I'm one of those people who believes that Nic Cage and Neil LaBute conspired to make The Wicker Man remake a comedy without telling anyone else involved. LaBute has a fair reputation as a playwright and I'd heard good things about his movies, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. The Shape of Things didn't alter my conviction about The Wicker Man, but it definitely makes my case harder to argue. The film was drag for the first hour or so and reeked of contrivance. It almost redeemed itself with the reveal at the end, but, much like the rest of the film, didn't allow characters to ask the questions that were actually pertinent to them or makes the logical points to counter the questions that are asked. The film eschews realistic human interaction in order for the director/writer to make his point. That makes for a pretty crappy movie. Also, Fred Weller is a horrible actor.
Tango and Cash -- Andrei Konchalovsky
Kurt Russell is awesome. Sylvester Stallone has been in some pretty good movies (and has even been good in some of them). But Tango and Cash is pretty much your standard action buddy movie. Two cops with opposite approaches to life but equal success at their jobs are framed and sent to jail. Comic banter and jailbreak ensues. Vengeance. More banter. Kurt Russell in drag (ugliest woman ever). It's so by the numbers I'm kind of bored writing about it. Not a bad movie, just bland. Also, Teri Hatcher plays a plot point.
Catfish -- Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
That's the trailer for Catfish. Now... don't watch Catfish. Ever. The trailer is intensely misleading, but I don't care about that. Catfish is boring. The men we follow around through this movie are dull, slightly obnoxious young professionals. Then somehow, when the reveal finally comes, the movie gets even more boring. The only reason this movie has received any attention is because of the "is it real or fake?" controversy. Quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of these documentarians who think they're clever by making a possibly real/fake documentary. It's not new. It's not original. And it's not clever. It's a publicity stunt. Please, everyone. Ignore Catfish.
Late Spring -- Yasujiro Ozu
I've come around slightly on Ozu, having watched more of his films. I think it's that I've adjusted to his rhythms. The films of his I've seen take place in an almost fantasy world, at least to me, where everyone's greatest concern is for their children to marry and for their parent(s) to not be alone. It doesn't always make for the most scintillating drama since conflict doesn't pour off of the screen and many of the practices are fairly outdated, but it's a nice place to visit periodically. And I've grown to love Chishu Ryu's particular brand of acting, which I found so stilted in the first Ozu film I saw, Tokyo Story. I'm told Ozu does get edgier, but I haven't gotten their yet, and he really does tread on the same subject matter, so I don't know when I'll revisit him, but I'm happy I've learned to appreciate his films all the same.
Manhattan Murder Mystery -- Woody Allen
I'm beginning to think Woody Allen and I will never have much of a relationship. I much prefer his wackier films like Bananas and Sleeper, but can't even say I like all of those (Take the Money and Run was a chore). Manhattan Murder Mystery felt like it must've been a huge inspiration on the mumblecore movement what with the handheld camera and all of the relationship talk amongst upper class white people. It only really held my interest when the titular murder mystery picked up speed. There were aspects of the film that reminded me of Rear Window, which isn't really a bad thing. And, when all was said and done, I felt like I'd gone on a real emotional journey with the characters and that they'd earned their happiness in the end. One of the more enjoyable Woody Allen experiences, but I still haven't been hooked.
The Town -- Ben Affleck
The Town made me miss Boston. That's mostly what I got out of it. It's a beautiful city and I wanted to be their, even if people are robbing banks and baseball stadiums. I don't really have too much to say about the time. Everything was fine. An enjoyable way to spend a few hours, but in one eye and out the other.
Black Mama, White Mama -- Eddie Romero
There's a point where you start to feel like you're viewing a certain genre in the complete wrong way. Exploitation movies just aren't supposed to be seen at 9 or 10 in the morning alone (or in this case, with someone working at her computer). They're about shock and titillation and they need an audience to interact with. I'm not sure I've rated any of these movies higher than 3 stars on Netflix, though I know I've wished I'd seen them in a packed theater. Of course, how many of us have that opportunity? Black Mama, White Mama is definitely one of the better exploitation films I've seen and makes a good companion with Tango and Cash in subject matter. It's everything you expect it to be, but with the added bonus of an amazing Sid Haig performance.
Count Dracula -- Jesus Franco
Since Nightmares Come at Night seems to have gotten lost in the mail, I had to continue on watching Jesus Franco's films as they came (due to an arbitrary rule I gave myself). Even if that movie had come, I probably still would've watched Count Dracula because it features both Christopher Lee and Klaus Kinski. For all of my raggin on Franco (all of it deserved), Count Dracula wasn't bad. It's surprisingly faithful to the novel and looks like someone competent made it. The biggest problem is that the material is so familiar that it's almost impossible to do anything unexpected. But kudos to Jesus Franco for making a movie that doesn't suck!
The Night Porter -- Liliana Cavani
The Night Porter was strongly recommended by a coworker who practically forced me to put it at the top of my queue (he wanted me to remain logged into Netflix so he could add a bunch of stuff, but I don't trust him that much). It's a well-made, well-shot, well-acted film about the complicated sexual desires of people with a complicated past. I don't typically care for movies with a prominent flashback structure, but that's handled elegantly here (aside from one moment, which I didn't care for). I definitely recommend The Night Porter even if I'm in no hurry to see it again. It's got a controversial reputation for using post-War Europe as a backdrop for it's sexually charged plot. I think that's being a little ridiculous. Plus, that setting makes for a great cover to the Criterion release.
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