Black & White World

You can tell by the lines I'm reciting, I've seen that movie too.

VHS

Monday, January 03, 2005

The Thin Blue Line (1988)

IMDB

What I continue to find so compelling about Errol Morris’s work is that he completely refrains from making any comment on his subject matter—he avoids narration entirely and only uses intertitles sparingly.  He lets the interviews speak for themselves and allows the audience to draw its own conclusion.  That’s not to say that he is completely objective about his subject matter; on the contrary, it is obvious where Morris stands.  One thing I don’t like so much is his use of re-enactments.  It’s very “American Justice” (although in truth, AJ is probably more influenced by Morris than the other way around).

Sunday, December 26, 2004

A Bug’s Life

A Bug’s Life, 1998.  This movie played in almost a continuous loop during my Christmas vacation at my brother’s house—in truth I didn’t sit down to watch it all the way through from start to finish, but over the course of seven days I saw all of it in pieces, some parts over and over again.  My nephew Jack loves this one also, yelling “Oh no!” every time the bad guy, Hopper, appears on screen, and “Bye Flik!” when Flik the ant goes off to seek his fortune.  Kids movies are more fun to watch with kids, that is for sure.

Sunday, October 17, 2004

The Great McGinty; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

The Great McGinty, 1940.  Preston Sturges sold this screenplay to Paramount for $10 on the condition that they let him direct.  They accepted his offer, and he was rewarded with this sleeper hit comedy and an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.  A familiar tale with an unfamiliar twist:  the story of how a crooked politician grew to be honest.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939.  And the flip side to that coin, how an honest young Senator deals with corruption when he discovers it in his own backyard.  A little heavy on the Capra-corn, sure, but I’m still a sucker for it.

Funeral in Berlin

Funeral in Berlin, 1966.  The sequel to The Ipcress File, Michael Caine returns as Harry Palmer, reluctant British spy.  It’s his reluctance that makes Palmer such an interesting hero to me—unlike James Bond, who has cool gadgets and gizmos and nice suits and an awesome car and all kinds of bells and whistles at his disposal, Palmer relies solely on his wits.  He dislikes his superiors, particularly Ross, and it’s clear that he dislikes his job as well.  For some reason, there’s something comforting to me about an espionage agent who dislikes his job as much as I dislike mine.

That said, the second entry doesn’t quite tick along as well as The Ipcress File, and doesn’t have the same stylish look.  I preferred the first one, but it won’t stop me seeking out the third if I can get my hands on it.

Sunday, September 05, 2004

Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest, 1999.  I have got to get this movie on DVD.  What a ride.  No matter how many times I see it, it never disappoints.

Saturday, August 21, 2004

To Be or Not To Be

To Be or Not To Be, 1942.  One of Lubitsch’s strengths as a director (one of his many strengths) is his ability to get exceptional performances from actors who are ordinarily just good, or even mediocre—or they’re usually great and he makes them greater.  Felix Bressart got the greatest roles of his life from Lubitsch, including Pirovitch in The Shop Around the Corner, Buljanoff in Ninotchka, and here in To Be or Not to Be as Greenberg.  Carole Lombard is one of my favorite screen comediennes and this, her last film, I think is her best.  She has a way of turning the word “bye” into a laugh line, it’s incredible.  And it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Jack Benny, but here he steps above his other movie roles—he’s not a comedian basically mugging off his radio character and winking at the audience all the way, he’s a real actor.  He’s also damn funny.  I’m reduced to helpless giggles every time he steps out to do his Hamlet soliloquy—that pause as he closes his book and looks out at the audience.  It kills me.

Sunday, June 20, 2004

Please Don’t Eat the Daisies

Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, 1960.  Your standard run-of-the-mill domestic comedy that inspired the TV show of the same name.  Part Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, part Sitting Pretty.  In Cinemascope.  I hate pan ‘n’ scan.

Saturday, June 19, 2004

Prisoner of Zenda

The Prisoner of Zenda, 1937.  About twenty minutes into the movie I realized this is the story that inspired the Kevin Kline movie Dave.  Fun little adventure tale.  Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is irrestible as the scheming Count who plays both ends against the middle and gets off scot free at the end, after a rollicking swordfight with Ronald Colman.  In the long shots I think Colman had a stand-in doing his fencing, but it looked like Fairbanks was doing his own.  The movie loses its luster in its final scene when Madeleine Carroll goes a little Norma Shearer on us.

Saturday, May 29, 2004

Nights of Cabiria

Le Notti di Cabiria, 1957.  Dude, she was so cute in La Strada; how can Fellini turn his wife into a whore like that?  I missed this last week on the big screen at the Egyptian, so I rented it from my local video store—turned out to be a washed out print and the subtitles were very hard to read.  Still a great movie—and not the kind you have to read to understand.  Depressing though, Fellini was still in his neo-Realism phase.

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Charge of the Light Brigade

Charge of the Light Brigade, 1938.  This movie reminded me a lot of Gunga Din, except without the cameraderie and the humor.  Unfortunately, the cameraderie and the humor is pretty much what makes Gunga Din, and when you remove it all you’ve got is a dull love story and some action scenes that are drowned out by music that make it sound more exciting than it is.  I’m being a little too tough on it; perhaps my expectations were too high.