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donnabarr
Reviews
Four Lions (2010)
I know all these guys.
In one way or another, in gun-nut furry groups or crazy guys playing with explosives in Vietnam or a publisher who used to blow up toilets at parties, my husband and I know all these guys.
Spent most of the movie screaming with laughing, more from recognition than from ridicule. No, I shouldn't have been laughing at the bird getting blown up (obviously fake -- it's a British audience, of course), or the guy jumping over a fence and being brought back in a body-bag with sheep pieces. But I couldn't help myself. This was like watching Monty Python with explosives, run by all the more off-the-wall friends and noodles in my life.
I know it's supposed to be satire, but it's just the way a bunch of guys would do this. Especially a bunch of British geek guys.
Oh, and I know a lot of them, too.
Best line (well, I thought it was): "You're going to look like a bunch of Sufis on Speed."
Best scene: the water-pistol fight.
Tora no o wo fumu otoko-tachi (1945)
Just something interesting about one of the actors.
This MAY be a spoiler, because of an actor's appearance.
Go to Youtube and search: "(01)Victory at Sea "The Pacific Boils Over" Episode 2 1of3"
Go in to 5.59 minutes.
You'll see our noble border-keeper in his crisp Japanese artillery uniform. Looking his same calm, mildly amused self.
He served in the artillery during World War Two. A few seconds later, another shot shows him again.
He has the proper military bearing in the movie, and his time in service no doubt contributes to its authenticity.
Beowulf & Grendel (2005)
The Truth Needs Beer
"Beowulf and Grendel." "Grendel and Beowulf." Grinder and Bear.
They both work as titles, from the viewpoints of the good guy and bad guy -- and their view of themselves as the wounded party.
I was going to go into all the reasons why Beowulf is an Excuse Tale, written in a later time after centuries of re-telling. But Paul Stephens, in his interview, says it better. In fact, everything in Special Features is worth watching, especially "Wrath of Gods." There are no trolls or dragons or sea-serpents in reality, and this is an even more modern attempt to understand why the tale is so important and where it may actually have come from. As inheritors of the conquests of the New World, this is a movie that can explain what happened and why. "He crossed our path -- he took a fish" is all it takes to start a devastating war between the natives and the invaders.
Watch it twice; first without the commentary, and then -- don't miss the commentary; it's hilarious and a bit horrible, IE, "We didn't behead the actor for real because we were going to need him in a few more scenes." After what everybody goes through, it's obvious they've all gone a little crazy, in a miniature version of Coppola's wife's "Heart of Darkness." This is the purest form of movie-making. No CGI, actors panting and gasping because they have to, the viewer's mouth hanging open as a half-naked man is dipped into an icy Icelandic stream. A car window is shattered by wind-driven pebbles. Actors are blown off their marks. Beaches are washed away, and disappear under racing tides. The director has no mercy. Ford would have understood.
And the horses -- Icelandic horses. All of them doing the Tølt they're famous for, and hitting their marks. In the commentary they're introduced with admiration and fanfare. But so are the glaciers: "We told the grips to wear spikes on their boots, because if any of them slid into those fissures, nobody was going in after them." "There's Brendan, blessing the joint," says somebody in the commentary, referring to the mad saint.
"You want a beer? Let's get a beer!" is an ad-lib, because by then everybody needed one.
Just go get it or ask your library to order it. There is no way you will be sorry (Unless you accept the western movies from the 1930's as historical and are sad anybody did any real research).
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
You Know You Want One
Okay, let's get it over with: That arena is the Thunderdome, the water landscape is from "The Incredibles," the monster dragon at the end first came to eat Andromeda in "Clash of The Titans," and Toothless is (Lilo and) Stitch in black leather, right down to the funny flat feet and claws (DON't TELL Disney!!). Just for starters. Let's call them "tributes," to avoid a trademark fight.
But if a film geek like me can watch this thing through once, again with the commentary, and then the ending again just because I didn't want to lose the evening's groove, then you need to get the DVD, too.
No, it's not the 3-D version. It's the version you can stop and reverse to re-hear some very fun dialog.
So I can't resist any film with bagpipes and ancestral Scots accents and hints of the folk tune "Barbara Allen," and editors smart enough to know when to turn the !#$!! music track off.
Dare you to watch this and not want one of those dragons, with their beautiful fish/bird/dinosaur anatomies and moves, for your very own.
Catch Pete Postelwaithe's face as the model for the Dad's.
We might watch it again tonight, too....
Valkyrie (2008)
Poetry with Red Flags
There will be a lot of specific spoilers in this review, but hiding the plot in an historically-based movie is like trying not to tell that the boat went down in "Titanic." This household is made of of a couple of film geeks, and one lay expert in German 20th-century military history, so you're warned.
I perked up when the film began with a translation of the original Hitler Oath running across the screen (search "Hitler_Oath" on Wikipedia). The oath was central to the hesitation caused in the officer corps after the Attentat (attempted assassination). The director had my attention.
In our household, we enjoy Tom Cruise as an actor. I personally think he's funny, in a very restrained, rather sly, self-referential way. He's also extremely tightly wound. Directors who seem to know how to use him cast him to play very tightly-wound characters, and are not disappointed. Von Stauffenberg was a badly-wounded man, with all the delayed stress, pain and frustration that entails, and he yearned desperately to stop his beloved country from falling any further down the cliff it had already flung itself off of. He was a traditional German officer, a class that had been trained in extreme self-restraint, right down to their posture ("Haltung."). I expect any actor playing him to be very upright in physical and moral stance, but to be barely repressing rage and pain. Who better than Cruise?
Moments of humor include Cruise throwing his eyeball into Eddie Izzard's drink to get his attention (We didn't recognize Izzard until we saw his name in the credits, and madly hunted the DVD to get another look at his performance. With no more disguise than a pair of glasses and a flat expression, Izzard hid in plain sight. What a chameleon!) Another moment is when von Stauffenberg turns and snaps the Hitler Salute at Tom Wilkinson (Fromm). Of course Fromm made a huge mistake; a man missing a hand and most of his fingers would no more have been expected to salute than he would have been expected to hurry while changing his shirt. Besides, saluting Hitler with a handless arm was an outright insult. Von Stauffenberg more or less told Fromm to go have intercourse with himself. Loudly.
Marvelous minor performances include the officer of the reserve army, with his frustrated sigh of "Assemble the men," and his snapped, "WE're the coup, you idiot!" And the sergeant at the Wolf's Lair, who perfectly mimes Military Fear that causes him to make a terrified decision not to touch that empty telephone. His performance is accurate, right down to the nervous head-shake. Watch for the whole crew of the teletype message-transfer center, trying desperately not to get themselves -- and their families -- killed if they make the wrong choice (I was a military teletypist in the '70's and it was all spookily familiar, right down to the message-checking and the sound of the raving keys).
I've studied the German army in the period intensively, and I can say the sets, costumes, etc., were beautifully done. The use of the red swastika flags reflect the original use of them in the Third Reich, whose artists and film designers knew what would look good on the screen. Von Stauffenberg's wife is portrayed as faultlessly fashionable. Germany had conquered France, but the French fashion industry refused to be crushed, as a form of very French protest. With access to this industry, wives of high-caste German military officers were expected to maintain a highly fashionable appearance as a form of patriotism; to have appeared in old or cheap dresses would have been to accuse the regime of being unable to keep up the populations's surface standard of consumerism.
The music was more Stravinsky than the thin and upbeat love-songs and military marches that were allowed in the Third Reich, but at least we're allowed samples of those original tunes. It would have been fun to hear some of the fake swing from the official jazz bands that were supported to compete with Allied broadcasts.
We know how this would end, but we were on the edges of our seats (well, couch and rocking-chair) all the way through. There was a real attempt to show the terror Germans lived while under this government, although it might have been more real to show how the regime began to insanely clean house, killing thousands of people in and out of the officer corps. As a World War One Austrian soldier, Hitler hated the German officer corps, and wouldn't have held back if he'd had the chance to get them, even as he cleaned out the very soldiers who fought the war. Not the first -- or last time -- personal or political considerations would cripple an army.
I could bore for England about the history and how it relates to this movie; again, excellent research.
The cute use of the MGM logo, small and silver, at the end of the credit roll: it looks exactly like the cockade, oak leaves and silver strap on a German officer's cap. Yes, we got the joke, so whoever pulled it, it wasn't in vain.
Then again...the MGM lion logo came before the modern German cap design. We've been comparing the logo and the cockade design more and more. And remembering the Third Reich hired artists. Who can always get past censors with a little clever design. Did "Valkyrie" point out an old joke the artists pulled on the Nazis a long time ago? It would be fun to think so.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
More Inside The Third Reich Than Ever
This movie is something of a pancake; it has two sides.
One side is the excellent technicals; no one will argue that any of the actors turned in superb performances, or that the costumers, editors or cameramen produced anything less than excellence.
On the other side, it's one of the first movies to show what it was like to live in the Third Reich, to constantly look over one's shoulder – "der Deutsche Blick" – to see who might be listening. The kids, free or slave, all do it, but so do the adults, even those who seem to be in most power. The film reverberates across many of the questions our societies are facing today. Watching it doesn't end with the credits; it goes on in questions raised in the mind of the viewer. The best films write in mental prequels and sequels and off-camera scenes. "Pajamas" produces whole scripts in the mind.
Within the film is another film: a re-created version of an original camp film, made by the Nazis to prove how well their prisoners were treated. It's silly and amateurish, like most propaganda, but it seems very much a reflection of the American Happy Darky tradition: films that portray black people as happy with their lot, either as slaves or as second-class citizens. The American versions were much more polished and ingrained in the society. One of John Ford's early films, "Judge Priest," offers such an ex-slave, portrayed by the legendary black actor Stepin Fetchi (Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepin_Fetchit).
It was as though the Nazis had attempted to import the slave America of the 1840's into a modern country a century later. The scenes where the ex-doctor shivers before his new masters calls to mind the terrifying performances of Fetchit, whose shambling, cringing slave was a ghastly indictment of the society that had put black people into the position of being forced to cower simply to survive.
The German family mirrors almost exactly descriptions of slave-owning Americans. Slaves are to be invisible, and can be beaten or even killed with impunity, while some family members act as though nothing is happening, others are aghast, and children look to the adults for guidance. The mother's (Vera Farmiga) reaction echo incidents in the American south, as described in diaries and letters, when a woman from a non-slave area married into a family in a slave state. The mother's is the sudden shock of a civilized German when faced with a growing slave culture as a part of her country's military. It's one thing to hear about things that seem to be an accepted part of the culture or the public good, even angrily or fearfully warning children to avoid a group of people, such as gypsies or AIDS victims – it's another to see these actions in their naked brutality. Torture was "necessary" for the safety of the country until the videos and photographs hit the internet.
The Lieutenant's fury at the slave is portrayed as re-directed rage and an attempt to demonstrate his own part as a complete member of his society. The film is not clear about the point, never making clear whether or not he is afraid of being punished for his father's actions under the all-encompassing Sippschaftsgericht (blood-relation laws), or if it was his own Jewish blood he was attempting to distance himself from. The happy-families propaganda film was made for internal consumption, to demonstrate to Germans who were half or part Jewish while being legally Aryan – to the point of serving in the army – that their imprisoned relatives were being treated humanely. Up to the point the camps became death camps, these legal Germans were allowed to visit their relatives. The Lieutenant's fury could mis-directed self defense, of himself, and even of his mother, who, it is hinted, has committed the sin of breeding with a man of Jewish blood. Did he hint at the burning bodies to the film's mother to distance himself from his Jewish background – or unconsciously to open her eyes? Or even to gain an emotional ally? Might his posting to the eastern front come as a relief? Again, this reflects John Ford's used of mixed blood in his movies. In "Judge Priest" a foolish, mean-spirited suitor is what in the America south would be considered black, because of his small proportion of black blood. The "misceginated" were adjudged scheming and troublesome, unlike blacks, who were expected to be simpler and tamer. The word was used for the same purpose in "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou." By the time Ford made "Sergeant Rutledge" – startling for its attempt at its time to portray black men as differentiated human beings – the virginal, murdered rape victim is a very light-skinned black girl, sending out further resonances in a film about what happened to a black man if he was suspected of "white woman business." That her officer father owned a plantation before the war raises more questions.
The child actors in "Pajamas" are focused, intent, naive, but not saccharine. Both of them express snotty fun of each other's names. Both of them betray each other when faced with a ranting adult, demonstrating how all little children must beware of fearsome giants in their lives. In the additional actor interviews on the DVD, Jack Scanlon (Schmul) says that when the actor playing the Lieutenant – who had not raised his voice in rehearsals -- yelled in his face, he didn't expect it, and felt real fear. Starling or angering another actor to produce a genuine emotional affect goes back to the hand-cranked days. Hitchcock was notorious for using abusing actors to get a raw performance.
Dead Like Me: Life After Death (2009)
Tying up all the little ends
First of all, I am an EXTREME Deadster. I adored the series -- and I watch it every time a pet dies. It really does help with the grieving process.
Let's face it, this movie is going to be more fun if you love the series. It ties up loose ends all over the place. (Well, except for one -- who the hell IS Crystal, anyway???). If you've never seen the series, and you're a fan of sharp, cynical dialog, you'll still love this movie. Think Black Adder as part of that tradition -- but with the addition of deep layers of humanity.
I discovered the DVD advertised in the San Diego Comicon International promo book, and jumped off the couch. I didn't know if it would be any good, but the ad -- "Show your respects" -- showed Collum Blue and Ellen Muth and I knew I had to get it. So I clicked right over to my cheap little mvlib.com/ account and downloaded the DiVx version for $2.99 to run on my MacBook (do NOT do this without one of those inexpensive USB fans you can get on Amazon -- you'll melt your hard-drive!).
I remember one guy who couldn't figure out how the waitress in Terminator 1 had become the fierce warrior in Terminator 2. Fourteen plot years, guy. FOURTEEN YEARS. I'm amazed how LITTLE Muth and Blue and Guy have changed. Smart casting for the kind of faces that don't seem to age. The actress who plays Reggie looks more like Muth's sister than ever. REALLY smart casting.
I was momentarily put off by the new Daisy, but the actress picked up the reins and did a great job. She looked more like someone out of the 1940's. No, she's not the same actress, but she didn't phone it in. I enjoyed her performance for who she was.
The mom's change in personality works as the end of a process of grieving. She's not the same person -- her daughter's death tore her apart and in gluing herself back together, she lost her hard edges. Her armor was shattered and she has to deal with the holes that expose her soft places. She seems to know she can't really help Reggie, so just says she'll be there for her.
The whole gang works the snarky dialog in fine Dead style. Murry goes his way in the best way a cat can go, at the end of a long life -- whew! -- and gets quite the send-off. This series kills two beloved pets - and gets away with it! The Germans call death The Friend; once you're dead, in so many ways, you're safe.
Do we really find out what the bad guy is up to? Sort of? Is he the Devil or just a Reaper who has had it up to HERE -- or the kind of guy who can't help tweaking the system? And is there any difference? We don't find out -- but the Reapers are working in the dark (so to speak) most of the time, anyway. The series was never afraid of leaving us all wondering about eternity. Like Beethoven, the writers knew how to use the silences.
If you loved the series, there are some lovely surprises. The final musical theme had me hugging myself -- it was always my favorite theme for the show. I'll let you discover it on your own; the surprise and delight are too delicious.
If you know someone who is grieving, get them the series and the movie. It really helps.
Watch for the mention of Cameron's business-dealings -- and then ask yourself where Goldman,Sachs is today....
The Blue Lagoon (1980)
The First Time Can Still Be The Best Time
We (myself and the Nearest) remember when this movie was made, but we never got around to seeing it. This year, 2009, we finally grabbed a DVD from the library. We fully expected the movie to be faded and rather silly. We remembered the controversy about the nude scenes (hello, America and its infernal touchiness about hairless monkey bodies). But the price was right. And we had popcorn.
We were pleasantly surprised to discover the DVD print was absolutely pristine. Camera Director Almendros's work was a delight; can you really fault what turns out to be a lovely travel film? And don't we all want to go and live on a tropical island? Discovering Leo McKearn in a major supporting role was a happy surprise. Can anybody go wrong with this gruff old silver-back of an actor? The only nude scene that made us cover our eyes was when McKearn's old cook (ex-pirate?) happily floats on his back in the water. Leo, we love you but you're the reason we WEAR clothes as a species. McKearn's struggling along the beach after the sprinting, giggling children in all their innocent bareness, gasping, "Come back here! You can't go naked ALL the time!" was a hoot. It was the emphasis on "all" that made it even funnier.
Half the fun was watching these two young people build a life based on Tahitian crafts. It's almost a how-to on How To Survive On A Desert Island.
We'd only ever seen Brooke Shields in her insanely funny role as the obsessed fan in an episode of "Friends." We had no idea she was possessed of such perfect comic timing. The kid can mug with the best of them. Why isn't Shields still acting in comedies? She's got the chops.
Nearest said, "Well, this is going to be soft porn." But it didn't have the archness of porn. These two kids didn't even have any grown-up words for what they were doing. They seemed like they were having such fun, even when all they were doing was throwing coconuts at each other, or swimming with the baby.
Don't watch this for deep messages or social commentary. Watch it for the fun of it. And think about the beach.
Note: the Makah tribe up here in Neah Bay (www.makah.com) does a "Lightning Snake" dance that feels like the one the men do around the sacrificial rock. Makah whalers would sometimes disappear one year, trapped on outer Pacific islands by the ocean currents, and return when the next season's currents turned homeward. The Lightning Snake they carry in their dance looks oddly like the sacrificial clubs in the movie. I'm not saying there's a relationship anywhere there, but in our publish-or-perish world, an anthropological student scraping for a thesis might look into this to his or her benefit.
Chicken Little (2005)
Disney can't help Himself
(Spoiler warning): This film has the best aliens ever. They're brittle, mechanical, scary and spiderish. I do love them, or at least their exoskeletons. They're the descendants of all the sci-fi fighting robots, and shiveringly successful.
But Disney just can't help himself.
The fox girl may be an unholy brat, but after she's done all the work of winning the baseball series, the chicken boy gets a lucky hit, and she's forgotten.
On top of that, she's turned into a nice little date for someone else -- who has control over whether she'll ever be herself again, and decides to keep her in her dress.
It's hard to say whether Disney is just Doing It Again, or is making a very ironic statement on past abuses.
But as the New Yorker knows, Americans are short on a sense of irony.
In this case, after a lifetime of being the fox girl -- count me in.
In the meantime, I'll keep watching the ferocious girl chef in Pixar's Ratatouille -- because I don't know if her comments about "stupid old men" are about cooking or the animation industry -- or both.
The Glass Ceiling is everywhere, and Disney still won't look up.
Masada (1981)
How to get the willies
If you're watching this in the early years of the 21st century, and you've been part of or watched 1/2 the history of the 20th, be prepared for a bad case of the willies.
Spoiler alert (some reference to field action): Soldiers pushing into olive groves. Farmers and children with no weapon but stones. Military units champing at the bit to go home. Resistance refusing to give up, and even the children setting traps for the occupiers. Here we go again.
Those of you from the '70's will see the burning and scattered thatch and think of the Zippo Wars.
More up to date than ever. And Peter O'Toole in one of his most magnificent turns as the commanding general of the tenth legion. The rest of the cast puts in superb performances. Nobody phoned it in.
Timothy West makes a wonderful Vespasian.
Only one question: why didn't O'Toole receive the reward for Best Actor?
Accuracy of costume complete, right down to the lack of stirrups on the saddles. The Romans never had 'em.