Intrigue, Sex, and Disaster (and Babe)

I've got some other posts in mind, but my list of movies is growing (I was home alone over Labor Day weekend an racked up few more than normal) so I don't want my roundup to get too daunting for me or you.

Shadow of a Doubt -- Alfred Hitchcock
Zowee!

S*P*Y*S -- Irvin Kershner
I love Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould has been growing on my ever since I saw The Long Goodbye, but S*P*Y*S is terrible. I flash to all the times I nearly blind-bought it because of the stars and rejoice that that money remained in my pocket. The biggest problem is that it's just not funny. Everything is forced and the chemistry between the two doesn't come through until the end. Kershner would go on to direct The Empire Strikes Back, so maybe he was working in a genre for which he didn't have a knack. Also, I can't help but think that since Gould and Sutherland starred in MASH and the TV show used the asterisks (M*A*S*H), that the producers were trying to remind the public of the connection by using the same format for this movie.

Angel Heart -- Alan Parker
Angel Heart has bit of a reputation amongst those who like genre movies. One might even call it a cult classic. Due to this, I had somewhat lofty expectations of this film that were no close to being met. Angel Heart is a drag. Mickey Rourke is a much better actor now that he's ugly and it's pretty clear that De Niro's performances started lacking long before the Analyze This/That movies. He's totally uninteresting and doesn't seem to give a damn about the movie (say what I will about Bang the Drum Slowly, but De Niro puts his all into that doofus). It doesn't work as horror and it doesn't work as noir. The most you're going to get out of it is seeing Lisa Bonet naked and Bill Cosby doesn't approve of that. Oh, and De Niro's name is Louis Cypher. Mull that over for a little.

Super Fly -- Gordon Parks Jr
Kablooey!

Salon Kitty -- Tinto Brass
I hated Brass' Caligula and I only saw the 100 minute version. There's little to recommend about it. I don't know what about that experience made me feel like I should check out Salon Kitty other than the fact that I probably didn't notice that Brass directed it, but I dug it! Shocking. It helps that the story is pretty interesting: the Nazi's use brothel filled with specially selected women to try to discover traitors amongst their ranks. There's a healthy dose of male and female nudity, as one would expect with Brass, but the acting and story are all there. It's probably a bit longer than it needs to be, but definitely worth watching. Now I have to debate whether I should risk another Tinto Brass joint. Lord knows I've latched onto worse filmmakers (*cough* Jess Franco *cough*).

Teorema - Pier Paulo Pasolini
It wasn't intentional that two sexually focused movies arrived back-to-back. I'm usually pretty attentive to spreading out genres (unless I happen to be on a particular genre kick). It's probably that I didn't really recognize Teorema by the name and kept thinking it was Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro. The most surprising aspect of Teorema is that it's not really all that explicit. That may not mean much to some, but considering Pasolini would later make Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom, I was expecting all kinds of deviance. As with much Pasolini, there's been a lot of criticism and study about this work, but I tend to use my first viewing as a time to enjoy (or try to) and if the film connects, then I'll revisit it. Unfortunately, I was basically bored by the film, so I didn't put the work into figuring it out. I'm OK with that. Incidentally, I didn't recognize Terence Stamp at all and it wasn't until his character was gone that I realized that was him. Maybe I should have been putting a little more effort into the film.

Babe -- Chris Noonan
My nearly 13-year old boy attitude necessitated that I reject the stupid movie with talking animals as girly child's stuff. Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey were making movies, damn it! I remember scoffing that it was nominated for so many Academy Awards. Such a jaded heart for such a young person. Having now watched the movie (mostly so I can watch the sequel, which my co-worker claims as one of his favorite movies ever), I've got to say: it's delightful! The set design is amazing and the talking animals are only cringe-worthy a couple times. The only real detriment to Babe are those damned mice. So annoying. The ending is epically heartwarming, though my sense of fair play tells me that Babe was a horrible sheep dog and should never have won. It's hardly fair using the secret sheep code to beat the competition. That said, I'm pleased that I can now use "That'll do pig" without feeling like a liar.

Femme Fatale -- Brian de Palma
When Femme Fatale came out in 2002, my only interest was in Rebecca Romijn(-Stamos at the time). It's a wonder why:

That trailer is fascinating because it pretty much show the whole movie in sequence, which is awesome since people always complain that trailers give away too much, but it's also kind of a behind the scenes look at how to assemble a trailer. Honestly, my main reason for watching Femme Fatale now is that I've been becoming and bigger and bigger de Palma fan ever since I watched The Phantom of the Paradise and I wanted to see if any of his later films held up to his early work (also, The AVClub's New Cult Canon feature). And I've got to say, the movie is pure, twisty, sexy fun. De Palma ramps the style way up, which used to be an issue I had with him, but have learned to love, he lets things get bananas. There is a Funny Games-esque moment that almost lost me in the end, but the movie is pure pulp that's impossible to resist even if Romijn(-Stamos) isn't always up to the line readings.

Earthquake -- Mark Robson
I went on a mini disaster movie binge over Labor Day weekend. I've gained a new appreciation for the '70s-style mayhem movie. Maybe it's the amazing model work, giant sets, and practical effects, but they speak to me. Earthquake isn't great, but it's pretty fun. My biggest issue with it is that I don't find Charlton Heston to be a very compelling actor. I've liked movies he's starred in (Planet of the Apes), but largely he comes off as a parody of action stars. Give me the awesome power of George Kennedy any day (and Earthquake does!). Two things stuck out to me during the credits: Mario Puzo (The Godfather) has a co-writing credit (!) and Richard Roundtree (Shaft!) is in it. The latter makes me particularly happy because it's nice to see people from exploitation movies get a moment or two in the sun. One of my favorite conventions of the genre is the thick-headed authority who doesn't listen to the people warning of disaster or actively pursues danger regardless of the endangerment to thousands of people, which is on full display in Earthquake, though they acquiesce a little faster than most. Also fun: Walter Matthau as a drunk in a bar. Proof that being small time comic relief is the safest position in a disaster. Surprisingly, the ending is fairly emotional and unexpected.

The Towering Inferno -- John Guillermin and Irwin Allen (action sequences)
It's a wonder what a great cast can do for a movie. Whereas Earthquake struggled over it's lead performance, Towering Inferno has Paul Newman and Steve McQueen in lead roles (who famously butted heads, seemingly mostly due to the latter being a dick). Newman is always so effortless and elevates every movie I've seen him in. The film also deals with a subject it's easy not to think about: how does one fight a fire in a high rise? I know people who used to hate being above the third floor in building just for that reason (it may have been higher). In fact, The Towering Inferno plays almost as a lecture against architects building skyscrapers. Much like in many of these movies, women are sort of relegated to the background, even Faye Dunaway, once the shit hits the fan. The film is 2.5 hours, but nearly always entertaining and it's fun to watch (in all of these disaster movies) the peril escalate. It also uses the classic "maiden voyage" setup where the Grand Opening is met with disaster. I love this scenario particularly because I love when one extreme emotion (in this case, joy) changes to another (plunging to terror) with no way for anyone to know it's going to happen.

Leviathan -- George Pan Cosmatos
I was expecting something a bit different judging by this poster:
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However, I'm not unhappy with what I got. There's very little original about Leviathan. It plays like a mashup of The Thing, Alien, and The Abyss (with a touch of Jaws at the end). It's still fun as hell with some great special effects and a decent sense of terror. I'm quite surprised by the negative opinion of the film and I'm not really sure what people were expecting. There's not much more to say other than I think you all should check this out and get back to me with your thoughts.

The Poseidon Adventure -- Ronald Neame
This was supposed to be in the Earthquake position of my double feature with The Towering Inferno, but the disc from Netflix was cracked. So sad. I'd somehow forgotten that Gene Hackman was the star (and least sympathetic reverend ever) and put Ernest Borgnine in his place. As far as the disaster movies I watched this weekend go, this is the best. Even Shelley Winters is tolerable. Speaking of her: I mentioned above that women in these movies are usually told to stand aside as the men figured things out, but Winters is actually given something to do, which is much appreciated and is a great character moment for her. I also love seeing the grandpa from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in something else because he seems like a genuinely great guy. Incidentally, apparently Gene Wilder was to play the Red Buttons role but conflicts prevented him from doing so. That's a shame because I can see him being perfect in that role. It's also nice when a movie isn't afraid to kill of a few of it's main players since it so willingly kills off everyone else.