Fracture (2007) 8.5/10
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Just sampled the Blue Danube Waltz sequence on the new BD. Beautiful. And the image is so sharp you can read the instructions for the Zero Gravity Toilet (if your monitor is large enough). Film: 9/10. SFX: 11/10. Restoration and Transfer: 10/10.
Saw Fracture last night, pretty good. No one else but Hopkins can play that type of character so well.
Home Alone 1 & 2 (1990-92) 11/10 - 4,253th viewingChristmas is Christmas. The sequel is better than the original. Period.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – 10/10.The wife and I were watching several Henry Fonda movies (The Lady Eve, Daisy Kenyon) and Mrs. Jenkins was feeling impressed with Fonda’s ability to play characters who were slightly “off.” I asked her if she wanted to see a performance where the character wasn’t merely off, he was evil incarnate. She said, Sure. So I spun the Paramount blu-ray (marveling again at the PQ—why can’t all Leone films look this good?) and a good time was had by all. Afterwards, though, Mrs. Jenkins had several questions, some about the elided plot points, but also things like, Why does Harmonica tear off portions of Jill’s dress? I tried to explain about Frank’s men overwatching the farm and Harmonica’s need to draw them in so he could kill them. She replied that that was ridiculous, the men were too far away to note any alteration to Jill’s clothing. Well, okay, I replied, What’s your idea? My idea, she said, is that Harmonica just wants to see Jill’s tits. Mrs. Jenkins! Such language! Also, I don’t think you appreciate the degree to which Harmonica’s need for revenge drives out all other considerations. She said, I don’t think you appreciate the degree to which Leone wants to show off Claudia’s cleavage to drooling creeps. I said, Did you notice that Harmonica and Jill at the well references several stories from the Bible? Isaac and Rebekkah, Jacob and Rachel, Moses and his first wife –all meet at wells. Mrs. Jenkins nodded and said, such things are common to a variety of world literatures. For example, there is a story in Japanese mythology in which Yamasachi and Toyotama-hime meet at a well: their descendants become the Yamato emperors! I said, Yes, yes, the biblical well stories are also about furthering national destiny. Now notice how Leone in his film turns this trope on its head: Harmonica and Jill come together at a well, not to have children (create life), but so that Harmonica can further his death-dealing agenda. Jill is a water-bearer, a symbolic nurturer, the matriarch of the new West, the new order that will supplant the Age of Heroes. The fact that Jill and Harmonica’s relationship is sterile underscores the deficient nature of this new age. Mrs. Jenkins said, Dude, you’re reading too much into this simple Western. But notice that Henry Fonda, because he’s at the top of the bill, is the only actor allowed to press himself repeatedly against Claudia Cardinale. He even gets to rub her stomach!And on the discussion went, long into the evening. At Mrs. Jenkins’ request, however, I picked a film for the following night that was less “controversial”: Funny Face with Fred and Audrey.
Whoa there, that is a scorching hot take. The sequel is a success considering an entertaining movie was made with such an awful premise, but how is it better when it essentially apes the first movie beat by beat? The first movie is just timeless with so many classic scenes and is also way funnier.
It does ape the first movie beat by beat, and I understand why it unnerves people, but to me this is the very reason why it's much better.To me, the first movie was very experimental: they decided to do a Tex Avery film in live action. It turned out great, but the result is that most of the screenwriting, camerawork and editing technics were just that: experiments. Many of these technics didn't age well, they're way more polished in the sequel. Kind of like FoD "invented" a style and FaFDM polished it. They also had a better grasp at their characters, who are more developped, funnier and better played than in the first one. In the end the sequel works better because while it does everything the original did, beat by beat (sometimes even line by line), every single beat is better.On an even more subjective level:- maybe it's just the european tourist in me talking, but I enjoy far more seeing Kevin free in New York City than buying a toothbrush in a small town.- the whole Duncan's Toy Chest and Children's hospital subplot, while totally ridiculous, pushes all the right buttons for a perfect Christmas movie.
I never really thought much of Columbus as a visual artist, for a lack of better phrase.