Hitchcock

It's 1959, and Alfred Hitchcock is fresh off the success of "North by Northwest".  He's bored, and he's looking for his next great achievement. He picks up a pulp horror novel called "Psycho", and becomes convinced that this will be his next project.  The movie "Hitchcock" is about his efforts to get the film made, while dealing with multiple issues. First, there's his relationship with his wife Alma Reville. She's his closest collaborator, but she's tired of the self-sacrifice this constantly requires, and is anxious to show what she can do on her own.  Then there's the studios, who are loathe to spend money on a campy horror movie, that they're not even sure they can distribute, as there's no possible way it will get past the censors.

How this all plays out is great campy fun. I absolutely loved this movie.  That said, it's probably not for everyone.  It is definitely an "Art-House" picture, and will have a limited appeal, mainly to those like myself who are enthralled by movie history.  The acting is all amazing, and that's saying something.  Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Toni Collette are terrific as always. But who'd have thought Scarlett Johanson and Jessica Biel would have it in them.  It's an incredible achievement for first-time feature director Sasha Gervasi.  One small quibble - I could have completely done without Danny Huston's character.

(Word to the wise: Like I said, this movie is not for everyone.  There are several scenes of Hitch commiserating with serial killer Ed Gein, model for the character of Norman Bates. While these are all an illusion, they may be uncomfortable for some.  And some conservative types may also be uncomfortable with the characterization of Anthony Perkins as a closeted gay man, although it is accurate.)

Life of Pi

Based on one of the more popular recent novels, a young Indian man named Pi, and his family make the difficult decision to leave India for a new life.  His father is a zookeeper, so they leave by cargo boat, taking all the animals with them - the animals are all destined for other zoos.  While en route, the storm of the century arises, sinking the boat and all the occupants, with the exception of Pi and a few of the animals.  This is the story of his fight for survival over months at sea, with only a tiger for company.

If any movie this year were to score awards for visual effects and cinematography, this one is it.  It is a beautiful movie to look at - visually stunning, and the special effects are breathtaking.  The young star, Suraj Sharma, is incredible.  It's a terrific achievement from director Ang Lee.  Roughly two-thirds of it takes place in the middle of the ocean, amid storm and sun, where it's just Pi against the ocean and the tiger. I don't think it gives too much away to say that the tiger is an obvious metaphor.

While I enjoyed it, this isn't a movie that bears repeated viewing. 

Lincoln

Saw the new movie "Lincoln" recently, and it was a pleasure to watch.  It takes place during the time leading up to the passage of the 13th Amendment in early 1865, just prior to the end of the Civil War.  President Lincoln is convinced that passage of the amendment will bring an end to the war, and this shows the efforts of lawmakers and lobbyists to make sure that passage happens.

The movie has so many stars, but I call out just a few: Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing as Lincoln. His ability to inhabit a character is like no other, and this is perhaps his crowning acting achievement.  Sally Field is fantastic as Mary Todd Lincoln. Tommy Lee Jones is brilliant as Representative Thaddeus Stevens, ugly hairpiece and all. And James Spader as lobbyist W.N. Bilbo is absolutely hysterical.

It's a terrific film, and not without it's light touches despite it's serious historical message.  Spielberg's direction is spot on.  Definitely worth seeing.

(Word to the wise: There is some foul language in places, as well as scenes of war carnage. Definitely a PG-13, and not for young children)

It's a BIG Country!

I love a good Western. There's just something about a Western that makes you feel all rough and tough and ready to set off on a horse, with your hat on and your guns blazing.  And of all my favorite Westerns, I absolutely adore "The Big Country". It's a movie I watch regularly, and it just gets my blood pumping, from the very beginning strains of Jerome Moross's masterful accompaniment and the first shot of the wheels of the stagecoach and the hooves of the horses pulling it. I just love it.

Directed by William Wyler, "The Big Country" stars Greg Peck as a former ship's captain, who comes West to marry his intended, Carroll Baker. Right away, his Eastern sensibilities bring him into conflict with his future father-in-law, local cattle baron Charles Bickford, and ranch foreman Chuck Heston (who also happens to be in love with Baker).  It seems that Bickford is locked in a feud with another rancher, Burl Ives, and both of them are eager to gain control of the only available local water source, The Big Muddy River. The river happens to run through a ranch owned by Jean Simmons, and she maintains the peace by allowing both of them access.  When she decides to sell the Big Muddy to Greg Peck, the bullets and the fists start flying.

Also featuring Chuck Connors and Alfonso Bedoya, "The Big Country" is BIG. Roughly 3 hours long, widescreen, full of beautiful people and amazing scenery.  There's romance, danger, fist fights, gun play, and plenty of wide open spaces.  It's not Wyler's best work, but it's certainly his funnest.

Top 10: Halloween

Being as it's Fall and Halloween is almost upon us, it seemed fitting to talk about a few of my favorite Halloween movies.  Notice I didn't say Horror.  I'm certainly not a fan of that disgusting genre.  No, when I say Halloween, I mean two things: One is suspense.  The kind that has you biting your nails and on the edge of your seat, where danger is always lurking around the corner, but you never actually run into it.  The other is suspense spoofs - the kind that have you biting your nails, but also laughing out loud.  So, let's review a few of my favorites:

1. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - Take two cute old maiden ladies who just happen to be serial killers, one nephew who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, one nephew who is a homicidal maniac, and one nephew who's trying to deal with it all while preparing to leave for his honeymoon.  Starring Cary Grant, Josephine Hull, and Raymond Massey, it's flat-out hysterical, a screwball comedy/mystery if ever there was one.  And Raymond Massey is so creepy, I've never been able to watch him in anything else without looking over my soldier.

2. The Body Snatcher (1945) - Boris Karloff is a creepy menace as the grave robber/murderer who supplies two Doctors with cadavers for their research.  Henry Daniell is the main researcher who is willing to look the other way, all in the name of moving science forward.  Creepy, suspenseful, and full of foreboding.  Definitely watch this one in the daytime.

3. The Sixth Sense (1999) - Bruce Willis as a psychologist treating a young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who sees the spirits of dead people.  This one has plenty of atmosphere, and the twist at the end is masterful.  The best of M. Night Shayamalan's movies.

4. Young Frankenstein (1974) - Mel Brooks's masterpiece.  A spoof on the original Frankenstein, here Gene Wilder stars as a descendent of the original Doctor, who is trying to get beyond his family's past, but ends up giving into it.  Peter Boyle as The Monster, Madeline Kahn as the fiance, Terri Garr as the buxom Assistant, Marty Feldman as Eye-gor, and Chloris Leachman as Frau Blucher.  Funny, funny, funny. You won't be able to keep from quoting it.

5. Clue (1985) - Based on the classic board game, where several guests arrive at a mysterious mansion and try to discover "whodunit". So funny, it needed three alternate endings.

6. Corpse Bride (2005) - A groom on the eve of his wedding accidentally says "I Do" to a dead young woman, and he then has to find a way out of the underworld and back to his true love.  Outstanding animation, and voices by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. A whole lot of spooky fun.

7. Beetlejuice (1988) - Another one from Tim Burton. This time, a young dead couple tries to scare a crazy familie of eccentrics out of their former home. When all else fails, they call on Beetlejuice.  Spooky, funny, and totally creative.

8. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) - The kids are all ready for Halloween, and go off trick-or-treating, while Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the arrival of The Great Pumpkin on Halloween Eve.  Totally precious, and it should be on every kid's Halloween viewing list (and every grown-up's for that matter).

9. Cat People (1942) - Simone Simon is a young married woman who won't consummate her marriage because she's under an ancient curse, and afraid she'll turn into a panther.  But when the husband starts stepping out, her jealousy ends up setting the curse in motion. A moody, and atmospheric thriller, where something is always lurking in the shadows.  If you watch this, make sure all the lights are on first.

10. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - This sequel to the original "Frankenstein" introduces another mad scientist, who convinces Dr. Frankenstein to give it another go.  And this time around, the monster is seeking a mate.  Not all that scary today, but notable for the appearance of Elsa Lanchester as the Bride, and for being the source material for much of "Young Frankenstein".

Honorable Mention: The Others (2001) - Nicole Kidman stars as a young mother living alone with her two young children in an old house on the Isle of Jersey. While waiting for her husband to come home from war, she decides to hire some servants, who may or may not be who they claim. Of course, their arrival brings all sorts of unintended spooky consequences.  This is a brilliant film.  The acting is incredible, and the camera work really contributes to the spooky atmosphere. There's also a twist at the end that rivals the one in Sixth Sense. Awesome.

Top 5 - Comedies

As much as I adore musicals, and westerns, and romantic dramas, I love me a really good funny movie.  One that makes me erupt in loud guffaws and break out in joyous tears.  Sadly, there are darn few of those anymore - most of today's comedians seem to go for the lowest common denominator (Yes, I'm talking about you, Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler).  So today's edition of Top 5 focuses on my favorite movie comedies.

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) - A group of motorists witness a car over a ledge.  As they go to the scene to check it out, they discover Jimmy Durante who has been ejected and is just a few moments away from kicking the bucket.  Before he does, he tells them about a treasure in loot that he has hidden "Under the big W."  From there, it's every man for himself as they try to outrun and outwit each other and be the first to find the buried treasure.  The movie stars the great Spencer Tracy, and every comic then known, with a host of others in cameo performances. It's flat-out hysterical. I love it.

One, Two, Three (1961) - Written and directed by Billy Wilder, this satire is about Coca-Cola's man in Berlin at the beginning of the 1960's. He's assigned to keep tabs on the boss's daughter, who has just eloped with a communist from East Berlin. Can he fix the situation before his Boss arrives? 

The movie stars Jimmy Cagney as the Coca-Cola exec, and Horst Buchholz as the communist. The dialog is spoken at break-neck speed, and hilarity ensues, with all sorts of jokes skewering communists and capitalists alike.  Make sure to pay attention for some small tributes to movie history, too.  You will definitely laugh out loud.

(Special note: With this one, it helps to have some understanding of history and of the Cold War)

To Be or Not to Be (1942) - Jack Benny and Carole Lombard star as married Jewish actors Josef and Maria Tura.  She rendezvous with a young military officer during his Hamlet soliquoy, at which point they become aware of a Nazi plot to overthrow the Polish resistance. Then they must use all of their acting skills to defeat a Nazi spy. It's pointed social satire and hysterically funny.  It's a pointed and hysterical satire of the Nazis. Director Ernst Lubitsch had a long career spanning from Silents to Talkies, and of all his comedy classics ("Ninotchka", and "The Shop Around the Corner" among them), this is his comedy masterpiece.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - The title of this movie alone  should let you know that you're in for something.  In it, an insane Air Force General sets off the process for nuclear war, while various politicians and military personnel from both sides try to stop it.  Sounds deadly serious - I mean how could a movie about nuclear war be funny, especially if it's directed by Stanley Kubrick, right?  Wrong. This movie is flat out hysterical.  For one thing, it has the great Peter Sellers, playing four different parts, and for another, it has Slim Pickens putting on his best rodeo.  Political, satirical, and very very funny.

(Tip: Watch for a young James Earl Jones as a member of the flight crew.)

The More the Merrier (1943) - It's World War II, and there's a housing shortage in Washington, D.C.  Jean Arthur has an apartment and puts half of it up for rent. Charles Coburn (in an Oscar-winning performance), with a little trickery, rents it, then proceeds to rent half of his half to Joel McCrea, without telling Arthur.  All sorts of awkward situations occur, as the three try to maneuver around each other. While all this is going on, Coburn is also trying to play matchmaker for the other two - it also has one of the steamiest scenes of a movie from that era, and how it ever made it past the production code, I'll never know.  Funny, funny, funny, and my favorite Jean Arthur movie.  

(Tip: Aside from the aforementioned steamy scene, watch for the one where Jean Arthur is explaining the next morning's schedule to Charles Coburn. Hysterical!)

Classic Character - Joan Blondell

During the decade of the 1930's, if there was anyone who epitomized the brassy blonde, it was Joan Blondell.  No dumb blonde this one, she was fast talking, smart, and funny, and always a step ahead of you.  And while she was big in the 30's, her career spanned over 40 years.  I happened on a few of her movies recently, and she is definitely deserving of the title "Classic Character".  Check her out in these:

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) - Joan shares an apartment with a group of chorus girls. Their composer neighbor Dick Powell is in love with Joan's roommate Ruby Keeler. Unbeknownst to them, neighbor boy is heir to a family fortune, and his interfering brother, played by Warren William, comes to New York to try to bust up the romance.  He thinks that Joan is Ruby, and this begins an elaborate case of mistaken identity. A very funny movie, and she's great in it.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) - notable for being the first picture directed by Elia Kazan, it's the sentimental story of a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1900's, and the challenges faced by her and her family. Joan plays Aunt Sissy, sister to Mother Dorothy McGuire. Although adored by her niece and nephew, her sister doesn't consider her the finest example, as Sissy has had 3 different husbands, all of whom she has called "Bill". It's a terrific role, filled with humor and understanding. I think it's her best work.

The Cincinnati Kid (1965) - Steve McQueen is a young card-playing phenom, who wants to be the greatest poker-player ever. Edward G. Robinson is the grand old man of the game, and Joan Blondell is Lady Fingers, well-known in New Orleans, and a supporter of The Kid. It is she who will end up dealing the hand in their final confrontation.