A couple of weeks ago, I complained about the selection of television DVDs I was scheduled to watch this month. It really felt like I had taken from the bottom of the barrel. Well, while things aren't that great, they are better than I imagined they would be.
First up, Looney Tunes: Volume 2. As a latchkey kid, I spent a lot of my early years watching Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, the Road Runner, and, one of my favorites, Pepe Le Pew. I have a fond place in my heart for the opening and closing music of all those cartoons. Less than two weeks in, and I have completed watching two of the four discs. My review: definitely mixed.
The biggest problem this DVD set has is that each disc is dedicated to one cartoon character, or pair of characters, like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Do you have any idea how boring it is to watch an hour and a half of nothing but Bugs Bunny cartoons? This is really too bad. I think that if each disc had a mix of all the different cartoons, this set would be epic in its greatness. The other problem is that this is Volume 2. As I wrote, I grew up watching these cartoons. I've seen a ton of them. Yet, out of the 30 I've watched so far, at least 20 were brand new to me. I have a suspicion that the first volume has some of the more well-known cartoons. I guess I will find out when it comes time to watch that one. In the end, though, these are still Looney Tunes cartoons. Individually, they are great. There was one Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner episode I had never seen before that made me laugh loud and hard.
Second, CSI: Miami Season 1. While I did not think this would be the worst television show to watch this month, I didn't really expect great things from it. 10 episodes in, and I am fairly impressed. Though, perhaps not for the intended reasons. The entire show seems to live and die by David Caruso (shout out to all the NYPD Blue fans). If you don't like him, you will not like the show. At all. I have never seen anything like him on television before. I spent most of the first couple of episodes just laughing every time he showed up. Caruso is like William Shatner speaking in monotone; he's almost campy in his delivery. Yet, after those first few episodes, he started to grow on me. After about five, I had to admit: I like David Caruso in this show. A good thing, too, because the rest of the show would be absolute torture if I did not. The rest of the cast is fairly good, though I am glad to see that Kim Delaney is about to disappear. She is incredibly boring and doesn't fit with the rest of the cast well. In some ways, this cast seems to have gelled more quickly than the cast on the original show did.
There are a few things that have annoyed/disturbed me about this show, though. First, I found it jarring to hear the characters say the same lines to describe their jobs as the characters on the original CSI did in the first season. Second, this show is ridiculously violent, even more than the original series. Third, this show preys on the audience's sympathies way too much by making so many victims children. Killing children in order to gain the interest of the audience as often as this show does is cheap and tawdry.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
*whew*
I did not mean to take this long to post anything. I suffered through a pretty bad cold for a few days, and combining that with school, I just didn't have the energy to do anything. The good news is that I have been able to keep up with my schedule, sort of. I did miss a couple of nights, but I was able to catch up the next night. The great news is that I have made huge progress on my television DVDs. I'm already half way through with the Looney Tunes boxset, and almost half way through CSI: Miami.
I am watching baseball right this minute, but I will have a post up in a few hours with my thoughts on all the DVDs I've watched since September 1. There have been some interesting moments.
I am watching baseball right this minute, but I will have a post up in a few hours with my thoughts on all the DVDs I've watched since September 1. There have been some interesting moments.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The last day of August
I've already watched 15 episodes of Looney Toons as well as the Bridget Jones sequel (*shudder*), but I will write about that later. Tonight, I will talk about what I watched the last day of August.
I found CSI Season 6's second half to be vastly superior to the first half. Three of the last four episodes were practically perfect in every way. Watching this season made me feel silly for ever spending hours fretting over whether or not Sara and Grissom might be together. Watching it this time, tt was so bloody obvious from about the third episode on that they were.
Teeth was good, as I wrote yesterday. The film is icky and scary, and has a few interesting things to say about how and why young women (and perhaps women of all ages) view their bodies. It's always fun to watch horror movies that feature a female hero/villain. I can't until I watch Aliens. And, as a woman, there is a scene in this movie that I found particularly satisfying, a sort of revenge against male film directors who so callously feature rape in their films, particularly horror films - I'm looking at you Wes Craven. Oh, and the film is delightfully funny, something that you would think impossible due to the rather sensitive subject matter. But the writing, and especially the acting, had me laughing throughout. The young woman who starred in the film, Jess Weixler, was a true find. I had never seen her before, and I found out on imdb that this was only her third movie, and the first one in which she starred. She's only been in Hollywood for six years. If she can keep getting roles with good writing like this, I really think she can go far. I look forward to seeing her in more films.
This was the second time I watched Teeth, and it was just as scary the second time. I am pretty sure it's because of the subject matter. The first time, I didn't really know what the film was about.
Though CSI and Teeth were a combined 7 hours, it was another movie that I have been thinking about all day. Sergio Leone is famous for his spaghetti westerns, but his last film was an American one, Once Upon a Time in America. I think it qualifies as the greatest film of the 1980s.
Released in 1984, the film is a staggering 229 minutes long. This may turn some people off, but near the end I wished it were even longer. It covers nearly 50 of a man's life, and I was left wanting to know so much more. The entire film is shown out of chronological order, and you have to wait nearly the entire film to understand the first fifteen minutes. Oh, but it's worth the wait. After the confusing introduction, the film, set in New York city, goes back to the main character's childhood. Even from childhood, the main character is a thug, though one gets the sense that he never had a chance to be anything else. In his youth, he falls in love with a cold and beautiful girl. He also befriends four other thugs, including one boy who becomes his best friend. The movie then fast forwards more than a decade, and from then on out, it deals with the characters as adults, cutting back and forth between the early 1930s and 1968. Even though this movie is nearly four hours long, I want to watch it again. There was just so much going on in the film, and I am quite sure I wasn't able to appreciate all of it fully.
This film deals with the larger than life themes of friendship, love and betrayal, and does so in a fine manner. The score is absolutely beautiful, even the tidbit of the Beatles' "Yesterday" is used to great effect. No synthezer music in this one. The cinematography is befitting a Leone movie, ranging from the grandiose to the intimate. The acting is superlative. James Woods gives perhaps the greatest performance of his career; in the documentary of the film (filmed a decade ago), Woods says that Leone was the best director he's ever worked with. Robert Deniro is great as usual. Joe Pesci, Treat Williams and Danny Aiello are all in very short scenes, but left very strong impressions, especially Aiello.
One important note: the main character is an animalistic gangster. There is more than one rape scene, though compared to most movies, they are not very brutal. I have a very hard time with rape scenes, as I wrote about with Sleepers, but the ones in this movie did not overwhelm me at all. I think it's because the character is so very repressed. I wrote animalistic, but really he is a repressed man who does monstrous things. Even when he's raping, there is little visible emotion. He isn't trying to degrade the woman, he just doesn't know any other way to treat them.
I have to say that though watching all these DVDs sometimes feels like a job, I am so happy I've decided to do this. Up until Monday, the surprises have been that I think some of the movies I used to like are stinkers. It was nice to watch a movie I've never seen before and love it so much. I hope this continues over the next year.
I found CSI Season 6's second half to be vastly superior to the first half. Three of the last four episodes were practically perfect in every way. Watching this season made me feel silly for ever spending hours fretting over whether or not Sara and Grissom might be together. Watching it this time, tt was so bloody obvious from about the third episode on that they were.
Teeth was good, as I wrote yesterday. The film is icky and scary, and has a few interesting things to say about how and why young women (and perhaps women of all ages) view their bodies. It's always fun to watch horror movies that feature a female hero/villain. I can't until I watch Aliens. And, as a woman, there is a scene in this movie that I found particularly satisfying, a sort of revenge against male film directors who so callously feature rape in their films, particularly horror films - I'm looking at you Wes Craven. Oh, and the film is delightfully funny, something that you would think impossible due to the rather sensitive subject matter. But the writing, and especially the acting, had me laughing throughout. The young woman who starred in the film, Jess Weixler, was a true find. I had never seen her before, and I found out on imdb that this was only her third movie, and the first one in which she starred. She's only been in Hollywood for six years. If she can keep getting roles with good writing like this, I really think she can go far. I look forward to seeing her in more films.
This was the second time I watched Teeth, and it was just as scary the second time. I am pretty sure it's because of the subject matter. The first time, I didn't really know what the film was about.
Though CSI and Teeth were a combined 7 hours, it was another movie that I have been thinking about all day. Sergio Leone is famous for his spaghetti westerns, but his last film was an American one, Once Upon a Time in America. I think it qualifies as the greatest film of the 1980s.
Released in 1984, the film is a staggering 229 minutes long. This may turn some people off, but near the end I wished it were even longer. It covers nearly 50 of a man's life, and I was left wanting to know so much more. The entire film is shown out of chronological order, and you have to wait nearly the entire film to understand the first fifteen minutes. Oh, but it's worth the wait. After the confusing introduction, the film, set in New York city, goes back to the main character's childhood. Even from childhood, the main character is a thug, though one gets the sense that he never had a chance to be anything else. In his youth, he falls in love with a cold and beautiful girl. He also befriends four other thugs, including one boy who becomes his best friend. The movie then fast forwards more than a decade, and from then on out, it deals with the characters as adults, cutting back and forth between the early 1930s and 1968. Even though this movie is nearly four hours long, I want to watch it again. There was just so much going on in the film, and I am quite sure I wasn't able to appreciate all of it fully.
This film deals with the larger than life themes of friendship, love and betrayal, and does so in a fine manner. The score is absolutely beautiful, even the tidbit of the Beatles' "Yesterday" is used to great effect. No synthezer music in this one. The cinematography is befitting a Leone movie, ranging from the grandiose to the intimate. The acting is superlative. James Woods gives perhaps the greatest performance of his career; in the documentary of the film (filmed a decade ago), Woods says that Leone was the best director he's ever worked with. Robert Deniro is great as usual. Joe Pesci, Treat Williams and Danny Aiello are all in very short scenes, but left very strong impressions, especially Aiello.
One important note: the main character is an animalistic gangster. There is more than one rape scene, though compared to most movies, they are not very brutal. I have a very hard time with rape scenes, as I wrote about with Sleepers, but the ones in this movie did not overwhelm me at all. I think it's because the character is so very repressed. I wrote animalistic, but really he is a repressed man who does monstrous things. Even when he's raping, there is little visible emotion. He isn't trying to degrade the woman, he just doesn't know any other way to treat them.
I have to say that though watching all these DVDs sometimes feels like a job, I am so happy I've decided to do this. Up until Monday, the surprises have been that I think some of the movies I used to like are stinkers. It was nice to watch a movie I've never seen before and love it so much. I hope this continues over the next year.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
August, We hardly Knew Ye
*whew*
I made it! I finished the last day of August watching Teeth, Once Upon a Time in America, and 7 episodes of CSI. The real problem was due to the television issue. It wasn't too difficult to watch one movie a night, but trying to stick to a schedule for television proved to be a bad idea, which is why I spent the last three and a half days cramming so much TV to meet the deadline.
And it didn't help that I was sick and hurt Sunday, so I didn't really watch much.
Anyway, I've spent the last 11 hours sitting on the couch watching DVDs practically nonstop, so I'm off to bed. Will do a huge write up tomorrow.
I made it! I finished the last day of August watching Teeth, Once Upon a Time in America, and 7 episodes of CSI. The real problem was due to the television issue. It wasn't too difficult to watch one movie a night, but trying to stick to a schedule for television proved to be a bad idea, which is why I spent the last three and a half days cramming so much TV to meet the deadline.
And it didn't help that I was sick and hurt Sunday, so I didn't really watch much.
Anyway, I've spent the last 11 hours sitting on the couch watching DVDs practically nonstop, so I'm off to bed. Will do a huge write up tomorrow.
Friday, August 28, 2009
September (Morn) Schedule
I have learned my lesson and will not be including the television shows in this schedule. I have found that with those DVDs it's easier to watch them whenever I have extra time. While I have a skeleton schedule of when it might be best to watch a lot of TV at once, I am going to try taking things as they go September. We'll see.
Instead, I will just list them:
CSI Miami: Season 1 (25 episodes)
Hercules: Season 1 (13 episodes and 5 movies)
Looney Toons: Volume 1 (60 cartoons; 320 minutes)
Movie schedule for September:
September 1: Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason
September 2: The Man in the White Suit (Sir Alec Guiness)
September 3: The Journey of Natty Gann
September 4: Bambi
September 5: The Seven Samurai
September 6: Shadowlands
September 7: Cinderella (Julie Andrews)
September 8: In the Valley of Elah
September 9: Death Race 2000
September 10: Blackboard Jungle
September 11: The Hobbit
September 12: Richard III (Olivier)
September 13: Lucky # Slevin
September 14: Identity
September 15: The Agony and the Ecstasy
September 16: January Man
September 17: Planet Terror
September 18: Libeled Lady
September 19: There Will Be Blood
September 20: My Fellow Americans
September 21: Mean Creek
September 22: Something the Lord made
September 23: The Strangers (horror film)
September 24: A Love Song For Bobby Long
September 25: Comic Book: The Movie
September 26: Braveheart
September 27: Flight of the Phoenix (Jimmy Stewart version)
September 28: Rear Window (Jimmy Stewart/Hitchcock)
September 29: Ingmar Bergman's The Passion of Anna
September 30: The Untouchables
Out of all of these, The Seven Samurai will likely be the most interesting experience. I have tried watching that film for years, and have never been able to finish it.
Oh, and my husband said he wanted to watch some of these, so I actually had to arrange this schedule around his. That was difficult, especially since he wants to watch the longest movies on the list. Hopefully, he is much appreciative.
Instead, I will just list them:
CSI Miami: Season 1 (25 episodes)
Hercules: Season 1 (13 episodes and 5 movies)
Looney Toons: Volume 1 (60 cartoons; 320 minutes)
Movie schedule for September:
September 1: Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason
September 2: The Man in the White Suit (Sir Alec Guiness)
September 3: The Journey of Natty Gann
September 4: Bambi
September 5: The Seven Samurai
September 6: Shadowlands
September 7: Cinderella (Julie Andrews)
September 8: In the Valley of Elah
September 9: Death Race 2000
September 10: Blackboard Jungle
September 11: The Hobbit
September 12: Richard III (Olivier)
September 13: Lucky # Slevin
September 14: Identity
September 15: The Agony and the Ecstasy
September 16: January Man
September 17: Planet Terror
September 18: Libeled Lady
September 19: There Will Be Blood
September 20: My Fellow Americans
September 21: Mean Creek
September 22: Something the Lord made
September 23: The Strangers (horror film)
September 24: A Love Song For Bobby Long
September 25: Comic Book: The Movie
September 26: Braveheart
September 27: Flight of the Phoenix (Jimmy Stewart version)
September 28: Rear Window (Jimmy Stewart/Hitchcock)
September 29: Ingmar Bergman's The Passion of Anna
September 30: The Untouchables
Out of all of these, The Seven Samurai will likely be the most interesting experience. I have tried watching that film for years, and have never been able to finish it.
Oh, and my husband said he wanted to watch some of these, so I actually had to arrange this schedule around his. That was difficult, especially since he wants to watch the longest movies on the list. Hopefully, he is much appreciative.
Woah Nellie!
This has been a very busy week, which is why I haven't posted since Monday. The good news is that I have been keeping up with my schedule, for the most part. I am right on schedule with the movies, even though I haven't posted any reviews.
On the TV front, things aren't looking so good. I am 1 episode behind on CSI, after tonight I will be 5 episodes behind on Kung Fu, and I am 18 episodes behind on Frasier. All told, I have 18 hours of TV to watch by Monday night. I do have a plan for that, though. First, Monday was set aside for TV, so there is that. If I can get home by 8, I can probably get a good 7 or 8 of TV in. If so, I just need to watch 3 or 4 hours a night Friday-Sunday. I think that's manageable.
On the movie side of things, it's just been crazy. I only have 3 more to go for the next month. I can't believe I've made it even this far. Having a set schedule really seems to help out. On a sad note, I just hit my first defective DVD. Alas, Jeepers Creepers could not be watched at all; started pixelating in the first 30 seconds, and couldn't be fixed. That sucks, too. I remember really liking the first hour.
Moving on, I am way behind on reviews, so I am just going to bunch all of these together. Most of them will just be short remarks.
All That Heaven Allows: This film's look blew me away. I actually feel sorry for anyone that was forced to watch it on old black and white televisions because this is one of the most stunningly beautiful movies I've ever seen. Whoever did the lighting and the cinematography deserved in Oscar. I've never seen anything like it.
As for the other aspects of the film, I liked it for the most part. My one gripe is that Rock Hudsons's character was the most boring character ever. He was written to be an absolutely perfect, all-knowing, peaceful man who is one with nature. It was completely unbelievable. I also had a problem every time I saw him hunting. I can't imagine Rock Hudson ever being a woodsy type of guy in his real life.
Still, the movie isn't really about him, so though I complain, it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the film. Jane Wyman is pretty good, though her character is pretty close to being saintly as well. The highlight of the movie is the writing. I think the movie was meant to be an "Everyman" play. All the characters are really just metaphors for the issues explored in the film.
The movie deals with a recently widowed older woman (though Wyman was only in her early 30s) who ends up falling in love with a younger man, to the horror of her family and friends. The writer offers up so much criticism of American life, I don't even know where to begin. It offers a harsh rebuke to those who value materialism and status above all else, and who judge each other based on whether or not they live according to "the way things ought to be." There is a scathing rebuke to those who dare to criticize without understanding and even caring. It criticizes teenagers and college students who think the world revolves around them, and judge their parents based on their world view. Her kids can't even imagine that someone their mom's age would have the ability to fall in love again and have a romantic relationship, and believe she is being taken advantage of.
There is an interesting part of the story where her kids keep trying to get her to buy a TV (and end up getting her one) to keep her company. I always find it interesting when films condemn people that choose to "experience" life through television - and movies - rather than getting out and really living. Apparently it's all right to watch just those films. Still, I agree with the message. It has nothing nice to say about media (tv and film) entertainment, particularly how it isolates us and gives us a false perception of how people should be living.
Overall, I found this movie interesting, and applicable today. And again, the look of it just gorgeous. I will likely watch it again next year when I am done with this. I own the Criterion edition, and there are quite a few special features I want to watch.
Pinocchio - I love this movie. I wouldn't say it's one of the greatest Disney flicks, but it is one of my favorites. There is just something about the adventure and the music that hooks me every time. In 80 or so minutes, I can act like a kid again, singing along to some of my favorite Disney songs. "I Got No Strings" is my absolute favorite Disney song. On the other hand, my husband's only response was "Ya know, this film is really annoying." To each his or her own, I suppose.
Kung Fu: I did not expect the pilot to be as good as I remembered, but it was. I have always preferred the flashbacks to the David Carradine scenes in the US, but it is very entertaining overall. The episodes themselves are of lesser quality, though still fun. The one exception is the episode I watched Wednesday night called "Eye For an Eye." That was a remarkable moment of television, and a death scene that I am shocked made it past the censors.
Frasier: The episodes have been even better than I remembered, and since this my favorite show of all time, I had high expectations. The writing and acting are just superb. I had forgotten that Patrick Stewart guest starred in the final season. I am thinking of having a marathon of just Frasier tomorrow night.
One of my favorite scenes so far:
Frasier asks a woman over whom he wants to date, but Martin doesn't know that and starts hitting on her. Frasier gets upset and does the ol' "Dad, can I see you in the kitchen" routine:
Martin: I thought you brought her for me (i.e. a date)?
Frasier: Since when do I *bring* you women?
CSI: Pretty uneven, and I found several to be very boring. The last couple I watched were good, and I am coming up on the episodes that I remember being some of the best ever, so I have hopes that things will get better.
Overall, I am pleased with my progress. I already have my September schedule done and will be posting that next.
On the TV front, things aren't looking so good. I am 1 episode behind on CSI, after tonight I will be 5 episodes behind on Kung Fu, and I am 18 episodes behind on Frasier. All told, I have 18 hours of TV to watch by Monday night. I do have a plan for that, though. First, Monday was set aside for TV, so there is that. If I can get home by 8, I can probably get a good 7 or 8 of TV in. If so, I just need to watch 3 or 4 hours a night Friday-Sunday. I think that's manageable.
On the movie side of things, it's just been crazy. I only have 3 more to go for the next month. I can't believe I've made it even this far. Having a set schedule really seems to help out. On a sad note, I just hit my first defective DVD. Alas, Jeepers Creepers could not be watched at all; started pixelating in the first 30 seconds, and couldn't be fixed. That sucks, too. I remember really liking the first hour.
Moving on, I am way behind on reviews, so I am just going to bunch all of these together. Most of them will just be short remarks.
All That Heaven Allows: This film's look blew me away. I actually feel sorry for anyone that was forced to watch it on old black and white televisions because this is one of the most stunningly beautiful movies I've ever seen. Whoever did the lighting and the cinematography deserved in Oscar. I've never seen anything like it.
As for the other aspects of the film, I liked it for the most part. My one gripe is that Rock Hudsons's character was the most boring character ever. He was written to be an absolutely perfect, all-knowing, peaceful man who is one with nature. It was completely unbelievable. I also had a problem every time I saw him hunting. I can't imagine Rock Hudson ever being a woodsy type of guy in his real life.
Still, the movie isn't really about him, so though I complain, it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the film. Jane Wyman is pretty good, though her character is pretty close to being saintly as well. The highlight of the movie is the writing. I think the movie was meant to be an "Everyman" play. All the characters are really just metaphors for the issues explored in the film.
The movie deals with a recently widowed older woman (though Wyman was only in her early 30s) who ends up falling in love with a younger man, to the horror of her family and friends. The writer offers up so much criticism of American life, I don't even know where to begin. It offers a harsh rebuke to those who value materialism and status above all else, and who judge each other based on whether or not they live according to "the way things ought to be." There is a scathing rebuke to those who dare to criticize without understanding and even caring. It criticizes teenagers and college students who think the world revolves around them, and judge their parents based on their world view. Her kids can't even imagine that someone their mom's age would have the ability to fall in love again and have a romantic relationship, and believe she is being taken advantage of.
There is an interesting part of the story where her kids keep trying to get her to buy a TV (and end up getting her one) to keep her company. I always find it interesting when films condemn people that choose to "experience" life through television - and movies - rather than getting out and really living. Apparently it's all right to watch just those films. Still, I agree with the message. It has nothing nice to say about media (tv and film) entertainment, particularly how it isolates us and gives us a false perception of how people should be living.
Overall, I found this movie interesting, and applicable today. And again, the look of it just gorgeous. I will likely watch it again next year when I am done with this. I own the Criterion edition, and there are quite a few special features I want to watch.
Pinocchio - I love this movie. I wouldn't say it's one of the greatest Disney flicks, but it is one of my favorites. There is just something about the adventure and the music that hooks me every time. In 80 or so minutes, I can act like a kid again, singing along to some of my favorite Disney songs. "I Got No Strings" is my absolute favorite Disney song. On the other hand, my husband's only response was "Ya know, this film is really annoying." To each his or her own, I suppose.
Kung Fu: I did not expect the pilot to be as good as I remembered, but it was. I have always preferred the flashbacks to the David Carradine scenes in the US, but it is very entertaining overall. The episodes themselves are of lesser quality, though still fun. The one exception is the episode I watched Wednesday night called "Eye For an Eye." That was a remarkable moment of television, and a death scene that I am shocked made it past the censors.
Frasier: The episodes have been even better than I remembered, and since this my favorite show of all time, I had high expectations. The writing and acting are just superb. I had forgotten that Patrick Stewart guest starred in the final season. I am thinking of having a marathon of just Frasier tomorrow night.
One of my favorite scenes so far:
Frasier asks a woman over whom he wants to date, but Martin doesn't know that and starts hitting on her. Frasier gets upset and does the ol' "Dad, can I see you in the kitchen" routine:
Martin: I thought you brought her for me (i.e. a date)?
Frasier: Since when do I *bring* you women?
CSI: Pretty uneven, and I found several to be very boring. The last couple I watched were good, and I am coming up on the episodes that I remember being some of the best ever, so I have hopes that things will get better.
Overall, I am pleased with my progress. I already have my September schedule done and will be posting that next.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Which is scarier?
I decided, half way through the movie I was watching Saturday night, to wait and review the two films to be watched over the weekend. The reason being, a funny questioned occurred to me: Which is scarier - a horror film or Bette Davis in, well, anything?
Saturday night I watched The Letter, an old B&W film set in the Philippines, starring Bette Davis. In it, Davis' character kills a man whom she says tried to "make love to her;" a euphemism for rape back then I would imagine. She is married to a very busy business man, and they are both friends with a lawyer. The lawyer defends her for free, but as he starts to dig deeper, he discovers that things are not exactly what they appear.
I had never seen this film before, and was not sure what to expect. Though I love classic films, and especially love Bette Davis, more often than not in the past two weeks I have been striking out on films I've watched. I was pleasantly surprised by this. Bette Davis gave a superb performance here, reminding me at times of Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate. For the most part, the movie was great fun to watch, with an ending I didn't really see coming.
About ten minutes into the film, I started laughing, and about 45 minutes in my husband joined me. Our laughter had nothing to do with how bad the film was, because it wasn't; it was just so much fun watching Bette Davis. More than any other actress in movie history, she was capable of playing an absolutely cold, calculating and overall terrifying woman. She had these eyes that scare the crap out of me to this day. The movie is in the old style melodrama, for which Davis was perfect. It delighted me to no end to see how absolutely evil she looked at times.
Another reason I was laughing while watching Bette Davis was because I knew that tonight I was going to watch a horror film. It made me question whether anything in the horror film could be scarier than watching Bette Davis.
That brings me to tonight's movie: Black Christmas. A Canadian movie filmed in 1974, this pre-dated all the American slasher films like Halloween and Friday the Thirteenth. This was clearly a low-budget film, but it made the most of what it had, its minimalist style heightening the tense atmosphere. There is extremely little gore, only a bit of blood, and you don't really see anything. Even so, it is quite scary, and in just the way I like. I have reached a point where I don't want any gore or gratuitous sex. Seeing a horror film that is scary while showing next to nothing was satisfying.
The film makes excellent use of shadows, and there are scenes that the recent film The Strangers (on my list) clearly borrowed. There is an extended scene where the killer's shadow can be seen behind the protagonist, who is talking on the phone. I thought it was one of the scariest points of the film. This was a fairly slow film with more plot than scares, but as a big horror film fan, I think it has a lot going for it.
A side note: this film was clearly not an American film. A few Canadian accents aside, the main plot has to do with a sorority sister that is pregnant and wants to have an abortion. She and her boyfriend argue about it through much of the film. There is also an old lady who swears a lot, and one of the characters makes some very raunchy jokes. While this movie did all right here in the US when it was released, I cannot see any American filmmaker wanting to make a horror film that deals so frankly with abortion as this film does.
Actors note: There are several actors here that are unknowns but go on to have great careers. Margot Kidder of Superman fame is here, as is Andrea Martin. John Saxon plays the police officer in charge. He later played pretty much the same character a decade later in A Nightmare on Elm Street (and one of the sequels).
Overall, I had a great time watching the two very different films this weekend. I think these two are definitely a keeper.
Saturday night I watched The Letter, an old B&W film set in the Philippines, starring Bette Davis. In it, Davis' character kills a man whom she says tried to "make love to her;" a euphemism for rape back then I would imagine. She is married to a very busy business man, and they are both friends with a lawyer. The lawyer defends her for free, but as he starts to dig deeper, he discovers that things are not exactly what they appear.
I had never seen this film before, and was not sure what to expect. Though I love classic films, and especially love Bette Davis, more often than not in the past two weeks I have been striking out on films I've watched. I was pleasantly surprised by this. Bette Davis gave a superb performance here, reminding me at times of Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate. For the most part, the movie was great fun to watch, with an ending I didn't really see coming.
About ten minutes into the film, I started laughing, and about 45 minutes in my husband joined me. Our laughter had nothing to do with how bad the film was, because it wasn't; it was just so much fun watching Bette Davis. More than any other actress in movie history, she was capable of playing an absolutely cold, calculating and overall terrifying woman. She had these eyes that scare the crap out of me to this day. The movie is in the old style melodrama, for which Davis was perfect. It delighted me to no end to see how absolutely evil she looked at times.
Another reason I was laughing while watching Bette Davis was because I knew that tonight I was going to watch a horror film. It made me question whether anything in the horror film could be scarier than watching Bette Davis.
That brings me to tonight's movie: Black Christmas. A Canadian movie filmed in 1974, this pre-dated all the American slasher films like Halloween and Friday the Thirteenth. This was clearly a low-budget film, but it made the most of what it had, its minimalist style heightening the tense atmosphere. There is extremely little gore, only a bit of blood, and you don't really see anything. Even so, it is quite scary, and in just the way I like. I have reached a point where I don't want any gore or gratuitous sex. Seeing a horror film that is scary while showing next to nothing was satisfying.
The film makes excellent use of shadows, and there are scenes that the recent film The Strangers (on my list) clearly borrowed. There is an extended scene where the killer's shadow can be seen behind the protagonist, who is talking on the phone. I thought it was one of the scariest points of the film. This was a fairly slow film with more plot than scares, but as a big horror film fan, I think it has a lot going for it.
A side note: this film was clearly not an American film. A few Canadian accents aside, the main plot has to do with a sorority sister that is pregnant and wants to have an abortion. She and her boyfriend argue about it through much of the film. There is also an old lady who swears a lot, and one of the characters makes some very raunchy jokes. While this movie did all right here in the US when it was released, I cannot see any American filmmaker wanting to make a horror film that deals so frankly with abortion as this film does.
Actors note: There are several actors here that are unknowns but go on to have great careers. Margot Kidder of Superman fame is here, as is Andrea Martin. John Saxon plays the police officer in charge. He later played pretty much the same character a decade later in A Nightmare on Elm Street (and one of the sequels).
Overall, I had a great time watching the two very different films this weekend. I think these two are definitely a keeper.
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