Another Batch

Here is what I have watched on DVD since I posted my last list. They are listed in declining order as I rated them. The ratings I give are on my own number system as explained previously in this blog.

How about letting us know if you have any comments regarding any of these films and about what you have been watching at home or in the theater?

Snow Cake - 2006. This quiet Canadian film takes place in a small town in Ontario and tells the story of the affect of an unexpected tragedy on the lives of three people who don't have much in common. Good performances and a worthwhile script make for a 3.2 movie.

He Knew He Was Right - 2004. This BBC filming of the Anthony Trollope novel had all the expected qualities of these productions, good script, excellent acting and wonderful production values. The story of the naive indiscretion of a young wife and the excessive jealousy of her husband is played with the usual commentary on the norms and mores of society, but not with the depth and subtleties of Jane Austen pieces, so my 3.2 rating is not as high as for Jane's.

The Hidden Blade - 2004. This middle film of the trilogy by Japanese director Yoji Yomada is set in 1861 and tells the tale of a very honorable lower level unmarried samurai who struggles with the coming of Western ways to Japan (including something so simple as learning to move the arms when running) and the affect these changes have on the samurai. He must also deal with changes in his personal life and confronting the corruption of his superiors. This 3.1 movie is well made and creates a good feel of that time in Japan.

War Games - 1983. It is always fun to look at high tech of the past and marvel at how far we have come. The computers in this movie look ancient, but they were fourteen years newer than the ones that put a man on the moon. The film itself is well written enough to hold its age fairly well and gets my 3.1 rating. The cold war issue of the role of computers versus humans in national defense is still relevant today when we are using "smart" weapons and drones to pinpoint terrorists and avoid friendly forces and civilians. The lesson of the movie about the non-winnable game of nuclear war will always be true; if only we would learn it. The Seattle setting as the hometown was inadequately exploited. However, as an aquatically challenged Seattle native, I had to answer in the affirmative when Ally Sheedy asked, "What kind of an a__hole grows up in Seattle and doesn't know how to swim?"

Lea - 1996. This Czech film is like a dark fairy tale with glimmers of sun. There is nothing of pure beauty to look at, but the dark cinematography has an appropriately haunting quality. The music goes from intentionally annoying to quiet and back to annoying at the end. The acting is very good and the plot enough to provide some movement while still concentrating on the strange relationship between the two leads. Some summaries of the plot make it sound like a cliche, but they are not accurate. If you turn the movie off at 1:30, when Lea starts to dance and twirl, you get a very different movie than if you watch the final few minutes after that. I give it a 3.1 based on the full story. I cannot say what I would have given it if it had ended sooner, since I did watch it in full. You might try watching the short version and reflecting a while, then play the final minutes and see what you think.

Up - 2009. I found the first few minutes of this Pixar animated movie quite touching as it told a capsule version of the life of a young couple into old age. Having an elderly sympathetic central character is a bit unique for a cartoon. If the whole movie had been like that, it would really have been something special. But that is not where the Disney market is, so the rest of the film was fairly conventional, putting it overall at my 3 rating.

The Bank Job - 2008. This British thriller is based on a true story involving government intrigue and the use of petty thieves to break into safe deposit boxes. A tight script abetted by true basis and good acting make it a 3 rating for a genre of which I am not particularly enamored.

Beyond Desire (Deseo) - 2002. This Spanish/Argentinian thriller told a story of the interesting time in Madrid around the time of Hitler's suicide, and of an Argentine agent for the Nazis who was smuggling German officials off to new identities in Argentina. This man complicates his life by becoming involved with a Spanish woman whose Communist husband is about to be released from prison. Despite the interesting possibilities and the good production, I only gave it a 3 rating, because the script did not tell us enough about the relationship of the husband and wife before she got involved with the Nazis, and I also thought the ending was hastened. Stories should have a beginning, middle and end and this one had little or no beginning, too much middle and not enough end.

Family Law - 2006. Another Spanish/Argentinian film, this time lighter, but with an intended message about parenting and fathers and sons. Though pleasant enough to watch, and with fun lawyer life vignettes, the message did not seem to be much other than spend time together and recognize individuality, and I gave it only 2.9 because it did not leave any particular impact.

Little Voice - 1998. This may technically be an American movie, but the cast and setting are English. The story is a bit of a fable about a reclusive young girl who has learned to imitate the singing voices of many famous female singers. The actress, Jane Horrocks, actually did all the singing, but the show seems more a vehicle for the three older stars, Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent to play really over the top roles. A little different, but not really much of a story, and my 2.9 rating is for the old hams.

Cold Comfort Farm - 1995. In this 2.9 British film an orphaned young lady of societal standing is economically challenged and ends up staying with some oddball shirt tail relatives on their farm. Being an aspiring writer, she expects them to be fodder for her creative mill, and self-assuredly sets about to right all their lives and fill them with new hope, before blissfully moving on to her own happily ever after. If you want something for simple fun, with no dramatic tension or downturns, this is it.

Seven Beauties - 1975. This Italian movie was one of the first films of acclaim written and directed by a woman, Lina Wertmuller. This story of a petty Neapolitan at the time of WWII who believes he has a special gift for attracting women, in spite of his lack of goods looks or money, is told, somewhat unnecessarily, through non-sequential flashbacks. The treatment of male honor and female virtue and what war does to them is interesting, especially coming in 1975 from a woman film maker. The cinematography has a certain grittiness but the camera movement and zooming in the first part of the film is dated. After bordering on farce, the film becomes quite serious once the hero is put in a German war camp. At a 2.9 rating, it is worth a watch if you have any particular interest.

Michael Clayton - 2007. This formulaic thriller was well acted by a good cast and was slickly done, but did not rise above 2.8 for me, because the story of an evil corporation hiding its foul deeds at any cost, while truly terrible, deserves a better telling than this rehash.

Twelve More

Here is what I have watched on DVD since I posted my last list. They are listed in declining order as I rated them. The ratings I give are on my own number system as explained previously in this blog.

How about letting us know if you have any comments regarding any of these films and about what you have been watching at home or in the theater?

The Andersonville Trial - 1970. Having recently watched the drama of life in this terrible Confederate run prison camp, I had a better feel for this film recreation of the military court trial of the camp commander for war crimes. The entire movie took place in the courtroom and the hallway outside, but the issues being argued were so fundamentally engrossing and perpetual (e.g. the "we must answer to a law of basic humanity" prosecution and the"I was only following orders" defense) and the script was so true to the highlighted actual words of the participants, that I gave it my 3.5 rating. Excellent technical work and acting (including a surprisingly effective performance by William Shatner as the prosecutor) contributed to the overall quality.

Flores de Otro Mundo - 1999. This Spanish movie, from the director of Take My Eyes, told the story of three women who came to a dying Spanish rural town to be matched up with men. A shallow young Cuban was matched with a shallow old Spaniard, with predictable disaster. A middle aged couple was a good match, except she couldn't give up the city and he wouldn't leave the countryside. A Dominican with two small kids ended up with a quiet farmer who lived with his bitter mother. No fluff or pretense in this 3.2 film, just a straightforward, respectful and efficient telling of an attempt by three women and three men to become permanent couples.

Manhattan Murder Mystery - 1993. I like Woody Allen's shtick, embraceable NYC, comfortable ensembles, Woody kvetching and exchanging witty comments, nostalgic references to classic moves, though the strange sexual attraction he often has for the sexy women in his films is a little too narcissistic. I smile all the way through his comedies. With an oddball mystery element, this was a 3.1 film for me.

I Fidanzati - 1962. This Italian film from director Olmi tells the story of an engaged couple in Milan who are separated when the man takes temporary work in Sicily. Olmi has roots in documentary and it shows strongly in this 3.1 movie which shows the impression of Sicily from the point of view of the man, demonstrates the disruption of the traditional Sicilian lifestyle by the construction of a new chemical plant and plays with time to show the lonely separation of the couple. There is not much plot or character development but the movie captures a reality in time.

Chaplin - 1992. Robert Downey, Jr.did a quite effective job of playing Charlie, both off and on screen in this solid 3 rated biopic. His long life covered lots of ground and the movie tried to get to all of it in less time than needed, so it helped to be familiar with the facts. Chaplin's bittersweet life and wistful sentiment was a central theme and came across fairly well.

Cadillac Records - 2008. This 2.9 drama of the founding of Chess Records in Chicago and the start of rock 'n roll in the 1950s was more effective as a musical revue than as a story telling. The look was right and the acting good and the music better, but the script lacked focus. We did not learn anything much about the technical aspects of the music itself, what made it different. We saw the characters struggle with their own demons constantly, but received very little insight into the specific sources of their problems and how they felt about them. The business dynamics were lightly brushed but there was not much detail provided of the economics and the nature of the contractual relations between the artists and the label owner.

Last Orders - 2002. An excellent ensemble of actors and a prize winning book to adapt were not enough to make this British film as good as it should have been. The problem was the script, which jumped around in time way too much in telling us the story of the men taking the ashes of a friend to be scattered at the seashore. Keeping a group of characters straight is hard enough, but twice as hard when different actors are playing the characters in all the flashbacks. We ultimately learn little in this 2.9 film, but the actors are good enough to make it marginally worth watching.

My Favorite Wife - 1940. This return of the presumed deceased spouse scenario features Cary Grant playing his Cary Grant role with as little more bumbling, while Irene Dunne does a good job as the returner. This marginal at 2.8, and better in the 1963 re-make, Move Over Darling, with James Garner and Doris Day, which I gave 3.1.

Rembrandt - 1936. Charles Laughton stars in this British biopic, which rushes us through the economic fall of Rembrandt, without telling us anything about the art of painting other than that even a great artist can go broke. Character development in this 2.8 film is nil, except for Rembrandt's humility increasing in proportion to his poverty. The minimal subplot involving his romance life after the death of his wife is not particularly engaging. The acting other than Laughton and his real life wife Elsa Lanchester, is theatrical.

Human Condition: The Road to Eternity- 1959. In this second part of the Japanese trilogy the hero, who has been defeated by the bureaucracy in his efforts to run a humane labor camp, has been drafted into the army and is now encountering the inhumane treatment of army recruits. Again he tries to improve the situation by staying true to his principles, but it is pretty hopeless, and as the Japanese war effort wanes, he barely manages to survive. For a picture about a war unit, there is no combat until the very end, with the focus on recruits constantly being slapped around and humiliated leading to a 2.8 rating for me, not as good as the first film.

Yi-Yi - 1999.  A real slow starter, this too long Chinese film finally makes some progress in letting us get to know and start to care somewhat about the characters in this contemporary Taipei family, but not enough to get it beyond a 2.8 rating for me. There is some philosophy and reflection on life, including the ending message from the most engaging character for me, the eight year old boy, but overall it was hardly worth the time involvement.

Primal Fear - 1996. The script for this movie was so bad that not even OK acting could lift it above a dismal 2.2 rating. The presentation of a criminal trial and the jail were technically ridiculous. Subplots went nowhere. The supposedly shock ending lost out to the overall inaccuracy of the script. There was a premise for a good movie about how a lawyer can defend someone he knows is guilty, but this film missed it by a mile.

It's Only A Movie

The other night, while watching "Primal Fear" with Susan, I quickly began a running commentary pointing out technical errors and plot holes. Susan appropriately chided me, "It's only a movie". That got me thinking about the suspension of belief that underlies the movie watching experience.

The most realistic viewing should be a documentary, then maybe a dramatization of a true story, followed probably by the drama "based on a true story". Then we edge out to pure fiction and further out to sci-fi and fantasy.

But regardless of the degree of reality inherent in the genre, a good movie will grab us quickly and make us want to believe and care about the characters whose lives we are so intimately observing. Even an animated cartoon character can become real to us if the story is appealing enough. Repulsion is the other side of the appeal coin. Some actors, settings and genres we may find particularly appealing or especially repulsive. Some dialogue is so poorly written or delivered that it makes us laugh at the wrong time, thereby straining credulity.

Production values alone cannot make a movie believable, nor can lack of such values destroy belief in an otherwise good movie. The story and acting are much more important. And so is the director, who can botch a good script and accept mediocre performances, or enhance what is on the page and draw out the best acting.

Artistic license is allowed in movie making, but has its bounds. The grammar of film permits certain shortcuts we all take for granted, and the rules are soft enough to allow some experimenting. But if a film goes too far with license or experiments to the point of annoying distraction, it risks calling attention to the unreal artifice of the entire experience and puncturing the balloon of disbelief.

Characters on the screen who seem real cause us to react viscerally. We root for or against them. They stir our emotions We care about them. But they have to remain true to their character. They can and often should change in the course of the movie, but the change has to feel real, based on the character we have come to know in the course of the movie

Sometimes a movie has us in its grasp and then lets us go, by doing something so inconsistent with what has gone before that we cannot accept it. The failed trick ending or even just an ending that seems wrong can cause this let down. Sometimes movies are filmed with alternate endings, both of which are tried out in sneak previews. I suppose if a character has inherent ambivalence, then the ending could legitimately go either way. But if that is true, then maybe the film should end with the character facing the fork in the road while the screen fades to black.

A Baker's Dozen

Here is what I have watched on DVD since I posted my last list. They are listed in declining order as I rated them. The ratings I give are on my own number system as explained previously in this blog.

How about letting us know if you have any comments regarding any of these films and about what you have been watching at home or in the theater?

Two Days in October - 2005. From PBS American Experience this documentary told the story of a day in 1967 when 61 American soldiers in Vietnam were killed in a Viet Cong Ambush, while local police perpetrated violence on University of Wisconsin students peacefully protesting Dow chemical recruiting on campus. These two events were precursors of much of the American public souring on the war and many more students taking to the streets to protest. The blatantly false spin put on both events, by the Army and by the University and police, was disgustingly familiar. Archival footage and current interviews with ambush survivors, Viet Cong participants, protestors, police and witnesses added a retrospective dimension, resulting in my rating of 3.3.

Kabei: Our Mother - 2008. This Japanese film set at the time of the build up to Pearl Harbor, told the story of a happy, gentle family whose father was a professor imprisoned by the thought police and whose mother had to carry on to hold the family together. Though many people were caught up in the militaristic nationalism, there were others who quietly disagreed, and this movie, like a profoundly simple haiku, told their story, earning my 3.3 rating.

The Miracle Worker - 1962. Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke both won Oscars for this movie about blind, deaf, mute Helen Keller and her family learning that she could learn. The film, from the play based on Keller's book concentrates on the battles between Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, but does not feel stage bound and holds its age well. Trapped inside Helen's young body was a brilliant mind and spirit, and this movie is about the battle to set them free. I watched the 2000 made for TV version a couple months back, and it was pretty good, but nothing can top this original, which I rate 3.3.

Departures - 2008. Winner of the Oscar for best foreign film, this Japanese movie introduces us to the profession of encoffiner, with the serene visuals and respectful treatment of characters one should expect in a quality film from Japan. The reverence showed the deceased and the impact the preparation of the body in their presence has on the family is quite moving. I would have rated this slightly higher than 3.2, but I had a personal problem with how the ending addressed the matter of the father who had abandoned the family.

Love and Honor - 2006. This Japanese movie, third in a series from director Yoji Yamada about the last years of feudalism in Japan, tells the story of a young samurai who becomes blind and how he, his wife, servant and others react. Beauty and simplicity imbue the images, while a subtlety unusual for a film about samurai accompanies the plot, making for a solid 3.2 film.

Johnny Belinda - 1948. Nominated for 11 Oscars, this morality tale had the authentic feel of its Nova Scotia locale and a plot that held interest throughout, even though we knew how it had to end, considering when it was made. Jane Wyman deserved an Oscar and Lew Ayres, whose Hollywood career had been punished by his conscientious objector status in WWII (Ginger Rogers divorced him about that time), had a role that seemed to mimic his real life experience as a battlefield non-combatant medic who returned from the war with a deeper perspective on life. Well enough done all around (except of course for the overdone music scoring of the time) and holds its age enough for a 3.2.

Chaos - 2001. I really liked the way this French film started, with the men all taking the women for granted and us sensing that this was going to be turned on the scoundrels. The relationships and characters were starting to be developed quite interestingly, but then the film took a turn and became a caper film with a sting. Still, it was well done and earns my 3.1, though if it had stayed with the promise of the beginning, it could have been much higher.

Andersonville - 1996. Impressive production telling part of the story of the Yankee prisoners of war in the infamous Confederate prison near the close of the Civil War. The South was going bankrupt and running out of soldiers, so the North refused any further prisoner exchanges, resulting in over 40,000 prisoners in this one camp alone and atrocious conditions leading to almost 12,00 deaths. Extensive cast again made it harder to be become attached to any particular prisoner, and the made for TV length of almost three hours meant a lot to keep track of, but the uniqueness of the story and the subplot of one group of prisoners preying on others, results in a 3 rating.

Human Condition: No Greater Love - 1959. First film in a Japanese trilogy from a six book novel revolving around WWII. In this opener, we meet the hero, a young managerial newly wed man who tries to apply his humanistic idealist approach to overseeing a Manchurian mining camp in Japanese occupied Manchuria, with forced Chinese laborers and prisoners of war, in the face of the war machine. The production is impressive, the script intelligent and the direction and acting highly skilled, but the style of the time seems today occasionally stilted, so I rate it a 3.

Lady Chatterley - 2006. I watched the uncut version of this French film, which was almost twice the length of a regular movie. Like most lads, I only read the "good parts" of the novel, so do not know the whole story arc or whether this movie was faithful to the book. It did not seem like there were so many sex scenes in this version, so the extra length may have come from other materials, but there was not an abundance of plot or character development, so the slower pacing contributed to the length. We did get the feel of the natural environment of the grounds and of the loneliness of both well played leads, so that their passionate bonding felt real, even if naively pathetic. At 2.9, watch it if you are interested in the material in addition to the sex scenes, which though steamy were sensitively done.

Whose Life Is It Anyway? - 1981. Richard Dreyfuss played a sculptor turned quadriplegic and fighting for his right to die, which was quite a hot topic at the time this movie was made. I felt no sense of attachment to Dreyfuss or his girlfriend, since we only had one quick scene with them before the accident happened and therefore had no sense of what their relationship was like. The Dreyfuss character (like all he plays?) was quite self-assured and irreverently spirited, witty and flippant, even while concentrating on his very serious mission. Lack of emotional attachment and only surface treatment of the legal issues made this a 2.9 movie for me.

The Kid -1921. Chaplin's first full length feature had elements of autobiography from his poor house roots. Jackie Coogan was the perfect child actor and the plot was fairly interesting, but the movie does not seem to have the staying power of his later silent features. At 2.9, it is worth a look if you have any interest in Chaplin.

Freaks and Geeks - 1999. I only watched the first disk (two episodes) of this one year TV series about two groups of high school kids in 1980 Michigan, and I do not intend to watch more, because I found it to be quite shallow, especially in comparison with the much deeper "My So-Called Life" from four seasons earlier. Everyone came across like a caricature, though the central girl and her young brother seemed to have some potential to become real. However, with a 2.4 start, I can't see investing more time to find out.