906. Breaking the Waves (1996)

Running Time: 159 minutes
Directed By: Lars von Trier
Written By: Lars von Trier, Peter Asmussen
Main Cast: Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgard, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Adrian Rawlins
Click here to view the trailer

FAITH

I've been waiting to watch "Breaking the Waves" for a long time now. While not always fully enjoying his films, I've always been semi fascinated by the films of Lars von Trier. They almost always offer something to marvel over, SOMETHING that's unique; unlike any other filmmaker. "Breaking the Waves" is no exception.

The film's star is Emily Watson who plays Bess, a mentally handicapped woman with a history of psychological problems and a childlike approach to the ways of the world. The film is split into seven chapters. In Chapter One Bess marries Jan (Skarsgard), a Swede who loves and cares for Bess very much. The wedding is held in a church with no bells and the guests have a good time; dancing and drinking. In Chapter Two we examine the married life of Bess and Jan, as they explore one another's bodies through the art of love making. Up until her marriage, Bess was a virgin and during one occasion, as she makes love to Jan, she looks to the heavens and audibly thanks God for the love he has given her. However, Jan works on an oil rig and must leave Bess for a while. Chapter Three examines the two as they cope with life without each other. Jan gets by okay. He misses Bess, but he can handle it. Bess, on the other hand, can't really seem to handle life without Jan and prays to God that he be delivered home. It is right after this that Jan is the victim of an accident on the rig and ends up in the hospital, paralyzed. Bess believes the injury to be her fault, since she prayed for Jan's immediate return. Chapter Four covers life with Jan's illness and his asking Bess to do him a favor. It seems that Jan can't cope with the idea of never being able to make love to Bess again, so he asks her to find a lover and then come back and describe to him all the details. He promises that it will be his way of making love to her and that it will keep him alive. Bess, in all her naivety, believes Jan and wants him to survive, so she obliges him. I'll stop there, so as not to give away too much.

SPOILER ALERT!

I think the first thing that really struck me about the film was the natural way in which it was shot. It was a film from the Dogme 95 movement, or at least it looked like one, without actually being one. The use of various popular songs, including a couple of Elton John tunes and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (a personal favorite of mine and a song that went REALLY well with this film), disqualifies it from truly being considered a Dogme 95 film, not to mention the use of a few computer enhancements. Otherwise, von Trier DID implement handheld cameras throughout the entire production and used only natural lighting to make a picture that felt very real and really hit you in your emotional core. That's not even mentioning the absolutely intense performances from everyone involved, but especially Emily Watson. The story totally worked for me too and unlike "Dancer in the Dark" (a sort of companion piece to "Breaking the Waves" with both being part of the Golden Heart trilogy) it wasn't a musical and didn't star Bjork - two for the plus column.

I will say though that there were a few things I didn't care for. For starters, the film was a bit on the long side and I think if it could have been contained just a little bit, it would've done wonders for the flow. As it was, it did lag just a little bit, in places. I'd always read that von Trier was an admitted atheist, yet here he seems to be questioning his own lack of faith, wondering if perhaps there is a God. However, what is von Trier really saying with this picture. The one in the film who really hinges all of her beliefs and decisions on God and spirituality is also the one who isn't all there mentally. There seems to be a smattering of religion vs. science elements too, or rather, faith vs. medicine. Also, the ending (with the bells) also doesn't come off as something directed by a full fledged atheist, but rather someone who doesn't believe but wants to. Or perhaps von Trier is just a movie maker and needed a happy ending and since it's only the movies, in his strict non belief, it was okay to "pretend". I don't know...

The film is one that can surely be put under a microscope, as themes, ideas and debates are siphoned out of the film and put up for discussion. I dug it for the story, the acting and the look/feel, but there was an essays worth of discussions in there that will surely rise to the surface upon further viewings. For now, lets just call it a win and a great time at the movies.

RATING: 8/10  I feel like I really rambled a lot there. Ah well. I really can't wait to see more von Trier, such as "Melancholia" and give "Antichrist" another look. For the curious, my all-time favorite von Trier picture was excluded from THE BOOK and that's "Dogville".

MOVIES WATCHED: 724
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 277

September 4, 2013  1:46am

727. Back to the Future (1985)

Running Time: 116 minutes
Directed By: Robert Zemeckis
Written By: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale
Main Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson
Click here to view the trailer

GREAT SCOTT!

Well, I told you all I needed to self induce a good movie and that meant a trip to my DVD shelf and the pulling off of "Back to the Future". I've been a fan of this entire trilogy since I saw it as a teenager and I knew this would be just the thing to get the motor running - not unlike a canister full of plutonium!

The film's plot is quite intricate and super clever, especially considering the film is straight out of Hollywood, meant for the whole family and the inspiration for a theme park ride at Disney World. Marty McFly (Fox) is a typical teenager: he's got a girlfriend, he's normally late for school, he digs playing the electric guitar and he's pretty coordinated on a skate board. His best friend is NOT a school chum, but rather Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd), a mad scientist, who, upon films opening, has successfully invented time travel through the use of a DeLorean DMC-12. On the night that Doc invents time travel, however, he is gunned down by a group of Libyan terrorists, who do so because he stole their plutonium (needed to fuel the time machine). In an attempt to get away from the Libyans, Marty inadvertently travels back to the year 1955, the same year his parents were his age. This is just the beginning as Marty's mother (who, of course, doesn't know him yet) falls in love with him. With his mother now infatuated by another man, Marty has to get his parents to fall in love or else risk erasing the existence of he and his sibling. Marty also tracks down Doc Brown, as he has no plutonium left to make the DeLorean run, therefore unable to return to 1985, unless the Doc can figure out an alternative means.

SPOILER ALERT!

While looking over this film, I saw a comment that said "If you didn't like this film, then you just must not be ready for it yet. But your kids are gonna love it!". I say, if you didn't like this film, no matter your age, I'm flabbergasted, as it has elements that can easily appeal to both young and old. I mean, the story alone is so intricate and so clever that I just don't see how anyone couldn't at least get a kick out of it, let alone adore it. You've got the initial half hour or so, which sets up a lot of what we'll hear more about later - the meeting story of George and Lorraine, Mayor Goldie Wilson, Biff and his bullying of George, Uncle Joey - jailbird, the whole thing with the clock tower, etc, etc - there's just tons of stuff crammed into that first thirty  minutes, that we get to see played on later and stuff that you don't even think about that ends up either being a big plot point or just a subtle "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" moment. The film is filled with little subtleties. For instance, the news report at the beginning with the reporting of stolen plutonium and then a quick shot of the plutonium under Doc's furniture. I just can't go on enough about how genius this movie is and it totally sweeps me away every time. Not only is it clever, but it's also SO FREAKING SUSPENSEFUL. I still question whether or not Doc Brown is going to get that plug plugged in before Marty reaches the trip wire, at the end of the film! That's the sign of a good "edge of your seat" moment; when you've seen something countless times and still wonder what's going to happen.

I'm not sure what the general consensus is on Michael J. Fox, but I thought he was great in this. If you read into the history of "Back to the Future" you'll see that originally Eric Stoltz was cast and there's even a picture in existence of Stoltz and Lloyd during the original time machine test. Later, Stoltz was dropped and Family Ties allowed Fox to join the production. I don't know about you, but I can't imagine this film with anyone other than Fox. Oh and don't forget about Christopher Lloyd (a personal favorite of mine since his days as "Iggy" on Taxi), Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson, probably one of my favorite villains in all of film. I don't know about you guys, but I kind of wish they'd included "Back to the Future" as a whole, like they did with "The Lord of the Rings". As it is, THE BOOK only includes Part One, however all three of the films are just as good as the first (in my opinion and a rarity considering sequels usually stink) and are all tied together by "to be continued" credits. Seriously though, if you've never seen this do yourself a favor and shoot it to the top of your Netflix queue like right now and look forward to two hours of a fantastically fun time at the movies!

RATING: 8.5/10  I can't go whole hog here, just because the film is just a little TOO Hollywood for my tastes. But who cares about ratings - this is a great movie and what I needed to get reinvested in forthcoming films.

MOVIES WATCHED: 723
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 278

September 3, 2013  11:42am

909. GABBEH (1996)

Running Time: 69 minutes
Directed By: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Written By: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Main Cast: Shaghayeh Djodat, Abbas Sayah, Hossein Moharami, Rogheih Moharami, Parvaneh Ghalandari
Click here to view the trailer

900th POST

Wow, 900 posts, yet only 720ish movies reviewed. That's a lot of recaps and general blabbing! Anyway, last night I took in "Gabbeh", which was short & sweet and thank God it was.

Gonna' be real honest here and tell you that there wasn't much resembling a plot going on here and mainly I think it was all supposed to be about the film's use of color, poetry and all that artsy-fartsy "bollocks". Hey, I don't mean to rip on art films, but can we at least TRY to put together a decent plot in the midst of all the "expressing oneself" stuff? Okay, I'm being hard on this one too soon and too much, as there is a plot. The plot revolves around a woman, Gabbeh (Djodat) wanting to marry a mysterious, howling man on horseback. However, the girl's father makes her wait until her uncle finds a wife first. So the family goes by foot, searches far and wife and finally finds the uncle a wife. It took a while because he had some particular taste preference, as he had a dream of a woman who sang like a canary, near a stream. So now that the uncle's married, the father makes the girl wait even longer, until her mother gives birth. I guess, basically, the father doesn't want the girl getting married and tries to prolong it as much as he can. Anyway, the girl visits what seems to be a futuristic version of herself, as an very elderly lady and tells herself this story. I'll just go ahead and quit while I'm ahead.

I hate to be stubborn and ignorant, but I just didn't get much out of this film and sometimes that's the best time to have a little fun with my reviews. I DID like the film's use of color, which was quite rich and vibrant. The women in their colorful robes, against the backdrop of the blue skies and basic nature. Very good looking stuff and that's why this film won't get a '1' or even a '2'. Otherwise, the BOOK is really grasping at straws when it labels this as a "must see". I just don't see anything about it that would compel me to tell someone they just have to see this movie. All I have to say is that Iranian cinema better thank it's lucky stars that Abbas Kiarostami came along and made some decent films, thus putting Iran and it's cinema industry on the map. For those playing the home game, this is actually the second Makhlmalbaf film I've reviewed, with the other one being "Kandahar", a better film, but also kinda forgetful and also not a "must see". If you're into rich colors, really good looking films and poetic pieces, then by all means, give this one a go and I hope you enjoy it. Otherwise, steer clear.

RATING: 3.5/10  I can't go any higher than that and even that's squeezing every drop I can out of it. I'm in dire need of something really good. Seems I may need to self induce a good movie...

MOVIES WATCHED: 722
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 279

September 2, 2013  11:38pm

August 2013 Recap

You know the drill...

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die - As seen in August 2013
1) The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947 - Joseph L. Mankiewicz) 4/10
2) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948 - John Huston) 7/10 - Still trying to wrap my head around the idea of liking a Bogart picture. This was quality stuff!
3) Orpheus (1950 - Jean Cocteau) 5.5/10 - Again, I think this one is due a rewatch someday, but for now call it just better than average.
4) Rashomon (1950 - Akira Kurosawa) 6/10 - Another one that I'm sure gets better with each viewing. Unfortunately, this is only the second time I'd seen it and thus, not as impressed as others.
5) Open Your Eyes (1997 - Alejandro Amenabar) 7.5/10
6) The Sweet Hereafter (1997 - Atom Egoyan) 6.5/10 - Holm was awesome, the story was so-so, the rest was blah.
7) Happy Together (1997 - Wong Kar-Wai) 10/10 - Still, easily the best thing I've seen this season.
8) The Butcher Boy (1997 - Neil Jordan) 5/10 - Just not special enough to be included among other, more "must see" films.
9) Princess Mononoke (1997 - Hayao Miyazaki) 3.5/10
10) Winchester '73 (1950 - Anthony Mann) 7.5/10 - Great stuff and I really can't wait to see the other Mann/Stewart westerns.
11) Rio Grande (1950 - John Ford) 1/10 
12) All About Eve (1950 - Joseph L. Mankiewicz) 7/10 - I still feel like there was just SOMETHING lacking here, but I can't put my finger on it. Sill very good.
13) Los Olvidados (1950 - Luis Bunuel) 4/10 - Later Bunuel is your friend, early Bunuel is not...in my opinion.
14) Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951 - Albert Lewin) 5/10 - Worth a look , I suppose, if only for the stunning Gardner and the spectacular Mason.
15) Independence Day (1996 - Roland Emmerich) 6/10 - As a commenter put it, it is great at doing what it was intended to do. However, a lot of it is drivel.
16) The English Patient (1996 - Anthony Minghella) 6/10 - A different kind of '6' than "Independence Day". Good, but overrated and not worthy of the awards bestowed upon it.

NON-1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die - As seen in August 2013
1) Vanilla Sky (2001 - Cameron Crowe) 7/10 - So one day after watching and reviewing "Open Your Eyes", I couldn't resist going to my DVD shelf and  plucking off "Vanilla Sky" and doing a little comparison work. Honestly and without trying to fit in with the cool kids, I DID like "Open Your Eyes" better, but not by much. The big thing that took away from the remake was the presence of Tom Cruise, who just couldn't resist playing the part "cooler" and cuter, or so he thought. In reality, his performance was just more overblown and he just didn't have the control to play it more subtle, which would have benefited the picture. In fact, the entire cast (save for Kurt Russell, who I thought was fine) was worse than the original. Yes, even Penelope Cruz had this "I don't feel like doing the same movie twice, so I'm going to phone this one in" aura about her. Cameron Diaz COULD HAVE been good (because, honestly, I don't mind her as much as others) but she overblew her performance too and laid it on way too thick. Whereas the actress who played Nuria in OYE played it more unhinged and psychotic, Diaz couldn't resist being her cute, blonde, sexy self and it really detracted from the overall performance. The music was a bit much too and there were music cues where there really didn't need to be music, pop music especially. In fact, the only music I did enjoy was the light score during the dream scene, early on with David and Sofia in the park. I also enjoyed the R.E.M. song ("Sweetness Follows") during the scene where David is running through the street. The other thing that I just didn't get were some of the things they added in, seemingly for no reason at all. For instance, the scene in the very beginning where David and Brian are in the car and are nearly run over by a truck. What was the point of that addition? it did nothing to advance the story and was completely and 100% irrelevant. I also hated the all the references to David's partners, which were barely mentioned in OYE and for good reason. The whole thing just reeked of Cameron Crowe trying desperately to make this story his own, while also making sure he somehow included a little bit of everything that was included in the original. What I did like, however, was the most important part and that was the ending. I think Crowe did a better job laying out the explanation to his audience and it wasn't nearly as confusing as the ending to OYE, which just isn't explained near as well.

One thing did occur to me while watching this though. it seems to me that foreign filmmaker's respect their audience a whole lot more than Hollywood directors. Foreign directors seem to expect more from their audience and don't feel the need to hand feed them every little explanation and detail, whereas Hollywood directors, perhaps, think their audience is slower and need to be coddled and explained everything intricately. It's not that VS was bad, it's just really easy to see, especially after watching them both within a 24 hour period, which is the superior version and it's no surprise that it's the original. If you're feeling torn between these two movies and unable to decide which one you like better, watch OYE and the VS within a short period of time and I think it will be quite clear. Eduardo Noriega is far better than Tom Cruise, he displays control over his character, knows when to be funny, when (and how) to be frightened & confused, when to be softer, when to be louder and just a real pro, all around. I think you'll even agree that Cruz is better in OYE. Oh and the photography in OYE is world's better.

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ME vs. TV

Figured I'd start using the recap to talk about what I'm watching on the small screen. It is September, which means new television shows are starting soon. My wife and I have a crop picked out that we want to check out (mostly network sitcoms), but that'll be next month. As for now, the wife and I have been working our way through seasons of "Two and a Half Men". We're casual fans of the show, catching it on syndication here and there, but found Season One for $10 at Wal-Mart last month and decided to watch it in order. The first season was HILARIOUS and we've since bought the subsequent eight DVD seasons. Currently on Season Three, with Two being way better than One, as everyone started to settle in and adapt to their characters. 

I've also been checking out "Arrested Development" on Netflix. I think it's so clever and so funny! The wife and I took a crop of DVDs to sell them earlier this week and I found all three (released) seasons for $10 each, so I just decided to take the plunge and buy them. I'm only ten episodes in, but am so confident that the season will end up winning me over ten fold, that buying them seemed like a smart investment. Also, while I haven't seen one episode, my wife flew through Season One of "Orange Is the New Black" and has been raving about it ever since, so there's that. 

TOP 20 TRACKER

1) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (10)

2) Open Your Eyes (20)

3) Happy Together (20)

4) Winchester '73 (10)

**NOTE** "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" has fallen off the TOP 20 Tracker. Upon further thought, I'd just as soon find nine other, more worthy Ten Worth Mentioning contenders and leave the Star Wars trilogy out in the cold. Remember, everything is tentative and subject to my whims. 

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That takes care of another month. Gonna' try to hit it really hard in September, movie wise. It would be REALLY nice to be at the halfway mark of the season by month's end, which means watching thirty movies this month. I'll give it my best shot!

September 1, 2013  10:05pm

913. The English Patient (1996)

Running Time: 162 minutes
Directed By: Anthony Minghella
Written By: Anthony Minghella, from novel by Michael Ondaatje
Main Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Kristen Scott Thomas, Willem Dafoe, Juliette Binoche, Naveen Andrews
Click here to view the trailer

AND THE 69TH OSCAR FOR BEST PICTURE GOES TO...

Oh "The English Patient", how I've dreaded thee. Much like Elaine Benes in the Seinfeld episode entitled "The English Patient", I've never understood the hype or the nine Academy Awards behind this epic 1996 film. However, I'm here to tell you that today I had a slight awakening and was actually able to find SOME redeeming qualities in the movie.

The plot is long and takes 2 1/2 hours for the filmmakers to get through, but I'll try to take only a few minutes away from you to recap it. The film is set during World War II and begins with a severely burned man being cared for by a nurse, Hana (Binoche). The burned man is also suffering from amnesia and can't remember anything about himself, including his name. After she finds out her husband has died in battle and watches her best friend drive over a land mine, Hana decides to take the burned man to a secluded area and care for him, so he no longer has to be moved. The two end up in an abandoned Italian monastery where the burned man's past begins to come back to him and be revealed to the viewers. It turns out that the burned man is named Count Laszlo Almasy (Fiennes), a cartographer, who was mapping the Sahara Desert prior to the start of WWII. Along with his partner Madox, the two are joined in the desert by Katherine (Thomas) and Geoffrey Clifton (Colin Firth). The Count becomes taken by Katherine to the point that the two end up having an affair, one night during a sandstorm. Later, Katherine ends the affair, but the Count cannot bear to be away from Katherine and their relationship is rekindled. The film bounces back and forth between the present day, with the Count being tended to by Hana and the past; the tale of Katherine and Laszlo.

After doing a little research on this movie, I've found that, in fact, it is one of the most detested of all the Best Picture winners. Perhaps it's just people being persuaded by the Seinfeld episode, but there seems to be a lot of Elaine's influence on much of the cinematic public, as I've found multiple comments of people trashing the movie and declaring it "boring" and "too long". I'd have to agree with them on the running time, as the film is way too long and had Minghella been able to contain his would be epic inside of two hours and cut the fat off, I think this could've been a blow away picture. As it is, by the end it is obvious that there are bits that just need to be trimmed and lots of unnecessary scenes. I'm of the opinion that every single shot and scene of a film should be essential to driving the plot, developing the characters or being of some value. There are clearly many scenes in "The English Patient" that serve no purpose. I'll also admit that I'm just not the love story type of guy and that I think this film appeals more to women than men, kind of like a much more advanced, poetic and artistic Nicholas Sparks film, minus the barely out of high school actors.

SPOILER ALERT!!

Speaking of the actors, you've got a real crop of great ones here with Ralph Fiennes totally impressing me and making me realize that someday we'll be looking back and remembering him as one of the truly greats of my time. I also can't forget Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe (a favorite of mine), Kristen Scott Thomas and Colin Firth, who all do spectacular things with their characters. It's not hard to see WHY this film won Best Picture, as it just looks like something that would make the Academy start drooling, even though "Fargo" was CLEARLY the better film and better choice that year. It's not a film that made me desperately stare at the clock, even though there were times when it was blatantly obvious that the film was just running far too long. I enjoyed many bits, like the beautiful scene in the sandstorm; the passionate, classy shots of love making and the heartbreaking scene of Laszlo carrying Katherine out of her tomb, her dead body hanging over his arms, him sobbing.

RATING: 6.5/10  Shoulda' been "Fargo" by a long shot, but this wasn't as bad as all that and deserves a look. It's not gonna' blow you away or anything, but it's a "must see" for Academy Awards scholars and even curious Seinfeld fans.

MOVIES WATCHED: 721
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 280

August 31, 2013  8:15pm

907. Independence Day (1996)

Running Time: 145 minutes
Directed By: Roland Emmerich
Written By: Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich
Main Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia
Click here to view the trailer

LET FREEDOM RING

If you wanna talk about Hollywood and I mean HOLLYWOOD, then this may very well be the most modern Hollywood film on the entire 1001 list. This film oozes everything that gives every major Hollywood executive tighter fitting pants (*wink*). It's the 38th highest grossing film of all-time, revived the big budget, special effects way of making movies and made a star out of Will Smith.

Despite it's nearly two and a half hour running time, "Independence Day" only requires about a fourth grade level attention span and the story probably could've been told in half the time. Basically, it's your run of the mill aliens story. The film begins on July 2nd, when an enormous unidentified flying object orbits Earth's atmosphere, before entering it and sending out dozens of smaller, destroyer ships, which remain immobile over some of the World's largest cities, including Washington DC, NYC and L.A. David Levinson (Goldblum), a genius, satellite technician figures out that eventually the mothership will send out a signal, commanding all of the smaller ships to attack. It seems that the aliens are hostile and are positioned to blow up many of the world's major cities. David gets into President Thomas Whitmore's (Pullman) ear and finally convinces him to evacuate the cities. Meanwhile, any attempt to attack the mothership is halted, by way of a shield that completely encapsulates the alien craft. Captain Steven Hiller (Smith) manages to be the sole survivor of an attack mission and in the process, manages to capture one of the aliens. Later, it is revealed that the aliens want to absorb all of the resources of Earth that they can, before moving on, thus why they want everyone disposed of.

Yada, yada, yada and this & that and the other thing....it's a huge mess of a plot and honestly, I think if I think about it too much more I may self induce a migraine headache. However, with that being said, I wouldn't go so far as to call this film awful and actually if you're able to look past the god awful dialogue, the swiss cheese plot and the too long running time, it's actually a better than average, big budget picture; at least as far as big budget epics go. I've read other comments that criticize the acting, but honestly I think MOST everyone involved did the best with what they were given, which was a script filled with corny cliche lines; the types of lines that just beg the Wayans brothers to make fun of them. I'm a big Jeff Goldblum fan and thought he did the best he could here. I'd also go so far as to say thumbs up to Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch and Robert Loggia. In fact, the relationship and dialogue between Hirsch and Goldblum was probably my favorite thing about the whole film. I'd say that Will Smith was still terribly "green" here (another way of saying inexperienced) and honestly, later on in his career, he'd develop the skills needed to turn in a halfway decent performance. I'll end my cast notes by saying I despise Randy Quaid with a passion...that is all.

I really don't even think I need to elaborate on the bad, because the bad will be blatantly obvious to anyone that sees this film and has a semi knowledgeable movie palate. The dialogue IS god awful and it's obvious. The plot is full of holes and there's a handful of things that just flat out don't make sense. Lastly, the film is just too long. It wasn't a clock watching film, but I will tell you that by the end of the picture, my eyelids were getting mighty heavy and I was so ready to just check out. However, I didn't mind it THAT much. Perhaps it's the fact that I was eleven/twelve when this came out, thus the perfect age to be preyed upon by this kind of garbage (and, damn it, I LOVED it when I was a kid), but I didn't mind it as much as a film snob probably SHOULD mind it. I'll happily admit that it's garbage, while also admitting that it's the kind of garbage George Costanza would find lingering near the surface, pick up and take a bite out of.

RATING: 6/10  There's no chance of the TOP 20 list in this film's future, but at least TRY it and you MIGHT be surprised. Go in expecting nothing and you may get something.

MOVIES WATCHED: 720
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 281

August 30, 2013  10:34pm

236. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)

Running Time: 122 minutes
Directed By: Albert Lewin
Written By: Albert Lewin
Main Cast: Ava Gardner, James Mason, Nigel Patrick, Harold Warrender, Sheila Sim
Click here to view the trailer

THE MOVING FINGER WRITES; AND, HAVING WRIT, MOVES ON

Noticing that "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman" was one of the many films that Netflix lists as "SAVED", meaning that it's more than likely out of print, I skimmed through the TCM listings many, many months ago and discovered that this was to air and thinking ahead, recorded it. The VHS tape (yep, still using those) has been sitting on a shelf since then, waiting for me.

The plot, to my surprise, was very similar to "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir", in that a woman falls in love with a ghost. This time, the woman is Pandora Reynolds (Gardner), the object of many men's deisres, yet she isn't interested in any of her suitors and really only keeps them around for her own amusement. The suitor with the most brownie points is Stephen (Patrick), a race car enthusiast, who is in the process of building a car, in which he'll attempt to break the land-speed record. The film focuses on what one is prepared to give up for the one they love. Stephen, for example, pushes his prized, hand built speed racer over a cliff, simply because Pandora asks him to; wondering if he'll actually do it. Then one day, Pandora meets Hendrick van der Zee (Mason), when she wanders onto an anchored sea vessel; finding the ship's captain (van der Zee) painting a portrait of, what seems to be Pandora. The two become chummy, with Pandora not realizing that van der Zee is the Flying Dutchman. From there, we learn the legend of the flying dutchman, in which the dutchman in question is condemned to sail the seas for eternity, unless he can find a woman who loves him enough to die for him - again returning to the "what are you prepared to give up for your lover" theme. There's also a matador who is also infatuated with Pandora, yet meanwhile, Pandora and Stephen are engaged to be married. That's the gist of it - a big, love triangle/quadrangle.

It's easy to surmise that, with the exception of "Winchester '73", I have been less than impressed with the current handful of 50s flicks. "Rio Grande" was, without a doubt, the worst film I saw this season, thus far; "Los Olvidados" was far inferior to later Bunuel works; "All About Eve" was just shy of being really, really good and now "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman" which I'd put at about the average marker. Let me first say how much I've come to really appreciate James Mason since starting this project. He's been in quite a few of the "1001" movies and he's just a treat to watch, as he's an absolute professional, never acting, but rather becoming his role, no matter how goofy the script - like this one. I'd say "Bigger Than Life" has been my favorite of his thus far, but I think "The Reckless Moment" and "Lolita" will need to be rewatched someday, in light of my new found appreciation for this master actor. I also want to take the time to praise Jack Cardiff, who's cinematography on "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman" made this movie elevate above the level of "clock watcher" and despite it's flaws, at least it was a terrific LOOKING picture; filled with magnificent, sometimes gloomy shots that dazzled the eye!

Otherwise, this was just goofy to me. It wasn't necessarily a period piece (except for the middle part, when recounting the legend of the Flying Dutchman), but it just felt like it was meant for a different generation, other than my own. I think I established during my "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" review that I'm not into the whole woman falls in love with a celestial being storyline and despite the wonderful camerwork, the beautiful Gardner and the master Mason, this one just didn't appeal to me in the slightest. Speaking of Gardner, I'm of the opinion that she's more suited to be wearing black gloves that go to her elbows; silky, black dresses and a string of pearls, giving "tough guy" gangsters a run for their money. In other words, she belongs in the confines of film nor, not in silly ghost ship tales.

RATING: 5/10  Slice it right down the middle. The majority of this season is going to be comprised of films from the 50s and 90s (split equally). I really hope some of the 50s movies can win me over, because I really don't want a TOP 20 list comprised exclusively of 90s flicks. That being said, I'll be glad to hop back to the back side of the "1001" book for a five film stretch.

MOVIES WATCHED: 719
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 282

ON DECK:
The English Patient (1996 - Anthony Minghella)
Lone Star (1996 - John Sayles)
Gabbeh (1996 - Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
Independence Day (1996 - Roland Emmerich)
Breaking the Waves (1996 - Lars von Trier)