“The Big Heat,” “Human Desire,” “Woman in the Window,” “Scarlet Street,” “Biutiful” and Stage Play “Molly Sweeney” on Monday Morning Diary (January 31)

January 31, 2011 by wondersinthedark

Javier Bardem in Oscar-nominated performance in "Biutiful"

by Sam Juliano

The harshness of winter continues to exert all kinds of practical adversity to those in the Northeast, but others in the midwest and the south have fared little better in this most infamously memorable of seasons. While framing the events of a blog which are experienced and enacted in a largely ‘indoor’ venue with outdoor conditions might be a bit inconsequential, it does affect those who are busy making their way to theatres and concert halls, much less to their daily jobs. In any event, another old-fashioned blizzard is tentatively scheduled for mid-week in the NYC area, so the old warnings are still in place.

With the PGA, DGA and SAG well in hand it’s clear now that the British period piece The King’s Speech is well on it’s way to big-time Oscar glory. As I consider it one of the year’s best films, I am smiling at this development, especially since it appeared for two months that The Social Network had this all wrapped up.

Here at Wonders in the Dark, a number of posts have been very well-received by readers, continuing an excellent tradition of the site moving in a number of artistic directions. Jamie Uhler penned his ninth installment in his seminal “Getting Over the Beatles” series, while his near-namesake young Chilean Jaime Grijalba presented his Top 20 of the Year, a list to rank with the best of them. Again, this marvelous young scholar has written with great authority, erudition and taste in making a stellar contribution to the WitD and his own place, Exodus: 8:2. Boldly, and with singular passion, Grijalba named Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan the best film of 2010. Bob Clark has penned two more superb marathon essays on science-fiction and animine, while Allan Fish’s landmark ‘Fish Obscuro’ series continues forward with splendid essays on films by Jean Epstein and Marcel Pagnol. Maurizio Roca’s ‘film noir’ countdown draws nearer, while Bob Clark’s promised ‘weekend’ consideration of science fiction is also one the verge of fruition. The film noir accent of the site, graphically engineered by Dee Dee, coincides with both the Film Noir preservation blogothon launching at Ferdy-on-Films and the ‘Fritz Lang in Hollywood’ Festival running at the Film Forum until February 10. Tony d’Ambra’s 11 line poem on Black Swan has again raised the bar for creativity in an area where he has frankly been untouchable.

This week I saw one ‘new’ release (with Kaleem Hasan) and four noir classics in the Fritz Lang in Hollywood Festival at the Film Forum with Lucille and Robert McCartney. I also took in the new stage production at the Irish Repetory Theatre, Molly Sweeney, on Saturday night with Lucille and Broadway Bob Eagleson.

Biutiful **** 1/2 (Sunday morning) Chelsea Cinemas

The Big Heat ***** (Friday night) Film Forum

Human Desire **** (Friday night) Film Forum

Scarlet Street **** 1/2 (Sunday night) Film Forum

The Woman in the Window **** (Sunday night) Film Forum

Fritz Lang’s THE BIG HEAT is one of film noir’s defining moments, a perfect wedding of 40′s noir with the hard-hitting expose films of the 50′s. Ford has never been better, and the ‘corruption of a good man’s soul’ is it’s most fascinating ingredient. Film is about paranoia, power and fatalism, and the violence is ferocious. The film represents Gloria Graham’s finest screen portrayal, and one of noir’s most brilliant scripts by Sidney Boehm, and moody photography by Charles Lang. Paired off with this popular masterwork is another Lang-Ford-Grahame collaboration, HUMAN DESIRE, a fatalistic drama based on Jean Renoir’s LA BETE HUMAINE, which in turn was a based on a novel by Emile Zola. In Renoir’s film, Ford’s character is played by Jean Gabin, who as a sexual psychopath makes a much more interesting character than Ford’s confused war veteran. Still, HUMAN DESIRE is taut, gripping and well-acted, timed and written. Based on Jean Renoir’s LA CHIENNE, the dark and nihilist SCARLET STREET is one of noir’s most celebrated features. Edward G. Robinson as a reserved ice pick killer and Joan Bennett as a scheming femme fatale are top-notch, and the film builds to some well-placed shocks. But there’s so much more to say on this one. WOMAN IN THE WINDOW again teams Robinson and Bennett in a take of psychoanalysis and dreams. Pairing these too is a no-brainer for a number of reasons. In any case both are superior Lang.

Javier Bardem’s extraordinary performance in BIUTIFUL anchors another impressive effort by the talented Innaritu, who brings some raw ugliness to a film, aptly described by some as a tone poem, but a juxtoposition of themes he broached in previous work. It’s a bit uneven, but all things considered it’s a searing work that takes it’s place among the best films of the year.

Brian Thiel’s MOLLY SWEENEY at the Irish Repetory Theatre (directed by Charlotte Moore) is really a non-play, which is comprised of non-stop monologues by three thespians for it’s two hour running time. Stage minimalism to the extreme and the lack of interaction will turn off many, by the noted Irish playright, who has been up for Tony Awards for some other works, hits the mark a number of times in this story of blindness and remembrance. I hope to have a full review very soon, but what with the frantic activity this weekend I couldn’t negotiate it. Lucille, Broadway Bob and I saw the Saturday evening show.

And now for our enthralling weekend tour around the blogosphere:

In conjunction with the Film Forum’s Fritz Lang Festival, WitD is thrilled to offer up the superlative capsule review by Tony d’Ambra on The Big Heat in the FilmsNoir.net archives, which examines the film in a ‘social’ context: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/the-big-heat-as-social-critique.html

John Greco continues to pen some of the finest reviews online, and he’s as prolific as anyone out there. His Twenty Four Frames review of the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup is a sure model of it’s kind: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/duck-soup-1933-leo-mccarey/

Longman Oz is back! And this is meaningful news for all bloggers who like wit, occasional caustic humor, and artistic diversity in their tea. The resilient Irishman (a favorite in these parts) is back at a place called SmiledYawnedNodded, where he continues his highbrow coverage of the Dublin stage, film and progressive music. His most recent review is of a play titled, As You Are Now So Once Were We: http://smiledyawnednodded.com/

Dee Dee at Darkness Into Light is also back, though she never really left, with a dazzling post appraising the Castro Film Festival, the Fundraiser blogothons at Ferdy-on-Films and Cinema Styles and the just-launched Fritz Lang Festival at the Film Forum. Her rotating newspaper is a gem!http://noirishcity.blogspot.com/2011/01/extra-extrataking-look-at-twelve-films.html

Drew McIntosh has a dazzling showcase of five incredible stills from Val Lewton’s masterpiece I Walked With a Zombie up at The Blue Vial. A visit wil insure a re-visit of this timeless horror classic: http://thebluevial.blogspot.com/2011/01/five-from-favorite-i-walked-with-zombie.html

Stephen Russell-Gebbett has again gone the creative route with an exceedingly thoughtful piece on the ‘acting’ in the Coens’ True Grit: http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2011/01/true-grit-good-and-bad-acting.html

One of the most original and witty pieces offered up this year is over at The Schleicher Spin, where the eternally-enterprising David S. presents for your approval, Somewhere Out There I Write A Letter to Sophia Coppola. David also asks readers to rate Ms. Coppola’s career so far: http://theschleicherspin.com/2011/01/28/somewhere-out-there-i-write-a-letter-to-sofia-coppola/

Judy Geater has authored yet another review you can take to the bank, and she claims she was eager to see the film, knowing the influence it had on William Wellman’s A Star is Born. Anyway, the review of George Cukor’s What Price Hollywood? at Movie Classics is a sure Hall of Famer: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/what-price-hollywood-george-cukor-1932/

From all around the world readers are responding to Michael Harford’s marvelous ‘Mail Art Call’ at the revered Coffee Messiah blogsite: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2010/12/mail-art-call.html

Jason Marshall moves on magnificently with his discussion of 1938 cinema, with an exquisite essay on his #4 film of that year: the Russian The Childhood of Maxim Gorky at Movies Over Matter: http://moviesovermatter.com/2011/01/28/the-childhood-of-maxim-gorky-best-pictures-of-1938-4/

Adam Zanzie is reporting with passion and precision at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah! The young man is having the time of his life!: http://iceboxmovies.blogspot.com/

Roderick Heath is heading up at Ferdy-on-Films with an exceedingly brilliant examination (allow yourself to be ensnared by that fascinating historical leadin!) of an Australian feature titled Van Nieman’s Land: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=8124

Meanwhile, down at This Island Rod, the double-duty Mr. Heath sustains the same kind of writing expertise with a striking essay on the rarely seen Malpertuis: http://thisislandrod.blogspot.com/2011/01/belgian-director-harry-kumel-having.html

Marilyn Ferdinand just updated with her fantastic review of Dennis Potter’s television work Cream in my Coffee: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=8164

Kevin Olson has posted his ‘Year in Review’ for 2010. It’s a grand post indeed at Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies: http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/year-in-review-images-from-my-favorite.html

Troy Olson has authored a brilliant entry in his Robert Bresson series at Elusive as Robert Denby: The Life and Times of Troy with a scholarly treatment of Les Anges du Peche: http://troyolson.blogspot.com/2011/01/robert-bresson-les-anges-du-peche.html

Jaime Grijalba has named Groupies at the ‘worst film of 2010′ in a splendidly-penned assessment at Exodus 8:2: http://exodus8-2.blogspot.com/2011/01/la-peor-pelicula-del-2010-groupie-2010.html

Again, the ever-reliable Samuel Wilson has penned an intricate appraisal of a film that few have taken on: Phil Karlson’s The Brothers Rico at Mondo 70: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2011/01/brothers-rico-1957.html

Laurie Buchanan is up to “Life Path 5″ on her journey to size up the traits and notable characteristics of those who fall by way of bithdate under some telling sub-headings. The fascinating ramifications are up there at Speaking From the Heart: http://holessence.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/life-path-5/

Greg Ferrara at Cinema Styles honors the passing today of one of the titans of film music, the incomparable genius John Barry: http://cinemastyles.blogspot.com/2011/01/john-barry-1933-2011.html

‘Michael Wood on True Grit’ is featured over at Satyamshot: http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/michael-wood-on-true-grit/

Jon Lanthier offers up a penetrating capsule from his Slant Magazine review of Johnny Mad Dog, a French-Liberian look at excessive violence and children toting guns and terrorizing natives in this thinly-veiled but still ambiguous polemic. It’s over at Aspiring Sellout: http://aspiringsellout.com/2011/01/johnny-mad-dog-2008/

Craig Kennedy at Living in Cinema reports on the incredible choice of Tom Hooper as Best Director for The King’s Speech from the DGA, a result that has sent shock waves through Hollywood: http://livingincinema.com/2011/01/30/dga-picks-kings-speech-do-i-stutter/

Dan Getahun at Getafilm has posted a great essay titled “Playing With the Truth: Film in 2010 at his place: http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2011/01/playing-with-truth-film-in-2010.html

Terrill Welch, the distinguished ‘Creativepotager’ and artist extraordinaire has a dazzling new oil painting up at her place, showcasing the ‘orange sea.’ It’s another feast for the eyes from Mayne Island in the Pacific Northwest: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/new-oil-painting-orange-sea/

Just Another Film Buff takes a look at 2010 through some defining images at The Seventh Art: http://theseventhart.info/2011/01/29/2010-at-a-glance/

Filmmaker/critic Jeffrey Goodman has devoted a few posts at The Last Lullaby on the Sundance Film Festival, which is still going in Utah. Goodman offers up a recent article on ‘Sundance Sales’ which is most interesting: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2011/01/sundance-sales-2.html

Shubhajit at Cinemascope has composed one of his very best pieces ever on the once-neglected noir The Big Combo: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2011/01/big-combo-1955.html

Over at Vermillion and One Nights, our friend in Tokyo, “Murderous Ink” continues his incomparable analytical dissection of one of the greatest of all films: Ozu’s There Was A Father. There really has never been anything like this anywhere, not even from the published film scholars!: http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2011/01/analysis-of-there-was-father-003000.html

Ed Howard’s latest essay is a very fine one on Ben Affleck’s The Town at Only the Cinema: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2011/01/town.html

At The Continuing Saga of Jeopardy Girl, JG broaches a number of subjects, including her happiness at hearing of Christian Bale’s Oscar nomination: http://jeopardygirl.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/newsofda/

As part of a Hitchcock blogothon, R.D. Finch has penned a very fine review of The Wrong Man at The Movie Projector: http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2011/01/cmba-hitchcock-blogathon-wrong-man-1956.html

Our very good friend Pat has a brand new piece up at Doodad Kind of Town, a loving tribute to fallen director Blake Edwards: http://doodadkindoftown.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/farewell-blake-edwards/

J.D.’s latest excellent essay is on the James Spader-starring Jack’s Back. It’s up at that hallowed hall of cinematic reverence, Radiator Heaven: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2011/01/jacks-back.html

Sachin at Scribbles and Ramblings lists and discusses the 2010 Foreign Film Candidates for the Oscar, and specifies which of these he has seen to this point. There is some great stuff there: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2011/01/2010-foreign-language-film-oscar.html

Anu, at The Confidential Report has posted a spectacular Top 10 list that again shows why and how he’s an ultimate cineaste: -2010/http://theconfidentialreport.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/top-ten-of\

Dave Van Poppel has written a superlative review of Derek Cianfrance’s extraordinary Blue Valentine at his place that’s essential reading: http://visionsofnonfiction.blogspot.com/2011/01/realist-cinema-blue-valentine.html

Hokahey has what appears to be an excellent piece up at Little Worlds on the new Anthony Hopkins horror film, The Rite: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.com/2011/01/hannibal-lecter-meets-exorcist-rite.html

Ryan Kelly has posted a uniquely fascinating ‘Best Movies of 2010′ list at Medfly Quarantine: http://medflyquarantine.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-2010-movies.html

Jason Bellamy has a superlative review of How to Train Your Dragon up at The Cooler: http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2011/01/lesssons-in-looking-up-how-to-train.html

Jack Cole’s newest mega-essay is on Tony Scott’s Man on Fire. It’s over at Not Just Movies: http://armchairc.blogspot.com/2011/01/man-on-fire.html

Film Doctor leads up with a post on ‘augmented links’ at his place: http://filmdr.blogspot.com/2011/01/augmented-links.html

Like this:

2 bloggers like this post.

Posted in Uncategorized | 50 Comments

50 Responses

on January 31, 2011 at 6:45 am | Reply Stephen

Thank you for the mention Sam. It’s very kind of you. I’ve already clicked through to a few of these pieces. Thanks as always for the
effort in compiling and summarising (and commenting).

This week I saw:

DUELLE ***

I was disappointed. I was never gripped by the duel between these two women and the importance of their quest. Still, Rivette’s films feel freer than any others and there were a couple of excellent moments.

SPEAK ***1/2

I’ll be watching NOROIT soon.
- on January 31, 2011 at 5:02 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Much appreciated Stephen! This week seems especially rich out there, and I was indeed hoping for readers to survey the field!
  
  I am not quite the fan of DUELLE as a number of others, and my reaction is along your lines. I liked NOROIT more, and I’ll me most interested in your reaction. Gnerally speaking of course, Rivette is a master.
  
  Geez, I haven’t seen SPEAK yet.
  
  Thanks as always my very good friend.
on January 31, 2011 at 9:47 am | Reply Shubhajit Lahiri

Thanks a lot Sam for such encouraging words.

I really envy the fact that you got to watch Biutiful, a movie that I’m desperately waiting to watch. I loved Inarritu’s debut feature Ameros Perros, while I reasonably liked his 21 grams & Babel. So I’m really keen on watching his latest work.

There’s a game called cricket which is very popular in this part of the world, I guess in the same way that Americans are crazy about baseball. Well, we are having a tournament here, and I got myself injured in the last match. So all I can do now is hope to recover fast enough so that I’m fit to play in the next match
- on January 31, 2011 at 5:08 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  AMORES PERROS and BABEL are my absolute favorite Innaritus, Shabhajit! I look forward to your reaction to BIUTIFUL, which all things considered is one powerful film. But a downer of epic proportions I assure you.
  
  You were injured playing cricket? Oh boy, I’m sorry to hear that, and hope you are feeling better, to soon continue. Great to see you are out in the trenches, though you’ve paid the price. I do know the game as per discussions with Allan, but in the US it’s very minor. Baseball and football are indeed the biggest sports here.
  
  Thanks as always my reliable and gifted friend!
on January 31, 2011 at 10:47 am | Reply Longman Oz

Thanks a lot Sam. You’re a real gent.

Agree a lot with what Shubhajit says above re Mr. Iñárritu’s work, although I perhaps rated “21 Grams” more at the time. In any event, “Biutiful” has just opened here, so I hope to see it soon.

I look forward to your thoughts on Brian Friel’s play. He spawned a whole generation of Irish playwrights penning three-way interlocking monologues – some of which have been absolutely hysterical.

I am writing as I go at the moment, so there is nothing to report from last week that is not up on the site already! However, its good to be back!
- on January 31, 2011 at 5:21 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  And thanks to you Longman for those very kind words!
  
  Yes, Innaritu is a director who divides the critics, and I well remember the flack I took for my high praise of BABEL in particular, a film that many regaled as episodic and formulaic. I love Prieto’s camerwork and Santaollala’s scores, and the urgency of much of the plot strands. Happy to hear it’s making it’s way to the Emerald City.
  
  There wasn’t all that much humor in this particular Friel play, but I still; found much of it engrossing. There was an elegiac undercurrent, and in the end it moved. I’ll need to firm up my views and position in an upcoming review.
  
  That was a great review you just posted at your place on BLACK SWAN, by the way.
  
  As always it’s a pleasure my very good friend! Great to have you back.
  - on January 31, 2011 at 6:11 pm Longman Oz
    
    “Not that much humour” and “elegiac” sound very much part of the Friel school of drama! I had really been referring to some more recent works that have turned this style of play into something quite comic.
  - on January 31, 2011 at 6:24 pm Sam Juliano
    
    Ah, I got ya Longman. I was also thinking of Albee, though it’s not quite the same here.
on January 31, 2011 at 11:57 am | Reply John Greco

Sam,
Thanks again for the shout out, as always, I really appreciate it. Needles to say, I am jealous of your access to the Lang Festival . You do seem to be taking advantage of it despite the inclement weather. “Scarlet Street” and “The Big Heat” are two of my favorites from the German master with the other two not lagging far behind. You had a great week.

The movie front was all home viewing including finishing up with the last remaining Laurel and Hardy short, “Oliver the Eighth”(***1/2).

Pardon Us (**) Stan and Ollie’s first feature, though a short one at barely one hour, is not one of their best. The boys bootleg some whiskey during the depression and are sent to prison. The film does have a few laughs mostly from Stanley’s aching tooth that causes a buzz at inappropriate times like when he is talking to the warden or some fellow inmates. Walter Long is good as one of the tough prisoners but there are some black face scenes, that were a product of the times, that today are just plain embarrassing,

Ministry of Fear (***1/2) – My own Fritz Lang festival consisted of this decent Hitchcock type World War 2 thriller. The script is questionable but Lang’s visual style makes it worth seeing. I do wish Hillary Brooke had a more interesting role in this film, and in general wish she had been put to better use in her career. She would have made a great femme fatale. Like many baby boomers she is best remembered as Lou Costello’s dream girl (and every young boy’s)who lived in the same apartment building on the Abbott and Costello TV show.

An American Romance (***1/2) Brian Donleay as an immigrant who comes to America, works hard and becomes a success. The ‘romance’ in the title here is King Vidor’s love affair with war time America. Cynics will consider this a bit corny but it was made during the war and was probably a morale booster for audiences of the time. Still, it falls into a category with films like Kazan’s “America, America,” and Jan Troell’s “The Emigrants,” film that reflect the experience of those who left the “old country” to come to a new land.

The Notorious Landlady (***1/2) Comedy/mystery, light on the mystery, with Jack Lemmon, Kim Novack and Fred Astaire. At two full hours it is about 15 or 20 minutes too long, a little editing would have helped sharpen it overall. Still I have to admit, this is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me and after watching it again for the first time in many years it holds up. Maybe because it was written by Larry Gelbart and Blake Edwards.

Backfire (**1/2) Disappointing murder/ crime drama that is being pushed as film noir in a new DVD box set. Where is the femme fatale? The expressionist lighting? The film is fairly average no matter what you want to call it. Edmund O’Brien and Virginia Mayo are wasted. Others are just plain dull (Gordon and Shelia MacRae).
- on January 31, 2011 at 5:36 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  John, you spent so much of your life living around and attending great classics at the Film Forum. I am only now embarking on a crusade to catch up just a little bit! Ha! But I know you are there in spirit especially for the noir festivals. The streets in Manhattan are decent enough now, though tonight’s temperature is supposed to plummet to around 12 degrees, at the time I will be leaving for MOONFLEET and AMERICAN GUERILLA IN THE PHILLIPINES. I know well indeed of your love for SCARLET STREET and THE BIG HEAT, and that you penned two terrific reviews on them at TWENTY FOUR FRAMES. Thanks, especially for the capsule here on MINISTRY OF FEAR, which you watched this past week. I will be seeing that one next Friday evening paired up with MANHUNT. David Thomson considers it Lang’s best film during the American period, though generally he feels Lang’s Hollywood contributions have been sadly undervalued.
  
  Excellent capsule there on AN AMERICAN ROMANCE and on the comparison with the Troell film. I’d say I’m in agreement.
  
  PARDON US is surely one of the weaker L & H features, so again I am on the same page. I may have even liked OLIVER THE EIGHTH a bit more, but your assessment and rating is fair enough.
  
  John, I never saw THE NOTORIOUS LANDLADY, hence I especially appreciate this evaluation, and I am tryying to picture BACKFIRE. Did I see this one? Ha! I have to ponder more.
  
  Again, an utterly spectacular wrap my very good friend, and exceedingly appreciated here!
  
  Congratulations too on that well-deserved tremendous response to your DUCK SOUP review at TWENTY FOUR FRAMES!
on January 31, 2011 at 12:29 pm | Reply Jeffrey Goodman

Sam, thanks so much for the wonderful mention.

Let me start by saying I’m so jealous of the Lang in Hollywood series that you’re currently embarking on. I have a special affinity for this period, and I really credit THE BIG HEAT, more than any other film, for giving me the desire to make a noir film myself (THE LAST LULLABY). Two things I’ve heard about Lang through the years that I thought were apropos this week:

1. He only remade two films in his career, both films by Jean Renoir.
2. And I always loved this passage in David Thomson’s A Biographical Dictionary of Film, “Of all the continental refugees, Lang adapted most naturally to America. The films he made there match his greatest because he found a studio system better organized and more adept at narrative genres. Between FURY and BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT there is an achievement still not appreciated in English-speaking circles.”

This week I watched: AN EDUCATION, THE FOUNTAIN, THE STING, STILL WALKING, THE AVIATOR, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, and HOMICIDE. I was glad to see them all, but I would have to single out the Koreeda film. I still haven’t seen anything by him that I put at Ozu’s level, but I feel like he’s mining territory and one of the few still attempting to carry the torch of the Japanese master.

Here’s to another awesome week. Thanks, Sam, for all that you do!
- on January 31, 2011 at 5:44 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Wow Jeffrey!!! Thanks for sharing that anecdote about the defining influence of THE BIG HEAT on the THE LAST LULLABY!! I wasn’t aware of that until now, and I will certainly remember that during the upcoming bloggers tribute slated for late February!
  
  Yes indeed! Lang only remade two, and I saw both over this past weekend! Interesting enough, as great as Lang is and as excellent as both SCARLET STREET and HUMAN DESIRE are, they rank under LA BETE HUMAINE and LA CHIENNE, two Renoir masterworks. Thanks so much for spelling out Thomson’s words too! Yes, he is a supreme supporter of Lang’s American period, and he has long felt his best work during this period matches his best work EVER! Fair enough, even if M and METROPOLIS are his two greatest works. But a half dozen American films deserve the highest rating, methinks.
  
  The Kor-eda film is a wonderful first choice of that distinguished lot, though as you probably know I am a fanatic of Aronofsky’s THE FOUNTAIN. Still, your roll continues with another superlative movie-watching week. With all YOU do, it’s an amazing pace my very good friend!
on January 31, 2011 at 2:28 pm | Reply John R.

It’s been months since I’ve travelled in these parts Sam, but great to see the enthusiasm hasn’t diminished. I took a look at all the posts going back for about three weeks, and it appears you have some new and very talented people on board. My favorite is probably Tony d’Ambra’s Black Swan poem. It defines a character, and commutes a theme as well as a thesis ever could. I like the film more than you do, as you know. But if if I didn’t I would still be awe-struck. I will copy this part of my comment and post it under the poem.

Too bad the Jets are gone. I’m figuring the Packers are going to prevail, even if these teams are evenly matched.

I am not sure if I’ll be able to make it to your Oscar party, and the Mrs. has a family gathering that night. But maybe I could make the last part of the show.
- on January 31, 2011 at 5:12 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Great hearing from you John! I appreciate all you’ve done since the site launched, and I well understand it’s tough to get over here.
  
  Yes, Tony’s poem has really resonated with a number of people. He’s framed some great classic Asian films (as well as film noir gems) at his place over the past year, and his latest is another magnificent example of his special talent. Glad you loved it.
  
  The Packers/Steelers is a tough one to call. I’ll wait till mid-week before making my own prediction. Ha!
  
  Play it by ear on the Oscar party. Your appearance at any point would be much appreciated!
on January 31, 2011 at 3:49 pm | Reply Frank Gallo

Oh you got to see Biutiful Sam. Nice. And even better than you have come in with a favorable response. Innaritu is not one to make you revel in the joys of life. Still, his work has always illicited a strong reaction. Bardem is one of the best actors around, and this is reason enough to run off to see this.

All monolgues? I don’t think that Irish play would work for me. And more Lang for this week. I don’t know how you do it. Or I do.
- on January 31, 2011 at 5:15 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Yes, Frank, Bardem is wonderful, and this film allows him to strut his stuff in exceedingly downbeat fashion, from the central premise to all the sordid details. It’s a visceral experience.
  
  The Irish play, MOLLY SWEENEY is one that requires an attuned ear. My wife and Broadway Bob were bored stiff. I will state my case in the near future and hope to convey it’s accomplishment.
  
  Thanks as always my especially prolific friend!
on January 31, 2011 at 4:15 pm | Reply Marilyn

Hi Sam – Thanks for the shout-out for Rod’s superb review of Van Diemen’s Land, a film that may have trouble finding its way over to our shores (let’s hope not!). I posted my review of the Dennis Potter teleplay Cream in My Coffee very late last night; I just kept poking at it all day, wanting to make great a comment on my favorite television writer, especially after viewing his moving final interview again. Shane and I have also watched Rain on the Roof from that same box set; I’ve put off watching Blade on the Feather simply because I don’t want to be finished with the set.

I’ve been watching a lot lately. The Icelandic comedy Eleven Men Out was a real treat, and Dissolution, at Facets, was a beautifully shot film from Israel that, I felt, did justice to its source of inspiration, Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. I also took in a fun favorite of mine, the surf movie Blue Crush and the always enjoyable musical Chicago. I rewatched The Wind and could have sworn it ended unhappily; still nothing can mar that great Lillian Gish performance. I also got a look at My Mother’s Courage, a film I was given by accident as an example of Paul Verhoeven’s work; it is, in fact, by German director Michael Verhoeven, and work a look. In preparation for a talk Rod and I are planning about Paul V., I also took in Starship Troopers, a terrific genre film in an alternate world about a well-realized as any fantasy location I’ve seen on film; this film reminded me of a Canadian TV series I love, Lexx, and certainly must have inspired Men in Black. All in all, a lot of fun with movies this week, and with our actually quite mellow weather. Shane and I even took a stroll by the shores of Lake Michigan yesterday!
- on January 31, 2011 at 6:00 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Marilyn: Many thanks. As much as I adore Potter (as I mentioned at your great review) I haven’t seen the three in the set you are holding. This is why it was real nice to get a full review on CREAM IN MY COFFEE, as a kind of nudge. I have alwats regarded THE SINGING DETECTIVE, PENNIES FROM HEAVEN and BLUE REMEMBERED HILLS as among the greatest works I’ve ever seen, as great as the greatets films, and as great as anything in any form I’ve ever experienced. Period. I will definitely be adding your review on the scroll today, as it probably went up just after I had linked to Rod’s terrific piece. hahaha on your desire to keep the set suspenseful! An old English teacher of mine (a Dickens lover–although who isn’t?) refuses to read LITTLE DORRIT as it’s the final Dickens he never read, and wants to always have something to look forward to! Great that both you and Shane mutually appreciated BLADE ON THE FEATHER.
  
  I know you have really been a movie rampage as of late, as I have seen and marveled in the intense activity at FERDY-ON-FILMS. I appreciate that impassioned introduction to that Islandic film, and am thrilled to heat you took another look at that Gish masterpiece – one of the glories of the silent cinema. Yeah, you’d think with it’s general arc that it would end most unhappily.
  
  I love love love CHICAGO, even in fear of getting assaulted by the younger mostly-anti musical crowd! Ha! BLUE CRUSH is fun, though I’ve never gotten the worth out of STARSHIP TROOPERS, as much as I admire much of Verhoeven. But I’ve taken my lumps on that one! Ha! LEXX sounds interesting, but alas I’ve never seen it.
  
  On the shores of Lake Michigan? Wow! The weather has brightened up there, which is nice for you and Shane and reassuring for some others. But here in the NYC area it’s business as usual with an ice storm scheduled for mid-week! Holding tickets for Adams’ opera NIXON IN CHINA at the Met for Wednesday and then for the Broadway show DRIVING MISS DAISY for Thursday (Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones) I must say I am very depressed at the possibility that some complications may interfere. Ugh.
  
  What a rapturous response here my very good friend! Great you had this kind of a week!
on January 31, 2011 at 4:16 pm | Reply Peter

So the Oscar race is over now. I will say that The King’s Speech lines up as the kind of film that is usually honored. It is a very good film, but it’s also same, tame, set at a time when inspirational speeches reigned supreme -excuse the pun- but we also have the Academy hook – the physical impediment. It will be nice to see Colin Firth honored, but as I stated on a past thread I may not even be there at the party. I’m not sure.
- on February 1, 2011 at 12:28 am | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Peter, I am hoping you’ll be able to make at least a brief appearance.
  
  Well, you have framed THE KING’S SPEECH quite tellingly. It is all you say it is, but I found it by and large as entertaining a film as I’ve seen in recent years. It’s exquisite, and all on board have made mighty contributions.
  
  Many thanks as always!
on January 31, 2011 at 4:27 pm | Reply Samuel Wilson

Sam, I was intrigued by your high rating for Human Desire in spite of your caveat about Ford’s character. It seemed to me as if Lang and the writers really wanted to throw the blame on the woman at the end, and the lightening of the protagonist compared to how you describe the Renoir version may be part of the misogynist element I perceive in the remake. Then again, that may be closer to the way Zola wrote it; I’m not qualified to say.

With places to go and errands to run I didn’t watch as many movies as I’d like to on a weekend. One I did see was Resnais’ La Guerre est Finie, for which a review is up now. Another was Scott Pilgrim vs the World for which a review is forthcoming. For now I’ll say that Pilgrim is only superficially a novelty, but is essentially a culmination of numerous cinema traditions, a synthesis of generations of genre filmmaking and a state-of-the-art throwback at the same time. A lot of it seems pointless to me but it’s still one of the most interesting films of 2010.

I could have been watching Winter’s Bone tonight but someone’s hands were quicker than mine at the library this morning. I suppose I’ll get my chance soon enough, and I also intend to finally deal with King’s Speech this coming weekend. For now, let me be the first here to give a memorial shoutout to the great composer John Barry, whose death was reported this morning. Arguably second only to Morricone during the Sixties, he helped change the sound of movie music.
- on February 1, 2011 at 12:41 am | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Hello Samuel, and thanks again for adding to your distinguished scroll of Hall of Fame comments. I am responding to you now from an internet cafe around the corner from the Film Forum where I will soon be watching two more Langs (the first starting at 8:30 P.M.). AN AMERICAN GUERILLA IN THE PHILLIPINES and MOONFLEET. I’ve never seen the former at all.
  
  “Thanks so very much for the lamentable news about the great John Barry. Your heads up was the first I heard of his passing. I immediately went surfing around the blogosphere, and here is the comment I made at Greg Ferrara’s place (CINEMA STYLES) in response to Mr. Ferrara’s lovely tribute:
  
  Yes Greg, this is very sad day for music and for film. Barry was huge, so huge in fact that in the pantheon of film composing he ranks firmly with the likes of Herrmann, Steiner, Morricone, Rosza, Korngold, Rota, Newman, Williams, Waxman, Goldsmith and Elmer Berstein as one of the greatest in film history. His passing further narrows the field of the fraternity of true greatness in the film composing ranks, and it beings many memories of his incredibly prolific and lyrical work. Many may not know that Barry began as a rock star, before shifting his talents to the silver screen.
  
  Yes, he is best-remembered for his James Bond scores, but he did more resonant work throughout his career. My absolute favorite Barry score is the ravishing one he composed for Roeg’s WALKABOUT (1971), but few would argue the magnificence of the work he did for:
  
  The Lion in Winter
  Dances With Wolves
  Somewhere in Time
  Peggy Sue Got Married
  Chaplin
  Mary Queen of Scots
  Seance on a Wet Afternoon
  Midnight Cowboy
  
  …..and a host of others.
  
  I am a proud owner of 27 John Barry original CDs (some from Film Score Monthly) in my movie score collection, and I’m sure I’ll be visiting many this week in remembrance. Barry is surely an excellent choice for the #1 film composer ever. Mine seems to Herrmann, but as I said earlier he is one of the titans, who can easily be felt as the best. It’s a kind of thing where you would have a different answer every day of the week, when you have those people in front of you. Some days I say it’s Rosza or Steiner or Newman or Elmer Bernstein. I guess it all depends on what mood I’m in.
  
  Yeah he has a few clunkers, but they all did. BORN FREE (still awarded!) was one such instance.
  
  Lovely post.
  
  R.I.P.”
  
  That’s a magnificent qualification you make their about HUMAN DESIRE, Lang’s treatment of it and Zola. I haven’t read the novel of course, but that may indeed have been the way it was intended. I’m not sure.
  
  I am MOST interested in reading what you say about Resnais great classic, LA GUERE EST FINIE. I can come to the piece armed with a viewing! Yeah, SCOTT PILGRIM has impressed a number of people I respect, including out own Jamie Grijalba. I think Jamie Uhler is a fan too, though I am losing my bearings here and I’ll have to backtrack. You pose a sensible delineation there. Damn those stalkers at the Albany Library! Don’t they know that I am waiting (im) patiently for your response on that exceptional film? Really though, I do want to hear ASAP what you think of it and THE KING’S SPEECH. Your love of history is what I am banking on for a hoped for positive reaction.
  
  Thanks again my very good friend. It’s always very much appreciated to hear from you!
  - on February 1, 2011 at 4:10 am Samuel Wilson
    
    Lion in Winter is probably my favorite Barry score and it’s definitely his most influential apart from the Bond films, of which I like his Goldfinger score best. I also dig Zulu and Robin and Marian quite a bit.
    
    Meanwhile, the news tells me that it’s our turn again up in Albany to be destroyed by snow this week. We’ll have a 3-6 inch appetizer tomorrow, with a main course of 14-20 scheduled for Wednesday. Joy!
on January 31, 2011 at 6:01 pm | Reply Just Another Film Buff

Thanks for the pointer, Sam.

At the risk of converting this column into a woe-of-the-week section, let me inform that I’ve been diagnosed with a rare eye condition (1 in tens of thousands. Beat that!) that has sent me way back i my viewing plans. I’ve no idea where this is going to take me, but I sure hope it doesn’t place a full stop to films altogether.

Cheers!
- on January 31, 2011 at 6:06 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Oh God no. Please don’t tell me that my friend. Please God, no.
  
  You will be in my thoughts -and in thoughts of many – as you are a Prince of a person, one of the loveliest human beings I’ve ever met on line or otherwise, and a brilliant and ever-humble contributor. I have a very good vibe that your condition will not place these dreaded constrictions on you, and that all will be well in the end. I am sure you will get the best care to enable you to continue on with minimum interference.
  
  Of this I am as certain as I am that the sun will rise.
  - on January 31, 2011 at 6:08 pm Just Another Film Buff
    
    Thanks so much for the assurance and the generous words, Sam. The docs have given me two pairs of lenses to wear – one over the other. And god, it’s killing me. But it sure looks like it’s improving. Hope it all smoothens out.
    Thanks and Cheers!
  - on January 31, 2011 at 6:14 pm Longman Oz
    
    Aye, second Sam’s sentiments. The very best of luck with that.
  - on January 31, 2011 at 6:16 pm Just Another Film Buff
    
    Thanks Longman.
on January 31, 2011 at 9:21 pm | Reply mark s.

Between the finals of the Australian Open (glad to see Clijsters and Djokovich take it all), I’ve been chasing my tail over the question of “formula” film you posed last week and still have no clue. Maybe formula is just a derogatory term used when one has an ax to grind.

In the comedy genre:
“Bringing Up Baby” (screwball masterpiece) v. “What’s Up, Doc?” (screwball formula/homage)? v. “Big Business” (s.b. formula)?
Or:
“It Happened One Night” (runaway society girl) v. “The Palm Beach Story” (runaway bride) both with C. Colbert as the fugitive? Is the Sturges formulaic?
Are sequels formula? “Psycho” v. “Psycho 2.” Or the serial-monster genre: “The Silence of the Lambs” v. “Seven” v. “Hannibal (sequel to #1)? Or “Serial Mom,” a spoof of the entire genre? Most cineastes prefer the Fincher film.
In sci-fi:
“Alien” v. “Aliens” Is the sequel better than the original? And, if so, does that make the original formula? Or do both “Alien” films transcend the genre?
Are the Harry Potter films formula? I don’t know. To me they all look alike and tell the same good vs. evil story.
To really push the envelope and cite a supreme example, is “L’Eclisse” formula? It’s more Antonioni ennui among the rich, with Monica Vitti wandering through yet another de Chirico landscape. That’s facetious, of course, but there are still a few Antonioni-haters clinging on out there in the cine monde. Could someone enlighten me? It all depends on personal taste, the subjective. Chacun a son gout, I guess.
A roundabout way of stating I don’t think “The King’s Speech” is formulaic. The historical drama is an honorable one that has yielded everything from the great (“Ivan the Terrible,” “The Rise to Power of Louis XIV,” “The Leopard”) to the merely (!!!) excellent (“The Madness of King George,” “The King’s Speech”). The fabrics, the ormolu, the crystal, all the sumptuous period details in the historical genre are de rigueur, not the same as formulaic. The luxe trappings are essential to the stories of George and the Prince of Salina. Maybe the wealth of material display puts some people off these films. And Visconti was a Marxist!
I blame Merchant/Ivory Enterprises for wringing every last drop of expensive perfume out of the British upper crust/E.M. Forster literati drama, then smothering it in velvet. These enamelled portraits appeared almost annually for a while and a trend, when carried too far, grows wearisome. A few of the M/I Inc. films are very good (“Howard’s End”), but the team oversaturated the art-house circuit for many years. “A Room with a View” and “Maurice” are hardly mentioned now.
Anyway, I’ll give “The King’s Speech” (****) for its humor, pathos and first-rate histrionics. In the old, hackneyed phrase “a feast for the eyes” (and ears) and spot-on for that. I’m sure Mr. Firth has his Oscar acceptance speech already written. Smitten with Ms. Portman, I’m delighted to see her cleaning up at these awards shindigs, too.
Postscript: Sam, every time I see a clip from “The Social Network” it looks like it was filmed at the bottom of a dirty natatorium. The famous Fincher murk, I suppose, but 2 hrs. of muddy photography may be 2 hrs. too many. I’ll see it anyway.
I’m glad to see you also like the stupefying “Female Trouble”. Immortal cinema it ain’t, but it has to be seen to be believed. I’m not much of a fan of the other Waters’ atrocities, though. If you really want a good laugh read underground filmmaker Jack Smith’s review of “Pink Flamingos,” which he describes as a “gilded torrent of filth.” He wrote it for the Voice a million years ago and it’s falling-down funny.
Finally:
“Love & Other Drugs” starring Anne Hathaway’s vestigial tits and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Greco-Roman ass. Two stars (**), one for each tit, or ass cheek, whichever one prefers. I view it as ‘formula’ romantic comedy, plus a lot of skin. Or is it a weeper? Maybe this formula business will spark some debate because I’m clueless.
“Clueless,” (teen angst/puppy love) v. “Pretty in Pink” (Brat Pack formula?) Oh, I give up.
- on February 3, 2011 at 10:29 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  “Maybe formula is just a derogatory term used when one has an ax to grind.”
  
  Yes indeed Mark, I agree that this is the case in many instances, though I am not the one who posed it in this instance. Actually I am not sure it was anyone at this site. Your examination of this classification here is absolutely enthralling. BTW, I love both “Maurice” and “A Room With A View.” I agree with you that “The King’s Speech” shouldn’t be considered ‘formula,’ nor should it be regaled as something that purposely manipulates teh audience. I felt the same way about “The Madness of King George.”
  
  This Mark is the general way people go about rating their film:
  
  I don’t like this or that. Result: I must find a valid reason for dismissal, aside from the REAL reason, which it’s not to my taste. Hence, it’s formulaic or some other artistic failure that firmly classifies it as something that failed, rather than something that didn’t conform with my own favored kind of entertainment. If “The King’s Speech” is guilding of being formula, well let’s say hundreds and thousands of other films are equally to blame. Art cannabalizes itself all the time. If this is formula, well then, serve me some more! Another reason “The King’s Speech” will attract some nay-sayers is because of its spectacular success with critics and audiences. Someone won’t be able to resist showing the other side of the coin. There is nothing I hate worse than being ravished and exhilarated by a film (or any other art form) and then have someone use other criteria to knowck it down other than that the film doesn’t work for them. Humility and respect for the other’s views are always the way to go. Surely the film (s) must have something in view of the near-unanimous adoration. Suerly not everyone is missing the boat. Anyway, your examples here are fascinating and your arc quite telling.
  
  I think that ‘feast for the eyes and ears’ regard for “The King’s Speech” pretty much hits the mark, as does a salute to Firth and it’s wonderful actors. That’s an intriguing point about the ‘dirty naturium’ look of “The Social Network.” I’m not sure how this one will go down with you, but please let me know as soon as you see it.
  
  Yes, I love two Waters films without reservation: “Pink Flamingos” and “Desperate Living.” I also life “Hairspray” and “Pink Flamingos” though I’ll admit there are aspects in both that may not work or are not as even as those other two raunchy laugh riots.
  
  When the white trashy aunt (Edith Massey) tells her nephew Gator that she wants him to become gay (even though he’s straight) and he responds with “Aunt Ida, I’m straight, I don’t dig guys,” she explodes with “Awwww, don’t tell me that!!!!!” and later when she is put in a cage after she throws acid in Divine’s face!!!
  
  That is really classic stuff!!!! hahahahahahahahahaha!!
  
  Again you have brightened this thread with your very acute and personalized comments. The insights are always appreciated supremely here my friend!
  - on February 7, 2011 at 7:29 pm mark s.
    
    This is turning into a mutual admiration society.
    
    My favorite scene in “Female Trouble” is Massey’s Lucia di Lammermoor mad scene, screaming and tearing her hair, “Gator don’t go, oh Christ, Gator, noooooo!”
    And some of the lines the ‘severely retarded’ Taffy Davenport spits could have been written by Burroughs…”I’d sooner jump into a river of snot!”
    Infantile dementia has never been funnier.
on January 31, 2011 at 11:25 pm | Reply holessence

Sam – It boggles my mind how you manage to include the phenomenal “blogosphere” section in your weekly diary. Throughout the week—usually sually between clients—I come back and leisurely follow links. They’re more like delicious bread crumbs you’ve left that lead us to great finds.

THANK YOU!
- on February 1, 2011 at 12:45 am | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Laurie: I assure you that the linking and brief summaries provide me with the most daunting challenge week in and week out, and I’ve grown to regard them as way more important than anything I can write myself. At some point I’ll need to figure out a better way to cut down the time investment that must be allocated to complete them, but for now I’m sticking with the present method.
  
  Many thanks as always to you for your loyalty and friendship, as well as the most observant responses here! Great that you’ve been utilyzing these too!
on January 31, 2011 at 11:32 pm | Reply Jaime Grijalba

Well Sam, that might be the best thing anyone has ever written about me in my entire life, being featured with my name on one of the most important paragraphs in the internet can only compare to being acknowledged by a movie director on twitter or receiving a response, meeting a famous writer or something along that line. I’m flattered and thankful to you, because it is thanks to you that I’ve been able to grow in some way towards my maturation as a film watcher and writer. Thanks, a lot.
Well, you had a swell week, I just relaxed the whole week at Talagante and not much happened but pool swimming, so not much to tell there. Now I’m back at Santiago and will have some more action.
I wanna see all those Lang’s you saw (I haven’t seen any of them) and I’m so happy you liked Biutiful, I name it the best performance of the year, so far, as I’m watching the Oscar candidates for my 10 Days of Oscar. ****1/2 is the same rating I gave.
Movie wise, I saw:
- 127 Hours (2010, Danny Boyle) ****1/2 Amazingly acted and visually appealing, this would have made my top 20 if I saw it before my limit: Oscar Nominations. So yeah, this will have a review on my 10 Days of Oscar.
- Badlands (1973, Terrence Malick) ***** My first Malick film and there’s only one reason I loved this: Spacek. Amazing cinematography and good story overall. I knew I’d love this.
- Dressed to Kill (1980, Brian de Palma) **** I knew, somewhat, what was going to happen, and that’s because I’ve seen “Psycho”. How annoying is that when you know how a movie is going to end because you saw the original? Anyway, still it was visually impressive.
- The End of Summer (1961, Yasujiro Ozu) ****1/2 The Sam Flick Pick of last week, those who haven’t, read my entry.
Light week, and I’m gonna see right now the Sam Flick Pick of the week, which are random, yet they tend to imitate each other.
Thanks again Sam!
(saw the Oscar videos, hilarious).
- on February 1, 2011 at 11:35 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Hey Jamie! I am again now at Manhattan’s Film Forum at the nearby internet cafe, trying to respond to some e mails and some comments here. But I am running out of time sad to say, and tomorrow will (tentaively, weather permitting) be a mammoth day with two more afternoon Langs and the long opera NIXON IN CHINA at night. I’ll be in the city for many hours after a school day that still might be cancelled if this ice storm is as ferocious overnight as it’s supposed to be.
  
  I need to answer Mark, Judy, Jason Terrill and others here, and I’m not yet sure how I’ll balance things. I did read your fantastic TOKYO STORY review (again you flatter me) but am measuring the right response, which hopefully I’ll be able to get to tomorrow.
  
  Thanks for the very kind words in the first paragraph. As always you go overboard. Your terrific writing and passion has been a real joy at this site for months now.
  
  I’ll have a full report on the Langs down the road, but I’m sure you’ll be seeing a number of these. Yep, you were the one who saw the excellence of BIUTIFUL first as I remember it, and I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve admired Innaritu’s work, even in the shadow of some serious scrutiny by others.
  
  BADLANDS is indeed a ***** masterpiece, and I did like 127 HOURS quite a bit, even if it missed my year-end list. Your review of THE END OF SUMMER was marvelous, and your rating dead-on. I actually think DRESSED TO KILL may be the best film (or close to it) by Di Palma, a director I’ve had generally mixed feelings about. But I won’t begrudge him three or four very good films, of which this is one of them.
  
  Still swimming, eh? Lucky dog! We’re doing all we can with ice, freezing temperatures, sleet, potentially treacherous driving conditions andheavy winter coats.
  
  Summer seems so close…….yet so far. The Southern Hemisphere Rules!
  
  Many many thanks my excellent friend!
  
  Please forgive me Judy, Mark, Terrill, Kaleem, David and Jason, I will get to your comments as soon as I can. I very much appreciate them!
on January 31, 2011 at 11:40 pm | Reply David H. Schleicher

Sam, I’m glad to hear your positive response to Biutiful, which weather permitting I hope to catch this weekend. I thought Babel grotesquely overrated, but I loved Amores Perros and 21 Grams and Innaritu is a talent to be reckoned with.

Thanks for the surprise package that came today!

Over the weekend I saw, of course, Somewhere (***) in the theaters.

On DVD, I saw:

ENTER THE VOID – (***) Visually audacious and rotten to the core. I was also disappointed to learn that any depth that could’ve been read into the imagery means nothing as Gaspar Noe has apparently said this is nothing more than the “dream of a druggie” instead of something more 2001-ish. Reminds me again I never want to do hallucinogenics and that Tokyo probably isn’t my kind of town.

STONE – (***) Surprisingly heady morality tale with some interesting ideas and a trio of curious performances: Edward Norton overacting, Robert DeNiro non-acting, and Milla Jovavich proving again she is quite capable and compelling in these meaty supporting turns. Worth a watch – though don’t expect any fireworks. Only half works.
on January 31, 2011 at 11:44 pm | Reply David H. Schleicher

Oh, and here’s my take on all the Lang’s discussed. Though I must say that my favorite from his Hollywood output would have to be FURY (*****).

The Big Heat – ****1/2
Scarlett Street – ****
Ministry of Fear – ****
The Woman in the Window – ****
Human Desire – ***1/2
- on February 1, 2011 at 12:50 am | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  David: I’m over here now, around the cormer from the Film Forum, where Lang will again take center stage. Thanks very much for the star ratings!! I will get to mine most appropriately when the festival is over, though I’ve seen most of the films being screened (on DVD of course).
  
  FURY will be offered up on the final day, and presently I am sitting with **** 1/2, though this big screen viewing may tilt me. The fours there are fair enough, though I will go with ***** on THE BIG HEAT.
  
  I will get to your other excellent comment as well as other titanic entries here from Jaime and Mark (and anyone else who posts) tomorrow, as my time is now running out.
  
  Thanks again!
on February 1, 2011 at 8:41 am | Reply Judy

Thanks very much for the over-kind plug, Sam, and I will enjoy following up more of the links during the week. That Fritz Lang in Hollywood festival sounds wonderful – I saw both ‘Scarlet Street’ and ‘The Woman in the Window’ not so long ago and was transfixed by both, although I have now got them hopelessly mixed up with each other in my mind, not that surprisingly given the casting and my bad memory! I clearly remember that ‘Scarlet Street’ is the one with the great ending, though.

This week I saw ‘Winter’s Bone’ at the cinema – I thought the main actors were great, especially Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes but to me the crime plot was less interesting than the Ozarks setting.

At home I saw a great Warren William pre-Code double bill, ‘The Mouthpiece’ and ‘The Match King’, both made in 1932 – I liked the first of these the best, a wonderful legal drama with very witty lines and barnstorming court performances, though ‘The Match King’ is powerful too.

I also watched Douglas Sirk’s ‘The Tarnished Angels’ (1957), from a box set of his work which I got for Christmas – very interesting to see a 1950s re-creation of the early 1930s, and I really liked Robert Stack’s performance in particular, though all the leads were good. The air circus setting was an added attraction for me, and I’m also reminded now that I ought to read some Faulkner as it was based on one of his stories. I know you are a big admirer of Sirk, Sam, so am sure you like this one.
- on February 2, 2011 at 10:00 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Judy, I did love THE TARNISHED ANGELS quite a bit, and Stack was as excellent here as he was in WRITTEN ON THE WIND. I’d say TARNISHED is one of Sirk’s best films and am thrilled to hear your reaction. I’m wondering if those two Warren Williams films are the two that were just released by Warner Archives. As it is, I have seen neither but am most interested!
  
  It is indeed easy to mix up SCARLET STREET and WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, as they are usually discussed in tandem, they both feature the same lead stars, and are almost always shown together in festivals. Yes, I agree that the former has that unforgettable ending.
  
  That’s a very good srgument Judy on WINTER’S BONE, and I’ve read the opinions of some others that pose much the same. I’m happy that Jennider Lawrence is getting all this attention, and agree with you on here stellar work here.
  
  Many thanks as always for your ebullient wrap, and ever-interesting viewings and activities, Judy!
on February 1, 2011 at 2:46 pm | Reply Kaleem Hasan

Found Biutiful to be an incredible work at many levels. I liked Babel a lot too but this current work is definitely more even (babel’s multiple stories arguably came together in somewhat forced fashion). Inarritu seems to ‘upset’ many of his critics who find him manipulative at times. As Sam suggests he trades in a brand of visceral cinema where the self-enclosed universe of various kinds of ‘realism’ is denied the viewer. Inarritu definitely means to upset the latter quite a bit! Given his subjects I think he is right to do so. We’ve become too addicted to a certain sort of critical perspective that irrespective of the many differences that exist in this profession operates at a distance from the work. Inarritu’s films don’t allow that sort of complacency, they just suck you in and create an equation of responsibility with the viewer. The director makes you ‘guilty’ about certain things and it is this that people sometimes recoil from. I certainly find his stance appropriate. Don’t mean to go all Catholic about this (though this context is not irrelevant to Inarritu’s work) but there is a sense in which we do have responsibility for so much that happens in our world of which we are the beneficiaries much more than many others. And there is a direct link. When we buy cheap shirts from somewhere we don’t pause to think that this is the result of more or less slave labor (‘legal’ or ‘illegal’) either in what once used to be called the ‘third world’ or else even from the ‘first’. When we buy cell-phones we don’t think about the civil wars that are generated and nurtured in parts of Africa to supply the cobalt or whatever. We do have responsibility because we profit from this arrangement. It is appropriate that Inarritu presents the most sordid and squalid parts of Barcelona in Biutiful, not those one would normally associate with the city. He makes Barcelona into a city of the ‘global South’. His films have very raw emotionally wrenching moments and many of the latter are keyed in to the underside of ‘globalization’. This makes his films that much more coherent to my mind.]
- on February 1, 2011 at 11:39 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Kaleem, this is an utterly brilliant piece of thematic analysis, and while I won’t parrot you, I’ll climb aboard and say that you’ve framed it all beautifully. citing the equation of guilt and the emotionally wrenching moments in this visceral work with an electrifying central performance.
  
  Reading this makes me realize what we’ve missed so long with your staggering comments that for a very long time carried this site. You are invaluable my friend!
  - on February 3, 2011 at 3:16 am Kaleem Hasan
    
    And you have outdone yourself with your kindness Sam.. always deeply appreciated though the objective critic in me says it is as always quite undeserved..
on February 1, 2011 at 8:47 pm | Reply creativepotager

Sam, I hope that you are baring up under this most resent snowstorm. Doesn’t look good from for you over there.

I am going to come back and browse through some of your film noir classics. We had quite an eclectic viewing week and all were gems in for a variety of different reasons. As you may guess, WASTELAND came out as a personal favourite with its artistic underpinnings. But WELCOME TO THE RILEYS hit the mark with surprising warmth and likable characters finding their way in life. THE TOURIST was great entertaining shot in a great location. TRUE GRIT was wonderful entertainment in classic western form. EUROPA EUROPA (1990) was fascinating for its ability to push and pull the viewer (as was the real life character) through the various views of the war. But HEAVEN (2002) directed by Tom Tykwer was the most powerful watch of the week with its complex exploration of right and wrong and incredible camera work.

Oh, I hope that wasn’t too much. Hum, well we will leave it be. Thank you as always Sam for shining a light on Creative Potager. All the best! Terrill
- on February 1, 2011 at 10:45 pm | Reply creativepotager
  
  p.s. I loved Jeff Bridges in TRUE GRIT! His acting alone made this movie a win for me. It is one of those movies I may watch again and again just to see my favourite parts. Being a bit of a bush-bunny myself (very different from a playboy bunny) I can relate to the story-telling, humour and larger than life characters in this film.
- on February 2, 2011 at 5:47 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Terrill, great that you discovered both EUROPA EUROPA and HEAVEN, films I admire quite a bit!! Yes, EUROPA is one of the best of its kind, and that deceit in the film goes a long way! I did indeed kniow you’d love WASTELAND, as it celebrates art in the most unlikely of places! I actually haven’t watched RILEYS yet, but will soon. Yes TRUE GRIT is irresistable, and THE TOURIST (though not great) is better than some critics have opined.
  
  We had an ice storm last night ands school was cancelled, so here I am back in Manhattan to watch THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES and WESTERN UNION, two Lang films I was thinking I’d be missing, as I have the opera NIXON IN CHINA for tonight. I won’t be leaving the city until late tonight.
  
  Thanks for the kind words and the superlative report here. You had quite a week, and that ain’t even counting what you did with your brushes! Ha!
on February 1, 2011 at 9:17 pm | Reply Jason Marshall

Not a terribly thrilling week for me here Sam. I am jealous that you have this Lang series. “The Big Heat” is one of my favorite movies of the 1950s.

As you can see on my site, since I have stolen/borrowed your diary structure here, I saw Peter Weir’s “The Way Back” (****), “No Strings Attached (***1/2), a surprisingly decent movie, and “Applause,” the 2009 Danish movie which has just found its way into Los Angeles theaters (****). Paprika Steen is great in this one.

I’ve been caught up over the past couple of weeks helping Everett with his job which is keeping him busy like 16 hours a day. And since he doesn’t have a staff yet, guess who gets to read scripts for him. Me, of course. And let me tell you, there are some terrible scripts out there written by some untalented people without an unintelligent idea in their heads. If you think Hollywood movies are crap, try reading unproduced scripts. They get much worse.
- on February 1, 2011 at 11:47 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Jason: I am honored that you have gone in this direction, though in turn I can hardly take credit for this style either. I’ll definitely be checking out your reviews soon, though tonight I’m again tied up at this festival (should you read this). I actually read what you said about THE WAY BACK, and I’ll say I am guilty of feeling the same way as some of the critics you politely dride. Ha! I thought it was well intended but narratively laborious. I want to see APPLAUSE very very badly, but I haven’t yet been able to work it in. it’s been in NYC for a few weeks now, and I almost made it once. I’ve heard about Ms. Sheen and great to hear you have corroborated it. NO STRINGS ATTACHED? Ah, I wouldn’ta thunk it, but I’ll have to also work that in.
  
  So it is YOU who has to read Everett’s scripts eh? It may be drugery but you are doing it for a very good cause! Is Everett a scriptwriter in the Hollywood area? Wow. Nice. Is he also a big movie goer like you?
  
  I’ll speak to you soon at MOVIES OVER MATTER my very good friend!
  
  Many thanks as always!
on February 2, 2011 at 2:21 pm | Reply Murderous Ink

Sam,
Thanks again for the mention.
Four Fritz Lang films in one week. I envy you. Most of the Hollywood Langs are rather haphazardly assembled and directed, I admit, but there are “moments”. The moment you cannot see the woman’s face in “The Woman in Window”, Joan Bennet’s laugh in “Scarlett Street”, Glenn Ford following Crawford at railroad yard in “Human Desire” … These moments are just too great, too spine-chilling, unforgettable, I don’t mind the rest being a bit inconsistent.
But, How were the condition of the prints? I always find some of the Lang’s PD films (especially Scarlett Street) less than OK in quality, probably due to their PD status.
I can’t wait your next week’s report.
MI
- on February 2, 2011 at 3:55 pm | Reply Sam Juliano
  
  Many thanks my very good friend! I haven’t forgotten your wonderful submission under last week’s Diary either, and will get to it later this afternoon, while I’m the city for two more Lang films. Some teachers are in today, but they closed the schools in my home town due to an ice storm. This gives me the opportunity to see THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES and WESTERN UNION, two well-regarded Lang westerns!!! I was lamenting that I wouldn’t be able to negotiate them, as I have an opera this evening at the Met (Adams’s NIXON IN CHINA) So I leaving the school in about 15 minutes to head over for what will be a full day in the Big Apple. At least I’ll be able to get on a PC over there at two intervals to check up on this site and to respond to some of those who graciously left comments on this thread. As it stands my report fro this coming Monday will include 10 more Langs, as well as a Broadway show, and opera and a recent opening. This is the kind of week that gives ample evidence as to why I should be committed to a mental institution. But I’ll still fight to stay free! Ha!
  
  I am a bit more positive on Lang’s Hollywood output (which I always thought was terribly underestimated) but maybe not as much as david Thomson, who feels it matches his best German work. Lang’s greatest films in my opinion are M, METROPOLIS and DIE NIEBELUNGEN, but several Hollywood films push very close, among them THE BIG HEAT and SCARLET STREET. I will make a full summary assessment at the end though.
  
  I’d rate the print of SCARLET STREET as fairly good, though not as fine as THE BIG HEAT nor WOMAN IN THE WINDOW. The Region 2 of SCARLET STREET is superior for sure. The best print I have yet seen at the festival is the one on display last night for SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR. It was pristine and stunning. The color prints for AN AMERICAN GUERILLA IN THE PHILLIPINES and MOONFLEET were quite nice too. I’ll definitely be assessing the festival in this sense.
  
  I appreciate all your kind words and astute insights, and will be monitoring your final installments in that extraordinary project at VERMILION on Ozu’s THERE WAS A FATHER, which is unlike anything else I’ve ever seen out there! Thanks a millionmy very good friend!