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Brian T wrote: ...

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:The Captains (2011: William Shatner):There is even a Christopher Plummer interview here as well. I suppose you can fit him in the documentary because he was a Klingon Captain (Hab SoSlI' Quch!)

Plummer also likely warranted inclusion because Shatner was his understudy at the Stratford Festival here in the mid-1950's, and he's a fellow Canadian of course!
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Shatner is a big fan of Plummer . He mentions him quite a bit in at least one of his autobiographies and the understudy part is mentioned in the documentary. I really hope I can talk several of you into watching it. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Right now I'm in the middle of Hatari.

Here's what I've watched so far this year:

The Great Moment (1944: Preston Sturges)
Usually considered one of the lesser Sturges (can you guess what Karloff film is basically a remake of this) and sometimes mixes moods unsuccessfully, but still a decent film.
Platform (2000: Zhang Ke-jia) China
Often considered one Mainland's best films (by both western and eastern critics), while I like the film of life during the 80s it sometimes is a bit too oblique for my tastes. A very patient film. Anyone else seen?
Robin and Marian (1976: Richard Lester)
The two leads are excellent, not so sure about the direction and plot.
The Captains (2011: William Shatner) ***½/****
I wrote about this earlier in this thread.
The Dead Pool (1988)
I finally finished off watching the last of the Dirty Harry films. Jim Carrey is in this, hard not to laugh at his "video" in the film. My least favorite of the Dirty Harrys.
The Time Machine (1960: George Pal)
A film I've seen at least 20+ times. While it had been several years since I had last saw it, nothing was new. Still quite a fun film that is impossible for me to dislike.
The Black Pirate (1926) Silent
The Douglas Fairbanks films are growing on me. I love the production values on these and this is an early example of the two-strip Technicolor process. What surprises me also about this films is the sometimes harsh violence.
Swing Vote (2008: Joshua Michael Stern) ***/****
The Eiger Sanction (1975: Clint Eastwood)
Oh my. The climbing scenes are excellent. Could Eastwood be anymore Narcissitic then his direction and character here? Some of the more hilariously inept bad guys (and good guy spys). Still had fun with this though. How do you rate a film like this?
Mr. Baseball (1992: Fred Schepisi)
Super 8 (2011: J.J. Abrams) ***/****
Tales From Earthsea (2006: Goro Miyazaki) Japan
While not quite on par with his father's films, I did like this.
The Freshman (1990):
Quite funny and Brando is quite good in this.
Zu Warriors (2001: Tsui Hark) Hong Kong
This movie made me appreciate The Duel and The Storm Riders, much, much, much, much, much, much more. Sometimes I just don't like Hark's movies.
The Passion of Anna (1969: Ingmar Bergman) Sweden
I like Bergman, I like this film, I don't really like to be animals abused though. Anna is not the main character , Max Von Sydow is which does help the movie out quite a bit. As usual, don't look for happy characters in a Bergman film. Or happy endings. Or happy animals.

Shorts:
Busy Bodies (1933: Lloyd French)
Another Fine Mess (1930: James Parrott)
County Hospital (1932: James Parrott)
Three great Laurel and Hardy shorts. I've been having so much fun with their earlier works.
Fancy Curves (1932)
An extra on Mr. Baseball featuring Babe Ruth. Entertaining.
Wavelength (1967: Michael Snow)
Horrible, horrible avant garde film about a slow zoom across the room for 42 minutes. Somebody dies in this, though most likely from boredom.
Démolition d'un mur (1896: Louis Lumiere) Silent

Some recent viewings:

ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU (2001) 8/10
Though it's one of many films—from as many cultures and eras in time—to expose the dark and dangerous side of teenage ennui, this could rate as the most intense, innovative and epic exploration of youthful self-absorbtion to date, and it's telling that among the mainstream critics who tried to wrangle it, only old-schooler Roger Ebert found it baffling. My only beef with it is the same one I have with most "aimless youth" movies: ten years on, you know all of these mopey, vindictive little twats will leave behind both the educational system and their existential navel-gazing for the blandness and rote routines of adulthood. What they go through—including seeking the definition of their lives in the Bjork-meets-Faye-Wong-esque warblings of the enigmatic pop singer who gives the film its name—really isn't anything new, but Shunji Iwai's powerhouse HD visuals and non-linear, elliptical narrative style makes it almost as unpredictable and irritating as a typical 14-year-old, which is exactly as it should be.
PHONE BOOTH (2002) 6/10
SPACE COWBOYS (2000) 7/10
Only Clint could pull off something like this so gracefully.
MAYA LIN: A STRONG CLEAR VISION (1994) 8/10
This is the Oscar winner that engendered a fair amount of animosity for its win in the year of HOOP DREAMS, but it's still a worthy piece of work. The film isn't terribly revealing of Maya Lin herself so much as the powerful monuments like the once-unfathomably controversial, now utterly essential Vietnam War Memorial that made her name, and the reasoning and physical processes behind them. Sometimes creative types are simply not as complicated as people often assume them to be (or as they're often portrayed in the movies), which I think is probably true in Lin's case. She's brilliant but soft-spoken, intellectual and well-grounded, which probably wouldn't mark her as go-to documentary subject were it not for the overwhelming effect her best works have had on those who've viewed them.
SKELETON KEY (2005) 6/10
Lightweight New Orleans-set chiller-for-girls with the kind of twist that practically defined writer Ehren Kruger's pre-TRANSFORMERS-sequels output.
AVANT GARDE - EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA OF THE 1920's and 30's (various dates) 6/10
This is a two-disc set of short films from Kino, mostly silents with scores that don't always seem to fit them thematically, so that rating is fairly loose. The pictures I found most fascinating were MENILMONTANT (1926, and something of a must-see, I've learned), MANHATTA (1920), LOT IN SODOM (1933), THE SEASHELL AND THE CLERGYMAN (1928), REGEN (1929) and EVEN: AS YOU AND I (1937), which spoofs of the often arbitrary pretentiousness of Avant Garde cinema. [EDIT: just noticed your experience with Michael Snow's avant-garde item, Shawn, which you posted while I was typing my own list here. The Kino set might be a better way to sample a cross section of early avant-garde stuff, although even in the 20's and 30's, they cranked out a lot of pretentious babble]
MARTIN (1976) 8/10
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981) 8/10
BLACK BOOK (2006) 7/10
THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT (1951) 9/10
CORPSE BRIDE (2005) 8/10


In theatres:

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS (2011) 7/10
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL (2011) 8/10

Brian T. wrote:

I've seen the trailer for this on various DVDs over the years (including one I watched just last week) but Luc Besson has so consistently (and sometimes even enjoyably) signified style over substance to me—especially his directorial work but also in much of his writing as well—that I've been hesitant to sign it out. I probably will, but I may have difficulty setting aside the AVClub's take on Besson's output in the review for this very film: "Like the farces of commercial-minded countryman Francis Veber, Besson's gimmicky, crowd-pleasing romps embody so many of the faults endemic to American studio filmmaking that it's hard to watch his French movies, particularly Angel-A, without imagining an American remake.

"

I couldn't agree more--I 'm surprised a remake hasn't been done--probably with Nicolas Cage and a hottie of the month. However I can enjoy crowd pleasing romps as much as the next guy in the crowd and thought that "Angel-A" was edgier than a US film would have been--or may still be. "Angel-A" is a two-hander--the scoundrels, thugs and would be buyers of sex are there only to push things along--and Besson gets the most out of his two leads. I have seen enough bad movies--including movies I all but knew would be bad beforehand--just to enjoy some part of them. A certain scene, the way the score fits the action, the perfectly shaped breasts of the leading lady...

But I digress. Movies almost always have a commercial aspect. Even if they are subsidized, either directly or through tax breaks and credits, every one of those names in the endless crawl of the final credits has a paycheck attached to it.

I remember reviews of "Nikita" when in opened in New York in 1990, essentially saying that its popularity in France meant the end of French filmmaking although in that case the casting of the US remake killed it dead.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:

The Freshman (1990):
Quite funny and Brando is quite good in this.

The Black Pirate (1926) Silent
The Douglas Fairbanks films are growing on me. I love the production values on these and this is an early example of the two-strip Technicolor process. What surprises me also about this films is the sometimes harsh violence.

I was amazed at "The Freshman"--it just kept getting better and better. A lovely movie on a lot of levels.

"The Black Pirate", "The Three Musketeers" Silent films in the US were as good as they were going to get by the mid-1920s and Fairbanks was one of the main reasons. His "Robin Hood" is not to be missed.

Speaking of silents, Deep Discount has a pretty good sale on right now for most of the Kino catalogue. I'm sorely tempted by the Keaton Shorts blu-ray at just under $25, budget permitting:
http://www.deepdiscount.com/kino-super-deal/
(Shawn may also be interested in the very early silent collections The Movies Begin and Edison & The Movies, which are a good bargain at $48 each. Assuming you don't have 'me already!)

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ewaffle wrote:Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:

The Freshman (1990):
Quite funny and Brando is quite good in this.

The Black Pirate (1926) Silent
The Douglas Fairbanks films are growing on me. I love the production values on these and this is an early example of the two-strip Technicolor process. What surprises me also about this films is the sometimes harsh violence.

I was amazed at "The Freshman"--it just kept getting better and better. A lovely movie on a lot of levels.

"The Black Pirate", "The Three Musketeers" Silent films in the US were as good as they were going to get by the mid-1920s and Fairbanks was one of the main reasons. His "Robin Hood" is not to be missed.

I agree on The Freshman. I know Roger Ebert really likes the film, Brando hated it and then liked it (his flip flip was hilarious), and I've wanted to watch it for years. I'm surprised it isn't on any major lists (if you follow lists), but it was unpredictable, Brando's performance was quite good in dancing with a possibly precarious position in working with his previous persona (Godfather) and the dialogue was fun. When I was watching it I kept pointing out the posters (like Ran) and the director pictures (like Kubrick and Truffaut) to be annoying.

Robin Hood was the second to last film I saw last year. As you might surmise I got the Kino box set of Fairbanks. Robin Hood has awesome sets. That movie is fun because Fairbanks purposefully tones done his personality for the first part until he morphs into Robin Hood. When I was watching it I was thinking that he seems subdued and where is his arm flailing and overacting.

I still need to see The Three Musketeers though (luckily I own it).

For me Ben Hur and the other Fairbanks vehicle The Thief of Bagdad are among the highlights for action in the 1920s.

Brian T wrote:Speaking of silents, Deep Discount has a pretty good sale on right now for most of the Kino catalogue. I'm sorely tempted by the Keaton Shorts blu-ray at just under $25, budget permitting:
http://www.deepdiscount.com/kino-super-deal/
(Shawn may also be interested in the very early silent collections The Movies Begin and Edison & The Movies, which are a good bargain at $48 each. Assuming you don't have 'me already!)
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The Keaton shorts are (for me) among my favorite shorts of all-time. I have that set as well as the older set of Keaton. I'm a huge fan of Keaton, Arbuckle, Chase and Chaplin as you know. I do hope you get at least one Charley Chase set one of these days.

While I have seem many of the Edison on youtube, I do not have those sets. Those are a good bargain and thanks for mentioning Brian (though I think I have overspent this period though, I will have to update the appropriate thread to get caught up on Christmas and what I have bought, there is definitely some things you might be interested in).

1911 (2011: Jackie Chan/Li Zhang) **/****

I can't believe that these Mainland films keep getting worse and worse in the propaganda department. The movie is problematic enough as it takes a Cliff Notes approach to the 1911 Uprising introducing characters throughout the film, giving them a title that is really to small (the font sizes are too quick and too small so many times I had to pause and zoom to read it) and often punctuating the film with text to explain what is going on historically. It is hard to be attached to any character as they feel more like prop pieces that full-bodied human.

I'm not sure why the picture didn't turn out:



This reads as "The Xinhai Revolution was a catalyst for the Chinese people eager for progress. Following the spirit of Sun Yat-sen, the Chinese Communist Party led the people in the rejuvenation of nation."

It seriously says that.

masterofoneinchpunch wrote:

This reads as "The Xinhai Revolution was a catalyst for the Chinese people eager for progress. Following the spirit of Sun Yat-sen, the Chinese Communist Party led the people in the rejuvenation of nation."

It seriously says that.

Not exactly Mike Nichols and Elaine May...

Makes me wonder about the extent of culturally isolation of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television. This is so flannel eared that anyone but a committed CCP cadre would think is was insane--or just really stupid.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011: Guy Ritchie) ***½/****:

I am a fan of Ritchie’s aesthetics in films though I’ve missed a good part of his career in the middle. I have seen Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and both Sherlock Holmes, but missed Swept Away, Revolver and RocknRolla which many critics and reviewers tend to dismiss. What I like is his dialogue, the smarmy and sarcastic characters and his penchant for interesting camera work. He has a style which I find fascinating and entertaining.

Some of the arguments against both films tend to do with the lack of authorial fidelity which is quite common in cinema since it is a different medium and some critics lament that this updated version is not Basil Rathbone* (a series I personally love) or Jeremy Brett. Yes there is bastardization by Ritchie, but I feel in its reimagining of Holmes it does keep a sense of the character from the books not always seen in the cinema. Some of the reimagining is legitimate though. Would we want to see a late 19th century pugilist engage in fisticuffs (though I would not mind) or a more up-to-date boxer who incorporates moves not made popular until later (was that a triangle choke?). One could speculate that Holmes in his infinite wisdom picked on fighting styles from different cultures, though it would be unlikely (the deductive reasoning sometimes was a stretch in the books as well).

I find a particular beauty in the kinetics of this film. A style that I do not find chaotic for the sake of being chaotic, but it is a sagacious mix of montage, CGI, use of variable speeds and use of foreground/background depth in these scenes. If this was on DVD/BD I could do a David Bordwellian snapshot approach to showing what I consider sublime.

The homosocial byplay between Robert Downey Jr.’s Holmes and Jude Law’s Watson highlight the film. I am not sure it goes into as much homoerotic behavior (yes a triangle choke can be considered homoerotic) as some of the reviewers’ state, but there is some tension there – though possibly just because of Holmes attachment and fear of losing Dr. Watson.

I easily prefer the antagonist here than the first film with the incomparable Dr. Moriarty (Jared Harris: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) playing a deadly tête-à-tête while spouting verbal witticisms with Holmes throughout – ultimately ending in a literal chess game. I find the dual nature of Moriarty fascinating. I wonder if he keeps his worlds separate and does not let his maniacal penchant for evil world domination disrupt his teaching. Those characteristics do come in handy with dealing with students.

Random thoughts: I did not realize until recently that Noomi Rapace (Madam Simza Heron) was the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Urban camouflage – that was cool. Will there be a third film?

* It is interesting to note that while Basil Rathbone made the calabash pipe famous and equating it with Holmes, the character never smoked this pipe. The Sidney Paget illustrations had him smoking a churchwarden. Here is an interesting read on the subject.

Curry & Pepper (1990: Blacky Ko: Hong Kong) **½/****

It would not be until All For the Winner a few months after this that Stephen Chow would become a true superstar in Hong Kong though it still was a big year for Chow who acted in a total of 11 films. But here he is second billed to Jacky Cheung (Days of Being Wild, High Risk) who plays more of a straight laced role (relatively speaking). Chow is blossoming as a performer and gets to do a bit of his shtick but is tamer compared to his later films.

For the most part this is a typical buddy cop film with all the typical contrivances. Both cops are good at what they do, but take a more pragmatic approach to crime instead of by-the-book. There is even a woman reporter (Ann Bridgewater: Full Contact) that comes in between them that leads to the inevitable break-up (and later redemption) of the friendship.

The director Blacky Ko Sau-leung is also the terminator like bad-guy in the film. He had been a stuntman and supporting actor for years, known for his motorcycle jumps, so his approach to this film is certainly an action-oriented one. There are some impressive stunts, falls and fight scenes. There is a couple of very impressive pier dives early in the film. There is also a surprising gweilo fight scene where the two attempt to arrest two foreigners who are passing counterfeit bills who just happen to know kung fu (weird that in this film I have seen the most Caucasians I think ever in a Hong Kong movie; also a lot of English, which I have heard before, but some of the mangling of expletives is quite hilarious).

There is some great footage of Hong Kong and Andrew Lau’s (Infernal Affairs Trilogy) cinematography is the best aspect of the movie. There is so much on-location footage. While filming many unsuspecting audience members (sometimes though they are gathering around just to see the filming and get caught in the process) get unwittingly get caught up in the act like when Eric Tsang is trying to shake down customers to buy counterfeit watches (is that a Romex) or when Stephen Chow is trying to show to the reporter how people are hardened against crime and will not help.

Overall this is a fun film and a decent choice for those who are already immersed in Hong Kong movies. I watched the ancient (1999; has a hologram image for the DVD) Universal R0/NTSC release which has some of the typical problems of subtitle translation (getting he/she wrong; getting the spoken English phrases wrong, my favorite “Shit you, Shit you!”.) Though be warned upgrading your R0 doesn’t mean the translations are better.

More recent viewings, some from the library, some from my own stash.

Asian stuff . . .

RAGING PHOENIX (2009) 5/10
I'm puzzled that its makers thought this would be a sensible followup to the charming CHOCOLATE. I remember a trailer that barked about this being a world's-first combination of martial arts and B-Boy style dancing (way to instantly date the material!), but the choreography required to meld the two styles is so foregrounded here that the fight sequences are robbed of the tension and improvisation-by-design that we've come to expect from top-drawer contemporary martial arts movies. A kernel of a decent story about abducted women is trivialized with hoodoo about the distillation of their tears into a rare perfume (seriously, would there actually be a market for such a product? And what if it caught on?), and the production and set design—including a villains' lair with stalactites and stalagmites growing out of a poured concrete floor (with seams!)—and costumes (parachute pants!!) suggest that this all takes place in some kind of alternate reality. Director Rashane Limtrakul (according to IMDB—heh!—helmer of the highest-grossing Thai movie of 1995, before switching to producing for 13 years) claims in the DVD supplements that the movie is as much about love as it is about combat, yet he fails so completely to convey the former onscreen that his confidence is sorely misplaced, as is his claim that it took him a year to write the film (which has, what, maybe five minutes of actual plot and 15 minutes of dialogue). Heroine Jeeja Yanin is more in love with what hunky hero Raza represents—his unswerving devotion to his abducted new bride, now a zombified victim of the "perfume cartel"—rather than the man himself, so there's nothing at stake between the two leads, and little reason for us to have much hope for them. I think Shawn's review of this at IMDB is a bit too generous!  I'm more in league with this IMDBer's take: "When our hero goes out to rescue some of the kidnapped women, she ends up fighting the bad guys in some sort of abandoned fishing net warehouse/Chuckie Cheese ball pit/PM Dawn video"

POWER KIDS (2009) 4/10
This might be passable for ten-year-olds, but it's a pauper's omelette of DIE HARD and HARD BOILED, only with four doe-eyed, martial-arts moppets sneaking into a terrorist-besieged hospital (!) to rescue a recently-harvested heart for their needy little brother in another hospital nearby.

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (2010; Thailand) 7/10
Like most of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's films, this is like watching someone ELSE meditate for over two hours—even as it seems to be asking the viewer to do the same, which would technically be impossible while watching a movie—and therefore needs to be approached with care to avoid inducing a coma. Some things I got, some went over my head. Further reading definitely helped, but its still a long haul to get through.

LINDA LINDA LINDA (2005; Japan) 8/10


Other stuff . . .

SORORITY ROW (2009) 4/10
About as dumb as you'd expect. Two of the producers apparently have direct ties to the original film; I'm sure the remake gravy train was hard to resist. There are some boobs on display in the early running, so there's that.

THE INFORMANT! (2009) 8/10
Another charming oddity from Steven Soderbergh, with a spot-on performance by Matt Damon as a real-life whistle-blower who casually defrauded the conglomerate he worked for even as he conspired to expose its price-fixing scheme by collaborating with the FBI. Marvin Hamlisch's retro-loungey score is one of the most inspired soundtrack decisions I've heard in years.

NIGHTMARES IN RED, WHITE AND BLUE: THE EVOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN HORROR FILM (2009) 7/10
Two things I learned from this. Narrator Lance Henriksen should narrate more documentaries, and John Landis and Joe Dante should make some more hit horror movies instead of always appearing in documentaries about them. Nothing new here for longtime horror buffs, but its speedy and clippage-heavy, which should certainly appeal to newcomers.

AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE (2010) 7/10
Landis and Dante are in this one, too! Like NIGHTMARES, this is a fast-paced, clip-tastic Cole's Notes overview of grindhouse cinema that actually gets more things right than I might have expected. The term "grindhouse" has come to be applied to just about any kind of "B" movie thanks to the ignorance of a lot of (typically) young web reviewers who were never there, and this movie rights those wrongs by focusing on the kinds of movies that ACTUALLY played the proverbial "grindhouse" theaters back in the day, while thankfully ignoring a lot of the illegitimate offspring that were birthed strictly in the era of video. A fine intro to the form, with substantial supplemental interviews for additional background.

CARS 2 (7/10)

BEST IN SHOW (2000) 8/10

A MIGHTY WIND (2003) 8/10

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER (2010) 7/10
Not bad as CGI-coated theology goes, but only a modest improvement over the previous entry. Shame the GOLDEN COMPASS series never got off the launchpad.

THE DRILLER KILLER (4/10)
Kinda surprised it's taken me a good 30 years to finally see this after continually eyeing it on the video store shelves when I was far too young to watch it (or be allowed to watch it). Turns out is wasn't worth the wait, but I'm sure my ten-year-old self would've disagreed, at least until he saw it. Despite the constant and intentional ugliness on display, you can't deny Abel Ferrara was a raw, rambling, underground force of nature.

THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK (1944) 9/10
I've seen a fair number of Preston Sturges' films, but this is my favorite by far, and must've been a real boundary-pusher back in the day.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (1967)
I can't remember why I added this to my queue. It was never on my radar, and I'd seen it on stage at Stratford at least twice (and a third time as KISS ME KATE!), but like many library titles, sometimes an article I read triggers an addition to my queue, but by the time I receive the movie I can't remember why. Regardless, this is premium Shakespeare, with Liz Taylor and Richard Burton in top form.

COLLAPSE (2009) 7/10
Moody, intriguing documentary/long-form interview with former cop turned reporter turned lecturer Michael Ruppert, who seemingly predicted much of the bad stuff that has befallen the world in the last couple of decades, and more importantly the last three years. Ruppert's an alarmist for sure, which undermines at least some of his arguments and, at worst, makeshim seem like a lonely, borderline crackpot, but he knows his stuff, particularly as it pertains to societies predicated on infinite growth that are utterly dependent on a finite supply of oil, and the inevitable hopelessness that could one day result.

SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH: COMPLETE SERIES (2007) 9/10
Stumbled across some clips of this Australian mockumentary on YouTube and decided to sign out the set. Comedian Chris Lilley plays three characters at the fictional public high school of the title, all of them spectacularly self-involved, and one of whom, "Jam'ie", the bitchy, divisive attention-craving private school transfer, is a carbon copy of a girl that I actually work with. Scary.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011) 8/10
This is my new favorite of all the APES movies, even considering the original's classic status within the context of its era. Tim Burton's remake was pointless—just more actors in ape suits. Starting at the beginning was the right thing to do with a franchise reboot, especially now that the technology exists to create the apes almost entirely by CGI. They make a few shout-outs to the original in this (the "damn dirty ape" line; the TV newscast about the astronaut leaving for Mars, etc.), but set up intriguing new possibilities for a sequel, or series of sequels, that would eliminate the bad taste left by some of those 70s followups.

Bought these next four for cheap at the Black Friday/Boxing Day sales over the holidays. Only keeping one of them as it turns out.
BRIDESMAIDS (2011) 7/10
Very well written and keenly observant about female behaviour in ways that similar comedies written by men are usually not, but like most of Judd Apatow's productions in my book, it's too damned long.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (2011) 8/10
Good finish (as I think someone else promised earlier in this thread), but still not a series I'll ever have a longstanding attachment to. I thought the "19 years later" bit was a good idea, but the ultimate romantic hook-ups for the three lead characters seemed rather arbitrary.

HORRIBLE BOSSES (2011) 5/10
I had no idea Brett Ratner was involved with this until I saw his name in the opening credits. I should've known better. Well made and well-performed (especially by the "bosses"), but I think I laughed an honest laugh maybe three times, and it kinda fizzled out towards the end, especially once it became apparent the heroes weren't actually going to have to go through with their schemes because Kevin Spacey's character conveniently turns into a psychopath. Colin Farrell was great.

FAST FIVE (2011) 7/10
This one's the keeper. I'm leaning towards an 8 on this one, believe it or not. This series needed a shot in the arm about three movies ago. There's only so many ways you can make races between souped-up import cars visually stimulating on screen, and they exhausted all of them in the first three pictures! The fourth came closer to breaking free of the tired streetracing routines in favor of large scale stunts, but the CGI cars were a huge distraction. I think director Lin must've been stung, at least in part, by the online reaction of viewers and (certain) critics to his CG trickery in Part 4, which is why we're treated to dozens of REAL cars doing REAL stunts in FAST FIVE, not to mention several dozen more getting destroyed on the sidelines during that improbable but insanely fun finale. If a FAST SIX actually followed in this mode, I might just pay to see it on the big screen.


Finishing up tonight:

COMIC BOOK CONFIDENTIAL (1988)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011: Guy Ritchie) ***½/****
See long comments earlier in this thread.
Cactus Flower (1969: Gene Saks)
This was later remade with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sander as Just Got WIth It (2011), which I have seen but don't really recommend it as it. This is better, especially because of the cast of Ingrid Bergman, Walter Matthau and AA winning supporting performance by Goldie Hawn. Some of the film certainly seems dated, but it is a decent comedy.
Hatari! (1962: Howard Hawks)
But being a John Wayne fan and a Hawks fan I certainly recommend this. An adventure film with much of it filmed in Africa.
Memories of Murders (2003: Bong Joon-ho) South Korea
Solid procedural film that reminds me of the later Zodiac and the earlier High and Low. I think I will watch more South Korean films this year (will not be hard since I only saw a few last year). Is it my imagination or do South Korean films love to put masterbation and have mentally handicaped characters in many of their films?
Tall Tale (1995)
Unknown (2011: Jaume Collet-Serra) ***/****
No real surprises (or huge plot holes), but solidly done.
1911 (2011: Jackie Chan/Li Zhang) **/**** China
Comments somewhere above. I like this less and less the more I think about it.
Donavan’s Reef (1963: John Ford)
Fun film with Lee Marvin and John Wayne. Made by Ford just to take a paid vacation in Hawaii. Certainly could have been kinder to the Asian characters though.
Out to Sea (1997)
While I'm a fan of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, Data, I mean Brent Spiner is the best character here.
The Mark of Zorro (1920: Fred Niblo) Silent
Fun, important silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks as the most hyperactive star ever created. Actually the more you watch from here, the more I see certain scenes that remind me of Jackie Chan.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011: Rob Marshall) **½/****
I like the world the characters inhabit, but the plot could have been a lot better. Starts off strong then meanders.
Superman III (1983: Richard Lester)
Actually a funny starting sequence that feels like it completely does not belong in the Superman universe. I still prefer this one to the fourth though.
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010: Tsui Hark) Hong Kong/China ***½/**** 2011 Year US Release

Yes Brian, I really liked this and so far is in my top 10 for 2011 (us release dates). Here is a review I didn't quite finish on it.

Tsui Hark, along with Wong Jing, is personally the most polarizing director from Hong Kong for me. I tend to either love or find his films mediocre with occasional bouts of agonizing hatred. After watching and loving Time and Tide (2000) I watched the wuxia Zu Warriors (2001 aka The Legend of Zu) and did not like it at all. Here we have another wuxia tale, but alongside a sublime visual sense (which Hark usually has, he may have issues with characterization and plot but his cinematography and special effects are usually quite good) he has a storyline that is typical of the wuxia genre, but does not overdo plot turns which can ruin the flow of films in that genre.

The titular character (Andy Lau) is a former detective in the vein of Sherlock Holmes who uses his deductive skills and like the Downey’s Sherlock is quite good at fighting as well. But he has been previously jailed because of his previous disloyalty to the Empress (Carina Lau: C'est La Vie Mon Cheri (1993))

Pei Donglai (Deng Chao: Assembly(2007)) is a great supporting character here.

This fictional movie takes place the Tang Dynasty during the backdrop of the coronation for the first and only Empress of China Wu Zetian circa 690 AD. I am glad that Hark did not avoid the viciousness of Wu in her assent to be Empress, nor ignore her accomplishments during that time as well. But here we have a carefully constructed world that is more myth (typical of the wuxia genre where super athletic ability is the norm, but you can catch other references such as the Charon like figure) than historical. With the combination of CGI and enormous Beijing sets an impressive and unique atmosphere has been created.

It looks like Hark is going to make a prequel to this film according to HKMDB.

Another You (1991)
Yes another film starring Richard Pryor and yes unfortunately very dissapointing. A bizarre and hilarious intro becomes tedious once a particular plot point happens.
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965: Henry Hathaway)
Seriously fun western with John Wayne. Yes I've been on a Wayne kick this month. But pair him up with Dean Martin and it is a must watch for me.
Curry & Pepper (1990: Blacky Ko) Hong Kong
Comments above. I actually do like this film and it certainly seems like it was popular (HKFA unfortunately does not have the BO for this; however with its longer running dates, I'm suspecting this was popular, Brian?)
Midnight in Paris (2011: Woody Allen) ***½/****
A very enjoyable Woody Allen that especially helps if you are a literary fan (and art fan and cinema fan) of the 1920s.

I saw several shorts but I'll put focus on:
The ‘High Sign’ (1921: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton) Silent
One Week (1920: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton) Silent

Keaton is probably my favorite filmmaker of all time. These shorts are excellent and you can easily see their influence into later directors. Yes you can see a bit of Arbuckle's influence here as well.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Caught the moral ambiguity of Le Carre's spies. He makes his feelings clear that the skullduggery of British intelligence, while reprehensible at times, is not in the same evil league as the more brutal and bloody Soviet apparatus. I think it would be difficult to enjoy this movie unless one had read the novel it was based on. Le Carre spends pages on descriptions and backgrounds of secondary although important characters which can't be done in a two hour film.

Tender Mercies 1983. Written by Horton Foote, directed by Bruce Beresford, with Robert Duvall and Tess Harper. This might be a perfect movie--not that it is a movie that everyone would enjoy or that would make everyone's top ten list of greatest movies but in the sense of a complete absence of flaws. To put it a bit differently, nothing in "Tender Mercies" could be improved.

At first it seemed like a movie I couldn't like: I can't stand country music, either the recycled 1970s rock that is done now or the older, more "authentic" music meaning lots of twanging and bad signing. And my idea of Hell--one of them at least--would be living in rural Texas with its endless fields and prairies stretching to the horizon without a building in sight. But there is no denying that this is a real accomplishment. The music both diegetic and non-diegetic, is just what it should be. The production design is very simple and spare--and breathtaking. It is Duvall's movie but he doesn't run away with it. Betty Buckley is terrific even though one of her songs is a Andrew Lloyd Weber sounding monstrosity. Her barely controlled vibrato--close to a wobble--and big "Broadway belt" style of singing wasn't a high point in the movie but a lot of people liked it--nominated for an Academy Award for best song. Ellen Barkin, 29 when the movie was shot, was credible as a seventeen year old.

We had a bit of a Saffron Burrows festival: The Bank Job, Enigma and Hotel."The Bank Job" is a slick heist movie in which Jason Stratham does a good bit of decent acting; "Enigma" is both ridiculous and sublime. It takes place at Bletchley Park, the code breaking center for the British military during World War II. Jeremy Northam is wonderfully insufferable as an intelligence officer who tries to keep the academics working on deciphering German messages. He is contemptuous of their lack of breeding and is easy to dislike. Kate Winslet gets frumped up in eyeglasses with heavy black rims, an ill-fitting uniform and a nondescript hair style. Since it is a mystery/thriller/espionage movie there are a couple of unlikely plot twists in the last 10 minutes or so.

"Hotel" is a Mike Figgis movie that "documents" the attempts by a cast and crew in Florence to make a Dogme 95 film of John Webster's "The Duchess of Malfi". Figgis and his cast have some fun with the concept but it drags after about half an hour only to pick up toward then end when Lucy Liu and Salma Hayek playing competing celebrity reporters, have a screaming argument. Valeria Golino, a very funny actress, was very funny especially when she discovers that all her dialog had been cut and she is naked in each of the three scenes remaining for her. One of the extras is a lot better than the movie itself, a series of web shorts with that can viewed as one 40 minute feature that points out a lot of the the absurdities. I have only seen one Dogme 95 movie--one that actually has the Vow of Chastity certification--"Italian for Beginners", a lovely comedy.

ewaffle wrote: ... And my idea of Hell--one of them at least--would be living in rural Texas with its endless fields and prairies stretching to the horizon without a building in sight. ....

Not really my idea of Hell. You can get this in pretty much all states and even here in California (I grew up on a ranch somewhat like that). But you can get the same thing in the mountains lost by trees (or bare if you go up high enough in the elevation). But what I think looks a bit like Hell is the rain shadow of the mountain, especially one that has been scorched.

Though I truly think Hell would be more like living in Las Vegas or downtown LA.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:

ewaffle wrote: ... And my idea of Hell--one of them at least--would be living in rural Texas with its endless fields and prairies stretching to the horizon without a building in sight. ....

Not really my idea of Hell. You can get this in pretty much all states and even here in California (I grew up on a ranch somewhat like that). But you can get the same thing in the mountains lost by trees (or bare if you go up high enough in the elevation). But what I think looks a bit like Hell is the rain shadow of the mountain, especially one that has been scorched.

Though I truly think Hell would be more like living in Las Vegas or downtown LA.

On the other hand, heaven for me was living in Manhattan (NY, not KS).

I'm pretty provincial--I have never lived west of Chicago and am too old to try to change my prejudices toward anything other than cities.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:Curry & Pepper (1990: Blacky Ko: Hong Kong) **½/****There are some impressive stunts, falls and fight scenes. . . . . There is so much on-location footage. While filming many unsuspecting audience members (sometimes though they are gathering around just to see the filming and get caught in the process) get unwittingly get caught up in the act like when Eric Tsang is trying to shake down customers to buy counterfeit watches (is that a Romex) or when Stephen Chow is trying to show to the reporter how people are hardened against crime and will not help.

I've said this a few times, but this is one aspect of Hong Kong cinema that I rarely, if ever, see in any other country's cinema, and certainly not to the same degree. Mainstream filmmakers in the west obviously have more resources at their fingertips to shut down entire city blocks, change signage and scenery, etc., whereas in Hong Kong, that was rarely an option if one wanted to shoot on the street during peak daytime hours — and it usually worked out for the better! I think it adds a certain degree of realism, depending on the scene. Sometimes characters (as opposed to the actors playing them) are doing things that would draw awkward glances or outright crowd scenes were they done in real life, such as in the counterfeit watches scene in CURRY & PEPPER. It really seemed like they just pulled up, tossed Eric Tsang, his suitcase, and the disgruntled gwailo onto the street and screamed "action" and hoped to get something usable in as few takes as possible before moving to the relative safety of the alley to pay off the sequence. Think of the money American filmmakers could save if they just did the same thing!

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:Donavan’s Reef (1963: John Ford) Fun film with Lee Marvin and John Wayne. Made by Ford just to take a paid vacation in Hawaii. Certainly could have been kinder to the Asian characters though.

While the treatment of Asian characters in this did court stereotype on occasion (moreso the Chinese characters, as I recall, less so the biracial islanders), I think the film still displayed some respectful attitudes as well, especially in an era where worse stereotypes were still prone to turn up, such as in a certain Blake Edwards picture two years before this one.

You know whose movies are worth seeing for their reasonable, even respectful portrayals of Asian characters? Elvis Presley's! Asians in his films were just there like everybody else, part of the landscape, no big deal, friends to the main man, presented as equals, or at least sturdy support. I've seen most of Elvis' movies over the past couple of years—and find they have similar appeal to Hong Kong movies, but that's another discussion altogether—and I don't recall a single moment of broad Asian stereotyping or other cultural disrespect. One that immediately comes to mind—although it's not one of the better ones—is PARADISE, HAWAIIAN STYLE (1966) in which James Shigeta plays a pilot buddy who takes Elvis home to meet his still-growing family and no one bats an eye (jump to about 4:15 in this scene):


Then there's the cute Little Miss (Vicky Tiu) who provides the impetus for the entire plot in IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR (1963)


Tiu's performing siblings turned up in the earlier Elvis show GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS (1962), which provided good-sized roles for several other Asian-American actors, although phoney accents do pop up here and there. And on a lesser note, Poncie Ponce, a regular on TV's HAWAIIAN EYE, turned up in a small role as a member or Elvis' pit crew in 1968's SPEEDWAY, playing it pretty straight.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010: Tsui Hark) Hong Kong/China ***½/**** 2011 Year US Release Yes Brian, I really liked this and so far is in my top 10 for 2011 (us release dates).

Good to hear! Seems the consensus is pretty high on this one. I sensed it was something special when I caught it at TIFF, but it's easy to have doubts when you're in that "film fest" environment (where the "experience" often leads people to overrate average movies) or have seen some of Tsui's lesser works from the past decade. Interesting news about the prequel, but I was kinda hoping for sequels myself. Dee would make a great franchise if it was handled properly.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:Comments above. I actually do like this film and it certainly seems like it was popular (HKFA unfortunately does not have the BO for this; however with its longer running dates, I'm suspecting this was popular, Brian?)

Don't know much about its box-office take (I think HKMDB used to have it before . . . well, you know), but being it was part of the buddy-cop-action-comedy formula that was in vogue internationally at the time, I like to think it did fairly well. I also recall being plesantly surprised to read Paul Fonoroff's mostly positive review of it!

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:I saw several shorts but I'll put focus on:
The ‘High Sign’ (1921: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton) Silent
One Week (1920: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton) Silent
Keaton is probably my favorite filmmaker of all time. These shorts are excellent and you can easily see their influence into later directors. Yes you can see a bit of Arbuckle's influence here as well.

I recently signed out THE BEST KEATON/ARBUCKLE COLLECTION from the library (which I'm sure Shawn's already seen and/or owns!). Not my first time viewing Arbuckle in action, but probably my first time in over 25 years, and definitely my first time seeing more than one of his shorts! (gotta watch that FORGOTTEN ARBUCKLE set one of these days!). It's interesting enough to realize just how many people copied Keaton in the decades that followed him, but these Arbuckle films are just as revelatory for the wealth of gags they provided to comics (like Benny Hill, for starters!) for generations afterwards as they are for their wild invention. Watching these was like having a whole bunch of puzzle pieces I didn't even know were missing suddenly force themselves into the bigger picture.


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ewaffle wrote:We had a bit of a Saffron Burrows festival: The Bank Job, Enigma and Hotel."The Bank Job" is a slick heist movie in which Jason Stratham does a good bit of decent acting; "Enigma" is both ridiculous and sublime. It takes place at Bletchley Park, the code breaking center for the British military during World War II. Jeremy Northam is wonderfully insufferable as an intelligence officer who tries to keep the academics working on deciphering German messages. He is contemptuous of their lack of breeding and is easy to dislike. Kate Winslet gets frumped up in eyeglasses with heavy black rims, an ill-fitting uniform and a nondescript hair style. Since it is a mystery/thriller/espionage movie there are a couple of unlikely plot twists in the last 10 minutes or so.

I'm glad you mentioned ENIGMA, Ed. It was on my radar for quite some time, then slipped off it. You've piqued my interest again so I've added it to my queue at the library's website, although I'm certain can't hold a candle to U-571, which we all know is the true story of the capture and decoding of the Enigma device.

Before I call it a night...

Koyaanisqatsi (1982) A

Beautiful chaos

Fright Night (2011) C+

Pardon the pun but the remake often praised as a diamond in the rough by critics sucks half of the fun right out of the 1985 original. All the same I can think of a dozen -- maybe two dozen -- worse new millennium overhauls.

True Legend (2010) B

Choppy and lacking but never not entertaining.

Secret Sunshine (2007) A

Perfect.

All the President's Men (1976) A-

One of my blind spots. David Fincher was clearly inspired by this film when he mapped out "Zodiac" (2007).

50/50 (2011) B

A good film that's hardly worthy of the praise it received. Some were even ripped it was snubbed by the Oscars. Why? It's a nominal comedy-drama with some very heavy-handed script writing notwithstanding its warm spirit and its amusing disposition.

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) C+

The first hour of its anemic run time had me but the last 18 minutes just took me right out of this prequel to the first two films. Sadly, despite the series' attempt to be an organic (homegrown, if you will) chiller it's behaving not dissimilar to other prequels/sequels that take lean muscle and marble it. I returned the free rental wondering if I should have gone after the director's cut instead?

Fort Apache (1948) A

Classic!

SORORITY ROW (2009) 4/10
About as dumb as you'd expect. Two of the producers apparently have direct ties to the original film; I'm sure the remake gravy train was hard to resist. There are some boobs on display in the early running, so there's that.

I think I liked it even less. I've carped for a decade now about all the stillborn new millennium remakes of good horror films but the original (1983's "The House on Sorority Row") was never good horror cinema to begin with. I took a chance hoping these guys could do something for the rather dull source material...but they didn't.

THE INFORMANT! (2009) 8/10
Another charming oddity from Steven Soderbergh, with a spot-on performance by Matt Damon as a real-life whistle-blower who casually defrauded the conglomerate he worked for even as he conspired to expose its price-fixing scheme by collaborating with the FBI. Marvin Hamlisch's retro-loungey score is one of the most inspired soundtrack decisions I've heard in years.

I think it's one of his better roles. Damon seems to be at his best when he allows himself to be vulnerable. I wonder if it was Soderbergh who made the narrative a black comedy or did that sort of happen all by itself when Kurt Eichenwald wrote the book? I was too young to remember when this happened but I have family in the area and I myself live less than an hour from where it takes place and was filmed on location. It was surreal seeing Decatur, Illinois on the big screen but the whole film felt strangely fitting, nonetheless, given our governor had been arrested on corruption charges the previous winter and at the time was featured on everything from Late Night with David Letterman to Celebrity Apprentice pleading his case.

NIGHTMARES IN RED, WHITE AND BLUE: THE EVOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN HORROR FILM (2009) 7/10
Two things I learned from this. Narrator Lance Henriksen should narrate more documentaries, and John Landis and Joe Dante should make some more hit horror movies instead of always appearing in documentaries about them. Nothing new here for longtime horror buffs, but its speedy and clippage-heavy, which should certainly appeal to newcomers.

AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE (2010) 7/10
Landis and Dante are in this one, too! Like NIGHTMARES, this is a fast-paced, clip-tastic Cole's Notes overview of grindhouse cinema that actually gets more things right than I might have expected. The term "grindhouse" has come to be applied to just about any kind of "B" movie thanks to the ignorance of a lot of (typically) young web reviewers who were never there, and this movie rights those wrongs by focusing on the kinds of movies that ACTUALLY played the proverbial "grindhouse" theaters back in the day, while thankfully ignoring a lot of the illegitimate offspring that were birthed strictly in the era of video. A fine intro to the form, with substantial supplemental interviews for additional background.

I watched both on-line and was pleasantly surprised.

BEST IN SHOW (2000) 8/10
A MIGHTY WIND (2003) 8/10

I enjoyed all of Guest's mockumentaries about as much.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011) 8/10
This is my new favorite of all the APES movies, even considering the original's classic status within the context of its era. Tim Burton's remake was pointless—just more actors in ape suits. Starting at the beginning was the right thing to do with a franchise reboot, especially now that the technology exists to create the apes almost entirely by CGI. They make a few shout-outs to the original in this (the "damn dirty ape" line; the TV newscast about the astronaut leaving for Mars, etc.), but set up intriguing new possibilities for a sequel, or series of sequels, that would eliminate the bad taste left by some of those 70s followups.

After seeing the original and the Tim Burton remake I was shocked how good this film actually was. In a year renown for a lackluster output this had to be one of my more enjoyable theater trips.

BRIDESMAIDS (2011) 7/10
Very well written and keenly observant about female behaviour in ways that similar comedies written by men are usually not, but like most of Judd Apatow's productions in my book, it's too damned long.

Agreed.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (2011) 8/10
Good finish (as I think someone else promised earlier in this thread), but still not a series I'll ever have a longstanding attachment to. I thought the "19 years later" bit was a good idea, but the ultimate romantic hook-ups for the three lead characters seemed rather arbitrary.

My favorite installment next to the first...way...back...when...

HORRIBLE BOSSES (2011) 5/10
I had no idea Brett Ratner was involved with this until I saw his name in the opening credits. I should've known better. Well made and well-performed (especially by the "bosses"), but I think I laughed an honest laugh maybe three times, and it kinda fizzled out towards the end, especially once it became apparent the heroes weren't actually going to have to go through with their schemes because Kevin Spacey's character conveniently turns into a psychopath. Colin Farrell was great.

After Bill Lumbergh, David Brent and his American counterpart Michael Scott I think we need to give the bad boss troupe a rest. It's been done and done well. There was plenty of overrated films in 2011 but this has to be the most overrated comedy. Well made, performed, yes, but like yourself I laughed (out loud) maybe three times?

Brian T wrote:

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote: ... While the treatment of Asian characters in this did court stereotype on occasion (moreso the Chinese characters, as I recall, less so the biracial islanders), I think the film still displayed some respectful attitudes as well, especially in an era where worse stereotypes were still prone to turn up, such as in a certain Blake Edwards picture two years before this one.

You know whose movies are worth seeing for their reasonable, even respectful portrayals of Asian characters? Elvis Presley's!

... I recently signed out THE BEST KEATON/ARBUCKLE COLLECTION from the library (which I'm sure Shawn's already seen and/or owns!). Not my first time viewing Arbuckle in action, but probably my first time in over 25 years, and definitely my first time seeing more than one of his shorts! (gotta watch that FORGOTTEN ARBUCKLE set one of these days!). It's interesting enough to realize just how many people copied Keaton in the decades that followed him, but these Arbuckle films are just as revelatory for the wealth of gags they provided to comics (like Benny Hill, for starters!) for generations afterwards as they are for their wild invention. Watching these was like having a whole bunch of puzzle pieces I didn't even know were missing suddenly force themselves into the bigger picture.
...

Donovan's Reef was nicer and more human towards the biracial islanders than the Chinese characters. Oh yeah there were definitely worse films out there like that Blake Edwards picture. I know some fans of the film (I do like the film), don't think of the Rooney character as rascist and have argued the point with me. I have not been convinced. I always like being surprised when I see nice portrayals of Asian characters in early film, of course there are many more instances of racist or poorly thought characters. I'll have to think on this as I have some notes somewhere on this.

You have me interested in seeing a few Elvis films. I have not had a chance and hopefully will get to see some this year.

The Image release of THE BEST KEATON/ARBUCKLE COLLECTION (which I do own and have seen several times) is OOP and quite expensive on Amazon. I've been going through the Keaton shorts on the latest Kino release, which I'm quite happy with (even though they lost some footage due to a fight with Lobster).

If you want to find even more lost pieces to the comedic puzzle, watch Charley Chase shorts (even my Dad liked them ). When you watch them, think of the "sit-com" aspect to them. He is easily, along with Arbuckle, one of the more underappreciated artists from his time (though both were popular at one point, though Chase never had the highs of Arbuckle where Arbuckle at a period of time was as if not more popular than Charlie Chaplin, he never had the lows in popularity either when the Hearst press on the infamous trial really hurt his career).

The Gauntlet (1977: Clint Eastwood) **/****

I’m not going to write too much about the film since it feels like a slightly different variation on a Dirty Harry character, but with even less depth. But I do pose some questions and comments.

What is it with early Eastwood and helicopter camera shots? He fell in love with it early and has used it as an ending shot over and over again. His first directorial film Play Misty for Me he uses it and here he uses it (I believe he also used it as an ending shot for The Eiger Sanction, Sudden Impact as well as others). I find it for the most part an overused an annoying camera shot.

I know he had a long affair with Sondra Locke, but I honestly do not see what he sees in her acting ability. Though I personally he has kept one fault as a director where he has trouble discerning the difference between a mediocre performance and a good performance. This might be because he took the philosophy of Don Siegal in getting things done cheap and quick. It has helped endear him as an actor’s director, but I do think there is danger in this sometimes.

I really like later Eastwood films. While some of his early ones like Play Misty for Me (though he is miscast as a DJ) and The Outlaw Josey Wales are good, he really improved as a director the more experienced he became. The films look better, the acting is overall better (with some issues I mentioned above) and the stories tend to be more multilayered.

It is not to say there is no excitement in films like The Gauntlet or The Eiger Sanction, but compare those two to Unforgiven or Gran Torino and it feels like the work of a completely different director.

What are your favorite Eastwood directed movies? Any ones you particularly dislike?

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:I always like being surprised when I see nice portrayals of Asian characters in early film, of course there are many more instances of racist or poorly thought characters. I'll have to think on this as I have some notes somewhere on this.

The first volume of TREASURES FROM THE AMERICAN FILM ARCHIVES features an Anna May Wong feature called THE TOLL OF THE SEA (1922), which was filmed in two-strip technicolor (and may have been the first film to use the process, as I recall reading somewhere). I haven't watched that set yet—despite owning it for years—so I don't know how sensitively it's handled (it's supposedly an adaptation of Madame Butterfly, for what it's worth). That's probably the earliest "Asian"-themed movie I own. I think TREASURES V: THE WEST might also have Asian-American content of some kind, but I'm not sure where I read that or whether it was documentary or narrative footage, if it's even in there at all.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:You have me interested in seeing a few Elvis films. I have not had a chance and hopefully will get to see some this year.

I think an interesting thesis could be written analyzing Elvis Presley movies alongside contemporary-set Hong Kong movies of the same era and beyond. Once you've seen most of Elvis' breezy, largely upbeat films, it seems plausible that Hong Kong filmmakers and entertainers found inspiration in the model he represented, or perhaps vice versa as I'm sure he probably performed there during the era. Presley made nearly three features a year for every year of the 1960's (or two at the very least), all of which were musicals in one way or another. Doubtless plenty of American performers appeared in as many movies per year during that era, but few were as consistent in the general tone of their projects as Elvis (no doubt thanks to the Colonel, for better and for worse), whose triple-threat nature as a singer, actor and sorta-dancer can't help but make you think of virtually every top Hong Kong star from the past five decades, including many of the new kids of today (although Hong Kong hasn't been cranking out musicals in decades, ). Granted, many top Hong Kong performers of the 50's and 60's — such as the many Shaw Brothers mainstays — appeared in far more films on an annual basis than Elvis, but I think that's just the nature of the two industries, then as now.

Regardless of whether there is any connection whatsoever, the legend lives on :
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/world/asia/04iht-melvis.html

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:The Image release of THE BEST KEATON/ARBUCKLE COLLECTION (which I do own and have seen several times) is OOP and quite expensive on Amazon. I've been going through the Keaton shorts on the latest Kino release, which I'm quite happy with (even though they lost some footage due to a fight with Lobster).

Once I saw the prices this set was fetching on Amazon Marketplace, I knew my only hope of owning it was to rip the library's copy and make my own discs. I've been doing that with most of the discs I sign out (the ones I feel might be worth revisiting some day, at least). I bought a 320-disc DVD carry-case last summer and will probably have it filled by this summer. My wallet appreciated it for a while, until the Black Friday/Boxing day sales, and then it got a brief reprieve until I stumbled across a couple of bittersweet Hong Kong DVD goldmines here in recent weeks that are threatening to push me into the poorhouse! But more on that in the next post . . .

I'll have to keep my eyes (and aching budget ) peeled for the Charley Chase sets. The library here hasn't got them, but they do have a couple of Laurel & Hardy sets—LOST FILMS OF...VOL. 1 and LAUREL AND HARDY AND FRIENDS—that he's reportedly a part of (though to what degree I'm sure you'll know better than I will). The wait lists on these are long, but I just added them to my queue, so I'll see them eventually.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:The Gauntlet (1977: Clint Eastwood) **/****What is it with early Eastwood and helicopter camera shots? He fell in love with it early and has used it as an ending shot over and over again. His first directorial film Play Misty for Me he uses it and here he uses it (I believe he also used it as an ending shot for The Eiger Sanction, Sudden Impact as well as others). I find it for the most part an overused an annoying camera shot.

I don't know where he got the idea for those shots from, or why he relied on them so often, or what kind of subtext he personally thought they conveyed, but I rather liked them. To me, they served as commentary-from-above (as it were) on the characters he played in the films (and plays in so many of his films), steadfast lone wolf types whose efforts to extract justice often come at a high personal/civic cost yet frequently don't change the system in any meaningful way, leaving Clint's heroes just as isolated if not moreso when the dust clears or the squadrons of crooked cops stop shooting at the bus. One good way to convey that is to have them appear smaller and smaller against an imposing landscape. I don't know, maybe that's a patently obvious, film school 101 reading and the shots mean something altogether different, but that's how they work for me.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:I know he had a long affair with Sondra Locke, but I honestly do not see what he sees in her acting ability. Though I personally he has kept one fault as a director where he has trouble discerning the difference between a mediocre performance and a good performance. This might be because he took the philosophy of Don Siegal in getting things done cheap and quick. It has helped endear him as an actor’s director, but I do think there is danger in this sometimes.

I can take her or leave her. I think she had an interesting, unconventional "look" suited to the Eastwood movies she appeared in. I recall some messy stories back in the 1980's wherein Eastwood ended up on the wrong end of a lawsuit from her, which was ultimately settled out of court, though her career—such as it was—never recovered.

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:What are your favorite Eastwood directed movies? Any ones you particularly dislike?

Some of my favorites, in terms of sheer enjoyment, and not limited to just his directorial efforts:

THE GAUNTLET
PLAY MISTY FOR ME (love the music in particular; but the movie became a template in so many ways)
EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE (a guilty pleasure for sure)
THE ROOKIE (ditto, big time)
DIRTY HARRY
MAGNUM FORCE
GRAN TORINO
UNFORGIVEN
TARANTULA
THE CHANGELING

. . . and my least favourites:

PINK CADILLAC
(actually saw this in the theatre; couple of funny moments in the Vegas scenes as I recall, but otherwise very forgettable)
COOGAN'S BLUFF
(you can almost sense Dirty Harry beginning to gel around the margins of this, but this one goes off the rails with its narrow-minded portrayal of the hippie underworld)
FIREFOX
(Eastwood's attempt to go all contempo-sci-fi looks decent enough, but it's such a sombre affair)

I actually haven't seen very many of his westerns. Really need to work on that . . .

Brian T wrote:... an Anna May Wong feature called THE TOLL OF THE SEA (1922), which was filmed in two-strip technicolor (and may have been the first film to use the process, as I recall reading somewhere). ... That's probably the earliest "Asian"-themed movie I own. ...
...

Do you have D.W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms (1919)? In dealing with race relations it is a fascinating if quite flawed film. Griffith in trying to get over the race allegations from Birth of a Nation created two better films in Intolerance and Broken Blossoms. There are definite rasict overtures to the film, but nowhere near as bad (this is not saying much) as Birth of a Nation.

...

"In Hong Kong, the Elvis Presley Fan Club, founded in 1968, boasts about 120 members"

thanks for that link.

FYI: I have the Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection which is quite handy to have since it is their major sound material. Unfortunately their silent work is OOP, and I have no idea when it will be reissued. The problems I have with the set is that there are no subtitles for the English speaking features (the Spanish speaking ones do have subs) and the packaging sucks.

...

Brian T wrote:
I don't know where he got the idea for those shots from, or why he relied on them so often, or what kind of subtext he personally thought they conveyed, but I rather liked them. To me, they served as commentary-from-above (as it were) on the characters he played in the films (and plays in so many of his films), steadfast lone wolf types whose efforts to extract justice often come at a high personal/civic cost yet frequently don't change the system in any meaningful way, leaving Clint's heroes just as isolated if not moreso when the dust clears or the squadrons of crooked cops stop shooting at the bus. One good way to convey that is to have them appear smaller and smaller against an imposing landscape. I don't know, maybe that's a patently obvious, film school 101 reading and the shots mean something altogether different, but that's how they work for me.

That's a good reading of the shots. I just think Eastwood overrelied on them. But then again I've seen many of his films sometimes close together.

Brian T wrote:
I can take her or leave her. I think she had an interesting, unconventional "look" suited to the Eastwood movies she appeared in. I recall some messy stories back in the 1980's wherein Eastwood ended up on the wrong end of a lawsuit from her, which was ultimately settled out of court, though her career—such as it was—never recovered.

A lot of that relationship was covered in the book American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood by Marc Eliot. A decent read and I like it much better than Eliot's last book on Steve McQueen. But it was a strange relationship (as long as Eliot was truthful in it, he's not the worst but not the best either with data).

"...I actually haven't seen very many of his westerns. Really need to work on that . . . "

Some of my favorite films of his are westerns. I'm glad you mentioned Changeling, a film of his I really liked. I've liked pretty much all of the later films he directed (that I've seen). I'm a Dirty Harry fan so agree with that as well. Funny that your three worst films of his I have not seen. I only own COOGAN'S BLUFF of the three. Have you seen Gran Torino?

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:Have you seen Gran Torino?

I have actually. Guess I'll go back and add that to my list of Eastwood faves. I was rather surprised how well he handled that one.

Island of Lost Souls (1932: Erle C. Kenton)

This is the second time I have seen this film. I saw it years ago on VHS on most likely a public domain copy. I have been quite eager for this release. I am seriously happy that this was made a Criterion. And I was even happier after watching it last night. It is unfortunate that this film has never quite had the popularity (it has always had a cult following) of the Universal horror films. But one of the benefits of Criterion releasing a film is that this will get more widely seen and I believe its reputation will only increase. It is among my top horror films of the 1930s alongside Bride of Frankenstein, Freaks, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Mad Love (hmmm a mad doctor theme among many of those picks).

Charles Laughton is excellent and strangely quite reserved, especially compared to many of his later performances, as Dr. Moreau. A quiet hubris masks his countenance. To him his bioengineering is nothing more than a natural extension of science where he, of course, is the architect. His hubris is a classical Shakespearean tragic characteristic and leads to his undoing. It is not the monomania of Henry Frankenstein that drives him but a prenatural evil that seems to propel him oft with little to no emotion to the pain he is causing. However, as it is with Frankenstein – there is a line in science which you should not cross.

I though the supporting role from Bela Lugosi as the Sayer of the Law was quite good (his make-up fur was outstanding).

The cinematography of Karl Struss (Sunrise) is sublime with the chiaroscuro, the brilliant camera pans, the dialogue to the camera and the close-ups which show the combination of lighting with the awesome yet horrific make-up of the creatures.

On the Extras:

I did not particularly like the Devo interview. They were more interested in spouting political rhetoric than information on the film. I would have liked to at least heard/seen the influence on Danny Elfman whose Oingo Boingo's song "No Spill Blood" is inspired by the book and movie. It could have been a good opportunity to have interviewed music group members of House of Pain and/or Blondie as well .

It was funny when John Landis kept stating that this was a well directed film but Erle C. Kenton was not a particularly good director but Burns and Baker would not agree. But I loved the talk between the three and could have easily seen this being twice as long as it was. There is some talk on the possible make-up techniques used for the film, who was in the gorilla suit (I agree with them that this is one of the better gorilla costumes) and who was possibly responsible for the make-up since there was no screen credit (since it is so well done this is unfortunate).

The Richard Stanley interview was particularly good because he is quite knowledgeable about the source. While he said this was the best of the three major films adapted from the book, he still wants to see a "faithful" adaptation of the novel. I don't agree with his assessment since a movie is quite a different medium from a book and the fact that this particular movie took a different title than the book so it really should be judged on its own.

I think I gleaned more information from the other interviews than from the David J. Skal interview. Did he add new information?

Now can we get a proper release of White Zombie?