Saw The Enforcer (thanks, Paul!) It was a 1950s crime film where Bogart as to protect the star witness on the night before the big case that will put away the crime kingpin forever. While he's doing this he also relives the entire case up until that point. It's mostly a crime procedural rendered a bit murkier than usual due to flashbacks within flashbacks as Bogart remembers suspects remembering their crimes. We only ever get three layers deep thankfully, but it's sometimes unclear where we are in the story.
The story itself is fun, standard crime drama. There's not many dames, but a lot of toughs and heavies and one guy wearing a zoot-suit! We also get to hear Bogart act hilariously confused at the phrases "a hit" and "a contract" and other oh-so-impenetrable gangster slang. It's a silly moment in an otherwise grim film.
The story has surprisingly few twists and turns. I suppose the non-linearity of the story was supposed to be twisty and turny enough but once the plot is actually revealed, it's very straightforward. Then again, gangster pictures are not mysteries. The fun isn't in solving a puzzle but in catching the bad guy. The protagonists even spend a few minutes openly wishing they could just run in guns blazing and dispense some vigilante justice. This is kind of surprising for a film from the 50s. Vigilante justice is only needed if the law is corrupt or broken in some way. Doesn't sound like something a cop would long for.
Anyway, a good little noir.
Sep 30, 2017
Smilla's Sense of Snow
Saw Smilla's Sense of Snow (thanks, Basil!) It was an unusual sort of mystery. The film starts out with an Inuit spear-fisher being killed by a comet. The comet kicks off an avalanche of white snow which consumes and obliterates the Inuit man. We then jump to the protagonist, an Inuit snow researcher, discovering that a young boy who lived in her apartment building has died, apparently accidentally. Since this is a mystery and all, things are not as they seem and she investigates, eventually uncovering and solving a complex mystery.
The film goes to some strange places. The motive of the Bad Guys is a little strange. It's a high-concept idea that falls into an otherwise fairly grounded film. There's an extended sequence on a boat which I loved even as it was kind of a-tonal. I really liked the industrial look of the boat however; the sodium lights and rocking piers, the icy water.
This is also a really chilly film. The film is set in Greenland in the winter. Everything outdoors is caked with snow. The characters are all fairly high-class folks, so even their homes have a spare, minimalist quality. There's also lots of giant windows letting in chilly light and the protagonist wears thick knitted turtlenecks under polar-fleece coats. She is also cold in an emotional sense, always hostilely aggressive, furiously rebuffing any kindness. The opening sequence seems to suggest that ice and snow are hostile forces, destroying her heritage, but she studies snow, loves it, seemingly lives it. Snow and ice are potent symbols which I can't quite decipher. It's very evocative however.
This was an interesting film. It sort of falls apart in the end which is a pity because it has a lot else going for it. I loved the chilliness of the film, of the characters, of the plot. I liked the tough protagonist and her unreasoning quest to uncover the mystery. Once we get aboard the boat, things get a little half-baked, but I greatly enjoyed it up until then.
The film goes to some strange places. The motive of the Bad Guys is a little strange. It's a high-concept idea that falls into an otherwise fairly grounded film. There's an extended sequence on a boat which I loved even as it was kind of a-tonal. I really liked the industrial look of the boat however; the sodium lights and rocking piers, the icy water.
This is also a really chilly film. The film is set in Greenland in the winter. Everything outdoors is caked with snow. The characters are all fairly high-class folks, so even their homes have a spare, minimalist quality. There's also lots of giant windows letting in chilly light and the protagonist wears thick knitted turtlenecks under polar-fleece coats. She is also cold in an emotional sense, always hostilely aggressive, furiously rebuffing any kindness. The opening sequence seems to suggest that ice and snow are hostile forces, destroying her heritage, but she studies snow, loves it, seemingly lives it. Snow and ice are potent symbols which I can't quite decipher. It's very evocative however.
This was an interesting film. It sort of falls apart in the end which is a pity because it has a lot else going for it. I loved the chilliness of the film, of the characters, of the plot. I liked the tough protagonist and her unreasoning quest to uncover the mystery. Once we get aboard the boat, things get a little half-baked, but I greatly enjoyed it up until then.
Sep 4, 2017
Murderball
Saw Murderball, a sports documentary about quadriplegic rugby. We follow the American team and the Canadian team. It quickly dispenses with the main characters' handicaps. They all came from fairly active lives or were born with neurological diseases. They don't want pity, just respect. Once this is done, we get to the close ups and jump cuts and slow motion which is the bread and butter of sports docs. It was really interesting.
The teammates are really driven people, people for whom sports is their whole life. Their disabilities are terrible blows. One guy when he gets back from the physical therapy center is looking at his room, beautifully retrofitted with arm-rails on the toilet and a lowered bed, and says "this sucks." His family defends the new modifications but he clarifies "no, that's all great but I'm still in this chair." What can you say? It does suck. But then, soon he's moving about in a "murderball" chair and smiling. His injury is a setback, but it's not death. It's not the end.
This is a film about and for tough guys who need to find new ways to live, both in the sense of navigating the world and, higher the hierarchy of needs, how to continue to compete in physical combat, how to keep fighting the world. I have to say I think they're confusing compassion for pity sometimes, and that for all their fighter spirit, I probably wouldn't enjoy having a beer with them (in fact, directly due to their fighter spirit.) But they're all a lot stronger than me and are finding new ways of being. An interesting film.
The teammates are really driven people, people for whom sports is their whole life. Their disabilities are terrible blows. One guy when he gets back from the physical therapy center is looking at his room, beautifully retrofitted with arm-rails on the toilet and a lowered bed, and says "this sucks." His family defends the new modifications but he clarifies "no, that's all great but I'm still in this chair." What can you say? It does suck. But then, soon he's moving about in a "murderball" chair and smiling. His injury is a setback, but it's not death. It's not the end.
This is a film about and for tough guys who need to find new ways to live, both in the sense of navigating the world and, higher the hierarchy of needs, how to continue to compete in physical combat, how to keep fighting the world. I have to say I think they're confusing compassion for pity sometimes, and that for all their fighter spirit, I probably wouldn't enjoy having a beer with them (in fact, directly due to their fighter spirit.) But they're all a lot stronger than me and are finding new ways of being. An interesting film.
Rebecca
Saw Rebecca, a Hitchcock film about an extremely rich widower, Mr DeWinters, who falls in love with a working girl (and this the 40s, so think governess or maid.) The rich man brings her back to the family home which is swarming with butlers, where everything is a museum to the memory of the previous lady of the house, the titular Rebecca. The poor working girl is terribly intimidated by everyone waiting on her and reacting with arch surprize whenever her wishes differ from those of the Late Mrs DeWinters. When she gets her own coffee the butlers scurry over and tidy up the coffee pot, moving the handle microscopically to be more parallel to the edge of the table.
I knew a rough outline of the plot going in and expected to be frustrated with the protagonist girl. It's testament to Hitchcock's skill that you can understand her intimidation and awkwardness. It's one thing to be served, it's another to be judged or to feel that you're being judged by means of that service. Her husband actually comes off the worst. She's a fish out of water and he tosses her to the piranhas. He does nothing to help, only urging her to be more clumsy and genuine. Rolling over, of course, does not impress the servants.
Being a Hitchcock, this is a great film. The protagonist is so in the shadow of the Late MRs DeWinters that she is not even named. The credits read "Mrs. DeWinters" no first or maiden name. Even in the structure of the film, she does not have her own independent identity. The film has some twists and turns to keep it exciting but the small-world drama of a sweet girl vs a hostile and snooty world, which is always trying to humiliate her, is much more interesting. Such a good film!
I knew a rough outline of the plot going in and expected to be frustrated with the protagonist girl. It's testament to Hitchcock's skill that you can understand her intimidation and awkwardness. It's one thing to be served, it's another to be judged or to feel that you're being judged by means of that service. Her husband actually comes off the worst. She's a fish out of water and he tosses her to the piranhas. He does nothing to help, only urging her to be more clumsy and genuine. Rolling over, of course, does not impress the servants.
Being a Hitchcock, this is a great film. The protagonist is so in the shadow of the Late MRs DeWinters that she is not even named. The credits read "Mrs. DeWinters" no first or maiden name. Even in the structure of the film, she does not have her own independent identity. The film has some twists and turns to keep it exciting but the small-world drama of a sweet girl vs a hostile and snooty world, which is always trying to humiliate her, is much more interesting. Such a good film!
Sep 3, 2017
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Saw Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, the Will Ferrell film where he's an anchor in the 70s. The film is mostly a vehicle for Will & company's improv so the characters are kind of inconsistent but they're almost always funny which is what counts here. The plot is that a female news anchor joins a station run by a boy's club run by Will. The film comes from 2004 and is, in it's own way, fairly progressive. The sexism of the anchors is present but condemned. The female anchor gets few punchlines but the ones she gets she nails.
I kind of don't like Will Ferrell. His characters are always fairly grating so I associate his face with Ron Burgundy, Ricky Bobby, and Mugatu. I'm sure he's a wonderful person himself, but he's always playing these people I would hate to be around. It's silly but there it is: I can't distinguish fact from fiction.
Anyway, the film is dumb fun. There's lots of quotable lines, shouted for maximum hilarity, and silly sight gags. It wasn't one of my favorites, but I am a joyless scold, so what do you expect?
I kind of don't like Will Ferrell. His characters are always fairly grating so I associate his face with Ron Burgundy, Ricky Bobby, and Mugatu. I'm sure he's a wonderful person himself, but he's always playing these people I would hate to be around. It's silly but there it is: I can't distinguish fact from fiction.
Anyway, the film is dumb fun. There's lots of quotable lines, shouted for maximum hilarity, and silly sight gags. It wasn't one of my favorites, but I am a joyless scold, so what do you expect?
Sep 2, 2017
The Man Who Cried
Saw The Man Who Cried, a film about a Eastern European girl whose father leaves for America just as the Nazis are gaining power. Soon her village is overridden and she must flee through Europe, her name changed, her language forgotten, hunting for some way to America and her father. This is a morbid, dark sort of film. The girl is played by Christina Ricci of Addams Family fame and also stars Johnny Depp. There's a lot of sullen stares and meaningful sidelong glances. The sets are free of decoration, featuring blank walls and wooden panelling, the costumes are all shades of black and brown. The pallet is so muted, it feels like a Tim Burton claymation film. The focus is squarely on the characters to the point of having no establishing shots, only close-ups of actors speaking solo or in pairs.
It's very stylish and pretty to look at but (as usual with stylish films,) the story itself is not amazing. The slow, morbid quality of the film prevents it from having a very intricate plot, or dealing with great detail with anything. The film is focussed on the iconic pathos of the girl hunting for her father. When the Germans invade and we only get a change in the background characters. The protagonists seem largely unphased by the bombings and raids.
The protagonist girl works in an opera company for a while so perhaps this is supposed to be operatic and overblown. This is fine but it is a touch tacky to treat WW2 with self-conscious melodrama. It actually spends much more time sympathizing with the gypsies that were caught up in the concentration camps than it does sympathizing with the Jews. It's not a great film, but it's very pretty. A sort of look-book for Eastern European vampires.
It's very stylish and pretty to look at but (as usual with stylish films,) the story itself is not amazing. The slow, morbid quality of the film prevents it from having a very intricate plot, or dealing with great detail with anything. The film is focussed on the iconic pathos of the girl hunting for her father. When the Germans invade and we only get a change in the background characters. The protagonists seem largely unphased by the bombings and raids.
The protagonist girl works in an opera company for a while so perhaps this is supposed to be operatic and overblown. This is fine but it is a touch tacky to treat WW2 with self-conscious melodrama. It actually spends much more time sympathizing with the gypsies that were caught up in the concentration camps than it does sympathizing with the Jews. It's not a great film, but it's very pretty. A sort of look-book for Eastern European vampires.
Double Dare
Saw Double Dare, a documentary about stunt women in Hollywood, about two stuntwomen in particular: Zoe Bell and Jeannie Epper. Jeannie is an aging stuntwoman who used do the stunts on Wonder Woman in the 70s. If she were a man, would be now transitioning into the role of stunt-coordinator but in the backwards, socially conscious but socially regressive land of Hollywood, she's just out of work. Zoe is now fairly well-known from Tarantino's Kill Bill and Death Proof but at the time of filming here is an up-and-coming hopeful. You want her to succeed though. She's got an absolutely winning personality, always smiling and laughing, even after breaking her bones. The thesis of this film essentially is that both of these women are awesome.
In addition to just enjoyably hanging out with these two awesome ladies, the film is also about sexism in stunt-land. In one scene Jeannie is on an awards committee for a stunt-person's award show. She asks if maybe some of the categories could be separated by gender (best fight by a woman, for instance.) The room blows up, some men accusing her of giving out participation trophies and others deferring to the terrible sexism of Hollywood which of course they are completely powerless before and completely separate from. I mean, I'm coming to this meeting from the outside, with half of a documentary behind me, but this seems really stupid and gross.
There are a few tangential scenes like that (there's a hilarious but off-topic bit with a headshot photographer who is also an actor, but is getting out of the acting game before he becomes "too famous". Riiiight.) but for the most part, we just get to hang out with Zoe and Jeannie and their awesome families, listening to old men talk about how great Jeannie was, how great Zoe will be. It's not a very meaty film, but the two ladies are so much fun! There are worse ways to spend 90 minutes.
In addition to just enjoyably hanging out with these two awesome ladies, the film is also about sexism in stunt-land. In one scene Jeannie is on an awards committee for a stunt-person's award show. She asks if maybe some of the categories could be separated by gender (best fight by a woman, for instance.) The room blows up, some men accusing her of giving out participation trophies and others deferring to the terrible sexism of Hollywood which of course they are completely powerless before and completely separate from. I mean, I'm coming to this meeting from the outside, with half of a documentary behind me, but this seems really stupid and gross.
There are a few tangential scenes like that (there's a hilarious but off-topic bit with a headshot photographer who is also an actor, but is getting out of the acting game before he becomes "too famous". Riiiight.) but for the most part, we just get to hang out with Zoe and Jeannie and their awesome families, listening to old men talk about how great Jeannie was, how great Zoe will be. It's not a very meaty film, but the two ladies are so much fun! There are worse ways to spend 90 minutes.
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