The 47 Ronin,
Parts 1 & 2
(Kenji Mizoguchi, 1941-1942, Japan, 221 min.)
Viewed on Hulu First Viewing
Though
ostensibly such an epic tale that it had to be released in two feature-length
parts, Kenji Mizoguchi’s retelling of one of Japan’s most cherished historical
events (in which a band of ronin avenge the death of their master) is almost
entirely devoid of action. The focus is instead on the minutia of the samurai
code of honor, which the director doesn’t seem to have a point of view on even
though he devotes virtually the entire three-and-a-half hour run time to
lengthy conversations about military protocol. Though he includes a handful of
his trademark elegant tracking shots, Mizoguchi’s artistic voice is largely
absent here, perhaps owing to the project’s origins as a commission from the
Japanese government intended to boost morale for the war effort. C-
The Brother from
Another Planet
(John Sayles, 1984, USA, 108 min.)
Viewed on Netflix First Viewing
John
Sayles’ delightful cult hit blends micro-budget science fiction with authentic
New York grit to produce one of the freshest films of its era. A mute alien
with the appearance of a black man (Joe Morton) crash lands in Harlem and
experiences the pleasures and frustrations of human life while evading the men
in black (Sayles and David Strathairn) who want to return him to his home
planet. The story is clearly an allegory for the immigrant experience, but the
film’s social satire never comes at the expense of its joyful embrace of Harlem’s
colorful culture. A cosmopolitan curiosity animates nearly every scene, and the
exuberant tone makes it easy to accept some of the script’s wonkier sci-fi
elements. A-
Cutter’s Way (Ivan Passer,
1981, USA, 109 min.)
Viewed on Itunes Third Viewing
Ivan
Passer’s touching look at beautiful losers struggling to survive in a world
that no longer has a place for them is the best of the subgenre of thrillers
involving the collision of ‘60s counterculture and the corrupt nighttime world
or noir. (See also: 1973’s The Long
Goodbye, 1998’s The Big Lebowski,
2006’s A Scanner Darkly, and 2014’s Inherent Vice). Aimless beach bum Richard
Bone (Jeff Bridges) randomly witnesses a dead body being dumped. After Bone
identifies a local oil tycoon as the possible culprit, his best friend Alex
Cutter (John Heard), a crippled and ferociously paranoid Vietnam vet, launches
a suicidal blackmail plot that Bone reluctantly tags along with. Their kamikaze
mission plays like a graceful eulogy for the ideals of the ‘60s, with Bridges
and Heard offering unforgettable portraits of hippie burnouts. It feels as if
the film itself is perpetually coming down from a high. A
The End of the
Tour
(James Ponsoldt, 2015, USA, 106 min.)
Viewed
Theatrically First Viewing
This
compelling two-hander dramatizes five days in 1996 in which David Foster
Wallace (Jason Segel), fresh off the success of his enormous novel Infinite Jest, was interviewed by Rolling Stone journalist and struggling
author David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg). The film is less a biopic than a study
of two men negotiating an awkward dynamic fueled by self-consciousness,
professional jealousy, and loneliness. Whenever it seems that Wallace is about
to open himself up to Lipsky, the reporter’s ever-present tape recorder and
notepad get in the way. Though there is an unnecessary framing device set
during the aftermath of Wallace’s suicide (which took place 12 years after
the events of the rest of the film), Donald Marguiles’ script otherwise smartly
sticks to the prickly interactions of the brilliant author and the careerist
reporter, with minimal interruptions from other characters. The leads are more
than up to the task of holding the viewer’s attention, and Segel in particular
is a revelation in a performance that foregrounds the gentle sorrow that has so
often been an undercurrent in his more comedic roles. B+
God Bless America (Bobcat
Goldthwait, 2012, USA, 105 min.)
Viewed on Netflix First Viewing
After
losing his job and finding out about his ex-wife’s impending remarriage, sad
sack Frank (Joel Murray) embarks on a killing spree intended to eliminate
society’s most vile citizens – such as
spoiled tabloid celebrities, Conservative political pundits, and people who
talk on their cellphones during movies. This dark satire has plenty to say
about the various ways that people process living in a mean-spirited, trashy
society, but writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait fails to shape his extended rant
into a convincing narrative. While he attacks many of his targets with a
withering accuracy, the focus on things like reality television make it
feel like Goldthwait is shooting fish in a barrel. C
The Great Garrick (James Whale,
1937, USA, 89 min.)
Viewed on Turner
Classic Movies First Viewing
This
offbeat farce follows famous 18th Century British actor David
Garrick (Brian Aherne) who inadvertently offends the Comedie Francais just
before he is due for a residency with their troupe. In retaliation for Garrick’s
perceived slight, the French actors decide to disguise themselves as workers at
the inn where Garrick is staying and spook him with staged acts of chaos. There
are two problems with their prank: Garrick quickly figures out what they are up
to (and, amused, decides to play along), and an actual guest (Olivia de
Havilland) shows up and falls in love with Garrick (who is convinced that she’s
part of the theater group). The complex series of misunderstandings that ensue
are more peculiar and interesting than laugh-out-loud funny, but the film is
consistently engaging and director James Whale lends a beautiful Gothic edge to
the black and white visuals. B
Mission
Impossible: Rogue Nation (Christopher McQuarrie, 2015, USA, 131 min.)
Viewed
Theatrically First Viewing
Like
all of the Mission Impossible films, Rogue Nation is not so much a proper
narrative film as it is a series of excuses to put Tom Cruise’s superspy in
ridiculously dangerous situations. But there’s little point complaining
about a stock narrative or shallow characters when the results are this fun.
While nothing here outdoes the crazy Burj Khalifa free climb from Ghost Protocol (2011), the many huge
setpieces are all mighty impressive, particularly a fantastic pre-credits
sequence where Cruise scales the outside of a moving airplane with very little
evidence of CGI assistance. B
Shaun the Sheep (Mark Burton
& Richard Starzak, 2015, UK, 85 min.)
Viewed
Theatrically First Viewing
This
charming dialogue-free clay animated romp follows a band of sheep as they
journey to the big city in search of their lost and amnesia-stricken farmer.
Aardman Animation’s whimsical aesthetic seems more naturally suited to short
films (such as their fantastic series of Wallace
& Gromit cartoons), but they manage to keep this film action-packed and
frequently hilarious for nearly 90 minutes. The stop-motion animation is
incredibly detailed and fluid throughout, and a nice change of pace from the
lazy computer art that dominates the current children’s film landscape.
Generically bubbly kiddie pop songs occasionally spoil the mood, but overall
this is a delight and one of the year’s nicest surprises. B
Taste of Cherry (Abbas
Kiarostami, 1997, Iran, 95 min.)
Viewed on DVD Second Viewing
Abbas
Kiarostami’s masterpiece boldly takes nothing less than the meaning of life as
its subject matter, but does so in the most unassumingly minimal manner
possible. The film casually follows a man (Homayoun Ershadi) driving across
Tehran in search of someone to help him commit suicide in exchange for a large
sum of money. As he tries to convince various people (a Kurd soldier, an Afghan
religious student, a Turkish professor) to help him, the film proceeds through
a series of conversations that ask all kinds of interesting questions about not
only why this man would want to die, but why anyone would want to live. The
individual discussions never feel heavy, and often have a low-key comic vibe,
but they have a powerful cumulative effect, and as always Kiarostami is more
interested in asking these questions with an open heart and genuine curiosity
than he is in shoving a message down his audience’s throat. A
The Warriors (Walter Hill,
1979, USA, 92 min.)
Viewed on Netflix Third Viewing
The
key to the enduring popularity of Walter Hill’s eccentric gangland epic is its masterfully
balanced tone. Hill locates the exact middle ground between documentary-real
tough guy grit and colorful tongue-in-cheek camp, and he maintains that tenor
with impeccable style for over ninety minutes. After being falsely accused of
the murder of a charismatic gang leader, the titular Coney Island street gang
are forced to fight their way from Pelham Bay back to their home turf, fending
off hostile rival groups every step of the way. No matter how impressively silly
the various factions’ outfits get, the film never loses its gravity. That
combination of flashy style and visceral substance makes The Warriors the ultimate cult film. A-
