February 2012 Recap

29 new viewings (plus one short)
14 revisits

Best new discovery: Thirst for Love (honorable mention: Jazz on a Summer’s Day)
Worst new discovery: Swades

 

After a slow January, it was nice to get back in the groove of movie-watching.  On average it was a pretty good month in terms of quality, with really only a couple of duds and no huge stinkers.  I’m not sure what the tone of March will be.  I would like to finish off the entries from the latest update to the TSPDT 1000 list.  I’ll also continue to dust off old DVDs I haven’t watched in several years.  Other than that, probably just a random hodgepodge of stuff.

Death Mills

Presented as a bonus on the A Film Unfinished DVD, this Holocaust documentary short has a few interesting characteristics.  For one thing, it was commissioned by the War Department to show to Germans during the occupation, basically shaming them into facing what was going on in their own backyards.  The tone is almost one of scolding, and this is really one of the few films to call out the average German citizens for their indifference and denial.  Unlike the usual stone-faced detachment of more modern documentaries, there is definite anger in the voiceover.  In this way it’s reminiscent of Night and Fog or Hitchcock’s Memory of the Camps.  And that leads to another interesting thing about this movie: it was directed by Billy Wilder.  That might account for the sharp, pointed language of the narration… and also the anger at his fellow countrymen for ignoring the obvious horrors.  Most of the footage will be familiar to anyone who watches a fair number of Holocaust docs (in fact, I believe much of it is duplicated in Memory of the Camps) but these images never lose their awful power.  Rating: Very Good

IMDb

A Film Unfinished

Just after WWII, an hour-long film labeled simply “Das Ghetto” was found in Nazi archives, showing images from the Warsaw Ghetto.  There was no explanation of the film, no paper work.  Although it was clearly a work of propaganda, with staged scenes showing some Jews living the high life in fancy restaurants, swank apartments and theater shows, the purpose of other scenes remains mysterious.  The discovery of outtake footage 54 years later (including some surprising color film) raises more questions than it answers.  Why stage a scene of Jewish policemen directing a Jewish mob?  Why have them walk nonchalantly past corpses in the streets?  Is it to show that even the Jews are indifferent to the fate of their own kind?  Did the Nazis intend to portray them as the architects of their own problems?

Yael Hersonski’s documentary doesn’t get very far in answering these questions, despite testimony from one of the cameramen, recollections from survivors, and the diaries of the chief Jewish official in the ghetto.  Perhaps the lack of written records makes it difficult to put together a narrative thread concerning this footage, but one wishes for more development of a central theme.  It weaves around without seeming to find a point.  Nonetheless, it’s a haunting look at life for Jews in the ghetto at the depth of their misery, and a sober reminder of how easy it is to manipulate truth with a camera.  Rating: Good

IMDb

Take Shelter

I was going to try to be clever and make all sorts of comparisons to Kurosawa’s I Live in Fear (another film about a man becoming paranoid about what he perceives to be a coming apocalypse) but those plans gradually faded away.  The two films aren’t enough alike to draw any interesting parallels.  Kurosawa is addressing very real phobias about nuclear destruction, while Nichols presents a vague storm with “fresh motor oil” rain and birds dropping out of the sky and people acting violently.  Which you could read as an analogy for the financial crisis or global warning, but really the point seems to be that Curtis (Michael Shannon) has developed unshakable fears about his ability to protect his family (wife Jessica Chastain and deaf daughter Tova Stewart).

The development of Curtis’s state of mind (if one chooses to read it as paranoia instead of prophecy) occurs largely without grand, dramatic gestures.  Shannon’s performance is excellent as we see him caving in to his fears but still struggling to maintain a degree of normalcy.  He isn’t a raving lunatic, he knows his thoughts are irrational and yet the control he has over them is minimal.  There is one “freak out” scene which bothered me for a moment, because it felt so inconsistent and unexpected.  But that’s what schizophrenia is… inconsistent and unexpected.  The dream sequences are especially effective in this film, restrained but unsettling.  Chastain is also quite good… maybe not as good as in Tree of Life, or maybe I just love that film too much to be unbiased.

As for the film’s final moment, my only disappointment is that I felt it was really obvious that it would end like that.  I wasn’t aware going into it that the movie had any particular kind of ending, I just… saw it coming, from miles away.  But that doesn’t make it a bad ending.  I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving it away (if I haven’t already) so I’ll just say I still liked it.  I can think of alternatives I might have also liked, but I don’t know if it matters.  The film as a whole is satisfying, thoughtful and well constructed.  Rating: Very Good

IMDb

A Mighty Wind (rewatch)

The third (or fourth depending on whether or not you count Spinal Tap) film by Christopher Guest and his company shows serious signs of weakening.  No one seems terribly into it.  There are some pretty good laughs, but they’re few and far between.  The rest of the time it feels like the troupe is searching for the jokes… or worse, the jokes are rather cheap.  Eugene Levy’s silly voice (and Jennifer Coolidge’s, but she makes it work better), Jane Lynch’s story of her porn background, Ed Begley Jr. as the Swede who peppers his speech with scraps of Yiddish, the dumb reveal at the end.  Heck, even the title is a fart joke.  Unsurprisingly, Fred Willard is consistently amusing, but the others struggle to find the funny.

As for the music, it’s basically 1 out of 3 with two near misses.  The New Main Street Singers and The Folksmen are mild parodies of the kind of hokey stuff on the “Midnight Special” radio show.  The songs are decent but the gags aren’t that strong.  But Mitch & Mickey… well, there’s really no funny there at all, but goddamn, I would totally buy a Mitch & Mickey album.  “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” is a genuinely gorgeous tune, and the scene where they finally perform it in full makes the whole film worthwhile.  Certainly the sweetest moment in any Guest film.

I really hate to keep downgrading my scores.  Maybe I’m getting harsher these days or something.  But the movie simply didn’t tickle my funny bone that much this time around.  A few great moments aside (I really like the scene where Bob Balaban harangues Michael Hitchcock about the stage dressing) it’s kind of a dud.  Rating: Fair

IMDb

Frenzy (rewatch)

Kind of interesting to see this so soon after Strangers on a Train and notice the similarities.  Not just the usual common ground in Hitchcock’s “wrong man” films, but things like the protagonist having very public arguments with his wife, who soon ends up dead.  Or the charming killer who appears easy-going on the surface.  Or the prominence of a piece of jewelry the killer wears (Bruno’s tie clip, Rusk’s lapel pin… both narcissistic in design as well).  Or the tense scene where the killer struggles to retrieve a vital piece of evidence.

In other ways, of course, the two are worlds apart, I just enjoying making those little comparisons.  Frenzy finds Hitch at his most lurid, and I wonder if this was the type of film he’d waited his entire career to be able to make.  All those years of suggested sexuality and indirect leering… now he could finally do the real thing!  Tits and ass!  As I said in my previous review, it feels more like an imitation Hitchcock (or an homage) than the genuine article, but maybe that’s mostly because the gloves are off.  I’m not sure it suits him, this grittier, grimmer experience.  Isn’t one of the things we love about Hitchcock the way in which he so skillfully danced around the rules?

However, if one tries not to think about it in comparison to his body of work, there are some fine elements.  The comedy in this film is particularly strong, lots of morbid gags and observations about humanity’s fascination with the grisly.  Also the inspector having to suffer through his wife’s ghastly culinary creations (although surely in 1972 a simple margarita wouldn’t be considered some strange, repulsive concoction?  Maybe it took longer to catch on in Britain, or maybe it never has).  And there are some very good moments of tension.  I dunno… I’m feeling non-committal about it.  I think it’s well constructed and has some fine humor, but it feels almost mean-spirited and a little too desperate to shock its audience.  I guess it’ll probably be another long while before I watch it again, but in general I appreciated it.  Rating: Good

IMDb

Crimes and Misdemeanors (rewatch)

This is the last movie I own that I haven’t watched since before I started blogging.  Now I have at least one review written for every film in my DVD collection (although some of the early ones are terrible… some of the later ones are, too).  I’m still going to keep revisiting the ones I haven’t seen for a while, but this is a nice personal milestone I’ve been looking forward to.

I remember very well when this film came out because it struck a chord with me.  I had recently done a thing which I was not proud of.  It was far, far, far from a murder but it was a stupid, thoughtless act that ended up hurting some people, albeit in a relatively minor way.  I had been troubled with guilt and worried about getting caught.  Like Judah (Martin Landau), I had to fight the urge to confess… and also like Judah, as time passed and nothing happened, the guilt faded.  Occasionally it would come to mind, but the moment always passes.

Allen’s film explores these issues brilliantly, issues of morality and consequences and what gives meaning to the universe.  It has a rich complexity that runs deep throughout, where no choices are simple.  Dialogue that by all rights should feel preachy and forced comes out perfectly organic, with just the right amount of weight and doubt.  Landau pulls off some amazing moments, such as when he blurts out “I think I’ve done a terrible thing” and just a beat later covers up for it, but that beat is so beautifully timed.  I’m sure I’m not articulating it well, but the timing of his performance and the facial expressions and the cadences all feel just right.  Likewise, Anjelica Huston is terrific, posing a plausible and palpable threat to Judah without compromising her own sense of vulnerability and humanity.

It’s also one of Allen’s finest blends of drama and comedy, with neither imposing on the other.  The Allen/Farrow/Alda story seems to pop up just when you want it to, providing a lighter counterpoint but not so light that it’s distracting.  I really like the handling of the Alda character, too.  He’s not just an easy target (like the Michael Sheen character in Midnight in Paris) and you believe that Farrow would see something in him beyond the superficial.  You question who is more right in this scenario.  Who is the selfish one?

With excellent photography by Sven Nykvist, a full array of admirable supporting performances (Jerry Orbach!), and intriguing, elegant use of flashbacks (including one of Woody’s signature “talking to the past” scenes), it’s a wonderfully enriching and satisfying film.  I can’t quite explain why I’m backing off from my highest rating — it’s more a gut instinct than anything I can put into words — but it’s definitely way, way up there.  Rating: Great

IMDb

Strangers on a Train (rewatch)

 

The fact this isn’t one of my favorite Hitchcocks doesn’t make it a bad film, it’s just that there are so many others that I like more.  The main problem with it is Farley Granger.  Even in good films he’s usually the weakest element, and the only role I’ve thought he was really good in was They Live By Night.  He’s just so pouty, with that hangdog expression of his and that slightly pathetic twinge in his voice.  He always seems like he’s about to cry “It’s not fair!” and go sulk in a corner somewhere.  I would also say the middle of the film is a tad sluggish, although frequently spiced up by appearances from our antagonist.

Which brings us to one of the film’s greatest assets: Robert Walker.  In his second-to-last role before the tragic early end to his troubled life, Walker utterly steals the picture as the unforgettable, sociopathic Bruno Antony.  In one of the movie’s finest moments, there is double the suspense as Granger and Walker are both frustrated in their attempts to thwart each other… but it’s Walker we’re really rooting for.

The twin carnival scenes both display masterful dexterity in building tension.  A few other scenes throughout are quite impressive as well (Granger’s visit to the Antony home has some wonderful business) but those are really the shining highlights of the film.  There’s also some terrific humor, and just not from Antony.  For example, the disappointed look on Leo J. Carroll’s face when Granger tells him that his alibi is a professor… at Delaware Tech, not Harvard.  And except for a few really bad process shots (Hitchcock’s aversion to shooting on location is once again a hindrance) the photography is quite good, with some wonderful noir lighting and those meaningful close-ups of eyeglasses and cigarette lighters.  Again, not one of my favorites and Granger is blah, but it’s a very enjoyable film.  Rating: Very Good

IMDb 

The Elephant Man (rewatch)

I waited a long time since my last viewing (roughly 10 years), partly because I kept hoping for a Blu-Ray release.  While I’m sure one will come along eventually, I decided not to put it off any longer.  And it certainly is a film that would look stunning in high-definition.  With assistance from cinematographer Freddie Francis, the black & white photography is stunning, and it’s impossible to imagine this film looking any other way.  Like Eraserhead, the feeling of urban grime hangs over the picture, done just enough to make itself felt without overselling it.  Lynch’s keen ear for sound design is present as well, the soundtrack unsettlingly humming with ambient hiss and industrial noise.  Aesthetically, the film is a marvelous, captivating piece of work.

Despite all its technical achievements, however, I couldn’t help feeling quite a bit let down by this film that I once considered an unquestionable classic.  Although far less awkward and messy than Dune, it’s also less distinctive and still represents a mere diversion between the more visionary projects Eraserhead and Blue Velvet.  Only in a few brief moments do we get a sense of Lynch’s personal stamp… the menacing elephants in the intro, a horrifying dream sequence, the surreal theater montage.  Otherwise, it’s a rather simplistic, repetitive, moralizing and sentimental production.  The sentimentality is undoubtedly effective at times, but often comes via cheap and easy tricks like an eye shedding a single tear or even, Heaven help me, a clapping scene.  The portrayal of Joseph “John” Merrick’s childlike gratitude is endearing but doesn’t really do much to humanize him.  While one appreciates the physical effort of John Hurt’s performance, it’s a pretty one-note characterization.  “Oh, how wonderful!  How lovely!”  Sniff sniff, what a sweet guy, we can all learn a lesson from Mr. Merrick, can we not?  Likewise, I’m not terribly impressed with Anthony Hopkins either, but he has a few good moments.  I’d have liked to see more from the great Wendy Hiller, and John Gielgud is pretty solid, but the lead performances aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

I realize that this review is sounding very harsh, and maybe I am over-emphasizing the negatives.  It’s not as bad as all that… Merrick’s story is engaging and many individual scenes work quite well.  Nothing about the film is offensively terrible, and as I said, the cinematography and sound leave a strong impression.  As a whole I was a bit disappointed, though.  Rating: Good

IMDb

The Complete Truth About De-Evolution (rewatch)

 

It may be unusual to review a music video collection as if it were a movie, but there are unifying themes and aesthetics to Devo’s videos.  Like the majority of listeners, I was introduced to them via their unexpected and unlikely hit “Whip It” at about age 12 or 13.  I bought their albums, and would even mimic the poses from the back cover of the Freedom of Choice album in the mirror (don’t judge me, I was a kid).  More than a one-hit wonder novelty band, they had a satisfying collection of songs that were both amazingly catchy and slyly subversive.  Their music incorporated staccato rhythms, detuned instruments and unorthodox mixing that often mocked rock music from within.  The lyrics were Orwellian, suggesting a society proudly devolving into mongoloids and pinheads, pacified by crass consumerism while government and corporations work against our best interests.  Like the Church of the SubGenius (who Devo aligned themselves with) the spirit is one of subversive satire, warning of the dangers of conformity and passivity with sharp humor. 

 

And they used their videos to build on their tongue-in-cheek dystopia.  The members are typically clad in a uniform that resembles some sort of corporation-mandated jumpsuit.  Popular standards of beauty are uglified, the ugly is celebrated, iconic imagery is twisted and subverted.  The “Beautiful World” video is a brilliant collage of stock footage, associating catastrophic horror with the more mundane horrors of media blandness.  In “Freedom of Choice” a troop of people clad in identical polyester recruit innocent bystanders with laser beams, erasing their individuality.  Devo present themselves as proponents of this dystopia, the willing spokesmen for de-evolution… but of course we’re all in on the joke, and the joke is funny and well-executed.

 

However, things start to go sour in the mid-80’s for Devo.  Gradually their subversiveness drained out of their lyrics, their music and their videos, until they did resemble the one-hit wonder novelty band everyone thought they were.  “Peek-a-Boo”, “Disco Dancer” and “Post-Post Modern Man” are somewhat catchy and somewhat funny and maybe a little bit edgy, but a pale imitation of what they were at their peak.  And the videos reflect this loss of creativity, relying less on mocking conformist standards and more on… conforming to them.  It makes this collection one that starts incredibly strong but goes out with a whimper.  I recommend stopping it after the songs from New Traditionalists.  Rating: Good

IMDb