Zero Hour!

I have no excuse for not watching this sooner.  You see, I’m a huge Airplane! fan.  I’ve seen it 30-40 (maybe more) times over the past three decades.  When I was a kid, I knew it only as a funny movie, perhaps a parody of all those Airport movies I’d never seen.  Eventually I learned that it was a parody of this film, but even then I assumed it was only an inspiration, a jumping off point.  Oh no.  Almost everything in Zero Hour! is referenced in some way in its spoof.  The plot is almost entirely the same (the largest differences being in the Ellen/Elaine character).  Many of the lines (“Sluggish, like a wet sponge”) and even whole passages of dialogue are lifted from it.  Shots and musical cues are duplicated.  Even things like Joey’s outfit and the casting of a pro athlete in the co-pilot role are here.  I’m sure almost everyone else who watched it in the past 30 years did so only because of the connection, and even at the time I doubt many people were familiar with it.

That is all to say, it is impossible for me to judge this movie as anything but the blueprint for one of my favorite comedies.  In that capacity, it’s absolutely hilarious.  Every few seconds I was reminded of another terrific gag.  But I can try to comment on the film on its own terms.  Noir fans might be thrilled to see Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell and Sterling Hayden in the lead roles, but only Hayden brings anything interesting to it.  The plot is… gripping, I guess?  It’s hard to say when you’re so familiar with it.  There’s some terrible use of stock footage, but otherwise it seems reasonably well put together.  Oh, I give up.  You owe it to yourself to see this if you love Airplane!, and if for some ungodly reason you’ve never seen Airplane!, watch this first.  I have to imagine it can only make both films better.  Rating: Fair (but a laugh riot)

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The Fugitive Kind

Not one of the best by Tennessee Williams, a lot of overwritten speeches and blatant metaphors.  The core cast — Brando, Magnani, and Woodward — are all very good, and Stapleton is wonderful in her small role.  The characters are the usual bunch of wild cards and frustrated souls, and the drama involves some pretty heady subject matter.  Lumet’s direction is strong too, with some wonderful camerawork and staging.  Even the score is good.  It’s just the dialogue that stinks.  It’s not all bad, but boy there are a few big eye-rollers in there.  Still, it’s worth seeing for the performances and Brando fans shouldn’t be disappointed.  Rating: Good

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Husbands and Wives (rewatch)

I don’t think it’s unfair to call this Allen’s version of Scenes from a Marriage.  His love for Bergman is no secret (heck, they even talk about Wild Strawberries in the movie) and he explores marriage with the same brutal cynicism and candor.  There are also shades of The Passion of Anna in the structure.  It’s one of his harshest films, and it’s also hard not to see it retrospectively as some attempt at justification for his personal choices, which were just coming to light at the time of release, if I recall correctly.  He does make himself the most sympathetic and least flawed character.  Nonetheless, it’s a great piece of work, loaded with insight and intense confrontations and palpable bitterness.  And it’s funny, too.  The entire cast is terrific, even Juliette Lewis pulls off the impossible by making you believe she’s got a brain in her skull.  The scene-stealer, however, is Judy Davis.  She gets the lion’s share of the script’s best lines, all those wonderful back-handed compliments and barbed criticisms and raging outbursts.  Some people complain about the handheld camera and abrupt editing choices, but to be honest I hardly even notice I get so wrapped up in the immediacy of it all.  It’s a powerhouse of a film.  Rating: Great

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Kiki’s Delivery Service (rewatch)

This tends to get ranked among the lowest Miyazakis, but it’s one of my favorites.  Yes, it’s slight, but it’s so delightful.  “Charming” is the word that comes to mind.  Kiki’s world is one of kindness, compassion and understanding, and watching her journey of independence and self-discovery is a joy.  She’s a lovable character.  The film has a warmth to it that complements its gentle (but not sluggish) pace.  I also adore her familiar, Jiji, whose stoic remarks never feel like jokey throw-away one-liners.  Tombo is a bit irritating at first, and there’s a few too many phony belly-laughs, but otherwise I find the whole thing enchanting.  Rating: Great

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David Cross: Let America Laugh (rewatch)

About 10 years ago, I listened to David Cross’ album “Shut Up, You Fucking Baby” over and over and over again.  Around the same time, I watched this behind-the-scenes documentary and filed it away until now.  Revisiting it today, I’m rather disappointed.  Cross often comes off like a petty, childish douchebag… most blatantly during the Nashville incident, but there are several other parts where the condescending bitterness that works for him onstage makes him a very unsympathetic person offstage.  The dumb hipsters in the audience don’t help matters either (and is Cross trying to make fun of these guys? those are his fans, right?).  The best stuff here is the material you can hear on the CD.  Rating: Poor

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The River (rewatch)

This is the Tsai film that has gone the longest between my first and second viewings.  I’ve lost my old review, but I think it was sometime in 2003.  Although several key scenes have lingered in my memory, for some reason over the years I’ve downgraded it to “2nd tier Tsai”.  I think that’s a good place for it, bearing in mind that 2nd tier Tsai is still really, really good.  It builds on Vive L’Amour and sets up more of his signature elements — water, illness, isolation, urban decay.  The only real problem with it is that there a few scenes that don’t add anything.  They’re variations on ideas that have already been sufficiently expressed.  However, the bulk of the film is compelling despite the typical snail’s pace.  Kang-sheng Lee’s chronic sore neck (which I’m sure we’re meant to infer is caused by submerging himself in the polluted river) is subtly horrifying, one of the most haunting images of pain I’ve seen.  Although I think Tsai did better at expressing communication breakdown in other films, the theme is put across strongly, culminating in that deeply disturbing climax.  If it doesn’t all quite come together perfectly, it’s nonetheless a film that resonates with me.  Rating: Very Good

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Identification of a Woman

This feels a little bit like “Antonioni For Dummies”.  Although there are some mysteries and ambiguities, for the most part it’s rather plainly laid out and not as enigmatic as his more highly regarded works.  Which isn’t to say it’s a bad movie.  It drags quite a bit, but there are some intriguing parts.  The highlight is the fog-shrouded centerpiece of the film… a rather blunt metaphor, but still eerie and compelling.  The ending is also a treat.  The cinematography by Carlo Di Palma is excellent, perhaps even surpassing his work on Red Desert.  And the soundtrack, though it will probably sound dated to most, is full of stuff I like — OMD, Tangerine Dream, Steve Hillage.  Overall, the film is engaging, but only intermittently so.  The first half is more rewarding with all its paranoia… things fizzle out more in the second part.  Rating: Fair

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Broken Embraces

This movie seems to get knocked around a bit as “lesser Almodovar” and I guess I can’t disagree.  Certainly it’s familiar territory and doesn’t bring anything new to his oeuvre.  But I really enjoyed it.  Everything about it works… maybe not brilliantly, but it works.  It’s a solid melodrama with a twisty plot that comes into focus nicely and resolves gracefully.  There are a few wonderful little touches like the use of voices over filmed images.  The movie could use more of Almodovar’s humor, but at least the performances are engaging, especially Cruz and Homar (Ruben Ochandiano as “Ray X” is a little overcooked, though).  The references to Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown kinda made me wish I was watching that much better film instead, but I still had a good time.  Rating: Good

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Buena Vista Social Club

This is my first post-Wings of Desire Wenders movie, and despite all the hype around it at the time, my first experience with the music of the Buena Vista Social Club.  The music itself is fantastic, featuring memorable and rich songs with accomplished musicianship and great passion.  It was a pleasure to spend time with the players and learn a little bit (unfortunately, not a whole lot) about their lives and careers.  However, the cinematography is simply awful.  Undoubtedly there are limitations involved with filming in Cuba, but the use of early digital video cameras gives the movie a cheap, amateurish, washed-out look.  It’s very unpleasant to behold, especially with the shaky camerawork.  It feels like it was all done rather haphazardly with little thought.  You’re probably better off just buying the CD.  Rating: Fair

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Love Exposure

A freewheeling, four-hour epic saga of teenage crushes, Christianity, upskirt photos, double identities, shady cults and perversion.  Director Sion Sono gives himself free rein to shift gears at the drop of a hat, and amazingly it doesn’t end up an incoherent mess.  In fact, somehow the more ridiculous it gets, the more you start to take it seriously.  There’s an awful lot of thematic ground covered here, but for me it felt particularly successful as a story of adolescent self-discovery.  Yu and Yoko cycle through various roles that their social structures, institutions and backgrounds have set up for them before they “find themselves” in a finale that in itself may be yet another false construct.  The film’s Christian angles are a little tougher to get a hold on, but ultimately I feel Sono’s stance is satirical (rightfully so) regarding the hypocrisy of organized religion while not completely writing off the possibility of a fulfilling spiritual life.  The sexual content has an unusual complexity to it as well.  I am a little concerned about the casual treatment of Yoko’s lesbianism (which I can’t get into without spoiling) but I suppose that’s usually going to be an issue when you have a male writer/director tackling the subject. 

Despite the hefty length, the movie is never dull, mixing up styles and tones in a way that keeps you wondering what will happen next.  Comedy and action and melodrama bleed together effortlessly (it’s something the Japanese tend to do rather well) and no matter how wacky the proceedings become, there’s a sincerity and heartfeltness to it.  I liked the use of music, especially the “Bolero” in the first chapter, building up to the “miracle” that smashes our heroes together.  The performances are all fine… I don’t know if I was particularly impressed with any of them, but they seemed to fit.

Overall, I thought it was fantastic, complex and very entertaining.  A bit like Jodorowsky, but more enjoyable.  Rating: Great

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