166. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Running Time: 113 minutes
Directed By: Vincente Minnelli
Written By: Irving Brecher, Fred F. Finklehoffe, from novel by Sally Benson
Main Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake
Click here to view the trailer

FAMILY AND STUFF

Come hell or high water, "Meet Me in St. Louis" was apparently determined to be viewed THIS season. Under the blueprints of the old format, it was scheduled to be watched as part of "Vincente Minnelli" week. However, when the format was changed to the "5 and 5" method, it still came up and therefore, I was destined to have Judy Garland and a whole lot of melodrama shoved down my throat.

The film really isn't about anything, but instead is simply fodder for singing songs and showing a portrait of perfect family life & values, in the heart of America - via St. Louis. Okay, okay, so it has a loose plot, but it's barely there and trust me, it's really about that family stuff. The family is the Smith's (typical) and the one Minnelli is most concerned with touting is Esther Smith (Garland), a late teen - early twenty-something girl who spends her days swooning over her handsome next door neighbor, John Truett (Drake). Esther has three sisters - the eldest, Rose (Bremer) and two younger - and a brother. Of course, there's mom and dad too. Hell, there's even a grandpa and a maid, so it's a regular freakin' Brady Bunch. The film is really just a collection of vignettes, as we see the Smith's hosting a dinner party, a scene depicting the two younger sisters and the time they have during the Halloween festivities and we end around Christmastime and a big dance, where the eldest sister is forced to go with her brother (ewww). The brunt of the plot finally arrives, past the one hour mark, when Dad announces that he's moving the family to New York, for a career opportunity. The entire family acts as if it's the end of the world that they must leave the (apparent) paradise that is St. Louis and that takes us into the film's finale.

You know how when you go to the doctor and complain of a sore throat and they want to take an extra long q-tip and touch the back of your throat and you gag a little bit, because, let's face it, q-tips weren't meant to be touching the back of one's throat? Well, that's kind of equivalent to watching "Meet Me in St. Louis", because there are plenty of moments where you just want to gag. The film is just so damn wholesome and goody-goody, almost as if it's REQUIRED to be watched while sitting around a roaring fireplace, with Ma, Pa, Pappy and the family dog, Scruffy. The good news is, the fact that the songs seem to come out of nowhere is quite realistic, because you expect a gag inducing family like this to be singing songs round the clock, while they wait for the next big dance, family function or dinner party.

Okay, so maybe I'm being a little too hard on this one. It wasn't as bad as I'm making it out to be, but it's just about average at best and when I rate a movie average, I usually like to make a choice between praising the little that I can or just totally driving it into the ground. I've apparently chosen the latter here. It uses it's time wisely, doesn't drag and Lucille Bremer is a vision of loveliness. I also liked the guy who played the father (Leon Ames), but he was barely in the movie. I've also realized how much I really dislike Judy Garland and never want to see another one of her pictures, as long as I live. Liza Minnelli, if she valued my opinion, might be happy to know that I think her world's better than her mother and that's after only ever seeing her in one film - "Cabaret". Anyway, call it an average affair, a movie full of cringe worthy moments and way too wholesome for my tastes, but with enough good to not drag. Watch it around Christmas and you may be able to stomach it a little better, as it has a lot of qualities that may come off as more charming during the holidays.

RATING: 5.5/10  That's the best I can do. Let's hope that's the last Judy Garland movie in the book...I'm pretty sure it is!

MOVIES WATCHED: 678
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 323

May 9, 2013  12:21am

168. LAURA (1944)

Running Time: 88 minutes
Directed By: Otto Preminger
Written By: Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhardt, from novel by Vera Caspary
Main Cast: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson
Click here to view the trailer

OBSESSION

Watching from the old side slightly out of order, as it was meant to be "Meet Me in St. Louis" before "Laura", but I only had about an hour and a half to kill last night and so I went with the shorter choice. At this moment, I'm kind of glad I did, because "Laura" was a spectacular film that I'd put off for far too long.

Laura Hunt (Tierney) is dead and it's up to detective Mark McPherson (Andrews) to find out who did it. It won't be an easy task, however, because he has a suspect list as long as his arm. Perhaps the murderer, who gunned down Laura on Friday night, using a shotgun loaded with buckshot, is Shelby Carpenter (Price), her unfaithful fiance, who may have had more to gain from Laura's death than from her continuing to live. Perhaps it was Ann Treadwell (Anderson) or  Diane Redfem, two women who Shelby has a history with and one of whom is in love with him. Or perhaps it was Waldo Lydecker (Webb), a friend of Laura's, a sort of mentor to her. While Waldo's motives aren't terribly clear, anything is possible as McPherson digs deeper and deeper into the case of Laura Hunt and begins, himself, to fall deeper and deeper under the mysterious, drawing spell of the beauty of Laura Hunt.

SPOILER ALERT!!

I didn't want to give too much away with the plot synopsis, because this movie is full of twists, turns & unexpected events and it's a movie that should be experienced without an amateur critic giving away those surprises. In fact, what can I even say about "Laura", besides to tell you how good it is. Sure, it isn't the best thing I've seen this season or anything, but it was very good and a bit of a surprise, especially considering I actually started "Laura" a couple of years ago and then stopped it because I just wasn't in the mood for a classic noir. Boy, what was I thinking? Anyway, one of the main things that "Laura" needs to be lauded for is it's intricate story, which incorporates all those twists & turns I mentioned above and it all makes sense. In other words, it isn't twists & turns for the sake of twisting and turning - we're talking about an age of movies where they didn't do that. Nowadays, the presumed dead character can reappear, without any explanation, other than to mess with the audience's head and that's just stupid. In "Laura", it all makes sense. Did anyone else think that McPherson was going to wake up at some point and realize that Laura was actually still dead and it was only in his dreams that he envisioned actually meeting the girl that everyone spoke so highly of? After all, Laura's reappearance did happen as McPherson woke up from a nap, in Laura's apartment, just after gazing at her portrait. Even though that didn't happen, it was still good that you had that option in your head, as your list of outcomes that could possibly come true. It only helped to keep you guessing and guessing right down to the bitter end. THE BOOK also makes a good point, in posing this question: Was Lydecker in love with Laura, killing her because he could never have her or did he want to be Laura, killing her because he couldn't?

The other must be lauded quality of "Laura" is the cast. Can I just say what a shame it is that my generation only remembers Vincent Price for his voice work in Michael Jackson's "Thriller". He was amazing in this movie and instead of remembering him for his voice box, we should be remembering for his acting chops, because Shelby was one of the most interesting characters in the picture and the way Price played him was memorable. Everyone else does an outstanding job too and I mean that in the literal sense of that word - meaning they're performances stood out from other movies and were impossible not to recognize as amazing. Clifton Webb, Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney were all great and together this cast put out a movie that's going to be difficult to forget come TOP 20 time, even if it doesn't nab one of the top spots.

RATING: 7.5/10  Really good stuff, but it's sparring within a really amazing season and whether or not it can overcome that will have to be seen.

MOVIES WATCHED: 677
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 324

May 8, 2013  11:58am

165. Ossessione (1943)

Running Time: 133 minutes
Directed By: Luchino Visconti
Written By: Luchino Visconti, Mario Alicata
Main Cast: Clara Calamai, Massimo Girotti, Dhia Cristiani, Elio Marcuzzo, Vittorio Duse

SOMETIMES THE POSTMAN RINGS FOUR TIMES

The second adaptation from THE BOOK of James M. Cain's "The Postman Always Rings Twice" comes from Italy and the eye of Luchino Visconti, one of the fathers (along with Rossellini) of the neo-realist movement. By the way, as I write this it's past midnight and I've been up since 6:30am, so bear with me folks...it's been a long day.

Some of you probably read my "The Postman Always Rings Twice" review, back in (I think) May of 2012. Of course, I'm referring to the Tay Garnett, Hollywood version of the film, starring Lana Turner and John Garfield. However, for those of you that missed it, I'll recount the plot. The film opens with a drifter, Gino (Girotti), arriving at a small, roadside restaurant, with no money in his pocket and a hungry belly. The restaurant is run by a husband and wife, Giuseppe and Giovanna (Calamai). The pair is as mismatched as the baker and his wife (of "The Baker's Wife"), with him being a portly, slovenly sort and she being a gorgeous Italian beauty. Right away Gino and Giovanna strike up a romance and Giovanna spills the beans about marrying Giuseppe when she was hard on her luck, no longer loving him and how even his touch makes her skin crawl. The immediately start hatching plans to run away together, but when they finally go through with it, Giovanna can't do it and insists on going back. Gino breaks off on his own, meets up with a street performer named Lo spagnolo (Marcuzzo) and the two work together for about six months, drifting together. By chance, Giuseppe and Giovanna run into Gino and during some time away from the husband, Gino and Giovanna have time to talk. They end up hatching a plan to kill Giuseppe, so that they can be together. They follow through with the plan, staging a car wreck and making it look like all three of them were involved, killing Giuseppe. Following this, Gino and Giovanna have a hard time coping with the guilt and quarreling begins, all the while trying to sidestep the police investigators.

Gonna' try to keep this short & sweet because, like I said, I'm pretty beat at this point in the night. Umm let's see here...oh yes, "Ossessione"! Better or worse than the Hollywood, Tay Garnett version? I'd have to say better and also note that in retrospect I overrated "The Postman Always Rings Twice", which I gave a '7' upon initial review. My main complaint with that version of the James M. Cain work was the circus that followed the murder of the husband. You get Turner and Garfield going through court, ratting on one another and just a big bunch of brouhaha that wasn't needed. I stated in THAT review that everything should've been kept as simple as possible and it would've been finer and dandier! In "Ossessione", this is actually what happens, as everything is kept pretty simple. There's no media or courtroom circus and following the murder of the husband (which wasn't nearly elaborate enough - a big nitpick), they continue on the simple side, by adding in a touch of paranoia and guilt to the characters, which works well. Gino gets fed up with Giovanna, (who has her sex appeal toned down in the second half, to make her less appealing to both us and Gino) and falls for another girl, this time a prostitute. Giovanna gets jealous, threatens to rat him out to the police, but has a change of heart and they make love on the beach. It doesn't matter though, because some passersby, from the night of the accident, come forward to the police and rat them out anyway. So, we skip the circus, get more story, in a more subtler form and it all works out better in the end.

I will say, however, that the film is too long. It runs just over two hours, but it feels like a lifetime, at times. Everything from Point A to Point B to Point C and so on, is pretty straight-forward, but sometimes it feels like it's taking an eternity to get there. For a movie that seemed to be really good and right on the money, it just bored me very much, at times. I also wasn't crazy about the acting, but will freely admit that Clara Calamai looked great! This was one of those movies, where everything (except nitpicky things) came together nicely, that I just didn't like for some reason, because I just couldn't click with it. I can freely admit that it was good and even better than "The Postman Always Rings Twice", but there was just something missing and I'm not sure what.

RATING: 6/10  Decent stuff, but maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it or something and a rewatch is probably needed someday. Until then, call it a '6'.

MOVIES WATCHED: 676
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 325

May 7, 2013  12:46am

149. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

Running Time: 118 minutes
Directed By: John Ford
Written By: Philip Dunne, from novel by Richard Llewellyn
Main Cast: Roddy McDowall, Donald Crisp, Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Anna Lee
Click here to view the trailer

FORD HAVE MERCY ON ME!

Yes, it's another Irish (well it's Welsh, but who's counting) piece by John Ford. Some of you may remember my complete dislike for Ford's "The Quiet Man" earlier this same season and while this one was a smidge better, I still wasn't too keen on it.

The film is a slice of family life in a small, Welsh village where the majority of the villagers are coal miners. We zoom in on a typical family, consisting of a father (Crisp); mother; five brothers, including the youngest Huw (McDowall) and a sister (O'Hara). Together they are the Morgan family and everyday the four elder brothers and their father trot off to work in the dingy coal mines. They come home each night singing songs (not unlike the seven dwarfs), put their wages in Ma's apron, which she folds up to act as a basket and wash the coal dust from their bodies. They then gather round the table, like any wholesome, normal, full of love family and break bread together, giving thanks for what they have. Things are peachy keen until the wages at the mine are cut to make way for new workers, who agree to work for less money and a strike ensues. Father resists the strike and the talk of unionization, but his four elder sons insist that it's a must. Eventually his elder sons, never showing disrespect, decide to leave the house. Meanwhile, Huw, the youngest, falls into an icy river (a la George Bailey) and messes up his legs. Doctors say he'll likely never walk again, but a pep talk from the new preacher (Pidgeon) about faith gives him hope. He ultimately makes a full recovery and goes to school, where he learns that a man must learn to fight with his fists. The strike eventually ends, father returns to the mines and life goes on, with it's ups and downs, as it always will. We continue to watch the progression of the Morgan family, through their specific ups and downs.

Apparently back in 1941, John Ford was doing some serious palm greasing, because that's the only plausible explanation for "How Green Was My Valley" taking home the Oscar for Best Picture, especially considering it beat out "Citizen Kane". Granted, "Kane" isn't a favorite of mine, but it's a favorite of everyone else and it's even obvious to me that "Valley" beats "Kane" zero times out of one hundred. This picture was a little too wholesome, goody-goody and of it's time for this reviewer. It didn't age well, to say the least and this is yet another film that I watch while envisioning my grandparents, wrapped under an afghan, watching and loving every minute of it, on a dreary Sunday afternoon, likely after church. I just don't share Ford's passion for these slice of life, countryside dramas, filled with family values and characters that we follow through years upon years of their lives. He obviously had ideals and interests other than mine and seemed to make pictures that would allow him to reflect on a simpler time, one that is basically non-existent today.

Of course, it wasn't all bad and I'll give credit where it's due. I was engaged about half the time, while the other half the time my mind wanted badly to wander and forget about the dull picture that was spreading itself out before me. Donald Crisp was excellent, as was Walter Pidgeon and certain scenarios were interesting. By the way, the answer to the math question that Walter Pidgeon's character poses to Huw, at about the halfway point is four (I think). At times the picture gave off a cozy aura and while I watched it in my TV room today, wrapped under a blanket (because the air conditioner was on a tad too high), there were times when I wanted to doze off, not because I was bored, but because I was comfortable warmth generating from the screen. I guess that's not bad at all. Also, the narration is great and I can only assume that the narration is read word for word out of the novel, because it's so well written that it must be from a novelist and not a screenwriter.

RATING: 5/10  Let's slice it right down the middle and call it an average affair. I felt that I griped just as much as I praised and therefore a '5' seems fitting.

MOVIES WATCHED: 675
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 326

May 4, 2013  9:17pm

83. L'Atalante (1934)

Running Time: 89 minutes
Directed By: Jean Vigo
Written By: Jean Guinee, Albert Riera
Main Cast: Jean Daste, Dita Parlo, Michel Simon, Gilles Margaritis, Louis Lefebvre
Click here to view the trailer

30s = DONE!

Yep, that's right. With the watching of "L'Atalante", I now have officially watched everything from the beginning of THE BOOK, all the way up to 1941! It also means that within the span of two movies, I've completed both the 21st century and the decade of the 1930s!

Jean (Daste) and Juliette (Parlo) have just been married. While her weepy eyed family bid her adieu, she follows Jean to a barge, which he's the captain of. Aboard the boat, Juliette meets Jean's crew: his second-in-command Pere Jules (Simon) and the cabin boy. Pere Jules is a simple minded fellow, who's seemingly spent his whole life on the water, an uneducated sort. He has a thing for cat's and aboard the L'Atalante, he houses many. Jean and Juliette seem a happy couple...at first, but Jean shows a troubled side early, when he catches Juliette harmlessly chatting with Jules and goes into a jealous rage, smashing plates and breaking everything in site. He apologizes swiftly and the honeymoon is back on, as the L'Atalante docks in Paris. Juliette, having never been to the big city before, can't wait to go ashore and see the bright lights of the big city. Jean promises to take her out, but when Jules disappears for a little while, he claims he can't leave the boat alone and cancels their plans. Eventually they do go out, but when a peddler flirts with Juliette, Jean goes into another jealous rage and when the peddler shows up at the boat, once the couple are back aboard, Jean gets even more furious. Realizing that she could never be content with such a jealous man, Juliette leaves and heads into the city on her own. Once gone, Jean vows to cast off that night, leaving her behind, thus ending their marriage.

Boy, I guess I just don't get Jean Vigo. I can remember way back when, when I'd first started this journey and when I reviewed "Zero for Conduct". I remember hating it and telling what I thought in my very amateur, early review. Following that, I remember going onto the IMDB message boards and further sharing my thoughts with some of the users there. I wasn't a confident critic then, so when the other users "tore me a new one" for not loving "Zero", I headed for the hills and since then, my presence at those message boards has been scarce. I've become more confident in my own opinion since then and today, I always stand behind what I say, when it pertains to film. I feel that I've seen enough movies to watch and understand them and especially to speak about them intelligently, without being ashamed of my opinion.

Anyway (I got off topic there, didn't I?) I didn't like "L'Atalante" in the slightest. To me, it was a nothing film and I just don't get all the hubbub over this one. I'd heard some pretty amazing things about this picture, however, it really failed to deliver the goods and I was left with a fairly hollow story about a newly married man and woman aboard a barge, heading to Paris. Big whoop! I mean, was I missing something obviously outstanding here? I guess, from my brief bit of research, it was a big pioneer in what would later become the French New Wave, so there's that, but as a story it's really nothing to get too excited over. Michel Simon is pretty great as Pere Jules, but that's about the extent of my enjoyment, which includes him playing a phonograph record with his index finger...a great moment! Otherwise, this is as forgetful a film as I'll watch or have watched on my journey and I'm sure in a month I won't even remember the characters' names. End of rant.

RATING: 3.5/10  I'll give it a few notches, because it was more forgetful and meaningless than outright bad and because Michel Simon is quickly becoming someone I'm realizing I need to keep my eye on and he was pretty good here.

MOVIES WATCHED: 674
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 327

May 3, 2013  11:51pm

April 2013 Recap

Let's do it...

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die - As seen in April 2013
1) Shoah (1985 - Claude Lanzmann) 7/10 - I gave it an '8' initially, but a '7' seems more suitable. I'd say it's TOP 20 chances are nil, but it's still a powerful experience and definitely belongs among other "must see" movies.
2) 1900 (1976 - Bernardo Bertolucci) 5/10 - Still boring as hell, but I have to give it SOME credit.
3) There Will Be Blood (2006 - P.T. Anderson) 8/10
4) Artists and Models (1955 - Frank Tashlin) 7/10 - I'd like to somehow squeeze this one into the TOP 20, but with the recent influx in great movies, I can't see it happening.
5) Open City (1945 - Roberto Rossellini) 2.5/10 - Honestly, I barely even remember this one and that's bad considering I watched it in the last month. Thumbs down!
6) Paisan (1946 - Roberto Rossellini) 5/10
7) Europa '51 (1952 - Roberto Rossellini) 5.5/10 - These Rossellini flicks just weren't for me and that's that.
8) Voyage in Italy (1953 - Roberto Rossellini) 6/10 - My opinions have definitely changed, as I'd call this the best of the Rossellini lot, as opposed to "Paisan".
9) Akira (1988 - Katsuhiro Otomo) 2/10
10) Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957 - John Sturges) 6/10 - Barely a '6' and just not a very great western, at all.
11) A Star Is Born (1954 - George Cukor) 6.5/10 - '7' was just too high, so I had to knock it down a peg. James Mason was brilliant. Judy Garland...not so much.
12) Pulp Fiction (1994 - Quentin Tarantino) 10/10 - As of today, this is just slightly beating out "Le Trou" (inside my head) for the top spot of the TOP 20. That will flip flop back and forth hundreds of times before TOP 20 time though, I'm sure.
13) My Fair Lady (1964 - George Cukor) 8/10 - All the songs were good - great and Rex Harrison was outstanding. Big thumbs up!
14) Ariel (1988 - Aki Kaurismaki) 6.5/10
15) La chienne (1931 - Jean Renoir) 7.5/10 - Really good stuff and I stand by my previous quote, as saying this IS the best Renoir film in THE BOOK.
16) Me and My Gal (1932 - Raoul Walsh) 6.5/10 - Can't quite go '7', just because, but a really good flick, funny and Tracy is great. I had a good time with this one, no doubt!
17) Las Hurdes (1933 - Luis Bunuel) 4/10
18) The Baker's Wife (1938 - Marcel Pagnol) 4.5/10 - As hard as it was to find, it sure was a fruitless search.
19) High Sierra (1941 - Raoul Walsh) 2/10 - Worst movie of the month? Maybe...or at least it's right behind "Akira".
20) The Departed (2006 - Martin Scorsese) 7.5/10 - I thought about it and this just isn't on par with Martin's best work, so I lowered the rating a bit. Still a great movie, filled with suspense and great acting and all that jazz.
21) Apocalypto (2006 - Mel Gibson) 9.5/10 - I just can't, in good conscience, stick with the original '10' rating, but still damn good and one of the best action-adventure flicks I've ever seen. The images of this film are still fresh in my memory.
22) Gladiator (2000 - Ridley Scott) 4.5/10
23) Talk to Her (2002 - Pedro Almodovar) 9/10

Aaaaannd

NON-1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die - As seen in April 2013
1) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012 - Peter Jackson) 7/10 - Now, don't misunderstand that '7' rating, as I was EXTREMELY disappointed in "The Hobbit". Tell me Mr. Jackson, how do you plan to stretch a 300 page book into three, three-hour films? Ugh. Anyway, yeah, this just wasn't anywhere near the caliber of film that any of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy was. WAY WAY WAY too much goofy and down right bad looking CGI only helped to mar the quality of this film. I honestly think the only reason I'm giving it a '7' is because it is related to "The Lord of the Rings" and I do love those movies. I kind of look forward to the other two "Hobbit" flicks, but I REALLY hope the quality goes up, otherwise this trilogy will only end up soiling the greatness that is Jackson's LOTR trilogy.

Gonna' probably keep these write-ups on the short side...just so 'ya know.

2) The Artist (2011 - Michel Hazanavicius) 7.5/10 - Okay, so I finally got the chance to see last year's Best Picture winner, "The Artist" and it was pretty good. Of course, being introduced to silent cinema via the 1001 BOOK, I appreciated this a lot more. I remember when this first came out and reading Ebert's review where he mentioned that in certain theaters, people actually got up and walked out when they realized that no one was going to say anything. That's just silly America!! Could it have been better? Absolutely! You had the chance to, not only make a silent picture in 2012, but add some 21st Century flare to it. All they really did here was make a cookie cutter silent picture in the modern age and didn't utilize anything to give it a special twist, considering the fact that in 2012, Hollywood has plenty of special twists up it's sleeve. The story is basic, as are the characters, but the acting is top notch and...hey, it's a silent movie in 2012 and that's pretty cool. On a final note, I just knew someone was going to end up talking at the end, but couldn't they have come up with something a little more poignant to be said? Just seemed really random and unnecessary.

3) Lincoln (2012 - Steven Spielberg) N/A - I mentioned this in my "There Will Be Blood" review, but I'll mention it again here. I rented "Lincoln" this month, but after about an hour decided that since I have to sit through so many bad movies for THE BOOK, I wasn't going to sit through one when the option to bail was right in front of me. I watched for literally one hour and after hearing everyone blather on about the 13th Amendment, I decided to check out before my pulse stopped. Boring. As. Hell. Sure, Day-Lewis was fine as usual and maybe he even deserved a gold statue for his work, but damn this was coma inducing.

4) Django Unchained (2012 - Quentin Tarantino) 8/10 - I'll be damned if this one isn't growing on me...just a little bit. I talked a lot about this one in my "Pulp Fiction" review, so I don't really have a whole lot else to add. The Tarantino of the past ten years just isn't the same as the QT from the 1990s or even the QT that directed "Kill Bill". Feeble attempts at comedy and more of the same schtick that got him recognized in the early 90s, makes this a mild disappointment. Listen, if you show me a trick once or twice I'm gonna' be thrilled with it and remember it. However, if you keep showing me the same trick, eventually the magic is gone.

5) From Dusk Till Dawn (1996 - Robert Rodriguez) 6/10 - So after watching a bunch of newer stuff, the wife and I decided to take to our DVD shelf and watch some stuff that we hadn't seen in a while. First up: "From Dusk Till Dawn" - a film I introduced into our DVD collection, because I USED TO love it. Now? Not so much. Okay, so it's still a really good story, with very nice character development and as a horror flick, it's pure gold. But overall, it certainly gets goofy at times and some of the horror in there is just downright laughable, as is the acting...by some. It's a keeper on the DVD shelf, because you always need to keep a few good horror flicks around, just in case.

6) Matchstick Men (2003 - Ridley Scott) 7.5/10 - Another one that I introduced into the DVD collection, because when I worked at Movie Gallery (circa 2003 - 2005), I literally saw everything that came out on DVD and this came out during that time period and I loved it. It's a con-man story, starring Nicolas Cage as an OCD patient and veteran con-man, who, one day, realizes he has a 14-year-old daughter. Obviously I haven't forgotten it, since it's been sitting on my DVD shelf, but I bet for most people this is really a forgotten picture, because I never hear a peep about this, sometimes, brilliant movie. Sure, at times it also comes off as very artificial & plastic, a product of the Hollywood machine. However, everything works, there's a very cool, very unexpected (I think) twist ending and it all comes together for a very fine film. I'm also quickly beginning to realize what a fine actor Nicolas Cage is. I know, I know, he doesn't really ooze the aura of the great actor, but he has a really nice catalog of work under his belt. Sure, there's some shit in there too, but a lot of his movies are, at least, fun, if not quality films.

And that's it. Same time next month? I am so there!

May 3, 2013  12:26am

948. Dut yeung nin wa/In the Mood for Love (2000)

Running Time: 98 minutes
Directed By: Wong Kar-Wai
Written By: Wong Kar-Wai
Main Cast: Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Siu Ping Lam, Rebecca Pan, Lai Chen
Click here to view the trailer

UNRELATIONS

The first time I saw "In the Mood for Love" I gave it a '4/10'. Of course, you should also be informed that I'd just returned from the dentist, from having a root canal and that could have played a part in my grumpy demeanor and ultimately lackluster opinion of this 2000 Wong Kar-Wai film.

The film is set in the 1960s (1962, I believe) and begins with a meeting between Mrs. Chan (Cheung) and a landlady that she plans to rent off of, Mrs. Suen (Pan). They seal the deal over a bevy of pleasantries and as Mrs. Chan steps out, Mr. Chow steps in and asks if Mrs. Suen has a room for rent. She says that it's just been rented, but right next door there's another room for rent and so Mr. Chow takes that. Both Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow are married; Mrs. Chan's husband is away on business and Mrs. Chow works long hours at her job. After a while of living in the same tenement house, Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow begin to suspect their respective spouses of infidelity. They meet at a restaurant and after exchanging some pleasant conversation, they surmise that, yes indeed, their spouses are cheating on them and with each other. At first, they want to know how it got started, so they begin to meet and roleplay what their respective spouses must've said to one another to get the ball rolling on a sexual relationship, even going so far as to dine together, with Mrs. Chan eating what Mrs. Chow would normally eat and Mr. Chow eating what Mr. Chan would normally eat. They decide that despite the time they spend together, they're not going to become like their spouses and vow not to submit to the temptations of infidelity. They continue to spend time together and Mr. Chow even moves out, to another apartment building, so that all the time he spends with Mrs. Chan doesn't start to arouse suspicion. 

THE BOOK is quick to note that when you think "In the Mood for Love" is going to zag left, if zigs right. It's not your run of the mill movie and it's next to impossible to deduce whats going to happen, from one moment to the next. The characters are a little on the odd side, or is it the whole picture that just has an outer-worldly feel to it and the characters are perfectly normal? I don't know exactly. What I do know is that I liked it a lot more than I did on that day, following my root canal and it certainly intrigued me more than anything. The film is a living, breathing poem committed to celluloid and it's such a beautiful picture that it was really hard for me to dislike it. Literally every aspect, except for the story itself, is perfect: The music is spot on, utilizing a Nat King Cole song ("Quizas, Quizas, Quizas") and a waltz (Yumeji's theme) to maximum effect. The photography is great, as literally EVERY SINGLE shot seems to be plotted and planned before they even turned the camera on, making sure that every single frame in the film was flawless. The atmosphere and mood were great and personally pleasing. The acting is spot on, as Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung have a really good chemistry. It's just that the story is told in a way that isn't conventional and therefore it's a little harder to adapt to.

I used to think I liked films that used unconventional tactics, but as I grow older, I'm realizing that I'm more of a traditionalist when it comes to my movies. I don't mind filmmaker's going a little off the beaten path, but make sure your story definitely calls for that. I felt that this was an original, genuine enough story to hold its own merits and didn't need the tricky character reactions and unconventional tactics. Anyway, I'm going to keep stewing this one over in my head and come to a definitive opinion by TOP 20 time. I'm not sure how it will fair, but for now, having read back over what I wrote, I can say that my opinion isn't set in stone yet.

RATING: 7/10  It's at least a '7' and honestly, this is the type of movie that begs for a re-watch. Also, with the watching of "In the Mood for Love", I've officially finished the 21st Century!! Hooray!

MOVIES WATCHED: 673
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 328

ON DECK
L'Atalante (1934 - Jean Vigo)
How Green Was My Vally (1941 - John Ford)
Ossessione (1943 - Luchino Visconti)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944 - Vincente Minnelli)
Laura (1944 - Preminger, Mamoulian)

May 2, 2013  8:32pm