Cloverfield

IMDB

(2008, Matt Reeves)

Half of the movie is great. The other half has to do with stupid human beings.

The choice to shoot this movie from the view of the inhabitants of the Ant Farm that is to be destroyed, AKA Manhattan, is a great one. So many monster movies focus on shrouding and then revealing the monster, while throwing away the shroud. Here the beastie is nearly always out of sight and elusive, not unlike a land-based Nessie. If the whole movie had been about people running from a rarely-seen dangerous enemy, it would have been thoroughly enjoyable throughout. Does anyone remember a little film called Jaws?

Instead, there’s this B thread that focuses on some “it” couple trying to find each other amidst the destruction and chaos which is COMPLETELY illogical and absolutely soul-sucking to watch. And then there’s the dolt with the handheld camera that rambles on endlessly and uncomfortably flirts with some poor vapid girl who’s unlucky enough to experience the attack with him. As if there’s no better time for mackin’ then when the world is ending. Seriously, am I supposed to be rooting for the monster to eat New York?

The style of the film is herky-jerky for a reason, since it’s supposed to be from the above dullard’s POV, and not unlike a thrillride. But it’s that planned cinéma vérité that also works to its detriment, because in your heart, you know, you’re going to be spoonfed all the information you need, and the shadowy nature of The Thing That Ate SoHo has been storyboarded within an inch of its scaly existence.

I just wish the whole thing didn’t feel so crafted, but it does. There are some genuinely great moments in this film. Unfortunately, it just comes of as half-baked.

2.5/5.0

Semi-Pro

IMDB

(2008, Kent Alterman)

My first 2008 release. In July! Parenting a small child really makes it tricky sometimes. On the other hand, at least I didn’t pay full price to see this.

Semi-Pro is awkward and unfunny, and Will Ferrell is phoning it in. (However, would you believe I still like it better than Anchorman? The accolades that movie gets still amazes me.) I still think Ferrell is best in small doses (Old School), or at least when he has a competent comedic partner to share the load (the fantastic John C. Reilly in Talledega Nights). But give him too much space to fill and the laughs get sucked right out of the screening room. What Ferrell does here is give the same manchild performance he plays in the majority of his movies. But wait, this time, he does it with an Afro! And there are many other references to the 1970s!

It’s strange that Woody Harrelson, in a thankless role as the straight man, somehow finds the center of this formless film with no real support. I’ve never given him much credit as an actor, but perhaps his above-par work in Kingpin was no accident, nor a result of the much-lauded (at the time) Farrelly Bros’ comic genius. He even gives the lame Win One for the Gipper speech, but makes it feel realistic and heartfelt.

But Harrelson does not play house with Ferrell, like John C. Reilly did. So instead, Ferrell is left alone to spout weird one-liners and wrestle with killer bears. The rest of the cast is left only to react, because they aren’t given anything sufficient to do. I’m hoping there’s an entire gag reel of cut scenes from the usually dependable Will Arnett and Andy Richter, because it would pain me to imagine that these were their complete performances.

All in all, a brick.

But hooray for 2008 DVDs! Happy New Year!

1.5/5.0

The Red Shoes

IMDB

(1948, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressberger)

Magical movie about the aspiration to create. It’s also beautifully filmed and imaginative throughout.

As for the story, this picture drips with overboard dramatics. For example, the following scene between Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook), the worldly ballet director, and ballerina Victoria Page (Moira Shearer):

Lermontov: Why do you want to dance?
Victoria: Why do you want to live?
Lermontov: Well, I don’t know exactly why, but… I must.
Victoria: That’s my answer too.

What makes exchanges like this work are that it is exactly the conversation that you’d expect from two talented and driven characters, both earnest and self-absorbed. Also, it doesn’t come off as campy, since these characters earn it, by being convincing in their excellence. Viewers will also buy into it because it’s a classic story of having to sacrifice art and love for convention.

You’ve got to be in the right mindframe, but it’s timeless and well worth repeated viewings. It’s only my second Powell/Pressberger flick, but I’m looking forward to more, as well as watching this one again. Great thanks to my friend, Alyssa, for loaning me this movie!

5.0/5.0

Nostalgia: Popping Aural Cherries

Violent Femmes covering T-Rex’s “Children of the Revolution”: pinpointing the moment at which I realized there was a boatload of music not being played on Top 40 radio. Glad I didn’t have MTV at this time, cause this vid is pretty darned goofy. Although it does capture the look and feel of a typical Wisconsin Friday Fish Fry.

I grew up listening to AM radio. Loved Streisand’s “Evergreen” as much as Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell”. Didn’t quite understand the appeal of “Heart of Glass”, because I didn’t understand that Debbie Harry circa 1979/80 was smoking hot. She was just a breathy voice in front of a disco beat. I saw the cover of her 45 at my local National Record Mart, and didn’t realize what they were really selling.

Tell me that’s not a Farrah Fawcett clone. Oh, to be innocent again.

Then in the early 80s, MTV came when cable television hit town. The former “music channel” is such a strange phenomenon of my generation. I can clearly remember life pre- and post-MTV. Was I a better person because I knew who the Buggles were? Probably not, but I heard my first Kinks song this way, and also learned that if my friends didn’t dance they were no friends of Men Without Hats.

Then our family moved to Wisconsin, which was a culture shock to say the least. It was rural, quiet. Filled with mosquitos and tourists in the summer, and measurable amounts of snow the other 9 months of the year. MTV was a distant memory. In fact, there wasn’t even cable in our town in 1985.

A friend of mine introduced me to the Violent Femmes song above (still classic) and album (not so much), which not only marked a change in my view of entertainment, it also was a rude awakening. It’s not even the dirtiest song in the Femmes’ repertoire, but when I heard local-boy Gordon Gano growling “Bump and grind, have a good time”, I finally understood what it meant.

S-E-X.

Within a few months, after MTV had returned to my life, I lavished in Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”, thanks to its fantastic video, and cryptically sexual lyrics. The girls that I knew didn’t exactly “open up [their] fruitcage”, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t aware of said fruitcages.

My newfound musical appetite not yet whetted, I stumbled upon Elvis Costello’s Blood and Chocolate at Musicland. I remember counting out pocket change to buy that cassette, because I had read such a great review in the year-end Rolling Stone. First of all, that album proves that Elvis was the original Napoleon Dynamite, and he should be getting DVD residuals to this day. However, more importantly to this post is that at the heart of that album - track #5 - is “I Want You”, a quintessential Costello song, and a nasty sex song.

“I Want You” chronicles a man driven mad by jealous thoughts of his lover sleeping with another man. And Elvis more or less spits the lyrics instead of singing them. He’s wounded, angry and murderous. And yet, it’s still kinda hot, because it’s apparent the song’s protagonist is horny as hell. It was through this song, um, among others, I learned that sex is natural, sex is fun, but sex is best when it’s between monogamous consensual adults. Better said, one on one. I mean, c-c-c-c-c-c-c-come on.

I got my driver’s license in 1988, and I discovered music and girls nearly simultaneously. Unfortunately, the outbreak of HIV/AIDS around that time almost guaranteed that I was going to be spending more time driving around with only the music to accompany me. No wonder I started listening to such angry stuff.

Zodiac

IMDB

(2007, David Fincher)

To say that this movie owes a lot to 1976’s All the President’s Men is an understatement. From the visual aspects to the newsroom banter to the creepy scenes of intrigue, David Fincher owes Sidney Lumet a letter of gratitude. Don’t you miss the days of newspapers actually being relevant?

The focus of the story is on the quest for the elusive Zodiac killer instead of the actual killings, and it’s an endeavor that plays out like a riddle, drawing its participants in and taking over their lives. The film goes on too long - perhaps because the case is so intricate and remains unsolved - but it captures the haunting feeling that the Zodiac case has for those obsessed with it. Unfortunately, the film unravels near the end, since by nature, it’s leading down a series of blind alleys. The trifecta of lead actors, Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey, Jr are solid (if a tad too quirky), and director Fincher is admirably restrained.

I also need to download Donovan’s “Hurdy-Gurdy Man” after watching this film. Haven’t heard it since the Butthole Surfers’ cover in the early 90s.

4.0/5.0

Anatomy of a Murder

IMDB

(1959, Otto Preminger)

Regarding the image above, you gotta talk Saul Bass when discussing this film. While you’re at it, watch the Bass-designed title sequence. It’s priceless.

Star-studded court drama which focuses on the thrilling world of trial law, moreso than the anatomy of a murder. Director Preminger is certainly more interested in exploring process and interaction than the ramifications of an actual killing. Seems to be the precursor for many a modern courtroom movie, filled with verbal bombast and eloquent argumentation. It’s a thinking person’s flick, but it leaves behind a cold feeling. Maybe it’s the Upper Peninsula setting taking its toll. Dem Yoopers can be odd folks.

All said, Jimmy Stewart is excellent as usual. Lee Remick is decent, but miscast as the town flirt. Duke Ellington music is used throughout to great effect.

4.0/5.0

Control

IMDB

(2007, Anton Corbijn)

The uplifting story of pop-star Ian Curtis and his band, appropriately named Joy Division.

Well, no, not really.

Former photographer/music video director Corbijn details Curtis’ career within the band, as well as his personal struggles with success, illness and familial stress. Newcomer Sam Riley impresses in this sad biography of a brilliant but flawed musician.

The good news is that Joy Division fans everywhere should enjoy this. Could be a benchmark for Corbijn’s and Riley’s leap into the world of feature films.

3.5/5.0

Film Geek

IMDB

(2005, James Westby)

I gave this movie two stars for its guts in essentially mocking the shit out of its viewers. Who else would watch this?

The characterization of film-dweeb Scotty Pelk owes a lot to Napoleon Dynamite, a fact stated by just about everyone who’s seen this movie. Scotty’s an annoying über-geek, but lovable. The nice part is that he gives us film-loving hunchbacks hope: with absolutely no detectable social skills, Scotty wins the love of a hot alterna-chick. Maybe if I remember to bathe and not eat too many Cheetos during my David Cronenberg DVD marathon, I might similarly score at my local coffeehouse. Or maybe I’ll become a local celebrity thanks to my movie blog, and turn adoring pre-teen fans on to Antonioni or Hawks.

Can’t decide if I’m offended or amused by the whole thing.

This film has zero budget and it shows. But it’s a labor of love for cinephiles and there are parts of the characterization of Scotty that hit home. So, for those reasons, I deem to bestow this film with a rating of

2.0/5.0

Hmm. Now to write my article about how French New Wave films are totally awesome.

Auntie Mame

IMDB

(1958, Morton DaCosta)

A Rosalind Russell tour-de-force. Her portrayal of an counter-culture New Yorker attempting to expose her nephew to the bohemian side of life continues to stand the test of time. The film, however, relies on hacky jokes and dated references to upper-crust stodginess, which push the film toward complete camp. It’s all about Ms. Russell’s Mame, however, who grounds the story with her outpouring of emotion for her beloved nephew.

Haven’t seen it in years, but figured I’d give it another look. An odd thing: I think Russell changes hair color four times throughout the film, and she always looks natural.

3.0/5.0

Lifeforce

IMDB

(1985, Tobe Hooper)

When it comes to sci-fi horror movies featuring space vampires and oodles of nudity*, this has got to be somewhere in the Top 50.

I watched this too late for inclusion in Final Girl’s Film Club, but I found it worth watching, mostly for the special effects of the age. Oh, and then there’s all that nudity too. Both hold up amazingly well. Hee-hee, I’m seriously 12 years old. Please don’t tell my parents about this.

It’s the classic story of boy meets undead space girl, boy allows undead space girl access to lifeforce, boy loses now alive space girl, boy reunites with with space girl nudely (chortle, snicker), fate of mankind hangs in the balance. There’s also some speculations about the spread of disease (maybe early allusions to the outbreak of AIDS?) but mostly this is a monster movie through and through, i.e. the boogeyman must be killed before we are. It’s not great, but I’ve spent 112 minutes watching worse films.

Features some cool animatronic models of undead, lifeforce-less zombies. Also features Patrick Stewart (with some hair!), as well as an obvious P. Stewart dummy, in a minor role. One of them pours blood from the mouth. Guess which?

Lifeforce is also of note due its association with production company Cannon Films. I highly recommend this essay about the legacy of Cannon and its owners, Monahem Golem and Yoram Globas. They were two men with a dream, and they produced some wonderfully awful films that were almost always entertaining for their commitment to excess.

Note to self and others: Must see the next selection in the FGFC: The Car. Scroll down, that trailer is simply a work of art.

2.5/5.0

*”Oodles of nudity” is fun to say. Reminds me of Oodles of Noodles, the ramen purchase of choice during my formative years.