tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329152552024-03-14T04:41:18.186-05:00Welcome to Austinlad's Private Screening Room<strong>Mini-reviews of a passionate movie lover's favorite films from the '20s to the present</strong>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comBlogger406125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-68971166740548323882010-11-29T20:06:00.007-06:002011-10-28T15:30:52.531-05:00THE LAST STATION (2009)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TPRcbAakUDI/AAAAAAAADb8/92HIHSds_Bo/s1600/220px-Last_stationposter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TPRcbAakUDI/AAAAAAAADb8/92HIHSds_Bo/s200/220px-Last_stationposter1.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>After almost 50 years of marriage, Leo Tolstoy’s devoted wife, muse, passionate lover and sometime-secretary abruptly finds her financial and domestic security threatened when her husband renounces his noble title, copyrights, property and even his family in favor of poverty, vegetarianism and celibacy. Sparks fly between husband and wife, between the famous writer and his agent, well, between just about everyone in the cast! Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren are extraordinary as the Tolstoys, and the story is riviting and moving.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-24476939461646404082010-11-29T11:28:00.005-06:002011-10-28T15:19:34.779-05:00LOVELY, STILL (2008)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TPPiiUQlMKI/AAAAAAAADb4/3SCvxxIuCb8/s1600/51NMgxE2-ML__SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TPPiiUQlMKI/AAAAAAAADb4/3SCvxxIuCb8/s200/51NMgxE2-ML__SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Two lonely seniors (Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn) fall in love and embark on a happy romantic interlude ... but not all is what it seems. That's all I dare say about the plot of this touching little film. Google it and you'll see reviews pro and con. I'm squarely pro. <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10302/1098933-120.stm">Read more</a>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-79057770632359475952010-08-15T11:20:00.009-05:002010-08-20T13:34:22.239-05:00THE ROAD (2009)It's long and winding, and you can't take your eyes off it for a second<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TGgTlP0mWuI/AAAAAAAADbc/IR_hxso-oao/s1600/10923731_det.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TGgTlP0mWuI/AAAAAAAADbc/IR_hxso-oao/s200/10923731_det.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>In a devastated, monochromatic post-apocalyptic world, a man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee, in an amazing performance) head for the ocean, dragging their few belongings in a cart. Along their difficult journey they must constantly forage for supplies and hide from cannibal hunters. Along the way, the man recalls in dreams and brief flashbacks the good moments of his past life with his wife (beautiful Charlize Theron, seen only in flashback), but these respites are few and far between. Eventually, the journey becomes so difficult that the man begins to turn savage, much to the horror of his son, and when they do finally reach the beach, the boy is faced with the toughest decision of his young life. DO NOT let anyone tell you <strong>THE ROAD</strong> is too depressing a journey.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-82510303681725810452010-08-03T11:13:00.007-05:002011-10-28T15:36:34.634-05:00FAIL-SAFE (1964)Mankind-0, Technology-1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TFg_q4ImYzI/AAAAAAAADbI/emDcDYacHvM/s1600/5185BNFY3YL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TFg_q4ImYzI/AAAAAAAADbI/emDcDYacHvM/s200/5185BNFY3YL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A series of human and computer errors sends a squadron of American B-58 bombers past their fail-safe point and onto a direct course to nuke Moscow. The stalwart President (Henry Fonda), seeking to convince the Soviets it’s a horrible mistake, not a preemptive strike, orders the Strategic Air Command to help the Soviets shoot them down. But one jet manages to elude the Soviet missiles, which dooms the Russian capital and forces the president to make a decision that still makes me squirm. Directed by Sydney Lumet, <strong>FAIL-SAFE</strong> is a brilliantly crafted and suspenseful diatribe on the heavy price we risk paying by relying too heavily on technology – and if you think this near-50 year old film has lost its relevancy, you haven’t been reading about Iran and North Korea.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-15257232215668251112010-07-27T13:41:00.005-05:002011-10-28T15:21:58.629-05:00ZOMBIELAND (2009) Bloody good fun for boys and ghouls!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TE8oX98hVLI/AAAAAAAADaw/4NEfWBRAN_4/s1600/200px-Zombieland-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" hw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TE8oX98hVLI/AAAAAAAADaw/4NEfWBRAN_4/s200/200px-Zombieland-poster.jpg" width="127" /></a></div><strong>ZOMBIELAND</strong> is a not altogether bloodless horror farce about four survivors of a post-apocalypse battling zombies. With the wonderful Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and, in a hilarious cameo, Bill Murray, Zombieland is more fun than a barrel of, well, zombies.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-30988047958094943502010-07-17T11:45:00.007-05:002010-07-27T13:44:27.828-05:00THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)Starch with your brainwash?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TEHeBsZMUVI/AAAAAAAADag/3kjcO9ERb2Q/s1600/514GE8H825L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TEHeBsZMUVI/AAAAAAAADag/3kjcO9ERb2Q/s200/514GE8H825L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I’ve seen <b>THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE</b> so many times and know its plot so thoroughly that it no longer holds any surprises for me. Yet I still find it riveting and never cease to marvel at all the performances, especially Frank Sinatra as the military intelligence man who tries to foil a Communist plot to do a very bad deed. In 1953, Sinatra won his only Oscar, as Best Actor, for his G.I. role in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, but it's for CANDIDATE he truly deserved it. His acting is superb, as is that of co-stars Lawrence Harvey, Angela Lansbury and James Gregory, thanks in no small part great part to John Frankenheimer's strong direction. PLEASE don't bother to see the 2004 remake with Denzel Washington. A mess. (Trivia notes: In his karate fight scene with a Korean bad guy, you can see Sinatra <i>actually</i> break his hand as it slices through a table. JFK loved this film, and Sinatra was so upset after his assassination that he had the film shelved for years.)Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-83776206419098061582010-06-24T19:28:00.010-05:002010-07-29T14:56:03.437-05:00CRAZY HEARTS (2009)Bridges is Bad to the bone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TCP3jugwSWI/AAAAAAAADaY/q9Ivlv_DKM8/s1600/File-Crazy_heart_poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TCP3jugwSWI/AAAAAAAADaY/q9Ivlv_DKM8/s200/File-Crazy_heart_poster.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jeff Bridges has played grumpy bears so well for so long that his latest, Country singer Bad Blake, wouldn't appear to be much of a stretch. But after spending 112 minutes in the company of this down-and-almost-out, growling booze-and-cig-throated character convinced me why Bridges won Oscar for Best Actor for the role. And not just for acting – singing, too. From the start of the movie when Bad discovers his latest gig is in a beat-up Arizona bowling ally to the end when he finally realizes that songwriting is more important to him than love or even whiskey, <b>CRAZY HEARTS</b> is full of heart and worth your time.</div>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-70559963326709428592010-06-20T20:19:00.025-05:002010-07-27T13:45:17.950-05:00VOYAGER (1991)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TB69u6GH-TI/AAAAAAAADaQ/SKEbMjHDBJo/s1600/51JB7BV86CL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TB69u6GH-TI/AAAAAAAADaQ/SKEbMjHDBJo/s200/51JB7BV86CL._SS500_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Sitting alone and grief-stricken in the Athens airport after suffering a heart-breaking loss, globe-hopping engineer Walter Faber (Sam Shepard) flashes back to his student days in Switzerland just before World War II, when he abandoned his pregnant lover Hannah after she announced she was getting an abortion and refused his proposal of marriage. As the film unfolds over a 20-year period, Walter recalls via flashbacks within flashbacks that Hannah subsequently married Walter’s best friend and bore a child, that she later divorced him and he committed suicide, and that recently, on a sea voyage from New York to Paris, Walter had an affair with a spectacularly sweet and pretty young student (Julie Delpy) who reminded him of Hannah. The affair ended abruptly and tragically when Walter made a startling discovery about the girl. <strong>VOYAGER</strong> is a beautifully acted fiim, and despite its sensitive theme, tastefully scripted and photographed.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-2098359027913187862010-06-12T17:27:00.018-05:002010-06-30T10:20:35.787-05:00THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU (2004)See-worthy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TBQJWerTU7I/AAAAAAAADaA/5lXq6rzXzUE/s1600/Lifeaquaticposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TBQJWerTU7I/AAAAAAAADaA/5lXq6rzXzUE/s200/Lifeaquaticposter.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><strong>LIFE AQUATIC</strong>, like director Wes Anderson's first film, HARD EIGHT<strong>,</strong> serves up an offbeat plot, strong cast, quirky characters and clever dialogue. The inimitable Bill Murray stars as Steve Zissou, an eccentric oceanographer and film documentarian in the Jacques-Yves Cousteau mold. Steve and his eclectic crew ("Team Zissou") – including his granite-faced wife (Angelica Huston); sharp-tongued pregnant magazine feature writer (Cate Blanchett); and a young pilot (Owen Wilson) who may or may not be Zissou's son by a previous relationship – set out to find and take revenge on a monster shark that recently chewed up Steve's beloved friend and partner. It's not all smooth sailing, but along the way Zissou learns a few lessons about himself and the others. This litttle film is a gem. Every scene, whether featuring a cartoon seahorse suspended in a champagne glass, a Team Zissou military-style raid to rescue their accountain (Bud Cort) from pirates, or simply a static shot of Zissou staring across the ocan, is slightly askew and worth repeated viewings. And be sure to stick around for the end credits, an homage to BUCKAROO BANZAI. Also check out the soundtrack, a collection of familiar David Bowie songs all sung in PortugueseAndy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-84591138342680027682010-06-10T19:50:00.002-05:002010-06-11T04:53:02.537-05:00YOUNG ALFRED HITCHCOCK MAKES A NAUGHTY JOKE (1928)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zl6SMOSXa7A&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zl6SMOSXa7A&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></span>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-68471179856240945612010-06-02T11:13:00.006-05:002010-06-15T17:36:15.203-05:00CHOKE (2008)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TAaDA7EDX0I/AAAAAAAADZ4/mDS-0tCEZV8/s1600/MV5BMTQ3MDAxNTYxMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDM2MTcyMg%40%40__V1__SX98_SY140_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TAaDA7EDX0I/AAAAAAAADZ4/mDS-0tCEZV8/s320/MV5BMTQ3MDAxNTYxMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDM2MTcyMg%40%40__V1__SX98_SY140_.jpg" /></a></div><strong>CHOKE</strong> is a grey comedy about a sex-addicted med-school dropout named Victor (the brilliant Sam Rockwell), who is the sole support of dementia-inflicted mom (Angelica Huston). Hospitalized and years of abusing drugs, abducting young Victor from a string of foster mothers and running from the authorities, she claims to no longer recognize him and thus won’t tell him the one thing he craves so desperately to know: the identity of his father. To pay for her expensive upkeep, Victor splits his time between working at a goofy Colonial American theme park and conning sympathy money out of strangers he picks randomly to rescue him from choking in restaurants. One day, while visiting his mother, Victor meets Paige (Kelly Macdonald), who proposes a most unorthodox treatment for his dying mom, and who turns out to be … well ... I’ll leave it at that. There’s really nothing more I can say to make this quirky movie sound as enchanting as it is. Don’t miss it.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-21197603205404175092010-06-01T16:06:00.016-05:002010-07-29T14:55:44.039-05:00DECISION BEFORE DAWN (1951)In war, you have to choose a side<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TAV2EyFQk1I/AAAAAAAADZo/0yrB8xlM5Nk/s1600/150px-Original_movie_poster_for_the_film_Decision_Before_Dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TAV2EyFQk1I/AAAAAAAADZo/0yrB8xlM5Nk/s200/150px-Original_movie_poster_for_the_film_Decision_Before_Dawn.jpg" width="103" /></a></div>In 1944, Nazi Germany was on the brink of defeat but stubbornly resisting surrender, so in a daring push to gain key intelligence, the U.S. Army began recruiting German prisoners to spy behind their own lines. <strong>DECISION BEFORE DAWN</strong> is the story of the mission of three war-weary men who take on this thankless job, each for his own reasons. Director Anatole Litvak filmed in post-war Germany because of the surplus of bombed-out buildings and tanks, weapons and uniforms, and so accurate and realistic were the script, acting and setting that anyone watching the filming in Wurzberg in 1950-51 might have wondered whether the war ever ended. This not your typical war picture: no stereotypes, no action heroes, no grand and glorious finale, simply a realisatic depiction of a key period of time during the final days of World War II in all its tragedy and irony, co-starring three extraordinary actors now long departed – Gary Merrill, Richard Basehart and Oskar Werner (as a young German spy-recruit torn between his love of the Fatherland and loathing of its Nazi oppressors).Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-26966886063631802682010-05-31T12:52:00.004-05:002010-06-15T14:40:52.606-05:00GIGANTIC (2009)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TAP2eIRCGiI/AAAAAAAADZY/jrPH1JOgfbw/s1600/File-Gigantic_poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/TAP2eIRCGiI/AAAAAAAADZY/jrPH1JOgfbw/s200/File-Gigantic_poster.jpeg" width="136" /></a></div>Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano) is a shy 28 year-old mattress salesman, youngest sons of grandparent-aged parents (veterans Ed Asner and Jane Alexander, both excellent). Unfulfilled by his work, he pursues his lifelong goal of adopting a Chinese baby. One day a young woman buys a mattress for her dad. Brian delivers it, and soon finds himself swept up in a romance with the lovely but quirky Harriet "Happy" Lolly (the extraordinary Zooey Deschanel). But to win her over, he must deal with their individual insecurities, plus her bearish and overbearing braggart of a father (John Goodman) with deep pockets, bad back and his daughter's best interest at heart. When Brian gets the baby, Happy chickens out and breaks up with him. Do warm hearts trump cold feet? Find out for yourself in <strong>GIGANTIC</strong>, a funny, surreal love story about the anxiety and pressures that come when two people with crazy families collide unexpectedly and fall for each other.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-84990067518668937092010-05-23T07:38:00.006-05:002010-06-15T13:57:37.577-05:00CROSSING DELANCEY (1988) A funny movie about getting serious<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S_klIZDWQ0I/AAAAAAAADZI/WhfQDHKDnVQ/s1600/t90819dq766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S_klIZDWQ0I/AAAAAAAADZI/WhfQDHKDnVQ/s200/t90819dq766.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>Isabelle “Izzy” Grossman (Amy Irving) works for a chic New York bookstore uptown and pays frequent visits downtown to her down-to-earth grandmother Ida (Reizl Bozyk, the legendary Yiddish theatre star, in her only film role). Anxious for her granddaughter to settle down, Ida turns to the local marriage broker (Sylvia Miles). Although shocked and annoyed, Izzy allows the matchmaker to introduce her to Sam Posner (Peter Riegert), who sells pickles below Delancey Street. Believing him to be too working-class for her, Izzy sets her sights on a famous writer. But once Izzy discovers the real man inside each of these men, it's the pickle vendor who turns out to be the kosher one. Irving and Riegert are a pairing made in Hollywood heaven, and every scene is a delight.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-61120296748802565002010-05-12T13:16:00.003-05:002010-06-15T14:19:18.697-05:00THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (1928)Silent but deadly powerful<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S-BkO9phf6I/AAAAAAAADYU/8tPDCzdPBkU/s1600/200px-Passionarc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S-BkO9phf6I/AAAAAAAADYU/8tPDCzdPBkU/s200/200px-Passionarc.jpg" tt="true" width="129" /></a></div>This 1928 French masterpiece focuses a silent but unblinking lens on Joan's trial (based on actual trial records), imprisonment, torture and execution. It's shot predominately in close-ups of the alternately grim and mocking faces of judges and onlookers, and the sad, ravaged face of their defendant. I guarantee you will never forgt those faces. The doomed Joan is portrayed by Renée Jeanne Falconetti, giving what is regarded as one of the greatest performances ever recorded on film. The original edit, long thought to be lost in a fire, was miraculously found in perfect condition in 1981 in a Norwegian mental institution. Incredibly painful yet beautiful to watch. (Trivia note: This was Falconetti's first and only film role.)Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-83110253748538976342010-04-20T14:11:00.015-05:002010-07-29T14:55:13.389-05:00FLASHBACKS OF A FOOL (2008)Going home reminds you why you left<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S837Tz3dTwI/AAAAAAAADYA/Of2HOJAJlLc/s1600/MV5BNDkyNTY0MTMwNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzc3NDEwMg%40%40__V1__SX99_SY140_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S837Tz3dTwI/AAAAAAAADYA/Of2HOJAJlLc/s320/MV5BNDkyNTY0MTMwNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzc3NDEwMg%40%40__V1__SX99_SY140_.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div>Daniel Craig, a fine British actor with 20 years in films prior to Bondage, gives a touching performance as Joe Scott, an aging and all-but-washed-up Hollywood star adrift in a haze of drugs, sex and squandered fame. When he learns of the sudden death of his childhood best friend, he returns to the small English seaside village where he grew up to attend the funeral. There, he's flooded by memories of the summer of ’72 – a summer of innocence, discovery and tragedy that set him on the path to his current life. This powerful drama about love, loss and redemption features a nostalgic soundtrack of songs by Scott Walker, Roxy Music, David Bowie and others. Watch for two scenes in particular: Young Joe and his girlfriend Ruth dancing and lip-syncing to the Roxy song, "If There Is Something," and the wordless final minutes of the film in which loose ends are tied up. Craig (who also executive produced) is superb, as is Claire Forlani (MEET JOE BLACK) in a small but indelible performance as Joe's grownup girlfriend who had married his now dead friend.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-76700845595323249792010-03-03T19:46:00.008-06:002010-04-30T15:56:48.030-05:00TIMECRIMES (2007)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S48Qz_QSa_I/AAAAAAAADXo/A83ve4DKnIU/s1600-h/51h8fXXwMHL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S48Qz_QSa_I/AAAAAAAADXo/A83ve4DKnIU/s200/51h8fXXwMHL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>If you share my love of time travel stories, take time to see this Spanish mystery-thriller. Relaxing in his back yard, Héctor spies a topless woman in the woods. Investigating, he finds her now lying dead on the ground. Suddenly, a man pops with a bandaged face pops out of the bushes and stabs him in the arm with a pair of scissors, then starts chasing him. Héctor flees to a nearby building where a mysterious technician (writer/director Nacho Vigalondo) hides him in metal vault-like contraption. Moments later, Héctor emerges to find himself now in the recent past and, from the front of the hillt building, sees his house, wife and himself in the distance. The scientist explains that as a result of unauthorized time travel experiments he's conducting, Héctor is observing his "mirror image" from the day before. From then on (or from then <em>back</em>, as the case may be), events go horribly awry as the increasingly discombobulated time traveler tries set things right. Is he successful? Wish I could say, but after two enjoyable viewings, I’m still confused. This version (with has hard-to-read yellow subtitles) is being remade, with David Cronenberg directing. But don’t wait – catch the Spanish version now on Netflix. <a href="http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2009/04/time-crimes-2007-film-review/">More</a>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-54666355713597716142010-02-19T04:48:00.020-06:002010-05-04T16:36:31.399-05:00Movie making magic then and nowIn the classic “I coulda been a contender” scene in 1954's ON THE WATERFRONT, Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger are talking in the back seat of a cab. The cab seems to be moving because of the traffic sounds and lights moving across the actors' bodies and faces – but of course it's not. The scene was shot in a studio, a detail none-too-subtly obscured by <i>closed window blinds</i> on the vehicle's rear window. Watch the scene, not merely to see how hard it is to believe today that the cab is really moving, but to marvel at how easy it is not to care because of the power of the acting.<br />
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<br />
And here’s a short video on the state of today's special effects.<br />
<a href="http://dvice.com/archives/2010/02/chromakey-world.php">Click here</a>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-32635283675310093012010-02-13T07:58:00.007-06:002010-06-15T13:58:13.238-05:00AS GOOD AS IT GETS (1997) As good as romantic comedies get<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S3avkglGfOI/AAAAAAAADXM/EY_B2hv49_c/s1600-h/200px-As_good_as_it_gets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S3avkglGfOI/AAAAAAAADXM/EY_B2hv49_c/s200/200px-As_good_as_it_gets.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><strong>AS GOOD AS IT GETS</strong> treats us to direction, writing and acting as good as it all gets. Starring Jack Nicholson as an obsessive-compulsive, misanthropic, homophomic bigot (and that's being kind) who gets involved in the lives of a single mother (Helen Hunt) and gay neighbor (Greg Kinnear), each of whom winds up growing as a result of knowing and helping the others. At its heart, this an old-fashioned feel-good romantic comedy, though it takes a while to see the romance part. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and winner for Best Actor and Best Actress, it’s ranked number 140 on Empire's "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time" and even higher on my personal list of favorite films.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-69948515273605173772010-02-05T20:29:00.006-06:002011-10-28T15:25:15.804-05:00THE NAKED PREY (1966) Safari, not so good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S19K6hwQiPI/AAAAAAAADW8/8aYXPePZolU/s1600-h/51Hs6Ma8IgL__SL500_AA240_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mt="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S19K6hwQiPI/AAAAAAAADW8/8aYXPePZolU/s200/51Hs6Ma8IgL__SL500_AA240_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>If you’re squeamish about animal hunting – especially if the animal is a <em>man</em> – <strong>THE NAKED PREY</strong> may not be the prey-fect movie for you. But if you can make it through several pretty graphic scenes to the end, you’ll be rewarded by an entertaining lesson on how to survive in the wild and what “will to live” <em>really</em> means. A group on safari runs into a reclusive African tribe who seems friendly enough. But when an arrogant member of the party refuses to gift the chieftain, the men are seized and killed, one by one, each in a different, creative and horrifying way. (Hint: you may never want to think about meat turning slowly on a rotisserie again.) One man (Cornell Wilde, who also directed), the safari guide who had tried to talk the others into giving the gifts, is spared from death but stripped of clothes and weapons, set free to run, and then pursued like an animal by a party of relentless tribal warriors. Trust me, it's a jungle out there.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-29369410651455582682010-01-21T20:56:00.011-06:002010-06-15T14:20:32.162-05:00BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1946)Bittersweet parting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S1kT4X0ieCI/AAAAAAAADWs/RC1BDPv8ix8/s1600-h/41sa8KoHAtL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S1kT4X0ieCI/AAAAAAAADWs/RC1BDPv8ix8/s200/41sa8KoHAtL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>This exquisitely crafted British classic was directed by the great David Lean and based on Noel Coward’s 1935 half-hour one-act stage play “Still Life.” It’s one of filmdom’s great romantic tear-jerkers. Simply told and emotionally honest, <strong>BRIEF ENCOUNTER</strong> is a peek into the quiet desperation involved in a brief extramarital love affair between two married, middle-class Brits who meet in the refreshment tea room of a railway station and continue to see each other over seven weekly meetings. Laura (Celia Johnson) is a wife and mother hungry for escape from her humdrum life and sterile marriage; Alec (Trevor Howard) is a kind young doctor. The passion between them is obvious, yet the film maintains chaste minimalism throughout – a credit to the writing, direction and British sensibilities of the time. You'll want a box of tissues nearby for the ending.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-8794603850614572962010-01-13T18:59:00.001-06:002010-06-15T13:59:52.541-05:00VANILLA SKY (2001) Dream or reality - which is the nightmare?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S0-9iByTsCI/AAAAAAAADWc/eLNjhYY2d6k/s1600-h/200px-Vanilla_sky_post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/S0-9iByTsCI/AAAAAAAADWc/eLNjhYY2d6k/s200/200px-Vanilla_sky_post.jpg" /></a></div><b>VANILLA SKY</b>, directed by Cameron Crowe and starring Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz, is the American remake of the Spanish film OPEN YOUR EYES (1997); and while I prefer the earlier, slightly less complex version, I think this one does it justice. What <i>can'</i>t do justice to this part mystery, part love story, part sci-fi multi-layered film is a synopsis. All I'll say is that's its about a young man named David (Cruise) who has wealth, good looks and a gorgeous f**k buddy (Cameron Diaz) who adores him. But just when he thinks he's found true love with an enigmatic dancer named Sofia (Cruz, same role as in the original), he's in a car accident that leaves his face horribly disfigured and loses his dream life ... or is <i>all</i> just a dream? After several viewings, I'm still trying to figure it all out. Cruz is wonderful in both films, though I think she's better in the Spanish-language version. And here's something I never thought I'd say: Cruise is terrific. His persona fits the role of David perfectly. My only quibble is that I think director Crowe, in his zeal to top the Spanish version, added unnecessary plot points and symbolic elements. I get the feeling he's saying, "Look how clever I am," which comes across even in his commentary track.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-37215918815769740902010-01-12T10:50:00.001-06:002010-06-18T10:07:49.752-05:00Two Woodyisms from MANHATTAN (1979)<b>Isaac Davis</b> (Allen): “Why is life worth living? It's a very good question. Um... Well, there are certain things I guess that make it worthwhile. uh... Like what... okay... um... For me, uh... ooh... I would say... what, Groucho Marx, to name one thing... uh... um... and Wilie Mays... and um... the 2nd movement of the Jupiter Symphony... and um... Louis Armstrong, recording of Potato Head Blues... um... Swedish movies, naturally... Sentimental Education by Flaubert... uh... Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra... um... those incredible Apples and Pears by Cezanne... uh... the crabs at Sam Wo's... uh... Tracy's face...”<br />
___<br />
<br />
<b>Female Party Guest</b>: “I finally had an orgasm, and my doctor said it was the wrong kind.” <br />
<b>Isaac</b>: You had the wrong kind? I've never had the wrong kind, ever. My worst one was right on the money.”Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-89536291511654693412009-12-06T20:44:00.022-06:002010-06-19T21:24:56.902-05:00WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954)Christmas in Vermont with old friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/SxsXxa-gbJI/AAAAAAAADVU/y3Vg_vUdeog/s1600-h/200px-White_Chrismas_film.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/SxsXxa-gbJI/AAAAAAAADVU/y3Vg_vUdeog/s200/200px-White_Chrismas_film.JPG" /></a></div>WW II vets Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye form a song and dance team. Ten years later, convinced that success has turned his partner into a workaholic, Kaye finangles an introduction to singing sisters Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. When the girls travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show, the boys follow, only to discover that their former C.O. is the owner of the picture postcard-perfect property which, due to a dearth of snow and guests, is foundering. A series of romantic mix-ups follows as the performers try to help the General. Of course all ends well with everybody singing the title song. <b>WHITE CHRISTMAS</b> brims with great stars and songs and dance routines, not to mention old-fashioned holiday spirit. For me, it’s an annual reunion with screen friends long gone, and a reminder of the unabashedly sentimental and romantic Hollywood musicals from my youth.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32915255.post-47905979141515587852009-12-05T19:04:00.001-06:002010-06-15T14:00:47.675-05:00NO HIGHWAY IN THE SKY (1951)Stressed-out scientist stresses metal stress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/SxxT1X6eMeI/AAAAAAAADVc/Y31GYWjAX28/s1600-h/v28010mvfwh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LYoCRzHYLmQ/SxxT1X6eMeI/AAAAAAAADVc/Y31GYWjAX28/s200/v28010mvfwh.jpg" /></a></div>Most of the cast of this little-known gem is British, as are the look and feel of the film, but the lead actor is Jimmy Stewart. Aeronautical engineer Theodore Honey is the quintessential absent-minded professor: eccentric, forgetful, brilliant – a sober version of Stewart's Elwood P. Dowd, character in HARVEY. Honey’s math shows that the passenger aircraft Reindeer, manufactured by his employers, has a deadly structural design flaw that manifests itself without warning after a certain number of flying hours. Of course, nobody believes him despite the recent, unexplained crash of one of the planes. En route to the crash site to gather evidence, Honey discovers that he is aboard a Reindeer which is rapidly approaching the predicted deadline. He warns the crew and several passengers, but after a safe landing, Honey is ridiculed by almost everyone. Then, moments later, the tail of the Reindeer Honey has been testing falls off and proves him a hero. Mixed in with the suspenseful will-it-or-won't-it-crash moments, <b>NO HIGHWAY IN THE SKY</b> is filled with others of gentle humor and tremendous warmth.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com