Robert Duvall plays central role in critically-praised drama ‘Get Low’
by Sam Juliano
Dave Hicks’ Best Directors countdown concluded this week with the crowning of Alfred Hitchcock as his #1 helmer of all-time. The choice led to a spirited comments section, with many compiling their own lists after penning their own Hitchcock favorites. Sadly, Dave has been under the weather as of late, and all of us at Wonders extend our best wishes for a speedy return to full health. What Dave has accomplished with his annual countdown, Top 100 noir polling and the the Directors appraisal in succession is nothing less than miraculous, and kudos are very much in order.
Here at Wonders, there is a month-long window at hand between the completed 2000’s polling (where David Lynch’s Mullholland Drive was named the Best Film of the Decade by 40 voters) and the upcoming horror polling to be chaired by Jamie Uhler and Troy and Kevin Olson, beginning at the end of August. In the meantime, Jamie has been posting a multi-part labor of love on Rainer Maria Wilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, while Allan’s series on Yoshida and Anthony Mann have been sustaining the site’s trademark turnover. Bob Clark’s review on Christopher Nolan’s Inception has resulted in a tremendous comment thread that grows longer by the day, and is a testament to what was a fascinating marathon essay. Other than that, congratulations to “Artesmia” for naming ‘Donald Crisp’ to win our Anthony Mann DVD Giveaway contest.
Another hectic week in Manhattan was mainly fueled by attendance at the Chaplin and Ozu Festivals at the Film Forum and IFC Film Center, respectively. Here is the completed itinerary:
Get Low **** 1/2 (Saturday night) Lincoln Plaza Cinemas
A Woman in Paris **** (Monday) Chaplin Festival at Film Forum
Payday **** (Monday) Chaplin Festival at Film Forum
Monsieur Verdoux **** 1/2 (Wednesday) Chaplin Festival at Film Forum
The Gold Rush ***** (Thursday) Chaplin Festival at Film Forum
A Dog’s Life ***** (Thursday) Chaplin Festival at Film Forum
Shoulder Arms ***** (Thursday) Chaplin Festival at Film Forum
The Pilgrim **** 1/2 (Thursday) Chaplin Festival at Film Forum
Modern Times ***** (Friday) Chaplin Festival at Film Forum
Sunnyside *** 1/2 (Friday) Chaplin Festival at Film Forum
The Great Dictator **** 1/2 (Sunday) Chaplin Festival at Film Forum
Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family **** (Sunday) Ozu Festival at IFC
Ozu’s 1941 film represents one of the few times he ever examined the upper classes, but his perceptions and humanist underpinnings are as wrenching as ever. For the second week in a row, the IFC Film Center print was a rough one, with lous audio humming and a scratchy and lined picture, but short of a restoration, this is the best one could get.
I will deal with all the Chaplins as a unit in an extensive round-up post next week, but the kids loved THE GREAT DICTATOR on Sunday for it’s slapstick elements. MODERN TIMES is of course a supreme masterpieces, and these big-screen viewings of the three shorts of the Chaplin revue, and A WOMAN IN PARIS were the best I’ve ever enjoyed of these landmarks.
GET LOW is suffused with sardonic wit and poignancy as it’s irresitible backwoods tale unfolds with a bearded hermic requested a ‘live funeral’ that later serves as a soap box to confess to long suppressed rumors to an earlier tragedy. The film’s director is rather unknown, but with Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray on board, it’s a feast of acting. Duvall’s final tear jerking speech to the townspeople on a microphone may well be the ticket to his second Oscar.
Around the blogosphere there is much to behold:
With all the talk on Anthony Mann, no less an authority and seasoned fill buff than our esteemed John Greco has penned one of his finest pieces ever on the western masterwork The Naked Spur at Twenty-Four Frames: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/the-naked-spur-1953-anthony-mann/ And at Watching Shadows on the Wall, John’s photography and new movie review blogs with a sprinkling of some great Memory Lane ‘souvenirs’ he is posting soem great photos of the Grand Canyon: http://watchingshadowsonthewall.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/my-photography-grand-canyon/#comment-260
Longman Oz, has flat out penned one of the best theatre reviews out there with his stimulating review of the Dublin Abbey Theatre’s production of Sean O’Casey’s masterwork, The Plough and the Stars: http://noordinaryfool.com/2010/07/29/ploughandstars_abbeytheatre/
Adam Zanzie’s John Huston blogothon will be launching later this week at Icebox Movies, and Adam has been busying himself with viewings in preparation for this terrific event: http://www.iceboxmovies.blogspot.com/
Andrew Wyatt recently gourged himself with the restored Fritz Lang Metropolis at a St. Louis Theatre, and his report on it? Frankly, it’s one for the ages!http://gatewaycinephiles.com/2010/07/29/film-diary-metropolis-the-complete-version/
Kaleem Hasan has a fascinating post/picture up of Satyajit Ray at his premium Indian culture blogsite, Satyamshot: http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/satyajit-ray-on-filmfare-feb-5-1965/
Alfred Hitchcock is Dave’s favorite director of them all, and it’s all documented at the fabulous Goodfellas blogsite: http://goodfellamovies.blogspot.com/2010/07/1-alfred-hitchcock.html
Just Another Film Buff, that writer of esteem, and ceaseless promoter of off-the-beacon-track cinema of marked eclecticism offer his readers a good laugh with a three-picture comparison ay his hallowed halls: http://theseventhart.info/2010/07/31/the-eagle-has-landed/
Over at Movie Classics, the effervescent Judy Geator, just back from her Stratford-upon-Avon vacation, (where she saw some great plays) has a post up about an ultra-rare Wellmann classic screening at a festival in Rome, New York (Oneida County). It’s a tempting proposition: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/rare-wellman-silent-film-being-screened-at-festival/, and her wonderful costume reviews blog, she talks about the Trevor Nunn-directed Twelfth Night, she recently watched on DVD: http://costumedramas.wordpress.com/2010/07/24/twelfth-night-1996/
Filmmaker Jeffrey Goodman appears to be a regular on some movie-themed radio shows as he relates here: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2010/07/rex-sikes-movie-beat_29.html
Always combining high-octane prose with a consummate appreciation of the arts, the ever-prolific Roderick Heath continues to showcase his great work at Marilyn Ferdinand’s Ferdy-on-Films and at his solo outpost, This Island Rod. His latest essay on the former site is on a classic Sergio Leone: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=5597, while he considers The Three Musketeers at his place: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=5597
Creativity continues to abound at Michael Harford’s accomodating Coffee Messiah site, and his latest post does bring up and feature some rather indellible memories: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2010/07/time-coffee-reverse-graffiti.html
Proud as punch, my very good friend Terrill Welch, has a wonderful display of wedding photos up at her Creativepotager blogsite, and you don’t have to know a soul to love these beautiful pictures: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/the-saying-of-wedding-vows/
Dee Dee has officially gone on hiatus at Noirish City (Darkness Into Light) and while it’s a sad occassion for her readers, it a well-deserved respite for all that she done for so many. She indicates she’ll return, but for now, it’s important that she take advantage of some R & R. Have a great summer, my dear friend: http://noirishcity.blogspot.com/2010/07/taking-breatherfrom-noirishcity-but-i.html
Stephen Russell-Gebbett continues to up the ante with his original and though-provoking posts at Checking on My Sausages, the latest of which poses to blend the fiction and documentary forms: http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2010/07/is-every-film-documentary.html
Samuel Wilson retains some focus on the western (a genre we are getting quite a bit of mileage on as of late) with an absolutely superlative review on the Henry King/Gregory Peck The Bravados: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2010/07/bravados-1958.html
Jason Marshall’s excellent 30’s series is nearing it’s conclusion, and as of this writing his #2 post is on a beloved Korda film with Charles Laughton: http://moviesovermatter.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/best-pictures-of-1933-2-the-private-life-of-henry-viii/
Troy Olson has been working very hard on seeing as many horror films as possible before the upcoming poll, and his brilliant assessments have been appeared on past MMD threads. His lead post at his place at present is on some exquisite horror film screen shots for a very successful meme started by Joel Bocko with some inspiration from Stephen Russell-Gebbett: http://troyolson.blogspot.com/2010/07/visages-of-horror.html
Meanwhile, at Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies brother Kevin continues to report on recent re-viewings with his customary expertise on the genre, negotiated with his distinguished writing: http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/summer-of-slash-maniac.html
David Scheicher has an extraordinary post at The Schleicher Spin on neo-noir and the films Inception and Winter’s Bone that’s a must-read: http://theschleicherspin.com/2010/07/24/the-neo-noir-renaissance/
Shubhajit Laheri may be at school, but he continues to keep Cinemascope afloat with his typically succinct and fecund show pieces, the latest of which considers the Woodman’s Radio Days: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2010/07/radio-days-1987.html
Our dear friend Pat resumed her blogging several weeks back, and it’s business as usual at Doodad Kind of Town, where her latest post is a discussion on some recent at-home watching of Mel Brooks flicks. As always it’s engaging, quality stuff: http://doodadkindoftown.blogspot.com/2010/06/hey-torquemada-whaddya-say.html
The gifted Donophon is taking an extended break from his The Long Voyage Home blogsite due to unavoidable circumstances, but he promises to be back and to monitor all his favorite blogs: http://thelongvoyagehome.blogspot.com/2010/07/hiatus.html
As steadfast as summer heat, Craig Kennedy’s Weekend Forecast post covers a wide range of this week’s new releases. It’s all there at Living in Cinema: http://livingincinema.com/2010/07/30/weekend-forecast-below-the-surface-its-a-good-weekend-for-movies/
Jim Clark’s newest blogsite will gather together all his great WitD essays in one place. It’s a splendidly designed site too: http://ratherhavetheblues.tumblr.com/
Dan Getahun has penned a very fine review at Getafilm on the documentary Restrepo: http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2010/07/taking-it-home-restrepo.html
Jason Bellamy is playing that wildly populat screen cap meme game intiated by Joel at The Cooler with soem great selections: http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2010/07/images-that-thrill.html
J. D. at Radiator Heaven has a fabulous review up on the independent film Suture:
Dave Van Poppel has written a superlative review of Winter’s Bone, a realist film he discusses in effusively-favorable terms: http://visionsofnonfiction.blogspot.com/2010/06/winters-bone.html
Alexander Coleman has resurfaced for one of his patented exhaustive film reviews, but his work remains as always of the very first rank. He’s considering Iron Man 2 here: http://colemancornerincinema.blogspot.com/2010/07/iron-man-2.html
Jon Lanthier’s latest gem is a superlative review at Slant on Mad Men Season 4 at “Aspiring Sellout”:http://aspiringsellout.com/
R.D. Finch has penned an excellent review of Luis Bunuel’s The Milky Way at The Movie Projector: http://movieprojector.blogspot.com/2010/07/milky-way-1969.html
Film Dr. can’t quite understand why he’s attracted to Dinner for Schmucks, but his analysis is stupendous: http://filmdr.blogspot.com/2010/07/idiot-allegiances-5-things-l-liked.html
Jake Cole has an exhausive essay up on the rock flick It Might Get Loud at his place that’s a must-read: http://armchairc.blogspot.com/2010/07/it-might-get-loud.html
Ed Howard’s newest review is an excellent consideration of John Frankenheimer’s Seconds, posted up at Only the Cinema: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2010/07/seconds.html
At The Blue Vial, Drew McIntosh is playing the screen cap meme game started by Joel and Stephen, and he’s gathered together some truly great stuff: http://thebluevial.blogspot.com/2010/07/curiosity-killed-image-gallery-meme.html
Jeopardy Girl discusses large gatherings and familial closeness in the latest entry of her always engaging and insightful life’s diary: http://jeopardygirl.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/we-are-family/
Our longtime friend, Anu, has a post up on deceased comic book icon Harvey Pekar, complete with a famous monologue from American Splendor: http://theconfidentialreport.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/harvey-pekar-1939-2010/
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Glad you were as charmed by Get Low as I was Sam. So far on my favorite 3 movies of summer (Winter’s Bone, Kids Are All Right and Get Low) we’re in agreement. Not that they’re also your favorites, but that you liked them also.
I’m surprised to see you jumping out of the Mann frying pan into the Charles Chaplin fire. You earned a well deserved break after the Mann Marathon, but nooooo, you’re back at it again!
Craig, I’ve very happy to be on the same page again with you on this beautiful little film, but I actually DO feel that WINTER’S BONE, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT and this film rank among the year’s best as you do. So the agreement is complete! Ha!
Yes, I am definitely gone! Completely out of my mind. No doubt about that. A break after Mann was in order, but my love for Chaplin was just too great to back off.
Thanks as always my very good friend!
Thanks for the pointer, Sam.
What a great week for you! Not one film that’s less than fantastic. Shoulder Arms, how hilarious is that! I keep laughing at the military routine every time I see it. And A Woman of Paris is so complex that it’s an achievement that he pulled it off as a silent film.
Great round up, as usual, Sam.
Thanks so much JAFB! The sequence in SHOULDER ARMS when Chaplin walks around as a tree had the gang howling! But everything you say is quite right!!! I positively adored A WOMAN IN PARIS on the big screen!!!
Now I am planning to make a “killing” this week with another festival, beginning with an afternoon showing today of SAVAGE MESSIAH and a triple feature on Thursday that includes THE DEVILS, even with that still planned late show of Chaplin’s LIMELIGHT (making for four on Thursday)
http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/kenrussell.html
Thank you Sam for mentioning me.
As always the most thought-provoking part of my posts are the comments I receive, for which I am very grateful.
This week I saw BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (***1/2) and TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE (***). I’ve also been enjoying following MovieMan’s meme on themed images across the net.
I liked TERABITHIA Stephen, and have used that Newbery winner in class. Movie Man’s series has really caught fire with so many! Thanks for the kind words.
Thank you so much for all of your support in these days leading up to the Huston blogathon, Sam. I promise everybody planning on participating that it is going to be a great week.
Adam: I’m sure it will be quite the grand event!!!!
Chaplin and Ozu Festivals in the same week. That’s Manhattan. I live near Tokyo, but I don’t know the last time we had Ozu festival….
I guess you have to prepare for yourself the worst print condition of next Ozu, “There was a father”. If they show the 16mm MOMAT print, then the audio track is horrible. I would rather have English subtitles. There is another print, called “Gosfilmofond print”, which they found during 90s in Russia, has better audio track, they say, though incomplete. But it has some scenes deleted by censors. I have never seen this print. I wonder how much restoration work they did on this film and which version (or restored ?) they will show at IFC.
Some Japanese consider “There was a father” is the best Ozu work. I don’t know if it is the “best” or not, but I love this film, its simplicity and very muted sad overtones.
Remember, Chishu Ryu (played the father) was only eight years older than Shuji Sano (played the son). That’s another angle you can enjoy.
I am looking forward to see your post on this film next week !
By the way, this is the great site to visit !
This is quite a unique post my friend, and later today I will answer it earnestly, as I will the others on this thread (I am leaving for Manhattan now) This is a great honor to have you chiming in from Tokyo on this most personal and cherished of all threads at WitD. Thank You!
Hello again Murderous Link!
As I stated yesterday, I was thrilled to hear from you, and marvel at your Tokyo residence. I am surprised there aren’t more festivals, though I’ve always known Ozu is adored in the West even more than he is in the country he worked in. I don’t remotely find THERE WAS A FATHER as Ozu’s best work, though I have seen the film on the Panorma DVD and love it nonetheless. TOKYO STORY, LATE SPRING, EARLY SUMMER, TOKYO TWILIGHT, AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON, I WAS BORN…BUT and A HEN IN THE WIND for me are his supreme masterworks, but THERE WAS A FATHER is still great. Yes, the MOMA print is the one the IFC will use, and having been there the past two weeks I have endured that awful “noise distraction” audio you speak of. The English subtitles though, are fine, though again the print is really rough. I have read where Japanese film preservation methods in those years was dire. In any case, there really has been no restoration work done on any of teh Ozu print sstaeside, though his more famous later films look reasonably good, as do the Region 1 and 2 DVDs. (the recent BFIs are must-owns in this regard)
Geez, I never realized there was only an eight-year difference in age there! Wow!
I’d love to hear from you again my friend about this festival, which I wil attend faithfully every week and report back here in this weekly thread.
I will now add your blogsite to our blogroll on our sidebar. Thanks very much for the kind words!
Thank you for including my site in your blogroll. Even though it’s now a small site, I will keep it on rolling. Even though I am a big fan of classic Hollywood films (yeah, I am another John Alton fan), I will write about Japanese films from the angles only Japanese would find, so some of you might find them interesting.
The list of your favorite Ozu films show your exquisite taste. Apparently, you have seen quite many of Ozu films, and that’s amazing.
Notorious condition of Japanese film preservation is the critical issue when you want to explore vast richness of Japanese cinema. But remember, Ozu films are lucky ones. I think it was Hiroshi Inagaki (Samurai Trilogy), who once said to Ozu, “I envy you. Your films survived because they are unpopular. My films didn’t survive because they were so popular and run many times until the prints were torn apart.”
I saw Winter’s Bone and it was great. I do feel I need to see it again to get a better measure of it’s overall worth. I’ll give a temporary rating anyway….
Winter’s Bone ****1/2
Undertow ***
Werckmeister Harmonies ****1/2
The Big Red One ***1/2
The Grifters ***1/2
I’m speechless Sam. You never take breaks. It’s great that you are giving your young kids exposure to classic films.
Thanks for the kind words Maurizio! Well, I must admit the daily routine is finally starting to get to me now, though I will certainly strive to complete what I begun. I was over there last night with Lucille and the kids for the Mutuals and A KING IN NEW YORK, after I had watched Ken Russell’s SAVAGE MESSIAH in the afternoon at the Walter Reade Theatre.
Your own round-up here was fantastic, and I couldn’t agree with you more on WINTER’S BONE, which is definitely one of the year’s best films. Maybe I'[d go a bit higher on THE GRIFTERS myself, but these ratings are perfect from where I stand. WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES is indeed the masterwork of teh group.
Thanks as always, Maurizio for the terrific round-up!
Sam,
Again I thank you for the links and kind words. Another astounding week of film going on your part. The Film Forum is definitely on a roll with first the Mann festival, now the Chaplin festival and the upcoming Heist festival! I am anxiously waiting for “Get Low” to open here and if I am not mistaken it is either this week or next. My own pit stop at the theater this week was the low level comedy “Dinner for Smucks.”
Dinner For Smucks (Jay Roach) **- A silly low brow comedy admittedly with laughs but mainly this film reflects how cruel people can be toward each other. At almost two hours it wears out its welcome. Wait for the DVD if you must see it.
Jigsaw (Fletcher Markle)**1/2- I gave this film an extra 1/2 star because its heart is in the right place. Independently made, Franchot Tone is an Assistant D.A. who is fighting to expose a racist-hate group with some figures in high places in the city government. The city is New York and considering New York City’s political bent and the makeup of its population it is hard to swallow. John Garfield, Henry Fonda and others made cameo appearances here.
The Desperate Hours (William Wyler)**** – I have watched this film quite a few times over the years and always enjoy it. There is a sense of unrelenting fear and randomness that it could happen to anyone. That is what still makes this film work well. Wyler is an archetypal style Hollywood filmmaker in the best sense of the word never letting the camera intrude on the story. Full review coming at 24frames.
The Fatal Glass of Beer ***1/2 – Forget the cheap sets and focus on the great W.C Fields, probably the darkest film comedian of his era. From the hilarious song where Fields plays a dulcimer while a Northwest mounted policeman sheds tears to the final scene where he throws his son out into the snow this short film proves that W.C. was one of the great anarchists of the cinema .
Dark Passage (Delmar Daves)***1/2 Bogart and Bacall are reteamed in this crime thriller about a man who escapes from San Quentin and is out to prove his innocence. The film is a couple of steps below the other Bogie/Bacall films but is still entertaining enough to keep you going and Bacall looks beautiful while Bogie spends more than half the film with his face wrapped up in bandages.
Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (Daniel Anker)****1/2 – A disturbing and important documentary on Hollywood’s depiction of the holocaust. Through newsreel clips, film clips and interviews the filmmakers show us the film industry’s response to the rise of Nazism, the horrors of Nazi Germany and Hollywood’s response before and since World War II. In the pre-war years only a few films dealt with what was happening in Nazi Germany not directly criticizing Hitler and his government. When MGM released “The Mortal Storm” in 1940 the word Jew is never said, instead the phrase non-Aryan is used. The most direct attack on Hitler at the time was by none other than Charlie Chaplin in “The Great Dictator” a film he financed himself. It wasn’t until Sidney Lumet’s “The Pawnbroker” in 1965 that American filmmakers attempted to show the atrocities of the death camps. Narrated by Gene Hackman, “Imaginary Witness” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2004. A must see.
Thanks so much for that John! Yes the Film Forum is having quite the summer, and with the Tuesdays Astaire and Rogers Festival upcoming and the William Castle Festival near the end of the month, they continue to set the pace for repetory scheduling. I have also this week (yesterday in fact) attended the Ken Russell retro at the beautiful Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center, with that state of the art giant screen. I saw Russell’s difficult-to-find SAVAGE MESSIAH, and on Thursday will be watching the controversial THE DEVILS in the afternoon there at the same place, and am pondering watching TOMMY and THE BOYFRIEND before and after, though the vening showing of LIMELIGHT at the Film Forum on the final day of the Chaplin Festival may make that difficult.
Once again you have demonstrated your own kind of movie marathon, combining the theatre experience with tireless at-home viewing! On your advice I wil indeed avoild SHMUCKS like the plague, or at least until the DVD appears.
I am most intrigued with IMAGINARY WITNESS, and very much appreciate that enlightening historical qualification. Yes, I know Chaplin did indeed take on the Nazis with his self-financed THE GREAT DICTATOR, but didn’t realize the Lumet film was a first of its kind in the sense you broach here. I must see this.
On DESPERATE HOURS, DARK PASSAGE and A FATAL GLASS OF BEER, I completely agree with your summary estimation, though perhaps I might go with the Fields slightly above the Bogart. But it’s close enough to go either way. I will indeed be looking forward to your review on the former at 24 Frames. And yes, I absolutely agree that Fields was one of the great “anarchists” of the cinema! I can’t seem to place JIGSAW.
Yet another peerless, spectacular wrap of a week to remember John!!!!
Wow! I remember see both of those Russell films when they were originally released. THE DEVILS provoked a lot of controversy at the time.
Hey Sam. I have had a terribly quiet week, as I have been preoccupied on other fronts. However, it seems to be a good time to be away from the cinema, etc, as there is precious little out there right now to get excited about. However, I have seen one or two programmes for August and I am hopeful that some return to quality offerings is on the way soon!
I was watching another Robert Duvall film the other night though in “The Chase”. An interesting piece in terms of its willingness to say controversial things about middle- and upper-class American society. It is unquestionably a polemic work and probably suffers in a critical sense from being so. However, I liked it far more now than when I saw it first (as part of a “Brando” kick that I was on at the time). In some ways, its unsatisfactory nature makes it more appealing to me now than a much more tidily construed work such as “In the Heat of the Night”.
As always, ta greatly for the link!
Longman: Your tireless work week in and week out, and your attendance at every cultural venue that Dublin has to offer does entitle you to a little break. But yes, traditionally this is the weakest time of the year for new movie releases, both here and over the pond by you. But at least you’ve managed as of late to see (and review) some stellar stage productions. I’m sure things will pick up soon enough, though there’s always something promising in the Manhattan theatres on a weekly basis. You know what? I can’t place that particular Duvall film, I’m sorry to say. But I’m definitely in Duvall mode right now, that’s for sure!
Enjoy your well-deserved respite my very good friend!
Bonjour! Sam Juliano,
“Other than that, congratulations to “Artesmia” for naming ‘Donald Crisp’ to win our Anthony Mann DVD Giveaway contest.”
I want to “truly”…Thank-you, for the honour of presenting me with this DVD “Fall of the Roman Empire?!?…After Allan Fish, said, that I lost!
Why? Sam, Why didn’t you listen to him…Because I watched Ratatouille yesterday morning and a few minute ago too!
Just think…twenty-nine…more days of Ratatouille…
Oh! “phooey!” (As I protrude my bottom lip and fold my arms!)
I thought that I…“won!”
Merci, beaucoup!
Sam Juliano,
Aye Artesmia, you have captured the prize and your days of RATATOUILLE as a steady diet are over (at least for a short while anyway! Ha!) Congrats on coming up with ‘Donald Crisp’ and thanks so much for the efferevescent submission here!
I’ve read nothing but praise for “Get Low” and I’ve always appreciated Duvall’s late-career work. It’s subtle and soulful. It wouldn’t surprise me if he contended for the Oscar either, as I recall him losing out on some close calls over his career even with that one win for “Tender Mercies.”
So the beat goes on with Chaplin and Ozu. You are really one driven dude.
Yes Frank, at the time it was a major surprise that Duvall didn’t win the Oscar for THE APOSTLE, and word is that his friend Bob DeNiro called him on the phone and told him he got ‘ripped off’ after Jack Nicholson won for AS GOOD AS IT GETS. I pretty much agree.
Thanks as always for your valued contributions.
Hi! Sam Juliano, Allan, and WitD readers,
My Lead-in:
Sam, once again some very interesting films that you watched this week on your weekly quest to let your readers, know what films that you experienced at the theatre and on stage.
Sam Juliano said, “Another hectic week in Manhattan was mainly fueled by attendance at the Chaplin and Ozu Festivals at the Film Forum and IFC Film Center, respectively. Here is the completed itinerary…”
Sam Juliano, I guess once again…that goes without saying the Chaplin films are classics…Therefore, no stars are needed….Now, on the other hand, I guess the Ozu, are classics too…Since, I have never watched any of his films yet, I know, I know, with “yet” being the “operative” word.
I will probably get around to watching his films one day, but to be totally, honest I haven’t watched any Asian films yet, but hopefully that will change one day. I have read and heard nothing, but positive feedback about the Duvall film “Get Low” over the weekend.
Sam Juliano, here is what happened on my end…
…Once again, I have been very busy being a co-administrator on a message board…and believe me that is no easy task…but, rest assured I’am “still” up to challenge.
Films on Top of the Telly: There are too many films that are sitting on top of the telly and in my Amazon.com cart…that I must watch I truly hope to rectify that very soon…or at least, before next Monday Morning Diary.
Books on the shelf:
These same books still remain on the shelf:
1.author Diane Satterfield The Thirteenth Tale…
2.Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island…
3.Think of Numb3r by John Verdon…
4.authors Alan Moore and David Lloyd… V for Vendetta
5.Frank Millers…The Dark Legend:Beginnings
6.A Panorama of American Film Noir (1941-1953)
by Raymond Borde, Etienne Chaumeton, James Naremore…
and 7. Mystery,Suspense, Film and Detective Movies and DVD:A Best Guide to Crime Thrillers…
Music on the shelf:
I’am listening to a song by a group called the GooGoo Dolls…that I discovered while visiting C.M. blog…This is still True…
Food: Hmmm…a very light touch…as usual…and due to the fact, that I also have dental work looming around the corner soon.
Double…Ouch!
Sports:…No Comment…
Politics:…No Comment…I guess that about wrap up my week in review for this week.
By the way, Sam Juliano, thanks, for mentioning the non-happenings on my blog again…as usual.
Take care!
DeeDee 😉 🙂
Aye Dee Dee, in a sense allotting star ratings for the Chaplins may be somewhat of an “obvious” exercise, but believe it or not there are a few – just a few – ha! – that fall under the five-star level. But there is little question that he’s a towering genius, and repeat viewings of his films in this fashion never fail to overwhelm. As far as the Ozu festival, well of course that one is ‘spaced out’ over several months, with one film sreened four times over the weekend in the mornings/afternoons. The schedule includes 20 films (I missed the two, but have now seen the next two) and have plans to watch all 16 of the remaining titles running into November. Of course the two I missed are films I have already seen on DVD, and the first, THE ONLY SON, was just released on an excellent Criterion DVD set. Ozu is perhaps the cinema’s most renowned humanist, and the smallest of domestic matters always inspires acute fascination. His work in ingrained with the concept of a ‘cycle of life’ and I relish every second I spend with this incomparable genius. I do hope and anticipate that you get to some of his greater films – TOKYO STORY, LATE SPRING, EARLY SUMMER and TOKYO TWILIGHT among others.
Yes, from my end I can stand with the high praise for GET LOW, which features a great performance from Robert Duvall, and some very fine ones from Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek. It’s an often humorous backwoods story with an emotional coda.
Your tireless work Dee Dee, on that message board (in addition to your sustained blogging) puts you into the bionic category with the likes of John Greco and others! As always your involvement here at WitD and the many kindnesses at the site and on a personal level could never be repaid.
Still, you have a great line-up of books there, and I see Ms. Satterfield and Mr. Lehane continue to lead the way. Dee Dee, I know just how difficult it is to get to all you plan, and like you I have a list of so-called “priorities” that at least for a while do not readily diminish in number. Allan’s “backlog” for instance, though I think my plate is always full.
The Panorma aof Film Noir, (which I have as YOu well know!) is a great volume for sure, but the others sound good too!
I am very sorry you must endure some dental work, as I find those visits as the most least-tolerated of all at least from a mental stand point. Just don’t think about it!
Thanks for being the great person you are!
Sam, thanks so much for the wonderful mention.
Wow, you had yet another envy-producing week. I’m so jealous of both the Ozu and Chaplin festivals and look forward to reading about all your experiences with them.
This week was a little thin in terms of movie-watching on my end. I only caught Hitchcock’s YOUNG AND INNOCENT and MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. I particularly enjoyed the latter and couldn’t believe how fantastic and primal (at times) Claude Rains was in the film.
Thanks, Sam, for all that you do. Here’s to another great week.
Thanks so much Jeffrey for brightening up this thread weekly and for the beautiful words.
Luckily for me, these festivals have been staged during the summer, when it’s more feasible to realize multiple appearances. I do know how much you love Ozu and Chaplin, and would be in attendance if you resided in these parts.
I must say I completely agree with you on MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, which remains one of the irrefutable classics of the American cinema, and (with IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE) Capra’s masterpiece. I love that word ‘primal’ to define Rains’ performance!
Ever impressed by your cinematic stamina, Sam. There is a Chaplin series arriving here this fall that I expect will feature many of these, so I appreciate the heads-up on which ones to look out for. Also, Get Low really looks to be one to keep a sharp eye on heading into the early awards season. I would say the same for Restrepo in the documentary categories; thanks for the link love as always.
Thanks for the kind words Dan, and trust all is going well with you and your new bride. As I stated above to Jeffrey, the summer has been kind to my excesses, but I’ve certainly had to make some sacrifices. I’d think you will react positively to GET LOW, but I do hope it gets there next week. I have seen your superb review of RESTREPO, and will be over there to add my two cents.
Great to have you here as always Dan!
Wow, from marathon Mann viewing to the same with Chaplin/Ozu and also keeping up with everyone on your blogroll like this…don’t know how you do it, Sam. Meanwhile, I post nothing all week, leave no comments on anyone’s sites, and watch relatively few movies. What’s my excuse!
I did want to mention the great content that has been here as of late. I was curious how things would go on the site once’s Allan’s countdowns were finished, but between the Yoshida/Mann reviews from Allan, your Mann megapost, Jamie’s Riike posts, and Joel’s continuing series on the 2000’s, I’ve had much to read and enjoy here (even if I’m not having the time to leave any comments). I apologize that when the horror countdown starts that my posts likely won’t reach the heights that the rest of you guys here accomplish 😉
Guess what I watched this week — more horror. And frankly, I’m burned out on watching it for a bit, as I’ve crammed in some 100+ horror movies of varying quality in the last 8 weeks. Our final lists are being completed for the countdown and that means for me, it’s time to start writing reviews, which I’m actually excited to start taking my time on again.
“Guess what I watched this week — more horror. And frankly, I’m burned out on watching it for a bit, as I’ve crammed in some 100+ horror movies of varying quality in the last 8 weeks. Our final lists are being completed for the countdown and that means for me, it’s time to start writing reviews, which I’m actually excited to start taking my time on again.”
I agree with everything you say here. I want to start (and have started) writing the reviews. I’m now also beginning to watch a non-horror film every now and then to break up all the scare films. Not only can horror fatigue you but good films lose their power when they are all back to back. I need a romantic film, or a sentimental one bad right now, or just anything that isn’t graphic blood and guts!
Your reflections here Troy are much appreciated! Yes the site has stayed afloat with an assortment of contributions from all those you mention, as well as from Maurizio Roca, Bob Clark and Jim Clark. I know when the horror polling commences, there will be the added excitement of another countdown, which always seems to draw special attention. Your own involvement is really a bonus for everyone as both you and Kevin have logged endless hours into this enterprise. You say you haven’t watched many movies as of late, but what you’ve taken in over the past months has been staggering. Blogging at other sites really does reach the burn out point to be honest, and ones need a break for it at some point.
Your loyalty to this place is legendary, and I thank you a million times over!
Thanks, Sam, for drawing attention to Chaplin. It’s too bad his films don’t enjoy more popularity in today’s culture. Since most of his work was in silents, I suppose that’s inevitable, especially when you consider his exile from Hollywood over political issues and such. Monsieur Verdoux has a special place in my heart.
Regarding Winter’s Bone, in some ways I liked it more than Frozen River. Although the latter film had two standout performances, the former seemed more consistent to me.
Get Low sounds promising — I’d begun to think that Duvall had already given us his best stuff, as lately his work has seemed like so much scene chewing.
Hello Pierre, my very good friend, and I am grateful for your wisdom at this place always!
I agree with you that WINTER’S BONE rates ahead of FROZEN RIVER, but then I think the former is one of the best films I’ve seen this year, period. But yes, the latter did have those two excellent performances, and Leo received her Oscar nod for it as you well know. But the comparison between the two films is apt of course.
Yep, it’s sad that Chaplin doesn’t receive more adoration aside from the hardened film buffs and cineastes. I saw MONSIEUR VERDOUX this past Wednesday with a friend, and it retained it’s considerble power. The segment where Chaplin is hunched over in the greenhouse makes me guffaw just to think of it. I watched A KING OF NEW YORK last night (with four of the Mutuals) and it has its moments, even if on balance it was one of teh weakest features. But the quartet of supreme masterpieces (CITY LIGHTS, MODERN TIMES, THE CIRCUS and THE GOLD RUSH) continue to resonate in a big way.
I agree with what you say about Duvall’s recent work, and was indifferent to his respected turn in THE ROAD, but he was given a feast of a role hear, really delivering the goods in his big speech scene at the end. I’d be curious to know what you think of this one!
I am so jealous that you have an Ozu and Chaplin festival to go to in the same week, two of my favorite directors. I just finished an Ernst Lubitsch series at LACMA and there is a Sam Fuller series coming up so I have something to look forward to. Oh and I saw “Life During Wartime” this week and, as a fan of “Happiness,” I have to say it was a disappointment, but not awful. More on that later.
Thanks again for linking to my blog. It’s always appreciated. And to clarify, I just finished my best of 1933, not the 1930s. (I know you know that.) I posted my choice for the best picture of 1933 last night: http://moviesovermatter.wordpress.com/2010/08/02/best-pictures-of-1933-1-zero-de-conduite/ . I will do the best performances of 1933 this week and 1934 will begin the week after!
Hey Jason! Lubitsch is not exactly chopped liver! Ha! I’m sute in LA you have some excellent options, and I know you are one who takes full advantage of the classic venues. I am no fan of LIFE BEFORE WARTIME, but I’d be more than curious to read about your take on it.
Well, I see you have annointed Vigo’s masterpiece ZERO DE CONDUITE as the best film of 1933, a decision that corresponds with my own sentiments. I’ll definitely be over to add my two cents, and look forward to those new ventures!
Thanks as always my friend!
Thanks Sam for the mention. You surely had a hectic week. Well, I too had a hectic week, though not from the point of view of watching movies 🙂 And yeah, it was great to know the results of the 2000’s poll. I’d been waiting with bated breath for that.
Thanks Shubhajit! I can imagine the week you must have had, but I’m sure you are more than up for the task. That polling seem to go on forever, but in the end the results were most distinguished. great to see you have managed some of your exquisite capsules!
Sam
I eagerly anticipate your upcoming post on the many Chaplin films you took in this week.
Myself, I love “Modern Times,” but have never really warmed to “The Great Dictator” (although I can see why kids would like it.) For me, the cheesy low-budget sets, the painfully hokey dialogue and especially the slapstick treatment of Hitler’s anti-semitism that plays queasily from this side of 1940, all contribute to my disappointment. A few years back, I watched a TCM documentary on Chaplin and was quite relieved to hear Woody Allen say that he never found the whole ‘dance-with-the-globe’ sequence to be funny at all – I’ve always felt the same. I do think that it is remarkable how much more polished and sophisticated Chaplin’s dialogure became by the time he made “Monsieur Verdoux.”
Anyway, my week included seeing “The Extra Man” (which was disappointing, despite Kevin Kline’s predicatbly dapper-yet-demented performance) and “The Kids are All Right” (which I think merits a repeat veiwing for fullest appreciation.)
I also attended an 80th birthday tribute to Sondheim at Ravinia, which was a bit disappointing. Depsite the fact that it carried the steepest ticket price of the season, the whole concert was over in less that 75 mins. All four of the performers (Audra MacDonald, George Hearn, Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris) seemed to be phoning it in to some degree, although most rallied to deliver some memorable songs. Lu Pone, however, is a singer/actress with whom I have a real love/hate thing. She’s a terrific acress with whipcracking comic timing, but her, eh, “vocal idiosyncracies” drive me insane. And she was at her worst this night, coasting on the audience’s goodwill and growling, swooping and screaming her way through numbers that would have greatly benefitted from the kind of nuance she is unable to deliver.
Thanks for letting me share here, Sam. This comments thread is the closet I get to real blogging these days. Hope the Julianos are enjoying their summer!
That is quite a contribution there Pat, and I am deeply grateful for it, and the opportunity to hear from you!
I can’t say I am all that far off from your assessment of THE GREAT DICTATOR, though repeated viewings have brought out more appreciation that I originally had. There no doubt that the final passifist speech is hokey, and continues to be seen by many as a crippling flaw even today. Woody is right about the ‘dancing with the globe’ sequence, which is not remotely funny, and there are some other dead spots. I like the film on balance now, but it’s nowhere in the same league with CITY LIGHTS, MODERN TIMES, THE CIRCUS, and THE GOLD RUSH, nor is it on the level of THE KID nor MONSIEUR VERDOUX among his feature films. In fact A MOMAN IN PARIS rates higher as well, and Chaplin didn’t even appear in that one as an actor.
Thanks for the kind words about my upcoming Chaplin post, which is planned for next Monday above the Monday Morning Diary.
I haven’t seen THE EXTRA MAN, Pat, but I’ll keep in mind what you say here. I did like THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT quite a bit, but perhaps this one is indeed best appreciated on repeat viewing. I was particularly impressed with Anette Bening, an actress I never really cared for all that much prior to this. But I am a Cholodenko fan, and think highly of her inde, HIGH ART.
Geez, I am sorry to hear about that screach fest from Lupone, Pat, and that the duration of that Sondheim tribute was so brief! And a steep ticket price to boot! That’s too bad, but sadly some of these live events don’t always deliver what they promote. I’ve heard LuPone on Broadway, but the venue you descrive here is admittedly a different animal.
I’m flattered and much much appreciative for your input Pat, and thanks for the summer wishes. The same to you and yours! All of us will be going on a short four day trip to Wildwood, N.J. on or about Aug. 17th. That’s the premium seashore resort in the state, and although we went there annually for many years, we haven’t been there in about four years, so it’s some kind of agetaway for the kids to enjoy. We also have a day trip to the annual Sussex State Fair, which is always a great time.
Thanks again!
Hey, Sam. Can’t wait to see GET LOW – glad to hear you liked it. BTW, he directed Schneider in the Oscar-winner for his short film adaptation of Faulkner’s short-story, “Two Soldiers” a few years back.
David, I wasn’t aware he had director TWO SOLDIERS, but that’s good news, as I was thinking we had a newbie here. I am confident you will find much to relish in this affecting film.
Many thanks for the kind mentions, Sam – much appreciated. Once again I’m awed by how much you manage to pack in, and I look forward to reading your thoughts on the Chaplin festival!
I’ve made it to the cinema twice this week – I saw Polanski’s ‘The Ghost’ which I really enjoyed, although I thought it possibly had a twist too many near the end, and also saw ‘Toy Story 3’ with my “children” (who are 20 and 16 but still wanted to go as they have grown up with the characters!) Unfortunately we found the 2D showing was sold out so we were forced to pay for 3D yet again – aargh. I thought this was an enjoyable movie, possibly the best of the three. Loved the evil bear.
The director of the Capitol Theatre in Rome, New York, where the rare Wellman silent ‘You Never Know Women’ will be showing, has left a comment on my blog. It sounds like an amazing theatre, with a restored 1928 Moller theatre organ to accompany the silent films. He confirmed that it is a five-and-a-half hour drive from Manhattan, but said people do travel from NYC – and even from England!
I hope I will get to see that Wellman film some day, but, in the meantime, I have managed to see another of his pre-Codes, ‘College Coach’ (1933), a satirical film about corruption in college football starring Pat O’Brien, Dick Powell, Ann Dvorak and Lyle Talbot… and with one line for an uncredited John Wayne! I enjoyed this although it is a strange film which lurches unevenly between comedy and drama – will hope to write it up soon, though I want to watch it again first! Thanks again, my friend.
Thanks as always Judy for the very kind words! Yes, I admit I’ve been a bit out of control as of late and need to settle down a bit. Ha! I’m pretty much in agreement with you on the Polanski film, and of courtse I share your loving regard for TOY STORY 3. Even your “kids” bless them, can never be too old for that, nor any Pixar for that matter. The evil bear was a great creation for sure!
That is really something that you received that notification from the theatre in Rome, New York, and I’m sure that quite the place. It surely does receives tourists from all over. God, I’m tempted again to make that trip.
Thanks for that capsule report on COLLEGE COACH too, and I’ll be looking for the review at MOVIE CLASSICS!
Thanks as always for the wonderful report, my very good friend!
Sam Juliano said,”Your tireless work Dee Dee, on that message board (in addition to your sustained blogging…”
Hi! Sam Juliano,
Well, to be quite honest with you Sam Juliano, I don’t blog as much as I use to it’s almost down to whisper(s) (If I change a post it’s almost a cause for celebration…Woot! Woot!)…As a matter of fact, I don’t even lurk anymore (I use to be a “big-time” lurker…my motto…”I never met a blog that I didn’t like!”)…It may be that message board, but if the truth be told it’s really more private matters and a personal reason(s) that is “pulling” me away from the internet.
Take care…as usual!
DeeDee 😉 🙂
Dee Dee: I hear you, but I never would have known it if you didn’t mention it, as you have continued to support this blog in a very big way, as well as a few others we both frequent.
Thanks as always.
Sam,
I was wondering when the Animation Countdown may be. I know Horror is up first but it’s best for me to go sooner rather than later. Perhaps after Jamie and the Olsons. The preparation is going well.
Stephen, we can go with your animation coundown IMMEDIATELY after the horror countdown. Bob Clark has told me he would prefer to do his sci-fi a bit later, and the same can be surmised for Donophon with his promised western round-up. So count yourself on for early November, if that’s OK with you.
OK, sounds great. Thanks, Sam.
I’m the lucky one because I’m not dealing with a genre and therefore not getting the kind of “fatigue” Jamie mentions. There’s so much variety across so many media.
These countdowns can include TV productions, can’t they?
Absolutely Stephen! As you know Allan went with a number of television productions in his decade countdowns!
Good. I wouldn’t want to leave out any great work, including of course work by animators and Directors who have also worked on feature films.
Stephen I agree, if you are going to examine this great form, there shouldn’t be form restrictions.
By the way, what is it that you teach (you talk about using Bridge to Terabithia in class) ?
Stephen, I am an English major and have taught literature and creative writing to middle schoolers and Jr. High kids for 24 years. I have used BRIDGE during the school year a number of times, but for the summer class that ends this week on Friday I went with ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS by Scott O’Dell. My wife Lucille, formerly a special ed teacher, is now a principal in the same home town school district I teach in.
Thanks very much for asking.
Ah. Sounds great.