Gates Of Heaven

This is one of those movies that was probably really revolutionary at the time but doesn't hold up quite as well. It's a documentary about pet semetaries. I think it's legacy is probably in that it helped open up the documentary genre to character studies, not just history pieces or rock concerts. Errol Morris, the director, tries to understand what drives people to spend an amazing amount of resources of their pet's after life. The plot is great, but the pacing is a little too slow and a lot of the story is told with talking head.

Tokyo Story

I had to watch at least one movie by our dog's namesake, Yasujior Ozu. I remember when I took a film class the professor said all film boils down to three names, Bresson, Dreyer and Ozu. Because most of the "Best of" lists are American based (like the AFI list that just came out) these guys get left off. So I needed to make sure I watched at least one by this trinity.
I watched this film in two installments which was a good idea. I find these films stretch my attention span, but also this gives me a chance to sit with the film a little longer. Tokyo Story is basicaly about normal people experiencing normal life. Generational differences is the central theme but it seems like Ozu is trying to figure out what to make of what I imagine are the monumental changes in Japan after WW2. The basic idea is that two elderly parents visit their children in Tokyo and the children as basically too busy to deal with their visitors. Some of the children are oblivious to their selfishness while others are immobilized by it.
There are some great film making techniques here - especially the use of architeture and city scenes to give a sense of clostrophobia.

Yojimbo

This is a story of an unemployed samurai who while looking for work finds a small town has been infested with two warring clans. Yojimbo translates to the bodyguard and that is the service Sanjuro offers to the highest bidder. He realizes that he can wipe out all of the corruption by manipulating each group into destroying the other. The old man that he is staying with tells Sanjuro that his idea is a fool’s errand, but the masterless Samurai decides to take his chances.

This film was at times funny with the colorful cast of characters in each clan. It also is touching how Sanjuro desires to help out various townspeople, eventhough he refuses to acknowledge that he cares. It is a little long at times when he is going back and forth, back and forth from one group to the next deceiving the stupidest among their ranks; but, overall, it was entertaining. It could easily shave off 20-30 minutes and still tell the story effectively.

Psycho

While watching this film, I was wondering did the censors have reservations about this film? There is the famous shower scene- that although it doesn’t show anything scandalous by today’s standards – which revealed quite a lot of skin. Also at the end of the film, the police are talking about the suspect and they mention the word transvestite. Did people in the 60s even know what this word meant?
It turns out that there were issues with this film and Hitchcock fought hard to keep in all of these elements.

I also found it interesting that he chose to kill off the main character, Marion Crane, in the middle of the movie after investing so much time into developing her storyline. This usually happens at the end of a film. It is a little off-putting and effective. It keeps viewer on edge.

I am glad that I knew very little of this movie because it made for a much more enjoyable viewing experience and I can understand why other filmmakers have attempted to emulate Hitchcock’s style.

Grapes of Wrath

I hate to confess that I have not read this book. This seems like an insult to literature or at least high school English teachers everywhere. Nate read this book for the challenge two years ago. The thing I remember from his description of the Grapes of Wrath was a scene at the end of the book where a grown man was breastfeeding. While watching this film all I could think of was if they were going to portray this scene in the movie. I doubted it would make it past the censors, but…maybe?

From this description, I knew that the ending was a dark one. The characters did not find the Promised Land in California and they became so desperate that breastfeeding was necessary for survival. This is not the ending in the film. The closing scene is a speech given by Ma Joad where she basically says they aren’t giving up and these unfortunate events will make them stronger. The viewer comes away thinking that just maybe if they persevere, they will survive and maybe even thrive.

I liked the film and the story, but the ending was a little sentimental and contrived. Although I haven’t read this book, I think I prefer that ending no matter how depressing it might be.

Annie Hall

Annie Hall is one of the movies that we own. I am not quite sure how we came to possess this film, but I have a feeling that I thought it is something we should own. It did win Best Picture after all and it is the first movie that comes to mind when I think of Woody Allen.

This movie was a fun ride. Thinking back, it is scene after scene of dialogue between Alvy and Annie- mostly about sex, or lack thereof- but it works. It works because of Allen’s sense of humor. If only all of us were as witty and clever. Annie Hall is full of cultural references, some of which I get, many I do not. Although I cannot appreciate it as fully as an audience in 1977, I enjoyed watching Allen’s Alvy in all of his neurotic glory.

Singin in the Rain

I have very little experience with musicals. It is true that I have seen West Side Story more times than I would like to admit, but beyond that I have seen very few traditional musicals. I was expecting a lot more singing (in the rain perhaps), but I was pleasantly surprised to see supplemental songs versus the singing of the dialogue.

This film was quite good expect a ten-minute musical and dance number detour. It seemed to be a showcase for Gene Kelly’s dance steps. I am not quite sure how this fit into the movie other than it was an addition to the musical talkie picture the characters were creating. It didn’t seem to fit and the story would not suffer without it. The dialogue was funny- the dance numbers, impressive- and the singing, entertaining. It is nice for a change to watch a musical without knives, guns, and war councils.

Amadeus

I first heard about this film through some friends who recommended it as a better version of Immortal Beloved. Immortal Beloved is a somewhat fiction account of the life of Beethoven staring Gary Oldman. I first became interested in it because Roger Ebert wrote that there is one scene that can stand alone as one of the best scenes ever in a film and I agree. It is quite brilliant and moving. These friends watched Immortal Beloved and commented that they still enjoyed Amadeus more. That was all I needed. I should really see this movie.

This film follows a vulgar Mozart and a jealous rival, Salieri. Mozart is flaunty, loud, and crude. Salieri cannot stand that so much talent has been wasted in such a louse. Although Salieri is respected for his talent, he sees the true genius in Mozart even when others find his music new and odd. He befriends the young musician all the while plotting against him and sabotaging shows.

As the movie progresses, Salieri’s obsession with Mozart continues to grow and at the end of his life in an asylum, he still reminisces about his own jealousy, Mozart, and the true brilliance of Mozart’s music.

Amadeus was a long movie. Although I cannot recall the exact running time- its pace was a little plodding and the madness of Mozart was maddening at times. Looking back I see how Salieri’s obsession consumed the film and in order to appreciate his obsession the viewer had to experience Mozart’s bizarre and annoying behavior. I am not saying I enjoyed the full journey, but I appreciated it once I arrived at the destination.

Fargo

Fargo is the epitome of a black comedy. It seems quite bold that this movie attempts to use humor in the midst of such blatant brutality. The opening of this film introduces the audience the ho-hum life a police chief and her husband. These are people that thrive on Arby’s lunches and dinners at local restaurant’s buffets.

The criminals seem insufficient to say the least, which makes the violence that much more shocking. One scene in particular towards the end has one of the criminals, shoving the leg of the partner into the wood chipper. Even the man who hires the criminals, who appears to be foolish, but not dangerous, proves he will do whatever is necessary to protect his plan.

I am not sure if I appreciate the way the directors juxtapose humor and violence. I acknowledge that the way they choose to do this was effective, but I do admit I felt a little unsettled at the end. Maybe that was the point.

The Searchers

New York Magazine called this film “ the most influential movie in American history,” although I am unsure why. Ebert explains that this movie was made at a time where the concept of a western was evolving. The view of Native Americans as savages was becoming less and less expected, but it is difficult to know if this movie was attempting to expose the prejudice or inadvertently encourage it.

John Wayne’s character, Ethan is a Civil War veteran whose family is attacked and killed by a group of Indians. His niece Debbie is kidnapped and thus begins his search for her. From the very beginning you are able to see his prejudice for the Native Americans, which turns into the hatred after the attack on his family. He finds Debbie many years later and realizes she is living with a chief and has a new life among the tribe. This was complication Ethan didn’t anticipate and it creates a new dilemma. Rescuing her may no longer be his objective, he now is consumed with rage and talks of killing Debbie.

This film takes the time developing multiple storylines, but when it comes to the last scene involving Ethan and Debbie it seems contrived and unexpected. The audience is not privy to Ethan’s thought process and thus his actions seem out of character.
This film may have been groundbreaking at the time of its release, but viewed through my lens, it seems lacking.

Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing is a Spike Lee movie made in '89 and as such should probably be viewed in that context. Today, movies like Crash have forced viewers into deeper acknowledgement of the difficultly of cross cultural relationships - or relationships in general for that matter. In that way, Do the Right Thing sort of feels like a pre-cursor to Crash except with more attitude. Spike Lee takes a situation that to any of the parties involved feels like a morally black and white scenario, but by taking us into each groups' stories, ambiguity is introduced that probably more accurately reflects life in America. Spike Lee is specifically interested in trying to figure out where to sit in the spectrum between MLK's non-violence and Malcolm X's approval of violence within certain circumstances. His conclusion is uncomfortable and attempts to be grounded in "real life."

Watching the film I was reminded at the importance of narratives - how all sorts of people have different intersecting and colliding narratives or stories that help give understanding to the world and how we relate to it. Do the Right Thing presents us with several different narratives (Italian American, young black, senior citizen black etc.) and the temptation is to quantify those on some sort of moral scale. I think the challenge in viewing this type of film is to accept those narratives at face value and to not say they are outright wrong, but they express some deep understanding of the world and as such should be honored, perhaps even revered if we are to seek to build a more perfect union.

Some Like It Hot

Most of the movies on the list are dramas, not quite the escapism that I often look for in movies. Sure those movies can be challenging, but sometimes I just want to enjoy a good story, told well, and acted with excellence. Some Like It Hot would be one of those movies. Besides having one of the best closing lines ever, it stands the test of time of being a funny comedy even today. Most comedies are so firmly set within a particular time period's sense of humor that to look back on them a generation later usually means the viewer is left scratching his / her head wondering, "that was funny?" I doubt Jackass, while outrageously funny will ever be called a classic comedy. So this begs the question, what makes a comedy classic or universal? My guess is that some of it is in the acting - the entire committment that Jack Lemmon has to selling his character. I suspect that men dressing up as women to avoid death is also somewhat universal. It also strikes me that usually the best comedies are actually set in the midst of intense turmoil. In this movie the guys saw a slew of men killed - if you were pitching that as a film, you would think it was a drama. I wonder if that ability to laugh in the midst of circumstances that would otherwise be wretched is where comedy can get it's real power.

Suggested starting movies

Apocalypse Now - Lots of things blow up in this movie and an actual cow is killed at the end - so it can't be all that bad.
Casablanca - A classic. We should all have seen this at least once.
Citizen Kane - It might be a little on the long side, but it is actually fairly engaging.
Do the Right Thing - A Spike Lee movie. I haven't seen it yet, but given that it is a Spike Lee film, it is probably not long and boring. It might make a good compliment to Crash.
Fargo - A Coen brothers film - they also made O Brother Where Art Thou and Raising Arizona.
Gates of Heaven - I also haven't seen this, but I have heard great things. It is an Erroll Morris documentary (who made Fog of War) about a pet cemetary.
The Godfather - Long
Hoop Dreams - A documentary that follows two young men in urban Chicago as they try to make a life out of basketball. I vaguely recall someone saying this was the best movie of the 90's
Lawrence of Arabia - the standard when it comes to epics. Movies like Kingdom of Heaven, Troy, Braveheart all have Lawrence of Arabia to thank.
Night of the Hunter - An older movie from the 50's I think. It's about a criminal that comes to live with a fatherless family to try to steal some money. One of the best "old movies" I have seen.
On the Waterfront - An early Marlon Brando film about a longshoremen union.
Seven Samurai - A great Japanese movie that the Magnificent Seven was based on. 7 Samurai are hired by a village to protect them from thugs.
Dr. Strangelove - a satire about our love affair with nukes

Some ones that you probably know and that there is a good chance you have seen:
Star Wars
Psycho
Schindler's List
Shawshank Redemption
Silence of the Lambs

Hope this helps

Welcome

Welcome to the Clarke family blog where the third annual challenge will documented.