Quicksand and Suddenly were the other two movies on the 3-film DVD we got in the mail, ostensibly titled "Film Noir Classics" (see previous post on "Scarlet Street" for the first). None of these was what one associates with film noir, especially since they are over-exposed white from poor quality transfers, faint and burnt out in the middle.
Quicksand's most notable feature was Mickey Rooney as Dan Brady, a none-too-bright mechanic who borrows $20 from the till at work, only to find himself spiralling down deeper and deeper into crime. The story spins out as a morality tale, except that Dan's every decision seems so not-bright that you almost think he deserves what happens to him. Mix that with wild chance misfortunes that keep happening, and Danny is in trouble indeed. It was a bit much. Peter Lorre makes a small but welcome appearance as a sleazy game arcade owner.
Suddenly's raison-être is Frank Sinatra in a really nasty and amazing role as a former soldier and current soldier of fortune who has been hired to assassinate the President. He's mean, cold, and charismatic, in contrast with the hostages that he takes, including a smart-alecky kid who doesn't know when to shut up, an annoying pro-arms sheriff, a sickeningly right-wing patriotic grandfather, and, just for contrast, a pacifist mother. Eerie foreshadowings of Kennedy and the current state of American politics, as well as capturing the McCarthy paranoia of the time. But without Sinatra, this film would have sucked. Sinatra makes it suspenseful, and gives it dimension.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Fritz Lang's Scarlet Street (1945); Everything is Illuminated
A couple of nights ago, we finished Scarlet Street, one of three films on a film noir DVD collection that came in the mail. This Fritz Lang film stars Edward G. Robinson, who usually plays a snarling thug (perhaps the quintessential thug, see...), but here, he is Chris Cross, a sadsack bank cashier with big, puppy-dog eyes. He falls in love with Kitty, who is, unbeknownst to him, a prostitute. Johnny, her pimp boyfriend, is one of the most unlikable characters I've seen in some time. Kitty and Johnny manipulate Chris into giving them money, which he obtains by embezzling from his company and stealing from his horrible shrew of a wife. Things get worse and worse, culminating in a truly horrible scene with an icepick. Fun!
Last night, it was Everything is Illuminated, by Liev Schreiber. I haven't read the book by Jonathan Safran Foer, but that is probably the best way to see a movie adaptation of a book. I've only seen three movies that even come close to their literary roots: The Unbearable Lightness of Being, A Room with a View, and Hardcore Logo (which in fact, may surpass the slight book of poetry on which it is based). But even without the spectre of its literary origins looming over me, Everything is Illuminated still felt like the book would have been better. We found it entertaining (perhaps an unseemly adjective when applied to a movie about the Holocaust) and quirky at times, beautifully shot. But the movie was in love with its own sentiment, never a good thing. Joe pointed out a scene where a character takes off his jacket, a large yellow Star-of-David sewn on to it, and leaves it on the heap of bodies out of which he has just crawled. He does this slowly, ponderously, full of emotion. "That's just the wrong way to do it," Joe said. "He should have just torn that jacket off and gotten the hell out of there!" Yes, indeed.
Last night, it was Everything is Illuminated, by Liev Schreiber. I haven't read the book by Jonathan Safran Foer, but that is probably the best way to see a movie adaptation of a book. I've only seen three movies that even come close to their literary roots: The Unbearable Lightness of Being, A Room with a View, and Hardcore Logo (which in fact, may surpass the slight book of poetry on which it is based). But even without the spectre of its literary origins looming over me, Everything is Illuminated still felt like the book would have been better. We found it entertaining (perhaps an unseemly adjective when applied to a movie about the Holocaust) and quirky at times, beautifully shot. But the movie was in love with its own sentiment, never a good thing. Joe pointed out a scene where a character takes off his jacket, a large yellow Star-of-David sewn on to it, and leaves it on the heap of bodies out of which he has just crawled. He does this slowly, ponderously, full of emotion. "That's just the wrong way to do it," Joe said. "He should have just torn that jacket off and gotten the hell out of there!" Yes, indeed.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Alan Rudolph festival; The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky
As I say, I used to be a purist. I would watch an entire movie from start to finish, in one sitting, even if I hated the movie. I have only walked out of a theatre once, and that was from a combination of hunger, boredom. and the fact that I'd just seen 27 films that week (film festival). Now, faced with a glut of movies we want to watch and with limited time, we fast-forward through the ones we don't like.
We have an internet movie rental system, you know, the kind where you make a list of movies you want to see and they randomly send them to you. The last bunch of movies that came in the mail were all Alan Rudolph films. All except one we fast-forwarded. The only one that we actually watched was his latest, The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002). I wasn't expecting that much, I guess, but halfway into it, I was surprised by the Denis Leary character, in a good way. The rest of them – Trixie, The Moderns, Choose Me – Joe had seen before and remembered them as being good. Watching them this time, he was appalled. "These are crap!" he said. They were completely artificial, as in theatre. Sets, costumes, lighting, acting. All overdone. We have Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle to watch still, and both of us remember liking it when it came out. But now we're not looking forward to it. We decided to watch The Fountain instead.
Unfortunately, The Fountain was also a fast-forward. I was astounded by Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, and liked Pi though it was student film-y. But Batman Begins was a disappointment, failing to translate the spirit of the Dark Knight. The Fountain felt like it was made by a 12 year old kid with lots of money.
We have an internet movie rental system, you know, the kind where you make a list of movies you want to see and they randomly send them to you. The last bunch of movies that came in the mail were all Alan Rudolph films. All except one we fast-forwarded. The only one that we actually watched was his latest, The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002). I wasn't expecting that much, I guess, but halfway into it, I was surprised by the Denis Leary character, in a good way. The rest of them – Trixie, The Moderns, Choose Me – Joe had seen before and remembered them as being good. Watching them this time, he was appalled. "These are crap!" he said. They were completely artificial, as in theatre. Sets, costumes, lighting, acting. All overdone. We have Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle to watch still, and both of us remember liking it when it came out. But now we're not looking forward to it. We decided to watch The Fountain instead.
Unfortunately, The Fountain was also a fast-forward. I was astounded by Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, and liked Pi though it was student film-y. But Batman Begins was a disappointment, failing to translate the spirit of the Dark Knight. The Fountain felt like it was made by a 12 year old kid with lots of money.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Movie Mythos - Matrix Magazine #77 (theme: Science and Poetry)
Here is the Movie Mythos column from the upcoming issue of Matrix:
Lately, Joe and I have been watching a lot of old horror classics with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. These old movies, when they’re bad, they’re really bad, with cheesy acting, unbelievably fake special effects, plodding plots. But when they’re good, they take overblown to a whole new level. The jagged, shadowy sets of German expressionism, mixed in with suspicious scientific experiments, the corrupted powers of the scientist who has gone mad, mad, mad! What poetry it is! In thinking about the theme of this issue of Matrix, what could be better? Sure, science in the movies has a humongous range, from documentaries such as Errol Morris’ A Brief History of Time, based on the book by Stephen Hawking, to the entire genre of science-fiction, from Isaac Asimov adaptations to the truly groundbreaking but ever-geeky Star Trek. But for me, these old mad-scientist movies really capture the fear and the horror of scientific possibility, and the concerns of scientific responsibility:
The Matrix Top Ten Mad Science Movies!
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) – Perhaps the first true horror film ever made, ushering in an era of German Expressionism which, need I say, remains influential to this day!
Metropolis (1927) and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) – Fritz Lang masterpieces.
Frankenstein – the famous 1931 version that introduced Boris Karloff to the screen and spawned a legion of sequels and imitations, from the campy and comedic (Andy Warhol’s, Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman) to the over-serious (Kenneth Branagh’s melodramatic embarrassment). Though none of these have ever come close to truly adapting the book, Karloff’s is the most iconic.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – 1920 silent version with John Barrymore in the lead role,
1931 by director Rouben Mamoulian, & 1941’s big Hollywood production by Victor Flemming, starring Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, and Lana Turner!
The Body Snatcher (1945) – Based on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson, this film explores the practice of using real cadavers in medical science, and how those cadavers were sometimes procured. Features one of Karloff’s greatest and truly chilling performances as a cabman turned graverobber and murderer.
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), The Black Cat (1934), The Raven (1935) – This trio of films, “inspired” by Edgar Allen Poe in taking the titles but little else, all star Bela Legosi as, respectively, a mad scientist, a good doctor (battling Karloff as a Satanist), and a mad doctor.
The Fly – The original 1958 version with Vincent Price features the famous ending of a tiny fly/scientist caught in a spider’s web (Help me! Heeeeelllllp me!). And David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake is memorable too, especially for its vivid fly-goop special effects.
And speaking of science… I’m currently writing a story about my father, the scientist-turned-philosopher, and his new book on Chinese and Western cultures (not to be mistaken with country-and-western culture). At the same time, I’m making a short film about my mother. All this to say, well, autobiography figures largely for me. I’m digressing from the theme here in order to introduce another theme, that is, the theme of the next issue, which will be edited by me, called The Narrative “I”: Autobiography in Film and Fiction. Whew!
I’ve been trying to think about how to frame this theme for a while now. How film and fiction intersects my daily life, not just as a filmmaker but as audience, how we watch so many movies, how I think cinematically or try to. How does film and fiction fit into your life? From lurid confessionals, diary entries, screenplays and first-person accounts of historical moments (real and unreal), from the poetic to the absurd, any genre, any medium from page to screen. Besides the usual fiction, poetry, comics, essays, drawings, and other stuff to go on the page, I’ll be looking for short films, videos, and animations (under 10 minutes) or what have you that could go on a DVD, which will be included in the next issue. Send to:
Matrix Magazine
The Narrative “I” Issue
1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, LB 658,
Montreal, QC
H3G 1M8
Deadline for submissions will be August 1st, 2007.
Questions? Contact me for more info!
moviemythos@soyfishmedia.com
Lately, Joe and I have been watching a lot of old horror classics with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. These old movies, when they’re bad, they’re really bad, with cheesy acting, unbelievably fake special effects, plodding plots. But when they’re good, they take overblown to a whole new level. The jagged, shadowy sets of German expressionism, mixed in with suspicious scientific experiments, the corrupted powers of the scientist who has gone mad, mad, mad! What poetry it is! In thinking about the theme of this issue of Matrix, what could be better? Sure, science in the movies has a humongous range, from documentaries such as Errol Morris’ A Brief History of Time, based on the book by Stephen Hawking, to the entire genre of science-fiction, from Isaac Asimov adaptations to the truly groundbreaking but ever-geeky Star Trek. But for me, these old mad-scientist movies really capture the fear and the horror of scientific possibility, and the concerns of scientific responsibility:
The Matrix Top Ten Mad Science Movies!
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) – Perhaps the first true horror film ever made, ushering in an era of German Expressionism which, need I say, remains influential to this day!
Metropolis (1927) and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) – Fritz Lang masterpieces.
Frankenstein – the famous 1931 version that introduced Boris Karloff to the screen and spawned a legion of sequels and imitations, from the campy and comedic (Andy Warhol’s, Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman) to the over-serious (Kenneth Branagh’s melodramatic embarrassment). Though none of these have ever come close to truly adapting the book, Karloff’s is the most iconic.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – 1920 silent version with John Barrymore in the lead role,
1931 by director Rouben Mamoulian, & 1941’s big Hollywood production by Victor Flemming, starring Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, and Lana Turner!
The Body Snatcher (1945) – Based on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson, this film explores the practice of using real cadavers in medical science, and how those cadavers were sometimes procured. Features one of Karloff’s greatest and truly chilling performances as a cabman turned graverobber and murderer.
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), The Black Cat (1934), The Raven (1935) – This trio of films, “inspired” by Edgar Allen Poe in taking the titles but little else, all star Bela Legosi as, respectively, a mad scientist, a good doctor (battling Karloff as a Satanist), and a mad doctor.
The Fly – The original 1958 version with Vincent Price features the famous ending of a tiny fly/scientist caught in a spider’s web (Help me! Heeeeelllllp me!). And David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake is memorable too, especially for its vivid fly-goop special effects.
And speaking of science… I’m currently writing a story about my father, the scientist-turned-philosopher, and his new book on Chinese and Western cultures (not to be mistaken with country-and-western culture). At the same time, I’m making a short film about my mother. All this to say, well, autobiography figures largely for me. I’m digressing from the theme here in order to introduce another theme, that is, the theme of the next issue, which will be edited by me, called The Narrative “I”: Autobiography in Film and Fiction. Whew!
I’ve been trying to think about how to frame this theme for a while now. How film and fiction intersects my daily life, not just as a filmmaker but as audience, how we watch so many movies, how I think cinematically or try to. How does film and fiction fit into your life? From lurid confessionals, diary entries, screenplays and first-person accounts of historical moments (real and unreal), from the poetic to the absurd, any genre, any medium from page to screen. Besides the usual fiction, poetry, comics, essays, drawings, and other stuff to go on the page, I’ll be looking for short films, videos, and animations (under 10 minutes) or what have you that could go on a DVD, which will be included in the next issue. Send to:
Matrix Magazine
The Narrative “I” Issue
1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, LB 658,
Montreal, QC
H3G 1M8
Deadline for submissions will be August 1st, 2007.
Questions? Contact me for more info!
moviemythos@soyfishmedia.com
Monday, May 21, 2007
Here We Go
Joe and I love watching movies. We watch a lot of them, though we would make a purist shudder. I would know – I used to be a purist who wouldn’t watch a movie unless I could watch all of it at once. Widescreen, if possible (otherwise, you lose 1/3rd of the picture, I would whine), subtitled, not dubbed. Of course, after baby Sam appeared in the picture, well, things have changed. We watch 1/3 of a movie each night, every night, on whatever format we find it in. We do draw the line at bad quality pirates since Joe can't handle my incessant complaining about the sound, the contrast, etc.
I had been wanting to keep a journal of all the movies I watch with Joe, since we watch (part of) one every single night. So, here we go!
I had been wanting to keep a journal of all the movies I watch with Joe, since we watch (part of) one every single night. So, here we go!
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