by Sam Juliano
A Wonders in the Dark salute to all the fathers out there who were treated to dinners by family members and all of whom were on the receiving end of the traditional “Happy Father’s Day” greeting. Weather in the northeast was exceptional after a what must have been the longest sustained period of rain showers in a very long time. Many thanks once again to our dear friend Dee Dee for adorning the sidebar with the holiday banner.
This past Saturday marked the first installment of what is planned to be a long running series on television anthology episodes from some of the best series of their kind ever aired. The western polling continues, with about six more weeks left for voters to cast ballots. This far, eight have been submitted.
Lucille and I attended three films at the Ozu Festival, including a Father’s Day doubleheader of films I have seen many times over the years. We also took in two new releases, one of which I am tempted to sue the filmmakers for stealing two hours of my life. Ha!
We saw:
Berberian Sound Studio ** (Saturday night) IFC Film Center
This is the End 0 stars (Friday afternoon) Edgewater multiplex
Walk Cheerfully *** 1/2 (Wednesday) Film Forum
There Was A Father ***** (Sunday) Film Forum
Record of a Tenement Gentleman **** 1/2 (Sunday) Film Forum
BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO has received solid reviews and the seal of approval from some at WitD, so I will make my dissenting opinion very brief. And I am humble enough to say that the problem may be me and not the film. First off, I am a long-time giallo and Dario Argento fan, and Mario Bava is one of my all-time favorite directors, so I went into this film with much optimism. The director, Peter Strickland eschews drama for sensory overload and stylistics that accentuates sound design, but for me it’s redundant. Still I have not seen all the films that are part of this homage, so perhaps my opinion is compromised. Admittedly there are a few sequences that capture the mood and atmosphere of the film’s Italian subjects.
THIS IS THE END is a perfect war cry for those who walk out disillusioned with one of silliest and forgettable films I’ve seen in years. Yet, as sophomoric and lame as the film is, it’s clear enough that in ways it’s a self-parody. But how many times can one laugh at the same raunchy joke, if indeed that same joke ever spurred on belly laughs in the first place. Some teenagers in the audiences were overcome with hysteria, but I had to ask myself why I would ever enter a theater to watch a film that starred James Franco, Jonah Hill, Michael Sera, Emma Watson, Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd. The joke’s on me, though two of my kids asked to see it after we realized we couldn’t make “Man of Steel.” This comic sub-genre has really wore out it’s welcome though I was never on board from the start.
I managed three films in the Ozu Festival, including a Father’s Day double feature, one of which (THERE WAS A FATHER) is one of the master director’s irrefutable masterpieces. It’s a tour de force that slowly builds to a shattering denouement, and the lead performance by Ozu’s favorite male actor, Chishu Ryu is one of the screen’s most unforgettable. The endearing and melancholic RECORD OF A TENEMENT GENTLEMAN, a masterful work in it’s own right -it features a young boy and his temporary guardian, a cynical old widow who eventually is won over and whose life is changed by the unexpected experience -was in mood and emotional undercurrent a perfect match for THERE WAS A FATHER. (Lucille, Sammy and I saw the film in the early afternoon with lifelong friend Tony Lucibello and then joined him, his wife and the other members of his family -including his 83 year-old father- who drove over to meet us at the Peking Duck House for a very fine holiday dinner in Chinatown. I have never eaten duck in my life and am frankly repulsed by the idea. I had some excellent hot and sour soup, pan fried noodles and chicken with broccoli, which Lucille had the soup and a pork and vegetable dish; Sammy had breaded flounder).
The engaging silent WALK CHEERFULLY was enhanced by Steve Sterner’s live piano score on Wednesday. Although I have seen all of these films (FATHER about a dozen times and RECORD maybe half that) it’s impossible not to spend time at an Ozu Festival, wherever or whenever it is shown. I have been attending in moderation because I have seen nearly every film in the festival multiple times and because I only two years ago attended another Ozu Festival at the IFC in force, but this coming week with be well-attended in good measure because of some of the titles, and because my friend wants to see several.
Some Links have been updated:
Tony d’Ambra has penned one of his great pieces on 1952’s The Thief at FilmsNoirnet: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/the-thief-1952-silence-is-golden.html
Jon Warner has written a superlative piece on the British IRA classic Odd Man Out at Films Worth Watching: http://filmsworthwatching.blogspot.com/2013/06/odd-man-out-1947-directed-by-carol-reed.html
Joel Bocko offers up a link to his already-published, sensational essay on Lawrence of Arabia (which may be his favorite film of all-time) at The Dancing Image: http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2009/08/lawrence-of-arabia.html
John Greco has posted a superlative essay on Jan Troell’s Everlasting Moments at Twenty Four Frames: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/everlasting-moments-2008-jan-troell/
Shubhajit Lahiri has posted a superlative review of John Ford’s She Wore A Yellow Ribbon at Cinemascope: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2013/06/she-wore-yellow-ribbon-1949.html
Marilyn Ferdinand has penned an extraordinary and important essay on the rare sound print of the British 1929 High Treason at Ferdy-on-Films: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/2013/high-treason-1929/18717/
Weeping Sam offers up his Top Ten favorite Beatles songs at The Listening Ear in an irresistible post by the rock specialist: http://listeningear.blogspot.com/2013/06/beatles-top-ten.html
Dee Dee’s ‘Ning’ is currently featuring a lead post on the 1947 noir classic “Nightmare Alley”: http://filmnoire.ning.com/video/nightmare-alley-1947-parte-1
Laurie Buchanan leads up with a most engaging post with a hook for a response titled “Six Word Stories: at Speaking From The Heart: http://tuesdayswithlaurie.com/2013/06/11/six-word-stories/
Murderous Ink at Vermillion and One Nights leads up with a fabulous new post on “Conversion to Talkies: Japanese Studios”: http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2013/06/conversion-to-talkies-japanese-studios.html
Judy Geater leads up at Movie Classics with a terrific review of Frank Capra’s “It Happened One Night”: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/it-happened-one-night-1934/
At “Scribbles and Ramblings” Sachin Gandhi has issued some spectacular praise for “Neighboring Sounds”: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2013/06/neighbouring-sounds.html
Jaimie Grijalba has written an excellent essay on the 2012 Chilean film “Carne de Perro” at Overlook’s Corridor: http://overlookhotelfilm.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/chilean-cinema-2013-14-carne-de-perro-2012/
Craig Kennedy has posted a terrific (and favorable) review of Berberian Sound Studio at Living in Cinema: http://livingincinema.com/2013/06/14/berberian-sound-studio-2013/
At the ever-ravishing Creativepotager’s blog Terrill Welch treats her readers to more ravishments in the name of roses: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/sunday-roses-in-june-at-la-casa-de-inspiracion/
Jeffrey Goodman celebrates the Talking Heads’ “Remain in Light” is a terrific musical post at The Last Lullaby: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2013/06/remain-in-light-talking-heads-1980.html
David Schleicher has penned an excellent essay on the new Superman movie at The Schleicher Spin: http://theschleicherspin.com/2013/06/15/tea-party-wish-fulfillment-messianic-fetishism-and-the-american-way-in-man-of-steel/
The best in Indian film, politics and culture is on display at Kaleem Hasan’s incomparable Satyamshot: http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/
Patricia Hamilton’s latest post at Patricia’s Wisdom is a fabulous review of the novel “The Lemon Tree”: http://patriciaswisdom.com/2013/06/the-lemon-tree-an-arab-a-jew-and-the-heart-of-the-middle-east-sandy-tolan/
Drew McIntosh presents a fascinating point of contact between two films at The Blue Vial: http://thebluevial.blogspot.com/2013/06/points-of-contact-61313_13.html
Felix Gonzalez Jr. has written a terrific capsule assessment of the underrated “Return to Oz” at Film Fantomes: http://filmfantomes.wordpress.com/
Dean Treadway has a fantastic display of 70 double-feature movie posters up at Filmicability: http://filmicability.blogspot.com/2013/05/i-love-double-feature-movie-posters.html
Michael Harford’s latest post at the revived Coffee Messiah blogsite is another poetic collaboration with Paul Hawkins: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2013/06/week-6-38.html
J.D. LaFrance at Radiator Heaven has penned a typically great and comprehensive review on Josh Wheadon’s “Serenity” at Radiator Heaven: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2013/06/serenity.html
The exceptional writer Andrew Katsis has a terrific essay on “Casablanca””’ up at Dee Dee’s place Darkness Into Light: http://noirishcity.blogspot.com/2013/04/heres-looking-at-you-kidas-my-writer.html
One of the best writers out there, the incomparable Ed Howard is still working at an impressive pace at Only The Cinema, with his latest post on the silent classic “Golem”: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-golem-1920.html
Jason Bellamy tackles Malick’s To the Wonder in typically spectacular form at The Cooler: http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2013/04/penrose-stairs-to-wonder.html
Paddy Mullholland has penned a largely favorable, well-written capsule on “Man of Steel” at Screen on Screen: http://screenonscreen.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-man-of-steel.html
Hey Sam. Many many thanks for the generous referral! I need as many as I can get 😉
Wish I was there to take in the Ozu Festival with you. I have not seen any of his films in a cinema. Ozu fascinates me as a film-maker and as a person. Learning only recently of his alcoholism and the single Japanese character (“nothing”?) non-epitaph on his tomb I am seeing his films in a new – if it makes sense – “darker” light.
Thanks to the generosity of a certain Brit I have taken in two recent British TV mini-series: Broadchurch, and The Politician’s Husband.
Broadchurch which had a massive following in the UK over 8 weeks earlier this year, concerns the investigation of the killing of a young boy in a small prosperous seaside town in Dorset. The performances from a stellar cast are top notch, and the high production values demonstrate the real strength of Brit TV, and the willingness to delve into life as it is lived by most of us, using actors who actually look and behave like real people. At first I was reluctant to go to such a dark place, and then was compelled to continue watching as it drew me into a maelstrom of emotions driven by the need not only to find the killer but to comprehend the how and why of it all. The writing, the cinematography, and the direction are exceptional. The landscape is intimately involved and rendered in rich tones of aching beauty. A must-see.
The Politician’s Husband is a lesser study of the rivalry between a political couple, which confirms all our fears on the mendacity and moral depravity of politicians, where even family and friends are no strangers to treachery. Great acting but pedestrian plotting and direction just hold it together over 4 episodes. A strength is the brutal portrayal of the politics of marriage and how vengeful misogyny can be found in ‘normal’ relationships, where sex can be just as much a weapon of vengeance as an expression of intimacy. Recommended.
I also finally watched Mallick’s To The Wonder, and for someone who found The Tree of Life a masterpiece, was mightily disappointed. The whole affair is flimsy and pretentious, with the masterful cinematography and elegant mis-en-scene largely wasted on the mannered antics of a clutch of shallow bourgeois mouthing banal poetry over too many scenes of egotistical ardour, and of impossibly beautiful women if not endlessly dancing around like 10 year olds, moping about empty backyards, or running nymph-like through fields of high grass. Indulgent film-making that mistakes talking about love over pretty pictures for profundity. The priest is the only interesting character, and we see too little of him. Are we supposed to care about the Affleck character because he is some kind of environmentalist? Most of the time he looks like the Incredible Hulk fitted-out by Ralph Lauren.
PS: Sam, am I now in the cinematic dog-house?
hahahahaha Tony!!! I think I’ll grant you a reprieve from spending time in that doghouse in view of your brilliant takedown of TO THE WONDER! Well, as you well know I’m sure you are with the majority, not that it means all that much anyway. Allan and I (and Jon Warner) have expressed the deepest admiration and regard for the film, but just about everyone else on these pages has pointed out flaws and various difficulties. What you say there about Affleck seems to be the general perception, and the Hulk sizing up has me in stitches! Ha! When the blu-ray releases I’ll watch it again and see if it holds up. I much appreciate the superlative analysis of both BROADCHURCH and THE POLITICIAN’S HUSBAND, neither of which I’ve and both of which you discuss brilliantly. You already have me sold lock, stock and barrel on BROADCHURCH in fact! When I do see it I’ll return again to your insightful capsule. And yes, I have long known of your deep regard for Ozu, and have admired some of your poetic framings of his legacy. I did know he was a heavy drinker (and smoker), which could well have contributed to his untimely death at the age of 60 after a very prolific career. Have a great week my friend!
Tony, I never thought about it before but I have never read much about Ozu’s life other than reading about his filmmaking methods. I didn’t know about his alcoholism and that single word. I can see how that would change viewing some of his films. I will have to read more. Curious now…
Sachin, I sort of had a perspective on this before I knew what I mention above, in July last year in a post on my other occasional blog anothercinemablog.blogpost.com, and I don’t claim this idea has not been broached by others – I don’t know – anyway I will throw in what I posted for what it is worth:
I made an interesting cinematic connection when reading a piece in the UK Guardian yesterday. The article, an edited extract by Oliver Burkemen from his book ‘The Antidote: Happiness For People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking’, was tilted ‘Failure can be Inspiring: be positive, stay focused on success, we tell ourselves. But the truth path to contentment may lie in learning to be a loser’. Burkeman adopts the Stoic view of life: the ideal state of mind is tranquility – “not the excitable cheer of success”. In introducing his thesis Burkeman relates that there is a Japanese expression, mono no aware, that roughly translates as ‘the pathos of things’ and captures, in Burkeman’s words, a “kind of bitter-sweet melancholy at life’s impermanence – that additional beauty imparted to cherry blossoms, say, or human features, as a result of their inevitably fleeting time on Earth”. Yasujiro Uzo immediately came to mind, and that expression seems the essence of his cinema. Uzo’s pathos also imbues the prosaic with this bitter-sweetness: clothing drying on the line in a back-yard, idle smoke-stacks against a clear sky, or the simple joys of a bus-ride.
Thanks Tony. Your connection is quite insightful. I often used to think of the meaning in Ozu’s exterior shots and believed they helped either extend the sadness in some of the interior shots or provided some joy. But I didn’t dig deeper.
Tony – I love your assessment of TO THE WONDER – pretty much matches my own. No one over the age of 8 should twirl ecstatically everywhere they go.
“and of impossibly beautiful women if not endlessly dancing around like 10 year olds, moping about empty backyards, or running nymph-like through fields of high grass.”
Worked better on the far greater The New World. Malick went to that particular well once to often on TTW and its a major irritant.
LOL!!!!!!! There are some gems on these pages today Maurizio and yours is one!
Not sure how this comment got down here and not under Tony’s update. Having some WordPress issues today….
Pat, I re-entered the response to Tony above in the proper place.
Thanks for the mention & your comments Sam. Hope you had a good father’s day.
I understand your sentiment regarding BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO as I had the same debate with another friend who appreciated the sound design but didn’t enjoy the film.
When I first saw the trailer for THIS IS THE END, I had a feeling I won’t like it. I would have expected a low rating although very few films get 0 from you so that speaks about your painful experience 🙂
Have a good week ahead 🙂
Thanks so very much Sachin! I trust you had a great Father’s Day as well and did something that gave you all some joy. As I stated we spent a good part of the day at the Festival and in Chinatown, though my own 82 year-old father had dinner with my youngest brother Paul and his family at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant back in Fairview. I must give BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO another shot. The fact that the dialogue was practically indecipherable make the viewing experience very frustrating to say the least. I doubt you will like THIS IS THE END. Yes a “0” is most unusual from this pen! Ha! Have a great week my friend. Many thanks as always!
Glad to hear you had a good Father’s Day, Sam, and thanks for the warning to steer well clear of ‘This is the End’! I went to the cinema this week to see a play – a National Theatre Live relay of Peter Morgan’s ‘The Audience’, starring Helen Mirren as the Queen meeting various prime ministers over the 60 years of her reign. This was the first time I’ve seen a stage play live on screen in this way and I enjoyed it – have now bought tickets for the NT Live showing of Kenneth Branagh’s forthcoming production of ‘Macbeth’, to be staged in a church in Manchester.
Speaking of Branagh, I also finished watching the box set of ‘Fortunes of War’ with him and Emma Thompson as a couple stranded in war-torn Europe, a wonderful series where both of them give compelling performances.
I also saw a pre-Code starring Katharine Hepburn which got a rare showing on TV here, ‘Christopher Strong’, where she stars as a female aviator having an affair with a politician (Colin Clive) – Hepburn is great in it and wears an astonishing Moth costume, but I found the script rather stilted at times and didn’t warm to Clive, I must admit.
I was a bit surprised to see a trailer for a new film of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ which mentions Julian Fellowes as scriptwriter first and then belatedly brings in Shakespeare – reminds me of that old line about ‘script by Shakespeare with additional dialogue by Sam Wood’! There seem to be some bizarre “updatings” of lines, like: ‘These violent passions can have violent ends’ and ‘There is no world without the city walls’. A pity, because the actors speak the verse very well, judging by the trailer – but are hampered by these strange tamperings with the text. But anyway it is out here next month so I’ll doubtless be tempted…
Wishing everyone a good week.
Judy—
Thanks so much for the Father’s Day greetings! We had a memorable day, one where everything seemed to fall into place, including two successful street parkings for the two cars in our group on a day when lower Manhattan was understandable mobbed near Canal Street. Seeing many of the patrons at the restaurant ordering roast duck though had me turning my face. Ha!!! Alas you had a cultural week fit for the Queen! Really something! Great to hear they are starting to offer theater on movie screens. The experiment also worked with the HC opera simulcasts, and it bodes well for suture works including that Branagh MACBETH you have your eyes on. I do know that FORTUNES OF WAR is highly-regarded, and it’s one I really do need to see, especially as I am a fervent Branagh and Thompson fan! I do remember CHRISTOPHER STRONG, and I would have to agree with your summary judgement and caveats. Ha, love what you say about that upcoming ROMEO AND JULIET, but yes, I am also more than tempted!
Still trying to figure out what day we will leave London to visit Stratford-upon-Avon, and I’ll definitely be look forward to your recommendations. Our non-stop Virgin Atlantic flight will be leaving Newark Airport on Wednesday August 7th. We have a hotel booked in London, where we will stay until Monday, the 12th, from which point we will train up to Allan’s house in Kendal until the 21st, when we will return home. Allan, incidentally, will be with us in London for the whole time. There is a certain person I know, (a lovely lady and her family, who reside in Ipswitch) who I can’t wait to see. That will one of the highlights if not THE highlight of the trip.
Have a great week my friend!
Sam, thanks so much for that flattery – hopefully your trip will be full of highlights! Looking forward to meeting up with you in London in August – I’m sure we will be in touch about that nearer the time.
Thanks again Judy! Oh yes, we will be in touch on it soon.
Sam, I loved Berberian Sound Studio, but unlike a film such as Cattet’s & Forzani’s Amer, I don’t think an appreciation of giallo is necessary to “get” it, and I don’t think viewing it as homage is necessarily the most rewarding or fair approach. Its ambivalence towards the stand-in giallo director, who could be Bava or Argento or Fulci, is pretty clear, and that ambivalence in some respects extends towards the genre or at least the way the genre deals with its subjects as a whole. I’m not saying Strickland hates Argento–formally it’s pretty clear he doesn’t. At the same time, I think the director is approaching Italian horror films in a pretty exploratory and critical manner, and one that goes well beyond the parameters of dorky and unreflective genre homage.
Peter, this is an absolutely brilliant response from you, but I am hardly surprised. As I say the problem seems to be with me, and I owe this film another viewing. Many of us in the IFC’s first floor mini-theater were disgusted with the exceedingly low volume, which practically destroyed any hope to hear what was being said through the film. But then again maybe this was the way it was supposed to be? I don’t know. I completely understand what you are saying about the matter of homage being beside the point, and as I say I may well have written this off much too quickly. Thanks for the terrific and sobering response my friend.
Also, while I can muck it up with the best of the Bava fans, I’m afraid my giallo exposure is not near as good as I would have you believe. I have seen a few Argentos, but beyond that I have a long way to go.
Well what you say here is telling for sure, and it points out the importance of the sound design, which for me may have been sabotaged by a faulty presentation at the IFC. I need to make further inquiries, especially of the blu-ray/DVD owners who may shed some light on this report. Many thanks!
Was really hoping for a quickie review of MAN OF STEEL from you Schmulee…. I figured with the kids in tow they’d have shanghai-ed you into a multiplex to see that one. As you know all too well of my love for that original 1978 biographical film of the famed character, I’m dying to see what this knew take on one of the most iconic characters in modern literature offers up…
Dennis—-
We nearly made MAN OF STEEL, but we really had to work out schedule on Friday night around taking and picking Danny up to and from the 8th Grade dinner-dance at La Fortuna. Had the movie started ten minutes earlier than the time it did we could have seen it and subsequenly would have been spared that dire experience THIS IS THE END. Ha! In any event I know you have high hopes, and I plan on seeing it during teh week with a few of the kids. True what you say about the iconic status of the character, and you know I am a huge fan of the original series. Thanks as always my friend!
Sam – It sounds like you enjoyed a great Father’s Day weekend — all but two hours of it. Your comment about THIS IS THE END cracked me up!
Len enjoyed dinner out with our son, Evan. They had a great time! The description of your menu selections in Chinatown have my mouth watering!
I always love it when you include photos of the family in your posts! Have a terrific week!
Laurie—
We did indeed have a fun time yesterday, though it is true as you note that we do have to subtract those two hours in Edgewater on Friday night! Ha! Danny has a great time at the 8th grade dinner-dance! Great to hear that Len and Evan also had a memorable day!!! Yes, the Peking Duck House is a staple in NYC’s Chinatown, though there were no less than a dozen other establishments that would have also yielded delectable meals. The price was reasonable too. Thanks so much for acknowledging the photos my friend, and have a great week!
Like Dennis, I was sure that Man of Steel would be part of today’s round-up. It has not been universally admired, but on balance there appears to be more good than bad. Great photo of you, Lucille and Sammy. The Ozu Festival is the place to be this month!
Yep Peter, in view of how things turned out, I’d say I was actually disappointed we didn’t see MAN OF STEAL sight unseen! Some of the positive notices have actually surprised me, though you know Chris Nolan’s creative influence went much further than the producer’s chair. We will see. I hope to see several more Ozus this week, including one silent of his that I have never sen to this point. Thanks for the kind words about the photo my friend!
Sam –
Good morning and a belated Happy Father’s Day to you and all the other fathers Sam –
Good morning and a belated Happy Father’s Day to you and all the other fathers on the thread.
The Ozu festival sounds wonderful. I have no desire to see THIS IS THE END, and your review pretty much confirms that lack of interest. I almost watched BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO via OnDemand last evening, but opted instead for Mira Nair’s THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST which I found quite engrossing, if a little uneven. (Kiefer Sutherland’s ham-handed caricature of capitalist greed was a low point.)
My sole multiplex outing this week was NOW YOU SEE ME, big and dumb with just enough constantly-swooping-camera razzle-dazzle to make the first half seem entertaining. The second half rapidly devolved into sloppy, incomprehensible nonsense which the cast’s considerable star power could not overcome. Mark Ruffalo’s overwrought performance was particularly grating, the worst I’ve ever seen from him, although I chalk it up to poor direction.
I also caught a couple of documentaries. First EVOCATEUR, chronicling the blessedly brief talk show career of Morton Downey Jr. Back in the day, my family occasionally tuned in to Downey’s show just for the freak-show fascination; the documentary mostly just made me sad. Alex Gibney’s WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKI LEAKS was far more satisfying. I’ve seen only one other of Gibney’s films (The one on the rise and fall of Elliott Spitzer, exact title escapes me), but among all prominent documentarians, he seems to be the one who makes films with no discernible agenda – just a view of the facts from a variety of perspectives that allows the audience to make up their own minds.
Have a great week!
Pat, my great friend, thanks for the very kind words. I have thought about you, and am very happy to see you have gotten out and are in good measure returning to your old routine. As you can see there has been quite a bit of discussion on BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO, and it appears that Allan and I are the only ones who have talked it down. Still for a number of reasons I am convinced I need to see it again. Yeah I can’t for the life of me see you liking THIS IS THE END, which aims strictly at the teen crowd. My own son Sammy said was was merely “OK.” Lucile and I had a chance to see THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST at the Tribeca Film Festival several weeks back, but for one reason or another we opted to attend other screenings when it was playing. Nair herself appeared for a discussion after one of those showings. Your strong recommendation has me now convinced that I do need to see it. I did like SALAAM BOMBAY! In any event, I could well imagine Kiefer’s turn as a mitigating component. Ha! Loved your takedown of NOW YOU CAN SEE ME!!! Sounds like you had your own THIS IS THE END experience. I had every intention of staying clear, and now I will stay the course. i have hereby taken note of Alex Gibney’s WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKI LEAKS, and I do remember the film on Spitzer’s downfall. (Funny how Spitner and Anthony Weiner have doggedly rallied, with the latter even making a bid for NYC Mayor!) EVOCATEUR sounds less interesting, but only because I never really listened to the show myself back in the day. I much appreciate your wonderful contribution my friend, and remain very happy you have been out, about and active. The best always!
Sam, your exchanges re Berberian Sound Studio have built my interest in trying it when the film gets here. As you know, I did see Man of Steel and liked it, even though I shared the trepidations of many beforehand about a “Nolan-ized” Superman. Inevitably some people will be offended by some of what they see, and I can understand the viewpoint that Superman shouldn’t have to be this way. But the film works on its own terms, despite a clumsy prologue (compared to the elegant yet portentous simplicity of 1978) and Snyder has visualized the kinetic energy of one-on-one supercombat better than any director to date. If a film can be wrong and right at the same time, Man of Steel is it.
Speaking of overproduced reboots, TCM gave us a lesson a few days ago by showing two adaptations of David Goodis’s novel The Burglar. Goodis himself wrote Paul Wendkos’s version, changing the ending a bit but not the overall guilt-ridden tone. Dan Duryea is unusually yet appropriately subdued in one of his best noir performances, and Jayne Mansfield manages to hit the spot in one of her earliest roles. For all that the French love noir, Henri Verneuil obliterates all traces of Goodis’s authentic mood while turning it into an action-packed Greek lark for Jean-Paul Belmondo. Had I not previously read the novel or just seen the original movie I might have enjoyed the colorfully trashy The Burglars more, because some of the action is good, but I was mostly appalled by the spectacle, and E. Morricone’s Muzak-like score didn’t help.
Otherwise, I was much impressed by an apparently underrated U.S. revisionist western, Robert Benton’s Bad Company, which probably was tonally ahead of its time. Also very impressive was the Dardennes’ La Promesse, but I haven’t been unimpressed by them yet. A little less impressive was Yoshitaro Nomura’s Zero Focus, at least compared to his later films that I’ve seen, but this mystery about a disappeared husband is still a slick effort.
Like the others, I await your opinion on Man of Steel, this year’s Rorschach blot of a film if there’s going to be one.
Samuel—
I’d be most interested in your response to BERBERIAN, and of course I have read your terrific essay on MAN OF STEEL, which frankly surprised me quite a bit. But I will have more to say on that front later in the week. Sounds like if it weren’t for the prologue you’d even be more enthused in view of what you say about Snyder’s ability to generate kinetic energy! I must see those two films based on THE BURGLARS before saying much more, but you provide a fascinating distinction. Wouldn’t you know I accidentally forgot to include LA PROMESSE on my Hall of Fame for 1996, but will rectify that error now. I agree with you completely and think it’s one of their very best films and near the top for that year! I did read your excellent review of BAD COMPANY and added a brief response. Great that there’s a good chance that the western poll will bring this neglected work back into focus. I saw it in the theaters the year it was released at a young age. Yep, I will definitely see MAN OF STEEL this week. Thanks as always my friend for the terrific submission and have a great week!
It sounds like you had a good Father’s Day and enjoyed some movie magic and some not so – so,so!
We actually had some sunshine after morning clouds, it is raining again now and looks like for the rest of the week. My fellow went for a 100+ mile bicycle training ride on Saturday and I got him to watch the movie GOATS in the evening. He thinks he liked it but thought the Goat man was just too strange! Saturday we worked in the yard all day and all three children called. They had each gone to see something but did not report in as 2 just wanted to escape to go hiking themselves.
I was trying to get through Eleanor and Franklin, but the disks came cracked so the they sent me a quick fix called LOVE LETTERS with Laura Linney and it was not my cup of tea.
I have a young adult fiction coming up for review in July and it gives me hope, but so much of the YA books these days are just ‘stupid’. I do not review books I do not like ( well 1 is on my site) I have read 22 books in 2013 that I have not reviewed and 7 of them were YA of no merit. Give me a feisty heroine or hero anytime over these video strange, mean spirited followers.
Hope next week has better offerings – glad there were some oldies and goodies.
Patricia—
Yes we did enjoy ourselves on Father’s Day, though I can’t deny that Chinatown has really gotten pricey these days! But one can’t really dwell on that matter when you are out on a holiday with family and friends. Sounds like rain has been on the menu no matter what area of the country one is in the past weeks. Great to hear that positive report on GOATS. I haven’t seen it yet. I would agree that LOVE LETTERS is quite an unworthy replacement for ELEANOR AND FRANKLIN! I do hear ya on the preference of the positive over the negative, especially if the latter aspect is in overdrive. Young adult literature is my field, and I’d be most interested in the title or titles you have prospectively lined up. And that’s quite an accomplishment to have read 22 books in 2013. Seriously. Extraordinary. I salute you on that! Have a great week my friend. Many thanks as always.
Sam, I have read more than 60 books in 2013 so far…and When Women were Birds for the 9th time to lead two book groups.(One being tonight)
I have read 22 books which were not even 1 star on my rating system so I did not review them….they have to be at least a 3 to be in my book store!
THE FAULT IN YOUR STARS by John Green is the next YA book and I will review it for July 1 – definitely 5 stars and not on tour so no free copy, my copy will go to Library Girl’s school – WHAT a 5 star it is…WOW…
A BEAUTIFUL HEIST by Kim Foster is up next week It is a very reasonably priced e-book ( Amazon Kindle is first release) which I think any teenage girl would love the James Bond Jewelry thief style story only in Stilettos..That does have a giveaway attached for an e-reader, and I thought it was a 4 beach read and a 5 teen read.
8 on tour books to go between now and August 15th and then a couple I picked out myself. I need some more politics and psychology things on the list.
Hello Sam and everyone!
I’m sad that you didn’t like Berberian Sound Studio, a film that I liked enough to see it twice (****), not because of the references to the giallo, but because of how impressive it was at portraying a psychological state of alteredness. But well, I guess it will grow with time or something.
My week movie wise:
– A Woman Under the Influence (1974, John Cassavetes) ****1/2 Maybe one of the most powerful performances, how is it possible that John Cassavetes just has two of the most well performed and better casted film in the whole universe? Maybe because he kept his films close to his heart… his absence in the cast itself is quite telling when all his family is there supporting the film (even his kids), on how close he was to the subject at hand portrayed here, maybe there’s a creepy or nice story regarding the mental health of someone near to him. Still, the whole blurry and Cassavetean elements are present, and the film is maybe not gorgeous but is really thought out in a visual sense, maybe a bit too sloppy at times (I could count two shots with microphones), but not for that matter less powerful. But I have one question, one simple question, was I the only one thinking that she wasn’t crazy?
– The Call (2013, Brad Anderson) *** What could’ve been a neat thriller with a nice sense of action and rythm, as well as some good performances and certain original camera shots, it all boils down to the unethical ending. Not going to spoil it, but it practically ruined what it could’ve been one of the most impressive, yet simple, thrillers in a long time. I hated what they did just to not have another typical hollywood ending, this is like the new hollywood ending? Is this the only reason why this was made? Because the ending was edgy? I wished that the villain was a pedophile, then you could try to justify something the ending (it still wouldn’t, but you could fight it), but then it doesn’t, and then the whole thing breaks to pieces and into characters that act as if they were other people entirely and ugh. Whatever.
– Man of Steel (2013, Zack Snyder) ***1/2 A dissapointment in the sense that I expected much much more from this new superman iteration, I’m ready to not watch it again ever in my entire life, but I guess it was fun enough in the theater to keep me from falling asleep, and there were some interesting elements about it regarding how new and modern the concept of superman is in this world in which he is put in. I will write more about this movie soon enough at my blog.
– SNL Fanatic (2000, Paul Thomas Anderson) *** A SNL sketch directed by one of the best modern directors, this was kinda fun, but I’m not actually a fanatic (hah) of the SNL humour, I find it really forced and it scarcely gets any laughs from me, the television american sketch humour is pretty dead, and this is just inside the genre, so I can’t really complaint.
– Two Scoops (2013, Robert Rodriguez) *** Cute. Candy Colored fun, the choices for the gun and the monster could’ve been so much better, but the choice for the main boss of the two girls is quite the nice choice, and the fact that in the credits they show the also-runs was also nice, but any of the other choices might have broken the mood set in the film. With its crazy colours and overall action choices, it’s still pretty weak, but as an experiment is filled with Robert Rodriguez funness that makes it watchable at least.
– We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks (2013, Alex Gibney) ***1/2 Well documented piece of filmmaking with a malicious title, where it only makes sense if you’ve seen the film to the end, and that will surely turn off fervent believers of the Julian Assange crusade. It doesn’t take a formal possition towards the act of leaking, but it does a good job at diagnosing a state of current affairs in the world where leaking and the internet are principal elements in terms of how the relations and negotiations go between governments, in organizations and even business companies. It is obvious, without anyone saying, that the persecussion of Bradley Manning is senseless, and so is Julian Assange’s, but at the same time we know that both of them commited punishable crimes according to actual laws (and if anything, Assage is the one that made the riskier crime in the end). I hope that those who hate this documentary based on its title give it a fair chance, it deserves to tell its tale.
That’s all, have a good week Sam!
Jaimie—
As I have stated to others here I definitely will check this out again, especially since the sounds was just about indecipherable. But it also seems that everyone feels it’s about the state of mind, rather than a straight-forward homage to the giallo masters. It never really grabbed me in any sense, but as I say I need to look at this properly. I know you may be writing on this in the future as well. Ha, well I didn’t think Gena Rowlands was crazy either, and despite my relative indifference with Cassavetes, I will admit that WOMAN is one of his supreme achievements, and that lead performance is electrifying. As far as MAN OF STEEL, I hope to see it for next week’s MMD, especially as I have a few others in the house who really are losing patience. Ha! I know the reviews are divided (I was surprised at Samuel Wilson’s strongly positive review at MONDO 70, and the opinions of some others I respect) but the proof will be in the pudding. The fact that you are disappointed with it as someone who is usually warm towards other films in this genre is certainly telling. I certainly look forward to a further elaboration on the film at your planned upcoming post. You are the second person on the thread to give good marks to We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks, and I’m definitely interested. I am not the biggest Robert Rodriguez fan, so I won’t soon be ordering two scoops (I’ll stick with a single scoop of vanilla, thank you!) And as far as SNL FANATIC, I am no fan there either, so I am completely on the same page with you. And it sounds like THE CALL is a mixed bag. As always, thanks for the great submission, complete with the excellent capsules. Have a great week my friend!
Sam thank you so much for the wonderful mention.
You of course continue to leave me painfully jealous with your account of the Ozu festival. I wish I could join you for some of those as I have yet to see one of the master’s films on the big screen. RECORD OF A TENEMENT GENTLEMAN, by the way, is one I still need to track down. I will work to do something about that very soon.
Thanks, Sam. Here’s to another awesome week!
Thanks as always Jeffrey for your amazing long-running support and valued friendship! Ah, if you were in NYC at this time, you’d definitely be spending the lion’s share of your time with Ozu, that’s a given! RECORD is one of the most endearing of the master’s works and unforgettable once seen. It seems to have made an excellent double feature with THERE WAS A FATHER. I was actually over there last night for TOKYO TWILIGHT and will again be heading there in the rain this evening. I can’t thank you enough my friend. Have a great week!
Sam,
Thank you for the mention!
I know THIS IS THE END is making rounds around many movie sites and blogs. Some consider it as hilarious, others don’t want to even talk about it. In any case, I wouldn’t spend a penny on it after reading your reaction.
On the other hand, Ozu festival must be very rewarding experience. These three films are his gems, especially THERE WAS A FATHER. Ozu himself lost his father several years earlier, and according to Chishu Ryu, Ozu himself showed Ryu how to act a man having a stroke.
I saw Masumura’s GIANTS AND TOYS (1958), a fiercely energetic, fast-paced comedy, or a deeply disillusioned satire. I don’t know if I understood the world view in this film correctly, as it is packed with so many comments on the society, but it is fascinating view, nonetheless.
Thanks.
MI
MI—
I am sure you would find THIS IS THE END dire and a complete waste of your time. But what you say about some thinking it’s comic genius doesn’t surprise me at all. Some people do have a taste for this kind of thing. Ha! Though I would have preferred to attend even more Ozu films during this current festival, the fact is I did attend the IFC Ozu Festival that ran on the weekends three years ago, and have seen a great number of his films on individual theatrical visits. I have been trying hard to scale down my theatrical visits in any event, in anticipation of the two-week U.K. vacation in August. But there are some Ozus that I simply can’t pass up, no matter how many times I have seen them in the past. As far as THERE WAS A FATHER, no writer has done what you have done with your extraordinary multi-post project, where you put the entire masterpiece under a magnifying glass at your place. Here is one of those great posts:
http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2011/02/analysis-of-there-was-father-011800-end.html
And yes, RECORD OF A TENEMENT GENTLEMAN is also masterful, and I do like WALK CHEERFULLY. Thanks for adding those telling biographical notes. I agree that GIANTS AND TOYS is a terrific comedic satire, and one of Masumura’s finest. Thanks as always my friend. Have a great week!
Sam,
A belated Happy Father’s Day. Glad you had good time. I saw coming attractions to THIS IS THE END a while back and it looked like apathetic piece of trash.
On the movie front I caught four films this past week…
Funny Face (****1/2) While I gave the film ****1/2 stars overall, I really rank it as five stars for the Gershwin music and four stars for the rest of the film. Astaire and Hepburn made for a delightful couple. Too bad they did not do more films together.
Pillow Talk (****} I am not a big Doris Day or Rock Hudson admirer but this comedy is a delight and they do have a chemistry that work together. Good script.
Salvador (****1/2) One Oliver Stone’s best films with a excellent performance by James Wood. One of the most entertaining and best scenes in the film is Wood’s character’s (Rick Boyle) confessional with a priest. His attempts at bargaining with the priest while confessing are both funny and revealing. Here we have a person who has negotiated “deals” in all aspects of his life forgetting about the morality of it all. Now he is trying to negotiate with God.
City Streets (****1/2) Great gangster film from the early 30’s. It ranks up there in status with the best of them. Unusual in that it is one of the most artistic and lyrically photographed films in this genre. May be a bit, pretentious at times, but still very good.
Thanks so much for the holiday greetings John, and the best always to you and Dorothy! Yes the Gershwin music alone is enough to elevate FUNNY FACE. My own issues with the film became far less meaningful after a recent viewing at the Film Forum, when I really was ravished by the glorious set design and color. I also am not a big Doris Day fan, but PILLOW TALK (also recently seen at the Universal Festival is definitely an exception. I agree with you that the chemistry between the two is quite persuasive in the film, and the screenplay is outstanding. Yes, I completely concur that SALVADOR is one of Stone’s best films, and CITY STREETS is excellent! Great capsules on every one of your viewings.
John have you seen this incredible report?
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/06/kitten_with_two_faces_born_in.html
Have a great week my friend, and many thanks as always!
“ARDENT & INTELLIGENT”
Yes, Sam, I would say that you and yours are all that and more!
Well I thank you for that Sir!!!!
Franco is a true Hollywood oddity, either a Farrelly brothers-type clown (‘Your Highness’) or an artsy A-list actor (‘Howl’) and director (‘As I Lay Dying’), he seems unable to give up trolling in the commercial dregs of junk like ‘This Is the End.’ I wish he’d take himself more seriously, because when he’s good, as in ‘Howl’ or ‘127 Hours,’ he’s first-rate. Maybe Franco uses his paycheck from sludge like ‘Pineapple Express’ to finance his directorial projects.
Mark—I understand he has a big ego and a very bad attitude, but this is based on some reports which as we know are not always accurate. Still, I pretty much agree with your appraisal that he does need to take himself more seriously. There is talent there, but some poor choices.
Thanks a lot Sam for the kind mention.
Great to read that the weather at your end has been very good lately. Its been really good at my end as well, though, as Murphy’s Law would have it, it inevitably starts raining just when I’m about to leave office. It was also great to know about the Ozu festival you attended. Unfortunately I haven’t seen many Ozus (Tokyo Story & Late Spring are the only 2 that I’ve watches so far), and that’s something I really need to correct.
Anyway, continuing with my immersion into Westerns, I managed to watch the following films in the past week:
– Boetticher’s muscular B-Western, Ride Lonesome
– The utterly forgettable Man of Steel
– Wellman’s absolutely remarkable near-masterpiece, Yellow Sky
– Peckinpah’s entertaining comedy-Western, The Ballad of Cable Hogue
Shubhajit—
Rain has been quite intrusive over the past months, and we’ve had some record-breaking numbers. I look forward to your gradual discovery of Ozu beyond those two masterpieces. It will be as pleasure reading your future capsule prose assessments! There are at least a half dozen more you will be praising to the heavens I do believe. RIDE LONESOME and YELLOW SKY are absolute masterworks, I agree, and the Peckinpah is reasonably entertaining. I plan to see MAN OF STEEL before the week is out, but I’ll certainly remember what you say here. Thanks as always my friend. Have a great week!
Hi Sam!
I’m glad to see another person wasn’t big on Berberian Sound Studio. I found it repetitive and boring as well. I thought it looked great, the mood was well-achieved, and how can one complain about Toby Jones? But for me it didn’t add up to much at all. I agree with you on this one, Sam! I have to disagree on your take of The Stories We Tell, though. I know it was indulgent, but I thought the end product was so entertaining and interesting, I couldn’t help but love it.
Hope all is well and I hope you had a great Father’s Day!
David
Dave—
It does appear that we are in a substantial minority, though I obviously can see exactly where you are coming from. Those who like it will argue the repetition is deliberate. Where I am with you completely is the contention that it didn’t add up to much. But I have promised to see it again. Sarah Polley’s film was largely adored, so I am not at all surprised what you say here. At some point I’ll give that one another go as well. All is well my friend, and Father’s Day was a fun time for all of us. Thanks as always and the best to you!
Just returning to this thread to say how sorry I was to hear about James Gandolfini’s death – a great actor. I wondered if anyone is putting up a tribute to him or a piece about The Sopranos?
Judy the news was quite a shock to everyone, and as you say very sad and tragic. He was so talented and universally loved. There may well be a piece up here at the site, but if not I will include a tribute to him at Monday’s Diary. An unconscionable loss at such a young age. Thanks Judy.
HBO Twitter just put “Today, we cut to black. #RIPJamesGandolfini”
Sam,
This week has been a bit crazy. My travel and work has been a bit haywire and things got crazy there for a few days. Just got back in town so have lots of catching up to do.
Thanks for the very kind mention. I am still going all out for the Western Countdown and continue at a blistering pace on that for watching and rewatching….The Hired Hand, Bad Company, The Shooting, A Man Called Horse, Warlock, The Bargain, Django etc. etc. I still have about 50 more at least that I want to get in before finalizing my ballot. Hope you have a great rest of your week and have a nice weekend.
Jon, I know your traveling has been hectic and it’s frankly astonishing that you are able to get online at all, much less as often as you do! I know you continue to pound the pavement with the westerns, and that’s quite a lot you have lined up there! 50 more??? Wow!!!! You are amazing I have to tell ya! That is incredible. Thanks as always my friend, and enjoy your time at home this week! BAD COMPANY, WARLOCK, DJANGO all great stuff!