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Reviews
Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation (1989)
Inspiring, to Say the Least
I haven't watched all of this yet, though I'm thrilled to now have a copy of this hard-to-find video which I had read about at various times over the past few years. Makes me want to get out my camera and start shooting. I'm also thrilled to hear that Daniel Clowes is working on adapting these kids' adventures for a big-screen film. Maybe their story will inspire the next generation of Spielbergs.
I'm somewhat surprised to see that no one else has commented on this film, though I suppose it's a bit difficult to find. My suggestion is to look for obscure film torrent sites like Karagarga, though some probably require invitations. I believe the film was shown in Austin a few years ago at the Alamo Drafthouse, but I wonder what sort of condition it was in at the time. The copy I have is fairly poor -- not unlike something you'd find on a VHS tape from 1985 that was re-recorded over several times. Makes me wonder if they'll show clips from the actual adaptation in Clowes' film or if they'll re-shoot clips using the actors who will play the kids in the movie. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out...
The Wire (2002)
The Best Show on TV. Period.
Forgive the hyperbole, but this truly is the best show on television. And this is coming from someone who watches a lot of great TV (24, Arrested Development, The Simpsons, Sopranos, Deadwood, Homicide, The Shield, Six Feet Under, The Office US/UK, Lost, House, Veronica Mars, etc.)
Earlier this summer I wrote an article about the show that was just recently published in South Texas' primary newspaper, The Monitor. Here's a link to that piece, which says more than what I could repeat here...
http://themonitor.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTempl ates/Details.cfm&StoryID=15119&Section=MOVIES
Kung fu (2004)
"Hustle" Flows
He may not be Orson Welles, but Asian wunderkind Stephen Chow isn't about to let that slow him down. He wrote, produced, directed, and even opted to star in Kung Fu Hustle. The film, which pays homage to the very genre it spoofs, delivers this typically stagnant spring movie season a desperately needed kick to the funny bone.
While Chow received minor acclaim with his last directorial effort, Shaolin Soccer, it is Hustle that will likely make moviegoers around the world stand up and take notice of his myriad talents. Chow plays Sing, a wayward young adult trying his hand at mischief. He longs to become a member of the widely feared Axe Gang. A routine grift in Pig Sty Alley leads to a huge brawl between the Axe Gang and a band of local kung fu masters. Pandemonium ensues.
The script, while inventive, is hardly the driving force of this wickedly maniacal picture. Chow has created what could best be described as a living cartoon. The theatrical scenery, musical numbers, and outlandish camera-work somehow fuse together perfectly, leaving the audience both startled and riddled with laughter. The fight scenes are a bit lengthy, especially during the last act of the film, but that's to be expected. And while the jokes don't always hit home, the ones that do are truly hilarious. Kung Fu Hustle, while technically a foreign film, will likely speak to most audience members through its universal languages of humor, innocence, and unbridled zaniness.
Rating: B+
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
Give It Up for Feig, Carrell & Co!
Parents, please stop taking your kids to Rated R movies! Okay, now I can continue with my review
The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a smart, raunchy yukfest reminiscent of American Pie and There's Something About Mary. While not quite as enjoyable as the latter, it offers a buffet of twisted humor and some sentimental messages to boot.
The film was co-written, produced, and directed by Judd Apatow, best known for his work on one of my favorite TV shows, Freaks and Geeks. The under-appreciated Apatow may finally have a hit on his hands, thanks largely to his co-writer and leading actor, Steve Carrell.
Carrell (Daily Show, Anchorman) plays geeky, electronics store employee Andy Stitzer. Andy leads a solitary life, filling his time and modest apartment with collectible toys and video games. Despite its subtle kinship with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Andy is not just a man-child. He's a sweet guy who's reached his 40s without having had a real relationship or the physical connection that typically accompanies it. Once his younger, sex-crazed co- workers learn of his plight, they make it their personal mission to "get their buddy laid."
The movie works not only because it's chock-full of laughs, but also because of its realistic depiction of male behavior. We see the demented male psyche from nearly every conceivable facet, which proves both illuminating and frightening. The film's potential classic status is marred only by its lengthy running time. Nevertheless, if you're in the mood for something profanely endearing, this is the one for you.
Rating: B+
Boogeyman (2005)
I've Coughed Up Scarier Stuff Than This
The one genuinely scary moment in director Stephen Kay's laughable excuse for a horror film occurs during the end credits, when the audience discovers that it actually took three professional screenwriters to pen this abominable nightmare. The last few years have been a golden age for modestly budgeted fright flicks. Last fall's The Grudge proved that if you market a film well and release it at just the right time, there's no end to the money you can make. I walked away from that film rather disappointed, but my confusion paled in comparison to the slack-jawed bewilderment that consumed me during Boogeyman.
The film's opening sequence features a man being ravaged by an unseen monster while his son observes helplessly. Fifteen years later we discover that Tim (Barry Watson) has never properly dealt with his father's sudden, grisly death. After learning that his mother has passed away, Tim returns home for her funeral. While in town he decides to face his fears by staying overnight in his unusually creepy boyhood home.
A series of muddled, incomplete ideas figure their way into the plot, but ultimately the story is nonsensical and just plain stupid. As with most recent horror films, Boogeyman provides no real terror, and instead attempts to startle the viewer by adding abrupt, loud noises to the soundtrack. The final straw is the title character itself, revealed briefly during the film's climax to be nothing more than a ridiculous, computer-animated mess. Avoid this moronic snoozefest like the plague.
Rating: D-
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
A Knockout for Clint
Forty years ago, Clint Eastwood was immersed in a trio of spaghetti westerns. Fifteen years later he was playing second banana to an orangutan named Clyde. Somewhere between the 1970s and turning 70, Mr. Eastwood became one hell of a director. Unforgiven landed him multiple Oscars, while Mystic River brought him some of the best reviews of his film-making career. The recent release of Million Dollar Baby has given even his most ardent doubters pause, displaying his continuously expanding talents before and behind the camera.
Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is an aging boxing trainer whose modest gym acts as a second home to a ragtag crew of wannabes and runaways. His one genuinely gifted fighter leaves him shortly before hitting it big, citing Dunn's over-protective nature as the reason for his departure. Dunn's fears reach an all-time high when he finally agrees to train newcomer Maggie (Hilary Swank), despite an aversion to coaching women. Her persistence and stubbornness eventually wear him down. As expected, she proves herself a natural, overcoming every opponent in her path.
Swank's performance as the loyal, scrappy underdog cements her status as one of the great actresses of her generation. Eastwood's surprisingly emotional performance is a far cry from the one-dimensional, deadpan delivery he made chic decades ago. The story itself unfolds in unexpected ways, but its simple honesty is what truly sets it apart from many of today's flashier, self-important films. A few missteps aside, this is easily one of 2004's best efforts. Don't miss it.
Rating: A-
Cinderella Man (2005)
Decent Flick, Unfortunate Title
Every year there are a handful of films released which seem destined for great things. This is no accident. Some movies seem to exist more for the Oscar potential of their stories than the stories themselves. Cinderella Man is 2005's first example of this familiar trend. It's the uplifting tale of one underdog boxer's triumph over adversity. Rocky spun a similar yarn nearly 30 years ago and took home the highly coveted Best Picture award. The same can be said for last year's outstanding Million Dollar Baby. Cinderella Man is not quite as good as those two films, but it does possess one unique benefit: it's a true story.
Anyone who saw 2003's Seabiscuit has pretty much seen Cinderella Man. Simply replace the horse and its rider with Russell Crowe's rugged, determined boxer, James Braddock. Spurred on by the need to save his family from the terrors of the Great Depression, Braddock took his one last chance at pugilistic greatness and ran with it. Crowe does a typically admirable job of filling Braddock's gloves. Director Ron Howard essentially repeats his increasingly obvious formula: take a made-for-TV story and give it the high gloss treatment. It worked perfectly for his A Beautiful Mind, which undeservedly took home the top Oscar several years ago. Rounding out the cast are the delightful Paul Giamatti and one of Hollywood's most overrated enigmas, Renee Zellweger. This entertaining movie has a lot of heart, but falls just short of a knockout.
Rating: B+
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Constantly Riveting
Fernando Mereilles, the Brazilian filmmaker behind 2002's breathtaking City of God, returns to theaters with a brilliant adaptation of John Le Carre's novel, The Constant Gardener. While not quite as powerful and engaging as its predecessor, Gardener nevertheless emerges as one of this year's very best films,
Ralph Fiennes plays timid British diplomat Justin Quale, a man who spends his time tending his garden and delivering dull lectures, one of which is usurped by a lovely young spitfire named Tessa (Rachel Weisz). While Justin is content managing his own gardens, Tessa's concerns are far more global. Despite their clashing personalities, the two quickly fall for one another. With most movies, it would be a sin for a critic to inform the reader that the leading lady dies in the picture. However, the heroine's death in this particular film comes almost immediately, with much of the story then being told in smart, rapid flashbacks. We discover that prior to Tessa's untimely death, she and Justin traveled to Kenya on business, married, and conceived a child.
Despite rumors that she was unfaithful, Justin becomes determined to learn the true nature of his wife's sudden passing. His devotion and curiosity propel him into an odyssey that involves corporate cover-ups, dangerous pharmaceuticals, and much more. Like City of God, Gardener brings global awareness to third-world suffering and ways of life that most of us can scarcely imagine. What begins as a simple romantic mystery becomes something much greater.
Rating: A-
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005)
More Like Pathetic Boy and Crap Girl...Am I Right?
Robert Rodriguez has been rapidly releasing films since his low-budget miracle El Mariachi debuted thirteen years ago. That film reportedly cost a mere $7000 to shoot, but it instantly became its creator's meal ticket. Despite his obvious talent behind the camera and impressive work ethic, Rodriguez had never delivered another unique picture until this year's Sin City. Sadly, he has followed up that groundbreaking effort with a sappy 3-D nightmare based on a short story written by his 7-year old son.
It would have been better for audiences everywhere if Rodriguez had simply taken his son's story and posted it on the family refrigerator. Instead, he has taken advantage of his current good standing in Hollywood and manufactured one of the worst films in recent memory. The story, paper-thin as it is, revolves around 10 year-old Max and the title characters that exist in his dreams. If you have seen The Neverending Story, you've witnessed a far superior interpretation of this film's familiar themes.
The 3-D portions of the movie, which constitute most of its 92 minute running time, are shoddy and rarely engaging. It's ironic that a 3-D feature should be populated by such one-dimensional characters. The abundance of painfully corny humor is made worse by the unskilled actors who deliver it. Equally annoying is Rodriguez's inexplicable need to repeat the themes of the film in nearly every line of dialogue. Viewers of all ages are advised to stay away from this patronizing headache of a movie.
Rating: D-
North Country (2005)
Been There, Done That, Bought the T-Shirt, Next...
North Country solidifies Charlize Theron's position as one of Hollywood's finest actresses. While she doesn't embody a character as maniacal or memorable as the one she played in Monster, she nevertheless injects this occasionally transparent film with genuine substance.
The film's opening credits inform the viewers that it is "inspired by a true story." What they don't tell you is the extent of the fictionalization. Based very loosely on a sexually harassed miner named Lois Jenson, North Country tells the fairly predictable tale of Josie Aimes (Theron). Josie leaves her abusive husband in the first few minutes of the feature, hauling her son and daughter to her parents' house. It seems that Josie's family and hometown, for all intents and purposes, had disowned her when she became pregnant to an unnamed father while still in high school. Upon arrival, she makes it clear to her folks that she only intends to stay a few days, until she can get herself a decent job,
As is the case with many small towns, women can't find decent work unless they're daring enough to tackle industries dominated by men: in Josie's case it's the iron mine where her father has worked for decades. Days later she's making good money and being viciously terrorized by nearly every backwoods cretin on the premises. Her battle against sexual oppression is both upsetting and uplifting. However, fine performances and a bevy of latter- day Bob Dylan tunes aren't enough to distinguish this one from any given Lifetime movie-of- the-week.
Rating: B
Elizabethtown (2005)
This Is Vinyl Sap
Cameron Crowe's latest cinematic journal entry is heavily reminiscent of his 1996 crowd- pleaser, Jerry Maguire. Orlando Bloom, having ditched his elf ears and period garb, plays a hot, young, shoe designer named Drew Baylor. The film's exposition unfolds beautifully as Drew is made painfully aware that his hugely expensive footwear concept has led to a major recall and the subsequent gutting of his company. He promptly returns to his posh apartment to commit suicide. His amusing method of self-destruction is narrowly averted by his inability to let his ringing cell phone go unanswered. Ironically enough, it's his tearful sister, calling to inform him of their dad's sudden death.
This simple twist of fate momentarily rescues Drew from his personal demons as he is asked to drive down to Elizabethtown, Kentucky and collect his father's body. Drew's dad grew up in this quaint burg until he met and married Hollie (Susan Sarandon), whom the locals have always regarded with resentment.
During Drew's flight home, he meets a painfully perky flight attendant named Claire (Kirsten Dunst). It is at this point that the film begins its steady descent into ridiculous, sap- infested territory. Crowe has stated that this is not a film for cynics, but it's also not a film for viewers familiar with terms like logic and common sense. Drew's inevitable relationship with Claire and personal redemption manage to tug at your heartstrings, but the film spends too much of its mammoth running time trying to make you fall in love with it.
Rating: C+
Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight Returns
In 1966 Burt Ward and Adam West took to the screen in the cinematic adaptation of the cheesy Batman TV series. Twenty-three years later a twisted film geek named Tim Burton revived the mysterious superhero for modern audiences. His two films, Batman and Batman Returns, delivered a darkly comic vision of Bruce Wayne's alter ego. The first film was a massive success, both critically and financially. Batmania was in full swing, despite many casual moviegoers mumblings that the film was "too weird and bleak." Burton's vision didn't wane the slightest bit as he offered up an equally chilling sequel three years later. Batman Returns was successful, but failed to generate the hysteria that surrounded its predecessor. The powers-that-be must have felt the only way to revitalize the franchise was to water it down for mass consumption. This led to the appointment of Joel Schumacher as director for the third and fourth installments (Batman Forever and Batman & Robin). Fresh blood could not save these features from their ludicrous dialogue and cartoonish tone. Even the most die-hard fans were wishing for the Bat to be put to sleep. After all, if Hollywood wasn't going to tell these stories right, why tell them at all? Flash forward to the year 2005, which Batman enthusiasts will henceforth refer to as "Year One." Christopher Nolan, the gifted filmmaker responsible for the mind-bending Memento, has finally given this series the honest, respectable makeover it has sorely needed. Modeled after the Batman graphic novels penned by Sin City creator Frank Miller, Nolan's feature gets back to the crusader's roots. Christian Bale (American Psycho) assumes the role of Bruce Wayne this time around, and it's a brave choice that pays off nicely. The film itself focuses on the events that molded the young billionaire into the masked vigilante we all know and love. After failing to avenge his parent's death, Wayne disappears into the criminal underworld, eventually finding himself in a distant prison. Angry and sorrowful, he is under the tough tutelage of Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). Ducard instructs Wayne in the ways of martial arts, while also helping him to confront his deepest fears. As Wayne nears the end of his training, he realizes that Ducard and his master, Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), intend on destroying Gotham. They feel it is little more than a breeding ground for impoverished criminals, and while there is some truth in this, Wayne disagrees with their ideology and genocidal methods. He soon returns home after a seven-year hiatus, and begins creating the mythic figure we call Batman. It is as this point that the film finds it groove and will likely win over most of its observers. The first act of the film has all been backstory that is unfamiliar to most casual fans of the character. However, director Nolan was wise to stay true to his vision. By taking Wayne out of Gotham and briefly disorienting viewers, he has injected a much-needed jolt of reality to the story. We look on quizzically as exotic locales, ninja warriors, snow-capped mountains, and Asian mystics wash over us. Are we in the right theater? But those who remain patient through the first half of the film will be greatly rewarded. It took a lot of guts for Nolan and the studio to make this film. It is not the merchandiser's Batman, and it is most definitely not a children's movie. This should be evident by the stellar cast that surrounds the still relatively unknown Bale. Morgan Freeman, Michael Cain, Gary Oldman, and Katie Holmes are just a few of the talented actors who deliver wonderfully reserved performances in this truly unique picture. As last year's Harry Potter installment proved, great things can be done with popular material when entrusted to the right filmmaker. This movie isn't likely to smash box office records or send kids running screaming to toy stores, but it has done something remarkable just the same. It has taught an old bat some new tricks and given the rest of us a complex, believable superhero. That's more than just fine with me.
Rating: A-
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Easily One of the Year's Best!
I was first introduced to Wallace and Gromit in the mid-1990s. Despite their astounding popularity in Britain, overseas success had primarily been limited to several Oscars for animation and minor cult status. W & G possess a thoroughly British sense of style and humor, which is often lost on viewers from other parts of the world. In addition, many viewers, myself included, were rather unappreciative of the painstaking labor required to manipulate clay for the purposes of entertainment.
It wasn't until the release of Chicken Run in 2000 that I finally realized the immense talent of Park & Co. Chicken Run was a surprise hit that helped bring renewed interest to Wallace & Gromit. Five years and thousands of man-hours later, the eccentric duo is back in its first big-screen outing.
Wallace is a naïve inventor who, with the help of his trusty, ingenious dog Gromit, runs a humane relocation program for the hordes of rabbits terrorizing gardens in the area. An upcoming "Best Vegetable" competition has the entire neighborhood on edge. Desperate to put an end to his clients' woes, Wallace attempts to create a new device that will rid local pests of their herbivorous tendencies. Needless to say, good-natured mayhem ensues.
This film's cleverness and warm-hearted optimism are a welcome change from the formulaic, in-your-face nonsense that pervades much of today's family features. While this film's humor may seem a bit cheesy at times, Wallace will be the first to tell you that cheese can be a wonderful thing.
Rating: A-
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
One of the Greatest Docs Ever Made
The last few years have been a golden age for documentaries. For better or worse, Michael Moore and his undeniable ability for manipulating the cinematic medium have brought this endangered genre into theaters and living rooms across the country. Most of today's casual moviegoers are relatively new to the non-fiction feature. In the case of director Errol Morris' The Thin Blue Line (1988), one film not only managed to free an innocent man from a lifetime in prison, but it also elicited a confession from the guilty party. After collecting dust on video shelves for over fifteen years, this groundbreaking documentary has finally arrived on DVD.
Unless you're a devout cinephile or a video store clerk, you have probably never heard much about Errol Morris. As a member of the former category, I've been a fan of his since first renting The Thin Blue Line more than a decade ago. As I popped in that dusty VHS cassette and sat back, I relished what many critics and documentary purists had been hotly debating: Morris was taking the genre to exciting new places, whether people liked it or not.
As with all successful movies, a good doc needs a good story. In 1976, Dallas County police officer Robert Wood and his partner were patrolling their district late one night. The two pulled a blue car over to the side of the road, most likely to warn the driver of a busted taillight. Moments later Officer Wood was lying on the ground, fatally wounded by a series of gunshots. His partner quickly ran to his aid, but was unable to accurately retain and recall certain information about the killer's vehicle. Was it a Vega or a Comet? Did the driver have bushy hair or a fur-lined collar? These and many other questions emerged during the rushed investigation to bring the mysterious cop-killer to justice.
The film itself opens more than ten years after the murder took place. Randall Adams, an oddly charismatic good ol' boy sits before the camera, revealing what happened that unfortunate evening in late 1976. He admits to having shared a ride with a young kid named David Harris. The two apparently attended a drive-in double feature, where they both drank beer and smoked marijuana. Shortly thereafter, Adams claims to have been dropped off at his motel for the evening. Meanwhile, Morris shows us the aforementioned David Harris, now in his mid-20s, talking cryptically about that night's events. This real-life Rashomon confronts viewers with several versions of "the truth." It's unclear whether Morris instinctively knew the truth was still out there when he decided to pursue this project, but his previous experience as a private investigator seems to have paid off as we witness his off- camera interrogation of these two men.
Adams, responsible or not, was determined guilty by the courts and sentenced to death. Despite having a police record as long as his shadow, David Harris became the primary witness against Adams in the case. His testimony alone might not have hung Adams, but at the last minute a trio of eyewitnesses to the crime emerged to corroborate his story. In the world of Errol Morris, people are a truly strange lot, and his greatest technique is to simply let his subjects talk and talk until their inherent weirdness becomes painfully evident. Such is the case with the three last-minute witnesses in the Adams case. The more we hear them speak, the greater that uneasy feeling in our stomach and chest becomes. We are bearing witness to a catastrophic miscarriage of justice.
Morris employs a bottomless bag of tricks in this landmark film. While much of the film does rely on the presence of talking heads, he adds other elements to the mix, such as old movie footage, a haunting score by renowned composer Philip Glass, and the granddaddy of documentary no-no's: dramatic re-enactments. The latter tends to be the most challenged aspect of The Thin Blue Line, but Morris uses it fairly and wisely. He tells this twisted tale in ways few people could. A shot of a swaying timepiece or a concession stand popcorn machine suddenly amount to much more than what we're simply seeing on the screen. All of these pieces are being put together, little by little, in the hopes that by the end we will see the bigger picture.
When this movie was released in 1988, it was marketed as a non-fiction film, because the word "documentary" was thought to scare off ticket-buyers. The studio's attempts to pass it off as a murder mystery failed, but the movie made a minor splash once it hit video. It picked up plenty of awards from festivals and critics groups, but the Oscars didn't even bother nominating it. In fact, the Academy didn't so much as nod in Morris' direction until early 2004, when they nominated The Fog of War, his powerful, relevant look at former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. That film and Morris' two previous masterpieces, Mr. Death and Fast, Cheap & Out of Control have been available on DVD for some time. His first three films, Gates of Heaven, Vernon, Florida, and The Thin Blue Line, were recently made available either individually or in a 3-disc box set. All six of these films are unique, intriguing portals into Mr. Morris' strange universe, which is not so distant from our own. If it's dramatic situations, reality TV, or simply a great movie that you want, look no further than The Thin Blue Line. As one of the greatest documentaries of our time, it is all these things and so much more.
Rating: A
Jarhead (2005)
Forget What You've Read
Forget all of the negative hyperbole you may have read in so many other reviews of Jarhead, the third film from natural-born filmmaker Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition). His latest feature may not end up being the Oscar-bait many were expecting, but it's a remarkable take on modern warfare nonetheless.
As with any genre film, viewers automatically compare a new entry to the films that came before it. Jarhead's opening barracks scene is eerily and unfortunately reminiscent of R. Lee Ermey's classic sequence in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. This film occasionally wears its influences on its sleeve, but it's usually in service of the greater story being told. As one character bemoans late in the film, upon hearing The Doors blasting from a stereo, "This is Vietnam music! Can't we get our own music?" These feelings are at the heart of this atypical look at an atypical war.
Jake Gyllenhaal gives an outstanding performance as real-life enlistee Anthony Swofford, whose book provided the basis for the film. While his training hardships aren't exactly ignored, his story focuses more on the dismay and resentment of troops who wound up in Iraq in 1991 only to wait, wait, and wait some more. What happens to a man who is trained to kill and then never gets to fire his weapon? This question and other overlooked realities of our presence in Iraq are handled intelligently in this gorgeous, well-acted, unjustly maligned picture.
Rating: B+
Boogie Nights (1997)
A Modern Masterpiece
Altman and Scorsese have twisted sex together in one of the greatest American films of the past 20 years. Boogie Nights didn't make a huge initial splash, and I still don't think it's received the credit it deserves. The immediate clamor surrounding the film ("Some porn movie with Marky Mark") was wholly without merit. What Paul Thomas Anderson has created is no less than a stunning representation of the pursuit and subsequent loss of the American Dream (if such a thing still exists).
For those of you who have been living in a box (or a confessional) for the past 8 years, Boogie Nights tells the literal rise-and-fall tale of young Eddie Adams (Wahlberg). Eddie is just a dopey kid from Torrance, California who wants something more out of life. His room is soaked in muscle-bound, naive Americana. His dreams are far bigger than his potential, but not quite as large as his...special gift. His bald-headed southern gent quickly raises the attention and eyebrows of the booming, omni-present adult film industry. Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds as the film's twinkle-eyed Papa Bear) gets wind of Eddie's hidden talent and decides to put him in a movie.
Before you can say "deep-throat," Eddie has changed his name to Dirk Diggler and exposed his massive member to a wide-eyed public. Fame and fortune make Dirk's acquaintance, as do a bevy of local porn celebs. His friends and co-workers become his makeshift family, but it soon proves to be a Sunday picnic like no other. As the feel-good 70s give way to the coke-addled, video-friendly 80s, Dirk & Co. begin a dangerous backslide.
Anderson put everything he had into this glorious, moving epic. It sizzles and never fizzles. Nary a frame of this monumental picture is wasted, and the characters and their dialogue live with us long after ELO fades from the soundtrack. See this one immediately. And then watch it again.
And again.
Annie Hall (1977)
An American Classic
Woody is firing from all cylinders, nailing one joke after another in this modern American classic. While ultimately considered a romantic comedy, Annie Hall defies all labels, blending multiple genres and creating a few new ones in the process.
It's difficult to imagine for many of today's younger film-goers, but Woody Allen was once a terribly respected celebrity who could seem to do no wrong. In recent years his personal life and spotty track record have diminished his reputation, but many of his early works (Annie Hall chief among them) will live forever.
In this brilliant dissection of an on-again/off-again couple, Allen plays Alvy Singer, a neurotic comedian undergoing a mid-life crisis. It's a role that Allen created, defined, and has essentially been playing in one form or another ever since. His love interest at the time (both on and off-screen) was Diane Keaton, who won a well-deserved Oscar for her performance as the title character. Annie and Alvy are both nuts (in general and about each other), but their differences play against and alongside one another beautifully. The film's resolution may leave some of us sighing, but we know it's the only sensible outcome.
As stated earlier, Allen is in top form here, as a writer, actor, AND director. While some of his films around this time were more artsy, this one seemed to be his most creative, original effort. While he still wears his influences on his sleeves, actually naming a few in various scenes, his maniacal interpretation of his material is endlessly inspired. Everything from flashbacks to speaking to the camera to animation are employed perfectly in this stylistic hodgepodge.
Lively direction aside, it's the killer material that truly makes this movie. The fairly short running time is jam-packed with jokes and gags, almost all of which work. Rarely does a line or scene fall flat. Every seemingly unnecessary utterance is there for a reason. When Annie stares quizzically at Alvy's red, erotic light-bulb, he casually mutters that they can now go about their business...and even develop photographs if they want to. Not only do the jokes work, but they're bursting at the seams with truth and relevance. In a single split-screen scene, Allen manages to humorously capture the inherent, unavoidable differences in the male and female psyches. Racism, sexism, libido, hippies, drugs, the Seventies, entertainment bureaucrats, New York vs. California, religion, conspiracy theories. All that and more is presented uniquely in what can easily be named one of the greatest films of the last 30 years. Now if only I could decide whether or not it's better than another late-70s Allen film called Manhattan.
Ghost World (2001)
Best American Film in Years
Director Terry Zwigoff's brilliance was suggested by his 1995 documentary Crumb, but has been confirmed by his latest feature, Ghost World. Based on a graphic novel by Daniel Clowes, this film is the best film of 2001, with The Royal Tenenbaums bringing up the rear (thus far). I have seen this film 9 times. I own the graphic novel, the screenplay, the soundtrack, and the shirt (thank you, eBay). I admit to identifying with this film in a way even Enid might find disturbing, and so my critical analysis would tend to suffer as a result of this. At any rate, I could sit here and talk for hours about the brilliance of the film, zeroing in on every little detail, right down to the background characters sporting Hard Rock Cafe shirts...but I won't. I will say that if the Oscars had any guts or brains, they would offer up the following nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Buscemi), Best Actress (Birch), Best Director (Zwigoff), and Best Picture (Ghost World). See this as soon as you can, despite MGM's ridiculous ad campaign. I could slaughter them for it. And why aren't they supporting the film? "Gee, we put no thought or effort into promoting this film. What? It's the most critically acclaimed pic of the year? Let's ignore it and let it fall into oblivion." I wish I had more power.