Friday, December 16, 2022
Malcolm X - Criterion Edition
- Commentary: Yes, I already own this movie. When I heard, though, that Criterion recently released this movie, complete with its stunning (as usual) restoration work and a slate of Special Features that I can't wait to view, well, I knew I had to add it to my collection, which is probably a good idea, anyway, because, since I first added it to my collection in August of 2016, I've watched it at least once a year, occasionally more. It's one of those movies for which I find myself hungering. So, I have two copies, now. Chances are, I won't view my original copy, again, but I'm going to hang on to it, for awhile, just in case. I don't ever want to be without a copy of this movie.
If the Special Features are intriguing, I'll return here to write about them. The movie, itself, is a wonder to behold, full of amazing acting and Spike Lee's innovative, intriguing auteurism at its best. The design and execution of so many of the scenes grab you by the ears and force you to get each and every moment of this astonishing story of, not only a man, but a people-movement that has yet to achieve ultimate success.
Yes, I've listed it as both a biography and an autobiography. For those of you who are familiar with Alex Haley's and Malcolm X's collaborative book, as well as this movie, you'll understand why I did this.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Denzel Washington Malcolm X Angela Bassett Betty Shabazz Albert Hall Baines Al Freeman Jr. Elijah Muhammad Delroy Lindo West Indian Archie Spike Lee Shorty Theresa Randle Laura Kate Vernon Sophia Ernest Lee Thomas Sidney Christopher Plummer Chaplain Gill Lonette McKee Louise Little Tommy Hollis Earl Little Giancarlo Esposito Talmadge X Hayer Wendell Pierce Ben Thomas Leonard L. Thomas Leon Davis Leland Gantt Wilbur McKinley Roger Guenveur Smith Rudy James McDaniel Brother Earl Steve White Brother Johnson Veronica Webb Sister Lucille Rosary Jean-Claude La Marre Benjamin 2X Debi Mazar Peg Karen Allen Miss Dunne Peter Boyle NYPD Captain Green
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1992
Directed by Spike Lee.
Labels: biography1, christopher-plummer, debi-mazar, delroy-lindo, denzel-washington, drama6, film-art1, giancarlo-esposito, haunting1, period2, political2, spike-lee
Saturday, June 04, 2022
The Jungle Book 2016
- Commentary: This movie crept up slowly on me. The first time I checked it out of the library, mostly because of the personal draw of the animated trailers I saw, I enjoyed it but wasn't wowed by it. I found, however, that I retained several moments of the movie in my mind and checked it out twice more. After the third viewing, I knew I had to own it. The story isn't particularly engaging. Frankly, I never saw the original Disney movie nor read that book upon which it was based for a reason. I just wasn't interested. The animation, though, in this version, surrounds me with its magic and I continue to go back to it. The choice of voice actors is excellent, as well. I've instituted a new category for it: "pseudo/cgi-animation". There are a few other movies I should move into this category, most notably, Maleficent. That will come.
Update 6/2/2022: This post was originally published on 2/5/2018 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Neel Sethi Mowgli Ritesh Rajan Mowgli's Father Bill Murray Baloo Ben Kingsley Bagheera Idris Elba Shere Khan Lupita Nyong'o Raksha Scarlett Johansson Kaa Giancarlo Esposito Akela Christopher Walken King Louie Garry Shandling Iki Brighton Rose Grey Brother Jon Favreau Fred Sam Raimi Indian Giant Squirrel Russell Peters Rocky Madeleine Favreau Raquel Sara Arrington Nilgai
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2016
Directed by Jon Favreau.
Labels: ben-kingsley, christopher-walken, fantasy2, film-art1, giancarlo-esposito, popcorn-and-soda2, pseudo-cgi-animation, spectacle1
Miss Hokusai
- Commentary: There are so many reasons why I could have missed this film, not the least of which is that I was unfamiliar with the manga series. Suffice it to say, I am ever grateful to the movie gods that I didn't. This evocative film is right up my alley. The animation, as well, is stunning. It roils underneath while observing a startling surface propriety. Just a gem.
Here's a second review that I found interesting, as well.
Update 6/2/2022: This post was originally published on 2/5/2018 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role O-Ei Erica Lindbeck Katsushika Hokusai Richard Epcar Ikeda Zenjiro Ezra Weisz Utagawa Kuninao Robbie Daymond Koto Barbara Goodson O-Nao Courtney Chu Iwakubo Hatsugoro Marc Diraison Kichiya Kevin T. Collins
The Wikipedia write-up for this film (and manga series) is here.
Release Date: 2015
Directed by Keiichi Hara.
Labels: animated, drama5, father-daughter-dynamics, film-art1, haunting1, historical2, period2, spiritual1, women's-movie1
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
The Blue Planet
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: none
- Commentary: This is another excellent series produced by the same people who brought us Planet Earth. I have a preference for nature shows that explore water environments and this one stacks up very well. Unlike March of the Penguins, it lives up to its hype, even if you're a regular watcher of the variety of channels that frequently host animal and geographical specials. While I have tended, over the years, to become a bit jaded in the company of Animal-Vegetable-Mineral programs, seeing as how we view so many of them, this one, like Planet Earth, engages me, every episode, every time, and, because of my sub- and unconscious veering toward water videos, adds an extra "dreamy" dimension for me.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2001
Alistair Fothergill is listed as a director for one episode. No other directors are listed.
Labels: documentary1, dream1, film-art1, political3, science, shared-favorite, TV1
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Malcolm X
- Commentary: I initially saw this years ago, and it has haunted me, since, as an innovative biography as well as its depiction of the man. Yet another serendipitous going-out-of-business find.
This is another one of those movies where several people working for and contributing to RogerEbert.com wrote articles pertaining to this movie. Just search it at the site.
Update 11/17/2021: This post was originally published August 14, 2016. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Denzel Washington Malcolm X Angela Bassett Betty Shabazz Albert Hall Baines Al Freeman Jr. Elijah Muhammad Delroy Lindo West Indian Archie Spike Lee Shorty Theresa Randle Laura Kate Vernon Sophia Ernest Lee Thomas Sidney, Fruit of Islam Christopher Plummer Chaplain Gill Lonette McKee Louise Little Tommy Hollis Earl Little Giancarlo Esposito Talmadge X Hayer Wendell Pierce Ben Thomas Leonard L. Thomas Leon Davis Leland Gantt Wilber McKinley Veronica Webb Sister Lucille Rosary Jean-Claude La Marre Benjamin 2X Debi Mazar Peg Peter Boyle NYPD Cpt. Green
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1992
Directed by Spike Lee.
Labels: biography1, christopher-plummer, debi-mazar, delroy-lindo, denzel-washington, drama6, film-art1, giancarlo-esposito, haunting1, period2, political2, spike-lee
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Birdman
- Commentary: A sophisticated movie about a completely unsophisticated man in a completely unsophisticated predicament. I watched the movie with enjoyment the first time, without any inkling that I might want to own it. Then came the surprising, delightful ending and I watched it again, immediately. I knew I'd be adding it to my collection. And, dear reader, I did.
By the way, two writers at RogerEbert.com chose to weigh in on this movie. The first, linked to the title of this post, weighed in after the movie's success at Telluride. The second review was written about a month and a half later, once the movie had saturated American theater screens.
Update 11/17/2021: This post was originally published February August 14, 2016. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Michael Keaton Riggan Thomson Benjamin Kanes Young Riggan/Birdman Zach Galifianakis Jake Edward Norton Mike Shine Andrea Riseborough Laura Alburn Amy Ryan Sylvia Thomson Emma Stone Sam Thomson Naomi Watts Lesley Truman Lindsay Duncan Tabitha Dickinson Merritt Wever Annie Jeremy Shamos Ralph Bill Camp Crazy Man
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2014
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Labels: dramedy1, edward-norton, film-art1, satire1, spiritual1, super-hero2
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
The Attack
- Commentary: Curiously, the Wikipedia page for this movie is a sad affair. It contains not even a plot summary, just a list of the cast, some links to other films by Ziad Doueiri and a list of "External Links" to critical sites that write about this movie. In fact, there is more written about this film in the Wikipedia write-up for Zaid Doueiri, the director, than there is in Wikipedia's write-up about the movie.
I do not remember when I first saw this movie, or how. It was certainly between 2012 and now, probably on a streaming service, definitely at no charge. It seems to me that it may have been within the last five years. I also have a vague recollection of watching it at least twice, perhaps more.
This is a haunting movie that I should have included in my list of Movies I've Seen, Do Not Own but Can't Forget, as I think about it often. This movie lays out a peculiar story about a Palestinian-Islamic physician practicing in Israel whose Palestinian Orthodox Catholic wife is killed in a terrorist bombing. The physician discovers something about his wife's death that horrifies and befuddles him. The bulk of the movie documents his journey to understand her and Israel's and Palestine's roles in her death.
There are no simple answers in this movie, for either the physician or the audience. It will keep you ruminating about The Human Condition long after you've completed watching the movie. In this sense, it is a priviledge for every member of the audience to be invited along on this physician's journey to discover the truth about his wife's life and death, and more. The number of labels I've appended to this film should be an indication of its overwhelming impact.
Finally, if you are in doubt about the impact this film may have on you, read this eloquent review by someone unknown to me who was also gob-smacked by this film.
Warning: This is not a popcorn-and-soda movie. Prepare to be moved, not entertained.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Ali Suliman Amin Jaafari Reymond Amsalem Siham Jaafari Evgenia Dodina Kim Dvir Benedek Raveed Uri Gavriel Captain Moshe Ruba Salameh Faten Karim Saleh Adel Nisrin Siksik Leila Bassem Lulu Yasser Ezra Dagan Ezra Benhaim Ramzi Maqdisi Priest Arieh Worthalter The Man
Release Date: 2012
Directed by Ziad Doueiri.
Labels: drama1, film-art1, haunting1, me-favorite1, mystery1, political1, psychological1, reflective, spiritual1, tragedy1, violence1
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments - 1923 Silent Film
- Commentary: Under Construction.
Although this is an old, silent movie, it's an unusually interesting presentation of The Ten Commandments. DeMille intertwines the Exodus story with a modern (1923 modern, that is) tale of two brothers, one of whom follows the "law", the other of whom doesn't. Although, as you might expect, life turns sour for the second brother, and, of course, everyone in the movie is affected by his rankled life and death, salvation reigns for those the tawdry brother has mired in his muck. From my perspective, this movie is more about Christian Salvation, rather than following divine law, which is what turns this movie into a surprise; muddled, yes, but still a surprise. It's very interesting, even though sometimes confusing, to watch and ponder. It's revelatory, as well, to realize that DeMille was not satisfied with this version of the Exodus story, thus, he reprised it in 1956 and left out any kind of modern take on divine law. Frankly, I would have liked to have seen a more well thought out version of this 1923 intertwined story. This movie, though, is quite provocative, nonetheless. Definitely worth more than one watch. As a homage to this extraordinary rendition of the Exodus story, I'm including many credits in the Actor/Role Table, below.
Update: 6/7/2022: As of this date my collection now includes four versions of the Exodus story: The Ten Commandments 1923, The Ten Commandments 1956, Moses 1995 and Exodus: Gods and Kings. Splitting the difference, care to wager on how long it will be until we see another Exodus epic? My money's on 31 years.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Theodore Roberts Moses Charles De Roche Rameses Estelle Taylor Miriam Julia Faye Pharoah's Wife Terrence/Pat Moore Son of Pharoah James Neill Aaron Lawson Butt Dathan Clarence Burton The Taskmaster Noble Johnson The Bronze Man Edythe Chapman Mrs. Martha McTavish Richard Dix John McTavish Rod La Rocque Dan McTavish Leatrice Joy Mary Leigh Nita Naldi Sally Lung Robert Edeson Inspector Redding Charles Ogle The Doctor Agnes Ayres The Outcast Wilson Benge Butler Louise Emmons Elderly Israelite Roscoe Karns Dan's Pal & Associate
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1923
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille.
Labels: §1, bible-movies1, drama2, film-art1, moses, silent
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Joker
- Commentary: Yes, yes, yes! Spectacular film!
Truth is, I'm not heavy into super-hero-comic-book movies, but there are a few I favor, and when I favor them, I really favor them. I'd seen trailers of this movie and my curiosity had been piqued, but, with 100 holds on the movie at the library the day it was released, and a pretty-penny-purchase-price, I knew it would be awhile before I even saw it, let alone considered owning it. My Florida Sister, though, had seen the same trailers, been similarly intrigued, and, instead of buying the movie for herself, she pleaded her work schedule, which wouldn't allow her to see it for awhile, and sent the movie to me!
Yes, it's dark as fuck. Yes, it's not only an origin story that adds to the plausibility of The Dark Knight (which I immediately rewatched after viewing Joker for the first time; yes, Virginia, I finally did watch the entire The Dark Knight movie, thoroughly enjoyed it and have watched it twice since the first viewing just to revel in Heath Ledger's performance), the pleasure of watching Joaquin Phoenix's performance was sooo satisfying. The man, literally, danced through the story, sometimes explicitly, always implicitly. I've since read reviews of the movie and they are maniacally mixed (except for reviews of Phoenix's performance). While there were many accolades, some considered the story unforgivably incendiary. Some considered it scattershot, too obvious, and/or boring. Almost no one acknowledged the obvious connection between Gotham's Joker by Heath Ledger and Joker by Joaquin Phoenix.
Speaking of critical constroversy, although Roger Ebert didn't live long enough to see this movie, reviewers on the site wrote not less than four pieces about the film. The initial review granted it only two stars, but, then, a second, then a third, then a fourth piece followed. Extraordinary.
Although I am a thoughtful fan of super-hero/super-villain movies, don't own many and have seen only the few I own, I have to say, this movie renders the madness of Joker and the madness of Gotham so immediate and real that it makes me wonder, how many Jokers are out there, around the corner, in our confusion of Gothams, just waiting for an accidented (yes, Virginia, accidented) chassis to place them on the world stage?
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Joaquin Phoenix Arthur Fleck/Joker Robert De Niro Murray Franklin Zazie Beetz Sopie Dumond Frances Conroy Penny Fleck Brett Cullen Thomas Wayne Carrie Louise Putrello Martha Wayne Douglas Hodge Alfred Pennyworth Dante Pereira-Olson Bruce Wayne/Batman
For the curious, here's the Wikipedia write-up for this film. Not surprisingly, considering the controversy that erupted around the film, it is a much extended piece, including the usually threadbare Critical Response section.
Release Date: 2019
Directed by Todd Phillips
Labels: action2, adventure2, cgi-animation, coming-of-age1, dance, drama2, fantasy1, film-art1, horror1, joaquin-phoenix, political1, robert-de-niro, satire1, super-hero1, violence1
Tuesday, November 05, 2019
Tokyo Story
- Commentary: This movie is the Japanese version of Make Way for Tomorrow. Literally. Ozu admitted, at one time, that he was influenced by Make Way for Tomorrow to create this movie. This is also my favorite Ozu film, if I can be said to have a favorite. I also love Ikiru, although I don't own it (yet), and, of course, I do own An Autumn Afternoon, which I also love. Ozu had a way with the subject of aging. Tokyo Story is never maudlin, never particularly editorial (although, of course, fiercely editorial in the choice of subject matter). Tokyo Story is also not pointedly about aging, but, rather, about inter-generational conflict when aging is involved. And yet, despite its trajectory, it does not strike me as tragic. Perhaps that's because I was my mother's enthusiastic companion through her last almost two decades and subtly nurtured her amazing belief that she was going to live forever in the flesh. She, by the way, informed me that I would also live forever in the flesh, a prophecy that I happily embraced. Are you kidding? The two of us living, together, forever? Oh, my what adventures we'd have (to misquote Dr. Seuss)!
Roger Ebert was so impressed with the movie that he wrote two reviews of it: the second, a "Great Movies" review, linked to the title of this post and the first, his review after the first time he saw it, which is linked a bit further down in this post. They are somewhat similar, but I think any readers will get a kick out of comparing the two.
In addition, the cinematography and the choices made in regard to connecting scenes are intuitively brilliant, from my perspective. The mood is preserved, throughout, by these delicate, connecting links in the chain of the story.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Chishū Ryū Shūkichi Hirayama Chieko Higashiyama Tami Hirayama Setsuko Hara Noriko Hirayama Haruko Sugimura Shige Kaneko So Yamamura Kōichi Hirayama Kuniko Miyake Fumiko Hirayama Kyōko Kagawa Kyōko Hirayama Eijirō Tōno Sanpei Numata Nobuo Nakamura Kurazō Kaneko Shirō Ōsaka Keizō Hirayama Hisao Toake Osamu Hattori Teruko Nagaoka Yone Hattori
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1953
Directed by Yasujirō Ozu.
Labels: §1, aging, chishū-ryū, Criterion1, drama2, film-art1, psychological1, spiritual1, yasujirō-ozu
Monty Python's Life of Brian
- Commentary: O.K. Look. Considering how Christianity has had an extraordinary impact on several branches of my family (one of my great grandfathers and one of my great uncles were Methodist preachers, the first of whom was a fire-and-brimstone circuit rider), I could not not own this movie, eventually. Yes, I have reverence for spirituality, but I have none for the institution of Christianity. I don't even agree with everything Jesus was purported to have said. So, this movie is a vigorous, always laughter-provoking, head nod for me.
Would my mother have enjoyed it (she never saw it), being a woman of faith? Yes, I think so. One of my sisters once pronounced her a "pure spirit". I agree with that assessment. The solemnity of her faith, though, was liberally mixed with realism and a questioning attitude. She was not averse to bringing Jesus to task. Maybe she's who taught me how to lean into irreverence.
Once again, Roger Ebert wrote two reviews of this movie: the first in 1979, linked to this post title, the second on its re-release in 2004.
By the way, all members of Monty Python and a few other actors played multiple roles in this movie. I'm listing only one per member.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Graham Chapman Brian Cohen John Cleese High Priest Terry Gilliam Mount Sermon attendee Eric Idle Mr Cheeky Terry Jones Mandy Cohen Michael Palin Mr. Big Nose Terence Bayler Mr. Gregory Carol Cleveland Mrs. Gregory Charles McKeown False Prophet Kenneth Colley Jesus Sue Jones-Davies Judas Iscariot John Young Matthius
Just in case, here's the Wikipedia link to this movie.
Release Date: 1979 & 2004
Directed by Terry Jones.
Labels: bible-movies1, comedy1, dramedy1, fantasy1, film-art1, jesus-dvds, me-favorite1, religion1, satire1
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
An American in Paris
- Commentary: Why did I come by this one? Hmmm ... one day about a month ago I decided to check out La La Land from the library. Mind you, other than it being a musical that was heralded and had won lots of awards, and who starred in it, I knew nothing about it. Hadn't read anything on it, laudatory, critical or otherwise. I happened to mention to my niece, the actor with whom I share a love of films, that I'd borrowed it for a line-up of movie watching. She confessed to me that it was her favorite film and asked to know my reactions once I'd watched it. I trust her tastes and instincts so I was ready to love the film. As well, I knew it was written and directed by the same guy who is responsible for Whiplash, a movie I loved, so I was excited to see it. Still and all, it took me a couple more weeks to get around to watching it. By that time, my anticipation level was through the roof. I should have remembered my experience with Mary Poppins decades ago. Oh well.
Certainly, I enjoyed watching La La Land, but my anticipation was not satisfied. I did, however, notice significant correlations with Singin' in the Rain, which I own, and An American in Paris, which, at the time, I didn't own. I decided I wanted to do a comparison of La La Land with both. I borrowed An American in Paris from the library, watched it and was reminded of how intriguing and masterful that film is. That's when I looked it up, found a reasonably priced copy and decided to buy it. Although I've noticed, since buying and watching it (twice, and once for all the special features, which are very interesting), that Singin' in the Rain is celebrated more than An American in Paris, well, let's just say, An American in Paris is such a treat I'm surprised we never bought it when Mom was alive.
Since watching it, I've become curious about musicals as a form in themselves, and have been working my way back through my own meager collection and checking even more out of the library. Considering what I own, this is a worthy addition.
In case you're curious, here's what my initial verdict on La La Land was to my niece:I just finished my first viewing of "La La Land". I say that because I'm convinced I'll have to watch it again, probably tomorrow, while it's fresh in my mind. That's because I'm, well, ambivalent.
Frankly, I prefer An American in Paris, Singin' in the Rain and, dare I say it, all the other musicals I own, over La La Land. But, it was the watching of La La Land that has launched me on a serious consideration of musicals (I've made a list of several I'm planning on borrowing within the next months) and the ownership of yet another, this one. For that, I'm grateful.
I was prepared to love it because it was written and directed by the same guy who wrote and directed "Whiplash", which I absolutely loved. When I learned that he is responsible for "La La Land", without knowing anything about the movie (including before I watched it this evening) [I know, hard to believe but I didn't look it up anywhere before I watched it and didn't run across any material about it prior, even though it was such a smash], except that it is a musical, I figured the movie must have a really interesting take on Hollywood musicals because, well, holy shit, this guy did "Whiplash"! So, I was shocked to discover how wrong I was. That realization is taking some getting used to. It is obvious, though, that the writer/director has serious chops, being able to do "Whiplash", then turn around and do "La La Land".
Right off the bat, here are some things I loved about the movie. Ryan Gosling, for one, but, I love him in anything. He could play a mushroom and I'd love him. "The Fools Who Dream" song, for another; that whole sequence, in fact. Sounds like my theme song! Sounds like I'm Mia's aunt, except for the whole Paris thing. Even better, though, I'm your aunt, and Emma Stone is merely a stand-in for you in that movie! I'll just go to Paris, and invite you!
The movie is clearly a revival of the old-time Hollywood musical. I easily recognized many parts of "An American in Paris" (which I saw with Mom too many times to recall, on TCM; it was a regular, so we never needed to own it) and just about every Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire movie in existence (all of which I saw more than once with Mom on TCM). The brilliant color is taken right out of just about every musical Gene Kelly ever made. Sadly, neither Emma Stone nor Ryan Gosling are very good singers or dancers. [Frankly, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were only passable actors, but Ginger Rogers was good; even more so, Leslie Caron.] That was mildly disturbing. But, I think I can forgive them that, since both are, clearly, well developed and flexible actors. It would have been nice, though, if great actors who were also stellar singers and dancers had been given the parts. Hollywood should spend more time checking out stage musical actors. I'm not sure why such people weren't sought out for roles like this. I really like those old musicals, too, so I was ready to be wowed by this reinterpretation ... but I wasn't. I loved how Chazelle worked in the day-dream sequences, how he introduced them, what he did with them. The final one when Mia and her husband were watching Sebastian in his club was lovely. That's right out of "An American in Paris", including the use of the road. He must have a thing for that movie. In fact, I'm surprised he didn't attempt to resurrect Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. To be fair, there was stuff from "Singin' in the Rain", too, specifically Gene Kelly's work. And, the dancing on stars and clouds? Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire.
Initial impressions of the story: Sad, sometimes sober, sometimes delightfully silly, sweet, sweet, sweet. The music? Aside from the "The Fools Who Dream", which I loved, okay. Definitely enjoyable. The production was made for the big screen, rather than the home screen, I think. My TV screen sometimes had trouble with the spotlighting techniques used. It seemed to me that there were places where the movie story went flat, but it never stayed that way and I'm willing to concede, upon a second viewing, that it may have just been me.
One more tiny, tiny thing about the movie: The end disappointed me. I don't usually have problems with movies in which initial relationships wither and evolve into others, like the branches of a tree. For some reason, though, and I'll have to reconfirm this with a second watching, Chazelle did not prep his audience well for it in this movie. It was, frankly, an unpleasant denouement to see Mia with a throw-away husband and kid, even as she was a famous actor. And the suggestion that Sebastian was alone in his personal life. Yes, I know, I saw the two something-or-others he was frying up in the pan before going to his nightclub, but, where was his throw-away wife and kid? Better yet, there never was a really good explanation for why Mia and Sebastian weren't married to each other with a kidlet, and an international acting career, and a successful night club. Not good story construction. Chazelle needs to work on crafting realistic, believable and successful love relationships.
Update 11/18/21: By the way, each mention of the name of this movie in this write-up is linked to a different review (including the last link, which is the Wikipedia write-up). This is such a famous movie and so many people are familiar with it, I thought it would be fun to scatter the availability of internet reviews throughout this write-up. I know, my sense of fun doesn't have much to recommend it, but it's mine and I enjoy it.
Update 6/4/22: Yet another movie made during the year I was born!
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Gene Kelly Jerry Mulligan Leslie Caron Lise Bouvier Oscar Levant Adam Cook Georges Guétary Henri Baurel Nina Foch Milo Roberts Eugene Borden Georges Mattieu John Eldredge Jack Jansen Anna Q. Nilsson Kay Jansen
An American in Paris [Wikipedia write-up attached] is breathtaking. I'm glad I own it.
Release Date: 1951
Directed by Vincente Minnelli.
Labels: birth-year, dance, dream1, fantasy1, film-art1, mom-favorite1, musical1, popcorn-and-soda2, romance1, spectacle1
Tuesday, March 06, 2018
The Birds
- Commentary: Ah! My second chance to use the "horror" label in my catalogue of films!
I came by a circuitous route to owning this film. I did see this movie in the theater when it was initially released. I was 12. I watched the movie at an outdoor theater on Guam, which certainly added to the ambience of the film. I followed the movie with a reading of the short story, which was anti-climactic. Hitchcock used Daphne du Maurier's story as a springboard. However, the film had a huge impact on me. I think it may have been the first bleak film I'd seen. It left me so hungry for an upbeat ending that I spent days after my viewing rearranging my thinking about stories, films and life. Mind you, I was not unused to bleakness in literature. By the time I'd seen this movie I'd already read, and reveled in, Of Mice and Men, Two Years Before the Mast and Moby Dick, as well as a few other bleak classics. No, I never saw filmed versions of those. But, then, The Birds is in an entirely different class of film adaptation for me. It ushered me into an appreciation of the bleak film genre.
One of the treats of this particular press of this movie is all the extras. I haven't gone through all the supplemental material but what I've seen has increased my enjoyment of the movie at least a few-fold. This, however, isn't the reason I purchased the movie. A few months ago I read Camille Paglia's latest book and began catching myself up on interviews with her posted on YouTube. I'd read (and often been provoked by) almost everything she's written and love listening to her; it's like listening to an intelligent machine gun. Anyway, I thought I knew her book literature inside out. In addition, I was an original subscriber to Salon magazine in the old days when it was a startlingly good site and included the forum "The Well". Camille Paglia was an original contributor and I enjoyed her column. It came as a surprise to me, though, that she'd written a book about the movie The Birds. I searched it out. Reading it was a bit of a disappointment, but it heightened my interest in the movie, scenes from which had lodged in my memory long ago, especially since the reviewer of Paglia's book about the movie, in the previous link, included derisive pronouncement on the movie, itself, in contrast to how much it's been lauded over the years since its initial release. So, I checked the movie out of the library.
My memory of the movie had not failed me. There was good reason for it to have branded itself into my memory. I have very few Hitchcock movies in my collection. His movies are only occasionally of interest to me. Psycho, for instance, to me was, to quote out of context Myles Weber, the reviewer who wrote the above mentioned review of Paglia's book on The Birds [link to the Wikipedia write-up of this movie], a "dud"; I've never been interested enough in the film to figure out why it struck me that way. I knew, though, after checking out The Birds, I wanted to add it to my collection. I've watched it once since it arrived. I'll be watching it again.
The review for this specific movie, by the way, can be found in the page linked to the title of this post about halfway down DVD Savant's page. He reviewed all the movies found in "Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection", so you'll need to scroll through other material before reaching the review for this movie.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Rod Taylor Mitch Brenner Tippi Hedren Melanie Daniels Jessica Tandy Lydia Brenner Veronica Cartwright Cathy Brenner Suzanne Pleshette Annie Hayworth Ethel Griffies Ornithologist Mrs. Bundy Charles McGraw Sebastian Sholes Lonny Chapman Deke Carter Elizabeth Wilson Helen Carter Ruth McDevitt Mrs. MacGruder Malcolm Atterbury Deputy Al Malone Richard Deacon Mitch's S.F. Neighbor
Release Date: 1963
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Labels: alfred-hitchcock, animal, drama4, fantasy1, film-art1, folk-horror, science-fiction1, suspense1, violence2
The Rapture
- Commentary: I know, I know, what am I doing with this movie, relatively unknown, certainly a peculiar take on Christianity's final judgment doctrine, in my collection? Let me explain. I saw this movie when I was living in Seattle, when it premiered in the theater. I decided to see it after reading Roger Ebert's remarkable review of the movie, linked to the title of this post.
No, I am not a believer, for all practical purposes I've never been, but I lived, in my teenage years, with a relative who became a rabid Christian fundamentalist and spent quite a bit of her time at home (which was, in those days, less time than she spent at church functions) trying to convert the rest of the family (which she never accomplished; an unusual defeat considering that the usually successful tactic of the church with which she was associated was to snatch the teens and badger them to convert their families). I was particularly affected, to the point of studying scripture, despite my lack of faith, and presenting her with an essay about how, if her beliefs were true, I was willing to be eternally damned. Some years later this relative renounced her belief, with her husband, whom she met in the church, and became a staunch atheist and Unitarian Universalist. I've remained an agnostic atheist with a fascination for religious rabidity and the media it inspires. This is my favorite movie of that genre. Notice all the labels I've attached to it. It affects me on several levels, of which I am reminded at least once a year since I obtained it.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Mimi Rogers Sharon David Duchovny Randy Kimberly Cullum Mary Darwyn Carson Maggie Patrick Bauchau Vic James LeGros Tommy Will Patton Deputy Foster Sam Vlahos Wayne
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1991
Directed by Michael Tolkin.
Labels: adventure1, apocalyptic, bible-movies1, drama4, dream1, fantasy1, film-art1, haunting1, jesus-dvds, me-favorite1, neo-noirB, prophecy, spiritual1, suspense1
Sunday, August 14, 2016
The Designated Mourner
- Commentary: This movie is difficult for me to write about. I bought it, unseen, for a few reasons: it was written by Wallace Shawn, who also wrote an all time favorite of mine, My Dinner with Andre. The title and the idea behind it have intrigued me for years. A year or so before I bought this movie I was writing a collection of poetry that I intended to title The Designated Mourner. Anyway, the movie is actually a subterranean take on the title. It's part prophetic, part mournful, part explanatory, part exploratory, all interior. I was very surprised and completely overtaken by it. The more I watch it, the more it edges into one of my all time favorites. It's a difficult movie, though, one I would never push on anyone, or probably even suggest, except under very certain, highly idiosyncratic circumstances.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Mike Nichols Jack Miranda Richardson Judy David de Keyser Howard
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1997
Directed by David Hare.
Labels: drama5, fantasy2, film-art1, haunting1, play-adaptation, political2, prophecy, tragedy1
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Yes
- Who's watched: Watched and bought this movie AMD
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: Finally, one more AMD movie that isn't fluffy, not even close! I stumbled across this movie by chance when I was browsing Netflix. It sounded interesting. I fell in love with it as I began watching it and became even more intrigued when I realized that the entire script was written in poetry. It is so skillfully written, directed and acted that I can imagine lots of people watching this movie and never realizing it is poetic. It's modern day Shakespeare. The story was also mesmerizing, especially it's peculiar overview of romantic relationships, sly and ironic, erotic in an offhanded way, which makes it hard to call this movie a romance, although I'll include that label on this review. I was so enthralled that when I bought the movie I also bought the script and, as well, had a copy of this movie sent to one of my sisters who I just knew would find it as intriguing as I did. I also excerpted one of the monologues from the movie, over-narrated by a character who is in a nursing home, pretty much comatose and immediately dying, to read at my grief support group because it confirmed something I rather suspected from having attended my own mother's death; that the dying (and the dead) don't necessarily want their survivors not to grieve for them.
I linked the title of this post to the movie's site (which, astonishingly is still up. However, I noticed that Roger Ebert was particularly impressed by this movie. You might want to read his review. He also interviewed Sally Potter and Joan Allen about their involvement in the movie. Even Chaz wrote a blog post about Ebert's admiration for the film. Why he did not christen this movie as one of his "Great Movies", I'll never understand, especially considering the glowing review he gave it.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Joan Allen She Simon Abkarian He Sam Neill Anthony Shirley Henderson Cleaner Wil Johnson Virgil Gary Lewis Billy Raymond Waring Whizzer Stephanie Leonidas Kate
Although the website linked to the title of this post is actually interesting, it's a bit daunting to get into and figure out, so, just in case here's the film's Wikipedia page.
Release Date: 2004
Directed by Sally Potter.
Labels: drama6, erotic, female-director3, film-art1, haunting1, joan-allen, me-favorite2, romance1, spiritual1
Across the Universe
- Who's watched: Watched and bought this movie AMD
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: Although this movie was released before Mom's death, I didn't watch it until after she died, when it became available for rental. On first watching I determined that I wasn't particularly interested in owning it, even though it was entertaining. I wasn't impressed by the story. I did, however, find myself keeping the movie for several days and re-viewing the music segments, some of which I found captivating, and playing it in the background because I found that the reproductions of the songs by various artists added flavor to the compositions. I still resisted owning it, though, until I stumbled across a severely marked down copy. I don't find it an adequate substitute for The Beatles, but it's an interesting and informative adjunct.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Evan Rachel Wood Lucy Jim Sturgess Jude Joe Anderson Max Dana Fuchs Sadie Lynn Cohen Grandmother Karrigan Dylan Baker Mr. Carrigan Carol Woods Gospel Singer Harry Lennix army sergeant James Urbaniak Manager Bill Bono Dr. Robert Eddie Izzard Mr. Kite Salma Hayek Bang Bang Shoot Shoot Nurses
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up for this film.
Release Date: 2007
Directed by Julie Taymor.
Labels: animated, audio-visual, drama6, dylan-baker, fantasy2, female-director1, film-art1, musical1, period3, romance1, spectacle1
Friday, April 10, 2009
Singin' in the Rain
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1*
- Commentary: I don't care why critics think it's a great movie...I just love it. Every single moment of it; especially the dancing and singing in the rain and the dance sequences with Reynolds, Kelly and O'Connor. LOVE watching O'Connor and Kelly together. They both looked like they just "[Had]'ta Dance"! Mom loved this movie, too. The only reason we didn't own it before last year is that it showed on TCM so much that it seemed as though we didn't need to own it...until I ran across a copy of it on the cheap and decided it was time. Also, I consider this movie film art because of the way dance was translated to the screen.
Roger Ebert, by the way, wrote twice about this movie, once in 1998 (the review linked to the title of this post) and again in 1999, for his "Great Movies" collection of reviews.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Gene Kelly Donald Lockwood Debbie Reynolds Donald O'Connor Cosmo Brown Katy Selden Jean Hagen Lina Lamont Millard Mitchell R.F. Simpson Cyd Charisse Dancer Douglas Fowley Roscoe Dexter Rita Moreno Zelda Zanders
If you still feel the need for the Wikipedia article on this movie, it's here.
Release Date: 1952
Directed by Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen.
Labels: comedy1, dance, debbie-reynolds, film-art1, musical1, popcorn-and-soda3, romance2, shared-favorite
