Risselada Blog

movie year countdown #72 - 1935 - The Thin Man

Risselada — Mon, 12 May 2008 22:27:09 GMT

This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”. To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.

Recommendations and reviews on this were almost too good. I'll admit this is a lot of fun, but I feel like when a movie is so well recommended and described a certain way, as a zany-comedy-mystery, you start looking for what you expect from the very beginning.

The movie is fun but there is nothing overly surprising about it. Nick is a funny character, but in a mostly suave and sophisticated way. He does get into a few goofy slapstick type situations, but mostly the jokes are not at his expense, but the is making them at the expense of others. This is not to say he is antisocial. Actually his jokes are in good spirit and make him lovable to other characters. I tend to prefer characters that are the opposite in some way. Either comical characters in which the joke is on them, or if they are the ones making the jokes they are totally absurd and confusing to the other characters.

I still had a great time watching this movie, but it's not my favorite of either the comedy or mystery genre.

Rating: 8/10

movie year countdown #71 - 1936 - Flash Gordon

Risselada — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:14:40 GMT

This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”. To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.

Flash Gordon

I guess this was one of the first huge Sci-Fi epics made for the screen. Maybe it was the introduction of Sci-Fi as we think of it into popular culture. This series may even have even shaped how we think about these kinds of fantastical outer space travels with strange creatures, humanoid aliens, and all kinds of fantastical technology or the fact that we even think of these things at all.

At it's time it was the most successful serial ever. And although over time these kinds of movies began to lose less interest and were relegated to smaller budget productions, when Star Wars revitalized this genre it was maybe just recapturing much of what was original created with Flash Gordon.

What is really amusing to see is what passed as special effects in those days. And also what people imagined would be appropriate attire on alien planets and space vessels. We get to see a lot of Frank Shannon's hairy old man legs all the way up to his crotch, and then some kind of saggy looking diaper bottom. But Sci-Fi costuming today is usually just as goofy I suppose.

The cliffhangers from every single episode are resolved without even being resolved. The solutions to every crisis don't even seem to make any sense. At least any kind of assumed rule or established rules of the film universe or character traits are continually ignored. There's absolutely no suspense because you can't invest in anything. Any solution can be made up without any justification by the screenwriters.

It's really bad and silly especially by our standards, and yet you are so intrigued as to what oddity or strange character will appear on screen next that it's actually sufficiently entertaining.

Rating: 7/10

For the Bible Tells Me So

Risselada — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:24:56 GMT

For the Bible Tells Me So

This movie surprised me. I didn't plan on seeing it, but my girlfriend who is a big documentary fan rented it. I'd almost felt like I'd heard enough on this subject. I was sick of watching people use the Bible as a weapon to support their un-loving and un-Christian beliefs. I didn't want to give people like that any further attention I thought. Not that I don't think we need to find a way to stop this kind of behavior and thinking, but most news I see doesn't do much to help the problem. It's usually just a sick exploitation piece of watching people who hate so we can hate them back.

But the approach of this movie is not like that. It's not some sensational news story like you would find on Dateline or something like that. Here are real inspirational stories of homosexual people and their families facing the people who hate them (without even really knowing why) with love instead of hating them back. That doesn't mean submission. These are brave people who are stepping up and making a statement, but they are stronger reflections of Christ than those who hate them and claim they do so because of the will of God.

You will see some amazing redemption stories from people who you might normally stereotype because of their beliefs or background. You realize that people do not fit into little boxes of our definitions and that everyone deserves love.

I highly recommend this movie.

Rating: 9/10

Welcome to Sherwood! The Story of 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'

Risselada — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:25:28 GMT

Welcome to Sherwood! The Story of 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'

There's no Spout link for this movie. I saw it on the bonus features DVD for The Adventures of Robin Hood. It's a fairly extensive documentary, but not too long at just short of an hour. For some reason it seems like at least forth of the DVDs I've rented this year have had Rudy Behlmer featured somewhere on them either in the commentary or some special features. I'd never even heard of this guy before, but apparently he's an expert on like every major movie released in the Golden Age of Hollywood Cinema.

If you have any interest in the behind the scenes of what was going on with major Hollywood productions at that time, this should give you a few clues.

Rating: 8/10

movie year countdown - round #2 - #8 - 1992-3 - Jennifer Eight

Risselada — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:20:41 GMT

This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown round #2”. Read more about that here.

Jennifer Eight

I've never heard anyone talk about or even mention this movie before. I probably would have never even known about it much less had any interest in it if it wasn't for the fact that it's the only other movie directed by Bruce Robinson besides Withnail & I and How to Get Ahead in Advertising, both of which I adore.

According to a note I read on IMDB, Bruce Robinson made Jennifer Eight with a focus on commercial potential so that he may have some success and win the opportunity to get funding for other less commercially viable projects. Apparently the movie failed to make money and Robinson has not directed any movies since. Although I've been desperately watching out for the supposed production of The Rum Diary for years, which sounded like the perfect project. But now I have doubts that it will ever even occur.

Jennifer Eight is a pretty solid mystery/thriller film. A few surprises, and the heart pounding thriller moments are quiet well done even if in a sometimes conventional way. But of course it's nothing like those other films of his. This is not a comedy. There's nothing zany about it. And Richard E. Grant is nowhere to be found (you'd know if he was anywhere nearby).

However Uma Thurman does quite well as a blind woman. And John Malkovich appears as a rather strange somewhat secondary character as you may expect him to.

It's a shame Robinson hasn't made too much more after this, especially comedies. Not because I'm sure they would all be great, but I'm just curious to know what else he has in him.

Rating: 8/10

movie year countdown #70 - 1937 - Drôle de drame ou L'étrange aventure de Docteur Molyneux

Risselada — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:29:14 GMT

This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”. To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.

Drôle de drame ou L'étrange aventure de Docteur Molyneux

This is a fun little French farce. You know it will start out fun when you get the preacher denouncing all of the sinful novels that have been published lately and then a serial killer who goes nuts saying these novels ruined his life.

I'm not sure if there's any point in digging too deep into it in this blog. There's quite a bit of satire here as you would probably expect. It may live in a specific time and place, but poking fun at things like greed, concern for self-image, false piety, mob mentality, drunkenness, and such are usually universal.

Entertaining the whole way through.

Rating: 8/10

Glorious Technicolor

Risselada — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:08:44 GMT

Glorious Technicolor

This documentary is included on The Adventures of Robin Hood DVD. It's quite well done and should be interesting for anyone with a general interest in film history or technical film history. When you realize how elaborate, cumbersome, and expensive it was to utilize Technicolor, it's no wonder that it took so long for color movies to catch on and then for other type of color processes to become used more often. But also when you realize how much more brilliant the colors of Technicolor were compared to any kind of new color development process for decades it's surprising. And how wonderful that the process also preserves so much better, almost perfectly apparently. This documentary will give you the details along with some interesting (although sometimes a bit pretentious) comments by famous cinematographers.

Rating: 9/10

movie year countdown - round #2 - #7 - 1994-5 - Smoke

Risselada — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:24:58 GMT

This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown round #2”. Read more about that here.

Smoke

It was difficult for me to decide what to rate this movie. The film has great intentions. And listening to the commentary, and the story of how it was made, and the approach of the filmmakers made me love it even more.

It has most of the things I would like in for instance Jim Jarmusch film. Simple and dialogue heavy. Focused on little moments. Interesting character but not too quirky that you feel like the word "quirky" is being pushed on you.

I guess some of the dialogue just doesn't feel real, while at the same time it feels like it's trying to be real. This was Paul Auster's first screenplay, so he might not yet have fully understood how to write for the screen (at least according to my taste). And I guess another thing I found lacking was humor. There is a bit, but not of the same flavor that I sometimes get out of films in this genre.

If anything, watch it for the short scene with Ashley Judd in which she is amazing!

Rating: 7/10

Vivien Leigh: Scarlett & Beyond

Risselada — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:51:30 GMT

Vivien Leigh: Scarlett & Beyond

This is supposed to be a retrospective on the life of Vivien Leigh, but at times it felt more like Jessica Lange's audition tape. Her role as the host has her fawning over Vivien with over written dialogue that's also over acted while putting herself into strange tableaus.

Anyways, I'm sure it would be a good documentary for anyone interested in Vivien Leigh. I'm really not. Her acting often bugs the hell out of me. But again I had to watch this because it was on the Gone with the Wind special features. There are three discs in that set. Sheesh!

Rating: 6/10

Gable: The King Remembered

Risselada — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:31:53 GMT

Gable: The King Remembered

This seems to be made by the same team that put together James Dean Remembered. Again this documentary feels very dated. Very 70's. People have this creepy causal yet too hip and high minded kind of feel. It's so hard to describe. I guess the only exception would be Andy Devine.

Again, it's probably interested if you are a huge Gable fan, but I'm usually not terribly interested in the lives of these absolute mega-stars. I just watched it because it was on the special features for Gone with the Wind and I'm anal about watching all of them when I rent a movie.

Rating: 4/10