Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Feb revivals: second half













Hey, Mike here with a list of revivals for the rest of February. Figures it would be a large selection so close to Oscar time. Let me not waste anymore time, here we go:


THE DARK CRYSTAL- Fri Feb 17, Sat Feb 18 and Sun Feb 19 at Midnight- Landmark Sunshine Cinema- Playing all three nights of the President's day weekend, including Sunday. If you're a fan of Lord of the Rings kind of fantasy, or a fan of 80's films, here's this effort from Jim Henson. Jim and co-director Frank Oz's (with an uncredited assist from Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz) attempt to do a Lord of The Rings-style film with the latest in animatronic technology, received only minor acclaim and decent U.S. business in the Christmas of 1982, but became one of the biggest films to ever hit Japan and France up to that point. It still has a fervent cult here. Puppetry effects at their height, with the Muppet-esque cuteness cut down very low. A children's film that keeps the adults entertained, without being cheesy or insulting to the kids.

The overall look is always impressive, with a highly underrated score from Trevor Jones. I admit, the ending for Dark Crystal doesn't make a lot of sense, but the journey is worth it:



JAWS- Fri Feb 17, Sat Feb 18 and Sun Feb 19 at Midnight- IFC Center- A midnight screening of this classic, also playing all three nights of the President's Day weekend. On both AFI Top 100 lists, but higher up for me. Also in my personal Top 35 as opposed to just one of one hundred. Don't underestimate the quality of this Spielberg film on the big screen, and IFC Center tends to get good prints. It's not just another fish film. 3 Oscars including John Williams's memorable score, and a nomination for Best Picture (along with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon and Nashville; not shabby:



THEY LIVE- Fri Feb 17 and Sat Feb 18 at Midnight- IFC Center- John Carpenter's still underrated Reagan era/ yuppie era attack satire, shot through the filter of a sci-fi action film, gets a Midnight screening. Unlike Jaws and Dark Crystal, this only plays on the Friday/Saturday night of President's weekend. Oh, and don't forget the great fist fight, possibly the longest most exaggerated in film history:



THE OX-BOW INCIDENT with or without YELLOW SKY- Sat Feb 18 at 2:40(Ox), 4:10(Yellow), 6(Ox), 7:30(Yellow) and 9:20(Ox)- Film Forum- 2 more films from the William Wellman retrospective. The second film I could catch but it's not a priority. But the first one, oh I'd love to catch it.

The Ox-Bow Incident, deserves to go alongside revisionist Westerns like Unforgiven, The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Definitely among the darkest, as it covers mob mentality. Henry Fonda and Harry Morgan play two drifters suspected of cattle rustling by some very on-edge townspeople. Then, a story goes around that a prominent rancher has been murdered and the gang has escaped. Most of the townspeople take the law unto their own hands, and form a posse to capture the "murderers". To avoid suspicion, Fonda and Morgan join the posse. The mob find three men, including "Laura"'s Dana Andrews and Anthony Quinn, who are immediately suspected of the crime, captured, and are "sentenced" by the mob to be hung. Dark, but very good Western. Oscar nominated for Best Picture, selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in the late 1990s, and one of Fonda's favorite film. I really want to catch this.

Next, Yellow Sky. Gregory Peck, a burned out man not that different from John Wayne's character from The Searchers, tries to lead his gang of bank robbers away from the law. He and his gang, which include Richard Widmark and Harry Morgan, hide out in a ghost town. But it's not abandoned; an old prospector and his granddaughter (Anne Baxter) have been mining gold there. the gang plans to steal the gold, but what happens when Peck falls for Baxter? I don't have to catch this, but if anyone who comes with me is in the mood, or if the only way to get into Ox-Bow Incident is to watch Yellow Sky first, I won't mind:



THE MUPPET SHOW with Steve Martin and John Cleese and THE LADY EVE and (a maybe for me) FORTY GUNS with Dan Callahan in person- Sun Feb 19 at 1(Muppet), 3(Eve) and 6(Guns)- Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria- Another nice full Sunday at the Museum of the Moving Image. Two Season 2 Muppet Show episodes and two Barbara Stanwyck films, plus the Jim Henson exhibit, all for 1 admission. Incidentally, the last day of the Henson exhibit is Sunday, March 4th. But after the 19th, I'm done posting and pushing the exhibit. If you don't catch it by then, you're on your own.

The first Muppet Show episode is with guest Steve Martin. The only episode where the show within the show isn't in performance. Kermit holds auditions for new cast members, and Martin is forced to perform to the cast. I believe this is the only episode where Statler and Waldorf perform onstage (a Vaudevillian number, with Fozzie attempting some heckler revenge), plus we also have Martin performing Dueling Banjos. The second episode is with guest John Cleese, who co-wrote the episode. In this episode, we have Cleese refusing to work with pigs, unsure if Kermit is the frog he's contractually bond to work, and having him hijack the Pigs in Space ship as Long John Silverstein. Also in this screening is a number that's never included U.S. broadcasts: a pregnant-looking Miss Piggy performing "Waiting at the Church" opposite Kermit, whose planning to leave her at the altar.

Next, a potential Barbara Stanwyck double feature, the first film being something I'd love to see. The Lady Eve, as close as writer-director Preston Sturges could get to sex comedies back in the early forties. Where con artist Barbara Stanwyck targets rich "dope" Henry Fonda. Naturally, there's all that falling in love, the thawing of cold cynical hearts, misunderstandings, none of this necessarily in that order and often repeated. We expect good work from Stanwyck, smart snappy patter from Sturges, and good support from the likes of Charles Coburn and William Demarest, but who'd expect Fonda to pull off deadpan pratfalls? Highly recommended.

Lastly, Forty Guns. A Samuel Fuller film that appears a lot more interesting than the way the Museum's website describes. A 79 minute quickie that's a little more complicated then it seems. Powerful rancher Stanwyck falls in love with pacifist sheriff Griff (Barry Sullivan), complicating tension regarding her hired men or "forty guns". In charge of the "guns" is her drunken brother, who bullies the townspeople in general, and won't stand the idea of such a cowardly man like Griff defying his authority AND touching his sister.

Highly praised for Fuller's use of Cinemascope. But I suppose what gets me interested is Fuller's quote describing the reason behind the title: "My forty guns were forty p---ks. My powerful heroine had her way in the sack with all forty, then cast them aside for the forty-first "gun", Griff." Intriguing.

Both films will be introduced Dan Callahan, author of a new biography, "Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman" In between both films, Callahan will sign copies of the book, sold in the Museum's gift shop:





BEAU GESTE- Sun Feb 19 at 4:50 (introduced by Gary Cooper's daughter) and 8:35 plus Mon Feb 20 at 4:50- Film Forum- Part of the William Wellman retro. A nearly shot for shot remake of the 1926 silent original, this turned out a lot better than when Gus van Sant did a similar thing remaking Psycho. A long involving story, but I'll cut to the chase. 3 brothers (Gary Cooper, Ray Milland and Robert Preston) join the French Foreign Legion, and are at odds with their sadistic Sergeant. But before things get worse, in come the Tuareg, attacking their fort. Popular action drama, with Oscar nominations for Brian Donlevy as the Sergeant, and for Art Direction. With Susan Hayward, Broderick Crawford and Donald O'Connor in small roles. On the Sunday February 19th 4:50 screening, Maria Cooper Janis, Gary's daughter, will introduce the film, will sign copies of her new biography of her father afterwards. The film is playing with Call of the Wild with Clark Gable, but I don't care to see it, so I'm not posting it:



THE LAST METRO- Tues Feb 21 at 6- Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- Part of Lincoln Center's retrospective of films that first made a big splash at the New York Film Festival. Paris, 1942. Lucas Steiner is a Jew and was compelled to leave the country. His wife Marion (Catherine Deneuve), an actress, directs the theater for him. She tries to keep the theater alive with a new play, and hires Bernard Granger (Gerard Depardieu) for the leading role. But Lucas is actually hiding in the basement... An Oscar nominee for Foreign Language Film in 1981.

The following is quote from Vincent Camby when he reviewed it for the Times:

"The film has the form of a more or less conventional melodrama, about a
small Parisian theater company during the 1942-44 Nazi occupation, though
the film's methods are so systematically unconventional that it becomes a
gently comic, romantic meditation on love, loyalty, heroism, and history. 
The Last Metro is a melodrama that discreetly refuses to exercise its
melodramatic options. It's also a love story that scarcely recognizes its
lovers. Though the setting is a legitimate theater, the Theatre Montmartre,
it's not an "inside theater" movie. The Last Metro is about a particular
time in history. Its Theatre Montmartre is a refuge -- actual in the case of
one character, and psychological for the others. The theater provides them
survival.


The focal point of the film is the Theatre Montmartre's production of the
French translation of a Norwegian play, La Disparue (The Woman Who
Disappeared)... The content of La Disparue, however, is of no more moment
than that of Meet Pamela, the rather awful sounding film that was being
produced in the course of Day for Night. The Last Metro is about the manner
in which the Theatre Montmartre actors approach their work, their shifting
relations with each other, and the way in which each responds to the
condition of being "occupied." The Last Metro doesn't dwell on the horrors
of Nazi-encouraged, French anti-Semitism, which flourished during the
occupation, but it is haunted by those horrors. It takes a little while to
catch the tempo of the film, but pay attention. The Last Metro is about
lives surrounded by melodrama, being lived with as little outward fuss as
possible. "


CRUISING- Fri Feb 24 at Midnight- Landmark Sunshine Cinema- A Midnight screening of the one Al Pacino film that doesn't have any clips shown whenever his career is honored. From director William Friedkin, Pacino plays an NYPD cop who goes undercover in the world of gay S and M clubs, to find a serial killer who stalks his prey there. And Pacino's character begins to like this world. Don't know how accurate this sub-culture is depicted, but it is a snippet of the past and how gays are viewed and depicted one year before the first AIDS cases were diagnosed in New York. One of Friedkin's police advisors on The French Connection worked on this film, so the police side is probably accurate. If anything, Cruising focuses more on the police reaction to the gay communtiy.

Cruising was heavily protested when it was shot in New York, to the point where gay activist groups tried to have the filming removed from NYC altogether. Then 40 minutes had to be cut in order to get the R rating. The film came out in March 1980, where the protests never let up. The film was trashed by critics, and flopped at the box office. If it lasted more than a month, I'd be stunned. Pacino, upset that Friedkin changed the film from what is in the script to the final product, and stunned by the intense anger of the protestors who never saw the film (but might have read the book), would never speak about the film afterwards. Distributed by United Artists. Wow, with Cruising released early in 1980, and Heaven's Gate released near the end of that year, no wonder Transamerica got out of the movie business.

Found some quotes about the film from IMDB. Don't know the sources, otherwise I'd quote them:

"“The film doesn’t turn away from the sexuality,” says Friedkin, who notes that the Cannes screening will be followed by a theatrical re-release, complete with a new Dolby Digital sound mix, in select U.S. cities this fall. “That means it will still disturb a lot of people on both sides of the issue.”

He does wish, though, that the studio (Warner Bros.) had been able to find some of the 40 minutes of deleted scenes that he was forced to remove from Cruising 26 years ago at the behest of the MPAA, all of which are now feared missing or destroyed.

Skin tones looked a little pale in the night and club sequences, but colors really popped for the most part, in particular, the yellow NYC cabs. Sound, in particular, the separation between the various songs and ambient noises, was excellent."


Now the film's reputation has been getting some rehabilitation, thanks in part to the standing ovation the new print received a few years back at Cannes (Tarantino was among those applauding). Personally, I have no idea if this film is any good. I've never seen more than a minute of it years ago on cable. As well as the original trailer which is quite effective actually. It could be good, could be crap, or just passable. It will probably look and sound good, but after that, who knows? Any of you adventurous?



THE PUBLIC ENEMY with or without THE STAR WITNESS- Sat Feb 25 at 2:50(Enemy), 4:30(Star), 5:50(Enemy), 7:30(Star) and 8:50(Enemy)- Film Forum- Part of the William Wellman retro. The Public Enemy, starring a charismatic, tough, fast talking James Cagney, in a role that made him a star forever. He moves up the ranks, from a punk in the Chicago slums, to a quick tempered gangster with Jean Harlow, Mae Clarke and Joan Blondell around him. He also has a good guy brother who wants no part of the criminal life. But this makes the brother vulnerable to attack, and Cagney's character will seek vengeance. Features the famous scene where Mae Clarke's face met Cagney's grapefruit with force. An Oscar nomination for its story.

I'd like to see Public Enemy, and can easily skip The Star Witness, but if one wants to see it, I won't fight it. In this 68 minute quickie, a family sees a gang kingpin commit murders. D.A. Walter Huston pressures the family to testify. The kingpin threatens the family, Grandpa (the Civil War vet) pushes the family to do their civic duty, the boy gets kidnapped, but it all turns out ok in the end. An Oscar nomination for the screen story. Best I can say is, that's it short, and if sitting through means easy access to The Public Enemy, I'll slog through it if need be:



RUNAWAY TRAIN- Mon Feb 27 at 8- IFC Center- A rare revival screening of this pretty good action drama from 1985. Adapted from a Kurosawa screenplay written so long ago, Peter Falk was originally tabbed for the lead, with Henry Fonda in a major supporting role. Backed by Cannon Films; while they often made their money on crappy stuff like the Breakin' films and some rather terrible Chuck Norris action films and Death Wish sequels, Golan and Globus would occasionally channel profits into the occasional serious film aimed for respectability. Runaway Train was one of them.

2 convicts escape from an Alaskan maximum security prison. One (Jon Voight), a loner, safe-cracker and escape artist. The other (Eric Roberts), a man of low IQ who is unwelcome on the escape. They think they've made a successful escape through a blizzard and long hike, onto the train made up of 4 locomotives. They don't realize until later that the engineer died of a heart attack, the brakes have burned off, and the train is picking speed. The escaped cons, already grating on each other's nerves, try to work with the lone rail worker (a de-glamorized Rebecca De Mornay), to slow down the runaway train. But the passengers don't realize that train dispatchers are working furiously to avoid massive collisions, and might sacrifice the train with all on board to avoid a catastrophic crash. The passengers also don't realize that the sadistic prison warden (John P. Ryan), is also hot on their trail.

Runaway Train didn't do well at the box office. And it might have gone away completely, if a chance storm in and by Los Angeles back in January 1986, hadn't forced some Academy to seek shelter, at Academy screenings for Runaway Train. This was according to gossip columnist Marilyn Beck, the exact article I've had trouble finding her rep is better than most, so I believe it. Runaway Train received 3 nominations, for Voight for Actor, Roberts for Supporting Actor, and for Editing. This didn't help Runaway Train find an audience in theaters, but it became a successful VHS rental for the rest of the 80s. But once the 90s came along, and the Cannon Group went belly up, Runaway Train seemed to disappear. I mean yes, it's on DVD, but even those copies miss a scene here, or some violent action shots there. So really, this is a good opportunity to see a good film, you're probably not aware of.

Runaway Train is part of IFC Center's Queer/Art film series, where a gay or lesbian artist picks a film that inspired what they do today. Choreographer Elizabeth Streb will introduce the film, and explain how it inspired to form her own style of action or extreme dancing:




Let me know if there's interest. Later all.

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Friday, February 10, 2012

Oscar/Best of 2011 film catch-up list






A list of what you need to see, of both Oscar nominees and films that should be seen for a potential Best of 2011 list. Broken down in 6 categories: Major nominees in theaters, Minor Nominees in theaters, Major nominees on DVD/Cable/On Demand, Minor nominees on DVD/Cable/On Demand, Others of note in theaters, and Others of note on DVD/Cable/On Demand. Started to do some write-ups for my own blog, but stopped to send this now, and will resume writing later. For the record, major nominations to me are Picture, Director, the 4 Acting Categories, the 2 Screenplay categories, Documentary, Foreign Language, and Animated. Hope this helps.



Major nominees in theaters: THE DESCENDANTS, HUGO, THE ARTIST, TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY, A SEPARATION, ALBERT NOBBS, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, PINA in 3-D,

WAR HORSE- I get the complaints regarding Spielberg being overly sentimental again, but you won't count me among them. It's not like this sentimentality is on the saccharine levels of The Sound of Music. It doesn't make the poor people rich, and it doesn't keep young men from being killed by the hundreds on screen. Done artistically mind you, but still by the hundreds. As a film fan, I appreciate the on-screen acknowledgments of films like Gone With The Wind, The Seven Samurai, Dr Zhivago, and even some John Ford films. There's a line between homage and blatant copying, and Spielberg straddled it nicely here,

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN- Familiar story structure of young man, coming-of-age trying to make his way into the world, mixed with Hollywood-ish biopic. The result is fairly light, fun, with performances that lift it above a typical Masterpiece Theater episode. Thus worth catching on the big screen, but its reputation should jump higher on a TV screen. Michelle Williams makes a wonderful Marilyn (pictures from a recent Q and A I attended above), Kenneth Branagh's Olivier with a semi-permanent stick up his ass is a lot of fun, and you come away wanting more Judi Dench. But the idea of a young man (whose diaries of the making of The Prince and The Showgirl made two books) with no experience or obvious skill, being a mostly beloved and trusted confidant, reeks of B.S. Too false an aspect for me to love this film. I'll just merely like a lot,
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE- I refuse to sit through this, no fucking way,

THE TREE OF LIFE- Best seen on the big screen, unless you have a large TV and/or a HD screen. Currently playing in Cinema Village.



Minor nominees in theaters: THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN,

THE MUPPETS- Not dissimilar to the recent Star Trek reboot in terms of re-launching a franchise. Appeases the old school fan in me, except for a few too many fart jokes. C'mon, this isn't some crappy Eddie Murphy comedy. Some humans, especially Chris Cooper, worked really well with the Muppets. A few others, like Rashida Jones and a few who did cameos like Whoopi and Selena, not so well. Loved, loved, LOVED the nominated Man or a Muppet song and will be pissed if it isn't performed at the ceremony. If you're an old school fan who can't stand the original writers or voices aren't attached to this, I can understand the subliminal discomfort and resistance. But I say the following, the same I say to the Trekkies with the J.J. Abrahms reboot: suck it up. Older pop culture stuff like say, Sherlock Holmes and Batman have endured and at times,thrived. So can this,

W.E.- Madonna's film, in part about King Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson, got an official release on Fri Feb 3. But it received an Oscar qualifying 1 week run back in December in L.A., so yep, it qualifies here.



Major nominees on DVD and/or Cable and/or On Demand:

THE HELP, BEGINNERS, WARRIOR, KUNG FU PANDA 2, BRIDESMAIDS, HELL AND BACK AGAIN,

MONEYBALL- Doesn't exactly speed along, but it needs to get its equations across to non-baseball/sabermetrics people, so sorry it takes time. Plays a little loose with the history for my tastes, but still interesting. Brad Pitt's best lead performance, a pleasant surprise from Jonah Hill, and if Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of Art Howe is accurate (which it isn't physically), then the Mets were seriously screwed up to look at this man as manager in 2002,

RANGO- Probably the only way anytime soon that we could believe Johnny Depp as a complete underdog, as an iguana on his first trip out in the world. Not joking, this is some of his best work in years. Think you need an appreciation of Westerns in order to truly enjoy, which luckily for me I have and I do. Also works as an early intro to the kind of story depicted in Chinatown. The stop-motion animation works well; you're not depicting realistic humans, the animals look just fine,

MARGIN CALL- Good film debut from writer-director J.C. Chandor. A depiction of the early days of the financial crisis of 2008, where the collapse is depicted less by technical means, but by human frailties. Big egos, greediness, even a lack of economics in jobs you would think requires them. Good cast, one that can even carry Demi Moore. One where Jeremy Irons' Dracula-esque performance can still fit in naturally,

A BETTER LIFE- A surprise Best Actor nominee,

PUSS IN BOOTS- Comes out on DVD on the Friday before the Oscars,

IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT- A Best Documentary nominee, it's on DVD but easier to find on youtube. For how much longer on youtube is a good question,

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS- The best Woody Allen film since Match Point. But that's no reason for such an overreaction of praise, hosannas and what not. Solid cast, some good dialogue, nice Parisian locales. But Top 10 best? Please. Let's just call it a pleasant time-killer worth catching on DVD or cable. Let's call it a noticeable improvement over say, Hollywood Ending and Anything Goes and move on,

THE IDES OF MARCH- A George Clooney-directed film that's an improvement over the disappointing Leatherheads. Fun support by both Phillip Seymour Hoffman and (especially) Paul Giamatti, backing yet another tip-top Ryan Gosling lead. But whenever Evan Rachel Wood comes on-screen, with the kind of storyline that has both Jailbait and Dead Meat figuratively tattooed on her forehead, oy vey. The film could only become unpredictable if Gosling came into clean things up with a light saber and a blaster. Seriously, if you didn't see this become a paint by numbers film of political disillusionment, then you have to see more movies. At least it wasn't boring,

PARADISE LOST 3- Best Documentary nominee. Available on HBO On Demand and HBO Plus, alongside Paradise Lost 1 and 2
Minor nominees on DVD: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEADLY HALLOWS PART 2, ANONYMOUS, TRANSFORMERS: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON,

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES- The best Planet of the Apes film since the original. Would make an interesting double feature with the documentary Project Nim,

JANE EYRE, RIO, REAL STEEL, DRIVE


Others of note in theaters: SHAME, THE SKIN I LIVE IN, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, PARIAH, LE HAERVE,

CARNAGE- Decent, but you can wait for DVD or cable. Maybe the piece only works on stage. Maybe the piece doesn't work as well if all four actors, while doing respectable jobs, are only believable as adults. All four just didn't pull the depths emotional immaturity. Strange to say after seeing John C. Reilly in Step Brothers, go figure,

YOUNG ADULT- Wonderful pitch-perfect black comedy. I have never been disappointed in a Jason Reitman film before, and the positive streak continues. Nice to see Charlize Theron in a change of pace, but Patton Oswalt is the revelation here,

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE- will be released on DVD the Tuesday before the Oscars,

A DANGEROUS METHOD- The ideas of sexuality, repression, and feelings bubbling up to the surface, makes this fit right along with other David Cronenberg films. Solid acting, even Keira Knightly who has to run the longest outwardly emotional gauntlet and overall does fine. Though I did spoil it for by reading an interview where she talked about how difficult it was to display insanity through her face, as well as making "sex faces". More than a little distracting. But a major reason why this isn't in my top 10 goes to Christopher Hampton's screenplay. Most definitely feels like a Cliffs Note version of the story/real life people. Yeah I get the basics, but not a lot of emotional investment in these people. Came away feel something was left out, mainly in the Freud and Keira storylines. Still a good job overall,

INTO THE ABYSS- The better of the two Werner Herzog documentaries that received a theatrical release, covering a Texas triple homicide from many different angles. From jailhouse interviews, to interviews with relatives of both killed and killers, a sweetheart of one of the killers who was impregnated with "contraband" semen. Even finding out what happened to the object of the killers' desire, a shiny red car that is no longer shiny, hell it has weeds growing through the floorboard. If the chilling interview with killer Micheal Perry, shot days before his execution, doesn't get to you, then nothing will.

Others on DVD or elsewhere: TUESDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, POTICHE, THE NAMES OF LOVE, GAINSBOURG: A HEROIC LIFE, TOMBOY- These 5 foreign films all worth catching. Tuesday After Christmas is a good Romanian drama; where the husband leaves his wife for a younger woman, devastating his wife and unaware of what he'll lose until it's too late. Potiche is a fun, biting social satire that fits in well with something like 9 to 5. The Names of Love is another satire, though more successful as a romantic film. Gainsbourg nicely avoids the by-the-numbers biography path of something like Ray or Walk The Line, but works best as an introduction. Tomboy is the best of the 5; a quiet coming of age of a young girl, sure of the gender identity path she wants to take (male), but not entirely sure of the consequences (don't worry, nothing like Boys Don't Cry here),

TABLOID- Entertaining Errol Morris documentary available on both DVD and Showtime On Demand,

WEEKEND, CRAZY STUPID LOVE, COWBOYS AND ALIENS, THE THING (2012), CAPTAIN AMERICA,

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS- Another draft and making sure Lenny Kravitz's daughter was never cast would have improved it. Seriously, there's a lot of story that isn't strong when the Xavier and Magneto characters aren't involved, and Zoe Kravitz isn't much of an actress. But Matthew Vaughn brought a wonderful visual style to this, we have two great leads in McAvoy and Fassbender, and compared to Wolverine and X-Men 3, this is almost a work of art,

CONTAGION- Unnecessary to see it on the IMAX screen, but it would make good double feature/ compare and contrast with the original version of The Andromeda Strain. Believable in and terms it only taking a bug and some internet panic to spread a global pandemic. A bit of mixed bag the varying human stories but it works,

WIN WIN- Another winning slice of life from writer-director Thomas McCarthy. No obvious villains here. At worst we have someone whose addictions are out of control or someone taking a little money for the family by telling a white lie. But since the addict is causing pain for her son, and the white lie forces a man with dementia out of his home, I'm sure they would disagree about there being no villains around them. Paul Giamatti leads a quality cast in this quietly effective, at times funny, morality tale,

MEEK'S CUTOFF, BOBBY FISHER VS. THE WORLD, PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES, CERTIFIED COPY, SARAH'S KEY,

EAMES: THE ARCHITECT AND THE PAINTER- Decent Cliff notes introduction for newbies like me to the Eames, even though I and quite a number of have been influenced by their work without even knowing it. But better to see it now via PBS.org, under The American Experience banner, as opposed to paying the 13 dollars in a theater,

THE BLACK POWER MIX TAPE- This documentary of the Black Power movement, on the short list for Best Documentary yet didn't quite make it, will air on PBS on Thurs Feb 9 at 9PM, under the Independent Lens banner. It will then air on Thirteen.org under Independent Lens 48 hours later,

THE INTERRUPTERS- From director Steve James. This will air on PBS' Frontline on Tuesday, February 14 at 9PM, and will be on PBS.org within 48 hours after that.

PROJECT NIM- A documentary from the director of Man on Wire, that I was stunned about it not getting a nomination. Out on DVD Feb 7, make time for it,

TAKE SHELTER- Comes out on DVD on Feb 14,

50/50- Joseph Gordon-Levitt's work, with as well as without Anna Kendrick, is what makes the film sing. Anjelica Huston as one solid scene and then, not much else to do. Otherwise, the film is only a bit of the quality of a typical Lifetime movie of the week. Should work ok as a rental,

CEDAR RAPIDS- A pleasant surprise of a dramedy. I can see why Alexander Payne was attracted to the material, even if he didn't direct it. Here's where goodwill toward Ed Helms was at its highest, soon to drop after the disappointing Hangover Part 2, as well as the inconsistencies with The Office (which I blame more on the writers than him),

THOR- In terms of quality, in-between the two Iron Man films. The scenes on Asgard and the ice world always kick ass. Most of the scenes on Earth, not so much. And it looks like Natalie Portman slept-walked through the film, especially when compared to Kat Dennings' work,

PAUL, SUPER 8- 2 throwback/tribute to the late 70s/early 80s style of Spielberg. Paul, while slow, has some funny sequences and a winning supporting turn from Kristen Wiig as a religious woman who sees the light. Super 8 starts off well, but falls apart when we're supposed to react to the Godzilla/Cloverfield monster as an E.T. type in the 11th hour. Yeah I don't think so Mr. Abrahms,

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS- fascinating look at some very very old cave drawings. Drawings that are either 90,000 plus years old, or merely 45,000 or so years old. Seeing something this old still intact is incredible, and ol' Werner Herzog is still a fun wackadoodle of a narrator. But not seeing this in 3-D loses a little something,

IN A BETTER WORLD, INCENDIES- The winner of last year's Best Foreign Film and one of the four other nominees, respectively. They both received a 2011 theatrical release here in the states, so yep, it qualifies.


The picture of Oscar by the way is located by the elevators near the entrance of the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International. This was where the screening for My Week with Marilyn and the Williams Q and A took place. Sometimes, three dollar screenings of Oscar winners take place there. I look forward to coming back.
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Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Feb revivals: first half









Hey. Mike here with a revival list for the first half of February. Tried to cover the entire month, but I've just been too slow, so unfortunately I've had to split it in half. But one revival/re-release I won't post is Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Yeah, the trailer in 3-D looks good. But the trailer can't re-write a mediocre screenplay, make Jar-Jar Binks tolerable, or give the then inexperienced Natalie Portman or the rookie Jake Lloyd the extra help needed to make chicken salad out of their chicken shit lines.

The first time I saw it back in its original release, I kinda liked it, despite its Anakin of Nazareth aspects and the Jar-Jar character. But my life was in a rough patch and I needed the release/social outing desperately. Seeing it a year later on TV, it didn't hold up at all. The last time I saw it was as part of a marathon screening with the other 5 Star Wars films. Kinda in the middle of my two previous experiences. The weakest parts of the film weren't as bad as the weakest aspects of Episode 2, but I can't post Episode 1 here. Maybe I'll sneak into the podrace scene or the battle scenes in the last hour or so. But I can't post it here when I have films on this list that are better. Here we go:



THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY- Fri Feb 10 at 7- Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria- Part of the Museum's See It Big series for films that can't be loved on an iPad or computer screen, but can only be truly embraced on the big screen. And to see this epic, hidden inside the contours of the Western genre, on a near 70mm screen should be too much to ignore for the true film buff.

The epic of Leone's Man With No Name trilogy; you definitely go on a journey here, aided with Morricone's most famous score, especially the theme. Eastwood's not so nice Good, Lee Van Cleef's evil to the core Bad, and Eli Wallach's not much better Ugly, fight each other, and try to work their way around something called The Civil War, to get their hands on buried gold. Probably, the best of the Spaghetti Westerns, due in no small part to Wallach's great performance (note that I RARELY use that phrase), the cinematography and Morricone's score.

This is the Reconstructed Italian version (don't worry, the words are still spoken in English). 2 hrs. 55 min. long, including 15 restored min. that Eastwood and Wallach had to go back and redub a couple of years ago. The print has been cleaned up, and has a remixed 5.1 Digital Dolby sound. I've done this at the Forum a couple of years ago, but I need no excuse to go back. A favorite of mine:



THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1974) with a post-film Q and A of Raquel Welch by Dick Cavett- Sat Feb 11 at 6:45- Walter Reade at Lincoln Center- The only film from the Raquel Welch retrospective that I have time for. I wish that Fantastic Voyage, Myra Breckinridge and The Last of Sheila were screened at a more convenient time. I also wish 1 Million B.C. wasn't such a crap film, because Raquel in a fur bikini, nice as that is, isn't worth putting up with the rest of the film.

The 3 Musketeers has been adapted into a film over twenty times. Richard Lester made an over three hour version, until the decision was made during post-production to split it into 2, similar to the decision made with Kill Bill. The 3 Musketeers is the first of the 2. Michael York, as young d'Artagnan, wants to be a Musketeer, but the other three Musketeers (Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlin and Frank Finlay) don't exactly make this easy. But no time for fun and games: Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston) is doing something dastardly to the King and Queen, and d"Artagnan and the Musketeers must stop him. The cast also includes Christopher Lee and Faye Dunaway as villains, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Geraldine Chaplin as the King and Queen, and Welch as the Queen's dressmaker. The film makes great use of her cleavage, has the servant girl have an affair with d'Artagnan, shows off her cleavage . . .yeah, that's about it.

In the past, I've written that my favorite sword duels involved either the duo of Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone, or the duo of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Nothing in this film happens to change my decision. The duels mostly aim for comedy, but that doesn't make the film any less likable. This film is just fun. By coincidence, it's a lot closer to Alexandre Dumas' book than say, the poorly received Milla Jovovich version that came out last fall. But come on, fun actors, fun duels, fun film.

After the film, Welch herself will participate in a Q and A with Dick Cavett. Therefore, I'm guessing this screening will sell out, and I strongly advise you to get tickets beforehand. Beforehand as in a day or two in advance. You can buy them online, or at the Walter Reade box office in person, presumably the week of the screening:



THE MUPPET SHOW with Christopher Reeve and Lynda Carter and SPIDER- Sun Feb 12 at 1(Muppet) and 3(Spider)- Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria- A unique double feature. First, 2 more Muppet Show episodes from the Jim Henson exhibit/retrospective. It's a superhero double feature, back to back episodes. First, an episode with Christopher Reeve, who can only change clothes via the phone booth in his dressing room, and whose attempt to perform Hamlet turns into Brush Up Your Shakespeare. Followed by an episode with Lynda Carter, who sings while surrounded by Muppets who want to be superheroes. Take note of Miss Piggy as Wonder Pig.

Next, Spider, on the last day of the David Cronenberg retrospective. Probably Cronenberg's best film in relation to lack of audience, and almost as far away from the Muppet Show that you can get. Spider would always be a tough sell to audiences. Ralph Fiennes plays a schizophrenic, moving into a halfway house after decades in an institution. But his memories and his illness keep coming back. And when your memories include your dad and his mistress killing your mom, and then having said mistress introduced as your mother, yeah, things aren't going to go well. With Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne, Lynn Redgrave, and John Neville, in his last film film role before retiring due to complications from Alzheimer's. A tough film but a good one:




WINGS- Sat Feb 11 at 1 and 7 (introduced by Ben Burtt), and Sun Feb 12 at 7- Film Forum- The start of the William Wellman retrospective. Wellman, years before working his way up the ranks of low level production work until he became a film director, was a fighter pilot during World War I. He brought that experience to a romantic action drama, with a plot that's fairly similar to Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor. 2 small town young men fight and compete with each other over the love of Clara Bow. But then the guys are drafted, and train to become fighter pilots. They become buddies, but war is hell and the Germans are unrelenting.

Wellman was hired to direct Wings in part due to his pilot experience. And with the aid of the Army Air Corp, you had more realistic flight scenes than what 1927 audiences could have thought possible. Would be interesting to compare it with say, Bay's Pearl Harbor or the recent Red Tails, to see how this stacks up with CGI. The winner of the first Best Picture Oscar; it wasn't called that then, but has been retroactively. Featuring Gary Cooper in a small role that gave his career a big boost.

This screening of Wings is a 4k digital restoration. The original 1927 score is re-incorporated. The color tinting has been duplicated and restored. The sound effects have been duplicated to what was available in the mid 1920s by Ben Burtt, the sound effects man from Star Wars who decided everything from a Wookie sound to a light saber sound and everything in between. Burtt himself will discuss the restoration process at the 7pm screening on Saturday, February 11:


NOTHING SACRED and A STAR IS BORN (1937)- Tues Feb 14 at 6:40(Sacred), 8:10(Star) and 10:15(Sacred)- Film Forum- Part of the William Wellman retro. A double feature of two of his early Technicolor efforts, both from 1937. First, Nothing Sacred, Carole Lombard's only color film and the first screwball comedy ever shot in Technicolor. She's a small town girl who thinks she's dying, so she wrangles a free trip to NYC from low level (and possibly low life) reporter Fredric March. She finds out she's not dying. But why not get the free trip, and keep people fawning over her with sympathy, and manipulate the reporter who's manipulating her, and maybe even fall in love? There's more, but if you don't know this screwball comedy, I won't spoil it for you. Dark satire from writer Ben Hecht, with a rapid fire war of worlds between Lombard and March.

Next, A Star is Born. The first and best version of the story, as Janet Gaynor's career rises, while the love of her life, payed by Fredric March, sees his career and health falter. Falter to the point that he may need to take a dip . . . Like I said, the first version of the story and the best. Better than the Judy Garland version, and far better than the Streisand version. Oscars for the color cinematography and Wellman for the Screen Story, Nominations for Picture, Wellman for Director, Gaynor for Actress, March for Actor, and Dorothy Parker (among others) for the dialogue. Actually, the recent Oscar nominee The Artist tells a very similar story, one that's at least better than the Garland and Streisand Star is Born's. I'll let you decide if it's better than the original Star is Born:




Let me know if there's interest, later all.
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