Monterey Pop (1968)
“We all love each other, right?”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Twice Upon a Time (1983)
“The spring is on the loose. We’ve got to get it, and we’ve got to get it now!”
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Review: In a creatively surreal twist, the main character (Lorenzo Music, best known as the voice of Garfield) is capable of changing animal-shapes as needed to best suit his situation (his “default” mode is an innocuously bearish-looking fellow); meanwhile, his black-hatted sidekick Mum — true to his name — never says a word, instead simply conducting a steady stream of magic tricks (they’re like a less abrasive, vertically altered version of Penn and Teller). These two hapless but well-meaning souls are thrown willy-nilly into a plot in which a motley crew of would-be heroes and superheroes must save the world from eternal nightmares — with the wry “assistance” of a hilariously no-holds-barred New York Fairy Godmother (“Call me FGM; I hate excess verbiage.”). Despite its overt fairytale leanings, however, this one isn’t necessarily for kids — at least not the version I saw, which is full of surprisingly salty profanity (at one point Botch yells, “So come on, you garlic breathing, garbage sucking dipshits. Move out! I’m not talking tomorrow! Haul ass, you mothers!”) Apparently an alternate, sanitized version was also released, but regardless of which version you locate, the story itself may still be too scary and baroque for kids to fully “get”; it’s ultimately more for adults or adolescents. Read Ward Jenkins’ interview with writer Taylor Jessen for many more details about the making of the film, as well as all the various and sundry reasons for its failure to be released on DVD. For now, you’ll have to catch a rare copy on video or try to search for a streamed version online. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Canterbury Tales, The (1972)
“You take a path to Canterbury — well, good luck. The holy blessed martyrs will reward you.”
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Review: The opening story (“The Merchant’s Tale”), about a lecherous merchant named Sir January (Hugh Griffith) whose beautiful new wife, May (Josephine Chaplin), cuckolds him while he’s under a spell of blindness, is only mildly amusing, but at least promises more of the same type of naughty tales we saw in The Decameron.
The next vignette takes on a much darker tone, as we watch two different men — one wealthy, one poor — being spied on while committing the heretical act of “buggering”, then blackmailed.
The gruesome outcome poignantly points out the hypocrisy of medieval “pardoning”. The rest of the film, unfortunately, quickly goes downhill, as tale after tale fails to provide either much humor or insight. We’re exposed to plenty of explicit sex and genitalia, several explosive farts, and — in Pasolini’s infamous vision of hell near the end of the film — a red-skinned devil literally defecating friars.
Those who enjoy such coarse imagery will be delighted, but the rest of us will simply suffer. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Carry On, Nurse (1959)
“Listen: hospital life from the patient’s point of view… A series, it’s surefire.”
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Review: There’s no real plot to speak of in Carry On, Nurse; instead, we’re meant simply to laugh at the exploits of the patients and their foibles, as well as those of the nurses trying to avoid the wrath of their glowering matron (Hattie Jacques). Every now and then, we’re treated to some amusingly risque statements — such as when a bumbling student nurse (Joan Sims) expresses frustration with a male patient who’s embarrassed to strip and take a bath in front of her, then looks down at his nether regions and coyly states, “Hmm… To think I called you a baby!” Other attempts at humor — such as the mere presence of a gay patient (Charles Hawtrey) who enjoys flamboyantly “conducting” while listening to music on his headphones — are much weaker.
All told, Carry On, Nurse is guaranteed to be a delightfully nostalgic treat for those who enjoy the series, but a tedious snooze for those (like me) who don’t quite “get” the humor. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Atomic Cafe, The (1982)
“When not close enough to be killed, the atomic bomb is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: I disagree with Peary, however, that the “picture would have even more impact and import if we learned whether these ridiculous propaganda films were the result of government naivete or were fully intended to deceive the public about the dangers of a nuclear build-up”; adding any kind of voice-of-God narration or commentary would disrupt the film’s remarkably effective approach of simply presenting the clips as-is, and leaving viewers to decide what to think about them. With that said, Loader et al. do utilize creative editing and juxtaposition to highlight some of the most egregious mistruths perpetuated by officials: as we hear government spokesmen talking about the lack of effects of nuclear testing in the South Seas, for instance, we see deeply disturbing footage of burned natives. Whether Americans today are any less deceived by “official” government statements is debatable; despite our presumed 21st century media savvy, it could be argued that we’re just as gullible and susceptible as we were in the 1950s. Note: If you can stomach it, watch the recent, highly disturbing documentary Countdown to Zero (2010) for an update on the state of nuclear threat in our world. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Mutations, The (1974)
“He’ll soon be neither human nor plant, but with the characteristics and advantages of both: a plant that can move and think; a man who can set down roots.”
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Unfortunately, the bulk of the movie is taken up with a rather nonsensical mad scientist plot, in which Pleasence — with completely noble goals, of course:
— turns his experimental “subjects” (conveniently, two of them are his own students) into laughably silly-looking plant-monsters.
At least the picture looks good, with vibrantly colorful set designs — and the mid-film “freak show” is worth a look. I like how these actors — including a real-life “Alligator Lady”, “Bearded Lady”, “Frog Boy”, and “Human Pincushion”, as well as a man known as “Popeye” who can bug his eyes out at will:
— are treated with relative dignity, and each allowed to carefully explain their syndrome to the audience if they wish. These sympathetic characters should have been the central focus of the film. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Zero de Conduite / Zero for Conduct (1933)
“War is declared! Down with teachers! Up with revolution!”
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Response to Peary’s Review: At only 41 minutes long, Zero de Conduite is more a series of loosely cohesive vignettes than a traditional narrative. Vigo’s primary concern is with establishing a specific milieu — a seedy boarding school somewhere in France, where fat old teachers feel free to fondle pretty young boys, the headmaster is a tyrannical midget, his assistant steals food from the boys, and the chef cooks beans for dinner night after night. As the “story” progresses, it heads in an increasingly surreal direction — but unlike Bunuel’s L’Age d’Or (1930), for instance, Vigo’s screenplay only gradually reveals its fantastical turn, in a few delightfully select moments (a teacher’s drawing comes to animated life; the boys are somehow able to completely upturn a teacher’s bed while he’s sleeping). As with his only feature-length film, L’Atalante (1934), Vigo collaborated with cinematographer Boris Kaufman and composer Maurice Jaubert to create a number of provocative images and sequences — including the infamous “feather pillow fight” (watch for a surprising bit of frontal nudity as the boys progress in a slow motion parade afterward — Vigo was fearless), and the liberating finale. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
“That rabbit has a vicious streak a mile wide.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: As Peary notes, the film satirizes, among other things, “the French, homosexuals, communists, [and] kings”, as well as “cowardice” and — most harshly — “senseless British gallantry”. Nothing about the King Arthur legend is left sacred: Sir Robin is revealed to be a cowardly ninny; Sir Lancelot rushes into a massacre without stopping to verify that he’s in the right place; the Black Knight (Cleese) refuses to stop swordfighting despite the loss of one limb after the other. Other humor — such as the infamous “killer rabbit” sequence — is more random and less historically situated, but still stupidly hilarious if you’re in the right mood. While some sequences inevitably fall flat, Monty Python the Holy Grail remains indispensable must-see viewing at least once for all film fanatics. It’s too much of a cult classic to miss. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
Atalante, L’ (1934)
“Paris, Paris! Oh infamous, marvelous city!”
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Review: Parlo gains at least some measure of enjoyment from getting to know “Papa Jules” (Michel Simon), Daste’s grizzled shipmate with a penchant for odd curios, and a mild crush on the young bride. Whenever he’s on-screen, Simon — only 40 in real life, though his character appears to be older — dominates the story. Simon was an acknowledged star by this point in his career, and his semi-improvised scenes throughout L’Atalante show why; with his hound dog countenance and clownish demeanor, he’s both riveting and hilarious to behold. He’s incorrigible, too — as indicated in his irreverent retort to Daste when questioned about a photo of a nude woman on his cabin wall:
The true “stars” of L’Atalante, however, are Vigo and cinematographer Boris Kaufman (along with composer Maurice Jaubert), who collectively depict some of the most haunting and memorable images in French film history. Notable sequences (just a few among many) include the opening “wedding march”; Parlo discovering Simon’s “pickled hands” in a jar; Daste seeing Parlo’s bridal visage while swimming underwater; and Vigo’s masterful depiction of the couple reaching out to one another in sleep from their separate beds. L’Atalante makes it clear that Vigo possessed a uniquely poetic voice in cinema; this “first feature” is a sad hint of his future genius, had he lived past the age of 30. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
Sextette (1978)
“Marriage is like a book: the whole story takes place between the covers.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: As narratives go, the story — based on a play written by West — isn’t really all that terrible: it’s a zany farce full of double entendres, sexual innuendos, and innocuous musical numbers, and director Ken Hughes moves everything along at a fast clip. The “problem”, of course, is in the casting of West herself, whose advanced age defies our sense of sexual “normalcy” and “propriety”. Could Sextette be viewed as the ultimate May/Mae-December romance? It’s too bad, in a way, that West’s “real” age — or even something reasonably close to it — is never made explicit in the film, because a movie about an acknowledged octogenarian sexpot-actress would really be something! Unfortunately, West’s performance here is passable at best — and while it lies at the center of the film’s fame, it’s sadly (almost comically) one-note. She struts creakedly across the elaborate sets, attempting to infuse some pizazz into her lines (many of which are cribbed directly from her earlier films), but since she only has one frozen expression, and a few familiar mannerisms (gently patting her hilarious pouf of a blonde wig, pursing her lips, rolling her eyes upwards), she’s more like a moving, talking statue than a viable living creature — wind her up and she’ll spout quips like the following (chosen at random as a representative sample):
Faring much, much better than West are her numerous male co-stars, who deserve major kudos for being so incredibly game. Dom DeLuise is amusingly sincere as West’s loyal assistant (secretly in love with her, as he reveals in a singing solo), while young Dalton has completely redeemed himself in my eyes after the debacle of his early performance as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1970). He’s a Bond who can sing! (anyone who’s seen Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia! will understand the reference). Meanwhile, both Tony Curtis and George Hamilton seem to be having great fun making brief appearances as two of West’s former husbands (both, naturally, still in love/lust with her). Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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