It was a busier week for me this week (Portlandia Premiere and a beach trip), which is good in several ways, but it also means I didn't go through as many Netflix movies (which may be just as good for you). One thing I like about doing this is that it forces me to pay attention to the type of movies I'm watching. This week's film selections aren't quite as diverse as last week's in era or genre (which was moderately diverse to begin with). I can only ask that you bear with me (especially if you get bored with horror/thriller genres), I promise there's more to me than that.
J.S.A.: Joint Security Area -- Chan-wook Park
I was surprised by the restraint Park shows in JSA. His camera is typically so fluid and everything so operatic that going back to one of his earlier films, it's easy to forget he didn't start that way. JSA is a very engaging tale of friendship between enemies on the border between North and South Korea (the Joint Security Area). It's a small story, little like Park's Vengeance Trilogy or Thirst, but highly effective. It also solidifies that Kang-ho Song is absolutely one of my favorite actors working. The man is charisma.
The Boston Strangler -- Richard Fleischer
Perhaps the biggest surprise in The Boston Strangler is Tony Curtis. He gives easily the best performance I've ever seen out of him. He's not stilted or putting on airs; he simply is Albert DeSalvo. The Boston Strangler goes from "slasher" (though the phrase wasn't around yet and he wasn't cutting people up, but all the genre markings are there) to character study without batting an eye. I was very impressed with the film, de Palma-ing it up with the split-screen before de Palma could make it his own. Plus, it's always nice to hang out with Henry Fonda and George Kennedy.
Falling Down -- Joel Schumacher
There's been a bit of synchronicity around my viewing of this film. Patton Oswalt was Tweeting while viewing the film and it was mentioned in Sleazoid Express as the last film shown at one of the last Grindhouse theaters in New York. Schumacher has become kind of a joke, mostly due to his Batman contributions, but also because his films just aren't that good. I've always carried Tigerland in my back pocket if I felt the need to defend the man, so I'm happy to have two films to offer as a counterpoint (and no, The Lost Boys is not a good movie). Michael Douglas' character isn't particularly likable and I found myself frequently siding with outsiders, but it's just so fun to watch him try to maintain a rational mind even as it deteriorates. It's like screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith was thinking of everything that annoyed him in the world and built scenes around them with a little rant as to why it's stupid. Just an immensely enjoyable black comedy.
The Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy -- Jeff Burr
The original The Stepfather is a pretty awesome view into the life of a psychotic man who yearns for the perfect family. It's hard to keep the lies straight and watching it all unravel is a lot of fun. The Stepfather II doesn't really deal with that too much. There's no one really chasing him, so the threat is all pretty minimal. Perhaps the worst thing about the film is that aside from Terry O'Quinn, the rest of the cast is either dull or given nothing to do (including the young Jonathan Brandis).
To Catch a Thief -- Alfred Hitchcock
I've got to say, I was hoping for a bit more from To Catch a Thief. It's not bad by any means, just sort of in the middle. Given it's pedigree (Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, and Hitchcock) and it's location (the French Riviera) it could have been much more. Maybe I was too distracted by the disturbingly tan Grant, or the fact that he'd be better suited falling in love with Kelly's mother in the film than Kelly. The idea of a thief trying to use his skills to anticipate the next move of another thief is pretty great, but there is very little of that going on. Instead, the film spends its time having Kelly try to find out who Grant really is. And if I was a retired jewel thief and everyone suspected me, I would welcome the police into my home so they could observe definitively that it was not me. Of course, then there's no movie...
A Simple Plan -- Sam Raimi
I shot this film to the top of my queue on the recommendation of a coworker. Really, it's a surprise I hadn't seen it already since I went through a huge Raimi phase (spurred on by my discovery of the Evil Dead trilogy). A Simple Plan is easily the least Raimi of all of his films. There's a minimum of stylistic flourishes and just about no silliness. I don't typically care for Billy Bob Thornton or Bill Paxton, but both are reigned in here (and for the better because it wouldn't make sense otherwise). It's a little weird not having Thornton be a duplicitous ass and even though I knew better, I kept expecting for his character to turn into one. And, to draw a connection to The Boston Strangler, Bridget Fonda does her best Lady MacBeth to spur on Paxton. The film doesn't make anything easy on its characters and even though you may question their actions, you can at least understand them. All I know is that I'm keeping that money if I find it.
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