mark f's Movie Tab III

Conan the Barbarian (John Milius, 1982) -


I'm not a comic book fan. I don't say this to attack all of you who are, but what I'm trying to say is that I've never actually bought a comic book in my life. Now, I've also never bought any marijuana in my entire life, but it always seems to be available to me, and in that same manner, comic books have always been available. Conan never meant anything to me, but it meant a helluva lot to my H.P. Lovecraft-loving brother, so of course, we immediately went out and watched the Sneak Preview of this flick. Sure, I loved it. The beginning was reminiscent of the attack on the ice lake in Alexander Nevsky and Basil Poledouris' score, which is definitely one of my three fave (along with Morricone's Days of Heaven and Moross's The Big Country) is highly-reminiscent of Prokofiev's groundbreaking Nevsky score. The film is an opera in the same way that Once Upon a Time in the West is an opera. Who needs dialogue when the visuals and the music can tell the story so much better? Oliver Stone wrote a script which was deemed acceptable, but director Milius, who co-wrote Apocalypse Now, decided to make it more realistic and less fantasy. Therefore, he probably made it less-"Conan".

Anyway, Conan the Barbarian is a legit film to me; it's not a comic book and it's not a prequel to the silly Conan the Destroyer. I realize that many people accuse this Conan film of being WAY TOO serious, but then again, others say it's WAY TOO silly, and that's just completely unfair. I find it a perfect reflection of its time. It came out at the same time as Excalibur, Dragonslayer, Clash of the Titans, etc., but it was all about this kid whose family was killed by a marauding KING of an alternate universe who didn't bother to take him under his wing as so many conquerors do. Instead, Thulsa Doom (the menacing, hypnotic James Earl Jones) just leaves him to be tortured for most of his life, and of course, that turns out to be Thulsa Doom's fatal flaw. Even if Milius doesn't admit it in the special features, I find the ending of Conan the Barbarian to be Milius's way of trying to improve upon Coppola's ending of Apocalypse Now, and he succeeds because the ending of Apocalypse Now pretty much relegates THAT film to the state of mediocre. HA! Here, I'm going to say it: Conan the Barbarian is both less-pretentious and more-successful than Apocalypse Now. YOWZA!

The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer, 1962)


I've only recently learned that there are a few serious movie lovers who apparently believe this masterpiece is undeserving of what I consider its well-merited praise. This is one of those films which I gave a perfect 10/10 the first time I watched it (I believe I may have done that 25 times or so in my entire life), and although I love it just as much now as I did the first time, it's helped me to develop my rating system (which I realize you guys don't especially like, but remember about the +1 and -1 I've mentioned around several times).

Anyway, this is where I'd usually waste a paragraph detailing the plot, but if you know the plot, you know that's heresy, and if you don't know the plot, I accept your thanks here and now. How about I talk about various details. First off, let me discuss what "genre" this film belongs to: political satire, thriller, science fiction, black comedy, film noir, tragedy, mystery, family drama, and that's just a start. Second, what about the acting in this flick? Laurence Harvey only got one Oscar nom for Best Actor (Room at the Top), but even using Holden's criteria, he should have received one for this. Frank Sinatra may have never done a better-acted scene than the finale of this film. Sinatra and Janet Leigh have always been singled out in the past for having crazy scenes together. In the past, that usually meant bad, but today, it most certainly better mean good. Angela Lansbury is mind-boggling as Harvey's mom who really propels the plot along. If you're a straight male and you don't fall in love with Leslie Parrish, I don't know what to say... John McGiver, who was so memorable in George Axelrod's previous script (Breakfast at Tiffany's) is equally wonderful here, and James Gregory is a hoot and a half as Lansbury's Senator husband and Harvey's stepfather who does his best Joseph McCarthy as an Idiot impression ("There are exactly 57 card-carrying Communists in the State Dept.")

Third, I personally call John Frankenheimer's direction "visionary and epic" since that covers most of the other words I want to use. The novel by Richard Condon is brilliant, so if you're the director, it's just such a juicy chance to try to match it with your own personality. Frankenheimer immediately begns the film in utter mystery. Although we know we're in the Korean War in 1952, what happens in the first five minutes throws the audience for such a loop that maybe they'll fall out of the plane. Frankenheimer uses day for night and incredible lighting to get across something bad happening involving the Commies. It's only later, in one of the wittiest visual scenes ever conceived (with awesome production design by Richard Sylbert) that we understand that the plot involves brainwashing. Lionel Lindon's circular photography is incredible here, and later on, his deep focus lensing kicks in just to show you that there are others besides Gregg Toland who are experts at the technique. Two other things which highlight why Frankenheimer was robbed of a Best Director nomination (he never got one!!) are his use of live video feeds and his incredible work with film editor Ferris Webster. In this film and Seven Days in May, Frankenheimer went out of his way to be one of the first theatrical feature directors to utilize video/TV monitors to its fullest. The press conference in this film, where Gregory first announces that there are Communists in the State Dept. is a perfect example but it's used again during the nominating convention at the film's conclusion. Another thing which Frankenheimer (and his fans) can be proud of is his use of slow fade-out pan shots to transition between scenes. He used this technique quite well in his previous Birdman of Alcatraz, but no one I know of has ever used the technique more-powerfully than he did during the scene where the Harvey character transitions from being loathsome into someone we can all feel sorry for, and that's the scene where he meets the Parrish character, who becomes the love of his life. A director has to be a magician to turn someone you want to hate into someone you really care about.
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Why don't they make awesome trailers like this anymore?

Yes, it's true that Sinatra broke his hand when he chopped through that coffee table, but he kept on fighting anyway. I have so much more to say but I'm trying to keep it spoiler-less. The only other thing I'll say is that I love David Amram's musical score, but I can't find a good example of it unfortunately.

(500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009)


Oh Boy, this is a film I definitely recommend but I can't quite come up with a reason why I don't think it's better than I actually do. I believe that as it is, the film is funny, sad, easy to relate to and mostly satisfying, yet perhaps it just hits too close to home for me to give it higher marks, and that's not really like me at all. I will, however, acknowledge that none of the young women I helplessly pursued were as attractive as Zooey Deschanel, but at the time and to me, they were even more beautiful, so I just want to say that this "romance" where the female basically tells the male early on that it ain't happening yet they both invest something resembling 16 months in proving that fact, is truly-heartbreaking and totally honest at the same time. Been there, done that. Even so, this flick is full of good humor and exemplary filmmaking. I did enjoy the way the film cut back and forth to try to make its points. I also liked such techniques as when my erstwhile alter ego Joseph Gordon-Levitt experiences things by way of split screen at the same time from both the way he expected and the way things actually turned out. The film just rang true but at the same time it leaves things open-ended on who's to blame (if that's even the proper word) in why the couple didn't end up together. The Deschanel character implies that if she'd "felt" something stronger from the man, then she'd have gone along with it, but since he was so insecure and claimed to only want to be friends (what a liar!), that's what basically caused the romance to never go "all the way". Good film but I still feel a little empty each time I watch it.

People Will Talk (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1951)


This is one of those amazing films which is good the first time through but just gets better and better the more you watch it. The cast and acting are absolutely superb. In all truth, Mankiewicz had just pulled off an unheard-of sweep the two prior years of winning Oscars for both Best Director and Best Screenplay (A Letter to Three Wives and All About Eve). To me, this is better than those two flicks. Right from the first scene where Margaret Hamilton ("The Wicked Witch" from The Wizard of Oz) shows up at Professor Elwell's (Hume Cronyn's) college office to testify against the greatest doctor in the history of medicine, Dr. Praetorius (Cary Grant), this flick gets you totally involved and laughing heartily. Dr. Praetorius is a true healer and humanitarian but he immediately sets his sites here on unmarried pregnant Deborah (Jeanne Crain) and they almost instantaneously (and understandably) fall in love with each other. Praetorius and his mysterious friend Shunderson (Finlay Currie) go to Deborah's house and save her and her destitute father (Sidney Blackmer) from the father's boring brother's idea of life. Praetorius has another good friend in an atomic physicist (Walter Slezak) who plays the "bass fiddle" in Praetorius' orchestra, but shortly after the Doc marries Deborah, Elwell brings charges against Praetorius for various reasons although most of them concern Shunderson. Mr. Shunderson's story and resolution are one of film's all-time greatest plot twists and revelations and help to make this timeless film just so enjoyable and mind-expanding. I laugh. I cry. It feels good to be alive. They truly do not make them like they used to.

Heaven Can Wait (Ernst Lubitsch, 1943)


Oh well, maybe I should just say some of the same things about this one that I did about the last one. First off, it's Lubitsch's first color film and it's one of the most-immaculate color films of the 1940s. Don Ameche plays Henry Van Cleve, a rake who dies and presents himself at the doors of Hell, but "His Excellency" (Laird Cregar) wants to hear his entire life story before he commits him to "Below". Henry's life is certainly one of the funniest and most-heartfelt stories ever depicted on film, creating crescendos of laughter and tears along the way as it basically tells two entire family's stories, that of the Van Cleves and that of the Strabels, whose beautiful daughter Martha (Gene Tierney) Henry steals from his cousin and elopes with. This certainly causes some problems, but since this is a romantic comedy, most everything works out for the better as the family evolves and Henry has to worry about his son trying to stop him just as much as his parents did earlier. One of the film's highlights is the sly performance by Charles Coburn as "Grandpapa" who actually won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar this year, although the credit was for The More the Merrier ("Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"). I'm quite certain that the fact that he had both roles to refer to helped him garner his well-deserved Oscar. Anyway, this is easily a laugh-out-loud classic which I'd recommend watching at least once a year, just so you can feel as if you're truly alive and happy to be so. (See. I should have just said ditto.)

Both of the last two films are in the mafo's MoFo Top 100, so check that out if you haven't already.

Rodent's Reviews: Delivering The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly In Film

Rodent's Reviews: PART DEUX!

Rodent's 1950-Present Sci-Fi And Futuristic Fantasy Movies

The Taking of Pelham 123 (Tony Scott, 2009)


Well, considering I was one of the first to say that this was a bad idea, I want to take that all back and point you toward this solid flick: Although I could get into all kinds of tiny things which originally bothered me about this flick, overall, it turned out to be so well-done and so carefully-considered that it's really not worth my crying about anything. This film changes things from the original film, but it also seems to flesh out lots of details and character development which were ignored in the wonderful first flick. Denzel Washington and John Travolta are BOTH surprisingly well-cast in this film about two guys who are actually much closer to each other than either one believes even if the audience may believe that there's a serious line dividing the two of them. This version of the novel isn't quite as funny and it also includes many surprising details which will undoubtedly help many viewers to enjoy it not so much as a remake but as a readaptation. Travolta always looked ridiculous in the trailers, but his looks are the only thing ridiculous about the character. He comes across as incredibly intelligent and definitely in-charge. The coming attraction didn't really give me all that much to think about concerning Washington, but the script actually allows him to play a much-deeper character than the wonderful Walter Matthau in the first flick (everybody better swear to watch that one ASAP), and to tell you the truth, I cried during one of Denzel's big scenes (the one where he "saves the kid").

Tony Scott went out of his way to pump up this film and make it very exciting. I'm just glad that Brian Helgeland's script was almost funny enough for me to compare it to the original. I want everyone who has seen this movie to comment on the ending. That's the thing which is the greatest difference between the two flicks. Which one had the better ending, and what did you think of the way this one played out? Once again, I have a few complaints, but overall, I'm really happy with this version.

Precious (Lee Daniels, 2009) -



Powerful, unique film which tells stories in mainstream cinema which have basically been ignored heretofore. The film is about a 16-year-old child whose only concept of self-worth is what she can do for her abusive mother who is actually the better half of her parents since her father is an incestuous serial-rapist who impregnates her with two children. Gabourney Sibide is brilliant as Clareece, the "Precious" of the title, and Mo'Nique matches her as her abusive mother who has no concept of love, whether from a man or for a child. The film is basically heartbreaking, but it's presented in such a way that it's really quite easy for most people to relate to. It has enough violent, confrontational melodrama for me to "enjoy" it on a purely-visceral level, along the lines of Festen or Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, but since it's set in a specific era and location, NYC in 1987, it does have some additional fish to fry.

Part of what makes the film so good is that even though she's been told that she's stupid and worthless from the time that she can understand the words, Precious is actually intelligent and creative and uses her fantasy life to help her get by the horrors of everyday life at her "home". Any "normal" child subjected to her horrors would probably have committed suicide, but Precious basically shuts down in school, although she has a natural affinity for mathematics. One day, when her principal learns that she's gotten pregnant again, she expels her but gives her a second chance by sending her to an alternative school.

I could relate to this film on multiple levels. First off, I teach at an "alternative school". I'm also very overweight, so I'm used to having this feeling that when people see me that they only relate to me on one, cliched level. I guess that's OK because I'm probably guilty of thinking that I should relate to them on only one level too, that of a superficial stick-figure. Precious has at least helped me to look at everybody, student, parent, family and unknown person, as someone who really needs to open their eyes to reality, and if I don't bring this simple message to their attention, who will? Then again, thank God for all those friends and family members I already have who know me quite well and refuse to let me wallow in anything which might resemble self-pity. No matter how awful Precious's life appears, by film's end she has learned to love herself and her children and tries to do all she can to give them a better future.

American Gun (Aric Avelino, 2006)



This is a serious film about a complex subject and I think it covers most all the angles quite fairly although I'm sure that some will believe that it's just a liberal, anti-gun ownership flick. I believe that the film's heart is in the right place in that it honestly cares about the characters and their lives and what one has to deal with in the aftermath of a Columbine-like shooting. No matter what someone believes about guns and their use in American society, violence does happen and it's fair game to address the subject, especially in a film which for the most part doesn't go off the deep end. The film tells various stories, all intercut, and presents a collection of characters who all have to live with the use of guns and how that affects them on an individual level. The main characters are a high school principal (Forest Whitaker) who has a collection of guns from students who bring them to school. The students don't plan on shooting up the school; they just want to feel safe getting to and from school in a violent neighborhood. In Oregon, a mother (Marcia Gay Harden) is forced to relive what happened three years earlier when she agrees to be interviewed about her dead son's participation as the killer in a Columbine-like school shooting. Based on the community's reaction to the interview, her younger son (Chris Marquete) is forced out of his private school and has to transfer to the same school which his brother shot up. In Virginia, the college student granddaughter (Lisa Long) of a gun store owner (Donald Sutherland) decides that maybe she should buy and learn how to use a gun. It's left to the viewer how to react to these and other stories and subplots which fill out the film. It's mostly about loss and how most of the characters feel they cannot control their own circumstances and lives in a good way, whether they own guns or not. I have to applaud the film for taking on a tough subject and dealing with it maturely.

The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights (Emmett Malloy, 2009) ; White Stripes' fans rating:



This just-recently-released DVD [in early 2009] shows the Detroit duo, the White Stripes, on their 10th anniversary tour in 2007 promoting their album Icky Thump while traveling throughout every single province and territory in Canada, including some of the most-remote areas. Most of the film is shot in black-and-white on the fly as guitarist/keyboardist Jack White and his ex-wife (no, not sister) drummer Meg White perform many impromptu shows in addition to all the scheduled venues. Some of these include performing in a park in Whitehorse, at a cafe in Yellowknife, at a bowling alley in Saskatoon, on a bus in Winnipeg, at an Iqaluit Elder Center, and a pool hall in Halifax. The proper concert performances are also highlighted, as well as many interviews with the duo, although the band and filmmakers even poke fun at Meg's quietness by giving all her "dialogue" subtitles in English. The film starts out in overdrive with the first concert offering, "Let's Shake Hands" and follows up with such goodies as the mandolin-fueled "Little Ghost", a cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and the evocative "We are Going to Be Friends". Other songs performed live include Meg's slowburner "Cold Cold Night", "Seven Nation Army", "Icky Thump", "Black Math" and "Fell in Love with a Girl". I love the White Stripes and this is a solid film and concert showcase but my rating takes into consideration that some people won't allow themselves to enjoy this kind of film, even if it's full of interesting sights and info about some of the remotest areas of Canada. Hell, I haven't even mentioned the White Stripes marching in kilts yet.

The Blind Side (John Lee Hancock, 2009)



This mainstream hit is a very entertaining film, so don't let anybody steer you clear from watching a film about true-life good people doing good things and being rewarded. I'll admit that you cannot really compare this film to Precious at all, but on some levels, they are actually about the same thing: parents taking responsibility for their children. Now, I'll admit that the family who "adopts" homeless teenager Michael (Quinton Aaron) are rich Southerners from Memphis, but what's a scriptwriter to do? The dad (Tim McGraw) owns several Taco Bell restaurants (so that's a nice, coincidental tie-in to Sandra's Demolition Man), and my wife Brenda loves Taco Bell, so she says that she would take advantage of all the free food on an almost daily basis (just like Slug would ). The mom (Oscar winner Sandra Bullock) has a big heart and won't back down from anyone or anything when she thinks she's right.

The film follows a relatively-predictable story arc in that a few roadblocks are thrown in the way of the family's eventual dream of getting Michael a football scholarship to a powerful Southern college, but at the same time, it displays an unsuspected level of wit, especially in the relationship of the married couple. Maybe you have to have been in a long-term heterosexual relationship to get it, but this film and couple truly understand the social and political dynamics of a healthy marriage. Another plus for me are the characters of the young son (Jae Head), who basically becomes the "agent" of his "big brother", and the daughter (Lily Collins) who shows that she has true concern for Michael too. For people who like American football, all those scenes are just frosting on the cake. So basically what I'm saying is that this "Hollywood" comedy-drama is one of their best non-F/X releases of recent years and is well worth watching without feeling guilty about it. The end credits show all the actual people who were characterized in the flick. College All-American Michael was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft of 2009 by the Baltimore Ravens.

Swing Vote (Joshua Michael Stern, 2008) +



In the fantasy world of movies and taken outside the context of what's happening in the U.S. today, I'll admit that this film could seem preposterous. In a scary replay of the 2000 Presidential election, another such election comes down to not just one state and a few of its counties determining the winner, but it comes down to one state and one exact voter. That "voter" is Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner), a drunken slacker who never even voted, but his civic-minded tweener daughter (Madeline Carroll) tried to vote for him when nobody was looking and the power went out at the polling place. It's determined that Bud's is the only uncounted vote and since New Mexico's results show a tie between the Conservative incumbent (Kelsey Grammar) and the Liberal challenger (Dennis Hopper), and both candidates need the state to win, Bud is courted by both candidates to garner his winning, swing vote. Bud's story is also carried on network TV by a pretty, up-and-coming local newscaster (Paula Patton, the teacher in Precious) who becomes close to Bud and his daughter. As the fantasy plays itself out, it's almost amazing how close it reflects our current political landscape where the two sides seem so diametrically opposed that sometimes one of them is actually going against their own "fundamental principles" just to keep the other side from winning or looking good. Costner is decent at playing a slacker, but he's even better at having his conscience pricked and trying to become a good father to his daughter and do what's right for both his family and his nation. Thus, what's basically a light comedy turns into something much more resembling a satire, and for as long as the U.S. stays as divided as it currently is, this film will seem even better that it probably is.

The Miracle of St. Anna (Spike Lee, 2008)



I need to rewatch this film because my first viewing was mostly a frustrating experience. The movie probably tells an important story and may have its heart in the right place, but it's so crammed with incident and seemingly-inconsequential subplots, as well as being told in a convoluted manner, that it's difficult for me to even tell you what it's supposed to be about. Although the flick starts with somebody going postal in 1983 New York City, most of it is a flashback about four Black American soldiers behind enemy lines in WWII Tuscany, Italy. The four soldiers attempt to help out the local partisans while also trying to capture a German soldier. Since this is a Spike Lee Joint, he casts a sexy woman just so he can get her to take her clothes off. Then, there's the "miracle" which I'm not going to even try to discuss. The movie looks good and has some elements of action and suspense, but I cannot understand why it's 160 minutes long unless Spike really thought he was going to get some Oscars for this. Additionally, for all those people who hate "bad accents" and would prefer everyone to speak their own language, this film may be the antedote to that idea. There are scenes upon scenes where Americans speak English, the Italians speak Italian (with subtitles) and the Germans speak German (in subtitles). After a short while, it's enough to give you a headache because most of the dialogue is expository or banal. Once again, I think Spike must have had delusions of grandeur because it really kills the film for everybody trying to understand everybody else when they all have to be translated back and forth. Normally, I prefer subtitles, especially if it's a film made outside of the U.S., but this film just shows how much better Clint Eastwood handled the subtitles in Letters from Iwo Jima. As I said up front, I'll try to rewatch it, but it was a long slog the first time

The African Queen (John Huston, 1951)



I have this film memorized from the old days, but I'm happy to report that the DVD restoration is beautiful and has deleted all those nasty green lines and silhouettes which used to curse this film (yep, meaty, it looks 100% better than the version you watched earlier). The chemistry between Bogie and Kate Hepburn is wonderful, and their gradual romance and love for each other in the face of death is believable and humorous. Even with all these significant persons involved, The African Queen is an excellent example of an independent film. It was made completely-independently from the studio system, but what would you expect since Huston's previous studio flick (The Red Badge of Courage) was butchered. This "independence" may explain part of the reason why the movie seems so personal and why the film's finale seems to almost have been made up on the spur of the moment. Bogart won his only Oscar, quite an accomplishment in the face of Brando's Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, but the key to the film's popularity is how Hepburn can play her completely-opposite character (Huston told her to play her as Eleanor Roosevelt and the rest, as they say, is History) so wonderfully and yet still project such perfect love and understanding. Sure, there are some "fakish" scenes here and there, but they're far-outnumbered by realistic scenes where when Bogie throws the anchor in the river, you can see and hear all the REAL AFRICAN birds react and fly away. No BS CGI in this flick, just a few quaint models here and there. Check this one out if you've failed to do so thus far.