Monday, January 10, 2005
Carl’s Christmas Break Movie Marathon
Here are a few short reviews of all of the movies I watched over Christmas break. I still have a little stack of DVD's that didn't get watched. So I guess I will have to find some time between studies... :) The worst thing is that most of the movies I want to watch are subtitled, and those are sort of hard to watch when you are supposed to be reading. Anyway, here are the reviews!
Napoleon Dynamite – Sweet. It is impossible to explain the movie, because it is devoid of a true plot. That isn’t to say that it is a bad movie. It is a great comedy about a true nerd; not a typical Hollywood nerd. It shows how so often a nerd is not a victim, but does nothing to help his own case. It shows how one’s family sort of has a damning effect on your social development, and that in the end, being a nerd isn’t all that bad. You can still find friends, happiness, and love. The movie is about how great it is to live unencumbered by society’s sense of normalcy. “Just listen to your heart Pedro, that’s what I do.” To tell you the truth, the movie is so unconventional that my first reaction was that I didn’t like it. But the more I talked about it with my brother and thought about it, I loved it (l-u-v).
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Cowboy Bebop the Movie) – It sort of angers me that the majority of adults in American will miss out on a lot of beautiful and exciting Japanese movies, all because they are animated and not live action. These same adults will sit through Armageddon or Christmas with the Kranks, but find animation too childish. This movie is based on a series by the same name, in which a group of four bounty hunters try to solve crime in a not-too-distant future when mankind has sprawled further and faster than the arm of the law. You won’t need to know the characters to enjoy the movie, because the screenplay does a great job of characterization (but if you know them already, you’ll enjoy it very much). An ex-military man creates a new biochemical weapon that he intends on using on Halloween, all because similar chemicals were used on him in the military. The drugs he was exposed to leave him without true rest or a true sense of reality. The military uses his ex-girlfriend (who thought he was dead) as bait to draw him out, only to find that he is so bent on his revenge that nothing can trip him up. Only a x-factor, namely the misfit “Cowboys,” can find a way to ruin his plan. Sounds pretty cheesy, but the execution of this movie is amazing. You learn about the characters, care about them, and cheer for them. You cringe, laugh, hold your breath… all things you feel odd about doing in an animated movie. The plot is much better and much more deep that I described, and it is well worth a rental. As a matter of fact, while it may not be in the hallowed pantheon of anime movies (such as Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Spirited Away), it would be a great introductory movie for someone who has never seen Japanese animation before. A lot of the quirks that turn Americans’ interest away from anime are absent in Cowboy Bebop (it is pretty “western” if you ask me). The colors, the music, and the writing are all top notch.
Elf – How great is this movie? It is truly funny, original, and has lots of heart. Buddy is the human foster child of Santa’s elves, and he soon goes on a journey to find his real father, and where he fits in the world. A fantastic movie, and a great one for all ages. Every time I see it I crack up at Will Ferrell.
Resident Evil – Absolutely awful on every level. I was morbidly curious to see what it was like, so I jumped at the chance to catch it for “free” on cable. I love zombies, and really think that the RE video games are very cool and well designed. I had many sleepless nights thanks to the original PSOne game. At one time, George Romero himself was tied to the movie project, but left in a huff. It is easy to see why now. The movie is unwatchable. It is cliché at every turn, needlessly gross and unrealistic, and the acting is terrible. It tries very hard to have some clever subtext as it borrows liberally from “Alice in Wonderland,” but to tell the truth, nothing in the movie ever makes sense. It is like the worst aspects of Aliens, Thirteen Ghosts (the whole movie in other words), and 28 Days Later all rolled into one rubbish heap. And they made a sequel? Amazing. Video games and superhero comic books need to stop being made into movies.
Anchorman – A massive guilty pleasure of mine. I absolutely love this movie. The humor is bizarre and crude, but everything is in the delivery. After watching all of the extra scenes, it is obvious that this movie could have easily been a disaster. The editing of this movie should win an award, because what is left is a quick paced, fun comedy that has a keen sense of its own value to society; it never tries to moralize or have heart. It just goes for laughs. It is fun to think that the egos that wrestle backstage at TV stations are even a fraction of the ridiculous display on this movie. The 70’s era was a great backdrop for this over-macho and faux-hip cast of characters. It’s not early Woody Allen, or even early Mel Brooks, but it is light-years ahead of your other comedy options these days… (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle? Come on!)
Raising Helen – Man… not all of these movies were selected by me. Apparently when they call something a chick flick, they mean that it is a movie for people who will be emotionally manipulated by anything. This movie was stock love story / coming of age story / power of sisters / Lifetime movie of the week crap. The acting was awful, things were resolved way too fast, ala a TV sitcom, and characters never seemed real. I personally found the gentle, hip, Lutheran youth pastor/boyfriend character to be so needless and poorly written that it was almost funny. I like how he totally dropped out of character at moment’s notice. People will like this movie, but then again, people liked Beaches and Pretty Woman also. Compared to this, I don’t feel so bad for liking Dirty Dancing.
Ferris Buehler’s Day Off – I wanted to see if this was as good as I remembered. Yup. A classic. The perfect storm of the 1980’s, a cast that played every part with enough manic quirkiness to wow you, and a plot that was barely there. It is a coming of age picture that actually works because you are rooting against these people growing up. Every moment of this movie maximizes fun. A classic, far better than the Cussak/Brat Pack movies that we tend to think of as the 80’s defining comedies. Oh Yeah!
Old Boy – A Korean psychological thriller with the single best ending to any movie ever. For those of you who tend to only watch what is available on HBO or Showtime, you need to expand your horizons a bit. Suffering through subtitles becomes second nature in time. That being said, Old Boy is about a normal businessman who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. While captive, his captor takes blood from him, and items with his fingerprints, and murders his wife; pinning the murder on him. He then is unexplainably released and allowed privy to clues to who his captive was. He has to choose between truth and revenge, and his quest to reclaim his life is very gritty. It is like a twisted Moby Dick. I highly recommend seeing this movie. I was so entranced that I hardly noticed the subtitles at all. You can order a copy at www.redsundvd.com for under $20, and it will be fun to show your friends who are constantly telling you that you need to see “Spiderman 2” or “The Day After Tomorrow.” Its like a Korean version of Fight Club meets The Fugitive meets The Game. (Two of those are Fincher… weird).
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – If you are new to Wes Anderson movies, you will probably enjoy this movie slightly less, but for the rest of us, this is a must see! It is absolutely brilliant. Bill Murray plays an aging aquatic filmmaker ala Jacques Cousteau. His glory days are fast fading away, and he is struggling to make sense of the life he is left with. His best friend is killed on location, his marriage is flying apart, and suddenly a man appears who may be his long lost son. Again, the Moby Dick theme is invoked, as he goes on one last adventure to get revenge on the Jaguar Shark that killed his friend, and make a new film that will help him once again grab the spotlight he once held. A great movie, with tons of dry humor and outrageous situations. I am not sure who is the best character in this movie… Murray as Zissou or Jeff Goldbloom as his rival in both love and labor. The movie has a great ensemble cast, as do all Anderson movies. It has Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchet, Angelica Huston, and others who I easily forget (it is a lot of movie to take in). Every shot is beautiful, and it is dripping with artistic touch. Not a single moment of this movie seems like old territory. I still like Royal Tennenbaums better, but this one is a creature all its own. I give this the highest possible recommendation.
Easy Rider – I will never understand why this movie is so loved. It has to be a generational thing. I have tried to sit through it probably as many as eight times now, and every time I get very bored. It just seems so stale now, but I am sure at the time it was revolutionary. Much like Midnight Cowboy… they are movies that broke ground, but the market was soon flooded with movies that tread the same waters.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – I wanted to see this again for two reasons. I wanted to see how it shaped up compared to Elf as a movie that all ages can enjoy, and to see how well it has aged. I still loved this movie, although I have seen it hundreds of times (which is more than I can say for Wizard of Oz). There are moments that are too much to handle (the “Cheer Up Charlie” song for one), but in the end, this was another accidental masterpiece. For those of you who are unaware, Tim Burton has remade this film, and it will be out this summer. It will no doubt be a darker and more adult movie, but let’s face it… the story was already dark and aimed at adults. The original book was definitely a morality play, and Dahl (the author) is no stranger to twisted humor and subversive themes. Perfect for Burton, if he is at the top of his game. I haven’t liked a lot of his stuff, but he has a ton of potential. I still worship Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Edward Scissorhands (not sure why I don’t own this one), Cabin Boy, and have a healthy respect for Nightmare Before Christmas. Other than these, I don’t know what to think of him (Planet of the Apes was tremendously disappointing for me, but at least he cut ties with Arnold, who was supposed to be in it). I haven’t seen Big Fish yet… but I digress. Willy Wonka is a classic, and I hope that the new version is as imaginative as odd as the original. It will be hard to see anyone but Gene Wilder as Wonka, but Johnny Depp looks pretty cool in the part. He sort of looks like Marilyn Manson in the promos, which adds a whole new level of creepiness to the whole story.
Dr Strangelove (or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb) – I will really have to stop myself from gushing here. I use the word love so much that I am out of verbs to describe my affections here. Stanley Kubrick will go down in history as the highest profile director to ever be overlooked in his lifetime; despite the accolades he and his films received, it isn’t until years later that they all show their true power (timelessness). In Hollywood, it is painfully obvious that one can’t just set out to make a great movie, let alone a perfect one. Very few directors have the guts to change genres in pursuit of perfection either. But Kubrick did. He tackled everything, and managed to make perfect movies; not just once, but several times. 2001 A Space Odyssey, The Shining, and Dr. Strangelove all stand as perfect in their fields. We can debate Full Metal Jacket, Spartacus, and Clockwork Orange later. But Strangelove will forever stand as one of the smartest comedies and political satires ever. A mad military man launches a nuclear attack on Russia, and no one knows the pass code to call back the planes. Washington is left to scramble to find a solution, but tensions are too high. Not to mention, that there is a fail safe device that is set to trigger massive retaliatory strikes if nuclear bombs are ever dropped on the Soviet Union. Despite all of this tense drama, it is above all a comedy. Peter Sellers plays three roles (almost played four), and each one is unforgettable. George C Scott warms up for his Patton role as a Hawk that has no trust for or desire to work with the Russians. Every line, every scene is pure perfection. Watching movies like this make it hard for me to watch 90% of what Hollywood puts out. And I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to mention for the millionth time that I am still upset over the whole A.I. deal. Stupid Spielberg.
M – That’s not a mistake; the title is just one letter. M stands for Morder, German for murderer. It is Fritz Lang’s 1931 crime masterpiece. The new Criterion edition makes it seem like a new movie. Every VHS copy I have ever seen is very grainy and dark, so dark that there are huge stretches of movie that you strain to see what is happening. For 1931, this movie must have seemed scandalous. It was Lang’s first sound picture, so you can understand how dated it should feel. But it doesn’t. Much like one of my top five movies, The Third Man, it shows the seedy underbelly of European crime. In M, a man is murdering children, and getting away with it. He also is taunting the police; he wants caught. But the police are bungling and ineffective. So the onus is on the local rogue’s gallery to stop this murderer. That’s right, the “hero” of this movie is the underworld crooks and thugs who are sick of the extra pressure that the public and police have put on their trade. This movie was probably as daring as Silence of the Lambs or Seven were in our time, but maybe even more so. The open criticism of authority, the confused roles of good and evil, and the somewhat taboo topic of violence towards children all make this movie a legend. Peter Lorre is just plain creepy in this movie. The new edition, other than the new sound and video quality being worth every penny of $30, comes with a second disk of supplemental material. It ranks up there with the recent issues of Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and Treasure of the Sierra Madre in terms of historical archive value. Anyway, the movie will make your heart race; just try hearing that murder’s tune whistled out of context of the movie and not start! Try not to have your heart sink as you see a child’s ball roll into view and stop cold, as the child’s balloon struggles in the power-lines above, finally to get free and float into the heavens… very powerful stuff. “But I’m not done yet!” Perhaps the most powerful aspect of this movie is the subplot about how the authorities have the public worked up into a fear-induced frenzy, and then are completely powerless to help. Instead they use the fear to establish a sort of totalitarian state, and lash out at straw men where ever they can. Sound familiar? At least Lang’s movie was filmed in Hitler’s Germany (1931), so you expect that sort of tone…
House of the Flying Daggers – I want to try and review this one without comparing it to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero (both 10 out of 10 stars in my book). HOTFD also stars Zhang Ziyi who is incredible talented, and gorgeous by the way (in the movie she is described as a “rare beauty” which couldn’t be said better). She plays the part of a blind geisha-like entertainer who is suspected of being involved with a feared group of revolutionaries. A government soldier is put on the job of outing her and her comrades. Instead he falls for her. The colors and sets used in this movie are incredible vibrant, and every motion has a sort of Zen poetry to it (what else would you expect). The scenes demonstrating Zhang’s dancing and singing seem sort of hard to handle, considering the roles she has played so far (it isn’t bad, just new territory for her. We have to remember that Jackie Chan even sings in some of his Hong Kong films), but her other acting is great. Unlike Musa The Warrior, she is allowed to cut lose a bit… but I wonder when she will stop playing tragic characters. The sort-of-mythical China that is portrayed in this movie is fantastic and cliché at the same time. However, the Chinese are fast becoming the masters of exciting, artistic, romantic folk stories, leaving Hollywood in the dust. The swordplay, which for some is the big draw, is as well choreographed and filmed as ever, but it is the love story and the costumes that make this film great. The only advice I would give the average American viewer is that “kung fu” and wushu (fantastic swordplay) movies are the Asian equivalent of setting a movie in the Old West, Civil War, or Camelot. You have to appreciate their folkways, and suspend disbelief a little. The biggest complaint that I hear is that the fighters too often have special powers, but in Chinese culture to master an art of any sort was to unify your soul with that art, therefore becoming spiritual and superhuman. This unification of the soul with art (even martial arts) are what make these characters bold and lovable. Even some of the cheesiest Shaw Bros. kung fu movies have moments of great heart. If you don’t enjoy the swordplay, then just turn off your brain during these moments, and let yourself get absorbed by the rest of the story. Don’t miss a beautiful movie just because of a few action scenes.
I tried to watch more movies, but just didn’t have time. I “wasted” some valuable movie time working (too much work…), playing Metal Gear on my Playstation and watching TV DVDs, like the 1st Season of Futurama, re-watching all of my Aqua Teen DVDs, and Home Movies. I also caught myself sticking in The Kids in the Hall, Ren and Stimpy, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes when I was sitting about. I’ll never get all of these disks watched! I bought a few new DVDs, and I have plenty stacked up already that need attention. I will report back again sometime, and I will gladly accept recommendations and rebuttals! I love to loan out these movies that I am in love with, so ask if one sounds cool to you. The only thing is that I am totally anal about wanting to get it back relatively soon…
Horn’s Up
Napoleon Dynamite – Sweet. It is impossible to explain the movie, because it is devoid of a true plot. That isn’t to say that it is a bad movie. It is a great comedy about a true nerd; not a typical Hollywood nerd. It shows how so often a nerd is not a victim, but does nothing to help his own case. It shows how one’s family sort of has a damning effect on your social development, and that in the end, being a nerd isn’t all that bad. You can still find friends, happiness, and love. The movie is about how great it is to live unencumbered by society’s sense of normalcy. “Just listen to your heart Pedro, that’s what I do.” To tell you the truth, the movie is so unconventional that my first reaction was that I didn’t like it. But the more I talked about it with my brother and thought about it, I loved it (l-u-v).
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Cowboy Bebop the Movie) – It sort of angers me that the majority of adults in American will miss out on a lot of beautiful and exciting Japanese movies, all because they are animated and not live action. These same adults will sit through Armageddon or Christmas with the Kranks, but find animation too childish. This movie is based on a series by the same name, in which a group of four bounty hunters try to solve crime in a not-too-distant future when mankind has sprawled further and faster than the arm of the law. You won’t need to know the characters to enjoy the movie, because the screenplay does a great job of characterization (but if you know them already, you’ll enjoy it very much). An ex-military man creates a new biochemical weapon that he intends on using on Halloween, all because similar chemicals were used on him in the military. The drugs he was exposed to leave him without true rest or a true sense of reality. The military uses his ex-girlfriend (who thought he was dead) as bait to draw him out, only to find that he is so bent on his revenge that nothing can trip him up. Only a x-factor, namely the misfit “Cowboys,” can find a way to ruin his plan. Sounds pretty cheesy, but the execution of this movie is amazing. You learn about the characters, care about them, and cheer for them. You cringe, laugh, hold your breath… all things you feel odd about doing in an animated movie. The plot is much better and much more deep that I described, and it is well worth a rental. As a matter of fact, while it may not be in the hallowed pantheon of anime movies (such as Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Spirited Away), it would be a great introductory movie for someone who has never seen Japanese animation before. A lot of the quirks that turn Americans’ interest away from anime are absent in Cowboy Bebop (it is pretty “western” if you ask me). The colors, the music, and the writing are all top notch.
Elf – How great is this movie? It is truly funny, original, and has lots of heart. Buddy is the human foster child of Santa’s elves, and he soon goes on a journey to find his real father, and where he fits in the world. A fantastic movie, and a great one for all ages. Every time I see it I crack up at Will Ferrell.
Resident Evil – Absolutely awful on every level. I was morbidly curious to see what it was like, so I jumped at the chance to catch it for “free” on cable. I love zombies, and really think that the RE video games are very cool and well designed. I had many sleepless nights thanks to the original PSOne game. At one time, George Romero himself was tied to the movie project, but left in a huff. It is easy to see why now. The movie is unwatchable. It is cliché at every turn, needlessly gross and unrealistic, and the acting is terrible. It tries very hard to have some clever subtext as it borrows liberally from “Alice in Wonderland,” but to tell the truth, nothing in the movie ever makes sense. It is like the worst aspects of Aliens, Thirteen Ghosts (the whole movie in other words), and 28 Days Later all rolled into one rubbish heap. And they made a sequel? Amazing. Video games and superhero comic books need to stop being made into movies.
Anchorman – A massive guilty pleasure of mine. I absolutely love this movie. The humor is bizarre and crude, but everything is in the delivery. After watching all of the extra scenes, it is obvious that this movie could have easily been a disaster. The editing of this movie should win an award, because what is left is a quick paced, fun comedy that has a keen sense of its own value to society; it never tries to moralize or have heart. It just goes for laughs. It is fun to think that the egos that wrestle backstage at TV stations are even a fraction of the ridiculous display on this movie. The 70’s era was a great backdrop for this over-macho and faux-hip cast of characters. It’s not early Woody Allen, or even early Mel Brooks, but it is light-years ahead of your other comedy options these days… (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle? Come on!)
Raising Helen – Man… not all of these movies were selected by me. Apparently when they call something a chick flick, they mean that it is a movie for people who will be emotionally manipulated by anything. This movie was stock love story / coming of age story / power of sisters / Lifetime movie of the week crap. The acting was awful, things were resolved way too fast, ala a TV sitcom, and characters never seemed real. I personally found the gentle, hip, Lutheran youth pastor/boyfriend character to be so needless and poorly written that it was almost funny. I like how he totally dropped out of character at moment’s notice. People will like this movie, but then again, people liked Beaches and Pretty Woman also. Compared to this, I don’t feel so bad for liking Dirty Dancing.
Ferris Buehler’s Day Off – I wanted to see if this was as good as I remembered. Yup. A classic. The perfect storm of the 1980’s, a cast that played every part with enough manic quirkiness to wow you, and a plot that was barely there. It is a coming of age picture that actually works because you are rooting against these people growing up. Every moment of this movie maximizes fun. A classic, far better than the Cussak/Brat Pack movies that we tend to think of as the 80’s defining comedies. Oh Yeah!
Old Boy – A Korean psychological thriller with the single best ending to any movie ever. For those of you who tend to only watch what is available on HBO or Showtime, you need to expand your horizons a bit. Suffering through subtitles becomes second nature in time. That being said, Old Boy is about a normal businessman who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. While captive, his captor takes blood from him, and items with his fingerprints, and murders his wife; pinning the murder on him. He then is unexplainably released and allowed privy to clues to who his captive was. He has to choose between truth and revenge, and his quest to reclaim his life is very gritty. It is like a twisted Moby Dick. I highly recommend seeing this movie. I was so entranced that I hardly noticed the subtitles at all. You can order a copy at www.redsundvd.com for under $20, and it will be fun to show your friends who are constantly telling you that you need to see “Spiderman 2” or “The Day After Tomorrow.” Its like a Korean version of Fight Club meets The Fugitive meets The Game. (Two of those are Fincher… weird).
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – If you are new to Wes Anderson movies, you will probably enjoy this movie slightly less, but for the rest of us, this is a must see! It is absolutely brilliant. Bill Murray plays an aging aquatic filmmaker ala Jacques Cousteau. His glory days are fast fading away, and he is struggling to make sense of the life he is left with. His best friend is killed on location, his marriage is flying apart, and suddenly a man appears who may be his long lost son. Again, the Moby Dick theme is invoked, as he goes on one last adventure to get revenge on the Jaguar Shark that killed his friend, and make a new film that will help him once again grab the spotlight he once held. A great movie, with tons of dry humor and outrageous situations. I am not sure who is the best character in this movie… Murray as Zissou or Jeff Goldbloom as his rival in both love and labor. The movie has a great ensemble cast, as do all Anderson movies. It has Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchet, Angelica Huston, and others who I easily forget (it is a lot of movie to take in). Every shot is beautiful, and it is dripping with artistic touch. Not a single moment of this movie seems like old territory. I still like Royal Tennenbaums better, but this one is a creature all its own. I give this the highest possible recommendation.
Easy Rider – I will never understand why this movie is so loved. It has to be a generational thing. I have tried to sit through it probably as many as eight times now, and every time I get very bored. It just seems so stale now, but I am sure at the time it was revolutionary. Much like Midnight Cowboy… they are movies that broke ground, but the market was soon flooded with movies that tread the same waters.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – I wanted to see this again for two reasons. I wanted to see how it shaped up compared to Elf as a movie that all ages can enjoy, and to see how well it has aged. I still loved this movie, although I have seen it hundreds of times (which is more than I can say for Wizard of Oz). There are moments that are too much to handle (the “Cheer Up Charlie” song for one), but in the end, this was another accidental masterpiece. For those of you who are unaware, Tim Burton has remade this film, and it will be out this summer. It will no doubt be a darker and more adult movie, but let’s face it… the story was already dark and aimed at adults. The original book was definitely a morality play, and Dahl (the author) is no stranger to twisted humor and subversive themes. Perfect for Burton, if he is at the top of his game. I haven’t liked a lot of his stuff, but he has a ton of potential. I still worship Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Edward Scissorhands (not sure why I don’t own this one), Cabin Boy, and have a healthy respect for Nightmare Before Christmas. Other than these, I don’t know what to think of him (Planet of the Apes was tremendously disappointing for me, but at least he cut ties with Arnold, who was supposed to be in it). I haven’t seen Big Fish yet… but I digress. Willy Wonka is a classic, and I hope that the new version is as imaginative as odd as the original. It will be hard to see anyone but Gene Wilder as Wonka, but Johnny Depp looks pretty cool in the part. He sort of looks like Marilyn Manson in the promos, which adds a whole new level of creepiness to the whole story.
Dr Strangelove (or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb) – I will really have to stop myself from gushing here. I use the word love so much that I am out of verbs to describe my affections here. Stanley Kubrick will go down in history as the highest profile director to ever be overlooked in his lifetime; despite the accolades he and his films received, it isn’t until years later that they all show their true power (timelessness). In Hollywood, it is painfully obvious that one can’t just set out to make a great movie, let alone a perfect one. Very few directors have the guts to change genres in pursuit of perfection either. But Kubrick did. He tackled everything, and managed to make perfect movies; not just once, but several times. 2001 A Space Odyssey, The Shining, and Dr. Strangelove all stand as perfect in their fields. We can debate Full Metal Jacket, Spartacus, and Clockwork Orange later. But Strangelove will forever stand as one of the smartest comedies and political satires ever. A mad military man launches a nuclear attack on Russia, and no one knows the pass code to call back the planes. Washington is left to scramble to find a solution, but tensions are too high. Not to mention, that there is a fail safe device that is set to trigger massive retaliatory strikes if nuclear bombs are ever dropped on the Soviet Union. Despite all of this tense drama, it is above all a comedy. Peter Sellers plays three roles (almost played four), and each one is unforgettable. George C Scott warms up for his Patton role as a Hawk that has no trust for or desire to work with the Russians. Every line, every scene is pure perfection. Watching movies like this make it hard for me to watch 90% of what Hollywood puts out. And I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to mention for the millionth time that I am still upset over the whole A.I. deal. Stupid Spielberg.
M – That’s not a mistake; the title is just one letter. M stands for Morder, German for murderer. It is Fritz Lang’s 1931 crime masterpiece. The new Criterion edition makes it seem like a new movie. Every VHS copy I have ever seen is very grainy and dark, so dark that there are huge stretches of movie that you strain to see what is happening. For 1931, this movie must have seemed scandalous. It was Lang’s first sound picture, so you can understand how dated it should feel. But it doesn’t. Much like one of my top five movies, The Third Man, it shows the seedy underbelly of European crime. In M, a man is murdering children, and getting away with it. He also is taunting the police; he wants caught. But the police are bungling and ineffective. So the onus is on the local rogue’s gallery to stop this murderer. That’s right, the “hero” of this movie is the underworld crooks and thugs who are sick of the extra pressure that the public and police have put on their trade. This movie was probably as daring as Silence of the Lambs or Seven were in our time, but maybe even more so. The open criticism of authority, the confused roles of good and evil, and the somewhat taboo topic of violence towards children all make this movie a legend. Peter Lorre is just plain creepy in this movie. The new edition, other than the new sound and video quality being worth every penny of $30, comes with a second disk of supplemental material. It ranks up there with the recent issues of Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and Treasure of the Sierra Madre in terms of historical archive value. Anyway, the movie will make your heart race; just try hearing that murder’s tune whistled out of context of the movie and not start! Try not to have your heart sink as you see a child’s ball roll into view and stop cold, as the child’s balloon struggles in the power-lines above, finally to get free and float into the heavens… very powerful stuff. “But I’m not done yet!” Perhaps the most powerful aspect of this movie is the subplot about how the authorities have the public worked up into a fear-induced frenzy, and then are completely powerless to help. Instead they use the fear to establish a sort of totalitarian state, and lash out at straw men where ever they can. Sound familiar? At least Lang’s movie was filmed in Hitler’s Germany (1931), so you expect that sort of tone…
House of the Flying Daggers – I want to try and review this one without comparing it to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero (both 10 out of 10 stars in my book). HOTFD also stars Zhang Ziyi who is incredible talented, and gorgeous by the way (in the movie she is described as a “rare beauty” which couldn’t be said better). She plays the part of a blind geisha-like entertainer who is suspected of being involved with a feared group of revolutionaries. A government soldier is put on the job of outing her and her comrades. Instead he falls for her. The colors and sets used in this movie are incredible vibrant, and every motion has a sort of Zen poetry to it (what else would you expect). The scenes demonstrating Zhang’s dancing and singing seem sort of hard to handle, considering the roles she has played so far (it isn’t bad, just new territory for her. We have to remember that Jackie Chan even sings in some of his Hong Kong films), but her other acting is great. Unlike Musa The Warrior, she is allowed to cut lose a bit… but I wonder when she will stop playing tragic characters. The sort-of-mythical China that is portrayed in this movie is fantastic and cliché at the same time. However, the Chinese are fast becoming the masters of exciting, artistic, romantic folk stories, leaving Hollywood in the dust. The swordplay, which for some is the big draw, is as well choreographed and filmed as ever, but it is the love story and the costumes that make this film great. The only advice I would give the average American viewer is that “kung fu” and wushu (fantastic swordplay) movies are the Asian equivalent of setting a movie in the Old West, Civil War, or Camelot. You have to appreciate their folkways, and suspend disbelief a little. The biggest complaint that I hear is that the fighters too often have special powers, but in Chinese culture to master an art of any sort was to unify your soul with that art, therefore becoming spiritual and superhuman. This unification of the soul with art (even martial arts) are what make these characters bold and lovable. Even some of the cheesiest Shaw Bros. kung fu movies have moments of great heart. If you don’t enjoy the swordplay, then just turn off your brain during these moments, and let yourself get absorbed by the rest of the story. Don’t miss a beautiful movie just because of a few action scenes.
I tried to watch more movies, but just didn’t have time. I “wasted” some valuable movie time working (too much work…), playing Metal Gear on my Playstation and watching TV DVDs, like the 1st Season of Futurama, re-watching all of my Aqua Teen DVDs, and Home Movies. I also caught myself sticking in The Kids in the Hall, Ren and Stimpy, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes when I was sitting about. I’ll never get all of these disks watched! I bought a few new DVDs, and I have plenty stacked up already that need attention. I will report back again sometime, and I will gladly accept recommendations and rebuttals! I love to loan out these movies that I am in love with, so ask if one sounds cool to you. The only thing is that I am totally anal about wanting to get it back relatively soon…
Horn’s Up
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