I'll probably check out Proof soon, but probably after we move. The first part of the problem is that we rent, and the owner needs to fix the bathroom and then wants to sell the house, so he wants us out by the end of the month. The second part of the problem is that although we've looked at lots of houses, the screening process around here is much-more complicated than the last time we moved, so we still have no place to move to. We're working on it!!

So I'm gonna list some movies I've seen recently and if anybody wants to discuss them, say something about 'em. I realize that these are mostly "classics", but too many people think that's "The Dead Zone".

The Music Man B+
The Horse's Mouth B+
Office Space B
Horse Feathers B
Duck Soup B
Monkey Business (1931) C+
Guys and Dolls A-
Cimarron (1960) C+
Objective, Burma! C+ (although it's one of the best WWII flicks made during WWII, so YOU might like it more.)

I don't want to rain on your parade, but I caught PROOF in '05 on its original theatrical release and found it middling at best.

Meanwhile, I did some video watching this weekend.

STAY HUNGRY. This is a film from Hollywood's indie/director-centric 1970s and it was directed by Bob Rafelson, who also directed in that decade one certified masterpiece, FIVE EASY PIECES, and one very good film, THE KING OF MARVIN GARDENS. I had seen STAY HUNGRY back in the 1980s when we still had commercial repertory houses in NYC on a double bill with HEARTS OF THE WEST. That must have been a Jeff Bridges double-feature because he starred in both films. In STAY HUNGRY, he co-starred with a Sally Field and a very young Arnold Schwartzenegger. The credits said the film was "introducing" Arn-uld.

In any event, the film is set in the south and Bridges plays a rich guy who is involved in a real estate deal and is charged with buying a piece of property that is the last piece on a block his group wants to control so they can put up a skyscraper. There is a gym on the site (hey Arn-uld is in it) and Jeff gets involved with the people in the gym, friendly with Arn-uld & romantically involved with Sally. The film is kind of mess as it kind of lurches all over the place. I'm not sure what the point was. Not without interest, but it didn't hold up as well as I remembered it.

YEAR OF THE DRAGON. This film is a trip. I remember seeing this one on original theatrical release and once more on video, but I haven't seen it in a dozen years. A B movie really and not a very good one at that, but surprisingly watchable. Chalk this one up as a guilty pleasure. First the director was Michael Cimino, and it is one of only three he directed after his disastrous HEAVEN'S GATE. The screenwriter was Ollie Stone. The volatile
mix of Cimino and Ollie assured that this film went way, way over the top. In fact, Asians were so offended by the film (it was set in NYC's Chinatown) they actually picketed the film on its original release. On the video, there is a statement up front talking about how the film is fictional and not meant to disrespect Asians.

Mickey Rourke is the new sheriff and he's been called into Dodge/Chinatown to clean up the baddies. John Lone is the chief baddie. Ariane, who was beautiful but she couldn't act a lick (that's why she quickly disappeared), was Mickey's love interest. This film is a trip.

TEN. Another film I caught on original theatrical release back in '79 and one I've seen since on video, but again not for a decade or more. This film was a big hit on original release and the now forgotten Bo Derek's corn rows/dreads made a fashion statement and many women started to wear their hair the way Bo did in this movie.

Directed by Blake Edwards, it is set in L.A. Dudley Moore plays a composer in the throes of a mid life crisis; Julie Andrews in Dudley's main squeeze; and the aformentioned Bo is the woman Dudley is smitten with and follows her down to Mexico. Bo was the "10" in the title and I don't think she was all that pretty. She had a brief film career when it was clear that she couldn't act. Not a great film by any stretch, but not bad either.

GET SHORTY. I broke out my laser disc and checked this one out. I hadn't seen it since its original theatrical release and it has held up very, very well. In fact, it is a flat out terrific film based on an Elmore Leonard novel. John Travolta is terrific in the lead as a mafioso who wants to break into the film industry. Barry Sonnenfeld directed and it is -- off the top of my head -- his best film. What is fascinating is to see James Gandolfini, in a supporting role, well before he came to fame and fortune as Tony Soprano.

COWBOY. This one is a real curio. It is from the late 1950s and stars Jack Lemmon in a Western. Directed by Delmer Daves and co-starring Glenn Ford, basically Jack joins Delmer on a cattle drive and learns how to be tough and Glenn learns how to be more empathic. Not a bad film, but kind of routine. Interesting that the film played on TMC recently, but it is a Columbia Film, not an MGM/Warners film, but it played on TMC any way.

I just saw American Beauty for the first time last night. What an amazing movie.

I saw War Of The Worlds this pass weekend.
And Red Eye. I liked them both even thou they had some holes to fill.
Donna A.

AGAINST ALL ODDS. I had seen this Taylor Hackford film on its original early 1980s commercial release and at least once since on video and remember liking the film quite a bit. I watched it on video again last night and it holds up pretty well. It is a remake or based on the great film noir, OUT OF THE PAST.

It has been updated and is set in L.A. Jeff Bridges is an ex-football player in need of money and is hired by bookie James Woods (a great villain) to track down his lover, the lovely Rachel Ward. Bridges heads to Mexico, finds Ward and falls in love with Ward. Then there are complications and Ward goes back with Woods and Bridges gets involved in some of Woods' nefarious activities. A very good film by a very underrated director. Hackford has made some terrific films, including one of Richard Gere's best films, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMEN, and EVERYBODY'S ALL AMERICAN, a real underrated film that stars Dennis Quaid, Jessica Lange & Timothy Hutton that is also set in the sports world.

In AGAINST ALL ODDS, there is a nice touch because Jane Greer, the femme fatale in OUT OF THE PAST, plays Ward's mother in this flick. And whatever happened to Rachel Ward? She faded real quickly as well, much like Bo Derek from TEN did and Ariane from YEAR OF THE DRAGON did. The difference was Ms. Ward could act.

And I broke out my DVD of OUT OF SIGHT, Steven Soderbergh's comeback film. Like GET SHORTY, this one is based on an Elmore Leonard novel and is flat out terrific. I hadn't seen it since its original theatrical release and if anything I liked it better. Easily Jennifer Lopez' best film role, she had terrific chemistry with leading man George Clooney.

While OUT OF SIGHT was well received by critics, it for some inexplicable reason was not a box office hit. I can't fathom why. Soderbergh was on the top of his game with this and it is arguably his best film, though I still prefer THE LIMEY.

After Hours [Scorsese, 1985, Grade: B]

Although this film is filled with Scorsese's patented NYC paranoia and dread, this is a simpler, "lighter" variation on many of his themes. Griffin Dunne gets involved in a series of misadventures, mostly caused by a couple of silly mistakes which snowball until he's almost "mohawked" and a lynch mob in a Mister Softee ice cream truck is after him. If you think that makes it sound too silly, you'd be wrong because there is that constant feeling that violence is lurking around every corner. The supporting cast, including Rosanna Arquette, Linda Fiorentino, John Heard, Catherine O'Hara, Verna Bloom, and Cheech & Chong, is fine, and there's plenty of the director's trademark camera flourishes. If you haven't watched it, you should check it out.

P.S. My fave Soderbergh is King of the Hill.

quote:

Originally posted by mark f:
After Hours [Scorsese, 1985, Grade: B]

P.S. My fave Soderbergh is King of the Hill.

AFTER HOURS was actually the first Scorsese movie I caught in its original theatrical release. He was in career eclipse at the time with some personal problems and had made NEW YORK, NEW YORK, which bombed, RAGING BULL, which was well received but didn't do well at the box office, and THE KING OF COMEDY, which also bombed.

AFTER HOURS was an attempt to something low budget & quick and as you point out Marty was very successful in pulling it off.

I remember when KING OF THE HILL came out. Soderbergh's first film, SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE, essentially kick-started the whole independent film movement, but until OUT OF SIGHT reignited Soderbergh's career, KING OF THE HILL was considered one of a long string of disappointments. The critics liked KING OF THE HILL, but it tanked at the box office. To be quite frank I didn't care for it. The film Soderbergh made between SEX LIES and KING OF THE HILL was KAFKA, a film that bombed at the box office and with the critics. I am one of the few people who saw KAFKA and one of the even fewer who actually liked it.

B-

I saw "Blue Velvet" last night. I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't know what to expect from this one. I didn't find "Mulholland Drive" to be as jaw-dropping as some of the critics. It was effectively creepy and funny; or, a typical David Lynch movie.

BLUE VELVET is being revived in NYC next month for a two-week run in one of the local theatres and I plan to revisit that one.

Meanwhile, I took another look, via video, at a film I had seen on original release and once subsequenlty on video called THE ONION FIELD from 1979. I remember not liking it when I first saw it, but it actually is a pretty good film that features a terrific performance by James Woods, as an extremely creepy and effective performance as a villain.

Basically Ted Danson (long before "Cheers") and John Savage (fresh off THE DEER HUNTER) are LA cops and Woods and his partner are crooks who kidnap Danson and Savage at gunpoint after a traffic stop, drive the cops to the aforementioned onion field, and off Danson as Savage escapes.

Based from what I understand on a true story and based on a Joseph Wambaugh book, the film then follows the lives of Savage, who loses his police gig and is so trouble he has coping with life, and Woods and his criminal partner, who milk the criminal justice system for all its work and get trial after trial after trial.

A good film. Woods is best used as a character actor and is especially good as a villain as his creepy looks can be exploited. I remember that in the late 1980s/early 1990s there was an attempt to turn Woods into a leading man and his films bombed and he quickly turned back to character parts, which he is best suited for.

And Savage is another one of those actors who just kind of faded away. He was good in THE ONION FIELD and in THE DEER HUNTER, but little has been heard or seen from him in recent years.

I'm am probably the last person jumping on the "Hotel Rwanda" bus, but I have to mention how the movie is as close to flawless as a motion picture can get, it is unfortunate that I waited until now to watch it. 92/100

I saw Cruel Intentions last night. Sex lives of the rich, beautiful and boring. Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her step-bro Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) have a wager. If he can bed famed virgin Annette (Reese Witherspoon), he also gets to bed his step-sis. If not, step-sis gets his sport car. There's a side plot involving Selma Blair's character but as much as I like the eye candy of Blair & Witherspoon, I found it hard staying awake during this flick.

I also rewatched Proof, so the night wasn't a total loss for me.

Jewel Robbery [Dieterle, 1932, Grade: B+]

This is an almost perfect pre-Code romantic comedy/heist flick. Kay Francis is the bored wife of a rich Viennese banker, but one day her life turns exciting when she's robbed at a jewelry store by the suave William Powell. This begins as a cute examination of a woman who has everything money can buy (plus a doting husband and several lovers on the side), but she's still unhappy. It turns into a fun heist flick, complete with "drugged cigarettes" (joints) used by Powell to help him make his getaway, and then turns into one of the most-romantic films ever made. William Dieterle directs with something amounting to the "Lubitsch Touch", but I enjoy this more than the Master's Trouble in Paradise from the same year. This film flies by in 68 minutes which will hopefully leave you with a big smile on your face the whole time.

Alfie (Gilbert, 1966, Grade: A)

Director Lewis Gilbert brings Bill Naughton's adaptation of his own play to the screen with this superlative film which remains hilarious and powerful, while displaying several perfect performances, including what I believe to be Michael Caine's best. Caine's Alfie is a womanizing bastard and he sorta knows it, but his outlook on life is that "we're all here to help each other out", especially if he gets the most help and gives the least. Alfie talks to the screen which makes him seem like your friend, even when he's badmouthing all his "birds" (always calling them "it"s.) The dynamic really helps the film and makes it easier to relate to Alfie and everybody else. If the film were told straight, its true message might get a bit buried. As it is, you can laugh at and with Alfie, be pissed off at him, and see the satirical points being made about a lifestyle which claims to be free, but ultimately hurts many others, including the "free" Alfie.

Anyway, before I make it sound too serious, I want to comment on many of the cool techniques Lewis Gilbert uses in his direction. The middle '60s in England was really a creative time for filmmaking. The British actually adopted the techniques of the French New Wave and improved upon it (IMO) through directors such as Tony Richardson, John Schlesinger, Karel Reisz and even expatriate American Richard Lester. Gilbert isn't usually considered one of those innovators, but Alfie is full of smart techniques involving photos, b&w, slow-motion, location shooting, sound effects, Sonny Rollins' jazz score, etc.

Besides Caine's performance, which goes from farce to tears, there are great ones by Vivien Merchant, Julia Foster, Denholm Elliott, Alfie Bass, Jane Asher, Graham Stark, Millicent Martin, Eleanor Bron, Shirley Anne Field and Shelley Winters. Alfie often gets lost in the shuffle when discussing great films of the '60s, but watch it once and see what you think. I keep coming back to it, and no, I haven't even seen the remake starring Jude Law.

I watched Underworld: Evolution the other day and was somewhat disappointed. I really liked the original movie for its focus on story and lore. Its sequel, however, had too much money and thus many scenes felt like they were thrown in because the director simply could… and not because it served a greater purpose to the story. I liked the fact that the original had a shoestring budget that constrained the director to almost entirely live shots, as opposed to CG. The CG in this sequel was poorly used.

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I had to find out what all the fuss was about with the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series, but I didn’t want to afford the time to watch 26 episodes so I sat down and watched Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth; a recap of the TV series.

My God… it was like a 2-hour acid trip. The progression jumped forward and backward in time, from character to character, from one mech fight to another in a whirlwind of anime goodness.

Though the character development was completely lost within the visual onslaught of the movie, one thing did rise above the insanity… an extremely thought provoking, religiously symbolic, and very intelligent premise and setting. I’m looking forward to watching End of Evangelion. After that, perhaps the TV series would be worth a watch. We’ll see. ;-)

Some interesting religious concepts were the seven eyes of God, Adam and Eve, 17 trials of man, the soul being a tangible entity, the Evangelion definition of Angels, the core premise of man “playing God”, the Dead Sea Scrolls… very cool and very original sci-fi take on Western religion.

16 blocks - Previews didn't make it stand out very much, but it was actually a pretty good movie. Mos Def had a strong performance, as a kind of annoying character, but good nonetheless. Willis was good too, though his character was pretty simple. Basically a surprisingly good action movie, but nothing incredible.


Walk the Line - Excellent performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. Great music if you like Cash, movie was a bit too long though.

"One Day in September" an interesting counterpoint to 'Munich' in its blaming of the Germans as opposed to Spielberg's dismissal of their role in the events.

"Downfall" one of the best historical movies I have ever seen (up there with Dr. Zhivago) in spite of the Harpers article on the movie.

"Curious George" a tame and true adaptation of the text that my children enjoyed and i partially slept through.

"Hustle and Flow" pimpin'...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: juanboy,

Junebug (Morrison, 2005, Grade: C+)
Nine Lives (Garcia, 2005, Grade: C+)

Junebug is a good little movie, with some strong performances from Amy Adams and Embeth Davidtz, but the overall impression I had was of an underdeveloped and underdramatized character study/slice of life. Nine Lives left with me a similar feeling. Both films are serious examinations of characters who mostly seem to be very realistic, but except for a few instances, the viewer is left to interpret the whys and what the different situations really mean. I can understand that can be enjoyable and intriguing for some, but I'd still like a little road map to help me understand why I should really care about these characters and films. I know my own family and my friends' families, so I don't really need to watch the unexplained pains and problems of others even if I might be able to relate.

Both films wear their independent hearts and credos on their sleeves. Nine Lives is low-budget, yet it's well-written and mostly acted by a cast of some well-known actors. It's made up of nine vignettes, all shot in one take, involving nine different women. Sometimes their stories overlap in unpredictable ways, but essentially they're all self-contained. They all lead to some sorta climax, but just about the time you might be getting interested, they stop. It's an excellent acting showcase though, for the cast, which includes Robin Wright Penn, Jason Isaacs, Glenn Close, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Sissy Spacek, Kathy Baker, Aidan Quinn, Joe Mantegna, Amy Brenneman and many others.

Junebug tells the story of a Chicago art gallery owner (Davidtz) who specializes in "eccentric" artists. She meets and almost immediately marries a younger man (Alessandro Nivola) from North Carolina, and while trying to woo a wacko painter (Frank Hoyt Taylor) from his home state, the couple stay and visit the husband's family. Mom (Celia Weston) and Dad (Scott Wilson) are their usual selves and his brooding younger brother (Benjamin McKenzie) is currently living with his parents too, along with his very pregnant high school sweetheart/wife (Adams). Most of the characters are on the quiet, reserved side, except for Adams' character. She's very friendly, talkative and emotional. In fact, she seems to express all the feelings which the other characters mostly repress out of habit. The film is entertaining and affecting in an indie-sorta way, but it also feels enervated which seems to go with the territory.

Other films I've seen recently:

Play It Again, Sam B+
Seizure (Ollie Stone's first flick) C
Napoleon Dynamite C+
Spartan B-
Love Me Tonight (best musical pre-Wizard of Oz) B+

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark f,

I thought spartan was excellent but I'm a sucker for mamet. not as good as the Spanish Prisoner but better than a B-

just saw Block Party and Me and You and Everyone We Know. Thoroughly enjoyed both although I felt like Me and You ripped off a lot from Napoleon Dynamite, Happiness (especially), Magnolia, and Bottle Rocket. but I was entertained and it was better than crap like lost in translation.

The Graduate (Nichols, 1967, Grade: A)

Good Stuff

Not much to say about a tremendously-innovative film which presented original ideas about subject matter and technique and contains several archetypal performances. Combine the Simon & Garfunkel score with awesome photography and editing, mix in the coming-of-age story, and just sit back and relax as we drive all over California and end up in that church and later on the bus. That's entertainment!

V for Vendetta - An action movie that doesnt just entertain, but keeps you thinking long after it's over. Hugo Weaving does an excellent job considering he only uses his body and his voice. A tad long at 130-something minutes, but for me, it was definitely worth the time and money

History Of Violence Thought it was interesting but saw many Cronenbergian idiosyncracies that detracted from the overall power of the movie. Some being scripting (stilted, like in the intial scared bedroom scene), symbolism (obvious like Philadelphia as the setting for the end (Wagner's fault?)), and sensationalism (the second sex (rape?) scene.