“Broadway” Danny Rose (Woody Allen) is a legend, New York’s
most devoted talent agent, to the semi-retired entertainers sharing stories in
a diner throughout the film. A series of
Danny’s acts open the film, each with marginal talents at best (but Danny will
work harder than anyone else to convince you of otherwise), told the men in the
circle until one guy has “the best Danny Rose story” of them all. Flashbacks show Danny getting mixed up with his
star client’s tough Jersey girlfriend, Tina (Mia Farrow). However, classic Woody antics ensue when Tina’s
mob boss ex pins poor Danny as her new beau. On par with Woody’s best comedies, I laughed hard at every joke, like the storytelling men in the diner. Broadway Danny Rose stacks up well
against his other work, with a healthy mix of both the zany Woody Allen and the experimental
Woody Allen that I love so much.
Quentin Tarantino’s epic WW2 film, Inglorious Basterds, showcases of one of our finest filmmakers in
his absolute prime. Brad Pitt’s Lt. Aldo
Rain leads his brutal band of bastards into the heart of Germany on a mission for
“Nazi scalps.” With bloody glee, watch the
world’s most evil men get their vicious comeuppance. But Inglorious
Basterds is much richer than the Nazi-torture porn film a one-sentence summary
would make it out to be. As what might
be cinema’s most charismatic villain, Hans “The Jew Hunter” Landa (Christoph Waltz)
practically steals the movie while delivering some of QT’s best dialogue ever;
you sit on the edge of your seat one moment and laugh hysterically the next. The magic of movies also finds a rare home in
the WW2 genre as propaganda film, movie houses, entertainers, and acting (by
soldiers whose talent level vary) weigh heavily on the plot. It takes a twisted and brilliant mind to make
a film this good, and we are lucky that this twisted and brilliant filmmaker is
going strong.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
– Mark it 9.
Terrence Malick’s take on WW2 could not be further from
Tarantino’s, but it in no way diminishes The
Thin Red Line’s brilliance. His
films are clearly an acquired taste (many call it slow/boring), and it is a
taste I find beautiful. From the opening
scenes on when shots of tropical wildlife are cut with scenes of Polynesian
natives enjoying life, where an AWOL soldier seeks shelter, we know this will
ne unlike any war movie seen before.
Soon, the soldier reunites with the Marines and the grueling attack on
Guadalcanal begins. From there, unknown
actors and recognizable superstars share the spotlight as we hear what these
men are feeling internally while the world goes to hell on the outside. Throughout its 3-hour runtime, many long
conversations and incongruous nature scenes may scare off some viewers despite
its well-executed and exciting battle scenes.
I did not scare and thought every moment was incredible. The
Thin Red Line easily ranks among one of my favorite war films.
Wanderlust (2012) –
Mark it 5.
When some of the funniest people on the planet get involved
in a project (of The State, Stella, and Wet Hot American Summer fame), I get
excited. With Paul Rudd starring, a collection
of great comics in quirky supporting roles, and then Jennifer Aniston, Wanderlust had the making to be a great
one. As Rudd and Aniston’s big city
marriage hits a rut and they seek refuge in a hippie commune, at Ken Marino’s suburban
McMansion, and back to the commune (or cult?), the gags always work. However, Wanderlust
lacked something to transcend it from a good collection of jokes to a good
comedic film. The decisions made by
Aniston and Rudd’s characters were void of logical reasoning and the plot
amounts to nothing more than device after device to bring on more
jokes. I laughed too often to call Wanderlust a bad movie, but I cared
little about what happened to these characters making me laugh and that’s a
problem. In the end, Wanderlust’s wasted potential outshines its
many jokes.
Lolita (1962) –
Mark it 6.
How Stanley Kubrick could adapt the controversial Lolita (in 1962!), a story of an older man
marrying his landlord to creep on her 14-year-old daughter, is an intriguing
question. With every intimate moment
between Prof. Humbert Humbert (James Mason) and Lolita (Sue Lyon) only hinted
at, Lolita is not as uncomfortable to
watch as I imagined. In fact, it is mostly
a black comedy, especially when Mason brushes aside the mother figure (Shelly Winters), who desperately throws herself at him, or anytime Peter Sellers is on screen. Sellers’ Clare Quilty, the odd man who plans
to ruin Humbert’s pedophilic schemes (for less than virtuous reason), was my
favorite part of Lolita. But during the film’s long road trip, I was
left confused about who we are meant to sympathize with. I felt pushed toward feeling sorry for
Humbert, who lets sexual obsession ruin his life, even though I liked him less
and less each scene. I am left wondering
if the characters are presented similarly in the novel; Lolita moves from my “need to see” list to my “need to read” list.
Ken Burns’ Mark Twain
(2000) – Mark it 8.
History and movies are two of my favorite things, so if a
good documentarian finds a subject worth exploring, I will be on board. When it comes to immersing myself in a
subject (at the movies), Ken Burns’ long and meticulous films are my
favorite. Basically, all of Ken Burns’
films are kind of the same – if you love that style and want to devote some
time to learning, you’ll be satisfied. His
Mark Twain is no different as my
appreciation of Twain’s genius grew with every turn in this 3.5 hour biography. Before this, Twain was an icon but I knew
little beyond the superficial. With his
progressive ideals, biting satire, devotion to family, staunch independence, celebrated
storytelling, biting satire, and (of course) impressive writing talents, Mark
Twain was an American hero. This film even
inspired me to start Twain’s The
Innocents Abroad, which is a fitting testament to both the filmmaker and
his subject.
Ken Burns’ Prohibition
(2011) – Mark it 8.
With his new film, The
Dust Bowl, hitting PBS in November (ironically, which I haven’t yet
watched), I clearly got on a big Ken Burns kick (the 6 hour Prohibition paired with the
aforementioned Mark Twain). The
Civil War, Baseball, and Mark Twain already covered subjects in which I had a high level of interest and some level of knowledge. Beyond being a ridiculous encroachment of
individual freedom, the prohibition era is one segment of American history in
which I was pretty much a blank slate. Prohibition tells the tale of America’s
legitimate alcohol problem, the powerful political movement to fight it, and
the collective disregard of the law that inspired the prohibition backlash. Fascinating stories of bootleggers, gangsters,
speakeasies, teetotalers, and the average American who enjoyed a drink now and
then, fill the film. The facts I learned
about prohibition were great, but the many dangers of enforcing one’s moral
belief on a whole country are Prohibition’s
greatest lesson.
Special When Lit: A Pinball Documentary (2009) – Mark it 3.
Pick any topic in pop culture and you’re bound to find enough
eccentric characters to film a documentary.
Special When Lit has countless
odd individuals who devout their lives to a dying form of entertainment: the pinball machine. We meet pinball enthusiasts who are collectors,
designers, historians, arcade owners, and competitive players.
To the outsider, these men (almost exclusively men) appear to be lonely weirdoes who consume their
lives with pinball. Sadly, Brett
Sullivan’s film only plays up on these assumptions with editing that amps up their awkwardness; it approaches exploitative levels. Does the film wants me to
celebrate pinball and the people who love it, or just remember pinball and
laugh at “geeks” who still play it? There were some effective parts
involving the physics of the game design and psychology of the game. Good parts and bad parts are scattered
throughout the film without any real narrative thread holding it together. Pinball could be the
subject of a good documentary, but Special When Lit is
not the one.
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