My summer goal was to watch fifteen films a month, which I more or less succeeded in. Summer's now over and done with, and thus ends my little project. However, I really like writing these posts; it may become a regular feature. As for the films themselves:
Sunset Boulevard - This is only the second film directed by Billy Wilder that I've ever seen; the first was Some Like It Hot, which I talked about a couple of months ago. And let me tell you something: I really need to get to know this guy's work a lot better. This 50s-era film about a bizarre relationship between a struggling screenwriter and a former silent film queen is one of the most finely crafted films I've seen this year. The performances are all great. The cinematography is wonderful. And the screenplay is well worth studying; Wilder obviously had a penchant for masterfully introducing plot points and making use of every one that appeared on screen. And on top of that, it's got one of the best final scenes in the history of cinema. If you have a brain and some device capable of viewing DVDs, you have no reason not to see this movie.
The Apartment - I wrote my mini-review on Sunset Boulevard not long after seeing it. I really meant it when I said that I needed to get to know Billy Wilder's work better; one of the first things I did after watching Sunset was to move The Apartment to the top of my Netflix queue. Another great movie with more phenomenal performances. Shirley MacLaine steals the film in her phenomenal performance Fran Kubelik, a sweet but confident elevator operator that undoubtedly blew apart gender stereotypes upon the film's release. And on top of that, this is just a really sweet, well-crafted film.
Rebel Without a Cause - I don't know a whole lot about James Dean except for these things: he was in only a handful of movies, he died at a very young age, and he was very talented. Rebel Without a Cause definitely verifies that last one; his phenomenal performance is what holds this whole film together. That's not to say that the film itself isn't any good; on the contrary, it holds up very well. The themes of teen angst and father issues are well explored, although the latter one could have used a little more subtlety in its exploration. Even though the film loses its footing in its final act, in which the focus shifts from Dean's character to the much less interesting Plato, a young outcast, this is still well worth seeing multiple times. There's a lot that actors can learn from Dean's performance. Highly recommended.
Ghost - I'm not gonna lie: I have a tendency to pre-rate films before I see them. I mean, it's never anything set in stone; I think it's someone everyone does. "Oh, The Godfather? I've heard a lot about that one. I'll be surprised if it's not a five-star film." "Vampires Suck? God, I'm gonna hate that movie." My preliminary rating for Ghost was three stars - maybe two, really. But I was pleasantly surprised. Ghost is definitely a four star film. It may not have a lot of depth going for it, but the screenplay is incredibly well crafted; this might be one of the most well-structured screenplays I've seen in a while. On top of that, it's really entertaining. This one grabbed my emotions for sure.
The Kids Are All Right - This is the second film I've teared up in this summer. The first was Toy Story 3. And yes, this is the movie about the lesbians who have a family. I think that this in and of itself is a big novelty for a lot of people, especially some of the folks I happened to be in the theater with. (Case in point: the woman in front of me who giggled every time the kids referred to their parents as "the moms.") Honestly, though, this film isn't about lesbianism. It's about two people with kids trying to make their marriage work. That's all. Is the script amazing? Well, it's pretty good. But what sells this film is the performances. Everyone on camera in this film is on the ball, from Annete Benning to Julianne Moore to Mark Rufallo (who sure as hell better get an Emmy nod for Best Supporting Actor) to the guy who has a bit part as a hispanic gardener. The first twenty minutes had be skeptical, but when the lights came up, this movie won me over.
For All Mankind - Here's a more obscure one. It's made up of footage that NASA shot for various Apollo missions. Its director, a journalist by the name of Al Reinert, dug through hours and hours of said footage and created this visually stunning, surprisingly moving documentary. Yeah, there are some pacing issues, but the cinematography and images captured are both really phenomenal. The film subtly and masterfully addresses themes regarding humanity's place in the universe and our potential as explorers. It's hard not to watch this one without your jaw dropping, especially on Blu-Ray.
Winnebago Man - Before you go any further:
watch this video on YouTube. You've probably seen it before - it's old as dirt - but if you haven't, you're going to be in for a treat. Okay. Watched it? Good. Winnebago Man is a documentary about the video you just watched. As far as filmmaking goes, there's nothing superb here. But when it comes to subject matter…well, that's a different story. Jack Rebney is a fascinating man. He might be one of the best documentary protagonists of all time. And on top of that, he's a hilarious guy. As one of the folks in this movie puts it, he's "everyone's angry grandpa." True that. True that.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - The bloggers have been going crazy about this one for quite some time now. Now that the pre-release hype is over with, the focus of discussion online has more or less moved to one point: this film is great and yet it's faring poorly at the box office. I'm totally with most of my nerdy friends on this one; if you haven't checked out Scott Pilgrim yet, you're missing out on a really fun summer movie. But to those who are calling this one of the greatest films of the year: seriously. Chill out. Yes, this movie's hilarious and visually complex, but brilliant it's not. For a film that's centered around a love story, the onscreen romance comes up short. I'm not sure the film gave me any reason to be in love with Ramona Flowers, nor did it really explain what Scott Pilgrim saw in her. And yeah, the action scenes are great, but by the end of the film, they grow pretty tiring. By the time the final "true" boss battle rolls around, I was about ready for the film to be over. But this isn't me hating on Scott Pilgrim; on the contrary, you should support this film by going to a movie theater and seeing it if you haven't already. You'll have a lot of fun. Just don't confuse it for cinematic brilliance.
Zombieland - Jordan's been bugging me to see this one for a while now. It was well worth it. Entertaining stuff, although if you're looking for Romeroesque social commentary, you're going to be very disappointed. Luckily I knew better. A fun, mindless movie. No real flaws here, but nothing that would really make me want to buy it on DVD. (On a related note: based on Survival of the Dead, I'd argue that Romero doesn't even know how to do Romeroesque social commentary anymore.)
The Green Mile - I'm torn here. This film is three hours long. It contains some really solid performances and some truly iconic scenes. But there's a big problem: the first half of this film is really, really mediocre. Typically this isn't such a big deal, but that's more so if your film is 90 minutes long. Instead, viewers have to deal with an hour and a half of mediocrity followed by another hour and a half of near greatness, and the first half of the film comes very damn close to overriding the second's. There is a lot of wonderful things to say about The Green Mile, but damn it all. There was a lot of fat on this one that needed trimming.
Minority Report - Oh man. Where to start here. Well: the vision for the future here holds up remarkably well. Sci-fi has a way of dating itself very quickly, but there are some phenomenal details within Spielberg's conception of the future that are iconic. (Case in point: the swipey-swipey computer Tom Cruise uses at the beginning of the film -
which apparently is now a reality.) As for the story itself: it had its moments of greatness, but all in all I have a hard time getting really enthusiastic about this movie. For one thing, there are moments of levity interjected throughout Minority Report that totally ruin the mood. It's like having sex with someone who's wearing a clown nose. (Unless you've got a clown fetish - in which case, good for you, I guess.) On top of that, there are some plotholes that could have easily been sidestepped (which I won't reveal here for the sake of spoilers) as well as one plot twist near the end that almost kills the film's credibility. And last but not least: there are some phenomenal themes here (fate vs. free will, the role of technology in our lives, the role of the government in our lives) that could have been explored *a lot* more that end up getting neglected. (I can kind of understand why that is, though; I think Spielberg wanted this film to be an action movie first and foremost.) That being said: this film is far from a failure. There's a reason that Spielberg is considered to be one of the most important directors of all time: he's got chops. There are some real moments of brilliance throughout this film. The rest of the film is by no means bad, but they pale in comparison to those flashes of what could have been.
The Baxter - This has been on my "to watch" list for a while, as it boasts Michael Showalter as its writer, director and star. The film's premise is very clever; it follows the archetype in romance films that Showalter dubs "the Baxter," a.k.a. the nice guy with a minor role who ends up being totally wrong for the female lead. Unfortunately, the premise is handled in a rather unexciting fashion. While it's all quite watchable, the film as a whole is rather unremarkable. Props, though, to both Showalter and Michelle Williams, the latter as Showalter's female counterpart. Both manage to be awkward in charming in an amazingly endearing fashion.
The Firemen's Ball - I think I lack context with this one. This was Milos Forman's last film that he made in his native country before fleeing after enormous government outcry over this film. I think it's supposed to be a prescient satire of the state of Czechoslovakia. Maybe it is, but I wasn't entirely sure how exactly it worked. Without that context, this film was just a short but forgettable look at bumbling firemen trying to run a party.
The Happening - I was expecting absolute horribleness from this film. I wasn't entirely disappointed; yeah, The Happening is a bad movie. But at the same time it's a comic masterpiece. There's a bizarre sense of humor that underscores this film that can't be entirely unintentional. Case in point: a scene in which Mark Wahlberg's character attempts to have a conversation with a potted plant. But I'm pretty sure this film is supposed to be a (mostly) serious thriller. And in that it fails. Still: check it out if you want a giggle or two. You won't be disappointed.
Peacock - This direct-to-DVD film shot in Iowa boasts a surprisingly impressive cast; however, when it comes to cohesiveness and solid direction/writing, it falls flat. Not a lot of new ground is explored here. Instead, Peackock relies on tiring tropes regarding multiple personality disorder. As an Iowan who heard about the filming of Peacock, I don't regret seeing this, but I'm not sure other filmgoers would be so kind.
