Track the Films You Watch (2009) - Page 20

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I'll certainly try to remember. All that month Turner is splitting their days up with two directors. One director plays all morning the other all night.

Oh, that White Album I've never gotten around to buying. Perhaps they'll remaster them and drop the retail price before I hit 40.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Taxi Driver (1976) Martin Scorsese

Scorsese's masterpiece is a raw, powerful and nerve wrecking look at depression and loneliness. The film centers on taxi driver Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), a man clearly with his own demons who finds a purpose in life when he meets a 12-year-old hooker (Jodie Foster) who he plans on saving from her pimp (Harvey Keitel). To me this is one of the richest films ever made and it's one that can easily be overlooked in some circles if you don't really connect to what the film is trying to say. I didn't care too much for the movie the first few times I watched it because I was too young to really understand depression and loneliness. After I understood what those things could do to a person is when I fully became aware of the power in this film and today it remains one of the most powerful films ever made. To me the entire film is pretty much about Travis trying to find someone to fit in with but of course it never really happens until he meets the hooker. He tries fitting in with the Cybill Shepherd character but falls flat on his face. He tries fitting in with his co-workers but that doesn't work out too well. No matter what Travis tries he keeps ending up alone and as he put it, he's God's lonely man. This film works on so many levels but I think the psychological one is where it's best at. Getting us into the mind of Travis works for many reasons but the biggest keys are the direction by Scorsese, the brilliant music score by Bernard Herrmann and DeNiro's groundbreaking performance. Putting those three things together is what makes this a classic but we can also throw in the screenplay by Paul Schrader, which rightfully gives the movie the time and patience to let the Travis character grow right in front of our eyes. DeNiro's performance is certainly one for the ages, although I think he would get even better with Scorsese's RAGING BULL, which would follow in four years. His performance here is nothing short of amazing because you can't help but be terrified by this guy because of the look in DeNiro's eyes. You can't help but feel sorry for him at the same time because there are countless moments where he embarrasses himself because he simply doesn't know how to fit in. The word anti-hero gets used a lot and perhaps that's a good term but I think it's something much deeper than that. DeNiro hits all the right marks without a false note anywhere. Foster is also impressive in her few scenes in the film as is Keitel as the pimp. Shepherd is also good as his Albert Brookes and the underrated Peter Boyle who has one of the best scenes in the movie where he's trying to talk some sense into Travis. The visual look of the film is mighty impressive and Scorsese's directing style is nothing short of amazing. The slimy looking streets and the dark atmosphere are one of a kind and something many films tried to copy but could never get it as perfect as it is here. This here remains one of the greatest American films ever made and I'm really not sure any movie could top it in showing the effects that loneliness can have on a person.

Jacknife (1989) David Jones

Powerful drama centers on a Vietnam vet (Robert DeNiro) who looks up an old war buddy (Ed Harris) but soon falls for his sister (Kathy Baker). There were a whole slew of war movies during this period but this here is the most overlooked and that's a real shame because it's one of the best. I've heard some refer to it as a continuation of THE DEER HUNTER and there might be a lot of truth to that because this film takes place fifteen years after the war and it's clear with our characters that the horror of Vietnam are still haunting them. The movie is very quiet as it doesn't preach nor does it try to scream some sort of message. Instead we just peek in on these three people's lives and how the Harris character is pretty much dead even though he survived the war. I think what works best here are the performances, which are all rather amazing. I called the film underrated but that's also true of DeNiro's performance, which to me is one of the better ones in his career. Once again DeNiro dives head first into a role and really comes away with a very memorable character thanks to his performance. For the most part his character is out going and energetic even though he has some demons inside him and DeNiro perfectly pulls this off. I especially loved him during his out going scenes where he's constantly moving and dancing around to let off all the positive energy he's trying to give off. Those are the scenes that worked best with me and the ones that the legendary actor pulled off the best. Harris is also wonderful in the film and manages to steal every scene he's in. He doesn't have too much dialogue so the majority of his acting is with his eyes and he really does a remarkable job. Just take a look at the scene where he goes to visit the parents of his friend who was killed in the war. Baker doesn't get enough credit as an actress but she too delivers the goods here. This film has a slow pace, which allows us to get to know the characters, feel their pain and understand how all three of them are trying to grow. The moving hits on some rather dark subjects and has an overall depressing tone. This might keep some people away but that would be a shame because they'd be missing out on a very impressive film with three excellent performances.

Last House on the Left, The (2009) Dennis Iliadis

First we got Ingmar Bergman's THE VIRGIN SPRING, which would then be remade by Wes Craven as THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. The Craven film sent shock waves around the world with his vile violence and countless rip-offs started showing up including NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS and HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK. In 2005 we got a semi-remake in CHAOS, which I found to be quite brutal but it too ended up with its own share of controversy. Now, in 2009, we get yet another film version with this one using the same title as that 1972 Craven film. This time out two teenage girls go to a motel to pick up some dope when they encounter Krug (Garret Dillahunt), his son and his two sicko friends. The girls are raped, tortured and left for dead when one of the girls is able to crawl back to her parent's (Monica Potter, Tony Goldwyn) house. The parents then discover that the people who tortured their daughter are staying in their house. As you can tell, this film really doesn't change any of the plot line too much, although there are a few changes, which tone down some of the actions that we saw in the original movie. That's not to say that the entire film is a watered down version because there's still some effective violence and the rape scene, while not as graphic as that in the original, is very unsettling. With that said, I've personally seen this type of film way too many times so this movie really didn't give me anything original to work with. I did enjoy a few of the changes with one being Krug's son being a teenager around the same age of the girls being tortured. This here added some nice twists to the story but nothing much was done with it. I won't ruin things but there's some interesting stuff that could have been done in the final act but it doesn't happen because the film doesn't want to cross that dangerous line. The film is technically well-made with director Iliadis doing a good job with his style and keeping the film moving. This film runs quite a bit longer than the original film but it's over before you know it so it's nice to know there aren't any slow moments. Another major plus are the performances, which are very good. Dillahunt does a very good job as Krug but of course we're going to have people comparing him to David Hess, which is unfair. Dillahunt tries to do the role differently, which I give him credit for doing and he actually manages to make the character quite creepy in his laid back approach. Spencer Treat Clark is also pretty good in the role of Krug's son and I actually wished we had spent a little more time with his character. Sara Paxton also impressed with in the role of the daughter as she made us care for her character even though we don't spend too much time with her. The best performances comes from Potter and Goldwyn as the parents. There's a scene they share together after they've learned what has happened where both of them have to show emotions and this scene comes off extremely well and better than anything else in the movie. Goldwyn has always been a fun character actor and it was nice seeing him in a leading role. The violence in the movie is rather laid back, although there are some brutal moments including a sequence involving a hand, which I won't spoil. The movie has a fresh look to it so those expecting something raw like the original are going to be disappointed. I think how much you enjoy the film will depend on how many of the previous versions you've seen. I've simply seen too many of them to fully get all the impact that this one tries to go for but if you haven't seen the earlier stuff then I'm sure this will win you over. Others will probably be on the fence like me.

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104th Street Curve, New York, Elevated Railway (1899)

Early film from Edison is yet another look at a train. When 1896's ARRIVAL OF A MAIL TRAIN was released and became a hit, it seemed like every studio was coming up with their own pictures about trains or taking place on a train. This one here, as the title pretty much says, goes through Harlem around a (then) famous "S" curve. We see this "S" curse through a few different points of view including one time with the camera stationed on a platform and another with the camera on the moving train. We get about five different views of this, which isn't all that interesting but the fun thing was seeing some people, how they were dressed and a look at various buildings from back in the day.

10th U.S. Infantry, 2nd Battalion Leaving Cars (1898)

Edison short pretty much has the title telling you everything that you'd need to know. The film, running just over a minute, features the 10th U.S. Infantry marching through the streets appearing to be heading off for war training. We see them carrying their guns, blankets, canteens and other items, which is a historical interest, if not exactly entertaining. We see a few people obviously not knowing that there's filming going on because they walk in front of the camera.

2nd Special Service Battalion, Canadian Infantry: Parade (1899)

Edison short shows Canadian troops leaving Quebec and on their way to the ar in Transvaal. The camera is stationed on what appears to be a bridge, which catches all the action of the men walking through the streets with thousands of people cheering them on. Once again you're not going to get any real "entertainment" out of something like this but it does remain interesting from a historic point of view or if you just want to see what early motion pictures were like. This type of short plays out like what would eventually be called a newsreel and while there are a few interesting images here that's about it.

9th Infantry Boys' Morning Wash (1898)

Part of Edison's "War Extra" series, which lead to various shorts being done on the military during 1898. This one here runs a very short 27-seconds but it's also one of the most fascinating. We see dozens of men standing over a pail of water with wash clothes scrubbing away at themselves. Once again, if you're looking for entertainment then you're not going to find it here in the traditional sense of the word. These type of films work best as a historical document and that's why this one here is so interesting. I'm not sure how many people has ever wondered how the soldiers took a bath back then but this film here shows you that just in case you were interested.

Admirall Cigarette (1897)

On a historic level alone this is a rather marvelous film because it shows the early use of films to advertise for various companies. This time out its Admirall Cigarettes. In the film we see four men sitting around as another jumps out of a box and starts throwing cigarettes everywhere. The four men then hold up a sign saying "We All Smoke." Even though this is what would become product placement, the film manages to still be very charming in its own right. According to what I've read, Edison would show these films on New York rooftops, which of course would gather hundreds of people, if not more. Rumor has it that Edwin S. Porter was arrested for blocking traffic while showing this film.

Admiral Dewey Landing at Gibraltar (1899)
Admiral Dewey Leading Land Parade (1899)
Admiral Dewey Leading Land Parade, no. 2 (1899)
Admiral Dewey Receiving the Washington and New York Committees (1899)
Admiral Dewey Taking Leave of Washington Committee on the U.S. Cruiser "Olympia" (1899)
U.S. Cruiser 'Olympia' Leading Naval Parade (1899)

George Dewey was an admiral in the U.S. Navy who is best remembered for his victory at Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War, which he won without the death of a single person due to the battle. Needless to say since he was a big hero in this country Edison decided to film him at various stages and release them to make some money.

I'm not sure how much money the company ended up making but some back then might have seen these films as a rip because you really don't get too many views of Dewey. The shorts vary from one to another but they run from a minute and a half up to four-minutes but in some of them Dewey is only visible for a few seconds. ADMIRAL DEWEY LEADING LAND PARADE is shot very poorly so apparently the cameraman was a new one. Its "sequel" looks a lot better and features some interesting shots of various people watching. You'll notice the tree tops are blowing from side to side so it seems a wind storm was going on. RECEIVING WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK appears to be a staged shot as Dewey walks to and from the camera several times. The LEADING NAVAL PARADE is an interesting one as we see countless ships going down the Hudson River but the curious thing is again the wind that is blowing all sorts of things around.

Dewey Arch, New York City (1899)
Governor Roosevelt and Staff (1899)
Dandy Fifth, The (1899)
Panorama, Union Square, San Francisco (1903)

These set of shorts are from American Mutoscope and Biograph as they too, like Edison, were interesting in filming the arrival of Admiral Dewey so that they could make some money. Both studios shot their material on September 30, 1899 and some of the film would be released as early as October 1, 1899 so that should tell you how much the two were trying to top one another.

DEWEY ARCH, NEW YORK CITY shows the same parade, which was highlighted in Edison's ADMIRAL DEWEY LEADING A LAND PARADE but this here is from a different angle and location. This film was shot with a view of the arch from Fifth Avenue. GOVERNOR ROOSEVELT AND STAFF is an interesting one for obvious reasons and films the parade as it turns onto 72nd Street (as does THE DANDY FIFTH). PANORAMA, UNION SQUARE, SAN FRANCISCO was shot Thursday, May 14, 1903 as the city commemorates the victory of Dewey's battle at Manila Bay. This here is also the most entertaining but then again I love all of the early panorama films. This one here gives us a grand view of the entire events and we also get to read some interesting advertising on some buildings. It's also interesting because you know what happened to the city three years later.

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Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) Darren Lynn Bousman

In the same tradition as THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW comes this horror/musical, which has a great visual style and good story but the end result isn't what they were going for. Set in the near future there's a major epidemic, which causes people organs to stop working where they die. Thankfully a new company opens up that finance organ-transfers but if you don't pay on time they send Repo to the scene who will rip them out of you. This is from the same director who brought up three of the SAW sequels so you know the gore is going to be here but what I didn't expect was such a visual style. Both the style and look of the film were so good that I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. The extremely dark look will remind some of the early Tim Burton days but I wouldn't dare say this is better. The way the director uses the comic book visuals to tell us information about certain characters was another plus but for me the biggest problem was the music. I don't mind music being used when it's good but I must admit that none of the songs here really caught my ears except for the one when Paris Hilton comes to the shop to get worked on. I'm sure many are going to love the songs, which is why you see so many positive reviews for this. Had I enjoyed the songs more then I'd be singing all the praises but I just can't. The performances are all rather good with Hilton, believe it or not, stealing the film in her few scenes here. Bill Moseley, Anthony Head and Alexa Vega all fill out their roles well but Paul Sorvino doesn't come off as good. Another big mistake I think the movie makes is that it tries to make itself a cult movie. You can not make a cult movie because the whole point of a cult film is that you tried to make a real movie that ended up not working yet crowds eventually picked up on it. That's what happened with THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW as the producer and director never made it just so people would show up in drag and talk to the screen. Ed Wood didn't make PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE for people to laugh at. Those films were made as films and then became a cult item. When you set out to make a cult film it's just not the same. In the end there's plenty to enjoy here but it's doubtful I'll ever pay this another visit.

Don't Look Back (1967) D.A Pennebaker

Marvelous and landmark documentary covering Bob Dylan on his 1965 tour of England, which would turn out to be the last time people would see the legend in 100% folk as the next year would see the singer strap on an electric guitar. Since the film was released there's always been some debate on how much of the persona of Dylan here was made up and how much was real. In the interviews I've seen and just knowing as much about him from this period I'd guess that the majority of what goes on here is made up. It seems to me that Dylan is giving a (very good) performance as what a rock star is as we get countless great sequences with the man screaming and shouting but also having fun. The film and Dylan's attitude here has upset a lot of people including Roger Ebert who held a grudge against Dylan up until the Martin Scorsese documentary was released. Many people object to Dylan's treatment of a Time Magazine reporter but I personally don't see anything wrong with it. Reporters were always trying to challenge Dylan so why shouldn't he challenge them right back? Some might even object to Dylan putting down other musicians like Donovan but to me this sequence is just Dylan showing off his humor. The comeback Dylan gives when the reporter asks about Dylan just makes me break down laughing each time I hear it. Not only do we get Donovan here but there's also Joan Baez, Alan Price, Albert Grossman, Bob Neuwirth and Allen Ginsberg of course. As for musical numbers we get quite a few great ones including a passionate performance of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" with Dylan jamming away in his hotel room. We get Dylan and Baez doing duets to two Hank Williams songs, archival footage of Dylan's "Only a Pawn in Their Game" and several songs from his shows at the Royal Albert Hall. Perhaps the greatest and most famous sequence is the very first sequence in the movie as we're treated to Dylan dropping the title cards to his "Subterranean Homesick Blues". I think even non-Dylan fans would get a kick out of this if they are wanting to learn some history about music back in this era. Pennebaker does a remarkable job of just sitting back and letting his camera pick up the action.


11th. Naval District 'United States Coast Guard Band' (1944) Bobby Connolly

When WW2 broke out every studio in the country started producing various features and subjects built around the war, the men fighting it and various other aspects. We got various documentaries from the likes of Frank Capra, John Ford and John Huston and we got major stars like James Stewart and Clark Gable to appear in them. This short here takes a look at the then famous Coast Guard Band who were popular enough to put on concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and various other places. This short runs ten-minutes and is pretty entertaining as the songs are patriotic and rather nice. I'd be lying if I said I was familiar with any of the tunes being played but that didn't take away any of the entertainment.

Annie Laurie (1936) Joseph Sherman

Lackluster short from MGM really doesn't work on any level. The ten-minute film tells us how the Scotish song "Annie Laurie" happened to be written. As it turns out Scotland was in the middle of a major civil war when lovers (Dennis Morgan, Ann Rutherford) get torn apart. Both Morgan and Rutherford would end up making some memorable films in their career even though neither name is really noticeable today. Morgan is probably best remembered by horror fans with his role in the 1939 horror film THE RETURN OF DR. X. Rutherford would appear in several Andy Hardy films so she too would be remembered by some film buffs. This film here is rather poorly made and the direction can't be seen. The movie tells the story fairly easily but it's boring. The action scenes are also boring and the movie really does drag at even ten-minutes.

Honolulu: The Paradise of the Pacific (1935) No Director Credited

Another entry in MGM's popular TravelTalk series with this one looking at Honolulu and needless to say there's a lot of outdoor activities being shown off. We visit various sites including the capital, floral wreaths making, coloring of coral, Waikiki Beach plus countless surfers and swimmers. I've said this several times but it's important to remember when a short like this was made. Sure, you can punch up Honolulu on your computer today and get a much better documentary on what to do there but in 1935 I'm sure this was a major delight and that's why this series lasted so long. The one interesting note while watching this movie is the fact that it shows the island six years before Pearl Harbor.

Roseland (1930) Roy Mack

Vitaphone short has a millionaire (Donald Cook) trying to pick up a girl (Ruth Etting) working at the famed club. On this particular night she gets to sing in a talent show. This is a fairly good short even though it's only goal is for us to listen to the wonderful voice of Etting. She was quite popular back in the day and it's easy to hear why when you get a few tunes from that voice. Her acting on the other hand isn't that impressive but I can overlook that here. The film borrows a lot from the Cinderella storyline and works out fairly well. Cook is one of my favorite, lesser known actors from this era but he doesn't get too much to do. The best sequence is when one of the dance hall girls is having to dance with a man with bad breathe. Her comments are priceless.