quinn as one of his agents is killed. Suspecting the local drug lord (James Mason) comes naturally as the agent was investigating the untouchable citizen. Unable to get anyone to pick up the pieces, Quinn hires assasin Michael Caine to become judge, jury and execution. The second half of the film follows Caine as he insinuates himself within Mason's organization... including falling in love with Mason's attractive daughter (Alexandra Stewart). Meandering during its half- as it introduces a love affair between Quinn and the dead agent's wife and then fails to elicit any drama from that confict of interest- this part is certainly the weakest. Quinn, who appears to be lethargic and hazy-eyed, gives an uneven performance. It's only when Michael Caine appears as the precise assasin that "The Destructors" picks up steam and utilizes its European locations to full extent. From there, the playful nature of who-will-outsmart-who gains control and the film cruises into thriller mode. Granted, I'm a sucker for this type of 70's Euro-crime, and "The Destructors" is far from the crowning acievement of this sub genre, but I found it wickedly funny and interesting enough to seek out a copy.

3 New Ones

Moonrise Kingdom

At this point in Wes Anderson’s career, his visual style, eccentric characterizations and pop song interludes could be lamentable. And yet, his seventh film entitled “Moonrise Kingdom” excels in all of this, creating a pop color world of infectious young love and cinematic dreaminess. Call it his tweener version of “Pierrot le Fou”… or maybe it’s just my auteur-like appreciation ala Andrew Sarris firmly rooted in place. The plot which is secondary to the lush enjoyment of the world Anderson has created concerns two teenagers, Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward), who escape together on their own personal island and evoke the wrath of the island’s entire adult population in a frantic search. Included in the mix are Bruce Willis as the island’s sheriff and Sam’s parents played by Frances McDormand and the Anderson-ubiquitous Bill Murray, experiencing their own romantic discord. Besides a near-perfect, whimsical tone throughout, “Moonrise Kingdom” is chock full of subtle humor and simple, precise indictments of both laughter and sorrow. Yes, writer-director Anderson is infatuated with awkward and unrequited teenager love (see “Rushmore”) but he maintains the pulse on the dour aspects of love as well, none moreso touching than the short conversation Murray and McDormand share in bed one night, looking up through their ceiling’s skylight. Perfect production design and camera placement aside, “Moonrise Kingdom” is attuned to all the shaggy, imperfect vagaries of love. One of the year’s very best films.

Declaration of War

I really wanted to like Valerie Donzelli’s “Declaration of War” and her attempt to merge a crashing adult drama with the fleeting cinematic concepts of the French New Wave, but her debut film “Declaration of War” is an uneven struggle between the two. Juliette (played by the director herself) meets Romeo (Jeremie Elkhaim) in a bar in the opening scene and their whirlwind romance is told in voiceover, leading up to the birth of their son. Typical parental concern over the repeated infant illness leads to a more damaging prognosis, and from there the film charts their tough struggle over the next eight years. Portions of the film really shine- such as Juliette’s long, violent tracking shot as she runs through the corridors of a hospital trying to outrun her mounting sadness. But it’s exactly this outpouring of emotion that drained my affection for “Declaration of War” in other parts, especially in the exaggerated reaction of friends and family when they hear the young child’s prognosis. Another scene has Juliette and Romeo singing their emotions to each other in song, which is probably the single most precocious and overdone French New New Wave conceit. I do look forward to whatever Donzelli does next. The potential is there. It just felt like with her debut, she felt the need to overreach.

Seeking A Friend For the End of the World

Lorene Scafaria’s “Seeking A Friend For the End of the World” would make for a weird double feature with Lars vonTrier’s “Melancholia”, and its only in the second half that it begins to redeem itself after a shaky opening that lands somewhere between satire and improvised comedy. But when the tone turns contemplative and madly romantic between Keira Knightely and Steve Carell, Scafaria’s debut becomes a small thing of beauty. Episodic in nature as the two hit the road in search of family and lost loves before an asteroid hits and destroys Earth, the film does hit a terrific groove in its quiet moments after dispensing with the trailer-heavy comedic moments. And Knightely is wonderful again, although it wouldn’t take much for me to fall in love with a 28 year old Brit-hipster chick who totes around Walker Brothers and John Cale vinyl and who scribbles David Bowie sayings on her wall. Like my mis-givings about Valeria Donzelli’s tragic-dramady above, “Seeking A Friend For the End of the World” does overcome its uneven tone and settles into a hugely impressive, low-fi telling about romance in the face of catastrophic destruction. I doubt there will be a better moment in any film this year than the final scene between Knightely and Carell…. And thankfully Scafaria sticks to her intelligence and doesn’t compromise her vision.

RIP Andrew Sarris

Very sad news with the passing of the great Andrew Sarris. When I first came online in 1994 or so, he was the first critic I archived and went to every week. His critical film books were revelatory to me and his style of writing (which I still mimic to this day and can still recollect how he always addressed the actors and directors as "Mr. and Mrs") instilled a deep intelligence of film as an art.

 Andrew Sarris obit.

Collection of his top ten films by year since 1958... a must read and one that has been driving me for years to see all the films if possible.

My own assessment of Sarris from a years ago in lieu of a blogathon.

The Current Cinema

Bernie

At times, I consider Richard Linklater to be the best Texan filmmaker. Or at least the most honest and practical about this fair state’s diametric array of personalities and hazy country lifestyles. With his latest film, “Bernie”, Linklater has gone full country bumpkin and crafted a tale of twisted dedication and love gone bad in East Texas. Carthage, in fact… a small city that I used to have family in and spent many a family reunion there as a youngster. Starring Jack Black and based on a true story, “Bernie” grasps onto the black comedy genre with ease as Black portrays the amiable town mortician and friend-to-old-ladies, including wealthy Shirley MacLaine, whom he ends up killing in a fit of blind rage. Linklater fashions “Bernie” as a documentary of sorts, casting real life citizens as speakers to an unnamed filmmaker describing their interactions with the devious murder and eventual cover-up… and where Texas-speak such as “oh shit…. Our donkey’s in a ditch!” lingers across the film alongside the wrinkled, impressionable faces of its cast of non actors. Matthew McConaghy, as the high profile prosecutor, overdoes it a bit in stretches, but overall, “Bernie” is an unassuming comedy that fits right into the patchwork oeuvre of Linklater and his quest to enlighten all corners of the state.

The Intouchables

Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano’s “The Intouchables” probably earns a bit more cache due to its European pedigree. I can just imagine Al Pacino and Mos Def in the American remake. Wheel chair bound Phillippe (Francios Cluzet) hires strong-bodied street tough Driss (Omar Sy) as his personal assistant and opposites attract with a good measure of learning-to-love-life mixed in as well. It’s hard to deny the fairly rote narrative procession the film follows, yet it succeeds on the hugely magnetic performances of Cluzet and Sy. And I’ll be damned if I didn’t get a bit choked up in the final moments. The closing credit sequence with clips of home video footage of the real Phillippe and Driss effectively amplifies the relationship between fiction and non-fiction. In the same way Linklater showed footage of Jack Black talking with the real-life, imprisoned persona behind “Bernie”, “The Intouchables” adds an affecting coda that portrays depth and sensitivity to a story already drenched in it.

Prometheus

Take one part Alien trilogy and shake well with Erich von Daniken’s “Chariots of the Gods” and one ends up with Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus”, a sleek looking but infinitely detached sci-fi prequel to the aforementioned “Alien” films. I did get giddy at certain parts of the film, namely its various echoes of trilogy past. The appearance of the ship that starts it all in 1979, further disdain for cyborgs who seem hell-bent on obeying orders from a mischievous corporation and propelling the violence of alien DNA over human survival and especially the idea of strong female lead Noomi Rapace strapping up and taking charge recall the glories of the original two films. But regardless of this eager fan boy attitude, “Prometheus” stalls when it comes to character development. Not only are the characters of Idris Elba and others cardboard recreations, but their ultimate actions failed to move or engage me. “Prometheus” is startling for being a summer movie with some heady ideas and a terrific nihilistic attitude at one point (“there’s nothing”…. “I know”), but that’s about it. Subplots pop up without any credence (Charlize Theron and her father), an elusive backstory concerning Noomi Rapace’s family and an oblique opening scene that raises more questions than it answers all create huge divides in the narrative. Perhaps there’s a director’s cut on the way. It’s just disappointing that we need a later DVD to underscore the intentions now.

An Appreciation: Robert Aldrich

Apache (1954) *** - Burt Lancaster began his long and illustrious career with Aldrich in this adept western as an Indian waging a terrorist war against his white man oppressors. There are two or three terrific sequences here: Lancaster’s first entrance into the town of St. Louis…. A montage of violence that seems to place Lancaster’s warrior Indian everywhere at the same time…. And several hard bam-bam cuts which push the narrative forward in a manner that would later befit his noir masterpiece “Kiss Me Deadly”. The only drawback to this one- watching it in high def exposes the awful make-up job that transforms Lancaster and female costar Jean Peters into red faced Indians.

World For Ransom (1954) ***½ - Starring the always watchable Dan Duryea as a private eye caught up in political kidnappings and murder, “World For Ransom” earns its merit for stripping the film noir genre from postwar America and placing in among the hot and humid streets and jungles of Singapore. Thick humid air and dank corners are the film’s main setting here which gives the genre a wholly fresh spin. After a nuclear scientist is kidnapped, Duryea’s old cronies end up framing him for the crime and he embarks on a one-man mission to uncover the truth. Like later Aldrich films, the threat of nuclear annihilation is at the heart of the story and it also features some interesting themes of friendship and betrayal. Not one of the more recognizable Aldrich films, but a great starting point. Not available on DVD, streaming video only.

Vera Cruz (1954) **- The air of a Saturday afternoon special hangs over this languid western that pits outlaw Lancaster alongside soldier Gary Cooper in a fight against the Mexican army as they escort a wealthy woman across the west. Looks nice, but its ultimately harmless and without any real cinematic teeth.

Kiss Me Deadly (1955) ****- A turning point for Aldrich’s career and a true capstone to the film noir genre comes “Kiss Me Deadly”, a terrifying, nihilistic and paranoid thriller that pits private investigator Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) against a shadowy organization with a very deadly hidden briefcase. From the opening credits where the titles spiral backwards from top to bottom and a cryptic woman enters Hammer’s world for a short car ride dressed only in a trench coat, “Kiss Me Deadly” never plays by the rules. Mimicked to no end by future filmmakers (Tarantino and Spielberg of course), the golden glowing briefcase is probably cinema’s most intriguing ‘maguffin‘, made all the more unsettling by the violent hissing added to the soundtrack. All in all, “Kiss Me Deadly” deserves its place as one of the more forward-thinking pictures of its time and a true masterpiece.

The Big Knife (1955) ***- Hollywood in the 50’s doesn’t appear to be any less morally bankrupt than today. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, but “The Big Knife” lies all the ugliness out on the table. Based on a play by Clifford Odets, Jack Palance stras as an A-list actor separated from his wife, spurning the advances of several women, and trying to re-negotiate his contract with a studio boss (Rod Steiger) who seems to be more Al Capone than Daryl Zanuck. Confined to only a few settings, “The Big Knife” is a pessimistic attack on the creative process and the inner turmoil of a man whose had enough of the good life. Palance is the film’s beating heart and he gives a complex performance. Aldrich tightens the spectrum with simple a shot/reverse shot formula, never allowing the strict confines of a word-bound play to suffocate his big-screen version.

Attack (1956) **½- Another stage play transported to the screen by Aldrich and his film company, “Attack” opens with a very gritty Sam Fuller-like scruffiness which ends with a soldier’s helmet rolling violently down the hill after a platoon has been decimated due to a coward colonel. Jack Palance plays the leader of the decimated squad and Eddie Albert is the coward. The rest of the film examines the vehement verbal tug of war between the men. As a war film, one can’t but help imagine the great possibilities Aldrich could have ended up with… instead the film lags. Much like Kubrick’s “Paths Of Glory”, “Attack” strives for a higher calling of anti-war rhetoric, but ends up writhing due to its stage-bound wordiness.


The Garment Jungle (1957) **- It’s debatable how much Aldrich truly contributed to this film, as he was replaced during production with director Vincent Sherman. The film itself, which contains little resemblance to any creativity behind the camera, is a generic tale of the New York manufacturing block and the Union’s attempt to take a stronghold on its impoverished workers. As the Union idealist, a young Robert Loggia is good, but it’s the performance of Gia Scala (an actress who died way too young with numerous personal demons) as Loggia’s young wife that really impresses. Sultry one minute and intelligent the next, she raises the overall pleasure from an ordinarily mundane cinematic effort.

Autumn Leaves (1958) ** - Aldrich’s first enterprise with Joan Crawford- whom he would later exploit for more gaudy effect in “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?“- “Autumn Leaves” is an interesting title that explores the late-in-life romance between Crawford and mentally unstable, but much younger Cliff Robertson. Alternating between uneasy drama and psychological thriller, “Autumn Leaves” isn’t entirely successful because its such a rote, bland film. Recently more accessible due to Robertson’s death, “Autumn Leaves” is an average Aldrich film. Not available on DVD.

The Angry Hills (1959) ***- Robert Mitchum stars as an American military journalist caught up with Greek Resistance fighters and the Nazi Gestapo working to uncover a list of important names he’s been entrusted with. Solid acting all around, but the real meat of the film lies in Aldrich’s razor-sharp mise-en-scene which seems to be growing in confidence. One set piece- with Mitchum being led into a trap in a small Greek church- is a mesmerizing example of editing, music and camera movement. I watched this scene over and over, definitely a trend-setting moment. Gia Scala (above) also co-stars. Not available on region 1 DVD.

Ten Seconds To Hell (1959) ***- The second of two films Aldrich made in the UK for Hammer studios after his disastrous affair on “The Garment Jungle”, “Ten Seconds To Hell” is a gritty, hollowed out post-war tale about a group of German soldiers returning home to work as bomb disposal experts. The opening, with a voice over lending a prose-like history of each soldier, threatens to sink the film before it even begins with overbearing wordiness, but Aldrich pulls back the reigns and allows the basic tension of a bomb blowing up in one’s face to be the real star of the film. Not only does Jack Palance give a terrific performance, but the film out-tensions “The Hurt Locker” in its quiet, protracted scenes of death-on-the-line as the men work to disarm their various assignments throughout the leveled city. Not available on region 1 DVD.


The Last Sunset (1961) ****- An interior western and a superior one. All the regular genre tropes are there: a cattle drive, outlaw and sheriff, open vistas…. But the real tension in Aldrich’s understated masterpiece is the simmering tension boiling between all involved. Kirk Douglas is an outlaw on the run when he finds his way to the cabin of an old flame (Dorothy Malone), immediately hooks up with her and her husband’s cattle drive, and then finds the sheriff chasing him (Rock Hudson) join the fray as well in order to serve the existing warrant on him the minute they cross the Texas border. Throw in a 17 year old daughter (Carol Lynly) who develops a crush on Douglas, and “The Last Sunset” turns into a chamber drama under the sun with every principal character hiding an ulterior motive. The way in which Aldrich moves the chess pieces around the board is hugely satisfying, and it all culminates in an extremely moving testament to the individual lost amidst the lawlessness of the Old West and his quiet redemption.

The Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah (1962) *½ - The obligatory 60’s religious epic by a named filmmaker finds Aldrich examining the waning years of these infamous Biblical cities in a very sanitized and boring manner. We get 1960’s eyeliner and Stewart Grainger badly miscast as the Hebrew savior. Beyond that, the cheekiness of the city’s destruction and the all-too-important acting moments are fun to watch in a very guilty pleasure sort of way. Not available on DVD.

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) **½ - Also known as Bette Davis and Joan Crawford hamming it up well past their prime. Highly regarded as a camp classic of sorts, Aldrich does his best to heighten the tension of the story while remaining (mostly) fixed in the old decrepit house where ex-Hollywood star sisters have a very tortured existence. The main reason to see this film is Bette Davis, though. Appearing caked in make-up and often looking like an insane circus clown, clomping around her house in slippers and delivering pent-up maliciousness against Crawford… it’s a performance that resembles a force of nature. Overall, it’s hard to take the whole thing seriously though.

Four For Texas (1963)- *½- A rat pack western that crumbles under its own fragile existence, failing to elicit any real laughs or thrills. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin are cowboys in South Texas playing games with a town’s corrupt banker. As a Technicolor effort, “Four For Texas” is surprisingly flat and even the sexy goodness of Ursula Andress can’t elevate the film. And I’ve said it before, but any film that tries to locate its setting in Texas amongst tall, rolling mountains automatically loses points with me.


Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964) ***- A return to grand guignol with Bette Davis as a reclusive Southern belle dealing with whispers of long-ago-murder and foreclosure on her looming estate. Unlike “What Ever Happened To Baby Jane”, “Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte” feels like Aldrich having more fun, mixing up genres (psychological horror and tabloid ‘dramady‘) with panache. It’s certainly his most striking film to date, though…. like a 40’s Jacques Tourneur movie, full of looming shadows and people framed by light and darkness.

The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) ***½- A crew of oil workers crash land in the Arabian desert with plenty of guilt and apathy to go around. Featuring an eclectic cast (including James Stewart as the pilot, Richard Attenborough as his co-pilot, Peter Finch as a tight lipped army captain and Ernest Borgnine as a sniveling crack-up), “The Flight of the Phoenix” is gritty, tense stuff. Not only does Aldrich heighten every sun-burned tear on the men’s faces, but the psychological distress is just as engulfing. But the most interesting conflict in the film emerges between Heinrich Dorfmann (played by Hardy Kruger) and Jimmy Stewart. The patriotic good ‘ol American versus staunch German pride, staged just a few years after the end of World War 2 as both men are pitted against each other to take possession of great savior for the lot. The remake from a few years ago doesn’t do this underrated film justice.

The Dirty Dozen (1966) ***½- Boy, watching this again for the first time in years and I’m reminded how much of a genre-stealing hack Quentin Tarantino really is. With an all-star cast, Aldrich basically upped the ante on the “men on a mission” war genre that would see itself re-invented and re-imagined for years to come- and on both sides of the ocean as well. The great conceit in Aldrich’s adrenalized affair is just how long he spends humanizing the ‘dirty dozen’ before their fatalistic mission to wipe out the German high command at a Paris chateau. Nihilism doesn’t begin to describe the lengths Aldrich goes in that final battle, and its all very non-Hollywood, which probably earns the film even higher regards nowadays. This was 1966 and we’re treated to Lee Marvin sadistically trying to break off the vent hoods so his men can drop grenades down into the underground hideout of the German men and their party-goers. As an action film, “The Dirty Dozen” is aces. As a film that successfully inverts our expectations about the ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’, it’s a revelation.

The Killing of Sister George (1968) *½- A potboiler subject treated in a very ham-fisted manner. As the title character, Beryl Reid gives a shrill and off-putting performance while Susan George, as her much younger and sultry girlfriend, alternates between sexy lounge candy and poutiness. Based on a play, “The Killing of Sister George” focuses on the deteriorating relationship between two swinging London lesbians after Sister George is written off her long running BBC television show. Unable to cope with the psychological impact of not going to work every day, plus the fact that her lover is quite the younger dish, Sister George takes it out on everyone around her. One or two scenes really stand out, such as a dance club altercation with a prim and proper studio employee, but the possibly brave subject matter is neither sensitive nor introspective and Aldrich’s direction feels flat.


Too Late the Hero (1970) ***- Workmanlike war film that details the mission of one American radio expert (Cliff Robertson) and a squad of British soldiers (including Michael Caine and Denholm Elliot) trying to disable a Japanese communication center in the South Pacific. The violence is quick and harsh (such as the death of a wounded sergeant left behind and a soldier stepping on a landmine), the characters a bit stock, but it all adds up to a tense series of war scenarios with the usual class differences built in. Michael Caine, in particular, enjoys chewing the scenery though.

The Grissom Gang (1971) **- White trash crime spree is the best way to describe Aldrich’s Depression-era kidnapping saga whose best moments include the twisted performance of Scott Wilson. A backwoods family kidnaps a Southern heiress and then has to deal with her being locked upstairs. Watching Wilson fall in love with the kidnapped heiress (Kim Darby) dwarfs anything else in the film. Clearly influenced by “Bonnie and Clyde” and the other white-trash exploitation flicks of the early 70’s, the film never really gels as a whole though.

Ulzana’s Raid (1972) **- The last of Aldrich’s westerns, it does pair him with favorite actor Burt Lancaster once again, this time with middling results. It’s a curious film, to say the least… failing to fall squarely on either side of the fence between soldiers led by a young lieutenant (Bruce Davison) and Indian hunter (Lancaster) or the bloodthirsty and violent Apache Ulzana (Joaquin Martinez). It does look terrific even if the final results are problematic.

Emperor of the North (1973) ***½- A very unique subject for a film as scruffy tramp A No.1 (Lee Marvin) pits wills against train conductor Shack (Ernest Brognine) and attempts to hitch a ride on his train for free during the Great Depression. Seemingly one long action set-piece, “Emperor of the North” excels in grubby viciousness as the two men fight their way across the Pacific Northwest. Before long, the film almost becomes an existential battle, with no real accomplishment in sight for either man, each one simply trying to invade the other’s worldview and personal confines. I suppose there’s something there about the “haves” and have nots”, but Aldrich has little use for that type of preachiness, instead crafting an action film that penetrates both the psychological and the physical.


The Longest Yard (1974) ***- Aldrich loved working with the same crew both behind the camera and in front, and here begins a mini love affair with actor Burt Reynolds over the course of two films. While “The Longest Yard” is a serviceable dramady, Reynolds is highly magnetic as the once superstar quarterback dealing with life and deadly sport behind the big wall of a prison. Not without its typical Aldrich flare for violence- especially the arsonist death scene that always felt very creepy and nihilistic- “The Longest Yard” just may be one of the best football movies ever put to film as well.

Hustle (1975) ****- One of the great character studies of the 70’s with Burt Reynolds as a Los Angeles detective working the death of a young girl whose father (Ben Johnson) just won’t let her death go unnoticed. Like many other sun-noirs of the 1970’s, “Hustle” wallows in the genre tropes- political corruption cover ups, beaches awash with immoral subplots and cops trying to balance it all. But the brilliance of “Hustle” is it’s complete inversion of the genre. Reynolds isn’t trying to solve the case… content to shove it under the carpet and focus instead on the marred relationship with his hooker girlfriend (Catherine Denevue) and a police chief (Borgnine) who just wants to hear how good things are going. It’s Ben Johnson, as the dead girl’s father, who really pushes the story forward with his old-school sense of morality and gruff, Biblical views of redemption. All of this comes full circle with a shocking conclusion as the world exacts revenge on pretty much everyone. One of the more underrated 70’s films.

Twilight’s Last Gleaming (1977) ****- Burt Lancaster and two other escaped convicts violently seize control of a missile silo and hold demands to the President (Charles Durning). Aldrich’s laser sharp direction and editing- including a highly inventive use of split screen- rally what could have been typical material to the point of exhaustion… in a good way. This is a nail biter of a movie, constantly shifting between the Army’s plan to break into the compound, the President’s debate with his cabinet at the White House, and the grainy black and white images of the security cameras while the convicts anxiously watch their surroundings. “Twilight’s Last Gleaming” deserves some type of mainstream release. It’s excellent, sweat-inducing 70’s cinema at its finest. Not available on DVD.

The Choirboys (1977) *- The novel it’s based on (by Joseph Wambaugh) essentially had its author disavow the film and one can easily see why. A group of L.A. policemen (including Charles Durning, Louis Gossett Jr, James Woods and Randy Quaid) blow off steam as they drink, cajole and fight with each other. It starts off promisingly well as a visual Jacques Tati like comedy- the police hit the street and cause a traffic jam before they even exit the police station parking lot. The titular “choir practice” is simply the cop’s word for their nightly excursions, which often ends in someone being tied to a tree or an all out brawl. The idea of stress manifesting itself in crude, unrelenting ways is an interesting idea, yet Aldrich’s version too often swerves into deplorable moments of unfunny castigation or racism/sexism. Struggling to find a tone, “The Choirboys” is a misguided effort of the highest degree. Not available on DVD.


The Frisco Kid (1979) **-- Occasionally funny western starring Gene Wilder (who usually raises the pedigree of ANY comedy) and Harrison Ford as an unlikely duo traveling from east to west, facing the dangers of the rugged western exterior and the bad guys that dwell in it. Wilder, playing the part of a Hassidic Jew, probably offends a lot of the archetype he portrays with his uneven accent and bumbling persona, while Ford fares only marginally better as the outlaw-turned-good-guy who helps the helpless Wilder. It’s interesting to see Aldrich’s failed attempts at humor with a few loose canon comedies, but “The Frisco Kid” and “The Choirboys” needed something more.

…All the Marbles (1981) ***- After years of choosing strong females to base his theater around, Aldrich closes with a boisterous, magnetic female duo. Vicki Frederick and Laurene Landon are female tag team wrestlers managed by Peter Falk, knocking around cold Ohio and eventually earning their way to a major match in Nevada. The scruff-dog atmosphere, zero to hero narrative, and especially the presence of Burt Young, undoubtedly earn comparisons to “Rocky”, but “…All the Marbles” is something unique. There’s real heart and humor in Mel Frohman’s script and Peter Falk is just magnificent. And if all that doesn’t win one over, then the protracted, punishing final wrestling bout surely will.

Music On the Mind

One of the most overlooked and under appreciated bands of the 80's.... The Blue Nile. Please check them out if you're so inclinded.








And not an 80's band, but one that could easily pass for one... and currently the song I'm most obsessed with:

Revisiting the Faves: Alien

My affections for Ridley Scott's "Alien" came in a roundabout way. It was one my father's favorite movies (along with "Blade Runner", "Cat Ballou" and "Angel Heart"- wonderful tastes in film I may add!). I tried to watch it several times during my teenage years, but always seemed to either lose interest or shrug off its more than modest conceits as a sci-fi horror. Then, about 6 months ago- when the buzz for Scott's supposed Alien prequel "Prometheus" began to reach its fever pitch- I decided to dive back into "Alien" in all its Blu Ray glory. Perhaps by coming at the film with a less jaundiced eye or relating to the film through its many imitators and sci-fi horror practitioners, I realized the sheer greatness of the film only recently. Made in 1979, "Alien" could have been released in 2009 and I would not have batted an eye. It's visual gravitas, narrative brilliance and embedded horrors put so many of the genre's other efforts to shame.

The narrative brilliance I speak of is Scott's long-winded desire to make Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) the eventual hero of the film... and the franchise face. Sure, there had been women heroes before whose quest for survival derived from their victim status (rape to revenge or assault the system by crime), but here was a woman hero who outlasts the danger and actually kicks ass on her accord. Upon original release, I'm sure untrained eyes were just waiting for Tom Skerritt or Yaphet Kotto to retaliate against the evil alien life form. But they were just pawns on the board, disappearing in order and timed to a screeching soundtrack that seemed to propel the alien forward. Also, besides the now infamous John Hurt stomach emergence scene, I was quite taken aback how bloodless "Alien" works. Unlike the future installments, "Alien" gets its point across through unsettling lighting, quick cuts of protruding alien tongues and, my favorite, death through the eyes of a cat.

I don't know how good "Prometheus" will be, as early reviews are diving the critics, but one can always return to the original greatness of the "Alien" franchise and relish the moments that created such a terrific series of films... and broke some genre ground in the process.

Produced and Abandoned #13

A few more titles deseving a proper release:

1) The Confession (1970)- I love the calculated, politically aware films of Costa-Gavras and after recently tracking down the wonderful "State of Siege", I'm ready for more. This film deals with the imprisonment and interrogation of a high ranking official.

2. The Woman Chaser (1999)- Actor Patrick Warburton (yes, David Putty from "Seinfeld") stars in this offbeat drama/noir that got tons of play on IFC back in the day, but has disappeared since. That's usually how it goes. There's much internet love for its eventual resurrection, but this small indie film by cult director Robinson Devor ("Zoo" and "Police Beat") has been MIA for over a decade now.

3. The Wild Life (1984)- Another film that had its continual run on cable back in the day, "The Wild Life" is written by Cameron Crowe and directed by Art Linson but has fallen through the cracks since then, mostly due to copyright laws with several songs in the film- which means we'll probably never see it on DVD if history holds true. I was way too young to appreciate the film's probable greatness when I would sneak peeks at it on HBO as a ten year old, but I do remember the electric performance of Chris Penn and sorta fell in love with Lea Thompson after this and "Howard the Duck".

4. No Blade of Grass (1970)- Apocalypse film directed by the great Cornel Wilde about a family surviving the end of the world. One would think this would crop up on TCM or another channel by now, but, alas, it hasn't. Bootleg copies are readily available though, if one were inclined... not that I'm supporting that.

5. The Games (1970)- From Imdb: "Four marathon runners (one from England, one from the U.S., a Czech and an Australian Aborigine) prepare to run in the Olympic games. The film follows each one and shows what their motivations are for running in the games." Plus, it's directed by Michael Winner and currently aired on Fox Movie Channel. It's sitting on my DVR now. Review forthcoming?

6. Static (1986)- Cult oddity from director Mark Romanek ("One Hour Photo") and writer/director Keith Gordon, this film stars Gordon as a religious young man who claims he can communicate with heaven from a device he builds. Based on the descriptions, this is a film replete with Lynchian images and off-putting ideas. Has anyone seen this?

Trailers I Love

My God this looks amazing.....

Cinema Obscura: Leere Welt (The Empty World)

Wolfgang Panzer's "The Empty World" is a prototypical German film- dour, analytical and emotionless- which make the film's subject about the apocalypse via a disease that terminally ages everyone overnight even more puzzling. It's an end-of-the-world genre film unlike anything else you've ever seen.

Following teenager Tom (Tilman Schaich), "Leere Welt" is broken into three distinct parts of the apocalypse- introduction, survival and commune. Tom lives with his grandparents as the virus first begins to spread across the world. Lectures in school are presented on the topic and we meet Helen (Beatrice Dossi), a bright girl who Tom has feelings for but than leaves to work as an actress. The next day, Tom's teacher arrives to school severely aged and its clear that the disease is progressing through the adults in Tom's world. As the virus spreads, Tom loses his family and hits the road where he meets various scavengers and survivors- including a little girl. There's no real reasoning to how the virus spreads or why it afflicts certain people and leaves others unharmed. "Leere Welt" is less about this scientific outbreak and more about how Tom interacts with the crumbling world around him. Finally, in the last section of the film, Tom wanders into an abandoned factory and finds Helen surviving with her friend Kiki (Astrd Marshall). The trio comprise a certain kind of family, complete with jealousy between them and an interrupted threesome. All of this is handled with straight-forward ambition and a distinct avoidance of emotion.

Made in 1986 and released as a TV movie, "Leere Welt" has its obvious supporters and has even been called the "holy grail of apocalypse films" by avid fans. I feel a bit jealous to say it wasn't that hard for me to locate. Still, while "Leere Welt" feels like a fairly average film on every level, I can understand the unusual interest in the film. There are moments of bizarre randomness- a pack of dogs that relentlessly chases one of the girls.... an ode to Nicholas Roeg's "Don't Look Now" in its representation of the creepy, wrinkled face of a little girl appearing on-screen.... and the disjointed performance of young Tilman who swaggers through the film like a spoiled brat searching for his lost dog rather than confronting the harsh realities of the world's destruction. As a novelty to say I've seen it, "Leere Welt" was worth the effort. Otherwise, it belongs in the annals of weird German cinema.

Jumper or Junkie: Sound of My Voice

Zal Batmanglij's "Sound of My Voice" is a low-fi stunner. Co-written by himself and actress Brit Marling- who was so good in last year's "Another Earth"- the film challenges the viewer in many of the same ways. As a micro-budget science fiction indie, "Sound of My Voice" exceeds its modest expectations. As a whodunit and elliptical thriller, it knocks it out of the park.

Opening in the midst of a transfixing procedure as Peter (Christopher Denham) and Lorna (a wonderful Nicole Vicius) are blindfolded, bathed and led into a nondescript basement, we soon learn the couple have been accepted into an exclusive sect of people, led by the sickly Maggie (Brit Marling) who claims to be from the year 2054. She preaches to them, puts them through nervous psychoanalysis (eating an apple then having them puke it up) and promises to lead them into safety when an upcoming cataclysm will strike. Not long after, we learn that Peter and Lorna have infiltrated the group as an experiment to create a documentary about the mysterious Maggie. "Sound of My Voice" remains, mostly, in the confines of Maggie's presence as her stories and lulling personality drive a wedge between the reality of Peter and Lorna. The big question which looms over the entire film- is Maggie real or a scam artist- comes into muddy moral focus when she asks Peter to commit a crime for her. As the star of both this film and "Another Earth", actress Marling has become the sort of queen of the micro-indie sci fi tale. While I feel "Sound of My Voice" is the stronger of the two efforts, Marling possesses a mysterious quality that enables her to embody boh roles- morose lurker in one and ambient, trance-inducing beauty in the next- with perfect ease. And both films feature a shocker of an ending, with "Sound of My Voice" delivering an ambivalent denoument that reinforces the slow-burn momentum of everything up to that point.

What's In the Netflix Queue #35

1. The Son of No One (2011)- I'm a big Dito Montiel fan, but the talk about this Al Pacino-Channing Tatum drama has been middling. After his "A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints" from a few years back, I'll give director Montiel the benefit of the doubt every time.
2. Burnt By the Sun (1994)- This film has been out there for ages, received some major recognition during the early 90's and won an Oscar as best foreign picture, but I've never seen it. The recent Film Comment article on Alexei German has my wet my appetite for Russian cinema I've missed- which is alot.
3. Fear and Trembling (2003)- My look into the films of Alain Corneau continues with this film. "In search of a new beginning, Amélie (Sylvie Testud) moves from Belgium back to her early-childhood home of Japan, where she starts working full time for a large corporation. But life as a foreigner proves difficult to navigate -- and Eastern office etiquette is nothing like what she's used to. French director Alain Corneau helms this Tokyo-based dramedy adapted from the autobiographical novel by Amélie Nothomb." From Netflix description.
4. Around A Small Mountain (2009)- One of the very few Rivette films actually available on DVD, this recent release from him charts the romance between a man (the always wonderful Sergio Castellitto) and a circus owner (Jane Birkin).
5. The Hills Run Red (1966)- Quasi spaghetti western starring Henry Silva and Dan Duryea as soldiers caught up in a heist. The director, Carlo Lizzani, is an extremely prolific and underrated creater of some terrific 70's Italian cinema.
6. The Image (1975)- Apologies that I don't remember where, but several blogs I've been reading lately have posted about director Radley Metzger and his sexploitation canon. This will be my introduction to his work. Fingers crossed!
7. War Horse (2011)- Yea, missed this one last year. I hope it doesn't reek of the sappiness I gleaned from its trailer.
8. Dark Waters (1993)- I go through phases of genre watching, and last October I added a ton of French horror flicks to the list, and with the constant re-arranging and shuffling of titles, this one got missed. Plot is as follows: "After her father's death, Elizabeth (Louise Salter) visits a desolate island to discover why he left his money to a secretive order of nuns. Though the foreboding Mother Superior (Mariya Kapnist) tries to send her away, Elizabeth soon discovers that the convent is actually a prison, built to confine a terrible aquatic demon that can be controlled only if the shattered pieces of an ancient stone amulet are kept apart."
9. Fear Me Not (2007)- Danish thriller about a man (Ulrich Thomson0 struggling with the after effects of an experimental drug. Director Kristin Levring comes from the vonTrier dogma school of filmmaking (does anyone even remember this now, besides us movie board affecianados who argued about this style from 1998-2001??).
10. Solaris (1972)- Re watch of the Tarkovsy classic.

Reviews, New Stuff

The Cabin In the Woods


Drew Goddard’s “The Cabin In the Woods” sets itself apart from other horror films pretty early on with its opening scene: two men (a wonderful Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford) in suits ramble on about failed experiments in faraway countries as they drive through a concrete office bunker and the sense of mind-numbing beaurucracy settles in. From there, “The Cabin In the Woods” turns into a witty deconstruction of the horror genre and plays like an episode of “South Park”. Remember the “Margaritaville” episode? Written by Joss Whedon and Goddard, “The Cabin In the Woods” is sheer fun, circumventing the horror film in both narrative and fundamental ideals as a group of teenagers and their weekend retreat turns into a real-life nightmare. Irony for the sake of irony is never fun, and that is where a majority of the post-Scream and Whedon’s own “Buffy” series posit themselves nowadays. “The Cabin In the Woods” is a bit mean-spirited towards its main characters, sardonic in all the right moments and facetious with the genre tropes (the old man giving directions at the gas station begins with a wince and then pays off to terrific lengths later in the film), but it also works in the same way Sam Raimi’s early horror films work. There’s a creativity and a sense of devotion to inverting the genre that seeps through the whole film. Highly recommended for upside-down entertainment.

4:44 Last Day On Earth

“4:44 Last Day On Earth” is the first Abel Ferrera film in over a decade to receive a marginal stateside release (the last was minimal drug dealer procedural “R Xmas”) after his self imposed exile to Italy. Sadly, it’s not a major triumphant return, ranking as one of Ferrra’s weaker efforts. Starring Willem Dafoe and Shanyn Leigh as loft-dwelling New Yorkers awaiting the end of the world, Ferrera’s catastrophic world view is a supremely interior one. There are hints of the chaos outside as Dafoe witnesses a neighbor jump off the fire escape in the building next door, but the film largely concerns itself with the spiraling doubt and relapse of his own drug dependence and his painter-girlfriend’s distrust of his ex-wife. There are moments of tremendous spontaneity- as when Dafoe creeps into the apartment of his old dealer and finds his sober brother (a wonderful Ferrera-stable actor named Paul Hipp) there to talk him out of “nodding his way” through the end of the world- but overall, “4:44 Last Day On Earth” fails due to a strained performance by Leigh and a muddled preachiness via numerous slow zooms into a television set where people such as Al Gore and the Dala Lami talk about global destruction and the joys of inner peace. If seen as a parable for Ferrera’s own recent sobriety, “4:44 Last Day On Earth” makes some sense. Moments feel very personal and, as written by Ferrera himself, the film delivers a quiet examination of one man’s balancing act of sobriety. But as a straightforward, low-key thriller about a man and a woman and the general population of New York itself, it’s unconvincing atmosphere and amateurish narrative choices derail the thing long before it fades into supposed oblivion.


The Raid

Building on the kineticism of John Woo and "The Fast and the Furious" aesthetic, Gareth Evans' "The Raid" excels in style and, at times, even slows down the camera movement enough to make me appreciate the hyperballad of fists, legs and jabs. All is well and fine, I just simply didn't care for anyone in this film. The cops and bad guys are drawn with generic broadness and the film plays out like a video game, techno music and strobe lights intact.

Music On My Mind....and Baseball

Ahh, baseball season. Nothing better. MLB baseball cable package ordered, Opening Day game tradition still intact (although the Ranger bandwagoner fan is making this increasingly stressful!) and all is good. Random music on my mind the last few days:









Opening Day montage: 2012

The Last Ten Films I've Seen, March Edition

1. The Interrupters (2011)- If I had seen this film last year, it would have ranked very high on my favorites of 2011. Documentarian Steve James takes a fascinating approach to gang violence through the people who once lived the life and now try to be stop the violence along Chicago's South Side. Truly moving and heartfelt filmmaking.

2. Silent House (2012)- I really, really love Elizabeth Olsen and believe she'll amount to one of the best actresses of this generation. And all of this based on just two films now. A tepid subject- gimmicky idea of one continuous shot as a woman roams a darkened house in search for bumps and noises in the night- all held together by Olsen's riveting performance.

3. Of Time and the City (2009)- Currently working my way through a majority of British director Terence Davies films, and this is a poetic, if not hermetic, look at his hometown of Liverpool. There's little history or insight here... all mood and tone as Davies orchestrates lush music over archival images. It seeps under the skin, though, and commemorates a city like no other piece of work.

4. Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather (1983)- Hideo Gosha's epic rendering of a young girls' introduction into the home of a yakuza mobster. Spanning some thirty years, "Onimasa" feels like a precursor to so many later films. Moving, violent, unexpected... it's simply one of the best films of its time. See this one!

5. Texas Killing Fields (2011)- The daughter of Michael Mann tries to imitate dad, but this murder mystery is all over the place. There are times when director Ami Mann captures a stirring image, especially at night, but the poor performances by Sam Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan elicit little sympathy and the mystery itself is so plodding and unrealistic that it made me check out pretty early. Sad since the original idea this film is based on is one of great Texas lore.

6. Mother, Jugs and Speed (1976)- Terrific, fast paced comedy-drama starring Harvey Keitel, Bill Cosby and Raquel Welch as Los Angleles ambulance drivers. Immensely funny in parts, disturbing in others (see the performance of Larry Hagman), Peter Yates' film turns on a dime and jams so much into this energetic farce.

7. The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995)- I just don't quite understand the fanaticism for cult director Philip Ridley's films, including this one and "The Reflecting Skin". It does prove that, from 1994-1997, Ashley Judd was one hot thing. This tale of gothic religious confusion gone horribly wrong in the backwoods suffers from an alternating tone between fantasy and surreal commentary as Brendan Fraser stumbles out of a religious sect into the caring graces of Judd and mute lover Viggo Mortensen.

8. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)- More of the same. I think I'll go re-watch "The Changeling" or "The Stone Tape".

9. We Are the Night (2010)- A female version of "The Lost Boys", or "Near Dark"... pumped full of house dance music, chic European clothes and beautiful people everywhere. For a guilty pleasure, Dennis Gansel's superficial film does the job, but don't look for anything more than that.

10. Two Men In Manhattan (1963)- Very hard to find Jean Pierre Melville film about two reporters (one writer and one paparazzi) searching for a missing French UN delegate in New York. Starring Melville himself, it's a very touristy film, full of the New York skyline and long-lost locations that would probably make any native New Yorker cry. There are some of Melville's themes, but its a very minor work in his illustrious and moody career.