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mimccutch
Reviews
Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
Leadership of a Bombing Squadron is Tested
The core of this movie is the testing of the leadership of a bombing squadron. The first commander, Keith Davenport, shows too much empathy for the men, coming off as a chronic whining enabler. The second commander, Frank Savage (Gregory Peck), is aptly named. He is a no-nonsense, no-excuses, get-the-job-done kind of guy. The most interesting parts of the movie are the vintage aerial war footage and, more importantly, Savage's interactions with his men and his struggles to find the right balance of leadership discipline and sympathy.
Maj. Harvey Stovall (Dean Jagger) is the adjutant (paper-pusher) for the commander, and is a warm counterpoint to Savage's sternness. He provides the human bridge to the men that Savage needs. The movie begins and ends with a scene of him after the war, but these scenes add almost nothing to the plot and should have been deleted since the movie runs a bit too long (2 hours, 12 minutes).
I found the acting to be theatrical, as was common at the time of the filming (1949), but wore well once I grew accustomed to it. Conversations between characters seemed forced sometimes in order to abbreviate them (at least once ending with `Well, that's that,' as if that could end most any conversation). Despite these caveats, the acting was generally very strong, particularly by Gregory Peck and Dean Jagger.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Sexual Tension Galore
The essence of this movie is sexual tension. This tension fills all of the long moments of silence, avoided eye-contact, and action frozen by uncertainty. What is lost in translation is not an understanding of Japanese, but the cultural wall that divides the generations of Americans.
Bill Murray's character and that of Scarlett Johannson cannot fully connect with each other because they know that wall between generations will go up again when they return home. They connect emotionally, but they live in two different worlds back in the States. Watching them struggle to break this cultural divide by jumping into teen Japanese culture is half the fun of the movie.
A sidelight in this film is the great cinematography around Tokyo.
Wit (2001)
Poetry professor does battle with cancer while maintaining her wit
This essentially-solo film features Emma Thompson as Vivien, a scholar of John Donne sonnets. Her intellect drives her away from contact with humanity, though the sonnets explore the meaning of life and death. Oh, and she is battling stage 4 ovarian cancer (`there is no stage 5'). Wit lives up to its title, with occasionally very funny musings and exclamations by the protagonist.
The cast is minimal, with only four other minor characters, including a very sympathetic performance by Audra McDonald as the primary nurse. Thompson is, as usual, excellent and convincing. The flashbacks of her professorial life fill out her character just enough to contrast with her present ill state. The rest of the cast are essentially stock characters bordering on stereotypes.
The soundtrack is minimal and amounts to background music in an elevator going to the basement. Cinematography is excellent and intimate, with no outside scenes; the views of the hospital are amazingly antiseptic.
Don't see this movie for the wit, though there are some laughs. See it for the excellent portrayal of a cancer victim who has an existential battle forced upon her.