Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[dave jenkins]

Jane Eyre (2011) - 9/10. There have been so many adaptations of the terribly flawed novel that I almost ignored this new one. Then I got wind of the film's clever re-structuring: it begins with Jane fleeing Rochester's house, crossing the moors, and being discovered by the Rivers. Then, as she tells her life story to her new benefactors, we see everything up to that point in flashback. It occurred to me that that would give the film several advantages: it would enable the director to cover all the famous--not to say iconic--episodes quickly, without the temptation of having to linger over everything. It would also make the sojourn with the Rivers, a dull patch in the book, more bearable. AND, because the flashbacks concern such a large space of time,  there would be a sense, if only by association, that Jane's stay with the Rivers is a rather long one (in the book, many months). Adaptations usually either omit the Rivers altogether, or telescope the episode into an impossibly short period. Here was a chance to do a faithful Jane Eyre that was also highly cinematic.

So I watched the film and was not disappointed. The new ordering keeps the film to a compact 2 hours without giving the impression that the plot is being rushed. Further, the actress Mia Wasikowska is great casting--an appealing young woman who, for the first time, seems to be the right age for the role (Fassbender as Rochester is OK). Also there is some really stunning photography, and a truly memorable solo-violin-heavy score (by Dario Marinelli). So, as they say: If you see only one film adaptation of Jane Eyre in your lifetime, see this one too!

Dragonwyck (1946) - 10/10. A kind of American Jane Eyre, with the action re-located to the upper Hudson River region circa the 1840s. The governess is played by Gene Tierney, and the Rochester-like role goes to Vincent Price--appropriate, as he is in fact guilty of the murder of his first wife. So, no happy reunion for the lovers this time. Great set design, music, and photography. This was Joseph L. Mankiewicz's first picture as director.

[cigar joe]

A little Hurricane Irene Backlog:

Moontide (1942) More a routine love story with Noir-ish lighting than anything else, OK performances by Gabon, Lupino, and Raines, looks all set bound but the sets are not very interesting, nothing I'd recommend to hard core Noir lovers. 6.5/10

Rancho Notorius (1942) Nothing special, and at times ludicrous, Dietrich looks great in some sequences but a fading beauty. 6/10

Shanghai Express (1932) If you want to see how beautiful Dietrich was catch this one, and adventure, drama, romance story with lots of great atmosphere. Dietrich is the notorious prostitute Shanghai Lily the "white blossom of China" who discovers her former lover Clive Brooke, on the train and rekindles their relationship. Great cast of Anna May Wong,  Walter Oland, Eugene Pallette, Lawrence Grant, Louise Closser Hale,    Gustav von Seyffertitz, and Emile Chautard. Entertaining, 7.5-8/10

[dave jenkins]

Blitz (2011) - 6/10. Jason Statham as a kind of southeast London Dirtry Harry. Only this time "Harry" is partly responsible for "Scorpio's" crimes--which are all directed at cops--because "Harry" once beat the shit out of "Scorpio" in a poolhall. Kinda lame. Even lamer, there are side stories about a cop who lost his wife, and one who is a backsliding drug addict. These attempts at showing us that police are people too (imagine that!) just bogs everything down. My biggest objection, though: when I pay money to see a Statham movie, I expect to see Statham racking up the body count, not some other clown. Statham had almost no kills in this! I shoulda asked for my money back.

[noodles_leone]

Scott Pilgrim vs The World: 9/10
I like it better with each viewing. The gap with The Big Lebowski is narrowing.

[Groggy]

Blitz (2011) - 6/10. Jason Statham as a kind of southeast London Dirtry Harry. Only this time "Harry" is partly responsible for "Scorpio's" crimes--which are all directed at cops--because "Harry" once beat the shit out of "Scorpio" in a poolhall. Kinda lame. Even lamer, there are side stories about a cop who lost his wife, and one who is a backsliding drug addict. These attempts at showing us that police are people too (imagine that!) just bogs everything down. My biggest objection, though: when I pay money to see a Statham movie, I expect to see Statham racking up the body count, not some other clown. Statham had almost no kills in this! I shoulda asked for my money back.

All that and a 6/10? Jinkies, you're slipping.

[titoli]

Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) This is considered generally the best of the Lincoln biopics, mostly thanx to Morley's performance. Actually I was annoyed by his sententious cademce even in the most informal of dialogues. And his appearance of at least a quarter of century older man when playing young Lincoln was another  minus. Add to that some cheesy scenes and ugly Ruth Gordon (actually, in her '70's movies she gave you the false impression she might have been tolerable 30 years before) and you had little to be happy about. But the last part, when Lincoln has the right age for Morley and the character becomes more and more a public figure, then you have the impression that  Lincoln must have been something like Morley: and that's no mean feat. And if you have any doubt, just compare this movie and this performance to Ford's movie of the preceding year. 7\10

[Groggy]

Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) This is considered generally the best of the Lincoln biopics, mostly thanx to Morley's performance. Actually I was annoyed by his sententious cademce even in the most informal of dialogues. And his appearance of at least a quarter of century older man when playing young Lincoln was another  minus. Add to that some cheesy scenes and ugly Ruth Gordon (actually, in her '70's movies she gave you the false impression she might have been tolerable 30 years before) and you had little to be happy about. But the last part, when Lincoln has the right age for Morley and the character becomes more and more a public figure, then you have the impression that  Lincoln must have been something like Morley: and that's no mean feat. And if you have any doubt, just compare this movie and this performance to Ford's movie of the preceding year. 7\10

Who's Morley?

I enjoy both films but give the edge to the Ford film.

[Groggy]

Traffic - 9/10 - 2nd viewing

Lion of the Desert - 8/10 - Anthony Quinn plays Omar Mukhtar, who leads Libyan resistance against Italy during the '20s and '30s. Plays like The Battle of Algiers on an epic scale, with graphic battle scenes and atrocities showing the nastiness of imperialism and insurrection. Quinn is amazingly subdued in his role, but Oliver Reed's brutal General Graziani arguably steals the show. Maurice Jarre has an excellent desert-flavored score that doesn't sound a bit like Lawrence of Arabia.

[dave jenkins]

Senna (2010) - 9/10. A documentary on the career of Ayrton Senna, a kind of god of Formula 1, apparently. The great thing is, you don't have to be a fan of racing (and I'm not) to enjoy this. The film is assembled like a feature, with the hero overcoming several setbacks and an evil rival to notch up three world championships. It's like Grand Prix without the soap opera bits, and with real people instead of actors. The only thing I can fault the film for is the overuse of foreshadowing--the ending is telegraphed. For people who already know the story that may be no big deal, but for those of us who went in without knowing anything in advance, it would have been better if the climax came as more of a shock. Still, this is a great bit of editing, and a terrifically entertaining flick.

[Groggy]

The Far Country - 9/10 - 2nd viewing.

[drinkanddestroy]

The Far Country - 9/10 - 2nd viewing.

a damn good movie, but I wouldn't rate it that high. I'd give it like an 8.2. it is indeed a terrific watch.

(the one time I saw it, I started watching on TCM about ten minutes after it started. I tried catching up to the first few mins. by reading the beginning of the plot synopsis online. Still, maybe I was a bit lost  )

[cigar joe]

Above The Law (1988) caught the last 45 minutes of this and was impressed, it may be the best Steven Seagal film I ever saw (and I haven't been impressed with any), I guess it was his first film, and has veteran Henry Silva as the chief villain with Pam Grier, and Sharon Stone, may have to rent this on Netflix to give it a proper review. Some nice realistic looking shots of action on top a moving train. Seagal looks good, a departure from his later pyramid shaped persona,  ,

[titoli]

Above The Law (1988) caught the last 45 minutes of this and was impressed, it may be the best Steven Seagal film I ever saw (and I haven't been impressed with any), I guess it was his first film, and has veteran Henry Silva as the chief villain with Pam Grier, and Sharon Stone, may have to rent this on Netflix to give it a proper review. Some nice realistic looking shots of action on top a moving train. Seagal looks good, a departure from his later pyramid shaped persona,  ,

Apparently you don't read my reviews. Or maybe you don't trust them.

Anyway, I seem to remember (it is the only Seagal movie I didn't check again - over here there's no dvd - of his first four) that Out for Justice is even better.

[drinkanddestroy]

for the second time, I saw parts of the "Movies and Moguls" show on TCM. just wanted to give a shout-out to a great documentary. And once again, a loud FUCK YOU to the self-aggrandizing pigs in political office and the Justice Dep't that stick their asses where it don't belong with their bullshit antitrust laws, destroying honest businesses that hardworking people built with blood, sweat, and tears

[dave jenkins]

3 by Abbas Kiarostami, the "Koker Trilogy," so-called because the films are centered on and around an Iranian village of that name. The films are not narratively linked, so it would be better to call them the Koker Trio or Koker Triptych. All three films use a combination of actors and non-professionals.

Where is the Friend's House? (1987) - 8/10. A simple story about an 8-year-old boy who mistakenly brings home the notebook of his classmate. Knowing that his friend cannot complete his homework without it, and knowing also that there will be hell to pay if the kid shows up at school the next day without having done the assignment, the boy determines to take the notebook back to his friend. But it's not so easy. The adults about the boy are indifferent to his predicament. First, his mother wants him to do his own homework and then run an errand for her, so he is forced to sneak away. The friend lives in a nearby village, and the boy goes there, but he doesn't know the address or how to get to the house. When he asks people for directions, they are unhelpful. Even when people try to help they end up sending him on wild goose chases.  SPOILERS Finally, night closing in, the boy returns home, defeated. As he sits, later, doing his homework, something amazing happens: a strong wind blows open a door; outside we see the boy's mother scrambling to keep the washing on the clothesline from being carried off. This simple image of a hostile world, and of human endevour in the midst of it, quietly points up the director's theme ("quietly" being the operative word--there is no need for musical underscoring). The next day the boy arrives at school and hands in his notebook as well as his friend's: he has done the homework for both of them. END SPOILERS.

And Life Goes On (1992) - 10/10. A fictional director who has made a film called Where is the Friend's House? tries to return to the village where it was shot after an earthquake has devastated the region. Whether or not he makes it to the village we never learn--the important thing is the journey, not the destination. Everywhere as the filmmaker travels in his little car there are scenes of destruction--and of people picking up and getting on with their lives. A series of vignettes illustrate the film's title, which is also its theme. Some of the "actors" from the first film are encountered. SPOILER One scene is particularly impressive: an old woman is attempting to pull a carpet out from under the rubble (the woman is indoors, we are outside, we hear this more than see it). The filmmaker tries to help her, but he has a bad back, he pronounces the effort futile. He stikes up a conversation with a young man who is apparently newly married. It turns out the man and his bride were wed the day after the earthquake. The filmmaker is amazed--the couple must not have lost many relatives in the quake, he guesses. On the contrary, about 65 family members died; the mourning period could last up to a year, and the couple simply hadn't wanted to wait. The young man bids the filmmaker goodbye, stops at the old woman's house to tell her he will come help her later. As he departs, the woman emerges from her house, dragging the carpet out with her. END SPOILER. The film ends with an astonishing long shot of a car attempting to drive up a hill. Kiarostami gets an incredible amount of drama out of tiny objects in the distance.

Through the Olive Trees (1994) - 9/10. An actor begins with a direct address to the camera, explaining that he is playing the director in the film. We then see a casting call among girl students--but are they being cast for the film, or the film within the film? The film within the film is about a director who is attempting to return to Koker after an earthquake has devastated the region. We see the actor from And Life Goes On playing the scene where he talks to the bridegroom about getting married the day after the earthquake. But there are problems, re-takes, the director can't get the shot. He replaces the man playing the bridegroom, but he has trouble with the new actor. It turns out that the man now playing the bridegroom has been unsuccessfully attempting to court the woman playing the bride. The woman lost her parents in the earthquake, making courtship all the more difficult, besides which the feelings of the woman are unclear. The director tries to solve the young man's problem in an attempt to solve his own. The film ends with an astonishing long shot of the man pursuing the obscure object of his desire. Kiarostami gets an incredible amount of drama out of tiny people in the distance.