i'm not about to belabor this, but the degree to which this movie is ultimately only a scientology vehicle is informative, albeit not entertainingly so. I picture this movie being greenlit on the basis of Tom Cruise, period. Thus everything flows from that. The only American accented German in a world of English accented Germans. They allowed him to say "Go-bells". Total disinterest in history steeped in high narcissism does amount to a kind of revisionism; the motivation of everyone central to the movie is always just to make the story come out like it did in history. But like Tom says over and over again, No Pain, No Gain. The bottle of liquor which conceals a bomb that turns out to be a dud is such an obvious symbol for the movie itself. A missed opportunity? only would have stunk the place up more. SPOILERS: if you like this movie, you are in a focus group right now.
Reviews
9 Reviews
The Green Glove
(1952)
Ersatz Hitch Shows Just How Easy It Is
26 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, you can even use Glenn Ford as a loser ex-GI coasting on his looks for your lead. I've never seen a film more redolent of Hitchcockery by a non-Hitchcock then this little gem-encrusted reliquary of a film. Even before one thinks of replacing Robert Montgomery with Cary Grant, or (sigh} Jimmy Stewart, there is a morass of Hitchcockean elements to contend with, such as church bell towers, pursuit along craggy precipices, near-misses on trains, hoary local legends turned into modern postwar fables for the protagonist, post-Nazi villains with obsessive art collection issues, a wraparound story design where the film's opening minutes reoccur in the last 10 minutes, and so on. Technically I found the lengthy day-for-night shot during the climactic, treacherous "goat trail pursuit sequence" marred by the distractingly bright fluffy clouds in every background shot: A curious lighting concession since this pursuit was foreshadowed as the culmination of the film as soon as the villain let loose with the lovely local legend of St. Elsevier (or something). Ford can only barely sustain credibility in our 21st C, post-Charlie's Angels world, and there are some painfully dumb portrayals of mental breakdowns and quaint postwar stereotypes carrying on in America's condensed and abridged version of their homeland - nothing that wasn't predominant at the time. But overall, I enjoyed this film more than it sounds, not least because it gives the lie to Hitch's vaunted brilliance.
White Heat
(1949)
Beating Raoul
26 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Right from 'Regeneration' every Raoul Walsh film is a must-see. Nevertheless, I find this picture a weaker effort of his. Which is not to say I don't love it as much as everybody else, but I found some of it's plotting unnecessarily slapdash, and get the feeling it was over-polished in the editing and left the lot with the tires overinflated for maximum box office appeal. The "Top of the world, Ma!"- Jimmy Cagney classic is actually not as old as I'd thought, released in 1949. One of those great albeit deeply unconvincing Edmond O'Brien roles as a narc who gets in too close with Cagney. Two things are noteworthy about this movie. First is that the big score scheduled for the end of the film is premised upon the idea that a large chemical firm pays its numerous employees in cash on payday. This struck me as mighty unlikely. Then again, maybe I'm the crazy one and paychecks are less than 60 years old. And to my jaded astonishment O'Brien's character also lets fly with "we got him by the short hairs!" complete with finger motions; was Hayes' out sick? Mind bogglingly risqué for its time, I felt, and nearly subliminal in its inclusion. Several other instances beggar belief; yet they are balanced out by our understanding of them as psychologically relevant character details, and a wealth of other more satisfying scenes. Really, I think the family dynamic, particularly in the first half of the film, show Walsh's greatness: the tension between Ma & the Moll, both in the hideout and down at the precinct: fabulous.
There seems to be some nuanced Freudian symbolism in Cody's use of a Trojan horse in his final caper; moreover a great deal of attention is paid by everyone to Cody's mercurial inner states. In the end, the hyper-industrialized landscape of the chemical factory where Cody's apotheosis takes its eponymous place as a fireball in the sky, is also seen to be where the White Heat's original genius loci inside Cody's head (in the form of both his devastating self-inflicted migraines, and raging criminal ambitions) turns inside out, transmuted to spectacular combustion, sheer effect. "Top of the world, Ma!" is revealed as an incantation.
There seems to be some nuanced Freudian symbolism in Cody's use of a Trojan horse in his final caper; moreover a great deal of attention is paid by everyone to Cody's mercurial inner states. In the end, the hyper-industrialized landscape of the chemical factory where Cody's apotheosis takes its eponymous place as a fireball in the sky, is also seen to be where the White Heat's original genius loci inside Cody's head (in the form of both his devastating self-inflicted migraines, and raging criminal ambitions) turns inside out, transmuted to spectacular combustion, sheer effect. "Top of the world, Ma!" is revealed as an incantation.
Hollywood Man
(1976)
Harley David Sonofabitch
26 August 2009
First off I believe this precedes the movie "Stuntman" which has garnered a lot of cult appeal due to its exploration of the same themes. But with a distinctly grittier, more low-budget and ergo more authentic telling of the tale, H'wood Man turns out to be the superior effort. There are so many wonderful little facets to this movie: An unfortunately turgid, melodramatic theme song which is spliced into the last act at completely gratuitous and inappropriate moments; Mary Woronov as a leading lady (looking rather lissome and not at all Patti Smith'ed out); for villains, a cadre of losers with wonderful parallels to the kidnap-caper misfits in "The Candy Snatchers" -- particular kudos for the designated Tiffany Bolling-psychotic blonde in this grouping of trash ne'er-do-wells and score settlers; the sarcastic one-offs heard from various real-life crew stalwarts playing someone in an alternate universe just like themselves; topped off with a.stylized 70s downer ending a la Bonnie and Clyde. I could go on. Why this film is not considered an exploitation diamond in the rough i do not know, but for anyone with an appreciation for William Smith's acting career as a heavy this is an excellent watch.
Beggars in Ermine
(1934)
Depression parable of impossible justice for the crippled
3 August 2009
the reviews of this film unfairly marginalize it for lack of realism. Did they scoff at, say, "Fight Club" for such reasons? It's far more unique and interesting for its cache of Depression-era lore and its assumptions about the dispossessed. Highly recommended for its bizarre mix of creepiness and homiletic. Obviously allegorical, it nevertheless fails -i think somehow deliberately - in being uplifting and points instead to something sinister in the crippled, maimed and poverty-stricken denizens of the city. The blind accordionist who attaches himself to Atwill wears glasses which are half black, half clear. His speeches are absurdly virtuous cliché, which belie his mendacious appearance in a very unconvincing way. I also noticed the back of the envelope calculations Atwill makes when pitching his stock market club for beggars only involved impossible amounts: millions in months. A lot of ticker tape shenanigans go on in the second half of the film, all of which are so exaggerated, I ended up thinking public anxiety about the market was also being channeled here quite volubly, along with fear of the disabled and wretched poor. In a word, peculiar.
The Handmaid's Tale
(1990)
Literary adaptation as political atrocity
19 July 2008
thoroughly abject, plain Jane production design and vanilla mush of a story. The premise of this lunatic, virginity-obsessed oligarchy that America has somehow become is merely unexplored window-dressing to a soporific and pedestrian story arc.
All in all this film stands as an anti-adaptation of the source material. Hard to believe Volker Schlondorff was a participant in turning this one out. Aside from consideration of this doleful picture it is rather amusing to notice that to a comment every positive review of this film is a transparent excuse for righteous soapboxing against misogynism in society rather than the film per se.
All in all this film stands as an anti-adaptation of the source material. Hard to believe Volker Schlondorff was a participant in turning this one out. Aside from consideration of this doleful picture it is rather amusing to notice that to a comment every positive review of this film is a transparent excuse for righteous soapboxing against misogynism in society rather than the film per se.
It's a Revolution Mother
(1969)
Marginal mondo with minimal biker verite
4 March 2004
Near the bottom of my list of entertaining mondo or 60s 'docudrama'; its highpoint, supposedly, is footage of teen riots on Sunset - but they're notable primarily for their dearth of riotousness. The coverage switches to the biker societies then emerging into their prime, and uses voiceover narrative from one of the bikers to provide a sort of home movie view of their travails. This bits worthwhile for its pathetic glimpse, even if it does recycle some footage of bikers public urination efforts once or twice more than we needed along the way.
The film's deskbound experts also offer only anaesthetic commentary, in effect trying to use a 'white coater' approach to a sociological expose, but they forgot to load in the salacious footage.
Scant.
The film's deskbound experts also offer only anaesthetic commentary, in effect trying to use a 'white coater' approach to a sociological expose, but they forgot to load in the salacious footage.
Scant.
The Census Taker
(1984)
was garrett morris vehicle, now residents music gem
17 December 2002
I remember the original appearance of this film - it had all the corporate venality of the SNL product we've come to accept as so much saturation in movies over the last two decades, and was DOA in theatres when released.
Today however, the movie has a bizarre level of subliminal black humor that manages to play pretty entertainingly; it also has incidental music by the Residents throughout (mostly stuff from the Commercial Album), which works surprisingly well.
Overall, the movie is similar in feel to Eating Raoul, or the late 70s tv show Mary Hartman, in terms of questionable funniness but sustained 'edginess'. Speaking of MH, MH, the husband reprises his role here, more or less; his Martin Mull-ish cop buddy, IMO, was the comic highlight of the film.
Today however, the movie has a bizarre level of subliminal black humor that manages to play pretty entertainingly; it also has incidental music by the Residents throughout (mostly stuff from the Commercial Album), which works surprisingly well.
Overall, the movie is similar in feel to Eating Raoul, or the late 70s tv show Mary Hartman, in terms of questionable funniness but sustained 'edginess'. Speaking of MH, MH, the husband reprises his role here, more or less; his Martin Mull-ish cop buddy, IMO, was the comic highlight of the film.
Greaser's Palace
(1972)
downey's best - think brautigan on film
17 December 2002
I'm sure there's no such thing as a perfect robert downey movie, but some are better than others; some Downey movies are even better than other movies, generally speaking - and for its best sequences & acting, this obscure, lysergic cinematic parable, rates as one of the most memorable & thought-provoking films I've ever discovered. Downey is super-Altman; the Christian satire is simultaneously Neitzschean & Brautiganesque - Allan Arbus is excellent.
Downsides to the movie are several, & typical of this filmmaker - easily a third of the movie is incoherent boring & gratuitous - Downey's self-referential homages to family & friends are typical of independent filmmakers; Downey has literally taken this type of nepotism to the level of art, but it never succeeds, in any of his movies. Yet none of his other films achieve the kind of profundity this one at least occasionally does. & in spite of its excesses & shortcomings, the film brims with political & poetic energy & ideas. Quite probably this is the work of a director who thinks the raggedness & incoherence & navel-gazing are all enhancements, or at least necessary to The Experience (etc., etc.). Bow-tied think-tankers might remain unmoved by the delicate insights of Downey. But I'd have to go so far as to say Greaser's Palace stands as a far more compelling & visceral evocation of the drug dazed visionary daydreaming that preoccupied so many well-endowed minds in the sixties & very early seventies than do, e.g., Nicholson's 'Head' or Hopper's 'Last Picture Show'. Downey, Arbus & Co. at least have much more brain to fry.
Downsides to the movie are several, & typical of this filmmaker - easily a third of the movie is incoherent boring & gratuitous - Downey's self-referential homages to family & friends are typical of independent filmmakers; Downey has literally taken this type of nepotism to the level of art, but it never succeeds, in any of his movies. Yet none of his other films achieve the kind of profundity this one at least occasionally does. & in spite of its excesses & shortcomings, the film brims with political & poetic energy & ideas. Quite probably this is the work of a director who thinks the raggedness & incoherence & navel-gazing are all enhancements, or at least necessary to The Experience (etc., etc.). Bow-tied think-tankers might remain unmoved by the delicate insights of Downey. But I'd have to go so far as to say Greaser's Palace stands as a far more compelling & visceral evocation of the drug dazed visionary daydreaming that preoccupied so many well-endowed minds in the sixties & very early seventies than do, e.g., Nicholson's 'Head' or Hopper's 'Last Picture Show'. Downey, Arbus & Co. at least have much more brain to fry.
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