432. Obchod na korze/The Shop on Main Street (1965)

Running Time: 128 minutes
Directed By: Jan Kadar, Elmar Klos
Written By: Ladislav Grosman, Jan Kadar, Elmar Klos
Main Cast: Jozef Kroner, Ida Kaminska, Hana Slivkova, Martin Holly Sr., Frantisek Zvarik

GOOD FRIENDSHIP, EVIL SURROUNDINGS

Continuing our trek through the 1960s, we come to "The Shop on Main Street", yet another Holocaust movie from the "1001..." book and another fantastic one, at that. Lets jump right into it, shall we.

Tony Brtko (Kroner) is an easy going, Slovak carpenter living in Czechoslovakia right around the time of the Nazi occupation. He lives with his nagging wife Evelina (Slivkova) and his loyal dog Essenc. His wife is constantly trying to persuade him to get a real job and earn more money, so that they're not so poor, a task that would be relatively easy for him, seeing as how his brother-in-law, Markus (Zvarik) is a Nazi. However, Tony holds a grudge against Markus and it isn't until Markus and his wife come to Tony's for dinner one night, that Tony finally decides to take Markus' help. Markus hands over to Tony control of Lautmann's sewing shop, owned by the very elderly and very deaf Mrs. Lautmann (Kaminska). Basically, Tony is named Aryan controller of Lautmann's shop and will basically take control of all her assets and profits. Tony sees this as an opportunity to shut up his wife and make a few bucks and he graciously takes the gig. However, when he first confronts Mrs. Lautmann, she is very confused and can't understand what her intentions are. A Jewish sympathizer, Mr. Kuchar (Holly Sr.), intervenes and cuts a deal with Tony: If he takes care of Mrs. Lautmann and leaves her to her shop, then the Jewish community will, in turn, take care of him monetarily, providing him with a weekly payment, simply for leaving Mrs. Lautmann be. Tony agrees, but doesn't breathe a word of the deal and instead, trots off everyday to the store to be a companion to Mrs. Lautmann and fix things around her place.

SPOILER ALERT!

There's really a lot more I could put into that plot description, without giving anything away, but that's plenty to inform someone who has never seen the film. In a word, I thought the film lived up to the title of the book and is certainly a must see. It may not be the best film I've watched, but I'd still call it a must see, just because it was so powerful. There really isn't any bad to talk about, so we'll skip right into the good and I'll gush a bit. The cast did a fine job and I especially liked Jozef Kroner. If anything, this book can certainly take credit for really opening my eyes when it comes to the Holocaust and making me even more aware of the horrors that went on during that time period. Every film I've watched from the book that has dealt with the subject of the Holocaust, has been a fine one and I look forward to seeing more. One of the small details that was a really heavy line for me, was when Mrs. Lautmann, in her confused state, as she watched her friends and neighbors loaded on to trucks and taken to the camps, she compared what was happening to the "end of the world". It really makes you think what these people must have been going through and how scary everything must have been and how most of them must have been thinking that this was it for them.

The final half or quarter of the film is so well done, so dramatic and so powerful that it really draws you in and doesn't let go until the credits roll. Tony begging and pleading with Mrs. Lautmann to hide and to not let the Aryan's see her, Tony then realizing that is he's caught, they'll both be punished and telling her that "it's you or me", trying to shove her out the door and into the menacing hands of the enemy. In the end, Tony accidentally kills Mrs. Lautmann when he tries to hide her in a closet and then hangs himself. The final scene is Mrs. Lautmann and Tony, dressed in their best duds, skipping down the main street as happy as ever. I think, maybe, it hints at the fact that this was really the closest relationship that Tony had ever experienced - the day's he'd spend with Mrs. Lautmann, shouting in an effort to try and get her to hear him. I think the final scene may also be trying to say that, at this time, death may have been a better option than living. That, at least, in death you may find a piece of happiness and that in the world at that time, there was absolutely no happiness or joy to be found.

RATING: 8/10 Again, one where quibbling over numbers is so irrelevant. It's a great film and that's that and it's one that I wouldn't be surprised to see make the next TOP 20 list.

MOVIES WATCHED: 333
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 668

October 18, 2011 7:02pm

368. Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Running Time: 124 minutes
Directed By: Elia Kazan
Written By: William Inge
Main Cast: Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty, Pat Hingle, Barbara Loden, Audrey Christie

SEXUAL REPRESSION, PRE-DEPRESSION

Unintentionally I picked another Warren Beatty film, as we make our way deeper into the cinematic offerings of the 1960s. This time around we're dealing with Beatty's first feature film, as he stars opposite an absolutely radiant Natalie Wood.

Bud Stamper(Beatty) and Wilma Dean a.k.a. Deanie Loomis (Wood) are two high-schoolers in love. When the film opens, the two love birds are parked near a raging waterfall and making out like love birds do. Except our tale is set in Kansas, circa 1928 and it takes place during a time when kissing is as far as you'd better go, lest you be outcast from society - especially if you're a woman. Deanie is all about upholding her family's name and keeping her name and reputation clean and virginal. All that Bud seems to really care about is getting past kissing and on to more serious love making. Bud represses his urges though and the two make for a cute, ultra popular high school couple. When Bud can't take fending off his urges any longer, he pleads with his father to let him marry Deanie, so that the two can consummate their relationship, but Bud's successful father, Ace (Hingle), only wants the best for Bud and certainly wants him to go to Yale in the fall. However, Ace gives Bud some advice - If you absolutely can't repress your urges, then find a girl who isn't so "good". Bud puts his relationship with Deanie on the back burner and begins to mingle with the school whore, in an effort to "cool himself down". Ultimately, this action makes Bud unhappier and sends Deanie over the edge.

SPOILER ALERT!

Man, it was wild seeing such a young Warren Beatty and realizing how much he resembled Montgomery Clift. As far as the cast goes, you really couldn't ask for better performances from the stars on parade here. My personal favorite was Pat Hingle, who, with careful delivery and an boisterous performance, knocked one out of the park as Ace Stamper. The screen seemed to glow a little bit brighter when Natalie Wood was on it, though I can't say I necesarilly cared for her character too much, although it was clear that Wood was giving it her all. Beatty burst onto the scene with vigor as Bud Stamp, playing his character cool, but also getting the most out of him. When you look at the characters themselves, you find that me and the book seem to differ in opinion a bit. The "1001..." book states, and I quote, "...a film in which the characters register as authentic individuals, acting and reacting in a register that is far from the Hollywood cliche." In my opinion, that doesn't really ring true. Do teenage girls often times end up in mental institutions for three years when their sweethearts break it off with them? Do they go on a rampage, screaming and jumping into the middle of a lake? To me, these performances were very Hollywood cliche, maybe straying a little here and there, but never venturing too far outside the lines of very dramatic performances.

As far as the story itself goes, they had me hooked well into the halfway point of the movie. I was very interested in these kids and what would happen to them and how their lives would ultimately be effected. Then, Deanie has her meltdown, jumps into the lake and she's carted off to the mental hospital. Bud ends up going to Yale and falling for an Italian waitress and from that point on we're basically on auto pilot as we cruise through the rest of this two hour and some odd minute film. It's a film that could have used some trimming. The climax comes way too early and then we're left to wade through the rest of the movie, as our characters do unimportant things. I get where they were going though. The overall message of the film, as I understood it, had to do with dealing with what life hands you. Though you may be popular and happy while you're in high school, it can all change at the drop of a dime. Boyfriends and girlfriends can go astray. Life may not hand you the hand you were expecting, but you don't grieve. You take the good with the bad and you find the strength to soldier on and whatever comes, you make the most of it. It's a nice message and it's one where they needed that lengthy final act to show what happens to these characters and how far from they end up, from where they thought they would. But it does drag at the end, and I think the message could have been conveyed a little bit quicker.

RATING: 6.5/10 Not a BAD film and hell, Pat Hingle's performance and Natalie Wood's radiance are enough to see it alone. I was just expecting something better, maybe.

MOVIES WATCHED: 332
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 669

October 16, 2011 11:09pm

FRIGHTFEST 2011

Starting within the next few days here at the 1001 Movies I (Apparently) Must See Before I Die blog, I'll be taking a look at five horror movies from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, in preparation for Halloween. Those of you who have been with me for a while probably remember my salute to scary movies last year (although it wasn't called "FrightFest") and I thought it would be fun to do it again. This year we up the ante on the fear factor, as we take a look at these five horror films, including "The Exorcist", which is usually noted as being the scariest horror flick of them all! Stay tuned in the coming weeks, as I'll be reviewing these sporadically and mixing them in with some other "treats" for you, my loyal followers.

925. Festen/The Celebration (1998)

Running Time: 105 minutes
Directed By: Thomas Vinterberg
Written By: Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov
Main Cast: Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Moritzen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Paprika Steen, Trine Dyrholm

THE FIRST DOGME FILM

Well for the third consecutive viewing, I've relied on my DVD shelf to keep the blog steaming ahead and this time I opted for a foreign title in "Festen". It is a film that I had only seen once, prior to tonight's viewing, but one that upon my initial and only viewing, deemed it a must own and eventually purchased it. My decision to buy it was the correct decision!

The film was the first created under the Dogme rules, which were drawn up by Thomas Vinterberg (the director of this feature) and Lars von Trier. There are ten rules in the Dogme code, the most notable being that a film must be shot with a handheld camera and that the sound in the film must never be produced apart from the images and vice versa. This particular story focuses in on a wealthy family and we join them on the day of the patriarch's sixtieth birthday. A big party is being thrown for the father of the family, Helge (Moritzen), where many guests will come from all over to pay tribute to the man. The notable guests include Helge's three living children; Christian (Thomsen), Helene (Steen) and Michael (Bo Larsen). The fourth child, Linda, has recently committed suicide. The children and all of the other guests converge on Helge's mansion, taking residence for the day and night and suiting up for a big birthday celebration, which includes a big, extravagant dinner. Maids, servants, cooks and errand boys are in full force. When the time comes to sit down for dinner, Christian clangs his glass with his butter knife and begins to make a speech in honor of his father. In the midst of his speech and without changing his demeanor, Christian accuses his father of viciously raping and molesting him and his twin sister, Linda, when they were children. The commences from there...

SPOILER ALERT!

Wow, so many things to say about this one and I can feel a long review coming on, so buckle up. The first thing that I want to address is the mixture of emotions that this film FORCED ME to feel. For those of you who've seen it and have decided to join me past the "spoiler alert", allow me to refresh your memory. As the film goes on, Christian continues to make his way back to the dinner table and does so on two more occasions. The second time he returns, he blames his father for the death of his twin sister and flat out calls him a "murderer". The third time he returns to the table, he has handed a note to his sister Helene and requests that she read it aloud. It's a suicide note from Linda, and confirms all of Christian's accusations. Helge, after hearing the letter, comes clean and admits to the unforgivable acts, storming out of the room. So, at this point, it has become very evident that we're dealing with a monster here, in Helge. I mean, you have this man, who for years sexually abused his own, small children and when he storms off from the dinner table, he leaves us with the despicable line of "that's all you (children) were good for". Ouch! I mean, clearly we're not dealing with a very moral or good human being.

SO..........

Why did I feel sorry for him in the end? I mean, before I start to sort out my emotions, let me just give an imaginary round of applause to Thomas Vinterberg for twisting up my emotions like that. It takes a true genius of a man to make you feel one way and then make you feel bad for making you feel that way. When this film concluded, I just could NOT help but feel sorry for Helge, almost to the point of tears. But then I felt guilty, almost to the point, that I wasn't even going to admit here that I did feel sorry for the character. It took a visit to IMDB and a few users who confirmed that I wasn't alone in feeling this way, for me to be comfortable with even admitting to it. I have no idea why I felt sympathy for Helge, but I did and it was truly heartbreaking when his son, Michael, asks him to leave the table so that the others can enjoy their breakfast. I think, though, that this wasn't a completely inconceivable feeling, that I had. If you notice, Christian looks on at his father, as if he too feels sorry for the old man. I think I may be reading WAY too much into the picture when I say that we're dealing with a man who has clearly realized that he's made a mistake. You've got this old man, who knows he's driven all of his children away and now they're back, it's his sixtieth birthday and he wants to make things right again. However, with the severity of the atrocities that he's committed, there's no way he's going to be able to atone. You just get that vibe, or at least that's the vibe that I'm interpreting.

And speaking of being comfortable, that is one feeling that this film just doesn't allow. The whole thing for me was very uncomfortable and I credit that to the style in which it was filmed. The handheld camera made it feel as if we were peeking in on this family, but when the shit starts to hit the fan, it becomes a peeping tom experience that makes us want to let the curtain fall back down and close our eyes. It feels as if this is something that we just shouldn't be seeing and I think that the inclusion of Helene's American boyfriend kind of helped to ease that tension for me, as a viewer, because here you had someone just like us - an outsider, invited to this party to have a bite to eat and a good time and he walks smack dab into the middle of this family's shit storm. "Festen" is really a film that just requires you to watch and whatever emotions come to you, then that's it. In my opinion, there are no intended emotions. When the Vinterberg made this film, I highly doubt that he intended us to feel one way or another. I think, however, he did know that we would FEEL and that the feelings were going to be profound.

RATING: 9/10 Was that even a review? Or was it me just rambling, ranting and interpreting. Oh well, it's a fantastic movie and one that I'd recommend only to serious movie goers.

MOVIES WATCHED: 331
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 670

October 13, 2011 1:14am

470. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Running Time: 112 minutes
Directed By: Arthur Penn
Written By: David Newman, Robert Benton
Main Cast: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard, Estelle Parsons

LOOKOUT FOR THE BARROW GANG!

For those of you with a sturdy memory, you'll remember that prior to my hiatus I made the announcement that this set of 100 films would be thick with movies from the decade of the 60s. Well we're sticking to those guidelines and "Bonnie and Clyde" fits right in. Since my Netflix will be on hold until tomorrow, I was once again forced into the waiting arms of my DVD shelf and it's worth noting that this film was not brought into the DVD collection by me, but rather my wife. Let's see what I think of her purchase.

The plot is basically a biography of the escapades of Bonnie Parker (Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (Beatty). The film starts out by showing us the humdrum life of Ms. Parker as she prepares for another day as a waitress at a local truck stop. On her way to work she notices a man trying to break into her mother's car and calls him on it. It's, of course, Clyde and the two strike up a conversation. Bonnie is more excited by the fact that Clyde was about to commit grand theft auto and becomes even more excited when she learns that Clyde has just been paroled from prison and is a known thief. Although at first she doesn't believe Clyde, he promptly proves his thievery skills by holding up a grocery store. Later, Clyde convinces Bonnie to come on the road with him, where they'll be bandits, eluding the law, robbing banks and living high on the hog, because after all, in Clyde's eyes Bonnie deserves the best. Eventually they add to their gang of two, by recruiting service station attendant C.W. Moss (Pollard), Clyde's brother Buck (Hackman) and his wife Blanche (Parsons). The quintet make national headlines and are hunted by every sheriff and policeman within a reasonable radius.

SPOILER ALERT!

This was a film that I really had mixed feelings about, so lets take a look at the good, before we focus in on the bad. For starters, I would say that all of the actors involved did a good job, with Gene Hackman and Estelle Parsons getting my personal nod of approval for best performances of the entire film. Estelle Parsons was just so damn annoying and batty that you couldn't help but get a little kick out of her and Gene Hackman is someone that I've always been a fan of and this film was a fine example of his greatness. Beatty and Dunaway did fine too, with Dunaway actually being quite terrific and perfect for the role of Bonnie. She looked stunning as she paraded around in her signature cloth hat, with bright red lipstick and 60s style regalia. The other really memorable and pretty much perfect thing about this film is the end, when Bonnie and Clyde are ultimately hunted down and murdered and the scene is exquisite, using quick cuts to different angles to build the tension and make it clear to us, the audience, that something is about to go down. When the bullets finally start flying, it's as if death staged a brutal ballet and it was gruesome and gorgeous, all at the same time.

What I didn't care for about this film, was basically everything else. It's not really that I didn't like it, it's just that I didn't care for it one way or another. The whole film seemed to really give me that *meh* feeling and it's as if what I was watching wasn't really all that special at all. For a film about thieves and criminals and a gang of misfits on the run from the law, we really don't see THAT MUCH thieving or running. For the most part we just kind of hang out with the Barrow gang and observe them and at times it gets a little boring. Granted, we do see some chase scenes and a few heist scenes, but they never last long and it's no time before we're watching the gang interact some more, Bonnie screaming at Blanche or Buck and Clyde fooling around. The bottom line is that while there is nothing really BAD on display here, I'd say there's also nothing very stellar either (save for the ending and certain performances).

RATING: 6.5/10 Not good, not bad, but rather, lingering somewhere in that middle ground.

MOVIES WATCHED: 330
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 671

October 12, 2011 7:18pm

721. The Breakfast Club (1985)

Running Time: 92 minutes
Directed By: John Hughes
Written By: John Hughes
Main Cast: Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy

ON MY JOURNEY I MET A PACK OF BRATS

Well I've returned to the blog, from yet another hiatus, but we won't dwell on that too much, but instead just jump right into the thick of things. It has become the standard for me to watch a familiar film when I return from hiatus, so I marched to my DVD shelf and plucked off "The Breakfast Club".

The plot is fairly simply, so it shouldn't take long to recount it here. Five teenagers are sentenced to spend a precious Saturday in detention. The "prisoners" are a wide range of personalities, including John Bender (Nelson) - the rebel, Claire (Ringwald) - the prom queen, Andrew Clark (Estevez) - the athlete, Brian Johnson (Hall) - the brain and Allison (Sheedy) - the basket case. They are presided over by teacher Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason), a hard-nosed man, very qualified to be the detention enforcer. At the beginning of the day they're given the assignment of writing a paper on "who they think they are", but it's pretty much blown off, as the five engage in various arguments and discussions about school life, home life and sex. As the film progresses, the group becomes closer, as they wage a war of words with one another and the reasons for their detention sentences become clear.

SPOILER ALERT!

I can still remember it like it was yesterday - my brother raving about this movie called "The Breakfast Club" and insisting that I see it. As I've mentioned in the past on this here blog, most of the movies that would go on to be my all-time favorites were initially shown to me by my big brother. This one is no exception and from the first time I saw it, I fell in love with it. Watching it for, what seems like the 100th time, again last night made me realize something very important about my own tastes in films and how they're changing big time as I become an adult. When I was younger, my favorite part of "The Breakfast Club" was always the first half. That's the more jovial half, the half that is packed with the most comedy and the half, that as a young person, you can have more fun with. When I was younger, I remember always dreading the second half, because while it was still good, it got more serious and was more dialogue driven and as a youngster, that wasn't my cup of tea. However, last night, when re-watching, I enjoyed the second half much more than the first half and that's the part that now really hammers this film home as a true classic. As John Bender, my favorite member of "the club", sits on the floor with his four cohorts and the five sound off, arguing and sympathizing with one another and realizing that they have much more in common than they initially thought.

Sure, if you want, you can nitpick the hell out of the movie. Personally I think it takes off way too fast. It seems like no more do the beginning credits end and we're right into the thick of things, focused in on the library, where we'll spend the next ninety minutes with this group. The ending also gets a little hokey and almost silly, as John & Claire and Andrew & Allison seemingly become a pair of couples and the groundwork for those relationships really isn't established at all. In fact, Bender and Claire are at each others throats BIG TIME at one point, delivering these lines...

John Bender: Don't you ever talk about my friends. You don't know any of my friends. You don't look at any of my friends. And you certainly wouldn't condescend to speak to any of my friends. So you just stick to the things you know: shopping, nail polish, your father's BMW, and your poor, rich drunk mother in the Caribbean.
Claire Standish: SHUT UP!
John Bender: And as far as being concerned about what's gonna happen when you and I walk down the hallways of school together, you can forget it cuz it's never gonna happen. Just bury your head in the sand and wait for your fuckin' prom.
Claire Standish: [Crying] I hate you!
John Bender: Yeah? Good!

....and the next minute, she's sneaking into a broom closet, that Vernon locks Bender into and making a move on him. There's never any explanation as to why these two would want to even be around each other at the end of their detention day. I guess, if we stretch it, we can surmise that maybe the reason that they were at such odds, is because they had a little thing for one another, but that's probably reading far too into the whole thing. And really, these are just "nitpicky" things. The film is absolutely brilliant and if you haven't seen it, then you have a treat to look forward to someday. It's a film that I can't imagine anyone not liking, at least a little bit.

The personalities are ones that we all knew when each of us went to school. We all knew people who were represented by someone in this film - I know I did. So it's a film that is really easy to relate to, even if you don't necessarily fit into one of the five categories of teenager on display. It's also an extremely quotable film, with a truckload of memorable scenes and dialogue exchanges and as the cherry on top, it has a pretty kick ass 80s soundtrack.

RATING: 8.5/10 I may be undercutting this one, just a hair, but if I am I'll rectify it at the end of the month, during recap time. Sorry if the review was a little rusty, it's my first one in a couple of months. They'll get better.

MOVIES WATCHED: 329
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 672

October 10, 2011 6:39pm

From the Inbox...

A real e-mail from an apparent fan.....

Hi Movieman,

I was reading your blog today and wonder if I could get your opinion on a diet/fitness app I am working on ?

For me, I think the main problem with being healthy is motivation. It's an abstract, overwhelming goal. I think the best way to counter this is to turn it into winnable games and small victories.

So… my app makes living healthy, and fitness into a RPG game, where users earn points, and "level up' as they accomplish their health goals. Everytime they add something healthy like veggies to their diet, they earn points. Everytime they complete a workout, they earn points. As they achieve more and more, they'll level up and unlock badges, and discounts/coupons to rewards like spas, health foods, etc.

There'll be challenges, which will get harder as people level up. And it'll follow a certain structure. First will come changing your environment such as getting rid of all junk food. Then, reducing stress, as stress leads to eating comfort food.
The whole point is to turn it into a game so people will rely less on willpower, and more on fun, achievement, and changing our environment.

What's your opinion on this idea? Would you want to know when I'm done with it? If this sounds too silly, or absurd, just ignore what I just said, hehe =)

Is this a rib? I mean, don't get me wrong, this is ACTUALLY not a half bad idea, but why e-mail the "movieman" on the subject of diet and exercise? Anyway, Christine, if you're out there and you really are reading, drop me a comment here and maybe give me a few more details on why you chose me to share your idea with...........AAAAAAAAAand..........

I'm actually using this e-mail as an excuse to let everyone know that TENTATIVE....I say....TENTATIVE plans call for me to be back on this blog in time for a 2nd Annual Halloween, Scary Movie-A-Thon. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for details as to which horror flicks will be featured, but also keep in mind that this is all TENTATIVE.

And another quick note - I've been tinkering with the idea of getting more in depth with my tags/labels. Maybe adding popular actors names, country of origin, my rating, year, etc. to the labels, for easier access and better navigation to my blog. Any feedback on this idea would be appreciated.

October 3, 2011 2:35am