28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Rowland]

So I've discovered some marvelous Europeon cinema during my excavation of 1981, including my first exposures to Zulawski with the stunning Possession and the mostly ignored Claude Miller with his compulsively watchable Garde Ã* vue, which hasn't even been released in the US. Still have lots more to catch up with that looks promising as well.

Very quick shots:

The Incredible Shrinking Woman (Joel Schumacher, 1981) *½

Blurs the lines between appropriately abrasive satire and excessively embodying that which it satirizes, not unlike Jingle All the Way. Also equally irritating, ugly, and tacky, though not without its minor charms thanks to Matheson's source material that inspires a few niftily conceptualized and executed setpieces.

Happy Birthday to Me (J. Lee Thompson, 1981) **

An absurd, overlong, largely tension-deprived slasher populated with more irredeemable characters than usual, that is almost passable for its sometimes atypically dynamic direction (when it isn't inexcusably underlit), a few memorably inventive murders, and a camptastic climax that is dumbfounding in its demented hysteria.

For Your Eyes Only (John Glen, 1981) **

Goes for gritty, first by introducing a vengeance theme that it utterly squanders by being predictably facile and hypocritical in its morality and politics, as well as by toning down the silliness of its action sequences, which are the highlight thanks to Glen's sturdy direction that renders the film's 2+ hour length snappier than it deserves. It's just a shame that Roger Moore comes across less as a dapper, oversexed international spy than a suddenly rapid-aging creepy uncle hitting on girls one-third his age.

Galaxy of Terror (Bruce D. Clark, 1981) **½

Forbidden Planet meets Alien, produced by Roger Corman on one of his usual non-budgets, though you'd never know it thanks to the phenomenal set design by a young James Cameron, who almost single-handedly redeems what is otherwise a cheap, poorly written/directed/performed knockoff. There's some nifty effects work here as well, and once you adjust to its shameless, trashy wavelength, it's a fun time that crescendos to a delightfully gonzo climax.

[balmakboor]

I do have Unstoppable waiting to be watched.

Stick with King's Speech.

[balmakboor]

Two nights in a row I've fallen asleep watching Murder on the Orient Express. I don't know if it's that boring or if I've been that tired. It's starting to look like a Saturday morning with coffee kind of movie.

[Dukefrukem]

Faster was a disappointment. I expected the Rock to be more of a badass than he was. It's a really slow moving action flick with very little Driving Fast (which was kinda how they marketed it next to "Drive Angry") and more about being "Faster" drawing his gun than his enemies. There were several subplots that jam up the flow of the movie to misdirect you... but it's just not that entertaining. When you expect a movie to be about revenge, it starts off perfectly but some scenes are actually more sincere than I liked. It's hard to be on the Rock's side when there's so much going on.

I want more of the Rock like in The Rundown. I like him as an action star.

[Raiders]

I wanted to love Day of the Outlaw, but it wasn't in the cards. Entirely solid flick, though.

You almost succeeded at being correct, so I'll give an "A" for effort.

[Derek]

Fasterwas a disappointment.

Not a phrase that should ever be uttered.

[Mara]

Not a phrase that should ever be uttered.

*snickers*

[Boner M]

RE: For Your Eyes Only, go to 2:13 to find its greatest praise...

[youtube]JWMygjLN1ws[/youtube]

[Boner M]

Faster wasn't very good, but it resembles The Driver/Two-Lane Blacktop than any The Rock vehicle has any right to, so it has that going for it.

[Dukefrukem]

Not a phrase that should ever be uttered.

You kind of have an idea what you're getting from it no?

[D_Davis]

- Metropolis (New Cut)
This was just amazing. The new footage discovered in Buenos Aires adds a lot of substance and personality to the film. Unfortunately, it just can't be restored to the high standards we have for image quality nowadays, but I'll take this over nothing. With only one scene missing from Metropolis, the epic beauty of its vision and its importance in the development of the sci-fi genre are clearer than ever. Modernism >>>>>>>>>> Post-modernism

I watched this the other night. It was awesome. I made a play list of interesting ambient/experimental music to listen to, and it was way cool.

What kind of music was played when you saw it?

[Bosco B Thug]

My local video store had a newly arrived copy of Joseph Losey's The Prowler on DVD from some no-name label. What a find! Excellent film noir starring Van Heflin as the Homme Fatale. Try to find a copy!

Oh yeah, thumbs up. Fascinating movie.

Happy Birthday to Me (J. Lee Thompson, 1981) **

An absurd, overlong, largely tension-deprived slasher populated with more irredeemable characters than usual, that is almost passable for its sometimes atypically dynamic direction (when it isn't inexcusably underlit), a few memorably inventive murders, and a camptastic climax that is dumbfounding in its demented hysteria.

You'd think the bolded is all you can ask for from a stupid slasher film. But I guess being "tension-deprived" can very well nullify the lot of that.

I remember the plot being absurd and laggingly convoluted, but I also remember thinking the film built a mystery to a relatively engaging extent, and the climax is very satisfying.

[MadMan]

It's just a shame that Roger Moore comes across less as a dapper, oversexed international spy than a suddenly rapid-aging creepy uncle hitting on girls one-third his age.

Hey that one chick was hitting on him :P

After For Your Eyes Only they wisely recognized that Moore was getting rather old for the part, and had him hit on women more his age. And by more his age, I mean only probably 10-15 years younger :lol:

[B-side]

So, I may be slightly overrating American Madness, my first Capra, but it just worked so well, and its highly topical framework endeared it a bit more to me. The entire film takes place within the confines of Union National Bank, a bank run by an idealist who insists on the qualities of honest capitalism and operates his business on reasoned faith as opposed to sheer numbers. He believes the economy is running smoothly when banks are lending and people aren't afraid to spend. Partway through, the bank is robbed of 200k with the help of an employee indebted to the robbers for 50k from gambling. Post-robbery, the entire town is abuzz with panic and rumors that grow increasingly detached from the reality of the situation highlighted with a montage of shots isolating upper bodies and faces screeching into their phones informing others of the unreliability of the bank, which prompts a massive gathering at the bank, everyone seeking to remove all of their money, and some chiding the bank's employees for lying to them about its security.

Featured throughout the film is a love triangle that mirrors the bank's crisis, if only in terms of chronologically matching codas. There's a slice of life quality to the proceedings that ease some of the concerns over that love triangle, making it feel more a part of the mix of drama as opposed to the main narrative thrust. Maybe I'm a sucker, but it was -- despite the unpleasantness of the circumstances -- nice to see a film feature a principled, sympathetic CEO that doesn't lay down for anyone. This is not to speak of Capra's visual eye and knack for rapid-fire, crackling dialogue that really help things along.

[B-side]

Next up for Capra is The Bitter Tea of General Yen. All signs point to a gorgeous-looking film, at the very least.

[baby doll]

Next up for Capra is The Bitter Tea of General Yen. All signs point to a gorgeous-looking film, at the very least.

It's pretty awesome. Very Sternberg-ian. I'm tempted to jump on the bandwagon that considers it Capra's best, except that I've seen practically nothing other than It Happened One Night, It's a Wonderful Life, and the first thirty minutes of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

[B-side]

It's pretty awesome. Very Sternberg-ian. I'm tempted to jump on the bandwagon that considers it Capra's best, except that I've seen practically nothing other than It Happened One Night, It's a Wonderful Life, and the first thirty minutes of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

I've heard nothing but great things about it, especially its cinematography.

[Rowland]

You'd think the bolded is all you can ask for from a stupid slasher film. But I guess being "tension-deprived" can very well nullify the lot of that.

I remember the plot being absurd and laggingly convoluted, but I also remember thinking the film built a mystery to a relatively engaging extent, and the climax is very satisfying.

Well, between being overlong at nearly two hours and devoid of tension, I was implying that much of the movie was just straight-up boring, which was compounded by how utterly insipid and shrill were most of the characters/performances. Most of the reason I warmed up to the film, beyond how laughably contrived and transparent were its attempts to cast suspicions on every character, was the goofy climax, but I wouldn't say it's conventionally satisfying, but rather so ludicrously inexplicable that it's almost awe-inspiring. As a horror movie it's pretty inept, but it's probably going to wind up being more memorable than much of its superior brethren. And with that said, I'll admit that the nightmare sequences sprinkled throughout and the climactic birthday table tableau are legitimately kinda creepy.

[Rowland]

Corpse Mania (Kuei Chih-Hung, 1981) **½

A Shaw Brothers giallo, lacking the finesse of prime Argento or Mario Bava (instead resembling something the latter's son Lamberto may have cooked up on a good day), but Kuei at least appears to be trying, even when his often dubious style conveys little beyond a lurid, excessive decadence, which suits the period-piece Hong Kong setting that is appreciably novel for such a film. There are numerous lags however, as it too often settles into a dull procedural or a marginally more interesting melodrama of social mores, which at least pay off with a surprisingly effective twist and its appropriately grim epilogue that suggest more was on the film's mind than it lulls you into anticipating.

My Young Auntie (Lau Kar-Leung, 1981) **½

Shaw Brothers again, this time attempting a sort of feminist martial arts epic to mixed results. The leading lady is charismatic and a pleasure to watch as she kicks ass with both poise and vigor, and the script is cleverly attuned to the satirical possibilities that her role as a symbol of cultural Westernization presents. It's just a shame then that she is paired up with a buffoonish male lead who spends half his screen time demeaning her, and the climactic setpiece, while very well choreographed on its own terms, involves a male character (played by the director no less) who spent most of the film on the sidelines rescuing her from a villain who was also barely in the picture, which proves terribly unsatisfying and reeks of Lau reasserting his male dominance.

[Boner M]

I like this obsession, Rowls. Are you ever gonna get around to Cutter's Way? Or did I miss it?

[Rowland]

I like this obsession, Rowls. Are you ever gonna get around to Cutter's Way? Or did I miss it?

It's in the log. I'm trying to mix things up as much as possible, so I don't wind up watching all the highly praised stuff in one large chunk. And besides, all the cult oddities and forgotten films from the margins often prove just as interesting.

[Boner M]

It's in the log. I'm trying to mix things up as much as possible, so I don't wind up watching all the highly praised stuff in one large chunk. And besides, all the cult oddities and forgotten films from the margins often prove just as interesting.

Wise move.

[Boner M]

So my editor has given me space for a monthly DVD column where I get to pimp whatever recent global DVD releases tickle my fancy. I chose Criterion's Blow Out, the UK version of Il Posto and Tsai Ming-Liang's Vive L'Amour (the latter sight-unseen; just general Tsai-love since he's never been released on Australian DVD).

Life is good.

[Yxklyx]

It's pretty awesome. Very Sternberg-ian. I'm tempted to jump on the bandwagon that considers it Capra's best, except that I've seen practically nothing other than It Happened One Night, It's a Wonderful Life, and the first thirty minutes of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

I'm a huge Stanwyck fan but I was underwhelmed by this one. I loved Lady for a Day which came out the same year.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Next up for Capra is The Bitter Tea of General Yen. All signs point to a gorgeous-looking film, at the very least.

It's excellent. I think early Capra is something you will be all over, later Capra is another story. Though, I adore It's a Wonderful Life.