843. Strictly Ballroom (1992)

Running Time: 94 minutes
Directed By: Baz Luhrmann
Written By: Baz Luhrmann, from story by Andrew Bovell, Baz Luhrmann
Main Cast: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter, Pat Thomson, Peter Whitford
Click here to view the trailer

DANCE, DANCE REVOLUTION!

Dang, I've skipped clear from 1994 to 1992, but it was only because "Strictly Ballroom" is streaming on Netflix and I needed something to watch in a pinch. Expect a few more jump arounds between now and the end of the season, as my main goal is to just get the 90s finished off.

It's Baz Luhrmann, so you know the style of film that we're dealing with here, as "Strictly Ballroom" looks a lot like "Moulin Rouge", in that it's characters are, at times, cartoonish and the whole thing is very showy. Paul Mercurio is Scott Hastings, the young, hot shot dancer on the block who has been pegged to win all the year's competitions. However, during a competition, he takes liberties on the dance floor and sways from the traditional steps that would define "strictly ballroom". He loses the competition and his partner, feeling disgraced, leaves him for Scott's competitor, Ken Railings (I loved this character, for some reason). Scott, needing a new partner in anticipation for the Pan Pacific competition (the World Series of the dancing world, if you will) chooses rookie dancer Fran (Morice). He works with her for a few weeks (in what equals out to a pretty fantastic montage) and in the process, the two fall in love. Leading up to the Pan Pacific competition, rumors swirl that Scott will enter the competition and display his new, rebellious dance moves. Meanwhile, Scott's mother (Thomson - in a great performance) and the president of the Australian Dancing Federation, Barry Fife (Hunter), do anything in their power to stop Scott and keep the phrase "strictly ballroom" in the Pan Pacific competition.

The whole thing is very cliche and very predictable. Literally, within the fist ten minutes of the picture, I had the whole movie figured out, as we've seen this formula a thousand times before. What's unique and what probably compelled the writers of THE BOOK to include "Strictly Ballroom" is Luhrmann's presentation. You know, I found myself, at the beginning of this movie, saying to myself "I don't care for Luhrmann's style, it's just not for me". However, I found myself getting swept up in the theatrics of it all. Recently I heard someone use the phrase "pure cinema" and while I didn't stick around to get the text book definition of the term, I think it's pretty obvious what it means and I think Luhrmann's pictures (notably "Moulin Rouge" and "Strictly Ballroom") are perfect examples of what that term stands for. Whether they're for me or not is a different story, but I can definitely say that Luhrmann's pictures are the text book examples of what a night at the cinema should encapsulate: showy costumes, boisterous characters and music that doesn't just linger in the background. These movies are loud, but not too loud and the word "grand" also comes to mind. They're in your face, but for the most part, you welcome it. Luhrmann obviously has a penchant for entertaining and it's hard to deny him the title of master entertainer, again, whether this was for me or not. And if it wasn't fully for me (which it wasn't, not fully), I fully accept the responsibility and don't place any blame on anyone else.

Seriously though, these characters were just too good to be true. What was it about Ken Railings that I loved. I loved his deviousness, his wicked smile and his shimmering, blonde pompadour. Shirley Hastings - the stage mother, had a villainous quality that I couldn't stand, yet ate up with a spoon. And then there was Barry Fife, played by Bill Hunter (who is quickly becoming a favorite, after his performance here and in "Muriel's Wedding"), a heel to end all heels.

There's not much left to say about "Strictly Ballroom". While the characters and the grandeur of it all were welcome and exuberant, the predictable plot and cookie cutter nature of the whole thing was off putting and the general story was just, sort of *meh*. To hinge your entire film on a dancer who is going to DEBUT SOME NEW DANCE MOVES!!...well, it's just a little silly, isn't it?

RATING: 6.5/10  VERY VERY close to a '7', but I found it difficult to bring myself to propel this movie into that upper echelon of film. Still a fine film though, with nearly just as many pluses, as there were minuses.

MOVIES WATCHED: 749
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 252

October 26, 2013  1:01pm

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The Omen (1976)

Running Time: 111 minutes
Directed By: Richard Donner
Written By: David Seltzer
Main Cast: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Harvey Stephens
Click here to view the trailer

FRIGHTFEST 2013: NIGHT ONE

Pull up a chair, you're in for a scare! Okay, that was awful, but I'm not deleting it because it's Frightfest 2013, anything goes and I think this is going to be a lot of fun. I've got to tell you it's odd not reviewing a BOOK movie, throwing the traditional out the window and celebrating Halloween with everyone else. Anyway, "The Omen" gets the honor of being the first NON "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" movie to be reviewed on this blog and we'll call it a so-so start.

This is the demon child movie to end all demon child movies and any movie that has followed about a creepy kid has "The Omen" to thank for paving the way. In Rome, American diplomat Robert Thorn (Peck) grieves over the loss of his child, who has just died during birth. With his wife still out of the know about their dead baby, Robert is convinced by a priest to take another child that has been abandoned and pass it off to his wife, Katherine (Remick), as their own. He goes ahead with the plan and the child is named Damien, with the three forming a happy little family. Not long after, Robert is appointed U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain and so the family pack up shop and move to the U.K. At Damien's fifth birthday party, his nanny stands atop the Thorn mansion, in front of all the party goers, jumping off the roof and hanging herself in front of a bay window, claiming that her actions are for Damien. Not only does this event plague the Thorns, but weird things continue happening: During a visit to a wildlife park, a pack of baboons attack the car that Damien and Katherine are riding in and when the Thorns try and take Damien to a wedding, he freaks out at the very sight of the church. It's around this time that a priest, Father Brennan, comes to see Robert and tells him that his child is a bad seed. Later, Father Brennan meets back up with Robert and tells him what will happen: Katherine will become pregnant again, Damien will kill the baby, kill Katherine and then kill Robert. Robert refuses to believe it, but has a hard time accepting the priests ravings as a lie, considering the odd nature of Damien and all the odd things that seem to follow his son around.

SPOILER ALERT!

I've got to tell you, I just have a hard time buying devilish dogs and demon children when you've got Gregory Peck in there. Peck is an actor's actor and it seems to me that he should only be featured in serious roles and certainly not horror films. Not that he didn't do a fine job, it's just, to me, the equivalent of seeing Daniel Day Lewis pop up in the next Wayans production. Okay, so maybe that analogy is way off, but you get my drift. So I had never seen "The Omen" before and I've got to say it wasn't too shabby. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a horror classic or anything, but it's from the 70s, a time when nearly every movie that got made was, at least, good.

I've gotta' tell ya, naming that kid Damien was their first mistake - that's just asking for trouble. You'd never see a five year old lured to the dark side who was named Ernie or Scooter.

Man, what about the ways that people died in this movie. I hate to be that lame, easily impressed guy, but there were some pretty bad ass killings in "The Omen"! Nanny hanging herself off the roof, priest impaled with rod, photographer decapitated, Lee Remick thrown off a roof and through an ambulance!! WOW!

In case it isn't painfully obvious by now, I just don't have a lot to say as it pertains to the 1976 version of "The Omen". It's a fine horror movie, made at a time when gold was being shot out of Hollywood left and right. The cast is kind of *meh*, as I have a hard time swallowing Peck in something so farfetched & contrived and I just don't care for Remick here either. Also, I like a lot less biblical stuff with my horror movies, thank you. It's okay for there to be a little, but they were thumping the Book of Revelations and being very "priestly". It's not offensive or anything, it's just a personal preference. It didn't blow me away or anything and it certainly didn't scare me, however, it DID provide just the right amount of creepy to make for a cozy afternoon for me and my wife, on our day off. 

RATING: 6.5/10  So "FrightFest 2013" is off and running, with a less than stellar start. That's okay though, because the best SHOULD be saved for last anyway. 

October 25, 2013  8:00pm

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872. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Running Time: 117 minutes
Directed By: Mike Newell
Written By: Richard Curtis
Main Cast: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, James Fleet, Simon Callow, John Hannah
Click here to view the trailer

LOVE AND DEATH

So far, this vacation is proving to be quite productive, as not only have I written three reviews in the past day and a half, I also have four of the seven FRIGHTFEST films written and scheduled to post. Of course, this means that starting tomorrow, prepare to get bombarded with film reviews from yours truly. Anyway, "Four Weddings and a Funeral"...

The film's plot is all right there in it's title: four weddings and one funeral. The film starts, believe it or not, with a wedding, in which the friends and family of the happy couple gather together to bless the impending matrimony. The couple involved in the nuptials really aren't the important part, as the audience takes the time to become more intimate with the guests. There's Charles (Grant), confirmed and seemingly lifelong bachelor, his just as hopeless flat mate Scarlett, his deaf brother David, his gay best friend Matthew (Hannah), Matthew's partner Gareth (Callow), Charles' other, female friend Fiona (Kristen Scott Thomas) and a host of others. While at wedding #1, Charles meets and participates in love at first sight with the beautiful, American Carrie (MacDowell). At the end of the night, he ends up in her hotel room and...well, one thing leads to another. The next morning, she heads back to America, leaving him a bit broken hearted. Luckily, there's another wedding on the way, as two more of Charles' friends tie the knot and this time, Carrie is invited again and again she and Charles end the night in bed. However, this time Carrie arrives with the news of her own impending wedding, as she's engaged to a Scotsman. She sleeps with Charles despite this and then there's a brief, sort of intermission from the celebrations of wedding bells, so that the filmmaker can cement the fact that Charles and Carrie are madly attracted to one another, despite her engagement. I won't blow the rest of the film for you, but the film does a fine job of making you guess who will be the next two to get married and who will die.

SPOILER ALERT!

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

That is called "Funeral Blues" or "Stop All the Clocks" and was written by W.H. Auden and was read to perfection by John Hannah, during the funeral portion of the film. He read it with all the struggle of a real funeral mourner, fighting back tears and sharing sorrow with loved ones. Anyway, I guess I could easily segue into the cast, which wasn't blow away, but wasn't bad either. I'm an admitted fan of Hugh Grant and this film only helped to further cement that opinion. Of course, I loved John Hannah here too and I always find Andie MacDowell easily watchable, although she is quite easy on the eyes. She may have been a bit miscast here, amongst some of the top, young British talent of the 90s, but she did with the role what she could and it wasn't horrific or anything.

Surprisingly, I'd never seen this movie before and it's odd considering it is one of the five 1994 Best Picture nominees that people always seem to rave about. It's also one of the two Best Picture nominees from that year that really didn't stand a chance (along with "Quiz Show"), as it was always going to be "Forrest Gump", "Pulp Fiction" or "The Shawshank Redemption" taking home the top honors that year. However, I sat down today, with my wife (because I just knew she'd love this one - and she did) and we watched it and had a ball guessing at who the next two would be to get married. Would it be David or Scarlett? What about the pairing of Charles and Carrie? Would Hamish be the funeral, so that Charles could have Carrie? Would Fiona tie the knot? So many questions and it was tons of fun guessing and speculating and then watching it all play out. Not only did it feature classic romantic comedy bits, but also featured some down right, laugh out loud comedy (see Rowan Atkinson) making it a truly "must see" comedy affair. Plus, it ended like all romantic comedies should, with two people kissing in the rain.

RATING: 7/10  I'll leave it at that for tonight and call that a review. Man, this season is shaping up to be one that's going to have me racking my brain come TOP 20 time. Lots of good stuff coming down the pike...

MOVIES WATCHED: 748
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 253

October 24, 2013  7:48pm

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878. Chong qing sen lin/Chungking Express (1994)

Running Time: 102 minutes
Directed By: Wong Kar-Wai
Written By: Wong Kar-Wai
Main Cast: Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Faye Wong, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Valerie Chow
Click here to view the trailer

UNDYING LOVE

Moving right along, we come to my final Wong Kar-Wai picture from THE BOOK - "Chungking Express", one that I had actually seen previously and didn't much care for. Why? I have no clue, because honestly, there isn't much to dislike about this one.

The film is actually two separate stories, so we'll take them one by one and go from there. The first story, which runs about forty-five minutes of the film's approximately ninety minute duration, focuses on a police detective, who has recently had his heart broken. His ex-girlfriend, May left him on April 1st and he's been down in the dumps ever since. He's decided that for each day in April, he'll go to the market and buy a can of pineapple that is dated to expire on May 1st, which is also his birthday. If May hasn't returned to him by the time the pineapple has expired, then he'll move on. Meanwhile, a female criminal donning a blonde wig, raincoat and sunglasses (because one never knows when it will rain or when it will shine) is tracking down some Indian gentlemen who have stolen some drugs from her. She scours the city, but to no avail, ending up in a bar, next to our broken hearted policeman. The second story (my favorite of the two) stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai ("Happy Together", "In the Mood for Love") as beat cop #663, who has also had his heart broken by a beautiful stewardess. He gets into the habit of going to a local snack bar, during his lunch hour and meets a cute, young worker there named Faye (Wong). Faye, though she doesn't show it, is also interested in him, but the relationship goes virtually untested. When the stewardess drops a letter off at the snack bar, knowing that her ex eats there, Faye reads it and also finds a key to the cop's apartment inside. She decides to let herself in, redecorate his apartment and try to wipe away his past and help him to heal.

The thing that I love about "Chungking Express" is this: Just when I got used to the characters in the first story and not remembering that the film was split into two parts, the first story ends and the second one begins. It was at this time that I was kind of disappointed, as I wanted to continue to explore the detective and the criminal and see where things went. So then, the film has an obstacle: to make me forget about the first set of characters and make me fall in love all over again with the second set. It succeeded! In fact, as I said above, the second story was actually my favorite of the two and it wasn't until the film was all said and done and I reflected, that I realized that as much as I loved both stories, neither had enough meat to make up their own, full length movie - as much as we may have wanted them to.

I may not have enough to give this film the full blown, coveted '10', but this is another film where quibbling over numbers is pointless and just saying it's a great movie is enough. You've got some fantastic cinematography and after reading into it, I find the name Christopher Doyle, a name I recognize, as the one who did the marvelous filming. I find that when I think back to watching this movie last night, a few things stand out: a blurry look at Hong Kong, an unforgettable score and poetic dialogue, that wasn't too poetic. The point I really loved though was that score, which is reminiscent of other Kar-Wai films in that it repeats often, gets hammered into your head and is something you welcome to have hammered into your head. I'm really not sure where to go from here. It's a great movie that comes with a high recommendation. It's a great intro to Kar-Wai and would work really well in a triple feature with "Happy Together" and "In the Mood for Love" - the other two films from THE BOOK. Now I just have to delve into some more of his work and hope it's as good.

RATING: 8/10  We'll play it safe with an '8', but don't let that fool 'ya, as I could see this one growing on me even more and nabbing that '10'. I will say that I liked "Happy Together" better than this, but liked "Chungking Express" better than "In the Mood for Love".

MOVIES WATCHED: 747
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 254

October 24, 2013  12:12pm

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881. Zire darakhatan zeyton/Through the Olive Trees (1994)

Running Time: 103 minutes
Directed By: Abbas Kiarostami
Written By: Abbas Kiarostami
Main Cast: Mohamad Ali Keshavarz, Farhad Kheradmand, Zarifeh Shiva, Hossein Rezai, Tahereh Ladanian
Click here to view the trailer

WE'RE MAKING MOVIES...

So it's been more than a few days since I've been around. Let's just say it's been a rough few days at the workplace and when I got home at night, I just didn't have the gusto to give any energy to watching a movie. However, I have officially begun my fall vacation and I fully expect to bombard you with movie reviews or at least try to. Don't forget I'm also a married man and my wife deserves some quality time as well - but we'll see what we can do.

The two main characters are in there somewhere...

Abbas Kiarostami pops up again on the list, moving in reverse chronological order, with "Through the Olive Trees" - his 1994 feature and the conclusion to his unofficial "Koker Trilogy". Koker refers to Koker, Iran, a small village which was rocked by an earthquake in the year 1990, killing many. The film starts with a movie director visiting an all female school, for the purpose of casting for a movie, which will use the Koker earthquake as a backdrop. At first, we merely meet the characters: follow a onset aide as she runs many errands; picking up props, giving other cast members lifts in her truck, etc. Later, the meat & potatoes of the film's plot is revealed as we meet Hossein (Rezai), one of the main characters in the fictional film (and the real one) who has recently proposed to a girl - a girl who happens to be his leading lady in the film. During shooting, tensions arise and it gets to the point where the girl won't even acknowledge her leading man, ignoring his dialogue cues and upsetting the director (Keshavarz). After a discussion between Hossein and the director, we learn that following the boy's proposal to the girl, he was shot down; not necessarily because of her own decision, but because her family forbade her to marry an illiterate, poor man. Since the failed proposal, the girl's family perished in the earthquake, however, she still won't give the poor guy the time of day. Tensions arise on set...

SPOILER ALERT!

Bear with me folks. As I said, I just got through some pretty grueling work days and there may be a dusting of blog rust on my brain.

I want to hit on a few non-opinionated things, but first let's get this out of the way - I didn't mind the movie that much, but would be hard pressed to propel it into "must see" territory, at least after one viewing anyway. It was neither boring, nor bad, maintained it's running time nicely and accentuated the outdoor beauty that is Iran. Look, I'm just an ignorant "westerner" whose only association of Iran came from watching The Iron Shiek on television, as a child. I hate to highlight my ignorance, but before Abbas Kiarostami, when I thought of Iran, I thought of desert area. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. Maybe it came from a picture in a text book, maybe an image on television, but it's what I always thought of. However, thankfully Kiarostami DID come along and made me realize that the landscapes of Iran are gorgeous, making me realize what a peaceful feeling it might be to stand amongst the olive trees of the title. Just to be clear, the entire film is nothing but outdoor shots, with not one interior location. I could be wrong, but I believe "Taste of Cherry" was also shot entirely outdoors.

One thing I wanted to touch upon was the relationship between the boy and girl (not surprising, considering it's what the plot revolves around). First off, Wikipedia notes that due to the culture clash, westerners usually take the girl as being 100% cold to the boy, while apparently she's actually also interested in him. I realize that some things that appear on Wiki can be taken with a grain of salt, but I found this interesting and it would actually make a little sense. If she has somehow shown some sort of interest in Hossein, then his constant nagging wouldn't be as annoying as it comes off. At least he'd have reason to nag, because she's shown interest in him and now he wants answers. Of course, there's also the ending, which again Kiarostami leaves open ended, allowing us to decide for ourselves. I guess I can play along here: The music suggests that she finally turned around and said "yes", but I'm more of a pessimist and I'd like to think she said "no". Why a "no" answer would send him running away, I haven't the slightest idea (unless she really ripped into him, sending him running away in tears), but that's what I think. Of course, this guessing game COULD HAVE been avoided if we'd just been given the proper 360 degree angle to this story...I'm really beginning to hate open endedness in pictures. Just tell me what you want to tell me and finish your story. Sometimes it works and when it does, I'll praise it. Honestly, it actually worked here, as the ending sort of needed some sort of "oomph" to kick this picture in the butt and make it a little more memorable. Otherwise, it's quite the subtle time at the movies. Good, not great is the verdict of the day.

RATING: 6.5/10  I could see this one growing on me honestly, so we'll see what happens in due time. Just a reminder, FRIGHTFEST kicks off THIS FRIDAY night with my review of "The Omen". Be there!

MOVIES WATCHED: 746
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 255

October 22, 2013  10:33pm

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900. Xich Lo/Cyclo (1995)

Running Time: 121 minutes
Directed By: Anh-Hung Tran
Written By: Trung Binh Nguyen, Anh-Hung Tran
Main Cast: Le Van Loc, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Tran Nu Yen-Khe, Nhu Quynh Nguyen, Hoang Phuc Nguyen
Click here to view the trailer

CREEP

Finally got around to seeing this one last night, after a few weeks of putting it off. It was one that I wanted to see for a while (the picture in THE BOOK is of a boy painted blue being consoled by a crying woman, or so it seemed and always looked interesting to me), however, I started it about a week ago and only made it twenty minutes in before falling asleep, which was enough to make me realize that it wasn't going to as interesting as I'd thought. In the end, it hovered around the mediocre marker.

Honestly, I was sort of confused by the plot, so forgive me if my desperate grasping for a proper synopsis is distracting, as I give it my best shot. The film starts simple, with a cyclo driver - for the unaware (like me, before this film) a cyclo is like a cross between a rickshaw and a bicycle and serves as a taxi in Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam, where this film takes place - telling his story. His parents died when he was young and the boy lives with his sisters (one older, one younger) and grandfather. The whole family works to keep money flowing into the household (even the very young sister works a shoeshine girl). The boy rents the cyclo taxi from a woman, whom he pays 5,000 dongs a day and keeps anything over that. When the cyclo is stolen, he is in trouble with the woman that he rents from and she turns him over to a gang leader, who is also a poet, so that he can work off his debt by committing crimes. Unbeknownst to the boy, his older sister begins working for the gang leader as a prostitute. Upon meeting the sister, the gang leader develops feelings for her, which he keeps to himself. The gang leader also requires (from what I understood) that clients "hooking up" with the sister not physically touch her. That's about the gist of it...

What we have here is a case of a really fantastic outline of a film, being marred with the director's need to explore his artistic side and the result is a film that leaves the viewer a bit bored while the filmmaker meanders around, trying to be poetic and unique. The general premise does call for a heap of artistry and poetry, but it gets laid on way too thick and the basic exploration of the story is abandoned and never really allowed to flourish. I didn't hate it or anything, but it did leave a funny taste in my mouth and I was fighting back the urge to doze off throughout the duration of the picture. I will give brownie points, however, for the film's inclusion of the song "Creep" by Radiohead - a perfect fit and one of the best scenes in the film is when it plays (check out the trailer if you're unfamiliar with the song).

I really don't know what else to say about the film. I liked the general outline of the story. You had this brother and sister being led down the forbidden path - one involved in criminal acts, the other in prostitution and the one man who is leading them hand in hand down this path, while also falling in love for his employee in the prostitution racket. Tony Leung Chiu Wai is great as the gangster, in an almost dialogue-less performance, which always fascinates me. It's hard enough conveying these emotions with the use of words, let alone sticking strictly to body language and facials. On the other hand, the film left me wanting a WHOLE lot more and I'm afraid I was more bored than mesmerized. However, there were a handful of images and moments that will undoubtedly stick in my mind and continuous thought about any one movie in particular only bodes well for a future viewing, but for now...

RATING: 5/10  ...call it an average flick and that's me being just a tad generous, as it actually probably lingers closer to a '4.5'.

MOVIES WATCHED: 745
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 256

October 17, 2013  6:29pm

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Altman Week - COMING SOON!

I KNOW I SAID "SCORSESE WEEK" WAS THE LAST TRIBUTE WEEK....I GUESS I LIED....

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