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Weirdo's Movie ABC’s! Part ThreeFeb 26 '06 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Why don't you just read the review? Oh, too lazy, eh? Well, so am I... Encore! Encore! A third entry in the Movie ABC’s series, and likely the last (Since third entries all but mean the death of the franchise, or at least the point where it no longer becomes profitable). I obviously got lazy while writing some of this, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Ace in the Hole (AKA: The Big Carnival) (Billy Wilder, 1951): A down on his luck reporter (Kirk Douglas) exploits a man’s peril in a cave-in to his advantage, turning it into a huge media circus. Douglas is outstanding with one of his most despicable characters, and Jan Sterling is ice cold as the man’s uncaring wife, whom gets rich off of exploiting tourists coming to the area. It’s pure bitterness made it a box office dud when first released (So much so that when Wilder’s later Stalag 17 became a big hit, Paramount deducted this movie’s losses from Wilder’s profits) and the story is indeed dark and cynical, but that’s where its impact comes from as well. The movie is equivalent to a train wreck: Shocking and unpleasant, but you can’t look away from it (You would also find the same media circus and public fascination around a train wreck site as well). The satire is still biting and relevant- maybe even more so today-, and there is the sharp dialogue expected in Wilder’s movies (“It's a good story today. Tomorrow, they'll wrap a fish in it”). Sadly, it remains unavailable for sale on home video or DVD (Though you might get lucky like me and find a copy on eBay or it comes on now and then on Turner Classic Movies). Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974): The Wild West was never quite the same after Mel Brooks warped it in this slap stick and verbal comedy classic. Cleavon Little portrays Bart, a black man whom is appointed by attorney general Hedy, er, HEDLEY, Lamarr (Harvey Korman) as the sheriff of the town Rock Ridge, with the hope that he’ll drive away the town’s folk so Lamarr can get the land. Gene Wilder provides great work as a drunk who’s also the fastest hands in the west, while Madeline Kahn sends up Marlene Dietrich, Mel Brooks portrays the womanizing governor and a Jewish Indian and Slim Pickens plays himself. A little rude and crude, for sure, and the movie also goes beyond just being a send-up of westerns as a climatic fight explodes onto the lot at Warner Bros. But despite its racial slurs, the movie is, deep down, an attack against the ignorance surrounding racism and bigotry, as all the minorities in the movie are relatively smart and dignified, while the racist person are stupid and inbred (Everybody in Rock Ridge is a Johnson). The script is also highly quotable as well (“That was lucky: Godden near lost a $400 hand cart”) and Frankie Laine sings the memorable title tune. Of course, there is also the campfire scene… Conversation, The (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974): In between The Godfather movies, Francis Ford Coppola made this smaller but just as personal and powerful movie. A professional wiretapper (Gene Hackman) becomes concerned about his employer’s intents after overhearing a disturbing bit in a recorded conversation (Breaking a cardinal rule of wiretapping, which is “Don’t get personally involved”). The movie served as a jumping board for several actors, such as John Cazale (Whose promising career was cut short, tragically and unfortunately), Harrison Ford and an uncredited Robert Duvall. The themes dealing with eavesdropping, privacy and personal rights are more relevant then ever. Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick, 1964): Stanley Kubrick’s greatest movie, intended as a very dark comedy, is probably the most truthful political movie you’ll ever see. Peter Sellers puts on a brilliant triple performance, as a British exchange officer whom is the only one that can halt a mad general’s (Sterling Hayden) unauthorized nuclear attack on Russia, the dignified but ultimately weak President of the United States and as the film’s title character: A wheelchair bound, ex-Nazi scientist whom heads the government’s nuclear program. Sellers is backed by one of the best supporting casts in film history, with Hayden scary and hilarious as the mad general, George C. Scott as another general whom wants the U.S to launch additional strikes so the commies can’t retaliate in force, Keenan Wynn as an army colonel who believes that everybody is ‘preverts’ and Slim Pickens as the gung-ho commander of one of the bombers (He puts on a Stetson when he receives the strike orders), and whom rides a nuclear bomb in one of cinema’s most iconic images. The movie is filled with countless other great scenes (I.E: The opening credits, Hayden’s ramblings about fluoridation, Scott’s extended monologue in the war room, the president’s talk with the soviet premier, the phone booth scene, Dr. Strangelove’s actions at the end and the ending done to Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again”), making it one of the richest prizes in all of cinema history. Expedition Bismarck (James Cameron, 2002): Cameron’s other big ship movie premiered on the Discovery Channel rather then in a cinemaplex, but it is just as epic and ambitious. Cameron and his brother Mike rent the Russian Mir submersibles to do a thorough examination of the wreck site of the vaunted German battleship, which was sunk in May 1941 in one of the greatest high-seas dramas of World War II. Live action reenactments and CGI effects are used to recreate the events in amazing detail. However, there are also a few survivors that come along on the expedition, and they add a whole other, very emotional dimension, as the Camerons use extremely advanced technology to bring back stunning footage of the shipwreck, and try to answer some of the baffling questions that still persist about her sinking (Or was it scuttling?) If only more Hollywood directors were willing to do big budget, educational programs like this… Fog of War, The (Errol Morris, 2003): Robert McNamera, secretary of defense for John F. Kennedy and for Lyndon Johnson, provides insights into his career and into key events of the twentieth century in this technically superb, somewhat ambiguous and definitely haunting documentary. As defense secretary during the 1960’s, a decade of great political strain (The Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy’s assassination and the escalation of Vietnam), McNamera has got a lot to say, and some people think he has a lot of explaining to do, too. McNamera indeed says a lot about not just the above topics, but also about his involvement with the bombings of Japan late in World War II as well as his contributions to the Ford Motor Company in the post-war years. He criticizes both his own thought processes as well as those of the other administration members whom he served with. However, he still shows that he has allegiance to the people whom he served for and he avoids some of Morris’s tough questions at the end. Much of what McNamera says is also open for interpretation, which will be frustrating for some. It is also evident sometimes that Morris has a political agenda (At the 2004 academy awards, upon accepting the Oscar for best documentary, Morris said “I fear we may be going down the rabbit hole again”). Still, much like the phrase “The Fog of War”, there is much to discuss about in this controversial, thought-provoking and far too relevant movie. Godzilla: One of the icons of Japanese cinema. Godzilla first made his presence known in 1954, when he rose from the depths of the ocean to lay waste to Tokyo. He was seen as a menace brought about by nuclear waste, but he was also a godlike figure, a mythical beast of sorts. Godzilla could have very easily have joined the enormous and disposable bunch of nuclear mutations that appeared in 1950s cinema, but he didn’t. As a writer in “The Official Godzilla Compendium” remarked, Godzilla survived because ‘He had a soul’ (The first Godzilla movie, in it’s original version, is also a very dark warning about the dangers of nuclear energy and was also inspired by the ruins left from World War II). Although he first appeared as a villainous monster and has done the role often since then, he’s also become the protector of the Earth, whether it be from or teaming up with Mothra and Rodan to battle King Kong, King Ghidorah the three-head monster, Hedorah the smog monster, Mecha Godzilla, Gigan or even just some alien race or mad scientist. Yeah, some of the Japanese movies are campy as hell or even just downright awful (Not to mention that Americans mess them up when they are brought over here, which includes adding or throwing scenes out and, yes, the horrible dubbing). Still, Godzilla was never meant to provide anything more then just campy fun, and he’s still doing so to this day [Note: The less said about Dean Delvin and Roland Emmerich’s 1998 atrocity of a movie, the better off we’d all be.] Hawks, Howard (Director, 1896-1977): One of the most accomplished directors of all time, with a great, bouncy style in his movies. Howard Hawks knew what people wanted and he gave it to them while still maintaining artistic integrity. The thing that is most distinct about Howard Hawks is, first off, his productivity, and also the fact that he made many movies that are considered “benchmarks” in so many different genres (Westerns, screwball comedies, film noir, gangster films, war, literary adaptations and so on). He also directed several stars to some of their best performances, and was the man whom directed Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in their first two- and probably best- movies together. One of the real giants of not only Hollywood’s golden era, but of cinema in general. Suggested Filmography (From filmsite.org): A Girl in Every Port (1928), Hell's Angels (1930), The Dawn Patrol (1930), The Crowd Roars (1932), Scarface: The Shame of the Nation (1932), Twentieth Century (1934), Viva Villa! (1934), Barbary Coast (1935), Come and Get It (1936), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), His Girl Friday (1940), Ball of Fire (1941), Sergeant York (1941), The Outlaw (1943) (uncredited), Air Force (1943), To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Red River (1948), A Song is Born (1948), I Was a Male War Bride (1949), The Thing (From Another World) (1951), Monkey Business (1952), The Big Sky (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Land of the Pharaohs (1955), Rio Bravo (1959), Hatari! (1962), Man's Favorite Sport (1964), El Dorado (1967), Rio Lobo (1970). Internet Movie Database (imdb.com): Heaven for myself and millions of other film buffs. You learn everything that you ever needed to know, and even didn’t want to know, about movies and movie stars, including quotes, trivia, goofs (Some people have too much time on their hands…), background information, pictures and much much more. Joy Luck Club, The: Don’t know anything about the movie, except that Jimbo on The Simpsons once remarked “I haven’t cried like this since ‘The Joy Luck Club’”. Kubrick, Stanley (Director, 1928-1999): One of the most enigmatic, interesting and controversial independent directors of all time. Renowned for his cinematic style and the irony often created in his movies through dialogue, situations and choice in music. Films often dealt with dehumanization in various forms, and he also covered vast film genres, from film noir to war to black comedy to horror to science fiction to period pieces, with good results. Extremely private and kept to himself, he was a notorious perfectionist and not only wanted but insisted and got creative control over literally every aspect of his movies from concept to post-production; if you see a Kubrick film, it truly is Kubrick. His movies are what can be called an “acquired taste”, but they can also be very rewarding if one allows them to be. Filmography (Not counting his short films in the early 1950’s): Fear and Desire (1953), Killer’s Kiss (1955), The Killing (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), Spartacus (1960), Lolita (1962), Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Also wrote the story and concept which became A.I: Artificial Intelligence (2001) Laura (Otto Preminger, 1944): A detective (Dana Andrews) investigates the supposed murder of a wealthy heiress (Gene Tierney, whom is more than alive) while finding himself becoming obsessed with her portrait. One of the best of the “film noir” genre, with a haunting music score, Oscar winning cinematography, a sharp screenplay and great supporting work from Clifton Webb and Vincent Price in his pre-mad man days. Mutiny on the Bounty (Frank Lloyd, 1935): One of the great high-seas adventures of Hollywood’s golden age. Charles Laughton stars as the tyrannical Captain Bligh of the HMS Bounty, whose unfair, iron-fisted rule is challenged by first mate Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable). Franchot Tone adds in a pointless supporting role as an officer torn between allegiances. Frank Lloyd keeps the pace and the interest up, and the cinematography was done by the legendary Arthur Edeson (Whom is also a great great uncle of mine) Winner of the Oscar for Best Picture, there was also a three-way race for Best Actor between Gable, Laughton and Tone, all of whom lost to The Informer’s Victor MacLaglen. Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946): I’ve only seen this Hitchcock movie once, but it left a damn good impression on me. Cary Grant plays a U.S double agent in post World War II Rio De Janeiro, whom courts, and blackmail’s an executed war criminal’s daughter (Ingrid Bergman) into marrying another fugitive Nazi (Claude Rains). Rains got a nomination as Best Supporting Actor, while Grant and Bergman have terrific romantic chemistry. The suspense and tension are maintained throughout in one of Hitchcock’s finest works. Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947): A gas station owner (Robert Mitchum) is courted back into his former life of crime by a mob leader (Kirk Douglas) along with his treacherous mistress (Jane Greer). Fantastic performances are given by all three leads, all of whom really broke out into the cinema landscape with this movie. The screenplay is sometimes difficult to follow, as there are flashbacks utilized along with a host of double crosses and plot twists, but moody, noir-esque cinematography is used to great effect (There’s this shot of a gate that always gets me) and there’s also great dialogue (“My feelings? About ten years ago I hid them somewhere and haven’t found them since”.) Pumping Iron (George Butler, 1978): The documentary/drama that first popularized bodybuilding. It is known for it’s scenes of extremely muscular, very charismatic guys working out in brightly lit gymnasiums and posing in competitions, with hordes of fans (Including a surprising number of males) cheering for them. Don’t feel weird at all while watching this movie, though, for it shows body building is as regular and beautiful an art as dancing, painting or sculpting. Of course, the movie is best known for publicly introducing the multiple time Mr. Olympia champion: An Austrian named Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Quite Sure”: A movie cliche, most often said in conjunction with ‘dead’ in either a horror movie or a James Bond movie. Almost always, said person/thing is very much alive and well, and picks an opportune moment to launch a counterstrike (Oftentimes interrupting a party being held to honor their supposed demise). Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980): Robert DeNiro had wanted to do a film version of boxer Jake LaMotta’s autobiography for years, and was finally able to persuade Martin Scorsese to do the project. LaMotta’s story is not a pleasant one: Violent outside as well as in the boxing ring, we see the deep personality flaws of this man as he falls from fame to obscurity. Scorsese chose to shoot the movie in black & white- with special usages of color- to add to the dramatic effect and mood of the picture, giving it a dream like (Or nightmare like) quality, along with a heartbreaking music score. DeNiro actually gained weight to portray LaMotta as he appeared in later years, and his dynamic, physical and emotional performance won him an Oscar. He’s backed by a perfectly suitable supporting cast in Oscar nominees Cathy Moraity and Joe Pesci. Although well-admired when initially released (Oscars were won by DeNior and by editor Thelma Schoonmaker), the film’s reputation grew even more in subsequent years, cumulating at the end of the 1980’s when it was voted the movie of the decade in various critical polls. Shaft (Gordon Parks, 1971): When danger’s about, there’s only one name to shout out: John Shaft! Richard Roundtree portrays the afro wearing, straight talking, hard-hitting private detective, whom is hired by a New York City pimp to rescue his kidnapped daughter, only to find himself in the midst of racial and gang tensions. The movie is obviously campy and the poster child of black exploitation movies, but nobody expected more, right? Besides, Roundtree’s delivery of the one-liners and the action scenes are still a hoot, and there’s the Oscar-winning theme song: Who’s the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks? Shaft! Damn right Who is the man that would risk his neck for his brother man? Shaft! Can you dig it? Who’s the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about? Shaft! Right on They say this cat’s a bad mother... Shut your mouth! I’m talking about Shaft. Then we can dig it He’s a complicated man, No one understands him but his woman John Shaft! [Well…] Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958): Following a bombing in a border town, a Mexican cop, Vargas, (Charlton Heston) investigates along with the town’s respected policeman, Quinlan (Orson Welles) whom is actually a bigot and a total fraud. Quinlan thinks that Vargas- whom has begun digging into Quinlan’s dark, haunted past- is a nuisance, and plots to have both his and his wife’s (Janet Leigh) reputations ruined, if not worse. The quirky screenplay is furthered by the film’s technical values, particularly the cinematography, which makes use of night locations and dark, seedy areas of the town, and Henry Mancini’s jazzy music score, which uses real sound outlets like radios and jukeboxes. Leigh’s predicament in a hotel midway through the movie could have been a possible inspiration for her later, similar woes in Psycho. Heston’s portrayal of a Mexican cop is a little bit of a stretch, but he still turns out a fine performance. Welles makes Quinlan out to be more then just a villain: He becomes somewhat pathetic, ironic and even tragic (See the movie to find out). A supporting cast made up of “B movie” actors include Akim Tamiroff as the brother of a man Vargas testified against and Joe Callelia as Quinlan’s longtime partner and bootlick, but there are cameos from “better” actors, including some of the former stars of Welles’ Mercury Theater (Joe Cotten, Gus Schilling, Harry Shannon) and by Zsa-Zsa Gabor as a strip tease club owner, Mercedes McCambridge as the leader of a biker gang and Marlene Dietrich as the fortune telling owner of a brothel. The movie was hacked up by Universal before it was initially released, but was restored in 1998 using a memo that Welles had written forty years earlier. Under Siege (Andrew Davis, 1992): Steve Seagal’s best movie, because it’s the only one that has a substantial plot. Seagal plays a cook- and a former navy seal- whom is aboard the last voyage of the battleship USS Missouri when it is hijacked by terrorists. Seagal uses his wits and raw talent much more then he does in his other films, although he manages to come out on top as usual. What stands out in this movie, though, is the outstanding supporting work, particularly from the worthy, over the top villains played by Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey. And there’s Playboy playmate Erika Eleniak who adds more than being eye candy, though she certainly isn’t bad as eye candy! Several great action scenes and intelligent writing and direction make this one well worthwhile. Viva Zapata! (Elia Kazan, 1952): I haven’t seen this one yet (Man, am I a bum). It is noted, though, for being the third Hollywood performance of Marlon Brando, and the second for which he would be Oscar nominated, as he portrays the Mexican revolutionary Emil Zapata. Elia Kazan directed it, and we all know he’s a solid filmmaker as well. Finally, the always dynamic Anthony Quinn won an Oscar as best supporting actor. Makes me want to rush down now and get it, if I can figure out who might have it. Wild Bunch, The (Sam Peckinpah, 1969): I rented this a few years ago, but was only able to get halfway through it. Not because it was bad or anything, but out of laziness (The DVD I rented was a double sided one, where you had to flip it over. Plus it was almost midnight) It is a gruesome picture, but buried inside are themes dealing with humaneness and manliness and responsibility (Or so Roger Ebert would say, whom has bowed to the alters of both his movie and of Sam Peckinpah since it was first released). And the movie is boldly shot and directed by Peckinpah- whom when he wasn’t drunk was pissed off on the sets of his movies-, with excellent performances by William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan and Edmond O’Brien (Geezers as cowboys? No wonder this movie is considered the swan-song of the western!) Xerography: (From imdb.com) “The technique using an electrostatic process to copy or transfer an image, commonly found in office copiers and used in cartoon production” (Wow…) “Yoink!”: An exclamation made when trying to secretly snatch something, which is often defeated by the fact that saying the word exposes your cover. Most notably used by Homer and Bart Simpson. The word itself may be a possible combination of “Yank” (As in to pull something out, or maybe as in a slang word for an American) and “Oink” (What pigs say when they aren’t rolling in their own feces or being made into ham and bacon). Zinnemann, Fred (Director, 1907-1997): A solid filmmaker, mostly known for what filmsite.org described as “Meticulously-Cautious, Well-Crafted 'Realistic' Dramas”. Suggested Filmography: The Seventh Cross (1944), The Search (1948), Act of Violence (1949), The Men (1950; Marlon Brando’s screen debut), High Noon (1952), The Member of the Wedding (1952), From Here to Eternity (1953), Oklahoma! (1955), A Hatful of Rain (1957), The Nun's Story (1959), The Sundowners (1960), A Man For All Seasons (1966), The Day of the Jackal (1973), Julia (1977), Five Days One Summer (1982). Thus ends the short-lived “Movie ABCs” saga (All of which can also be seen on My Space). Rest in peace Don “Barney Fife” Knotts, whom passed away on Friday, February 24.  |
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by cripper by Stephen_Murray
