Seoul 1988

AKA This gives me a chance to discuss the 2020 (i.e. 2021) Olympics

Unlike the last time I tried one of these, this was watched from beginning to end. It is not revolutionary like Tokyo Olympiad or even very good like The Grand Olympics-covering the 1960 Rome games-but it was fine overall, presenting the events as you'd expect them to-plenty of time was spent on the opening and closing ceremonies that were apparently were the start of those being way OOT in being extravagant and artistic. That was covered more extensively in one of the TWO other films covering these games.

At least many of the important highlights were shown, such as the success of Carl Lewis (also, Ben Johnson losing his gold medal because he failed his piss test due to being roided up... of course there's plenty of controversy that still exists today; among other things, most of the people in that 100 meters race were probably doping themselves) and others that won plenty of gold medals. It was definitely weird to me that a great moment of sportsmanship was not shown or even referenced in the English narration-are there other versions narrated in other languages?-that was dry and clinical when it was not portentous: Lawrence Lemieux of Canada was a sailor who during the competition stopped and rescue two Singapore sailors injured in a wreck of their dinghy. As a few minutes of narration were spent on noting how “winning was not the most important thing, but rather competing” I have no explanation why this heroic act by Lemieux was completely ignored in Seoul 1988.

Otherwise, I can't complain about getting to see various events from the past and some athletes I recall from when I was a kid: Sergey Bubka, Aleksandr Karelin and the like. Plus, there's plenty of 80's hair (including MULLETS) to admire, along with some fashion and part of the soundtrack was synth-heavy; to me one song sounded like the opening to Bowie's Cat People tune from the film of the same name... of course I would be remiss in not mentioning Hand in Hand, the official song of these games sung by the band Koreana (the K-pop of the 80's, I suppose) and “hell yeah” to that tune's writers Giorgio Moroder & Tom Whitlock. After all, they were the gentlemen who also penned such 80's soundtrack classics as Danger Zone, Take My Breath Away, and Winner Takes It All. Speaking of K-pop, it does stagger me that in '88, South Korea had just ended authoritarian rule that had existed practically every year since '48 and even in the early 2000's their vehicles were cheap piles of crap. Now, Hyundai and Kia make worthwhile automobiles, many of us have loved their cinema for the past 20 years and BTS currently rules the world.

All that said, this was a fine Olympic film. As for the Olympics currently taking place as I post this review... even if it's unfortunate there are no crowds present, it still has entertained me. Of course it's fun to watch the “popular” events like swimming or track and field; honestly, though, it's even more fun to check out events that are hard for a Dumb American like me to see. As somehow I have almost 1,500 (!!) followers from across the world, it needs to be clarified that outside of the Olympics I can't just turn on the television and regularly see water polo, badminton, archery, table tennis, or taekwondo so that is nice as a change of pace.

Crossfire

Crossfire (1947)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Edward Dmytryk

Starring: The Three Roberts (Mitchum, Ryan and Young) Gloria Grahame, Paul Kelly

From: RKO

Starring The Three Roberts

Before I begin the review, let me mention that I've been doing better now than earlier in the week. Yesterday I had a bad tooth that was pulled; thank goodness for such things as pain pills, dental insurance and Amoxicillin. But I will start taking better care of myself... in addition, someone I know started having knee troubles and thankfully it was not as serious as first feared: instead fluid was drained and hopefully he'll be back up and kicking in a few days.

Anyhow, this famous noir will be gone from the Criterion Channel at the end of the month; thus, it was time for me to see this for free. Not only does it star three men named Robert (Mitchum, Ryan and Young), it was a rare noir to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture AND it was the first big production to address the topic of anti-Semitism. The film is based on a novel where the topic was homosexuality but regrettably it was far too early in an American movie to address what was seen as “perverse” at the time.

This spans about 24 hours in Washington D.C. A Jewish man is murdered and the signs point to one of several men who are soldiers that are currently demobilized. Two of them are Mitchum & Ryan while Young is the lead detective on the case. An accused suspect is on the run and among other adventures, briefly hangs out with Gloria Grahame. It may not take the viewer long to determine who the murderer was and that he's a prejudicial A-hole... but that does not make this tale any less interesting. Aside from the characters attempting to figure out who the culprit is, the killer actually kills again and there's an important subplot concerning the feeling of listlessness that soldiers experience after they return home from combat.

Mix in the expected noir photography where light and shadows is stressed, a quality cast performing an exciting/thought provoking story pretty well & a great speech from Young concerning bigotry existing throughout history, and this is a noir I was happy to stream on the Criterion Channel while it's still available-its last day is tomorrow.

The 10th Victim

The 10^th Victim (La Decima Vittima) (1965)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Elio Petri

Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Ursula Andress, Elsa Martinelli, Salvo Randone, Massimo Serato

From: Compagnia Cinematografica Champion/Les Films Concordia

(I actually did not see any film last night; this was a Tuesday night watch that is just getting reviewed now. That wasn't the plan beforehand, but the past few days have been—chaotic for me. It's nothing horrible like what I experienced in 2020 but at least for now no further details will be provided. Whether or not I'll have a day soon of multiple reviews-who knows.)

In the past I've heard of this movie somewhere (that was why it ended up on my Watchlist here on Letterboxd sometime way back when) and a recent review from a mutual finally inspired me to give this a shot. After the viewing experience, I was more puzzled than anything else.

Sometime in the 21st century, there's a popular worldwide competition known as the Big Hunt where one person attempts to hunt someone else down; the rules are explained by some bug-eyed dude in the opening scene. If someone survives 10 of those scenarios, they receive a figurative king's ransom. Ursula Andress is tasked w/ hunting down Marcello Mastroianni but love is in the air... that may sound simple enough but this movie is bathed in weirdness. Andress having a film crew around so the kill can be used for a TV ad... that does seem prescient for modern times and that's not the only case of that here.

What is bizarre is all the random pop art that is frequently seen, or the strange inexplicable things (sometimes in the background) or all the off-kilter ideas that are briefly addressed/are minor plot points. Original, this is; presumably that is much more so than in either The Purge or The Hunger Games franchises this is often compared to. Marcello playing an off-putting sort of character is one thing... me not really caring for his romance w/ Andress is another. At least I was able to laugh in disbelief on several occasions at this peculiar world and how-for instance-one scene has a random dude who has his face and hands completely bandaged-and not only he is mainly in the background, why he's bandaged is never even hinted at let alone elaborated upon.

While I don't love this like some do, I can easily give credit for this being original, which is more than what I can say for what this has often been compared to-The Hunger Games and The Purge franchises. Furthermore, this predicted the future in some ways. Besides the idea of the big kill being filmed for public entertainment, in a roundabout way it predicted the rise of comic book movies. In this version of the future, comic books are treated as classic works of art, even if they are in theory designed for kids such as a series devoted to Tom & Jerry. Heck, even Mike Myers is a fan; Austin Powers was not the first time that the movie world saw what they described as “machine gun jubblies.” As the fake band from that franchise was named Ming Tea and Ming Tea was the product that Andress wanted to shill... that gag was lifted but done as a loving tribute.

 

Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Runtime: 138 minutes

Directed by: Peter Weir

Starring: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy, Edward Woodall

From: 20th Century Fox/Miramax/Universal/Samuel Goldwyn

 Always choose the lesser of two weevils.

I done goofed by not watching this immediately after Russell Crowe briefly trended on Twitter for defending this movie. Some fool (who might have been a troll anyway) claimed that this “puts him to sleep” and “he can't get past the first 10 minutes”, both points I passionately disagree with. Crowe replied:

“That’s the problem with kids these days. No focus. Peter Weirs film is brilliant. An exacting, detail oriented, epic tale of fidelity to Empire & service, regardless of the cost. Incredible cinematography by Russell Boyd & a majestic soundtrack. Definitely an adults movie.”

After finally watching this movie last night, I concur. As it was even better than expected, I feel like a flightless bird for not experiencing this theatrically back 18 years old, even if I rarely went to the cinema back then and 2003 wasn't a great year for me in general.

Crowe (w/ an amazing head of hair) is Jack Aubrey, a British Captain of the seas in the early 19th century. He is tasked to track down the French privateer ship Acheron. As the Acheron is a superior ship in design and build, it gets the jump on Aubrey's ship Surprise-yes, he was surprised-and the Captain has to use his guile and experience to escape. He wants revenge; as much as he admires his rival for almost besting him, it's the Napoleonic Wars so France is the enemy and it becomes an obsession to track down the Acheron. As the movie is more complex than it may sound, it is demonstrated why the large crew would walk through Hell w/ gasoline-soaked britches on for him despite him asking a lot from them at times.

Master and Commander (based on a series of novels) shows plenty of distinct characters that have their own sidestories that are all interesting and for me that made the movie rather vibrant rather than “boring” or “sleep-inducing”. Of course there's a Voice of Reason character (played by Paul Bettany) who was the ship doctor and despite being personal friends, questioned some of his decisions.As expected, Crowe was the acting highlight although the large cast of mainly unfamiliar faces were at least fine. Great was both the cinematography and the score, but best of all was that Richard King went above the call of duty to create all-new sound effects for the movie; none were created in the past and used in previous media. 

For me it was a thrilling adventure-it is rad that Peter Weir was able to direct something with a big blockbuster budget-and while it's understandable why some would be nonplussed by Master and Commander, it really worked for me and I felt like going out on the high seas with all those rogues and knaves.

True Grit (The Original)

True Grit (1969)

Runtime: 128 minutes

Directed by: Henry Hathaway

Starring: John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper

From: Paramount

There was more than one reason why this was watched last night. It's been on the DVR for a little more than a month; it was overdue. Another reason is more melancholy. I've mentioned it in passing a few times but there's been plenty of new followers in the past year. July 25th of last year was when my mom passed away. No, it was NOT COVID but rather a malady that's probably always been around. She was sick since the beginning of 2020 and time has not dimmed those awful memories. Like many people her age, she was always happy to watch or rewatch a John Wayne picture... and I might as well finally review one of the most popular flicks that The Duke ever made.

As many people have viewed the Coen Brothers remake I am sure the plot will be familiar enough where it doesn't have to be dwelled on. A young girl hires cantankerous U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn to track down the outlaw that killed her father; of course it's more complicated than that but that's the main plot point. She, Rooster, and a Texas Ranger known as La Boeuf go after the bad guys. Note that ELVIS could have played the Texas Ranger instead of Glen Campbell. While the character was no Rhinestone Cowboy, I'll presume it was Colonel Tom Parker that prevented us from having such a legendary Americana pairing.

I've seen people complain about the performances of all three leads. Personally, I enjoyed Wayne delivering a typical Wayne performance (for the most part) and I thought the Wichita Lineman was fine. Kim Darby as Mattie Ross... that is a different story. I'll just presume that Hailee Steinfeld was better in the 2010 film... and hopefully the character itself isn't as irritating. Among other things, why exactly did Ross always have a bug up her butt concerning La Boeuf? That was puzzling to me. Even then this was a pretty good adventure where Rooster was an entertaining character, thankfully not an A-hole despite his gruff nature, and there's natural conflict between the two lead men on how they should apprehend the villains. Did I mention that the lead heel was played by Robert Duvall?

I'm sure that eventually, the Coen Brothers version will be watched by me-at least this was a pretty good time. Wayne won an Oscar for this role... although that could have been done as a lifetime achievement award sort of thing as he already had cancer and at the time some thought this'd be his last role. In any case, I'm sure this is a movie that both my parents enjoy and enjoyed watching.

The Women

The Women (1939)

Runtime: 131 minutes

Directed by: George Cukor

Starring: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine

From: MGM

Yes, this passes the Bechdel Test.

The Women is another one of those movies that has been on the DVR since earlier this month, having been recorded off of TCM two weekends ago. Besides knowing of this for a long while, it has a particular trait that is still unusual in these modern times: the movie has an all-female cast. That's right, there's nary a male character to be seen throughout. 

The on-screen guide described the cast as mainly “a chatty and catty cabal of women” and noted that lead girl Norma Shearer was a “cuckolded wife”. Not inaccurate but I'll be more specific. This follows a cabal of women, the main characters being rich Manhattan socialite types. Lest you think it sounds unappealing to follow random wealthy women, note that this is a scathing critique on such people. Mary Haines (Shearer) is told that her husband is cheating on her; her pals tell her to divorce right away yet perhaps that was not the best advice.

Adapted from a 1936 Clare Boothe Luce play of the same name by two other females, this was quite entertaining as it had plenty of funny lines, especially one at the ending where someone calls the gang b*tches but in a way that was able to be accepted by the Production Code. As the director was George Cukor and this utilized all of MGM's top lady stars at the time (Shearer, Joan Crawford, my non-relative Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine, etc.) it is no surprise this was a high-quality production that never tires even at over 2 hours long. It's in black and white... except for one Technicolor sequence that had some wild designs.

At times the acting is of the period-meaning it can be over the top by today's standards-yet that doesn't really hurt this. More important is that the pacing and dialogue can be quite fast; I was at least able to keep up... and it did slow down after the opening scene that hits the ground running at 100MPH and is as fast as Usain Bolt. Don't worry, the movie is not as exhausting as that first scene that introduces many characters at once. Anyhow, this was fun old-fashioned old-timey entertainment.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021)

41% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 94 reviews)

Runtime: 121 minutes

Directed by: Robert Schwentke

Starring: Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Haruka Abe, Takehiro Hira, Ursula Corbero

From: Paramount/MGM

A.K.A. I see a movie as part of a full day's worth of activities.

If you are wondering why I would watch Snake Eyes when I hated the first G.I. Joe film and thought its sequel was little better, this goofy bit of summer blockbuster entertainment was one item on the list of things I did during a rare sojourn to South Florida for the day. It was at an AMC that had an IMAX With Laser setup; as it should go without saying, it does look and sound great although Dolby Cinema is something I think is just a little better. Some other highlights from yesterday will be mentioned at the end. As for the G.I. Joe franchise, the cartoon was watched as a kid but it was never one of my favorites; my tastes were more along the lines of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Anyway, the plot revolves around the titular Snake Eyes being recruited into a clan of ninjas by someone who I know is part of his lore in that universe. Much of it being set in Japan was an ancillary reason why this was given a chance. Snake's dad was killed in the opening; this was NOT the weekend to think of a parent dying... what happened to my mom last July and all. Supporting characters include Scarlett and the Baroness. In terms of ninja pictures, this was not even one of Sho Kosugi's efforts from the 80's. The biggest problem is the action, or rather how too often-especially in the front half-it was of the incoherent variety. I did not hate that like some did but disappointing, yes that was. There are still some badass moments seen but for me and many others, action scenes that are staged in a confusing manner or are shot too close or the camera shakes about or it's edited to death... that will be a major issue.

As for the script, no surprise that there's a surplus of Japanese cliché present-you know, “honor”, “loyalty”, and all the rest. That alone is not a problem; for me (and what has been an issue throughout all the films) is the preposterous and/or supernatural elements that are present; wait until you see some of those here... or rather, perhaps you just shouldn't see the movie. It's not entirely horrible; if nothing else, some unintentional laughs were had. It's unknown by me how many of the wackiest story elements were even canon before or not. The cast as a whole is fine, although I imagine it would have been better if I had first seen Ursula Corbero in the Spanish TV show Money Heist (as it's known in English on Netflix; the same goes for Andrew Koji & the Cinemax program Warrior) rather than this goofy movie where the G.I. Joe elements are not even brought up for long stretches. At least this did not put the BRO in Hasbro like the first two did. Still, while the action should have been better it was not a movie I hated even if perhaps it deserved an evisceration at times.

As for the rest of Friday, when I was down near Miami I visited a few places, walked around the mall this AMC Theatre was attached to (Aventura), witnessed several people that made me look normal in comparison, and saw the Miami Marlins lose to the San Diego Padres 5-2. It was a fun game and even though Fernando Tatis, Jr. only was a pinch hitter, in his one at-bat he almost hit a home run. As always, whenever I am down here it is a relief knowing it's not an area I have to live in on a daily basis. Mainly, it's due to the traffic... commuting on the Fury Road would be less stressful than the highways, especially I-95! Two aftermaths of major accidents were seen in about a 10 mile span; egads.

The White Stadium

This is an Olympics film which did not turn out like I expected: it was shut off after I saw no Olympics in the first 20 minutes!

Well, at least St. Moritz, Switzerland looked lovely in 1928...

This will be a different sort of review for me. You see, I applied a random rating to a movie I shut off after about 20 minutes! I feel awful this happened-the main reason why it was watched last night was that a Letterboxd mutual left a comment which in part mentioned that they thought I'd seen this already, which I hadn't-yet I have to be honest. This mutual will likely be disappointed and bumfuzzled by my decision... but I'll explain why I did not waste my time when there were other things I did, such as preparing to be gone all day Friday (meaning that I won't be back until Saturday).

It started off fine; a co-director was Arnold Fanck, a German known for his “mountineering movies”, a unique subgenre which were actually set and filmed in the Alps. The White Hell of Pitz-Paul is a late silent worth seeing. This is also a silent, with the interesting phenomenon of there being German and French intertitles at the same time w/ English subtitles at the bottom. Everything looked lovely as there were staged scenes and fancy camera tricks involving the residents of the area. Problem was, the first 20 or so minutes was solely these scenes (including a snowball fight between children) and I was wondering when in the hell I would see any Olympics footage in this Olympics film. There was no actual competitors, no look at people prepping the venues, no competitions, no opening ceremony, nothing.

I finally got fed up with all this filler and there was no reason giving to me why this journey should continue; there's no clue as to when they finally got to the 1928 Winter Olympics. I heard somewhere that the weather may not have been great during this time but this was over 2 hours in length and who knows how much nonsense like this was present. Honestly, I have little time for such nonsense anymore-life is too short and while apparently there's more patience with movies on my behalf than many do these days, yet The White Stadium was just preposterous. I'll just shrug my shoulders, move on, and sometime next week I should see another one of these... something that should actually be watched from beginning to end.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Jay Roach

Starring: Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Michael York, Rob Lowe, Verne Troyer

From: New Line Cinema

Or: When Jeff Bezos dictates my movie choices.

For those reading this long after the fact, yesterday the Amazon billionaire and a few others went into outer space for a few minutes. No matter if you think Bezos is a bozo (or worse), we can all laugh that the rocket which took them to space looked rather... well, phallic. Many made the natural comparison to a scene in this motion picture, where Dr. Evil takes off in a rocket that looks like male genitalia on purpose. While the real life vehicle might be best if it's in that particular shape, its appearance greatly entertained millions; in any case, revisiting this for the first time in ages was only the logical thing to do.

I'm sure that most realize the plot is that both Powers and Dr. Evil travel back to 1969, and while some of the jokes are retreads, others haven't aged too well, and there are anachronistic moments, overall I still laughed a decent amount. Welcome additions are Mini-Me (what a sad life Verne Troyer had), Fat Bastard and Heather Graham as Felicity Shagwell. The fact that this is more hit and miss than the first is mitigated by some high-quality gags/jokes (such as the two scenes of random people commenting on the penis rocket) and the continued taking the piss out of the Bond franchise.

Nostalgia may be talking here but it was a relief that in 2021 it was still rather entertaining. The fact that this is better than I recall Goodmember being also helps... I also recall that the number of cameos in that was even more excessive than the ones here; some of those I had no memory of. In any case, even though I am a Prime member that does not mean I'm a fan of Mr. Bezos and in fact wouldn't be crestfallen if he was either left in space or cryo-frozen for awhile.

The Grand Olympics

The Grand Olympics (La Grande Olimpiade) (1961)

Runtime: 147 minutes

Directed by: Romolo Marcellini

Starring: Various athletes of the 1960 Summer Olympics

From: Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano/Istituto Luce

After being distracted for too long from watching these Olympics films, the upcoming event in Tokyo was one of the reasons why I finally returned to this odd niche; in the next month or so I will see a few of these, summer and winter. This was selected as I heard some good things and it was the first of these movies in widescreen-1.66:1, to be exact.

It is largely what I expected... the opening and closing are naturally the opening and closing ceremonies, there's some purple prose as the narrator describes the action on screen, plenty of focus is on track & field, life in the Olympic village/on the streets of Rome is shown, and when possible in these Rome Olympics, Italian competitors are put over strong. It seemed like most of the important stories of these games were shown, such as Wilma Rudolph's success on the track (she needed crutches to walk until the age of 11 due to polio; what a life she had) and German Armin Hary has an entire narrative surrounding him. Another nice story is in the decathlon, where the gold medalist Rafer Johnson apparently introduced silver medalist Yang Chaun-Kwang to the sport while in college. Cassius Clay is never shown-whoops, although I am sure many had no idea he would become a legend shortly thereafter as Muhammad Ali.

While not revolutionary like Tokyo Olympiad, I'll still give this high marks despite some narration that hasn't aged well either due to stereotypes or what I like to call “casual sexism.” Zoom lenses were used and that helped make the events seem more intimate, along with expert editing. And it has a musical score I loved (expect classical, jazz, and a literal chorus at times) from Angelo Francesco Lavagnino & Armando Trovajoli, the latter of whom was a composer that did the score for various De Sica pictures and has a song that is heard in Kill Bill: Vol. 1. From what I understand, this is one of the best Olympic films of its type so if you only want to see a few of those and don't want one of epic length-this is still almost 2 ½ hours-this is a solid choice.

 

Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021)

43% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 53 reviews)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Adam Robitel

Starring: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Holland Roden, Thomas Cocquerel, Indya Moore

From: Columbia

Previously on Escape Room...

I went and saw this last night on the big screen; it was one of those places that serve food and that tasted fine, but between the bad crowd and other factors, I may not ever go there again. But even if those circumstances were different, I still would not have liked this movie. For its issues (including a bad ending), I thought the first Escape Room was fine as even though it was far-fetched, at least the characters worked well with each other as they tried to solve those puzzles.

This movie, it was even more divorced from reality and not just for the rooms that are so elaborate I wonder if it's either Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk that is funding this whole operation. This is only 88 minutes so at least it was short but that was at the expense of getting to know the new characters. If you did not revisit the first Escape Room, this helpfully saved you that (or a trip to Wikipedia) as in the opening they show highlights of that as if this was the back half of a two part television episode. From there it was outlandish moments. If you thought like me that the original movie's ending was poor, wait until you see the last 5 (that's what many will think) or 15 (me and some others) minutes of this sequel... talk about completely soiling the bed. That left a bad taste in my mouth.

That said, perhaps I am being too harsh here. At least there was still teamwork among these disparate characters in solving puzzles that showed creativity. The cast was also fine with the parts they were given. Plus, this is likely not the worst wide release that came out a few days ago... just from hearsay (plus me seeing one commercial for it) Space Jam: A New Legacy is horrifically bad: a product without soul, a total cashgrab and passionless nostalgia baiting. While the harshest negative reviews are PERHAPS a little hyperbolic, they are also funny reads. One of them was reading someone having an existential crises that he was part of the problem, viewing something so worthless as he feels the world is on a downward spiral and everyone else is blissfully ignorant of this fact! Yikes, that sounds like a motion picture worth avoiding.

I am sure I'd be more forgiving of Tournament of Champion's sins as I seen the worst sequel that's out now. At least it seemed like ToC was trying.

Manhunter

Manhunter (1986)

Runtime: 120 minutes

Directed by: Michael Mann

Starring: William Petersen, Kim Griest, Dennis Farina, Tom Noonan, Brian Cox

From: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

Having William Petersen be part of my weekend was a wise decision. It wasn't the original idea to revisit two of his movies in a row but scrolling through the Criterion Channel as I was gonna put something else on made me realize that Manhunter would be the better way to go. As this was better than I recalled from the initial viewing long ago... the right call was made.

Instead of playing a Secret Service agent, Petersen was former FBI behavioral profiler Will Graham who retired after a bad encounter w/ Hannibal Lecktor (why Lecter's name was changed is a mystery to me) but is asked to return and in fact needs Lecktor's help to catch Francis Dollarhyde-another name changed from the novel-a serial killer who simply wants acceptance yet is incredibly warped and is a terrifying villain.

There are reasons why I rate this quite high: it's a story that has layers and is fully rewarding as long as you pay attention... later you'll pick up various details and understand some character motivations. There's the 80's version of forensics along with various members of the FBI collaborating on this case of The Tooth Fairy Killer. The aesthetics are awesome... sunsets, various characters/locations having a tint to them such as Dollarhyde/green or Graham's house/blue. It's another rad 80's score. It takes a long while before Francis shows up but they succinctly present his motivations and his struggles. Come to think of it, the story in general slowly unfurls and it takes the audience awhile to fully know what's happening-in this case, a decision that works for this tale.

Also, there are some great scenes that range from Graham finally having a serious conversation with his young son concerning the aftermath of his first experiences w/ Lecktor to an incredible finale that involve various sections of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, the full 17 minute version-the movie ends on a high note, even with some curious editing choices. It has quite the cast, including some that would later become famous. You may not recognize Stephen Lang and his amazing head of hair at first.

To not give away all the highlights, I'll state that it's not a surprise this was not a hit when it was released but only later did it become a cult favorite. The fact that The Silence of the Lambs was a huge hit did bring this attention, although the two movies are as different from each other as was Anthony Hopkins and his version of Hannibal was different from what Brian Cox and his brief screentime did. Cox's interpretation was appropriate for this material; note that I've never seen Red Dragon so I can't do any comparisons between the two. Also, I've never seen a second of the Hannibal TV show so I've only heard a few things concerning its wild reputation and honestly, JUST NOW heard that Will Graham is the foe of the title character so that shows you how much I ignore fictional television in general.

To Live And Die In L.A.

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

Runtime: 116 minutes

Directed by: William Friedkin

Starring: William Peterson, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, Darlanne Fluegel

From: United Artists

Once again I'll thank Turner Classic Movies for providing me with entertainment last night. Of course this was something I had seen before... many, many years ago. This was long overdue; by this point how loud this screamed “1980's” had faded from my memory banks. The opening credits-in bright red and neon green-were a sharp reminder that this is from the decade of excess. Before I continue on, this has a small role from Robert Downey, Sr. Later in the year I'll watch at least one film directed by him; he was more than just someone who had a huge star for a son. For now, RIP to him.

Even if a plot point or several could be nitpicked, the film is a very good look at how even a United States Secret Service agent can be victim of both revenge and obsession. His partner is only a few days away from retirement... so you know what that means. Yes, he's a goner and with his more grounded new partner, agent Richard Chance becomes increasingly unhinged as he goes after the culprit... counterfeiter Willem Dafoe. It is a tale where the protagonist becomes less sympathetic the further in the plot you progress & the world is chock-full of crummy conniving characters. Not everyone will find that compelling but it is quite the ride-literally in one epic scene which has a legendary car chase.

In the bloody red sun of fantastic L.A., it is an ironic setting for a neo-noir tale yet in this case it works. It has a quality cast-between this and Manhunter I am unsure why William Peterson did not become a bigger star and it took a silly TV show years later for him to become popular for a bit. Of course Friedkin directs the hell out of this and several bold story choices were made (none of which were of the “subverting expectations” nonsense) but the actual MVP was... the score and soundtrack from Wang Chung? Yes, that act was more than just Everybody Have Fun Tonight and Dancehall Days. They provided pulsating, vibrant music that fit this story like a glove. I've seen multiple people describe this as “a coke-fueled adventure” and that is indeed true.

The biggest laugh I got last night was seeing that somehow, TCM gave this a TV-14 rating. Yes, it was unedited and features multiple F-bombs, several people's brains exploding from gunshots, many dark themes... and nudity that includes Peterson's bait & tackle! It's not the only time this has happened but this was the most flagrant example of someone obviously not watching the movie before throwing a rating at it.

The Paleface

The Paleface (1948)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Norman Z. McLeod

Starring: Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Robert Armstrong, Iris Adrian, Iron Eyes Cody

From: Paramount

A.K.A. I start clearing out the DVR. While I still have two thirds free on it, it would be prudent of me to start watching the movies and TV shows I've had on there since last month so it can be cleared out. This was something recorded on TCM a few weeks ago; the comedic Western was of interest because I only knew of Bob Hope for being on TV hosting special events that served as entertainment for troops stationed overseas (this was decades after The Paleface was made)... and the comely charms of Jane Russell-no relation.

Ms. Russell was not just a sultry dame-she could also do comedy. Her role was that of real life frontierswoman Calamity Jane; she is sprung from jail by the federal government to go undercover and bust a gunrunning ring that's giving weapons to the Native Americans... who of course aren't portrayed in the most flattering light. Due to circumstances part of her cover is to marry a meek dentist known as Painless Peter Potter; hilariously, she usually refers to her beau as Painless. As expected, Hope as the DDS was not very good at his job and there are several nitrous oxide gags. Unbeknownst to her hubby, Jane assists him at times to create the facade that he's a great gunslinger. That causes issues when the villains are discovered.

Beforehand, I had no idea what to expect from this; thankfully, it was rather entertaining to me. There were plenty of jokes and one-liners that tickled me pink... there was also some drama, a bit of action and even a few songs, one of which actually won an Academy Award. The appeal of the two stars was for certain an asset but it managed to spoof the Western pretty well without being malicious or cruel. Iron Eyes Cody unknowingly getting high off of laughing gas and his subsequent inability to kill Ol' Painless at least was amazing to me even if it's to no one else. As this was an unexpected huge hit, a sequel was made a few years later; one day I'll get to Son of Paleface.

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

Runtime: 118 minutes

Directed by: Questlove

Starring: An astounding lineup of musicians plus some famous talking heads

From: Several different studios, including Hulu

As I know what its title is referencing, this seemed like something I should watch. Then again, knowing that the reference is to a great Gil-Scott Heron tune doesn't really help me try to figure out what it means when the advertising (and the credit) states that this “a Questlove jawn”. As I have little idea what a “jawn” even is, there goes the idea that may have been assumed two sentences ago of me being cool!

In any case, this Questlove joint-his directorial debut-is about an important topic for Black America that had been unjustly forgotten for too long: the same summer as Woodstock, there was a series of six concerts held in Harlem, New York that was for the largely Black and Hispanic demographic of the area. Drawing somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 people each time, the lineup of talent was legendary... not to mention, such an event for this demographic had never been done before. It was taped yet those that could distribute it weren't interested in “The Black Woodstock” so it was forgotten; this is the debut of what was taped there that summer.

The lineup of talent was a draw right there and listen to just a partial list of performers:

B.B. King
Sly & the Family Stone
Stevie Wonder
Nina Simone
The 5th Dimension
The Staple Singers
Gospel acts that included Mahalia Jackson
Latin artists like Ray Barretto and Mongo Santamaria
Jazz musicians like Herbie Mann and Roy Ayers

All this music was incredible to me and as I dig such things, it was a sheer delight hearing/seeing all those great performers do their thing in front of an appreciative crowd. Alongside the music was soundbytes from a few performers and those in attendance, & background information on what life was like in the United States for this documentary, with a focus on Harlem specifically.

Those that love Wattstax (a 1972 Black concert event in Los Angeles that was filmed and distributed the following year & featured the artists of the Stax record label) should find that this is a perfect companion piece. Besides groovy music that sometimes is also stirring, both feature an examination of Black culture at the time... which as I say too often, has elements that sadly still ring true in 2021.

The Battle Of Algiers

The Battle of Algiers (La Battaglia Di Algeri) (1966)

Runtime: 121 minutes

Directed by: Gillo Pontecorvo

Starring: Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi, Samia Kerbash, Ugo Paletti

From: Igor Film/Casbah Film

Another one of those classics that should have been viewed long ago. Still, thanx to the Criterion Channel I was able to finally give The Battle of Algiers a shot and it was a rewarding journey which showed just how difficult it was for Algeria to earn independence from France in 1962... although presumably it was a similar journey for many colonies to drive out those from overseas that took over their land long ago. In any case I imagine this was not the only brutal journey where both sides did heinous things and many lives were lost along the way. This movie took an unflinching look at just that, a period of time in mainly the 1950's where a group of rebels attempted to unite their countrymen & drive out French occupation that had been occurring since 1830.

It is not easy to watch at times as the French paratroopers sent there to quell the rebellion resorted to torture in order to cut the head off the tapeworm and eradicate the National Liberation Front (FLN) from the very top. How ironic then that news of this turned the tide of French public opinion and this helped in part earn Algeria its independence. But this torture is shown on screen (mostly in one scene) and it is sad that not only did this happen, but several of the rebels shown on screen were real life figures who did die while trying to free their country. Except for the general, all the actors were nonprofessionals and some actually participated in the rebellion; this only added to the authenticity.

Icing on the cake was a score from director Gillo Pontecorvo and Morricone; it is tremendous. No surprise that Tarantino “borrowed” a track for Inglourious Basterds. Overall, it is a profound achievement that is the perfect example of how impactful revolution is on both the colonizers and those that wish to be free.

The Lost City Of Z

The Lost City of Z (2016)

Runtime: 141 minutes

Directed by: James Gray

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland, Edward Ashley

From: Several different production companies

This movie represents several of my tropes. I don't mean in the sort of motion picture it is. Rather, it is such things as “Wanting to see a movie but literally putting it off for years” and “struggling to select what to see for the day/evening/whenever” (a big problem for me as of late)... not to mention other common issues such as “purchasing something on physical media and waiting ages to actually watch it.” To be honest, the not always glowing reviews have been in the back of my mind for this effort ever since it was released in America four springs ago. That shouldn't have deterred me considering that I've literally known of Percy Fawcett since I was a kid, when I read about his disappearance in a book. As that detail is mentioned in every plot synopsis for the film... on the surface it sounds like quite the cinematic tale: “A famous British explorer believes there's a magical hidden city in the jungles of the Amazon... and disappears while looking for this El Dorado of the past.”

In general, from what I've read and heard the movie is relatively accurate to the basics of the actual story. Fawcett was in the British Army and was a surveyor for the Royal Geographic Society. He was asked to survey lands in South America that were not known to the white man. He became convinced there was a lost city built by the ancient natives long ago, which he referred to as Z... or “Zed” if you're British. The dumb white people of the time in general scoffed at the idea of those “primitives” having an advanced society in the past. He became obsessed with finding it, to the detriment of everything else... including the wife and kids he had at home. In 1925 he tried one last time to find it (with his son and someone else... it wasn't just him and son like the movie claimed) only for them to go missing.

It does have to be clarified that of course the movie paints Fawcett in a more flattering light than what actually occurred. His views on “the natives” were more complicated, for example. He still referred to them in a rather condescending way, even comparing them to apes and presuming that their advanced societies must have had something to do with the Europeans of the past. There's also controversy over how exaggerated the claims made about Fawcett's talents were in the movie and the book of the same name this is based on. The explorations he made on his own to find Z turned into disasters (it wasn't just the final one; the movie glossed over the others) and apparently he did not treat very well those that were on those treks with him. Perhaps he isn't as legendary a British explorer as recent media has led people to believe. There are a number of possibilities as to the ultimate fate of that small party; “It wasn't pleasant and was also not so glamorous” is the likely result no matter what it was specifically.

No matter the truth, it wasn't a movie I loved (at times the pacing was slow even for my tastes) but it was still pretty good and at times like adventure pictures of old. Charlie Hunnam was fine in the lead role-at least he was better than in Pacific Rim; the cast as a whole was fine but Robert Pattinson was the standout. What different roles he had in this, The Lighthouse and Good Time he's impressed in all three; I should seek out more, and I don't mean those awful sparkly vampire movies... at least he went far away from that phenomenon as soon as he could and had the talent to appear in the sort of films that we in general happen to dig. Visually the movie always looked marvelous, whether in South America-Colombia substituting for the jungles of other countries-or in the UK, or the World War I battle scene... it was thus nice being able to check out the 4K stream on Amazon.

The only James Gray pictures I've seen are this and Ad Astra; even if film fans disagree on the quality of his work (let alone the general public) one of the thousand or so ideas for what to watch in the future is “more of what this director has made.”

 

Flesh

Flesh (1932)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: John Ford

Starring: Wallace Beery, Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Jean Hersholt, John Miljean

From: MGM

This will be the first of two reviews I post here today... the other will be in a few hours:

A John Ford movie featuring professional wrestling? Sign me up!

It was only recently that I had even heard of this motion picture; thus, when I noticed it would be playing on Turner Classic Movies early this past morning, it was DVR'ed as I was genuinely curious between the plot, the cast and the director. It was more curious than expected: Wallace Beery played a pro wrestler named POLAKAI (his first name wasn't given, so he must be in the industry) in Germany who is a good guy that loves drinking beer from a beer stein; yet he is a blockhead and amazingly naive. Henceforth, it was easy for him to be manipulated by blonde lady Laura who was just released from incarceration; a different twist is that Laura herself tries to get on a better path but she herself is manipulated by a real A-hole named Nicky, who she knew from the past.

While slow at times, overall it was good, with a different sort of story. The movie had various faces I'd seen before; Wallace Beery, Karen Morley and Ricardo Cortez all delivered solid performances in their roles. A key plot point is that most of the lead's family emigrates from Germany to the United States... if you know history, 1932 in hindsight would have been a great year to leave The Rhineland! In the final bout, there's an actual pro wrestler from the time: Wladek Zbyszko, who had an even more famous wrestling brother that actually was the World Champion at one point: Stanislaus. This was in fact where Larry Zbyszko got his wrestling surname from decades later. In addition, I got a hearty laugh from this movie stating that it was only in America where pro wrestling was predetermined.

One last note: while I've never experienced Barton Fink, I understand a key subplot is the eponymous character writing “a Wallace Beery wrestling picture.” So the story goes, neither Coen had any knowledge of this film and that idea was just coincidentally a movie that was actually made.

Coma

Coma (1978)

Runtime: 113 minutes

Directed by: Michael Crichton

Starring: Genevieve Bujold, Michael Douglas, Elizabeth Ashley, Richard Widmark, Rip Torn

From: MGM

It wasn't the plan to see two Genevieve Bujold films in the span of a week but as I am me, this was rented on Amazon last month and I had to see it yesterday before said rental expired. For certain there are no regrets having finally viewed this 70's paranoid conspiracy thriller, directed by Michael Crichton yet was written by Robin Cook instead of himself.

Bujold plays a highly-regarded doctor in a large Boston hospital (although curiously there's a notable lack of New England accents heard in the movie...) who romances fellow doctor Michael Douglas in a hot and cold relationship. When her friend dies in the hospital after a routine procedure-and then others such as Tom Selleck pass away also-she notices that something is wrong. Yet, due to her gender the patriarchy don't listen to her, she is seen as “a hysterical woman” and you can't forget the gaslighting either... it is at least easy to root for her. In the past week, I've come to the realization that I should seek more of Bujold's work as like in Obsession she delivered the best performance of the movie.

While the plot is a little far-fetched, overall this was a pretty good time. It has a nice cast (there's also the likes of Elizabeth Ashley, Rip Torn and Richard Widmark... I won't reveal their intentions but on the surface you shouldn't trust characters portrayed by the latter two because they were played by Rip Torn & Richard Widmark) and was nicely directed. In addition, like clockwork Jerry Goldsmith provided a pleasant-sounding score. It has what you expect from this particular subgenre (sneaking around, trying to peek at documents, double crosses, uneasy friendships, etc.) and manages to entertain even if you're like me-along with many others-who hardly knows any of the numerous medical terms that are said throughout.

RIP William Smith

Last night I revisited the 1970 movie Darker Than Amber, which featured the late B-movie actor as the lead bad guy. It was something reviewed by me more than 8 years ago, but for several reasons this is a better review than the first one: 

Yesterday afternoon I was saddened when this news was made public. While this stalwart in the B-movie scene made some high profile films and could be seen in various old TV shows, I best remember him in such properties as various blaxploitation pictures, Maniac Cop, or this flick. In the early days of my time here I had up a brief review; this gave me an excuse to revisit a movie that has a famous (or infamous) aspect, and the copy I found on YouTube-which is the only easy way to track this down as it never advanced past the VHS era-this time was notably better than the YouTube copy which was watched in '13.

Based on a series of novels from John D. MacDonald which have only been made into a motion picture twice (the second was an even more obscure effort from the early 80's that is titled after its protagonist, Travis McGee, and hopefully is cool because it stars Sam Elliott) it follows someone who earn money from... the salvage field. He recovers goods that can be described as “ill-gotten”. Unique, along with him living on a houseboat and driving a Rolls Royce from the 30's that was converted into a pickup truck! Here, he was portrayed by Rod Taylor; the case is actually him rescuing a young lady from being drowned by her bodybuilding boyfriend. Of course Smith played the villain-he almost always did... he was great at it between his towering presence, muscular physique, mean-looking face and gravelly voice. Through his look and his actions, he was quite fearsome in Darker than Amber.

Even if it's rather leisurely at times, the movie is still pretty good. In fact, I think higher of it than previously... was it seeing a transfer that wasn't poor? Perhaps; in any case, it was intriguing getting to watch McGee attempt to not only learn more about “Vangie”, but track down Smith and his equally dangerous buddy. Back in '13 I heard that Jane Russell (no relation) and her cameo was actually fan service... yes, they did it even back then. She played the astoundingly named ALABAMA TIGRESS and from what I gathered that was a popular character in the novels. That's why she only has about a minute of screentime. Theodore Bikel as McGee's buddy amused me, especially after hearing what he referred to as “his shark tail”... the main cast were all at least fine.

The violence-when it's seen-is rather potent, but the standout is the fight at the end between Taylor and Smith. It is incredibly brutal and seems realistic... because it was a brawl which actually turned legit after they got carried away, resulting in broken bones for both. Really, at the end Smith was like a bull in a China shop. It seemed like a great way to note his passing, and it was. The South Florida setting, the jazzy music, a hero who can thrown down if he has to, an enchanting lady in Suzy Kendall, and rotten villains-a fun way to spend Friday night, in other words.

The Monster Club

The Monster Club (1981)

Runtime: Despite what it says on Shudder's site, it is 94 minutes rather than 104 minutes long

Directed by: Roy Ward Baker

Starring: Vincent Price, John Carradine, Donald Pleasence, Britt Ekland, Stuart Whitman, Patrick Magee

From: Chips Productions/Sword & Sorcery

Vincent Price and John Carradine dance to New Wave music, need I say anything more?

Besides not having watched anything on Shudder in what seems like a few weeks, I know for certain it's been many months since I've seen any horror anthologies. As I literally have a list on Letterboxd of this particular genre, it was about damn time this was watched on Shudder. I've seen plenty of Amicus anthologies in the past and while that studio had closed a few years beforehand, this was produced by one of the studio's heads, Milton Subotsky... and if this had more of a budget it would have felt more like one of those efforts. While it's a shame that the monsters you see in the titular club are obviously human beings wearing cheap masks from the early 80's UK version of a Spirit Halloween store, the stories were all interesting to me.

The framing story featured Vincent Price and John Carradine-one of this movie's benefits is that it has a nice cast. Price plays a vampire (apparently the only time he ever did so, believe it or not) and Carradine was Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes... who was a real life horror author that actually worked on this script; imagine an anthology where someone played Stephen King. Vincent invites John to the club, which plays NEW WAVE music. Even better, several performances from new wave acts are shown throughout. None of them I'd heard of before but most have Wikipedia entries so it's me not them... in addition, an act that had started to become popular at the time has background music in one scene and only later in the decade did they become famous worldwide: UB40! No kidding.

Anyhow, this anthology has a trio of tales which are all different from each other, not to mention different from the norm. They feature a fictional creature who falls in love, a vampire hunt from the perspective of the hunted and a creepy village that has other fictitious creatures. The famous faces present in those stories include Donald Pleasence, Britt Ekland, Stuart Whitman, & Patrick Magee. At times the movie is rather light in tone-it was an easy watch. And yes the two stars do dance to a New Wave song in the final act; hilarious, although not as much so as Christopher Lee and his appearance in a New Wave club in that astoundingly bad first sequel to The Howling. Even if it's not my favorite anthology from the time period, it was a pleasant diversion.

 

Assassins

Assassins (1995)

Runtime: 132 minutes

Directed by: Richard Donner (RIP)

Starring: Sly Stallone, Antonio Banderas, Julianne Moore, and various random people

From: Warner Bros.

RIP Richard Donner

I realize how daffy it will sound for me to watch a mediocre movie for the first time last night as a tribute to anyone, but... I've talked about plenty of his work before yet don't want to review it again, it was part of my physical media collection-a Blu disc that was one of a few in a Sly set-and I could use this to discuss how I've seen Donner's movies since I was a little kid. Starting off was the first two Superman films (hey, he did the majority of II) then came The Goonies, which was a childhood favorite-and still something which is looked at fondly by myself-as a young teen was the Lethal Weapon pictures and as an adult was The Omen. All are worth seeing more than this, that's for sure... yet it was not horrible (The Expendables 3 was notably worse) and it is disappointing to hear he passed away even if he was 91 years old.

Stallone plays “the best assassin”, someone who is looking to retire as he has started to become too old for this s***. Antonio Banderas is a cocky upstart-and was the highlight of this picture with his OOT acting-who feuds with him; Julianne Moore plays a computer hacker named Electra (hey, why are you laughing?) who gets involved because she has a true MacGuffin in that it is info not specifically revealed to the audience and instead the potential damage of this information (in this case, data on a floppy disc... more on that at the end) is vaguely discussed.

I'd rip on the people now known as the Sisters Wachowski for how stupid this movie is and all the illogical moments, but apparently much of the story was rewritten by others and they weren't happy with the end product. While I haven't loved the majority of their movies (at least the ones I've seen) their scripts were never quite like this so I should have suspected... it's not a movie I hate but it's still disappointing as with the talent involved and the general idea Assassins might've been at least good. At least it was a motion picture I was able to laugh AT and some of the action was fine.

The biggest laugh came when Electra was transferring over the MacGuffin data; it was on her sweet 90's Mac Powerbook and via a graphic we know it was a few hundred megabytes in size. She was transferring it over to... a 3 ½ inch floppy disc. For those of a young age, those only held between 1 and 2 megabytes of data! Talk about insulting my intelligence.

 

Obsession

Obsession (1976)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Brian De Palma

Starring: Cliff Robertson, Genevieve Bujold, John Lithgow, Sylvia Kuumba Williams, Wanda Blackman

From: Columbia

It's time for me to catch up here. That'll be done in a few minutes when I post another review. For now, this movie took quite the turn...

(Monday) night this movie was viewed for the first time on Turner Classic Movies; it was part of a five movie run of the great Brian De Palma. First was... The Bonfire of the Vanities. I've only seen a few minutes of that and that was enough. Last afternoon I was thinking that I'd only see the movie if I ever read The Devil's Candy, a book which covers the dumpster fire of its production. Imagine my shock when I saw that last night the hosts that presented the first three films were Ben Mankiewicz and... the author of The Devil's Candy. Get this, they showed Bonfire as an advertisement for a season-long podcast from TCM that presents the content of Candy... only in 2021, I say.

Anyhow, Obsession (like many of De Palma's movies) wear its Hitchcock influences on its sleeve. In this case, Cliff Robertson plays a rich dude in New Orleans who loses his wife and daughter after a kidnapping gone awry. Years later he stumbles into a woman in Rome that looks just like his spouse. What does that remind me of... they fall in love but what a left turn the movie eventually takes. Robertson's performance can be questioned (De Palma agrees) but at least Bujold was swell in her dual role. For such an early time in his career, John Lithgow already brought the goods. Between the Cajun accent and the giant mustache he eventually has, I greatly enjoyed it whenever he was on screen.

For all the talent involved behind the screen and in front of it, I can't say this is better than good. That's no slight... it's just that there are other movies from the director I do prefer. Not even Bernard Herrmann's top-notch score can sway my opinion. Paul Schrader wrote the screenplay yet various changes were made and he was NOT happy that certain things were toned down or taken out entirely. A problem for me was that not only did I predict a plot twist that seemed obvious to me, there was an inkling of what Obsession's most infamous aspect was. No spoilers on what that was, except that a certain foreign director a few decades later HAD to be inspired by this movie and used that in his most famous work...

No regrets on giving this a shot. No matter my feelings on this, it was De Palma's first hit, even before Carrie later in the year... although the latter made far more money in comparison. I do have to chuckle at the anecdote I heard yesterday, which unlike rumors of Hitchcock hating this movie due to its resemblance to Vertigo, I am pretty certain is true. Herrmann apparently swooned over Bujold in the last few months of his life. He was taken by her after viewing a rough cut of the movie and greatly enjoyed meeting her one time and her complimenting his music... it actually moved him to tears. Allegedly, her photo was in his wallet when he passed away suddenly, but from all appearances that obsession was NOT creepy like the ones portrayed in Obsession... or Vertigo for that matter.

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Runtime: 126 minutes

Directed by: Michael Curtiz

Starring: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf, Irene Manning

From: Warner Bros.

The film that was a 4D experience at times.

Likely every year since Turner Classic Movies began in '93, they have played Yankee Doodle Dandy each 4th of July. It was finally time to give it a show in '21, even though musicals are not my favorite genre, nor do I really know much about the subject of the motion picture, George M. Cohan. After the fact I discovered they took liberties with aspects of the story, so thank goodness for the bastion of truth, Wikipedia... as I literally have a list of the James Cagney movies I've seen it was also about time to see the one performances which won him an Academy Award. Indeed what he did in front of the camera here was great, whether it was acting, dancing or singing.

George M. Cohan was a man who performed on stage with his family as a kid (where he apparently was a real cocky SOB) and as an adult wrote many plays & plenty of songs for Broadway in the first half of the 20th century. The movie covers the various ups and downs in his life; except for a few moments this was light breezy entertainment which naturally had quality songs & dance numbers. It was a cinematic story-at least the way it was presented here-and was bookeded by Cohan accepting a Congressional Gold Medal (which was misidentified on screen) from President FDR... who was only seen from the back as if he was an evil villain.

As some of his songs were patriotic (and he was either born on the 3rd or 4th of July) this is why this biography is titled as such and a few times it reaches “America, F*** Yeah” levels of flag-waving Americana. As I mentioned at the beginning, this was when it became a 4D spectacle... you see, whenever those musical numbers occurred, probably intoxicated neighbors in the area were shooting off halfassed fireworks, which made for quite the aural experience.

Drums Along The Mohawk

Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: John Ford

Starring: Henry Fonda, Claudette Colbert, Edna May Oliver, Eddie Collins, John Carradine

From: 20^th Century Fox

If you ever wanted to see Claudette Colbert fire a musket...

Besides it being a wise idea on my part to see more of Colbert, Henry Fonda or John Ford and this just being added to the Criterion Channel for at least the next few months, it follows a young couple in New York State during the time of the American Revolutionary War. As today is the day where yahoos shoot off fireworks, binge drink and celebrate America's independence, there was no better time than now to discuss such a motion picture.

There are various ups and downs as the entire time period of the Revolution is covered while the focus is placed on the Martin family. Of course it was not ideal for Colbert to be “a hysterical woman” so often and even worse was the less than flattering way Native Americans were portrayed... perhaps it's not a surprise that later Ford would make movies which were apologies to Native Americans.

All that being said, this was overall a fun tale which had various ups and downs in the lives of the leads and the ancillary characters connected to them... from their neighbors to various militia members, a cranky old woman (Edna May Oliver, the highlight as she was the most memorable role) a parson that was a highlight himself and more. The movie had some laughs, drama, deaths, births, action, adventure, and even “the women” being forced to fight back... it was a good time. Of course Ford make two more highly regarded films in this year alone-Stagecoach & Young Mr. Lincoln-let alone all the classics that came out this year. But there was no regrets on viewing it this weekend. Lord knows the next film I'll review will have some REAL patriotic moments.

A Better Tomorrow

A Better Tomorrow (Ying Hung Boon Sik) (1986)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: John Woo

Starring: Lung Ti, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Emily Chu, Waise Lee

From: Cinema City/Film Workshop

This for certain fulfilled my lack of action/violence as of late.

I have only viewed a small percentage of John Woo's output in Hong Kong; as this is rather easy to view online (wink, wink) I finally pulled the trigger-or triggers; this was the first time Chow Yun-Fat double-fisted pistols in a film-and saw quite the melodramatic tale that was rather engrossing. One brother in a family (Kit) becomes a police officer while another (Ho) is in a gang. Ho goes to jail and after release, wishes to lead a legitimate life. However, Kit now hates his sibling-for valid reasons-and his old pals wish to pull him back in.

There's more but that will have to be discovered by watching this. However, Ho's epic bromance with his bestie Mark (Fat) does have to be noted. In addition, Mark ends up becoming the most memorable character even if he's not the lead... besides his gunplay there's also lighting a counterfeit 100 dollar bill and using it to ignite the 50th cigarette he had that day. Anyhow, all of the leads have their struggles and it was fascinating witnessing everyone interact w/ each other. Even Kit's girlfriend Jackie gets involved. Naturally the movie is well-directed and has nice drama; when there's action, there should be no concern... it delivers. The finale is rather epic and that was a rewarding end to this journey.

As it's me, some things were rather amusing. The soundtrack is totally from the 80's... plenty of drum machine is heard. A Brian Eno song was rather unexpected but that was also heard. Chow Yun smokes like a chimney through all of his Hong Kong work yet here seemed even more excessive than usual. I mean, it was a startling surprise when he didn't have a cigarette in his mouth. I understand II is a worthwhile sequel, while III isn't and I should also skip the Korean remake AND the Chinese remake... I hope Woo got paid for all these adaptations.

Clambake

Clambake (1967)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Arthur H. Nadel

Starring: Elvis, Shelley Fabares, Will Hutchins, Bill Bixby, Gary Merrill

From: United Artists

About as good as you can expect from a movie that calls itself “Clambake.”

This month on Turner Classic Movies, each Thursday evening they will play several films starring Elvis. How many I'll see in July is unknown; this one was selected due to its silly title and being able to see South Florida/Miami in the latter half of the 60's.

The story is not exactly complex: The King plays a scion of an oil family but not only is he nonplussed about the business, but gold diggers are really souring his mood. Thus, he takes advantage of an opportunity to switch places with a goofball, who is about to become a ski instructor at a swanky hotel, who has a British concierge that might as well have been played by Kenneth Williams. Of course he runs into gold digger Shelley Fabares, which is to be expected. The story turning into following a big speedboat race where Elvis competes against cocky Bill Bixby... that was more unexpected. So was a magical plot device substance known as GOOP which will assist The King. No, it's not the hand cleaner nor a product from that vapid Gwyneth Paltrow.

It's the typical cornball movie you expect from Presley but while it does not have too many wacky moments (even though there is more than one example of WHITE PEOPLE DANCING, I've seen worse and more infuriating from him so I am content with something that is simply mediocre. Speaking of that, the music... actually, it's not that bad yet there's no standout tune. Teri Garr, Lee Majors and a kid Corbin Bernsen do appear, albeit in brief bit parts. At least there were some stereotypes as broad as the broadside of a barn and a few wacky dance numbers that provided a modicum of entertainment.