164. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Running Time: 108 minutes
Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock
Written By: Gordon McDonell, Thornton Wilder
Main Cast: Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Henry Travers, Patricia Collinge, Hume Cronyn

HITCHCOCKTOBER FEST!: PART I

Hitchcock month gets underway with chronologically the first Hitchcock movie in the book that I have yet to watch. I had never really heard much about "Shadow of a Doubt", probably because it's often overshadowed by other Hitchcock masterpieces like "Psycho", "Rear Window" and "Vertigo". However, after watching it, you're forced to scratch your head a little bit and wonder why this one isn't more famous, as it is an absolutely brilliant film, filled with Hitchcock nuance.

The movie stars Joesph Cotten (of "Citizen Kane" fame) as Uncle Charles, a man who seems to be running from something, a clue we're given when he spots two men outside of his apartment window and gets freaked out. In trying to elude his past, he decides to visit his sister in Santa Rosa, where he'll also get a chance to visit his nieces and nephews, the eldest of which is named for him, Charlotte "Charlie" Newton (Wright). The visit gets off to a swell start and is just what the doctor ordered for the hum drum family in need of a pick me up from there seemingly routine suburban life. Charlie is entranced by her uncle and completely fascinated by every facet of his life, but soon notices that he doesn't seem to be acting right. When two "reporters" show up at the house wanting to do an interview on a typical suburban family, Charles freaks out and wants no part of it. Later, the "reporters" turn out to be detectives, tracking down the "Merry Widow Murderer" and Uncle Charles is one of the prime suspects.

There's no question about it: I loved this movie! This is one of those movies that when you finally see it, after years of being interested in film, you almost want to kick yourself for having not seen it sooner. Everything and I do mean everything worked in this movie. Hitchcock, of course shows up with his game face on and turns out a piece of suspense that will have your fingernails sweating. Where do I begin...

First of all, I'll have to make a note of Joesph Cotten, because after only having seen two of his films, he's quickly becoming a favorite. He's an actor that seems to have the quality to draw you into any film he stars in, as he just gives off the aura of a great actor, which he is. Teresa Wright was good too and in fact the entire cast did just what their role intended and played their role perfectly. Not only did every actor fit in, but every scene was great too and I can't think of one scene that could've been removed as they all seemed to be intricately placed and necessary to the development of the plot.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!

Uncle Charles was such a likable character, that I couldn't help but find myself rooting for him. I think Hitchcock knew that Cotten was turning Uncle Charles into a guy you couldn't help but side with and there is a distinct point in the film, where you stop siding with Uncle Charles and start siding with his niece Charlie. I loved the good vs. evil characteristics that those two characters took on and loved the scene where they're facing each other on the porch, with Charlie standing under a porch light and Charles standing across from her in the dark...the ultimate light vs. darkness, good vs. evil sight. One other thing that I loved about this film, is the fact that it had dozens of possibilities in what direction it could've gone, plot-wise. Hitchcock took the time to lay in so many intricate little pieces, but in some cases didn't refer back to them, and they were seemingly there just to throw you off course and have your mind racing when the climax kicked in. For example, about halfway through the film, when Charles goes to the bank to deposit some cash, his meeting is interrupted by the bank manager's wife and her friend, who happens to be a widow. When we later find out the Charles is the Merry Widow Murderer, we are forced to think back to the widow he met. Would he go after her? Would Charlie catch him in the act of murder? But instead, we don't revisit that particular widow and thus she was apparently a device to keep our minds working and keep us guessing. There could've been dozens of outcomes for this movie, but ultimately I was pleased with the end result.

RATING: 10/10 Hitchcocktober Fest! gets off to a roaring start. Cannot wait to revisit this movie someday and let Joseph Cotten creep me out again! Next up is "Spellbound".

MOVIES WATCHED: 157
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 844

October 6, 2010 2:29pm

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761. Raising Arizona (1987)

Running Time: 94 minutes
Directed By: Joel Coen
Written By: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Main Cast: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, William Forsythe, Trey Wilson

ON MY JOURNEY I MET THE BROTHERS 'COEN'

Since my Netflix streaming device made the decision to be a bitch this evening, thus preventing me from watching "Boyz N' the Hood", I decided to turn to my DVD shelf and reach for my "Coen Brothers Collection" and more specifically "Raising Arizona".

The central character of "Raising Arizona" is Herbert McDunnough a.k.a. Hi McDunnough (Cage). Hi is a man who can't resist the temptation to rob a convenience store, thus leading to his constant arrest. As he passes through the county jail, on the way to prison, he meets (over and over again) Ed (Hunter), short for Edwina. After a few short chats while getting his mugshots and fingerprints, Hi and Ed are eventually wed, following Hi's release from prison. Soon after, however, the couple are given the bad news that they can't conceive due to Ed's infertility. Reading a story about the recently born Arizona quintuplets, children on Nathan Arizona, Hi schemes up the idea to kidnap one of them, so that he and Ed can become a complete family.

When I think of my favorite Coen brothers movies, this is one that I always seem to forget about. Then I watch it and realize just how classic of a comedy this really is and how this is really a prime example of the Coen brothers work, with offbeat, yet memorable characters and intricately weaved plot lines. Another one of the good things about watching "Raising Arizona" is remembering a time, so long ago, when Nicolas Cage still had some acting chops, as he does a damn fine job here as the clueless criminal. Everybody else turns up to put on good performances to, including Hunter, Goodman, Forsythe and a very short appearance by Frances McDormand. I've always been a big Coen brothers fan and I damn sure need to stop forgetting their second feature and a real gem in their line of works, "Raising Arizona". I guess I'll keep this review on the short side and cap it off by saying that if you're looking for a hilarious, classic comedy that also has a lot of cleverness to it, then "Raising Arizona" is exactly what you're looking for.

MEMORABLE "RAISING ARIZONA" QUOTES:

*Name's Smalls. Leonard Smalls. My friends call me Lenny... only I ain't got no friends

*Edwina's insides were a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase.

SPOILER ALERT!

*[final lines] That night I had a dream. I dreamt I was as light as the ether- a floating spirit visiting things to come. The shades and shadows of the people in my life rassled their way their way into my slumber. I dreamed that Gale and Evelle had decided to return to prison. Probably that's just as well. I don't mean to sound superior, and they're a swell couple of guys, but maybe they weren't ready yet to come out into the world. And then I dreamed on, into the future, to a Christmas morn in the Arizona home where Nathan Junior was opening a present from a kindly couple who preferred to remain unknown. I saw Glen a few years later, still having no luck getting the cops to listen to his wild tales about me and Ed. Maybe he threw in one Polack joke too many. I don't know. And still I dreamed on, further into the future than I had ever dreamed before, watching Nathan Junior's progress from afar, taking pride in his accomplishments as if he were our own. Wondering if he ever thought of us and hoping that maybe we'd broadened his horizons a little even if he couldn't remember just how they got broadened. But still I hadn't dreamt nothing about me and Ed until the end. And this was cloudier cause it was years, years away. But I saw an old couple being visited by their children, and all their grandchildren too. The old couple weren't screwed up. And neither were their kids or their grandkids. And I don't know. You tell me. This whole dream, was it wishful thinking? Was I just fleeing reality like I know I'm liable to do? But me and Ed, we can be good too. And it seemed real. It seemed like us and it seemed like, well, our home. If not Arizona, then a land not too far away. Where all parents are strong and wise and capable and all children are happy and beloved. I don't know. Maybe it was Utah.

RATING: 8.5/10 Sorry the review was so short, but sometimes it doesn't take long to tell how good a movie is.

MOVIES WATCHED: 156
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 845

October 4, 2010 2:17am

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Coming Soon: 10/03/10 - 10/09/10

Yet another Sunday night has come and that means another weekly "coming soon" post. Here's what's on tap:

HITCHCOCKTOBER FEST!
*Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
*Spellbound (1945)
*Notorious (1946)

I plan to have those three watched by this time next week.

I've also noticed that since the randomization, I haven't watched a lot of stuff from the 80s, 90s or 2000s, so don't be surprised to get some movies from those three decades sprinkled in this week. Here are some that I'm contemplating, although nothing is set in stone:

*Boyz 'N the Hood (1991 - John Singleton)
*The Evil Dead (1982 - Sam Raimi) Hey, it is Halloween month
*Oldboy (2003 - Park Chan-wook) This one leaves Netflix streaming on 10/06, so look for me to squeeze this one in.
*Dances with Wolves (1990 - Kevin Costner) I have Wednesday off this week, which would be a good day to tackle this nearly four hour beast.

Also, you may have noticed a comment on the "Satyricon" review recommending me to watch "Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom" (1975 - Pier Paolo Pasolini) and I may very well take that suggestion.

October 3, 2010 10:27pm

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Hitchcocktober Fest!

With the finishing up of Fellini, we move on to a new month and another featured director. With October being the month that hosts Halloween, what better director to choose than the "Master of Suspense", Alfred Hithcock. Normally I wouldn't be spending an entire month on one director, but there are fourteen Hitchcock films left for me to watch from the "1001" book, so it's gonna take the whole month, with some spacing between the films, to finish off Sir Alfred.

October 3, 2010 4:42pm

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575. AMARCORD (1973)

Running Time: 124 minutes
Directed By: Federico Fellini
Written By: Federico Fellini, Tonino Guerra
Main Cast: Bruno Zanin, Pupella Maggio, Armando Brancia, Magali Noel, Ciccio Ingrassia

FELLINI WEEK: THE CONCLUSION

Well seven films later, after not really having seen any Federico Fellini films, I now feel that I've become acquainted with the director and can now understand why he receives the praise he does. I may not be one who will join in on that praise, but I definitely get it and certainly, some of his films do deserve mass amounts of praise. We finish with "Amarcord" a tame movie, especially in comparison to "Juliet of the Spirits" and "Satyricon" and one that actually delivers a small dose of charm.

Once again Fellini separates his film into different vignettes, using the same central characters to tell many different stories. The story takes place in the town of Rimini, Italy during the 1930s and the rule of Mussolini. The story focusses in on one family in particular, which consists of Titta Biondi, a young student on the verge of manhood, who does what all teenage boys do, aggravates his father and lusts over nearly every woman he comes into contact with, Titta's father, Aurelio, his mother, Miranda, his uncle and several other characters outside the family. The different stories include the escapades of Titta and his schoolmates, the coming of spring and the big bonfire celebration, the passage of the SS Rex and my favorite segment, the visit with Uncle Tio, which provides a good laugh, something uncommon in Fellini's world.

I can't say that I completely adored this movie because in fact, there are some parts that really drag and get mundane. However, those parts are usually followed by a segment that is either funny or charming or just interesting.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!

I'd have to say that among my least favorite segments of "Amarcord" was the arrival of the fascist federale and pretty much everything having to do with politics. I don't see why politics has to come into such a charming little movie about a town. Sure, it was a town that was affected by the rule of Mussolini and this is how Fellini himself remembers it, but surely there wouldn't be a problem with focusing in on the other aspects of growing up in Rimini. It's just a drag because you got this movie dealing with a gang of people, people we come to care about, and it would be nice to just see their day to day life told, instead of having to throw political segments into the mix. Oh well, that's just me, as I've never been one for politics, especially politics that I didn't have to live through and don't fully understand, nor do I care to.

Don't let that throw you off though, it's only a brief segment and really got more ranting from me than it deserved. The other segments of the film, for the most part, are quite good. As I mentioned above, the part with Uncle Teo is great and the segments showing the daily life for Titta and his schoolmates at school are also classic. You get the feeling that Fellini himself pulled the same pranks as the kids in the movie did, or was at least friends with the pranksters. I haven't done the research, but I have a strong feeling, that this, like many other Fellini pictures is very autobiographical. I picture Fellini as the Titta character, lusting after women, visiting the church to go to confession and not fully confessing and giving his father and teachers a hard time.

I've recently realized that I love movies that give us a distinct time frame, and in the case of "Amarcord" we're given one year, from "puffball" arrival to "puffball" arrival (in the movie the arrival of the "puffballs" indicates the ending of winter), and in that time frame, let us deal with a group of characters, see how their lives change in the course of a year, how the better themselves, or worsen themselves and allow us the time to fall in love with the characters. I can't say that I was head over heels for these particular characters, but I definitely cared about them and was interested in their story.

RATING: 6.5/10 With seven Fellini movies now in the books, it is time to move on and moving on will consist in the coming of "Hitchcocktober"!

MOVIES WATCHED: 155
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 846

A WORD ABOUT FEDERICO FELLINI

A little over a week ago, I wasn't that acquainted with Federico Fellini. I had only heard a favorite director of mine, Martin Scorsese, talk about the influence that Fellini had on his work and had always had a desire to delve into the works of Fellini, but always to afraid to try. Afraid, because I didn't want to not like his pictures, and then be faced with that question, "Well if I don't like Fellini, then what do I really know about film?" I'm happy to have gotten the opportunity to visit with seven of Fellini's works and even more happy to say that I really enjoyed some of them. He had a knack for visual imagery and left me breathless with some of the visuals that I was treated to in some of his movies. He knew how to work his camera, to always keep it moving. He knew when to pull out, be still and let the story unfold for itself and he knew when to be fast, get in their close and grab hold of the story.

I'm glad that I decided to watch all seven of the Fellini films in the "1001" book, because now I can look back on the time that I spent with Federico and look at it as a whole, compare his films and I think, talk intelligently about his films and the impact they had on me as a film watcher. Whether I liked the movie or hated, after a while I learned that going into a Fellini movie was probably not going to be a boring experience and that there was going to be SOMETHING that you liked, be it the performances that he drew for his actors, the photography that he captured with his camera or the stories that he told.

October 3, 2010 2:16pm

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497. Satyricon (1969)

Running Time: 129 minutes
Directed By: Federico Fellini
Written By: Federico Fellini, Brunello Rondi, Bernardino Zapponi, from book by Petronius
Main Cast: Martin Potter, Hiram Keller, Max Born, Salvo Randone

FELLINI WEEK: 6 of 7

Well I realize that this has turned into "Fellini Weeks", but due to an overwhelming work schedule this past week, I was unable to get to the last to Fellini films before the end of September, which is what I had hoped to get accomplished. However, it shouldn't be too much of a problem to get all of Fellini's movies in the books by the end of this weekend and move on, which after a film like "Satyricon", isn't that sad of an occasion.

The film centers around the character of Encolpio (Potter), with the central plot revolving around his crumbling friendship with Ascilto (Keller) and their joint attraction with a young slave boy (Born). While the plot takes many twists and turns and throws Encolpio into several situations that always seem to spell disaster for him, he always manages to escape them and the on again, off again friendship with Ascilto is placed at center stage. That's about all I can give you in terms of plot, because honestly the story is kind of all over the place and in fact, after a bit of reading, I find that the film is intended to be broken up into twenty-five different episodes, although the "episodes" are barely noticeable.

Despite a few hitches and some bore, the movie actually, surprisingly flows along quite nicely, although many times it's hard to make heads or tails out of what the hell is going on. The visuals, much like "Juliet of the Spirits" (although not as captivating) are quite stunning. Again, I say that there are many moments in "Satyricon" where if it were possible to freeze frame the picture and print it out, the finished product would make for a beautiful wall hanging, as some of the scenes are flat out artistry at it's best and Fellini uses his camera like a brush to paint out some breath taking visions.

Be warned though kiddies, "Satyricon" contains a pretty healthy dose of nudity and it makes me wonder if Fellini was a bit of sex addict, as all of his films seem to, in some way or another, explore the sexuality of their main characters. In addition to nudity, some of the scenes are downright grotesque, with such scenes as: cows being slaughtered, a whorehouse filled with obese customers, a hermaphrodite demigod, a woman who is forced to kindle fires for villagers using her genitalia...Yeah that seems to be a good place to stop, as it doesn't get to much more off the wall or fucked up than that. "Satyricon" is a beautiful movie to watch, but when you get down to some of the scenes, filled with the previously mentioned scenes, it's almost an embarrassment to admit that you watched it and I guarantee that A LOT of people would downright hate the film. It's a film that's easy to hate and, in my opinion, very hard to praise. However, I will give it praise for being original and in the midst of such heinous imagery, there is also some gorgeous photography that deserves to be seen and admired. And sometimes even that heinous imagery is quite intriguing and really makes you want to take a swim inside Fellini's head.

RATING: 5/10 This one is a hard one to peg, but I CANNOT say that I liked it and it won't be showing up on any favorite lists, but it deserves some credit for the points that I mentioned.

MOVIES WATCHED: 154
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 847

October 2, 2010 12:34am

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September 2010 Revised Ratings

NEW FEATURE TO THE "1001" BLOG

I'm sure I've mentioned before that the ratings' that I give to movies when I initially rate them, USUALLY changes after a few days of contemplation. I've decided that from now on, at the end of every month, I'm going to post a list of the movies I watched in September and the revised rating. Some of the ratings HAVE NOT changed, but for the most part I think you'll see that the ratings tend to differ from their original. I may also take this time each month to let you in on some of the non-1001 movies that I may have seen in that particular month, however, September was an "all-1001" month.

1. CRASH (2004 - Paul Haggis) 7/10
2. Eyes without a Face (1959 - Georges Franju) 5/10 I really overrated this one upon first viewing and in retrospect it's quite the forgettable film.
3. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979 - Robert Benton) 10/10
4. Cria Cuervos (1975 - Carlos Saura) 6.5/10
5. The Pianist (2002 - Roman Polanski) 10/10 I still think about this one and the horror that it portrayed. Worst part - the horror wasn't fictional
6. Patton (1970 - Franklin J. Schaffner) 4/10
7. The Heiress (1949 - William Wyler) 8.5/10 One of the five best movies I saw last month!
8. Targets (1968 - Peter Bogdanovich) 6/10 This is one that really seems to grab you upon first viewing, but in time, and with thought, it diminishes a bit.
9. Scream (1996 - Wes Craven) 4/10 The only reason this gets a '4' is purely for nostalgia, as I remember when this was released and that time in my life was a fun time.
10. An Affair to Remember (1957 - Leo McCarey) 4.5/10
11. My Left Foot (1989 - Jim Sheridan) 10/10
12. Brief Encounter (1946 - David Lean) 7/10 This one is wierd in the sense that when I think about the great stuff I saw last month, this one doesn't immediately pop to mind and instead it takes a little bit of reflection before I realize: "Oh yeah, Brief Encounter was really good!"
13. Dangerous Liaisons (1988 - Stephen Frears) 10/10 Another one that I still think about and when I recently saw the "Red" trailer on TV and wasn't paying attention, my head immedaitely whipped toward the screen when I heard Valmont's voice.
14. Repulsion (1965 - Roman Polanski) 4/10 I loved Roman and I loved the claustrophobic feeling that this movie made me feel, but just didn't care for the execution.
15. La Strada (1954 - Federico Fellini) 5.5/10
16. Great Expectations (1946 - David Lean) 6/10 Good rating, although in retrospect there was really nothing blatantly special about this one. Just a plain 'ol good movie.
17. The Nights of Cabiria (1957 - Federico Fellini) 7/10
18. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992 - James Foley) 10/10
19. La Dolce Vita (1960 - Federico Fellini) 4/10 I wanted to stand by my rating, but I thought about it and realized that anything below a '3' should be saved for the Mr. Woodcock's and Good Luck Chuck's of the world. "La Dolce Vita" did have a good Mastroianni performance and some good tidbits, but still my LEAST favorite Fellini thus far.
20. 8 1/2 (1963 - Federico Fellini) 8/10 I'm still tossing this one back and forth in my brain and that's always a good sign when it comes to movies.
21. Juliet of the Spirits (1965 - Federico Fellini) 10/10 We end with the best movie I saw in the month of September. Great Stuff!!

October 1, 2010 8:43pm

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