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Spider on Reel 13
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"In the last few years, between A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE and EASTERN PROMISES, maverick filmmaker David Cronenberg seems to be a at a creative zenith in his career. Just preceding this apex, however, was this week's Reel 13 Indie, SPIDER, which, in spite of its top shelf cast (Ralph Fiennes, Gabriel Byrne and Miranda Richardson in a gimmicky triple role), is too slow and oblique for its own good.I can see why Cronenberg was drawn to the material – the story is told from the point of view of a recently released mental patient, which gives the creative team the opportunity to play with the idea of the unreliable narrator/protagonist. Like last week's indie, CQ, the lines between fantasy and reality are blurred – here in the case of the flashbacks. The film then becomes a jigsaw puzzle for the viewer (an image that Cronenberg uses in a pivotal scene), but one that is unfortunately, all too easily solved. As the film goes on and the narrative takes shape, one can see where it's ... " [More]
Go for Broke! on Reel 13
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"I had my skepticism about GO FOR BROKE! when I first read that it was going to be one of the June Reel 13 Classics. Not only had I not heard of the film (a rarity for me, at least amongst the classics), but the synopsis wasn't even very promising. The thought of Van Johnson in the lead was the first strike and then the whole bit about training Japanese-American soldiers for WWII just reeked of governmental influence, which more often than not, is a recipe for disaster. However, after seeing it last night on Reel 13, I was surprised to discover that while it did occasionally teeter on the verge of propaganda, it was exciting and interesting in spite of its overt patriotism.Van Johnson was no surprise, however. He flat out stunk, as expected. The actors that carry the film, amazingly enough, were the Japanese actors. I say amazing because in late 40's and early 50's Hollywood, these actors probably weren't getting many opportunities and often were relegated to poorly written, two-dim ... " [More]
CQ on Reel 13
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"Despite the pedigree of being made by the latest Coppola clan member to enter the feature film directorial ranks, CQ came and went from theaters when it was released a few years go. Seeing it for the first time on Reel 13 on Saturday, I'm a little stunned as to why. Roman Coppola proves to be a promising, thoughtful filmmaker and as adept a student of cinema history as his Uncle Francis. CQ is an engaging, if loosely structured movie, managing to be simultaneously inventive and derivative, borrowing from and paying homage to everything from LA DOLCE VITA to the Marx Brothers.Its primary source of influence is, of course, 1968's BARBARELLA, here thinly veiled as the fictional "Dragonfly", as the film within the film. CQ is about how Paul, a young editor (Jeremy Davies), working on said "Dragonfly" deals with balancing his career and his relationship as he works on both the big-budget sci-fi epic and directing his own personal documentary film. This set-up provides Coppola with three ... " [More]
The Thomas Crown Affair on Reel 13
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"Oddly enough, I had only seen the John McTiernan remake of THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR and while I realize it wasn't a masterpiece, I found it an entertaining and enjoyable caper. I just assumed that the original would be superior in every way and was excited about its airing on Reel 13 last night. After all, Norman Jewison, Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway seem like a late sixties dream team (Jewison was coming off of directing the Best Picture Oscar-winner the year before – IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT). Instead, the film had absolutely no emotional impact on me at all and left me surprised, bewildered and severely disappointed.At first, I couldn't figure out where it went awry. I kept wanting to like it, expecting it to turn a corner and pique my interest, but then, before I knew what hit me, it was over. It starts promisingly enough with a clever bank heist, but Crown isn't physically involved in the robbery and we never really see him planning it in any way, so he's sort of passiv ... " [More]
Camp on Reel 13
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"I first saw CAMP at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual New Directors/New Films series in the spring of 2003. The audience responded to the film with such gleeful laughter and riotous applause throughout the film that one couldn't help walk away from the experience entertained. Even watching it alone in the comfort of my own home this past Saturday on Reel 13, the movie managed to illicit consistent smiles. In spite of its contrivances and amateurishness, CAMP remains an extremely pleasant experience.CAMP is less a story about teens coming-of-age and coming to terms with their extreme talent and how that can make them outcasts in the world of high school than it is a paean to musical theater, though not so much in the general sense. The film eschews more classical musical theater in favor of the genre's more recent history – 60's and 70's fare like "Company", "Promises, Promises", et al. The film actually seems to prioritize the musical numbers over the character deve ... " [More]
Some Like it Hot on Reel 13
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"It's interesting to me that, for a movie that is essentially silly and contrived at heart, SOME LIKE IT HOT works so well and holds up even today. I mean, as I'm sure you've heard if you've watched Thirteen at all this week, AFI recently named SOME LIKE IT HOT as the greatest American comedy of all-time. If the same movie were made today, I'm not sure it would fly. In today's more liberated society, men dressing up as women isn't that much of a novelty and it is my opinion that modern audiences would reject the coincidences that the plot hinges on (Lemmon and Curtis actually witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre AND the mob chasing them just happens to show up at the same hotel in Florida!). However, because it is from the fifties and in black and white, today's audiences tend to be a little more accepting, as if to assume that's they way things were done back then.While I don't agree that plot contrivance was a staple of 1950's cinema (though it is pre-eminent in a lot of Billy ... " [More]
Long Life, Happiness and Prospe ...
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"LONG LIFE, HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY shares some qualities with some of its north of the border Reel 13 Canadian Indie counterparts. It is a slice of life multi-protagonist piece akin to the awful, but highly-rated WILBY WONDERFUL with the misguided mystical elements that were woven throughout A PROBLEM WITH FEAR. LLHP does a much better job in developing its characters than WILBY did and the mysticism in question is based on ancient Chinese culture and therefore, somehow seems less contrived and more elegant than the inexplicable technology-based type from FEAR. So, the script, on the whole, is decent. While there are several comedic moments that fall flat, there are many others that are genuinely funny in almost a Shakespearean way (one character's rendition of "Sometimes When We Touch" remains my fave). There are some structural deficiencies (neighbors' gossip as a form of exposition is never a good move), screenwriters Mina Shum and Dennis Foon paint their characters honestly an ... " [More]
The Apartment on Reel 13
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"What can I say about THE APARTMENT that hasn't already been said? In my opinion, it is Billy Wilder's masterpiece and one of the top 50, maybe even top 40 movies of all time. It's in a whole different league amongst the majority of the films, classics or indies, that they show on Reel 13 (BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK is the only one that comes close). It is an almost amazingly perfect blend of comedy and drama, equally hilarious and heart-wrenching. This is a film that contains a suicide attempt, discusses another, features depression, significant infidelity and suggested promiscuity and yet manages to be perennially charming.Cameron Crowe suggested that THE APARTMENT was a major inspiration for his film Jerry Maguire. At one point, he went to visit Billy Wilder to ask him to play a cameo in the film (the old-time agent in the opening). Though Wilder would eventually turn him down, Crowe did get to ask him about THE APARTMENT and all Wilder had to say was "Good actors. It worked". A simpl ... " [More]
City of Ghosts on Reel 13
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"The latest Reel 13 "Indie" is another film, like last month's A PROBLEM WITH FEAR that doesn't feel very much like an indie. It stars Matt Dillon, James Caan and Stellan Skaarsgard and is shot almost entirely in Cambodia. IMDb reports the budget to be $17.5 million. How does any film that cost over $10 million qualify as an independent film? While I question its status as an independent film, CITY OF GHOSTS is hardly as mind numbing as A PROBLEM WITH FEAR. As a matter of fact, it has a lot of great qualities, but somehow still doesn't capture the viewer in the way you would want it to.Aside from a sadly two-dimensional and useless Natasha McElhone love-interest character, the rest of the characters in the film are well-developed and well-played. Matt Dillon, who also directs, is extremely subtle and nuanced in a role that wisely seems to play well to his strengths. James Caan plays an underworld kingpin type role that he's played a million times, but adds terrific layers of pathos ... " [More]
Von Ryan's Express on Reel 13
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"I had last seen VON RYAN'S EXPRESS (Mark Robson, 1965) a long time ago as a kid as one of many WWII movies that my father loved and wanted to introduce me to. Watching it again as an adult on Reel 13 last night, I realized that the film is not as strong or fun as I remembered. As a matter of fact, it is probably among the weaker films of its genre. Its superior contemporaries are films like THE GREAT ESCAPE (John Sturges, 1963), THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (J. Lee Thompson, 1961) and THE TRAIN (John Frankenheimer, 1964). The difference, I believe, is personality. All three of the films feature characters, both leading and supporting, that are significantly more fleshed out, three-dimensional and therefore, interesting. While VRE contains some impressive and well-choreographed action sequences, it isn't worth a damn without stronger character detail. The titular Colonel Ryan lacks any distinguishing characteristics or traits. He's a two-dimensional cookie-cutter war hero and its no wonder ... " [More]
Raising Victor Vargas on Reel 13
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"I had the opportunity to see Peter Sollett's celebrated short film, FIVE FEET HIGH AND RISING, at the First Run Festival (NYU's student showcase) in April of 2000 and it truly was a remarkable achievement in the short format. Sollett cast appealing and charismatic young non-actors from around the Brooklyn neighborhood where he was shooting. The result was something out of the French New Wave – a raw, unflinching look at youth and growing up while remaining optimistic, romantic and charming. He even ended the film with a freeze frame, akin to THE 400 BLOWS.I bring up the short because it is this short on which RAISING VICTOR VARGAS, which aired on Saturday on Reel 13, was based. Sollett actually uses the same kids that he used in the short, only now they are several years older and suddenly very aware that they are acting. The improvisational moments that Sollett allows for in both films are more contrived in the feature now that the kids are older and more experienced. That l ... " [More]
That's Entertainment Part II on ...
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"This was certainly a surprise choice for the folks at Reel 13 Classics. It's not so much a classic as it is a retrospective of classics, which I guess qualifies if you look at it from a certain vantage point. Still, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed when I saw this film on the May schedule. Generally speaking, as a film buff, I enjoy retrospectives. More often than not, they offer unique perspectives on their subjects and insight into film history. THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART II is different, however, for three reasons. One is the series was made by MGM/UA and so they primarily feature MGM musicals/scenes. While MGM had a lot of great stuff, narrowing your retrospective to one distributor over a two-decade period is a limitation. Second, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART II is an afterthought of a sequel – they already used their best clips in the first film, so we get the leftovers here. Finally, the intros to clips by Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly are inane and offer absolut ... " [More]