DAW-8 Reviews

The Passenger (1975)

worth every minute

[9/10 · 9 July 2010]

I first saw this film around 2002 out of curiosity, at a time when so many rare and obscure titles were being re-released. Whereas then I found it mainly interesting as one of those films that is alienating in its cacophony of languages, locales and characters, watching it again I realized what a real masterpiece it actually is. The first part is absolutely some of the most interesting 10 minutes of film I have ever seen. We watch as Nicholson's character moves about in an unnamed African country--no place particularly identifiable--not sub-Saharan, but not North African--and his encounters with a range of characters young and old, whose motives are completely opaque and who have little interest in him. To anyone who has traveled to non-Western countries, the mood of the first part of this film is all too familiar, and amazingly well-captured. Without summarizing the plot, suffice it to reiterate what a few other reviews said--that this is Antonioni at his best--understated and able to express on film the most elusive aspects of human experience and identity. We never really know what motivates Nicholson's character, but it is set against a fascinating and all-too-real backdrop of post-colonial African political struggles, European arms dealers, and his own mediocre, and apparently hardly fulfilling life which he is leaving behind. Two hours of film without a minute wasted.

My Dinner with Andre (1981)

Hyperreality

[7/10 · 18 May 2010]

I watched this and my overwhelming feeling was empathy for Wally, to have to listen to Andre carry on with the typical post-1960s new york artist cum intellectual philosophic-esquire talk, with its search for authenticity, interest in Eastern religions, Nazi Germany analogies, and critique of industrial advanced society. If we think of Andre's character as one in a play, he is a cookie cut version of that time and context. This does not necessarily make the film or characters superficial. I actually think and/or wonder if Malle's intent isn't to get us to realize the absurdity, possible falsity and seeming truth of any conversation, i.e. to see the "hyperreality" of these characters and the conversation. I think the whole film is actually an exercise in nothingness. What is really said that is true or real? Yet it isn't NOT true or real either. I'm basing some of my guessing on some of Malle's more obscure work, including his documentaries ranging from France to India to Glencoe, Minnesota. He definitely has a philosophical side, which if I'd hazard a guess is heavily influenced by phenomenological philosophy. At least that's reflected in his film-making style.

The Closet (2001)

French homophobia and sleaziness par excellence

[5/10 · 11 February 2010]

I'm sick and tired of French 'sex comedies' which for their humor really on tired stereotypes that are 'just jokes' for white, middle-class, straight Frenchies. This film is just one more example. Not only does it use a false 'reverse racism' storyline--that a minority will otherwise be kept in a job he is not qualified for--they also make light of some pretty serious contemporary anti-gay sentiments and actions, such as violent attacks. I don't like all of the stereotypes here that I have seen in so many French movies and comedies--the working-class homophobic buffoons, the not-very pretty secretary (as contrasted with the sexy one) who helps move the film forward. Maybe the fact that this film honestly was not that funny, even if you disregard the 'jokes', doesn't help.

The Class (2008)

great topic, superficial treatment

[7/10 · 25 October 2009]

Lately it seems like I've been finding more and more films that are liked for the fact they address some social issue, or put something on screen which we haven't yet seen or know is 'out there' but are not surprised to see. 'The Class' is an example of this. The social issue is the French education system, and how it--and especially one teacher--cope with the increasingly multicultural makeup of its students; though this is not a new condition in France, and definitely not Paris. Although in fact, there is no real statement or deep narrative here about the French educational system, since 90% of the film just shows the protagonists interacting in the classroom--a teacher and his students--a scene whose dialogue, interactions, power struggles, etc are almost immediately recognizable or imaginable to most people living in any major city in western Europe, north America, and definitely some countries in Latin America as well. The film apparently has been popular in Brazil. The classroom setting is in fact what the film does best--it gives a palpable taste of the struggle that goes on in classrooms. I felt more sympathy for the teacher than the students, but its a pretty balanced picture. Another thing the film does well for a non-French (and probably some French people too) audience is show the subtle racial and national distinctions these students make in their lives, and how they appear and disappear as they become useful or not. We find out quickly that the black students in the class are not from the same former French colonies--and they exploit that when conflicts emerge.

But the disappointment of the film remains is its lack of much depth. It almost stands still. Neither the teacher nor the students seem to develop as characters should in any story, nor any real resolution, although the end is not as ambiguous as you might expect, but still, I'm not sure whether it is making a conclusive statement or not.

I guess in its defense, I can say that at least 'The Class' doesn't give us the oversentimental treatment of other 'urban school' dramas, where students accept a teacher, in some kind of sticky sweet happy ending.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)

fantastic film

[9/10 · 8 October 2009]

I just watched 4,3,2 again for the second or third time, and it's even better than I remembered. There are many reasons why. I do not know Romania well, but as a few other reviewers stated, there is an authenticity, or at least depth of portrayal of life and social relations in that country that you can't not come away with. I think it's most obvious in the range of secondary characters and their behavioral specifics that clue us in: the laughing officers and officials at the hotel, demanding Ottila's id; the obnoxious and horrible friends of the boyfriend's parents at the dinner party, and the hardly secondary character of Bebe. His calculatedness from his gestures to his words -- is both horrible and yet unbelievably realistic. In the end, he does what he promised, and even seems to genuinely wish Gabita before leaving. It speaks to the microscopic power plays that, I believe, must have trickled down from a maniacal dictator and regime whose raison d'etre was on the one hand, like other communist states of the time, but also had the added aspect of personality cult, reminiscent of Charles Manson or Mao. How else to explain an abortion policy whose rationale was producing more subjects to rule? Stylistically, the film is brilliantly made. It is economical and tense. There are no pauses or dramatic reliefs. It has the illusion, and sometimes reality of being shot in real time. Overall, one of the best films of the 2000's.

Jonny Quest (1964–1965)

One of the best Hanna Barbera cartoons and an incredible reflection of its time!

[10/10 · 26 November 2008]

Jonny Quest reflects mid-60s adventure kid entertainment at its finest. He goes around the world with his research-scientist dad, always to exotic locales ranging from Egypt to the Amazon, to Africa, to fictitious remote islands. To catch the bad guys standing in their way, Jonny, Dr. Quest, Jonny's buddy Hadji, Race, and Bandit travel through air, land, and sea using all kinds of James Bond-esquire gadgets--special scuba gear, rocket packs, etc.

But another fascinating aspect of JQ is its reflection of the culture of its time. Particularly the depiction of racial and ethnic characters. The high quality animation really shows the detail to which the animators/creators went to try and depict authentic natives--from grass skirts to specifically drawn body and face paintings. At the same time, most of the natives in JQ are almost all villains and stereotypically represented: evil-intentioned voodoo kings, despotic village headmen, blow dart shooting thugs, savages ready to fight. Their ambiguous origins can't help but make you wonder where the creators came up with them. Most of them do have specific referents, probably somewhere in eastern South America or the Amazon, but needless to say being specific about that is not important to the show itself.

And it's not only non-whites that are interestingly depicted in JQ. There are a host of other characters--Frenchmen living in what we might suppose are the French Antilles; Portuguese sailors who have been living at sea their whole lives, Ex-patriates who have been corrupted or live hermit-like existences in faraway places. JQ reflects the typical colonial ethnoscape of these parts of the world that most films and TV never do, either for fear of complexity and alienating the audience, or because they themselves are unfamiliar with them. Probably the only other major series that does so would be James Bond films with their international, exotic mix of nationalities and characters.

Another cultural element of the time that sneaks into JQ is the Cold War. Either Dr. Quest works for the US government, or he is "doing research" for some or another scientific program. In one episode, he is trying to get a rare metal which is essential to the space program. Could it be more obvious?

Of course, there are is the standard violence of that time period--against both animals and humans--that came to be criticized after the 60s. In one episode, Jonny and the rest of the gang when on a boat are threatened by crocodiles in the water, so they each grab a rifle and start killing them off. The scene lasts about 10 seconds, where they are just killing crocodiles. And of course, nothing is thought of beating an evil native over the head with a wood plank, killing a bad guy with an oxygen tank, and other quick ways to get the bad guys out of the way.

All in all, Jonny Quest represents a really interesting historical moment, the mid-1960s, when racial and ethnic stereotypes still went unquestioned, internationalism was in, the cold war was raging, and kids all over America and even the world were tuning in for the most sacred time slot of a pre-teen: Saturday morning.

The Bear That Wasn't (1967)

Wonderfully dated, beautiful lost cartoon of the '60s

[10/10 · 4 October 2008]

Ever wonder how the psychedelic, existential mindset of the 60s transferred itself to the next generation? Well, this cartoon is your answer. Starting with the existential title "The Bear that Wasn't", kids and viewers of all ages are taken on a mind trip where self-identity conflicts with social identity, and modern-day bureaucracy and hierarchy are satirized and exposed. All of this is done through some of the most beautiful and artistic animation of Chuck Jones, with its use of autumnal colors, shapes, shadows and outlines, all set to a Sergio Mendes-esquire mid-late 60s jazzy score, with its own psychedelic overtones. Not to mention the unusual length of this 'cartoon'--10 minutes. There all other tasty little tidbits of that time period too -- the Bear has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth for most of the cartoon while he is bewildered at what is happening to him.

To think that little kids might have been zoned in to this in front of the TV on Saturday morning, while eating their breakfast cereal. What could they possibly be thinking after watching this? They say the 1960s counter culture was largely influenced by the fact that college campus theaters would show European new wave films, and so here were all these college kids innocently going to the campus theater, just cause it was there, yet being exposed to these radically artsy subversive films. This helped sow the seeds of a counterculture and the era which brought the widest and most pervasive critique of the society and everything about it, its values, norms, etc.

Bitter Sugar (1996)

Unique perspective on Cuba

[8/10 · 1 September 2008]

Bitter Sugar addresses MORE problems associated with politics and economic systems than almost any film from any country in a single film (There should be some award for such achievements...). One of the greatest things it accomplishes is illustrating the problems with BOTH ideal-socialist Cuba (which is gradually disappearing) and the alternative, open-market Cuba that is gradually developing in the 1990s. The bad side of a socialist state/society is clearly shown with the Gustavo's naive belief in the party and promises from the party that never pay off, as well as the imprisonment of cultural/political subversives such as his brother. On the capitalist side, there is the creeping inequality associated with capitalism, which metes out privilege and opportunity to the highest bidder, thus turning the nationalist dream on its head, turning national against national, as seen in the tourist hotels and bars where locals can't afford goods and services or are turned away. This capitalism colonizes even emotions such as love, or at least sex plus the semblance of emotional presence and attachment (which some say IS love), which can be exchanged for opportunity: Gustavo's girlfriend has all the talent but no opportunity to achieve her 'ideal' career as socialism promises. This film shows how there is no perfect way out, no utopia, no perfect system.

The relationships between the characters, though cliché (a couple, two brothers, father-son) and simple, work very well. Neither Gustavo nor his girlfriend are ideologues, they each come to realize that their choice is neither simple, nor certain in terms of where it will lead them. Few films have effectively shown how complicated personal politics really are in socialist/communist states. Most either just show the ruthlessness of the state, or the humanity of an individual or group of individuals against the state, without contradictions.

This film is neither pro- nor anti- Castro. Or it is both/and. This is Cuban national cinema; made for the Cuban nation as opposed to the Cuban state. It is a critical reflection on the new Cuba, and thus indirectly states that socialist Cuba may be no worse, at the same time as it is a critical reflection on socialist Cuba. It addresses almost the major problems contemporary Cubans face, and the contradictions between them and in the solutions to them.

If we want to engage in a debate about the bias of the film, maybe considering the director/writer is a good place to start. Leon Ichaso is Cuban-born. He directed a few episodes of Miami Vice (politically left or right? anyone?), made a few films about salsa musicians and their personal struggles or struggles to be true to their culture, a documentary about Muhammad Ali, and most recently, the TV series about terrorists in LA 'Sleeper Cell'. Only this last one, in my opinion, definitively puts him in a political camp (right wing, obviously).

One on Top of the Other (1969)

Great tense 1960s thriller/giallo

[9/10 · 30 July 2007]

Unlike most of the early 1970s gialli this film has several classic elements of late 60s films, from the go go dancing to the sultry, almost cheezy, jazzy orchestra soundtrack, to the melodramatic, emotion-laden lovemaking scenes. It's more erotic than most gialli, and clearly straddles the boundary between Mario Bava's visual style --emphasizing shadows and contrast, and typical early 70s gialli. What really makes the film so great its ability to hold a level of tension -- visible in various characters' expressions and actions, especially the main character -- and suspense to make it a truly great thriller. And to do so relatively bloodlessly. The dialogue while dubbed is also quite clever and there are many scenes that are smart in their own right -- such as when Monica and George are hanging out in her San Fran 'pad' while he is confused and she is playing solitaire and telling him to answer the door. Definitely worth watching, for any fan of Italian thriller/gialli!

Distant (2002)

very good

[8/10 · 20 July 2005]

Reading some of the other reviews of this film, i was reminded of both good and not so good aspects of it. But overall, i have to say it is one of the better films i have seen from any number of genres or countries recently. More than anything else, it avoided many of the typical traps of more recent international cinema, like taking nice pictures of landscapes or being 'hip', 'fun' or imitating American films like pulp fiction. The film is unique in many ways. For one thing, it is a film about relationships in which sex plays no role (unusual, especially for foreign films). It is also a film about two men's relationship to each other (also unusual - not a 'buddy film', no homosexual tension, no ego/phallic competition). It uses little dialogue, but communicates a tremendous amount. It is a simple story, yet full of complex details which are easily understood by any human being and universal in their relevance. I did not find the film dark or depressing (everything would seem this way if you watch Hollywood happy ending films all the time), but rather a true reflection of human emotions. For instance, in the scene where Mahmut realizes his cousin is gone is you see both his feeling of relief, that the cousin is gone and yet regret, that he pushed him away. Who has not felt such ambivalence - when losing a friend or lover, or in some other situation? It's rare to get these kinds of real human emotions displayed on film in a non-cliché way. As far as culture is concerned, or this being a Turkish film, i feel it strikes the very difficult balance between being a 'Turkish' film - about realities which more apply to that place (the greater struggle to make it in a Turkish city versus a European one; the greater contrast between country and city), and a universal, human story which didn't necessarily have to be set in Turkey. In this day and age where people around the world are consuming culture and fetishizing it, this film does not try to entice us as 'Turkish', nor does it try to communicate it as a 'harsh reality', or 'that's how Turkey/Istanbul IS'. And yet the cultural elements are there. I think the comparison to 'lost in translation' that somebody made is quite good. Everyone, at least in the US, was raving about that film. I personally thought it was mediocre at best. It was well put by someone as a vague story which supposedly was supposed to deal with 'disorientation' that happens to people living or traveling overseas. Even if the film was supposed to be humorous, the characters and their motivations or crises were never clear (even for a 'lighter' film or comedy, this is necessary). And i found myself being treated to a typically 'orientalist' story of the alienated Amerian overseas. Going back to 'Distant', as for the idea that this is bad acting, or too slow, or has no plot, I'm sorry but people who say this know nothing about film making and maybe nothing about being human, no offense. You do not have to be a film aficionado or cultural connoisseur to appreciate this film. This film will be two hours of your time well spent!

The Slender Thread (1965)

mid-60s time capsule of Seattle

[7/10 · 28 February 2005]

I remember seeing this film a few years ago and it stuck with me for some reason. looking at it again, i know why. The whole thing has a mid-1960s melancholy to it, almost with a tinge of the horror films that would emerge in the late 1960s, like rosemary's baby, or, roman polanski's first horror film 'repulsion' which was made in the same year as slender thread. one of the most amazing things about this film is the opening sequence which uses all kinds of staples of film shooting styles and techniques of the mid-late 60s, which themselves add a melancholic tone to the film. There is the space needle, which looks positively cold-war futuristic with the car going up the side of it; the world's fair architecture with its modernist water fountains--which foreground the first shot a desperate-looking Anne Bancroft, and of course, the locks, dams and highways of the Seattle waterfront. You can't help but get nostalgic seeing the Seattle of this time. Not to mention that Anne Bancroft's husband is a fisherman. I've never been to Seattle but i'm pretty sure most of this stuff is gone. (wasn't there some attempt to save the old docks in a big standoff in 1964?). If you want to see another view of Seattle in the early 70s, I recommend seeing "Cinderella Liberty" with James Caan. Then there are even more visual and aural elements which help create the mood: the shots of the 'backroom' of the telephone company--with its immense network of phone lines--actual physical lines!--and the women operators unplugging and plugging cables to connect one line to another. These are bygone days! You wonder if Sydney Pollack wasn't subtly, or not so subtly, making a comment on the postwar bureaucratized society itself. Another treat is the 'Hyatt hotel' sign towards the end of the film. Total 1960s visual. And of course, Quincy Jones' soundtrack with some great Sam and Dave-style jazzy organ music.

Visuals aside, this is a great film. Again, dealing with some rather dark issues. The scene where Anne Bancroft comes home and sees her husband in the living room looking depressed...you don't know if he's having a psychotic episode, has lost his job or is on LSD. Anne Bancroft, overall, is a disturbing character. Perhaps more disturbing is that she would play another tragic character two years later - Mrs. Robinson, in The Graduate. Sidney Poitier is in usual form - the studious, morally-superior black in a predominantly white setting. I like what someone else here said - that the film very subtly has a subtext on race (how could a 1960s film showing blacks and whites in the same frame not? How could we as Americans not read race into the film?) while never dealing with race explicitly. This is actually one reason I think Sidney Poitier's characters and films are an important, and yet lost, representation of race relations. For all the flack that he got in the racially charged mood of the 1960s as an assimilationist good black who whites could accept, especially as he was the first black protagonist in films (it didn't help that he was West Indian, having grown up in the Bahamas). to me I still see some kind of Caribbean AND Black persona in his characters which I think he 'sneaks in' in subtle ways. His classic move is some breaking point at which he can't take any more -- whether its racial bigotry, disrespect for authority, or something else -- and he delivers some great speech of moral indignation. He does it in 'pressure point', in 'to sir with love', 'in the heat of the night', and maybe a few others. It may be pretentious at times, but this 'style' disappeared after the late 60s as blaxploitation with its overly masculinized and violent characters became the dominant representation in film.

Anyway, all the political and social analysis aside, this is really a great film.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2003)

subverts the real revolution, not the whole story

[9 December 2003]

I saw this film last night at an event in Washington D.C. and I have to say I was disappointed, even insulted. I would not be so bothered if there were not so many others - both who have commented here and who I spoke with at the screening who thought this was a great expose' of the 'power of the media' to obscure 'real' history and the 'power of the people'. This is really irresponsible filmmaking, and as such the film is an insult, on many levels, to any individual critical of the status quo or the powers that be. Why? First of all, let me make a few concessions on what the film what talking about. 1) Yes, it is probably true that the CIA had some hand in the military coup. Why not...they've had a hand in many other things and in the bigger picture no one pays that much political attention to Venezuela. 2) I'm sure the Carmona and the other rich, business-tycoon types hated Chavez, what he stood for, and the people he represented.

However, we have to understand both the context in which this film is shown (to audiences who probably don't know enough about venezuela to know WHAT IS MISSING) and made. How could these independent filmmakers get the kind of access they did to Chavez without him USING THEM? i.e. I think this film underestimates the degree to which politicians have become savvy at using the media to their advantage. Why do you think the US President's appearances in the media are so orchestrated? Because no politician can afford to have the WHOLE truth about themselves told.

Also, I think the filmmakers do not understand how 'the revolution' has been hijacked in virtually every country, society or system which has existed. I realize this is a huge generalization, but we should all already know this, if we're critical individuals. In the 1960s radical students in the US supported Mao Zedong's cultural revolution because they thought it was what it SAID it was. Of course, millions were being killed, 're-educated' and imprisoned in the name of 'the people'. Nor is this any worse than what has happened in the so-called 'free world'. The rhetoric of 'the people' has been co-opted by leaders all over the world. It's an ironic testament to the success of the movements for independence, civil and economic rights of the 1960s that that same discourse is now being used to perpetuate completely opposite practices. In the US, republicans in California who passed the law getting rid of affirmative action programs for minority students called the it the 'Civil Rights Act', evoking Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement which created the basis for affirmative action.

On an aesthetic note, I found the film also a bit too silly at times. It made politics in Venezuela look like a joke. Who were Chavez's cabinet members? Did we get any sense of who they REALLY were?

When they re-occupied the presidential palace I felt more like I was at someone's 40th birthday party where they were trying to quiet everyone down rather than involved in a major political event. If this film wants to be taken seriously as political commentary, then it should be serious about its subject.

I'll admit that this film told me more about what happened in those few days in Venezuela, and even made me a little more interested in 'what else happened', but by no means did this film 'ANSWER QUESTIONS' for me as it seems to have for many people.

Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey (2000 Video)

not to be missed

[10 July 2003]

This is a fantastic documentary, both in terms of narration and information about Bruce, but even moreso in terms of the footage shown. More impressive than the 'new' Game of Death footage is the footage of Lee practicing at his Los Angeles home, and, most of all, his philosophical remarks in the episodes of "Longstreet". Those scenes are just incredible, such as his statement to James Fransiscus "Like everyone, you want to WIN, but you must be prepared to die", said in complete earnestness, with a very early-1970s flute playing in the background. When was the last time you heard anything like that on television or film? In any case, this is a beautiful tribute to Bruce as the complex, philosophical, extraordinarily passionate human being he was. You will not be disappointed.

If.... (1968)

not bad

[8 May 2002]

Overall, this movie was fairly good. It was a little slow -- don't expect much to happen for the first hour or so. It might be best viewed on a rainy Sunday afternoon, to accentuate the feeling of being in a boarding school in rural England. There were a few memorable scenes which were rather bizarre and very 1960s (I won't give them away here). Might be good to watch this one along with Pink Floyd's The Wall, or the Australian 'Picture at Hanging Rock'.

Live and Let Die (1973)

an unintentional contribution to blaxploitation

[10 March 2002]

Let me say first that I'm not a Bond fan, so I'm not about to comment on whether this was a good Bond film or not. What makes this film unique is its choice of locales: Harlem, New Orleans, and the Caribbean. Its like an odyssey through the black diaspora. While I thought the film was pretty racist insofar as it showed black people (in any of the 3 locales) running the drug business (a stereotype which is believed in real life by many to be accurate but isn't), that's not as interesting as the sheer number of images of black street life in Harlem in the early 1970s, along with the melancholy mood of a funeral procession in New Orleans, and rituals or symbols of voodoo in the Caribbean. This is almost a better blaxploitation flick than self conscious ones of the same period like Superfly, etc. But the movie doesn't stop there. Towards the end, there is an obviously self-concious (on the part of the director) over the top characterization of the Louisiana police force as a bunch of overweight, tobaccee-chewin buffoons. This along with a bunch of other 'useless' scenes and characters made this film enjoyable but also made you wonder what the directors and writers were thinking. Were they doing all of this on purpose? If you haven't seen this one, check it out when you've got a few extra hours some day.

Miguel/Michelle (1998)

Not just a 'gay movie'

[10/10 · 28 January 2002]

There is so much good stuff going on in this film. First of all, just being able to find a film from the philippines is a treat in and of itself. This one tells the story of a young man who goes to the US and then returns to his family and friends in the Philippines as a woman. The film traces the struggle of the family and community to accept the new Miguel/Michelle. Cinemagraphically, it does this through scenes showing the family doing the 'old traditions' they always have. The most remarkable scene in the film (I won't give it all away here) is one in which Miguel/Michelle uses a skill his father taught him as a boy when his life is threatened. The film also gives the viewer rare glimpses into the culture and language of the Philippine GLBT community. SEE THIS MOVIE!!!

The Harder They Come (1972)

Ahead of its time

[9/10 · 22 June 2001]

It has been said of many films, but this one was indeed "ahead of its time". It is a love story, social commentary, political manifesto and comedy all rolled-in-one. You can't help but like Jimmy Cliff's character. He's trying to cut a record, romance a preacher's daughter, and "get what's his" all at the same time.

This film is especially important in the history of Black film, I would say, since the character of Ivan is clearly portrayed as a complex character. Even the cinematography conveys the idea that "black is beautiful" (remember the (semi-)nude scene in the lake? Can't say enough good things about it. See it, you won't be sorry!

Blue Collar (1978)

Don't pass it up

[9/10 · 7 June 2001]

There are a whole lot of great things going on in this flick. My personal favorite is the performance of the actors - their ability to tell a serious story in a humorous way. You will enjoy watching this film! They should have an academy award for 'best dialogue' because this film would get it for 1978 - with its liberal use of four letter words, it does what few films, especially in the 21st century, do: mirror the way people actually talk. Pryor's more-or-less soliloquy in the scene at the union meeting is hilarious and genius. And the point of the film--how power corrupts even those who were once its worst victims--remains poignant today, and perhaps, always. In short, what more fun could you have then to laugh your head off to a film which has something to say.

Bullitt (1968)

Great film

[9/10 · 1 May 2001]

There were so many great things about this film. You've got to love late 1960s cinematography. Contrary to being even a "typical" cop film of its day, many of the scenes here were shot in such a way as to convey a message to the viewer which goes beyond the plotline itself. The is an "urban" film--numerous scenes reflect the city and the mood of 1968 by occasionally commenting on racial issues of the day (the black doctor who is asked to be replaced), and conspicuous shots of blacks, other minorities (after Ross is shot at the hotel) and hippies, porn shops on the corner, etc. I found the airport tarmac chase scene even better than the car chase, the dwarfing of the characters and deafening din by the jumbo Pan American 747s completely pulls the viewer in as if he or she is right there. There were some other great scenes which could almost stand alone, such as one in a restaurant where a jazz quartet (with flute-nice 1960s touch) is playing. It fades into the next scene in which Steve McQueen is laying in bed the next morning, reminiscing about the mood in that restaurant.

Many people complain about the slowness of the film, and it is slow, and the use of such "pointless" scenes as the one in the restaurant, but I find this is one of the things that makes it so great. It conveys the complexity and mundaneness of everyday life. This is a refreshing contrast to hollywood films which are always action-packed and one-dimensional. This film is a pleasure to watch. You come away from it feeling like you have experienced many things, and you're not sure what all they are.

A Walk in the Spring Rain (1970)

a fusion of Cape Fear and Deliverance

[8/10 · 28 February 2001]

This is an excellent film which I caught accidentally on a rainy afternoon on cable. A professor and his wife head to the appalachians for his 1-year sabbatical. They rent a house from Will Cade (Anthony Quinn), an overly-friendly, hospitable country bumpkin. Will from the very beginning makes comments about how pretty the professor's wife is, and that's just the beginning. While the absent-minded professor is lost in his own world, concerned about his career and completing his book, Will Cade seems to just have too much time on his hands and spends it making the professor's wife more familiar with the wonders of Appalachia. He brings her flowers from the countryside, buys her animals to keep her company, takes her to see the beautiful scenery. None of these are overt passes, but they all could be interpreted either way, which is part of the genius of the film: on the one hand, Will Cade really is doing a lot of things for this woman and anyone would be touched by them; he is extremely sincere. But on the other, there is something about him which makes you uncomfortable, maybe his over-familiarity with people he doesn't know. In this way, it's similar to Cape Fear since it indirectly says a lot about social class--the professor is overly intellectual, but passionless and emotionally handicapped, unable to think of others besides himself; while the country bumpkin is not wordly, but very genuine and giving. There are two other subplots involved a daughter of the professor and his wife, and the Will Cade's son, with whom he has conflicts which are never fully explained. Eventually, the woman gives in and kisses Cade, and I won't give away the rest of the story. But the mood of the film is very well set. There is a great scene at an appalachian country fair where Will is in rare form and the professor is clearly uncomfortable in this "culture" which he doesn't consider a "culture". The whole story is set in this haunting, appalachian environment, which is how it is similar to "Deliverance". There is that fantasy which urban dwellers have of the simple, personal country life, and then there's the in-breeding, backwardness, and so-on they are repulsed by. I highly recommend this film.