DVDs/What Are You Watching?

This week's DVD selection is pretty paltry. so I'm going to bolster this post by reviewing titles I've seen on the small screen.

DVDs

Black Dynamite: This spoof of blaxploitation films got some positive notice when it came out, 

Clint Eastwood: 35 years, 35 Films at Warner Bros: This massive box covers every movie the former mayor of Carmel, California released under the WB - although that leads to the odd split of Flags of Our Fathers (A DreamWorks title) not being included, while its companion piece, Letters from Iwo Jima, is. Much as I admire Eastwood, I already own many of his films I want, and besides all that, I don't know if I really want to say I have his orangutan films in my collection.

Coco Before Chanel: I like Audrey Tatou, but am not much of a fashion maven and reviews of this film about the fashion designer were never high enough to spark my interest.

Law-Abiding Citizen: You know, Gerard Bulter is a very talented guy, but his choice of scripts (also including the regrettable The Ugly Truth) makes him look like a reverse barometer of quality lately. And yes, that means I can't honestly say I'm looking forward to The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Aniston.

What I'm Watching

Baby Doll: This 1956 Elia Kazan film hasn't worn quite as well as some of his other picture, primarily because it was tearing the envelope of the Production Code - and the movie knows it. So what might have seemed shocking back in the day seems a touch self-conscious and overheated today. Still, it's well worth seeing for its powerful performances, especially by Carrol Baker in the title role. GRADE: B+

Cleopatra (1934) Good 'ol Cecil B. DeMille has a high old time vamping it up with the story of the ancient Egyptian queen, and Claudette Colbert's performance in the title role is strong enough to keep the enterprise from seeming too silly. I still haven't watched the notorious 1963 version with Taylor and Burton, but I'm willing to bet its not as entertaining as this. My favorite moment - a sex scene cover-up that turns into something akin to a Busby Berkeley number. GRADE: B+

Deception: Made by the same stars (Bette Davis, Claude Rains, Paul Henreid) and director (Irving Rapper) behind  Now, Voyager, this strangely unheralded melodrama is almost as good as that more famous movie. Davis stars as a woman torn between two men: her long lost cellist lover (Henreid) and a fiery temperamental 
composer. Rains is particularly outstanding, and his performance here is a potent reminder he was one of the best character actors of the Golden Age. GRADE: A-

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: I watched this as a double feature with Baby Doll,  I suppose because I was in the mood for overheated melodrama by way of Tennessee Williams. On the whole, it's an excellent film with Paul Newman and Liz Taylor exerting a riveting push/pull dynamic - and that helps overcome the fact the story was slightly neutered from its original intentions. GRADE: A-

In the Loop: As the chant at football games goes: O-VER-RATED. This film clearly means to be kind of the board room version of Dr. Strangelove, but it's more like the bored room version of Dr. Strangelove. There are some good performances and a few good dialogue exchanges, but it's turgidly paced and fatally self-satisfied. It's a movie made by and for the "hipper than thou" crowd. GRADE: C-

The Paradine Case: Quite possibly the most disappointing Hitchcock picture I have yet seen. It boats a decent story and strong performances, but courtroom dramatics are not Hitch's strong suit, because they rely too heavily on dialogue and not heavily enough on visuals. This movie tells much more than it shows, and that doesn't suit the best director of pure cinema. GRADE: C+

A friendly reminder: Whenever I post my list of movies I've been watching, readers are always welcome to tell me  what movies you've been watching, on the big or small screens. Tell us what you've seen

Home (Re)Viewing/What Are You Watching?

Today I return to a hybrid of DVD reviews and short takes on some movies I've seen on the small screen. 

Today's DVDs

Michael Jackson: This is It:  The documentary assembled from hours of rehearsal footage for the Michael Jackson extravaganza that never was could have been exploitative. Instead, it's a fascinating glimpse that raveled the Michael of old was still very much there. He remained too hung up on slick bombast and gooey sentiment when he didn't need them - but he was also still one of the most magnetic performers of our age when he simply sang and/or danced. By it's very nature, this portrait is incomplete, but at its best, it's enthralling.  Full review - GRADE: B+

Saw VI: Snore. Snore. Snore. Snore. Snore. Snore.

Surrogates: This sci-fi actioner gets points for some inventive ideas and well-staged action scenes, but it failed to make me care about the characters very much. It's a little too robotic for its own good. Full review - GRADE: B-

Whip It: I was very disappointed that Drew Barrymore's scrappy, winning  directorial debut got precious little attention in theaters. Her chronicle of a girl (Ellen Page) who finds herself when she gets into roller derby is the sort of solid storytelling people keep saying is missing from movies - and then they don't go to see it when it arrives. I hope it finds the audience it deserves now. Full review - GRADE: A-

What are You Watching?

A Guy Named Joe: Having recently bought The Wizard of Oz on Blu-Ray, I decided to check out this movie also directed by Victor Fleming. I had always been curious to see it because Steven Spielberg remade it into the one film of his I can't recommend: the pallid Always. Is the original better? Yes, but not by that much. The soapy World War II story, about a deceased Spencer Tracy trying to guide his girl (Irene Dunne) and the hotshot flyer who loves her (Van Johnson), takes WAY too long to get going. As it settles into the third act, however, the superbly talented cast gives it their all, and the melodramatics got to me. I can see why Spielberg liked it - too bad even he couldn't improve upon it. GRADE: B

Moonlight Serenade: People who know me know well my penchant for Amy Adams and for girls who can sing. So since Amy sings in this film, it should be an automatic winner for me, right? Alas and alack, no, I am surprised to say. Naturally, it's fun to hear Amy croon the standards, but she's stuck with  a barely Lifetime-worthy plot, a washout of a male lead (Scott G. Anderson) and production values that aren't much slicker than those of Paranormal Activity. Never mind that it's not up to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - it ain't even Leap Year. GRADE: C

DVDs/What Are You Watching? - October 27, 2009

(Apologies for the lateness of this post. I experienced technical difficulties) 

DVDs

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: I liked the first movie but borderline hated the second, so I didn't bother with the third. Did I miss anything.


Orphan: Despite the fact that this was directed by the same man who made the House of Wax remake with Paris Hilton (insert grimace here). Still, I was intrigued because Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga are the leads. Then I found out what the twist was. (Grimace worsens)

Whatever Works:  Woody Allen’s latest film loses its way whenever it focuses on anybody besides the two leads of Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood, who form an improbable but endearing romance. Still, David and Wood are front and center often enough to put the movie across, and David makes a great surrogate Allen. Not up to Match Point, but better than, say, Small Time Crooks. GRADE: B

What Are You Watching

Ramping up for the horror marathon I attended, I decided to watch two horror-ish titles.

The Fearless Vampire Killers: Truly bizarre horror comedy directed by Roman Polanski, who amusingly cast himself as a bumbling assistant to a professor who end up crashing a vampire party. The film's not quite as funny as it seems to think it is, but it's still entertaining - and history has made it eerie, considering Sharon Tate (Polanski's wife, who would fall victim to the Manson family) is the female lead. TCM, showing their usual knack for canny programming, played a vintage promotional short about Tate right after the movie, and watching that was sad and even more chilling than the movie itself. GRADE: B


Videodrome: Since it relies so heavily on VHS as is reason d'etre, David Cronenberg's film about death by VCR  is more than a little dated by now, but its power to shock remains intact, thanks to a strong performance by James Woods, Cronenberg's expert mood-setting, and special effects that are still surprisingly effective. GRADE: B+

DVDs/What Are You Watching? - October 20, 2009

DVDs

Imagine That: Never mind imagining. I'd rather remember a time when Eddie Murphy really did make funny movies.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: (Eric laughs hysterically for 17 minutes. His face then freezes into an impaasve mask, with all the expressiveness of Megan Fox.)

Um, no thanks. Once was about 4,042 times too many. Here's why. GRADE: D

What Are You Watching?

Grand Hotel: The only movie that ever won the Best Picture Oscar and no other Oscars doesn't quite feel so worthy of that prize today. The dramatics are a little soapy and over the top - as far as multi-character MGM dramas  go, I much prefer George Cukor's Dinner at Eight. Still, I was surprised to see how visual the film was, and it's impossible to deny a cast that includes both Lionel and John Barrymore, plus Wallace Beery, Joan Crawford (when she was actually attractive and appealing) and Lewis Stone. And there's one Greta Garbo, who gave us her immortal "I want to be alone" line in this film. Not inconsiderable, that. GRADE: B+

What have you all seen lately? 

What Are You Watching? Catching Up on DVDs

Today I resurrect the What Are You Watching Feature on this blog in which I

A) Catch up on DVD releases

B) Tell you what I've watched on the small screen

C) Hopefully read comments about what you all have seen lately.

 So to take care of A)

DVDs

Dance Flick: The only flick that interests me in the context of this Wayans spoof is the flick of the switch to the OFF position.

Drag Me To Hell: Along with Whip It. this earns the distinction of being The Movie That Got Away. Tremendously entertaining in a retrograde sort of way, it's like Sam Raimi's version of what Tarantino and Rodriguez were trying to achieve with Grindhouse. But it's not all mindless fun - Allison Lohman's performance gives the story some gravity. Warning to home theater owners with subwoofers: Do not turn the soundtrack up too loud or you will A) need to buy new speakers and/or B) Start an earthquake.  Full review - GRADE: B+

Every Little Step: Monumentally entertaining documentary about casting for the recent revival of A Chorus Line. The editing in particular is outstanding. A must-see for anyone even remotely interested in theater.  Full review - GRADE: A


Land of the Lost: I would say I lost my faith in Will Ferrell a long time ago, but then again, I'm not sure I ever had any.

My Life in Ruins: Nia Vardalos is genuinely talented, but she needs either to write or find a good script fast, or her career will live up to the title.

The Proposal: Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock make for such a charming couple, I really wish the rest of the movie was as good as they are. Their charisma makes the movie worth seeing; it's just too bad they're surrounded by dim supporting characters and predictable gags. Full review - GRADE:  B-

Year One: Reviews of this primitive comedy were so toxic I stayed away. So did most everyone else.

What Are You Watching?

The Boys From Brazil: Film adaptations of Ira Levin range from classic (Rosemary's Baby) to slick but empty junk (Sliver). This strange little movie falls somewhere in between the two. At first, its modern-day Nazi story is absorbing and unnerving, and then it gets sillier and sillier as it goes along, not least for the spectacle of Gregory Peck trying to play a demented Nazi cloner.  Laurence Olivier, as the Nazi huter,  seems to be taking the whole thing seriously and thus seems to have wandered in from a completely different film. It's watchably ludicrous trash. GRADE: B-

Gilda: It contains one of the most famous female entrances in film history, and it would have been nice if the film as a whole were as great as that moment. As it is, this noir-ish love affair gone bad tale has more than its fair share of hackneyed plotting, but at its best, it's deliciously torrid. GRADE: B+


The Parallax View: I had seen this Alan J. Pakula film about a paranoid reporter (Warren Beatty) before years ago, but got a fresh look at when TCM played it as part of an evening of political thrillers. I was struck by how effective it still is. A silly Dukes of Hazzard-esque chase aside, the film creates a chilling air of tension, mostly through Pakula's canny direction, which made me feel as if the walls were closing in. Trly underrated. GRADE: A

So what have you seen lately, no matter what the screen size?