What I Watched, What You Watched: Installment #15
FIlm noir triple-play and a dose of Malick
On top of the titles listed below I also watch the Criterion Blu-ray for Howards End and the Blu-ray for Warner Home Video's North By Northwest, both of which will be reviewed on Tuesday along with the Criterion Blu-ray for Wings of Desire. On top of that I watched the Blu-ray for Disney/Pixar's Up, which will be reviewed in a couple of weeks along with the Blu-ray versions of Monsters, Inc. and Cars.
As for the titles listed below, the first three are the final three of Sony's November 3 release of Film Noir Collection Volume One after I discussed my thoughts on The Sniper and 5 Against the House last week. You can get more details on the complete set right here and a link to buy the set is included with all three films below. As a quick note, the only one of the five I didn't particularly take to was 5 Against the House, the rest are quite good with The BIg Heat, The Sniper and The Lineup all being extremely good.
As always, remember you can keep tabs on my personal Netflix queue right here. I now have 50 friends on the movie rental site and would love to have a few more if those of you out there with accounts are interested. Now, here's the recap of my week in movies…
| The Big Heat (1953) |
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| QUICK THOUGHTS: This was my second time seeing Fritz Lang's film noir classic starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Lee Marvin as I watched it for the first time this past August when it was shown on TCM's Summer Under the Stars on Gloria Grahame's night. It's a great film, as is most anything from Lang, and actually gets quite dark with a spectacular performance from Marvin as tough guy Vince Stone who isn't afraid to scar a woman for life. | |
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| The Lineup (1956) |
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| QUICK THOUGHTS: This one stars Eli Wallach and while Michael Mann offers up some thoughts on the DVD for The Big Heat, I would find it hard to believe this film didn't, in some way, inspire Mann's Tom Cruise thriller Collateral as Wallach's character is a hired gun making his way around San Francisco scooping up drugs and leaving a wake of death behind him. It's really, really good stuff. This one is directed by Don Siegel, and like The Big Heat it can get pretty dark at times, even to the point where a little girl is used as a human shield. BEWARE: The clip below is a great one from the film, but it is also a MAJOR SPOILER. I couldn't find the trailer so this is what you get. | |
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| Murder by Contract (1958) |
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| QUICK THOUGHTS: This is a good film, but not a great film. What makes it a notch above average is its message as it features a hired hitman with a conscience and a distaste for guns. | |
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| The Thin Red Line (1998) |
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| QUICK THOUGHTS: I had never seen this film before or Terrence Malick's Badlands and I have had both of them sitting on my coffee table from Netflix since September 10 and I finally found some time to get around to one of them. I honestly think I could write for days about this film, a film I didn't watch in 1998 because I was told it was boring… Boring? This film is about as intense as they come and on top of that it isn't your stereotypical, cliched war film. Addressing issues of "life and death" and "good and evil" with a bend toward nature there are several messages that can be taken away from this film. I will admit, at nearly three hours there isn't a lot left to decipher by the time the film is up, but there are so many different metaphors used along the way it opens up new comparisons as you go. We are witness to a battle wounded baby bird midway through the film only to have the frequent voiceover dissecting its appearance toward the end coming to the conclusion that "death has the final word," which is a line I found particularly important since the most prominent message I got from the film was that even once the battle is over, people are still alive. In short, it appears the soldiers that die along the way are getting off easy. This is portrayed in several different instances and even debated as Nick Nolte's war-mongering will offer up one outcome, later referred to by voiceover as the side that "feels the glory," compared to Elias Koteas' well-thought-out, preservation-of-life tactics. Another example comes in the form of language as an American soldier tells a Japanese soldier he's about to die in English, only to have that soldier yell back in his face in Japanese. Something that typically would only suggest an inability to converse. immediately becomes menacing. When the man who was just told he is dying musters up the resolve to yell right back and you can't understand a word he is saying there is something terribly frightening about what is unknown at that moment. Further, I got a sense of religion from James Caviezel's character and thought Woody Harrelson's death scene was one of the better deaths I have seen in a war film. A few things that bothered me included the voiceover for most of the time as I didn't think it added as much as it detracted from the film's intensity and I never thought it added anything to the story that wasn't already available for deduction. I also thought it was strange how Sean Penn and even Adrien Brody were sporting gelled up 90210 hair-dos shortly after the bombs had stopped going off and the bullets had stopped flying by. Beyond those minor nitpicks I thought this film was extraordinary and a definite must see if you haven't yet seen it. On top of everything I have already mentioned it is also an astonishingly gorgeous film, but that shouldn't really surprise anyone that has ever seen a Malick film. This one is prime for a Blu-ray fitting, let's hope it happens. | |
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There you have it. Now share your weekly recaps and weigh in with any thoughts you may have on the films I saw. And remember to connect with my Netflix queue by clicking here, I have already added several titles from those that have already linked up.
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The only film I saw this week was "Where the Wild Things Are". Funny, because for the past few months, I was dying to see this movie, and when I decided to see it with my roommate (who's a huge fan of the book as well), it didn't feel like as much of an event to me.
Regardless, I liked it. It's sad, dark but kinda gorgeous. I need to see it again because there are so many different things and parallels going on throughout that film that I completely missed out on. So needless to say, as of right now, this is a good film, but maybe after a few Blu-Ray viewings, it might become a great one.
completely agree with thin red line. one of my favorite films of all time. although i loved the voice over, as i thought it brought a lyrical poetry to the beauty that was on screen. along with the georgeous score, this film can be enjoyed equally with the volume off, or the screen blank. not many films can do that.
Since it was Halloween, I watched three horror classics:
Psycho – Scared the bejesus out of me. 5/5
Rosemary's Baby – Great Roman Polanski film. 5/5
The Shining – All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, indeed. 4.5/5
10/25-10/31:
Zombieland – A
A Serious Man – A+
The Invention of Lying – C-
Licence To Kill – C-
The Damned United – C
Endgame – B-
The Hurt Locker – incredibly intense, sharply written, very well-acted and brilliantly directed action drama. One of the best films of the year and Kathryn Bigelow deserves Best Director Oscar.
This Is It – thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, great film. I was truly afraid that it was gonna be a shameless exploitation, but it turned out to be hugely entertaining, insightful, and, as I thought, respectful movie.
10/25 – 10/31
The Big Combo (1955) – B+
American Beauty – A
A Serious Man – C
Speaking of film noir, I'll be going to see The Killers (1946) at the AFI Silver Theatre in a few hours.
Forgot to mention this, but I also rented Michael Keaton's film "The Merry Gentleman" on Friday, so I plan on watching that. I also agree with you on The Thin Red Line. It would have been my choice for Best Picture that year.
you've had badlands for over a month and haven't watched it? that movie is prime, son, get your ass in front of a tv pronto
Out of ****
Where the Wild Things Are–I was pleased with it. It was a crazy daring move for a supposed kids' film, but it really worked. I loved the depressed monsters because, although they were depressing, the movie itself wasn't depressing. It was cute, honest, and vividly imagined. The camera could have been a bit less shaky, though. ***1/2
Rewatched:
Amores Perros–I was going to do it in Spanish with Spanish subtitles, but there was no option for Spanish subtitles, so I just watched it in straight Spanish. It went pretty well. Next comes "Pan's Labyrinth" without subtitles, which will be much easier because I've seen it so many times already, and because it's a fairy-tale-like movie and thus has people speaking slower and a bit more formally. :D As for "Amores Perros," is there anyone else who likes the middle storyline the best? I think I do. ****
Cannibal Holocaust–I watched it on Halloween. Great film! Pioneered the idea of "found footage" that Blair Witch would use 19 years later, and that "Paranormal Activity" is using right now with great success. The acting isn't always good, but the story is SO well-constructed and SO interesting that it completely overcomes any low-budget shortcomings. Not for the squeamish, though. Nor for any of the PETA freaks. ****
A Serious Man: 3.5/4
An Education: 3/4
Antichrist: 3/4
Tyson: 4/4
The Shining- 10/10
Psycho- 9/10
Carrie- 4/10
Fell asleep halfway through Rosemary's Baby, but I'll try and finish it soon.
Halloween (rewatch) – 9/10
Halloween 2 – 6/10
Halloween H20 (rewatch) – 7/10
Trick 'R' Treat – 6/10
Saw VI – 6/10
The Goods – 5/10
Frozen River – 6/10
Seven Samurai – A (Nearly perfect movie. Other than Lord of the Rings, I don't think I've ever been happier to sit through such a long movie. Great character development and an engaging story, it was a defining movie in its decade)
Where the Wild Things Are – B- (I still liked it, but was underwhelmed. I really appreciated it for its visual beauty, and even its slightly dark tone, but I was hoping for more. Still, it was a good take on childhood and family)
Night of the Living Dead – A- (Seeing this movie for the first time on Halloween is the way to go. A true classic that pioneered a genre)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose – B+ (A very engaging courtroom drama and spiritual thriller, with great performances. Most of all I liked that it didn't force you to believe in anything, just to consider the possibilities)
Quarantine – B- (Pure entertainment value. It's very intensely shot and totally freaky. Watched it with all the lights off, and it gave such a relentless feeling all the way through)
The Sixth Sense – B+ (First time viewing. Unfortunately, I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't know the twist ending, even without having seen it. Still, while the surprise ending didn't shock me, I was able to appreciate it for the emotional twist it was. And knowing the end ahead of time allowed me to watch the film from an interesting point of view. Even so, I definitely need to watch it again, because I know it was a better film than I was able to appreciate the first time around. Great performances, directing, and suspense)
I'm glad to hear you liked The Thin Red Line, I love it.
Whatever Works – (B+) I love Woody, but nothing has passed Scoop or Vicky Christina Barcelona yet. valiant effort.
Transformers 2 (C+) bout as bad as when I watched it in theatres. All I can say is free redbox rental wasted.
This Is It (B) Jackson was a genius on stage. Such vision.
Cinderella Man (A-) One of Howard's best by far! Russell Crowe was amazing.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (B-) What can I say… I love Tim Burton. I am almost biased to say each of his films is atleast a B-
Halloween 4 & 5 (B+) I link them together because they are both tied for my favorite of the Halloween franchise.
Slow week for me
Away We Go – A-
Inglourious Basterds – A
No Country for Old Men – A-
All first time watches.
To add to my list before… just saw "This Is It" tonight. I'd give it an A.
I watched De Palma's Sisters (1973) and was a little disappointed. 4/10
Also watched Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002), a complete guilty pleasure which I had not seen in awhile, and laughed throughout, all the while acknowledging how stupid it is. Oh well, I love it! 7/10
Most of the week I was in my horror movie binge. I watched:
"The School of Rock" – At the end of my binge, I wanted a light comedy. I loved the rocking soundtrack on this movie. The kids were very good. Jack Black gave a nuanced comedic performance. 4 stars
"The Exorcist" – This is the director's cut that was released in 2000. I have seen this movie before, but I don't remember the multiple sub-plots. I was a little bored. This movie still creeps me out. 4 stars.
"Interview with the Vampire" – I haven't seen the movie in a long time. It's so good. Kirsten Dunst was fantastic. Tom Cruise as Lestat is so evil. 4 1/2 stars.
"Blade" – It's a little dated. The action is still kick ass. Stephen Dorff was great as Deacon Frost. 3 1/2 stars.
"28 Weeks Later" – This is a worthy follow-up to "28 Days Later". 4 stars
"The Ruins" – Maybe I was sick of looking at blood and gore, but I enjoyed this movie. Its about killer plants that could mimic sound, but I liked it. 3 1/2 stars
"Dying Breed" – An Australian film about cannibals in Tasmania. The characters were un-interesting. 2 stars
"The Descent" – The story about a group of six hikers getting trapped in a cave with blind cannibals. I thought it was average. 3 stars
"Dead Snow" – A German language film about a group of kids that are hunted by zombie Nazi soldiers. I enjoyed the kills in this film. It was awesome. 4 stars
"Blood: The Last Vampire" – An awful movie about a vampire girl that kills other vamp so she could kill Onigen. Terrible CG, acting, action sequences. Abysmal. 1.5 stars
The Big Heat has one of the best explosions depicted in a film. And congrats on watched the Thin Red Line. My torrent's been sitting inside my computer, lonely and unwatched.
Watched:
"An Education" – Finally gave in to this movie to continue my Oscar marathon that started last week. Here, there were a few loose ends. **** (out of five)
RetroWatched:
"Baby Doll" – Hot mess in the beginning, tour de force in the end. My first Carroll Baker, and she does wonders. ***
"Splendor in the Grass" – Loved the rebellious viewpoint on sexuality here. Some parts were impressionistic too. ****
Rewatch
American Beauty- A+ (Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning are absolutely incredible! This movie gets better and better)
First Watch
Life Aquatic with Steve Zizzou- B+ (Not the best Wes Anderson movie but still cute and definitely his style. Willem Dafoe is a scene stealer. He's halarious. Weird to see him in that kind of movie. I'm so used to him being serious.)
Drag me to Hell- C+ (Surprisingly good for a horror movie. But nothing too great but fantastic ending. Couldn't decide if Allison Lohman was bad in some scenes on purpose.)
The Lookout- A+ (Joseph Gordon-Levitt is my hero. He's such a good actor and chooses fantastic projects. Really enjoyed this one.)
Where the Wild Things Are- A+ (Beautifully crafted with great performances. The voices were perfect as well. The last scenes were very moving. Can't wait to see it again.)
Paranormal Activity- A (Scariest movie I've ever seen. I was on edge the entire time.)