Category Archives: Film

AFI #33: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Posted on by Len

“I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this.” — R. P. McMurphy (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest)

They don’t get much better than this. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a masterpiece of storytelling and a tour de force of acting led by Jack Nicholson in, for my money, his greatest role. Jack won the first of his three Oscars for playing R.P. McMurphy, who ends up getting a little more than he bargained for when he cons his way out of prison and into a mental hospital to escape the hard work in jail. McMurphy is not crazy, but maybe being surrounded by nut jobs rubs off on him. Or maybe trying to act rationally in a mental institution is impossible, because the more McMurphy tries to make things “normal” for his fellow inmates the harder things get inside.

The film is based on the award winning novel by Ken Kesey, and the title of the book and film comes from a children’s poem but essentially means to “transcend the absurdity of man’s earthly existence.” The story is a commentary on oppression and control, specifically control in terms of mental incarceration and what it truly means to be crazy. Of course, the title foreshadows the ending of the film in which (Spoiler Alert) Chief helps McMurphy transcend his earthly existence by killing him out of mercy after he is given a lobotomy. Heady stuff this.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest swept the big five Academy Awards in 1976, winning best actor, best actress for Louise Fletcher as the controlling Nurse Ratched, Best screenplay, best director for Milos Forman and of course Best Picture. Forman doesn’t get a lot of credit for being such a great director, but he also won a best director Oscar for Amadeus and directed some wonderful films including The People Vs. Larry Flynt, Ragtime and Man on the Moon. The film is also fun to watch because there are several actors in it who went on to become much more famous, including Christopher Lloyd and Danny DeVito.

I absolutely love One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and watching it again today was a treat. Jack is classic from the opening scene and that shit-eating grin is one in a million. There are also some very memorable scenes, especially the drunken party on the ward and the boat scene when McMurphy escapes with the gang and takes them on a fishing trip. Of course, there’s the famous line when McMurphy says “I want to watch the god damn World Series,” but like a lot of famous lines (Bogart never said “Play it Again, Sam”) — he never actually said it.

Next Up: The Godfather Part II

AFI #34: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Posted on by Len

Really AFI? Just because something was the first does not mean it’s the best. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is indeed Disney’s first full-length animated feature, but it doesn’t belong on a list of best American films. At No. 34 on the list is it, according to AFI, the best American animated film ever. It was one of only two animated films on the list (Toy Story came in at No. 99). Frankly, I can think of plenty of superior animated films. Does Snow White deserve credit for being the first? Sure. Was it artistic for its day? Absolutely. Does the story have staying power? Yep. Is Disney a marvel of promotion and advertising to kids? Duh.

Dear Disney fanatics, please don’t yell at me. I like Disney. I know you loved Snow White when you were a little girl and your own daughter now loves Snow White. I get it. I really do. Just don’t try to tell me the film is better than Shrek, or Finding Nemo, or The Lion King, or The Prince of Egypt, or The Little Mermaid, or Ice Age, or Heavy Metal!

Believe me, I can get into a whole analysis of Snow White and we can discuss its impact and we can even get into themes like the Prince Charming fallacy and other feminist stuff. Save it for a different blog. This is about enjoying movies and I fell asleep watching Snow White today. Whistle on that while you work!

Next Up: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

AFI #35: Annie Hall

Posted on by Len

“I feel that life is divided into the horrible and the miserable. That’s the two categories. The horrible are like, I don’t know, terminal cases, you know, and blind people, crippled. I don’t know how they get through life. It’s amazing to me. And the miserable is everyone else. So you should be thankful that you’re miserable, because that’s very lucky, to be miserable.” — Alvy Singer (Annie Hall)

Before we get into my review, we must first get past the elephant in the blog — Annie Hall is my all-time favorite film. I know there are two kinds of people in the world, those who hate Woody Allen and those who love him. I consider Woody Allen to be one of the three or four best directors in the history of film, right up there with Alfred Hitchcock, Marty Scorsese and Spike Lee. If you don’t agree, you’re an idiot. ;)

Annie Hall is the perfect romantic comedy and what makes it perfect is that it does not have some sappy unrealistic ending. Instead, it takes the viewer through the roller coaster ride that is love and in the end, at least for Alvy Singer and Annie Hall, that does not mean they end up living happily ever after but rather they learn and grow from their relationship and have a heck of a time along the way. But beyond the realistic look at love and relationships, Annie Hall is brilliant because it is one of the best written films ever. The screenplay is literary perfection, with not a word wasted. Every utterance, every throat clearing, every line is perfectly placed and leads to the next great line. It is, from beginning to end, a masterpiece of the written word. And on top of that, each line is delivered wonderfully by Diane Keaton and Woody Allen and Tony Roberts and the rest of the great cast from Christopher Walken to Shelley Duvall to Paul Simon and everyone in between. Hell, even Jeff Goldblum gets to utter a classic line (his first on film) — “I forgot my mantra.”

Annie Hall was a turning point for Allen, who previously made slapstick films like Bananas and Sleeper. Annie Hall showed Allen’s mature side, and began a string of amazing adult comedies and dramas like Manhattan, Broadway Danny Rose, Radio Days and Hannah and Her Sisters. He hasn’t slowed down and while he’s made a few clunkers he has, like no other, churned out a plethora of great films — he’s currently directing his 48th title. Perhaps the only thing more impressive than his writing and directing career is the parade of amazing actors who have lined up to work on his films. But of all the great actors he has worked with over his career, Diane Keaton remains his best and most loyal muse. Keaton’s performances in Woody’s films are glorious and none is better than Annie Hall herself. Keaton is beautiful and tremendous in the film, which was essentially written for her by Allen (Keaton’s real name is Diane Hall). She took home an Academy Award for best actress for her portrayal, and even sparked a generation of women to dress like her character who was famous for wearing men’s shirts and ties.

“La-di-da, la-di-da, la la.” — Annie

Keaton is the perfect straight man for Allen’s Alvy Singer, easily his most autobiographical character. Alvy Singer is a striking self-analysis by the director. He is obsessed with death, has a difficult time with relationships, is tormented by his upbringing, distrusts everyone, thinks the whole world is anti-Semitic and defends himself with self-deprecating humor. He is not afraid to look at himself with a critical eye, which makes the film incredibly honest and revealing.

“The… the other important joke, for me, is one that’s usually attributed to Groucho Marx; but, I think it appears originally in Freud’s “Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious,” and it goes like this – I’m paraphrasing – um, “I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member.” That’s the key joke of my adult life, in terms of my relationships with women.” — Alvy

I could go on for hours sharing the many wonderful lines in Annie Hall…hell the whole film is one amazing line after another. But you get the point. Annie Hall is a brilliant film and it will always have a special place in my life. The film of course won the Academy Award for best picture in 1978 and Allen (along with co-writer Marshall Brickman) won a best screenplay Oscar. Allen also won for best director, and was even nominated for best actor. I know Allen has had a strange life, especially his tumultuous relationship with Mia Farrow and her adopted daughter Soon Yi (with whom he has been married since 1997). Is that weird? Yes. Is it illegal? No. Is it immoral? Perhaps. Still, his personal life aside Woody Allen is and always will be one of the world’s greatest filmmakers. And Annie Hall is his masterpiece.

Next Up: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

AFI # 43: Midnight Cowboy

Posted on by Len

Everybody’s talking at me
I don’t hear a word they’re saying
Only the echoes of my mind

Midnight Cowboy is one of those films that people seems to either love or hate. You can count me among those who really like it. It was certainly controversial at the time it came out, earning an “X” rating from the MPAA for sexual content and adult themes, but it’s tame by today’s standards. It is, of course, known for being the only X rated film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and one of only two ever nominated in any category (ironically, the other, A Clockwork Orange, is also on the AFI Top 100).

The film is the sordid tale of would-be “hustler” Joe Buck (Jon Voight, AKA Angelina’s dad), fresh off the boat from Texas and trying to earn a living in New York by being a gigalo. He quickly finds out that the naked city is no place for a naive cowboy like him, until he runs into a street urchin and scam artist named Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman). The two fall in together and try to survive on the streets, but things go from bad to worse. Ultimately it’s a tale of starting over despite the circumstances of ones situation.

For me the film is really driven by the characters of Joe Buck and Ratso Rizzo. Voight and Hoffman both earned Oscar nominations for their work, and both characters have become archetypes of sorts and prove that a film can be held together solely on the strength of characters. Ratso is certainly a legendary character that has been spoofed and copied for decades. “I’m walkin’ here!” Truthfully though I think Voight’s Joe Buck is a more compelling and interesting character — we learn from flashbacks about his difficult childhood and perhaps what led him to leave Texas for New York and a chance at the big time. And of course ultimately it’s his story and he is the one who grows and changes by the end. Speaking of the end — spoiler alert — a lot of people complain about the depressing ending of this film but the ending is a new beginning for Joe Buck and the viewer has to think the experiences he had in New York will lead him to a better life…and we see signs of that along the bus ride to Florida and at the end. Joe is a survivor and you feel like he’s going to be OK.

The other thing about Midnight Cowboy that is pretty compelling is the way in which it was shot, with the flashbacks and the 60s psychedelic stuff. It’s the same treatment I hated in other films of this era but it works nicely here and adds to the flavor of the film as a period piece. Finally, a word about the song. That ever-present Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me. It’s hard to think of another song that always brings to mind the film from which it is associated. But to a person if you say the words Midnight Cowboy people start to sing the song and vice verse if you sing the song people will have visions of Ratso Rizzo and Joe Buck. That’s hard to do. Ironically, the song did not win the Oscar — it didn’t even get nominated. That award went to Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which is another song that has become synonymous with a film. And by the way, Butch and Sundance was also nominated for Best Picture that year and lost to Midnight Cowboy, a travesty in my humble opinion.

One last nugget of film lore. In the famous scene in Midnight Cowboy where Joe Buck allows a young man to perform oral sex on him in a theater in exchange for money, that young man was played by a 24-year-old Bob Balaban in his first movie role. Balaban, for film connoisseurs, is of course the brilliant character actor known for his roles in the great Christopher Guest films like A Mighty Wind and Best in Show and…of course…as Russell Dalrymple on Seinfeld!

Next Up: Bonnie & Clyde

AFI #65: The African Queen

Posted on by Len

Humphrey Bogart may be the most well-known and revered actor in American film history, but in his illustrious career he only won one Academy Award. Some might say he was a “popular” actor but not necessarily a great actor — to them I say phooey! He starred in one of my top 10 favorite films of all time — Casablanca — and his portrayal of Rick Blaine has been immortalized. Throw in memorable roles in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo…and on and on…he is one of the greatest actors ever. It seems strange then that he finally won an Oscar for playing a drunk and none too bright boat captain in The African Queen, made just a few years before his early death at age 58.

For co-star Katharine Hepburn, her portrayal as the tightly wound church spinster Rose Sayer was one of her least rewarded roles, having won four Best Actress Oscars in her career (On Golden Pond, The Lion in Winter, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Morning Glory). She did get nominated for The African Queen but lost the Best Actress nod to Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire. By the way, for my money Ms. Hepburn was never better than in The Philadelphia Story, another of my all-time top 10 favorites.

For me The African Queen is simply a vehicle for the two greatest actors of their generation. To be honest, if the film starred anyone else it wouldn’t have made the cut. It’s a bit corny and unbelievable and both Bogart and Hepburn are past their respective primes. But it’s Bogie and Hepburn so you have to forgive the silly plot and the ridiculous love story. What makes the film great is the play between the two icons — they each play over-the-top characters and together they make the film worthwhile. In fact, there are very few scenes in the film that are not simply Bogart and Hepburn together.  There are only nine other actors credited for acting in the film! The rest are African extras.

Next: Network

AFI #66: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Posted on by Len

It was June 1981 and I had just gotten out of school for the summer. Ninth grade was behind me and I was moving to a new school for high school following the summer. I was looking forward to more than two months of riding my bike, going to the beach and just hanging out. Of course, I was also looking forward to summer blockbuster movies. That summer was stellar for films, especially for a 14-year-old. Clash of the Titans. Superman II. Cannonball Run. Stripes. For Your Eyes Only. Escape From New York. Arthur. Heavy Metal. An American Werewolf in London. Even Zorro the Gay Blade! I saw them all and more…but summer 1981 will always be about one film — Raiders of the Lost Ark.

It was the dawn of the summer blockbuster. The year before Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back took in $290,271,960 in the U.S. In 1982 E.T. raked in $435,110,554. In 1983 Return of the Jedi brought in $309,205,079. Prior to 1980 only Jaws ($260,000,000) and Star Wars ($460,998,007) had ever taken in those kinds of numbers. Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas had changed the game forever. You may have a favorite from these great summer blockbusters, but mine was, and still is, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Indiana Jones was the perfect hero for a young teenager. He was smart, capable of amazing physical feats, had a wicked sense of humor and of course the ladies loved him. Not only that, he was fighting the Nazis! This film made Harrison Ford the biggest movie star in the world. Sure, he was Han Solo, but he was just a supporting character in that. In Raiders of the Lost Ark he was the leading man and action hero.

What I love so much about the film is that it’s non-stop action from the moment it begins. The first scene where he tries to steal the idol from the natives is one of the most memorable action sequences ever filmed and the scene with the boulder rolling after him has become iconic. Indiana Jones made archaeology exciting, which let’s be honest is not an easy thing to do. Another iconic scene is when Indy is chasing the ark and is jumping back and forth between the Nazi trucks trying to steal the truck from the driver. When he loses his grip off the front of the truck but slides under and hangs on by his whip it’s pure Hollywood. And of course, the final scene with the ark getting lost in the rows and rows of boxes in that giant government warehouse…spot on political commentary. My favorite scene is when he comes face to face in Cairo with the huge guy with giant Arabian swords and instead of fighting him a just reaches down for his gun and shoots the guy. LOL.

For me Raiders of the Lost Ark is the ultimate adventure film, and while many have tried to imitate it none have captured the greatness of this Hollywood classic. It’s just as cool and exciting today as it was in 1981 and the proof is that my son and I watched it recently and he loves it too. I suspect sometime 20 years or so from now his kids will love it as well.

Next: The African Queen

Extremely Amazing and Incredibly Gifted

Posted on by Len

Earlier this week in my movie discussion group on Facebook we were asked what the best acting performance by an actor under 13 is that we’ve seen. Those mentioned included some wonderful performances including Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense, Natalie Portman in The Professional, Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver and even Dakota Fanning in I Am Sam. I added Saoirse Ronan in Atonement. But that all changed for me today — I saw Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and witnessed a performance for the ages by 13-year-old Thomas Horn…in his first ever acting role…ever…not even a commercial or a school play. Simply amazing.

Yes, the subject matter of the film is difficult and heart-breaking. It’s the story of a boy who loses his father on 911 and who goes on a quest to find the lock to a key that he believes his father meant for him to find. When the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer came out in 2005 many people thought it was too soon for a 911 themed novel. Some are even questioning whether we are ready for it 10 years later. But Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is not a true story, it simply uses 911 as a backdrop for a powerful story of love and heartbreak. I’m sure there are people who were in New York on 911 who won’t see this film because it still hits too close to home, and I respect that, but they are going to miss one of the finest acting performances ever by an actor of any age.

I read the novel in 2007 and was a little disappointed quite honestly, most likely because I was so blown away be JSF’s first novel (Everything is Illuminated) that the follow up was sure to disappoint. I liked the novel, but didn’t love it and now I can say this is one of the rare occasions for me when I liked the film version better than the book. Rare indeed. The film is superb and I would certainly consider it among the best films of 2011. It’s hard to watch, but you can’t take your eyes off of Thomas Horn.

Horn has a very interesting life story himself. He was “discovered” when he was on Jeopardy during kid’s week and won $31,000. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close director Stephen Daldry ( The Reader, Billy Elliot, The Hours) had been looking at literally hundreds of kids for the part and when he saw Horn on Jeopardy he knew he found his Oskar Schell. The role called for a special kid, one who was quirky, maybe even borderline Asperger’s. I don’t know how much like Oskar Thomas is in real life, but he hit the role dead on. If you know any kids with Asperger’s or similar issues you know they are often brilliant, precocious and moody as hell. Horn gave us all of those moments in the film, some of which were so expressive they seemed real. The scene in which he has a mental breakdown was heart-wrenching yet so powerful that he should be nominated for an Oscar based on the one scene alone. I will say, if young Horn is not nominated for a best actor Oscar there is no point in watching the Academy Awards this year because they will be a fraud. The kid stole a film from two Academy Award winners (Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock) and Academy Award nominated actor Max Von Sydow. If George Clooney is the front runner for The Descendants (in which Clooney was very, very good) then Horn is a shoe in!

 

AFI #71: Saving Private Ryan

Posted on by Len

I remember not liking Saving Private Ryan when it came out in 1998 and after watching it again today I remember why I didn’t like it — it’s depressing as hell. To me the plot sort of seems like it’s violence for violence’s sake. And it’s really graphic violence. What was the point of losing nearly an entire platoon to save the life of one guy? I get that Private Ryan lost three brothers, but since when is one life worth more than another?

Don’t get me wrong, I like a good war movie. I can think of several off the top of my head that were way better than Saving Private Ryan, including The Deer Hunter, Black Hawk Down and The Hurt Locker just to name a few. This film just doesn’t do it for me. I like so many of the actors in the film, from Tom Hanks to Adam Goldberg to Giovanni Ribisi…but (Spoiler Alert) they all fucking die. Are they heroes, or was this just a fool’s mission?

I will say this much — the first 30 minutes are intense as hell and some of the best war action ever filmed. I don’t know if it was realistic since I didn’t hit Omaha Beach on D-Day, but it sure felt real. And if it really was like that, holy crap! Spielberg probably earned his Best Director Oscar in those first 30 minutes alone. Talk about blood and guts. This film is not for the feint of heart.

Next Up: A Clockwork Orange

AFI #74: The Silence of the Lambs

Posted on by Len

It wasn’t as scary the second time! I always think of The Silence of the Lambs as being one of the scariest films I’ve ever seen, but watching it again today it didn’t seem so scary and not just because I knew how it ended. I’ve said it a lot during these reviews, but memory definitely plays tricks on you.

What it is, though, is one heck of a great film! Maybe that’s why we remember it as scary — just look at Anthony Hopkins’ eyes! He’s one creepy dude. It’s a great film because it has everything. It has a detailed and complex story. It has memorable characters. It has shock value. It was beautifully shot. It was a thriller unlike any other and it’s one of the best films ever made. But make no mistake…The Silence of the Lambs is all about acting.

Hopkins has never been better and the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter is easily one of the greatest creations in film history. And he did it all with his eyes and his voice. Jodie Foster portrayed a naive but confident Clarice Starling and made us believe that an FBI student could solve the toughest crime of a generation. And the guy who played the killer, Ted Levine, was downright scary good from his voice to his intense close ups (and lest we forget the famous “tuck” scene)!

The Silence of the Lambs was of course rewarded with a handful of Academy Awards including Best Actor and Best Actress, but also Best Director for Jonathan Demme and Screenplay. And it remains one of the only thrillers to bring home the Oscar for Best Picture. Oh, and bonus points for a Chris Isaak cameo as an FBI agent!

Next on the List: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

‘Hanna’ is a Bad Ass

Posted on by Len

I wanted to see Hanna when it came out in theaters earlier this year but didn’t get to it, so this weekend we watched it on demand. Man was it ever worth the $5. I absolutely loved this film.

Hanna is the story of a 16-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be an assassin. As the story unfolds we find out why, and the story is really compelling. The plan is set loose with Hanna out for revenge on a CIA agent with a dark secret. The plan doesn’t exactly go as hoped, so Hanna is forced to journey on her own to meet back up with her father. The action is great as Hanna works her way toward her father with hired killers on her tail.

Hanna reminded me so much of two of my favorite films — The Professional and La Femme Nikita. Like Luc Besson, who directed those films, Hanna director Joe Wright understands how to get the viewers heart racing. The film is exciting from start to finish, and even during the slower scenes Wright keeps the intensity up using heart-thumping techno music from The Chemical Brothers. The music adds to the overall feel of the film — it has a real French feel even though Wright is British. If you’re not familiar with Wright, you might be interested to know his two films prior to Hanna were The Soloist with Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. and Atonement, a Best Picture nominee in 2008 (I thought it was indeed the best film that year even though No Country For Old Men took home the Oscar).

Also in 2008 the 13-year-old actress from Atonement, Saoirse Ronan, was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress for her performance. Wright knows a good thing when he sees it, so he cast Ronan as Hanna and she delivers big time. Her portrayal of the young assassin is so intense, but at the same time she can be so tender and reminds you that she is only 16 despite the fact that she was raised to kill. If you remember Ronan from Atonement you’ll undoubtedly remember those searing eyes. Those eyes should get a best supporting actress nomination themselves! The sky is the limit for Ronan, who also starred in The Lovely Bones in 2009 which I didn’t see but will add to my list.

Not to be outdone by the young Ronan, the villain in the film is played to perfection by Cate Blanchett. Always amazing, Blanchett plays a creepy CIA agent with a southern accent who knows Hanna’s secret and must kill her to hide it from the world. Eric Bana plays the father and he does a great job letting Ronan and Blanchett do their thing.

I was really blown away by this film and now I can’t wait for Wright’s next release, a new adaptation of Anna Karenina starring Keira Knightly and Jude Law. Wright is brilliant. Hanna could have been so cliché, but he delivers by creating an unmistakable European mood pumped up by the techno music and the intensity of his actors. Bravo!