Friday, July 16, 2021
Homicide
- Commentary: Here's a movie that had me so puzzled I watched it two and a half times, then looked online for a full, detailed summary of the story (linked to the title, above) in order to understand the the movie. Turns out, I was wrong about the identity of the man in chains and a jump suit being shuffled down the hall at the very end of the film who turns and smiles at Detective Bobby Gold. I thought that guy was the librarian, but it was the man at the beginning of the movie who had killed his wife and kid(s) [Did he have one kid or more?] and promised to tell Gold the nature of evil. Which makes more sense than my misunderstanding.
For another take on the movie here's Roger Ebert's four star review. Frankly, I kind of have a feeling that men, in particular (versus women) have a special place in their hearts for the kind of hard biting male-to-male drama David Mamet incorporated in this film, and some others.
Clearing that up, however, didn't really change my understanding of the bulk of the movie. Bobby Gold is a human who is stuck between a birth identity he didn't know he carried and a work/life identity he thinks he understands but doesn't. He thinks the two are intertwined in a way that they aren't, and doesn't really understand how they are intertwined until after he's more or less taken out of commission from his work/life. When he understands that the intertwining has nothing to do with him or his Jewishness, well, at the end of the film the camera catches him in the discomposure of being stunned.
There are Mamet scripts I enjoy more than this one. This film is a hard row for me to mentally hoe. There are Mamet scripts that I think I don't understand because I'm not male and women suffer different identity crises than men. This movie is one of them. Glengarry Glen Ross is another. But I can say I loved the content and delivery of the dialogue, the extraordinarily clean presentation of Gold's internal conflict and the surprise ending, a double surprise because I had to amend my understanding of the entire film once I correctly identified the prisoner being walked down the hall. To certain death.
Wow. Makes me want to watch Glengarry Glen Ross again and piques my curiosity about American Buffalo.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Joe Mantegna Buddy Gold William H. Macy Tim Sullivan Ving Rhames Robert Randolph Natalia Nogulich Chava Vincent Guastaferro Lt. Senna J. J. Johnston Jilly Curran Lionel Mark Smith Charlie Olcott Rebecca Pidgeon Rebecca Pidgeon
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1991
Directed by David Mamet.
Labels: coming-of-age2, Criterion2, detective1, mystery2, police-procedural
Leave Her to Heaven
- Commentary: I watched this movie last night (7/23/21). I knew nothing about it, which, I think, intensified my reaction (for the better). What an extraordinary movie! Look at all the labels I (legitimately) attached to it! It's got something for everyone, and the entire story [which is, really, a series of stories with one bright red thread (think Ellen's lipstick) running through them] attaches everything that happens to everything else! Yikes!
First of all, Gene Tierney is amazing as the antagonist. The other actors' performances are well turned out, but they are all supportive. The movie belongs to Tierney's character, and, holy jesus, what a character she plays and how well she plays her!
Secondly, when the movie starts, you'll notice it has an odd format: It's full-screen color. Once the movie starts, though, it takes no time to get used to this.
Thirdly, this is not a popcorn-and-soda movie. Go ahead and put out snacks if you want, but, I can guarantee, you will be so riveted from the very beginning to the very end that you'll forget everything except the story, including any food you've supplied.
Finally, the Criterion "special feature" material, both the film essay and the written essay, don't do justice to this movie's singularity. I've seen a lot of movies, in my time, and I am a fan of horror. The only movie I can think of that even approaches the horrific enjoyment I experienced from watching this movie is Midsommar, and, frankly, at this time, fresh from this movie, I can't tell you which I will favor. Perhaps they'll sit atop my horror genre choices in a category of their own.
This is just a gem of a horror movie, in part because it isn't marketed as a horror movie, which was a wise choice by somebody, not sure who. I didn't even realize it was headed in that direction until a little less than half the way through. The story is masterfully manipulated. The settings give absolutely no clue as to what is going to happen. The relationships between the characters start out, and continue for quite awhile, so innocently that you cannot help but be astonished at what is happening, from scene to scene, right before your eyes, and then, when you think you've reached peak astonishment, well, hang onto your hat! No wonder Criterion has this movie in their catalog. It deserves the high honor that a Criterion production confers!
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Gene Tierney Ellen Berent Harland Cornel Wilde Richard Harland Jeanne Crain Ruth Berent Vincent Price Russell Quinton Mary Philips Mrs. Berent Ray Collins Glen Robie Gene Lockhart Dr. Saunders Reed Hadley Dr. Mason Darryl Hickman Danny Harland Chill Wills Leick Thome Olive Blakeney Mrs. Louise Robie Jim Farley Train Conductor
Here's the link to the Wikipedia write-up of this movie.
Release Date: 1945
Directed by John M. Stahl.
Labels: Criterion2, film-noir3, horror1, legal, melodramaA, popcorn-and-soda6, psychological1, romance4, suspense3, thriller2, tragedy2, violence4
The Bad Sleep Well
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toshirô Mifune Kōichi Nishi Masayuki Mori V.P. Iwabuchi Kyōko Kagawa Yoshiko Nishi Tatsuya Mihashi Tatsuo Iwabuchi Takashi Shimura Admin. Ofc. Moriyama Kō Nishimura Contract Ofc. Shirai Takeshi Katō Itakura Kamatari Fujiwara Asst. Chief Wada Chishū Ryū Public Prosecutor Nonaka Seiji Miyaguchi Prosecutor Okakura Kōji Mitsui Reporter Susumu Fujita Detective
Here is the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 1960
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Labels: §2, akira-kurosawa, chishū-ryū, Criterion2, detective1, mystery2, neo-noirA, toshirô-mifune
Thursday, July 15, 2021
Deep Cover
- Commentary: Under construction.
This movie was originally listed in the post Movies I've Seen, Do Not Own but Can't Forget. I own this movie, now. Here is the commentary I wrote for it in my wish list post: "Okay. This is yet another of my juicy fetishes. I love the story: corruption galore, even within the best of the characters. Laurence Fishburne: come on, how can you resist this character of his?!? [How can you resist anything done by Laurence Fishburne?!?] And Goldblum's rendering of Jason, and the way the pair plays off one another, oh, my, my! This movie, for me, falls into the same category as the Equalizer movies and the John Wick movies. Although I enjoy all of them, I have to say, I favor this one because the character is not squeaky clean, like Washington's McCall, nor is he on a sacred rampage, like Reeves' Wick. In fact, at the end of the movie, you are left wondering about the content of Stevens' character. I can't help but think that Fishburne, Goldblum and their fellow actors had loads of fun making this movie."
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Laurence Fishburne DEA Agt. Russell Stevens Jr./John Hull Jeff Goldblum David Jason Yvette Heyden Nancy Jason Charles Martin Smith DEA Agt. Gerry Carver Victoria Dillard Betty McCutcheon Gregory Sierra Felix Barbosa David Weixelbaum Chino Glynn Turman Russell Stevens Sr. Arthur Mendoza Anton Gallegos Clarence Williams III Dt. Taft Roger Guenveur Smith Eddie James T. Morris Ivy
Here is the Wikipedia write-up for this film.
Release Date: 1992
Directed by Bill Duke.
Labels: Criterion2, dramaD, laurence-fishburne, loose-cannon-cop, neo-noirB, police-procedural, violence3
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
The Heiress
- Commentary: I enjoyed this movie so much the first time around I watched it again, this afternoon (7/23/2021)! It's an interesting and curious story about a daughter who, even after his death, can't get out from underneath the restrictive hand of her father. It's my first movie under the category "father-daughter-dynamics". Seems odd that I haven't noticed any others to which that label applies, so I'll have to check through and see if I just didn't notice this with any other obvious possibilities.
This movie features a sweet, retiring "older" single daughter who feels so protected in her father's all-encompassing care that she doesn't realize until some years later in her life, well after her father's death, that the dynamics between her and her father have warped her for any semblance of enjoyable male-female relations. In addition, her first, and last, suitor is the smoothest and most dastardly of cads, but this is something she doesn't realize until it is too late, emotionally, for her to even consider pursuing any sexual bond. Her aunt, as well, doesn't help. She is a widow who so idealizes her one marriage that she is completely blind to what the audience sees developing almost immediately. In this blindness she offers her niece, Catherine, who is completely untutored in romantic relationships, such cockamamie advice that this smart, but, unfortunately, naive, niece of hers is simply locked in a web of well-meant but treacherous deceit. And don't even get me started on her father! Fathers, and aunts, and cads, oh my!
Very well acted. Very well written. Her change of character seemed sadly inevitable as I watched it happen, but her life and her reactions are fleshed out so well that, by the end, I did't feel pity for her but simply acknowledged her personal resolve. Yes, dear reader, I was surprised by my final reaction.
Update 8/10/21: I just obtained the 1997 remake of this film, or, rather, a re-filming of this story, Washington Square. At this precise moment I have not viewed it, yet, but I will be doing so tonight. I may, or may not, have comments to add, here, about the correspondences (or lack, thereof) between these two films. Stay tuned.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Olivia de Havilland Catherine Sloper Ralph Richardson Dr. Austin Sloper Miriam Hopkins Lavinia Penniman Montgomery Clift Morris Townsend Vanessa Brown Maria Betty Linley Mrs. Montgomery Ray Collins Jefferson Almond Mona Freeman Marian Almond Selena Royle Elizabeth Almond Paul Lees Arthur Townsend Harry Antrim Mr. Abeel Russ Conway Quintus
Here is the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 1949
Directed by William Wyler.
Labels: character-study, Criterion2, dramaD, father-daughter-dynamics, miriam-hopkins, romance4
The Seventh Seal
- Commentary: This is a very emotionally complex movie. I've actually watched it twice since I received it. It casts a spell on me. It's not that it causes me to focus on deaths which have affected me, it's that it produces in me deep meditation about life, our knowledge that life is limited and no particular time frame or experience is promised to anyone.
The final scene of the film, too, carries a unique poignance. I think it's up to the viewer whether The Dead are resisting Death's lead, confused about what's happening or simply celebrating the dropping of the final curtain. Perhaps it depends on the individual characters in the dance. Whatever each of the characters is experiencing, the same experience is happening to all of them, but, as in the Dance of Life, each one is having an individual reaction. That's why I included as many actors/roles as I found listed in the table below. This film is not about the experience, I think, but the reaction to it. Which is why the chess game is so important. When one is given a chance, just before death, to play with the possibilities, well, what difference does it make? Good, and not rhetorical, question. Perhaps none? Perhaps all?
I may write more, later. I may not. I can assure my readers, though, I will be emotionally magnetized to watching it again. And, again.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Gunnar Björnstrand Jöns Bengt Ekerot Death Nils Poppe Jof Max von Sydow Antonius Block Bibi Andersson Mia Inga Landgré Karin Block Åke Fridell Plog Inga Gill Lisa Erik Strandmark Jonas Skat Bertil Anderberg Raval Gunnel Lindblom Mute Girl Maud Hansson Witch Gunnar Olsson Church Painter Albertus Pictor Church Painter Anders Ek The Monk Benkt-Åke Benktsson Merchant Gudrun Brost Maid Lars Lind Young Monk Tor Borong Farmer Harry Asklund Innkeeper
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
Here is the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 1957
Directed by Ingmar Bergman.
Labels: §1, Criterion2, magical-realism, max-von-sydow, period6, philosophical, war2
A Special Day
- Commentary: Under Construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Sophia Loren Antonietta Marcello Mastroianni Gabriele John Vernon Emanuele Françoise Berd Caretaker
Here is the Wikipedia write-up of this movie.
Release Date: 1977
Directed by Ettore Scola.
Labels: §2, anti-fascist, Criterion2, period6, political5
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams
- Commentary: This film is a series of biographical vignettes from an extremely personal perspective. That may sound like it's difficult to watch, but, in fact, it is, like it's title, dreamy and extraordinarily engaging. As you watch, you can either consider it a Kurosawa statement, or you can meander through the vignettes as individual statements being made by the characters.
The fact that this collection of films is "hosted, of sorts, I sometimes find annoying, but then another vignette begins and I lose myself. Again.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Name Role Name Actor Name Role Name Actor Name Role Name Actor Name Role Name Akira Terao I, Dreamer I, Dreamer Mitsunori Isaki I, Young Dreamer Mitsuko Baisho Dreamer's Mother Martin Scorsese Vincent Van Gogh Chishū Ryū Old Man Mieko Harada Snow Spirit Yoshitaka Zushi Private Noguchi Toshie Negishi Woman with Child Hisashi Igawa Nuclear Power Plant Man Chosuke Ikariya The Demon Akira Kurosawa Self Matt Sloan Host
Here is a link to the Wikipedia write-up on this film.
Release Date: 1990
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Labels: §1, akira-kurosawa, chishū-ryū, Criterion2, fantasy4, magical-realism
The Red Shoes
- Commentary: I remember the first time I saw this movie. I was a mid-teen (or, perhaps, a little younger), continuing to take dancing classes but not toward any particular goal. I don't know how it happened but the local university managed to wrangle a a copy of this movie for an exclusive showing. My dance teacher, who considered me talented but unmotivated, badgered me until I asked my mother to take me to the showing of the movie.
It didn't motivate my dancing but it did accelerate my interest in romantic tragedy. I remember audibly gasping at the scene of Vicky Page's death. I was not expecting it. This brought the movie into focus for me and I've had a hankering to watch it, again. Now, it's a part of my collection.
So far, I've only watched it once. During that watching, I couldn't help but compare it to the story portrayed in Black Swan, which I've seen, but, you'll note, I do not own, and doubt that I ever will, unless someone gifts me with it. Anyway, it occurred to me as I was watching this, and, mind you, this consideration is based on a relatively poor memory of Black Swan, that Black Swan portrays the interior danger of living for one's art and this film portrays the external danger of living for one's art. Not that I particularly, well, sympathize with either of the movies' statements. But, there you have it, an off-the-cuff thought about these two movies.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Anton Walbrook Boris Lermontov Marius Goring Julian Craster Moira Shearer Victoria Page Robert Helpmann Ivan Boleslawsky Léonide Massine Grischa Ljubov Albert Bassermann Sergei Ratov Ludmilla Tchérina Irina Boronskaya Esmond Knight Livingstone Montague
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
The Wikipedia write-up for this movie is here.
Release Date: 1948
Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger.
Labels: §1, Criterion2, dance, dramaD, fantasy4, romance4
Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance
- Commentary: Under construction. In same case as Lady Snowblood.
When you click into the link in the title of this post, you can access the review for Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengence by scrolling down the page. It is after the review for Lady Snowblood.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Meiko Kaji Yuki Kashima/Lady Snowblood Juzo Itami Ransui Tokunaga Kazuko Yoshiyuki Aya Tokunaga Yoshio Harada Shusuke Tokunaga Shin Kishida Seishiro Kikui Toru Abe Kendo Terauchi Rin'ichi Yamamoto Inspector Maruyama Kôji Nanbara Toad
The Wikipedia write-up for this movie is here.
Release Date: 1974
Directed by Toshiya Fujita.
Labels: §, action3, adventure4, Criterion2, dramaD, gender-bender, period6, revenge2, samurai, violence3
Lady Snowblood
- Commentary: Under construction. In same case as Lady Snowblood: Song of Vengeance.
When you click into the link in the title of this post, you can access the review for Lady Snowblood at the top of the page. It is before the review for Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Meiko Kaji Yuki Kashima/Lady Snowblood Mayumi Maemura Young Yuki Kō Nishimura Dōkai the priest Toshio Kurosawa Ryūrei Ashio Masaaki Daimon Gō Kashima Miyoko Akaza Sayo Kashima Eiji Okada Gishirō Tsukamoto Sanae Nakahara Okono Kitahama
The Wikipedia link for this film is here.
Release Date: 1973
Directed by Toshiya Fujita.
Labels: §, action3, adventure4, Criterion2, dramaD, gender-bender, period6, revenge2, samurai, violence3
Gomorrah
- Commentary: If you want to watch a film about the mob, this is the film you want to see. This film isn't, like the Godfather trilogy, deadly but beautiful and somewhat sympathetic. This film is gritty, grim and deadly. There is no sympathy for the organization it portrays, nor the actors and their motivations within the organization. There is no beauty in this dump of corruption. At times, it's like watching a documentary shot undercover. This is probably due to the fact that it is based on a non-fiction book of the same name written by Roberto Saviano.
If you want a romantic portrayal of crime syndicates that, despite it's savagery, manages to put on gorgeous weddings and muster a certain ethical construct that is almost understandable to "just regular people", watch the Godfather Trilogy. This movie is not that trilogy.
Although this movie garnered much acclaim, not everyone appreciated it. Dan Schneider of Critical Movie Critics had several bones to pick with the movie and, frankly, he's not wrong. In fact, what disturbed me about the movie is that, typically, even documentaries attempt to entertain, if only to keep eyes on the screen. This movie, whether objectively considered a documentary, docudrama or the term Dan Schneider attaches to it, cinema verité, allows the viewer, me, that is, no place to seek a little sultry refuge for awhile. It's bare bones dread and death. Many times for no discernable reason. And that's it. Which fascinates me. So, I'll watch it, again. I'm glad I have it in my collection. To my (paltry) knowledge of film, it's one of a kind. What does that admission say about me?
This movie has a list of Actors/Characters as long as my two arms. The following table contains only the first twelve, even though, in some movie tables, I've gone as far as listing twenty. So many of the characters in this movie die, though, after a few minutes on screen ...
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toni Servillo Franco Gianfelice Imparato Don Ciro Maria Nazionale Maria Salvatore Cantalupo Pasquale Gigio Morra Iavarone Salvatore Abruzzese Totò Marco Macor Marco Ciro Petrone Ciro Carmine Paternoster Roberto Giovanni Venosa Don Giovanni Vittorio Russo Zio Vittorio Bernardino Terracciano Zio Bernardino
Here is the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 2008
Directed by Matteo Garrone.
Labels: §, Criterion2, dramaD, gang-movie, violence3
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Noémie Merlant Marianne Adèle Haenel Héloïse Luàna Bajrami Sophie Valeria Golino The Countess
Here is the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 2019
Directed by Céline Sciamma.
Labels: §1, Criterion2, dramaD, female-director2, historical4, period6, romance4
Memories of Murder
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Song Kang-ho Park Doo-man Kim Sang-kyung Seo Tae-yoon Kim Roi-ha Cho Yong-koo Song Jae-ho Sgt. Shin Dong-chul Byun Hee-bong Sgt. Koo Hee-bong Go Seo-hee Ofc. Kwon Kwi-ok Ryu Tae-Ho Jo Byeong-Sun Park No-shik Baek Kwang-ho Park Hae-il Park Hyeon-gyu Jeon Mi-seon Kwok Seol-yung Seo Young-hwa Eon Deok-nyeo Woo Go-na Kim So-hyeon
Here is the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 2003
Directed by Bong Joon-ho.
Labels: §2, bong-joon-ho, Criterion2, detective1, dramaD, mystery2, neo-noirC
General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait
- Commentary: Under construction.
The Wikipedia write-up for this film is here.
Release Date: 1974
Directed by Barbet Schroeder.
Labels: §2, autobiography, biography3, Criterion2, documentary2, interview
pina
- Commentary: Under construction.
The Wikipedia write-up for this film is here.
Release Date: 2011
Directed by Wim Wenders.
Labels: §1, Criterion2, dance, documentary2
Monday, January 28, 2019
A Touch of Zen
- Commentary: Welcome to the ultimate possession of my movie collection!
I'm going to quote from a few letters I sent to my sister about my discovery of and affection for this movie. Any other information you can probably glean from the Wikipedia article attached to the title of this post.
Quote 1 [dated 8/27/2009]: I've been searching for years (on the internet) for another movie I saw at a Chinese film festival in Sacramento in either 1984 or 1985. It was an old movie at the time I saw it ... although not as old as I have been thinking (I thought it was made in the early 1960's; turns out it was made in 1969 and released in 1971). It was a long and mesmerizing movie ... one of the first that used magical martial arts (although not THE first; the first Chinese martial arts movie was made in, get this, 1927; I learned that on the way to finding the movie I was looking for). For years I thought I remembered the name as being "The Golden Buddha" because at the end of the film a Buddhist monk bleeds gold ... a scene I've not been able to forget. I don't know why, but, not until today did it occur to me to try searching "classic chinese films" with a description of that scene, "golden blood" ... and, I found it, you'll never believe this, on Wikipedia (fie on those who dismiss Wikipedia): "A Touch of Zen". Seems it's actually a very popular movie; rated, among moviephiles (especially Asian moviephiles) as one of the best to come out of China. Turns out, there is a DVD available, Region 1, for rental at Netflix and to buy at Amazon. However, I'm not going to buy it (yet, anyway), because, although most of the reviews of the movie on Amazon were favorable to ecstatic, there were complaints, even in the best reviews, about the sound and the darkness of some of the more spectacular martial arts scenes and landscape scenes (I also had this memory from the movie of a river valley with spectacular oblong rock formations, sort of like natural obelisks) ... so I'm renting it on Netflix, first ... will probably get it sometime next week. It may not be worth buying if the quality is bad, but it will certainly be worth watching again. I was sad, actually, a little, finding the movie, because one of the reasons I looked so diligently for it all these years (but, obviously, not diligently enough) was because Mom loved Hero (we have a copy of it) and I figured she'd love this movie even more. Who knows, maybe she's able to look at it over my shoulder. I hope so. [This was written about 9 months after my mother's death.]
Quote 2 [dated 10/23/2018]: So, I ordered myself a "birthday present" (That's my story and I'm sticking to it; aren't birthdays handy?!?) and it came today. ... there's a little story behind it. You may know some of it.
When I lived in Sacramento from 1983 - 1985 I lived in the middle of a mixed Asian community (primarily Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese). I became acquainted and friendly with several people and was often invited over for dinner and to Asian-specific events. So, some time in 1984 the community became very excited about the possibility of a particular movie (which was around 10 years old at that time) that was going to be showing in Sacramento, "A Touch of Zen". I knew nothing about the movie. The Chinese people I knew in my neighborhood were insistent that I should go with them and the whole mixed group of Asian Americans to see the movie when it arrived. So, I did. I was mesmerized. Yes, it's a martial arts movie (of sorts). It's also this long, elegant, somewhat confusing epic story full of magnificent and evocative cinematography and thought provoking moments (not necessarily related to one another in a traditional European-centric story sense). Although I've seen the movie twice since then (one time I found it on the internet; I think I wrote you about that; at the time I was looking for it I thought it was called "The Gold Buddha", which made it somewhat harder to find), I can't tell you what it's about, although the heroine has a baby and there are some great martial arts scenes in it, full of magical moves. And, the comic relief character actually plays the second largest and most important part in the movie. The "hero" is almost a sperm donor afterthought. My neighbors and friends and I talked about the movie for days afterward.
So, about a week ago, for some reason unknown to me, although it's not unusual for it to occupy my thoughts unbidden, that movie was suddenly on my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I went on the internet and tried to find the original site where I watched it some years ago. Never found it, but, I did find that the movie has been remastered by Criterion (I love Criterion edition movies; I only own a few because they are usually very expensive, but they do a damn good job of restoration, when that's necessary, and they sponsor some excellent movies, like Antonia's Line, for instance) and was for sale at a reasonable price (reasonable compared to the prices I'd been following in previous years) AND, included a whole second disc devoted to special features about the movie! So, I decided, hmmm, my birthday's just around the corner, in fact, I see it peeking at me, so I think I'll get myself a birthday present!
Current Comment [1/28/19]: I've had the movie for just over three months, now, and have watched it three times. It remains amazing and mysterious to me and evokes all the times I've watched it and hunted for it in the past. 'Nuff said, I think.
Update 10/02/19: Well, I was wrong, Antonia's Line is not a Criterion movie. It should be. I recently signed up to their website, for the articles and newsletter about movies. Maybe I'll suggest it to them as a possible acquisition. Also, I noticed I've not labeled this movie. That is being corrected now.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Hsu Feng Yang Hui-zhen Shih Chun Gu Sheng-tsai Bai Ying General Shi Wen-qiao Xue Han General Lu Ding-an Roy Chiao Abbot Hui-yuan Tien Peng Ouyang Nian Cao Jian Xu Zheng-qing Zhang Bing-yu Sheng-tsai's mother Wang Rui Mun Ta Miao Tien Nie Qiu Han Ying-chieh Chief Cmdr. Xu Xian-chun Wan Zhong-shan Lu Qiang
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1971
Directed by King Hu.
Labels: action2, adventure2, audio-visual, Criterion2, drama3, fantasy1, film-art1, gender-bender, haunting1, historical1, period2, spectacle1, thriller1
Monday, March 26, 2018
The Philadelphia Story
- Commentary: I never thought I'd own this movie. My reaction to it, until recently, has been ho-hum. My mother loved it, so I pseudo-watched it several times while she was alive (I think she identified with Tracy Lord), but it never occurred to me to buy it while she was alive, considering that it played regularly on TCM.
Recently, though, I've noticed several videos on YouTube, most notably one by Camille Paglia, which is no longer available [note to self, see if someone else has posted it], which intrigued me, so I borrowed the movie from the library and watched it closely a couple of times. It not only jump-started me to prowl through all the Kathatine Hepburn movies I own, but, by the end of my considerations, I decided I wanted to own it.
I've come to deeply appreciate the movie, and Kathatine Hepburn, as a particular type of womanhood that at least three generations of women (my mother's included) glorified and after which they wanted to model themselves. What Camille Paglia says about this movie, including the research she's done on it, is important and, I think, should have more attention paid to it. I don't always agree with Paglia, but, in the case of this movie, I do, and would further say that it was this portrayal of womanhood that led directly to second wave feminism, through the daughters of all the admirers of Tracy Lord.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role James Stewart Macaulay Connor Cary Grant C.K. Dexter Haven Katharine Hepburn Tracy Samantha Lord Ruth Hussey Elizabeth Imbrie John Howard George Kittredge Roland Young William Q. Tracy John Halliday Seth Lord Mary Nash Margaret Lord Virginia Weidler Dinah Lord Henry Daniell Sidney Kidd Lionel Pape The Footman Hilda Plowright Librarian
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1940
Directed by George Cukor.
Labels: cary-grant, comedy1, Criterion2, james-stewart, journalism, katharine-hepburn, romance1, satire1
Sunday, August 14, 2016
An Autumn Afternoon
- Commentary: Although I am a staunch fan of Ozu's movies and have seen several, this is the only one I own, so far. Inexpensive copies are few and hard to find. I looked for some at Hastings' going-out-of-business sale. This is the only one I found, in mint condition. I suspect the previous owner probably bought the movie by mistake. This is Ozu's last and, if I can be said to have favorites of his movies, it is one of them. As a follower of his movies, I've developed an ability to detect his changing moods through his work. This is the last and most precious, and I'm not using that word in a satirically critical manner. Hopefully this won't be the last Ozu film in my collection.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Chishū Ryū Shūhei Hirayama Shima Iwashita Michiko Hirayama Keiji Sada Kōichi Hirayama Mariko Okada Akiko Hirayama Teruo Yoshida Yutaka Miura Noriko Maki Fusako Taguchi Shin'ichirō Mikami Kazuo Hirayama Nobuo Nakamura Shūzō Kawai Kuniko Miyake Nobuko Kawai Eijirō Tōno Seitarō Sakuma Haruko Sugimura Tomoko Sakuma Kyōko Kishida Kaoru Proprietor
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of this film.
Release Date: 1962
Directed by Yasujirō Ozu.
Labels: §2, chishū-ryū, Criterion2, drama5, me-favorite1, yasujirō-ozu
Sunday, December 24, 2006
The Last Temptation of Christ
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1* *2* *3*
- Commentary: I noticed, in the mentions, one of them states that Mom always thinks she wants to see this movie, then she gets bored with it. This is no longer true. It is now one that she asked after the last time we did a "jesus movie" festival, so, this year, I purchased it.
For me, as well, the more I watch the movie, the more I like it. I tend, now, to ignore the discontinuities, like yet another Nordic Jesus, Harvey Keitel as a red-headed Judas and Barbara Hershey's bee-stung lips. Especially since I've read the book, I tend to appreciate the story more for what it symbolizes rather than what it portrays.
I think what Mom likes about it is the gritty realism and the startling detail, like how the crosses are made. We watched this movie again, recently, right after I ordered it and just after a couple of other Jesus movies. It seems that each movie has its own version of how crucifixion crosses are constructed, which mom noticed this time around, which led to yet another Jesus movie festival.
The only disappointing aspect of this movie was that it promised subtitles and they may exist but they aren't listed in any of the menus so I'm not sure if listing this as a feature was an error or if there is an Easter Egg technique to cuing them. I need to check this out. It does not feature Closed Captioning. I was afraid this would be a problem for Mom but the first time we watched it after receiving it, Mom had no problem with it. This is, at any rate, primarily a visual feast for her, so I guess that's why it doesn't matter. As well, the dialogue is not mumbled or distorted by other sound tracks.
The review linked to the title of this post is an interesting view of the movie from the perspective of how it had been (up to the point of its writing) and may continue to be viewed by the religious community. It seemed to me a relevent discussion to have about it.
Roger Ebert reviewed the movie twice, once as a "regular" movie and once more as a Great Movie.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Willem Dafoe Jesus Harvey Keitel Judas Iscariot Barbara Hershey Mary Magdalene Harry Dean Stanton Saul/Paul of Tarsus David Bowie Pontius Pilate Verna Bloom Mary, Mother of Jesus Andre Gregory John the Baptist Nehemiah Persoff Rabbi Leo Marks Voice of Satan Tomas Arana Lazarus Victor Argo Peter Martin Scorsese Isaiah
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1988
Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Labels: barbara-hershey, bible-movies1, Criterion2, drama8, fantasy3, harry-dean-stanton, harvey-keitel, jesus-dvds, martin-scorsese, nehemiah-persoff, period4, religion1, shared-favorite, spiritual1, willem-dafoe
