WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[MichiganJ]

Watched the very entertaining documentary Double Dare, which follows the careers of two stuntwomen, Jeannie Epper and Zoë Bell. Epper is in her 60s (the film was produced in '04) and was best known for doubling Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman, but is still actively working. We also see Bell early in her career as she doubles Lucy Lawless in Xena, and it's when that show ends its run, that Bell comes to Hollywood. She is mentored by Epper and we watch as Bell gets an audition to double Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. (Fans of Tarentino know that he later wrote Death Proof, his feature in Grindhouse, for Bell.)

Epper is very honest and personable, and you can just feel her frustration at not being given more opportunity because she's a woman, particularly to become a stunt coordinator. Bell is fun, eager and full of energy (and ooh so cute.)

I wish there were some more shots of stunts being performed, but what there is, is very interesting. Some of the basic stunts seems the most perilous, and there's one POV shot of a high dive that will make most people dizzy. Zoë just jumps and at the bottom asks if she can go again. She's in the right profession.
(By the way, I love the tag line: Double Dare: Saving the film industry, one actress at a time.)

[JackFavell]

I saw Men Who Stare at Goats last night.

I am finding it hard to put into words. It's an indie oddball of a film, my favorite style of movie. I won't say it's great, but to me, it was highly enjoyable. This is one of those films in which expectations play a big part. If you have no expectations about what it will be, then you will like it. The portrayal of military politics left me a with a rather uncomfortable feeling, similar to Three Kings, but the more whimsical elements of the story pulled me through. This is another story that could be true, though it seems so off the wall that it boggles the mind.

The movie should at least be looked at for the cast, all giving what I thought were excellent performances - Ewan MacGregor (he needs to work more), George Clooney, Jeff Bridges (I am so glad he isn't a leading man anymore, as a character actor, he is great), and Kevin Spacey (who is good, but fails in one pivotal scene, I thought.) It is also GREAT to see Stephen Lang, a grossly overlooked actor who should be in every movie put out today. Stephen Root has another lovely role as an understated nutjob, leading MacGregor into the strange world of psychic warfare. I pretty much like any movie that has Stephen Root in it. You just know it's going to be weird.

Anyway, I liked the film's quirky viewpoint, and Ewan MacGregor's plight. There is something so appealingly lost about him.... I like him best when he is fumblingly stupid and foolish. He is not afraid to look like an idiot in a movie, like a latter day Joseph Cotten. And he can cry on cue! He, Clooney and Bridges give me a hopeful feeling that experimental films will continue to be made and actually be seen by more than a few people in New York or L.A.

[charliechaplinfan]

I got to watch Indiscretion of An American Wife and De Sica's version Statione Termini, such a beautiful copy from Criterion. I'm as pleased as punch that I finally got to see De Sica's version of this film. Selznick had De Sica's film Statione Termini edited down to little over 1 hour to build the suspense but he cut out all the Italian character actors and quite a bit of the dialogue between Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift. I had far more sympathy for Mary/Jennifer in this version, the is a woman torn between doing her duty and completely and utterly in love with Giovanni/Montgomery and he with her. The romance is much more layered and hopeful in de Sica's version. De Sica weaves vignettes and little stories through the film which explains better some of the action, there is a man who appears a few times who is looking to pick up a woman of the night, he's edited out of Indiscretion. Also edited out is Giovanni searching the railway carriages, the waiting rooms, getting more and more afraid of not seeing Mary again, then he runs across the tracks to her, it buillds so much more suspense. I recommend Statione Termini even if you didn't like Indiscretion on first acquaintance, it's a different film.

[klondike]

It is also GREAT to see Stephen Lang, a grossly overlooked actor who should be in every movie put out today.

Did you catch last Summer's Public Enemies (now available on DVD)?
Stephen Lang has a great supporting role in the latter half as the FBI special agent who helps Purvis carry-out the post-matinee hit on Dillinger, and then afterward, debriefs the Woman In Red.
It's a strong, nifty little tour-de-force, but it does point-up the contradiction to Lang's career: for the past 25 years, he's kept himself steadfastly at the beck & call of best-buddy, director Michael Mann, who always finds great ways to showcase him . . but that can make for some huge gaps in one's resume'!

[feaito]

I got to watch Indiscretion of An American Wife and De Sica's version Statione Termini, such a beautiful copy from Criterion. I'm as pleased as punch that I finally got to see De Sica's version of this film. Selznick had De Sica's film Statione Termini edited down to little over 1 hour to build the suspense but he cut out all the Italian character actors and quite a bit of the dialogue between Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift. I had far more sympathy for Mary/Jennifer in this version, the is a woman torn between doing her duty and completely and utterly in love with Giovanni/Montgomery and he with her. The romance is much more layered and hopeful in de Sica's version. De Sica weaves vignettes and little stories through the film which explains better some of the action, there is a man who appears a few times who is looking to pick up a woman of the night, he's edited out of Indiscretion. Also edited out is Giovanni searching the railway carriages, the waiting rooms, getting more and more afraid of not seeing Mary again, then he runs across the tracks to her, it buillds so much more suspense. I recommend Statione Termini even if you didn't like Indiscretion on first acquaintance, it's a different film.

Thanks for your review Alison. I liked very much Selznick's butchered version so I'm counting the days to watch Stazione Termini which I knew was better!!!

[Ollie]

We have universally enjoyed Stazione Termini more than Indiscretions, and from the first viewing. I am surprised that this isn't hands-down the more favored version because of the richer number of characters. I understand that, in centuries gone by (I'm thinking "Caveman with heap-big club, bashes woman, drags back to heap-nice cave") some film producers believe their audiences are unable to accept character-actors from other zip-codes or something but I'm almost shocked by the Selznick Sausage Company's resulting product. "Sorry, please don't ask for anything with much flavor - we've taken out all of those ingredients. But it looks really good..."

Men Who Stare At Goats. I vote with you - a quirky film that I enjoyed more than expected (hoped for?), but wished Spacey would do something else or was someone else or something. I have enjoyed a lot of Clooney's odd-ball films, whereas his Hollywood-blockbuster-Oceans-2Bits, 4Bits, 6Bits, aDollar, are, well... I'm sure those pay the bills. I liked his 2003 Intolerable Cruelty and I never thought I'd sit still during the first 20 minutes.

And Lang was a welcome addition, too, and in just the right role in both this and Public Enemies. Quite cold-blooded in that one. I hope this isn't his last hurray and that he'll be returned to big-time films as a strong contender.

[intothenitrate]

I watched The Outlaw, and like the other times I've watched it, I'm still scratching my head. It sort of qualifies for the "so bad it's good" category, because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thomas Mitchell and Walter Huston certainly prove themselves as consummate professionals, making a banquet out of thin gruel. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall of the dressing rooms to hear what was said about working with Hughes. And I still don't know what to make of Jack Beutel. Genius or dolt? Discuss. The most grating thing, though, is the sound track. It is sooo heavy handed. I almost wanted to mute the TV between the patches of dialogue. Bassoon and muted trumpet--"this is supposed to be funny here"--low strings, minor key--"OK, now he's getting mad"--swelling orchestral strains--"see, she still loves him." Is the audience so dimwitted that they need their feelings micro-managed by musical cliches? Ugh. And no, I couldn't keep my eyes away from Ms. Russell's decolletage when she was on screen. (And the cutaways of her "emoting" are hilarious). Again, still scratching my head.

[feaito]

Thanks to my good pal Ollie I watched one of the most engrossing comedies I've seen in these months: "Princess O'Rourke" (1943). What a joy of a movie! It made me laugh so loud!! Olivia and Bob Cummings are delightful, and so are Charles Coburn, Jack Carson, Jane Wyman et al. Perfect, perfect film. The ending disappointed me just a little bit. But it's so difficult to maintain the high standard of entertainment of the whole picture! Top A!!

[MikeBSG]

Stephen Lang did a great job as the evil officer in "Avatar." That should get him noticed more.

[klondike]

Stephen Lang did a great job as the evil officer in "Avatar." That should get him noticed more.

There's some good news!
No disrespect intended to either party, but Lang needs to stop waiting on Michael Mann for all his best roles.

[silentscreen]

I just saw a very moving film Broken Lullaby, directed by Ernst Lubitsch . It's the type of film that you would never associate with him, and just proves what a very fine and versatile director he was.

It's a story set in France and Germany just after the end of WWI, and it paints the horror and the broken lives left behind by war with very masterful strokes. The story line is unusual and the ending a surprise. Lionel Barrymore gives an outstanding performance as a grief stricken father who has lost his only son. But I don't want to give away the plot for anyone who hasn't seen the film yet. Suffice it to say that the story goes full circle with healing and redemption coming into broken lives, and the "broken lullaby" resuming into a lullaby of fullfilling peace.

This is the only complete movie that I've seen Phillips Holmes in except Night Court. While his acting is mannered and old fashioned, he is perfect in this role. I think on another thread I mentioned that he would have made a perfect Ashley in Gone With the Wind. He was just beautiful was Phillips, and in looks, age, temperment, and angst, he would have made the perfect Ashley. Too bad that he was typecast early on before he got to his full potential. Zasu Pitts stands out in a small part as a maid in the household.

[feaito]

Thanks to Ollie I saw another Winner: "Roughly Speaking" (1945). I expected a Roz Russell comedy, but I got an absolutely different feature! A first rate saga that spans many decades, with touches of comedy everywhere. Roz plays the most determined, resilient woman I ever saw on screen and Jack Carson gives the best performance I've ever seen of him. A true gem. First rate.

[MikeBSG]

Yesterday I watched the 1959 Japanese film "Fires on the Plain" directed by Kon Ichikawa. It deals with a Japanese soldier in the Philippnes in 1945.

This is a terrific movie. The opening perhaps gives us too much information all at once (just by letting one guy talk to the camera), but then it really builds an atmosphere of defeat and helplessness. The last half-hour, as the protagonist realizes how far his companions have sunk, is extremely tense. This movie should be much better known.

[charliechaplinfan]

I found Fires on the Plain very hard to watch because it's relentless, that's not saying it's not a good film because it is and eye opening.

I found Broken Lullaby very moving, I'm glad you liked it Brenda.

[silentscreen]

I found Broken Lullaby very moving, I'm glad you liked it Brenda.

I had read some very good reviews of it,though it's not a film many people know, and it was good to see a different type of Lubitsch film since all I've seen are comedies.