Thursday, November 23, 2023
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
- Commentary: Under construction.
This is another of Great Movies, for which he wrote a second review in 1999 posted at the immediately previous link.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Warren Beatty John McCabe Julie Christie Constance Miller René Auberjonois Patrick Sheehan William Devane Clement Samuels John Schuck Smalley Corey Fischer Mr. Elliot Shelley Duvall Ida Coyle Bert Remsen Bart Coyle Keith Carradine Cowboy Michael Murphy Eugene Sears Antony Holland Ernest Hollander Hugh Millais Butler
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1971
Directed by Robert Altman.
Labels: Criterion7, revisionist-western, robert-altman, william-devane
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Short Cuts
- Commentary: I saw this movie a long time ago, shortly after I became my mother's companion, during the period when she and I pursued our separate lives (mine included work, at that time) and lived together for her emotional comfort and to my enjoyment (my mother and I have been friends since I was a young adult). I didn't see it when it was first released, but a few years later at an art house theater. My memory of it is fuzzy, but my memory of my reaction to it has been very clear ever since that viewing. I think of it as a kind of Dazed and Confused for the "more mature" set. Since I began to investigate my mother's collection of movies on DVD, I've sporadically tried to hunt it down, not knowing if it had even been burnt to disc. Suddenly, today, as it turns out, I watched this video by Daisuke Beppu and, low an behold, there was my movie! Not only that, but he talked about not only the most recent release, but the old one with a booklet of Raymond Chandler's short stories, the edition for which I've been searching all these years!
Criterion no longer carries their original release of this film (with the booklet). The last place I considered looking was Amazon, but when I ran a search through my favored search engine, that's where it turned up! It's winging it's way to me, as I write, and should arrive a week from tomorrow. Its page indicates that the movie, itself, is "new", which I didn't expect at all, so I'm very excited!
I have to admit, it's more expensive than the movies I usually buy, but not for a Criterion movie (which I only buy during sales at reduced prices from other places besides Criterion) but, frankly, I consider its price a bargain, considering everything. It is still cheaper than your average, off-sale price of a Criterion movie sold at the Criterion website.
It's done in what has become known as Robert Altman's style (like Nashville, which I own and love and watch semi-regularly). As is true of a typical Robert Altman work, it features loads of actors, famous, not-so-famous and infamous, and sets each of them in situations which play to their acting strengths. There is an overall "theme", but not like Nashville.
It's been a long, long time since I've seen it, so watching it will be akin to my memory surprising me over and over. I'll be back, later, to catalog my reaction to seeing it again.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Andie MacDowell Ann Finnigan Bruce Davison Howard Finnigan Julianne Moore Marian Wyman Matthew Modine Dr. Ralph Wyman Anne Archer Claire Kane Fred Ward Stuart Kane Jennifer Jason Leigh Lois Kaiser Chris Penn Jerry Kaiser Lili Taylor Honey Piggot Bush Robert Downey Jr. Bill Bush Madeleine Stowe Sherri Shepard Tim Robbins Gene Shepard Lily Tomlin Doreen Piggot Tom Waits Earl Piggot Frances McDormand Betty Weathers Peter Gallagher Stormy Weathers Annie Ross Tess Trainer Lori Singer Zoe Trainer Jack Lemmon Paul Finnigan Lyle Lovett Andy Bitkower Buck Henry Gordon Johnson Huey Lewis Vern Miller Charles Rocket Wally Littleton Michael Beach Jim Stone
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1993
Directed by Robert Altman.
Labels: §5, Criterion4, dramedy3, jennifer-jason-leigh, julianne-moore, matthew-modine, robert-altman, robert-downey-jr, tim-robbins
Monday, November 04, 2019
Nashville
- Commentary: Owning this movie is a long time coming for me. I've just reviewed a list of Altman's motion pictures (vs. his "short industrial films", etc., of which there are many) and discovered that I've seen almost all of his films but do not universally love his work, although I admire and am grateful for the entire body of his motion picture work. He tried everything, tried to tackle everything, sometimes succeeded, sometimes, well, didn't, but what he finally committed to film stock was (and is) always interesting.
I think this film, Nashville, is his greatest work. It is observant, reflective, entirely non-judgmental from the perspective of the film maker while allowing his characters and their stories to make their own judgments. Mind you, I am not a classic Country Music fan. There have been many episodes in my life when I have, literally, cringed when listening to a radio station and hearing the first few wails of a slide guitar. But, this movie isn't about country music. It's about the United States. Using the offhand medium of Country Music concerts, Altman captured the ambivalence of the United States' dual in-your-face, get-off-my-property character. The movie is gorgeous. On all levels. I never get tired of watching it; which is why, when I discovered I had a chance to own it, I jumped on it.
In addition, Roger Ebert wrote a second review for Nashville when he christened it one of his "Great Movies" twenty five years after his first review.
I'm inaugurating a new label with this movie: reflective. Likely, that category fits a few other movies, here. I will, eventually, get around to attaching it to the appropriate films. In the meantime, when I'm done, here, entering my new acquisitions, I think I'll settle into a viewing of this movie. Again.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role David Arkin Norman Barbara Baxley Lady Pearl Ned Beatty Delbert Reese Karen Black Connie White Ronee Blakley Barbara Jean Timothy Brown Tommy Brown Keith Carradine Tom Frank Geraldine Chaplin Opal Shelley Duvall Martha Henry Gibson Haven Hamilton Jeff Goldblum Tricycle Man Scott Glenn Pfc. Glenn Kelly Michael Murphy John Triplette Lily Tomlin Linnea Reese Keenan Wynn Mr. Green Thomas Hal Phillips Hal Phillip Walker (voice)
Release Date: 1975
Directed by Robert Altman.
Labels: comedy1, Criterion1, drama3, musical1, ned-beatty, reflective, road-movie, robert-altman, satire1, tragedy1
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
M*A*S*H
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: I know, this is the movie, not the series, and Mom loves the series, too, but that's on TV so much we decided not to buy it. This, however, is not.
Because, when I came to live with her, she liked this series so much and had been in the military just previous to the Korean conflict, so she identified with a lot of the show detail, I challenged her, once, to see the original movie from which the show was adapted. We were both surprised how much she liked it. I remember that she was surprised at the words of the theme song, with which one does not become familiar if one watches only the television series.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Donald Sutherland Hawkeye Pierce Elliott Gould Trapper John Sally Kellerman Hot Lips Tom Skerritt Duke
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1970
Directed by Robert Altman.
Labels: donald-sutherland, period5, robert-altman, satire2, war2
