Hollywoodland

2006 - Focus Features
Directed By Allen Coulter


SYNOPSIS

The death of TV's Superman, George Reeves (Ben Affleck,) is ruled a suicide. His mother (Lois Smith) doesn't believe it was suicide and hires a detective (Adrian Brody.) The detective uncovers many possible suspects and clues overlooked by the police that point to murder.

MY THOUGHTS


One of Hollywood's greatest death mysteries gets the big screen treatment.

 Hollywoodland presents many of the possible scenarios that may have occurred surrounding George Reeves' death in 1959. It also raises many of the questions surrounding evidence, a half-assed autopsy, and possible studio hush-ups. Like real life, the film does not offer a conclusive answer as to what happened that night. So much time has passed that we will likely never know.
 

Adrian Brody's character is a scumbag, but not so much we can't root for him. But he's of questionable moral fiber like the best film noir-type protagonist. His role is fictionalized in the story. The role brings a lot of baggage that's unnecessary to the story (but more on that later.) At many points the role seems like a cheap knock-off of Phillip Marlowe, just not as interesting. But Brody makes the most with the little he has.

Ben Affleck does his best dramatic work of his career here. His George Reeves appears like a fully-realized and complex person despite his limited screen-time (limited to flashbacks.)


The filmmakers did an amazing job at recreating the 40's and 50's time period. It's not quite as an elaborate job as other films, like L.A. Confidential, with major street scenes and location shooting, but it is a more intimate and 'small' film. The sets and costumes are simply perfect. There are also subtle differences that distinguish the 'modern day' and flashback footage so we're never confused.

Hollywoodland does drag in many spots. Brody's (estranged) family life seems tacked-on to humanize him more and allow for an actual resolution in the end (since the Reeves case has none.) The scenes with his son and his ex lack the punch that Brody's investigative scenes have and come across as dull and trite.
Otherwise, the rest of the film is strong and would fit in perfectly with the noir films of the 40's and 50's.

Make Way For Tomorrow

1937 - Paramount Pictures
Directed By Leo McCarey


SYNOPSIS

An elderly couple (Victor Moore + Beulah Bondi) loses their home to the bank. Their children take them in but only have room for one at each place, so the couple of 50 years must be split up. The both suffer loneliness at the separation.... still madly in love.

MY THOUGHTS

A forgotten classic.

In the golden age of cinema, each major studio strove to make about 50 films a year, resulting in several hundred films a year just from them. B-movie studios and other fly-by-night companies contributed hundreds more. In a setting like that, you would have to factor that many fine films fell through the cracks and into obscurity. Make Way For Tomorrow is one of them.


It lacks a big-name cast (but filled with familiar faces) and deals with the unpopular topic of the elderly... which contribute to its obscurity.


Seniors are rarely the focus of films and even fewer films featuring them are successes. Plus it doesn't help that 'Tomorrow' is a sad film. At the height of the Depression, a sad film was the last thing anyone wanted to see anyway and the film flopped.

Thankfully, the Criterion Company has resurrected the film for DVD.
It was one of hundreds of films Paramount sold to Universal in the 1950's to be sold for television. Universal has barely touched that pile of films for DVD release and those it had released had been lacking in quality prints and bonus features (like the Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection and Preston Sturges: The Filmmaker Collection box sets.) 'Tomorrow" never even made it to VHS and finally hit DVD in 2010.
Criterion licensed this important film from Universal and provided an outstanding looking print that looks like it has aged little in 70+ years. Its as good as or better than the usual Criterion quality, which is the vanguard for the entire DVD industry.

Director Leo McCarey made his name as a comedy director ( he put Laurel and Hardy together and directed such classics as The Awful Truth, Duck Soup and Going My Way) but he turns to drama here. There is plenty of humor here though mostly subtle and never laugh-inducing.

It is a perfectly crafted film. It's never overly maudlin or sentimental... yet also never overly cynical or mean spirited. The couple's children are never pegged as bad people for not completely focusing on their parents.  They have their own lives to lead... and McCarey doesn't ever preach that this is wrong even though many of them make up bogus excuses why NOT to take in the elderly couple. The old husband and wife are also portrayed as both victims and as people who are just clearly in the way of their children's lives (like in the bridge game class.)
Like my previous review of Coal Miner's Daughter, everything is presented in a realistic and matter-of-fact way, free of director's prejudices.


Fans of classic cinema, especially ones looking for something rare, different, and subtly powerful could not find anything better than Make Way For Tomorrow.

Coal Miner's Daughter

1980- Universal Pictures
Directed By Michael Apted


SYNOPSIS

This biopic traces the life of Loretta Lynn. Growing up in a poor mining town, 13-year old Loretta (Sissy Spacek) meets returning Army vet Doolittle Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones.) The two fall in love, marry, and have several children. For an anniversary present, Doolittle give Loretta a guitar because he loves the way she sings. She cuts a record and finds herself on the Grand Ole Opry... and before long a country superstar.

MY THOUGHTS

What could be just a standard showbiz documentary is elevated by its two masterful lead performances.


On the surface, the relationship between Loretta and Doolittle is more than creepy. A grown man marrying a 13 year old is unsettling... and their relationship is far from smooth sailing (but they stayed together for nearly 50 years before his death in 1996.)
Refreshingly, director Michael Apted presents everything in a matter-of-fact way and never gets preachy and influences our opinions of the characters. He doesn't paint Doolittle as a horrible person, or Loretta's parents as bad people for allowing the marriage. Loretta also is never portrayed as a victim (or a saint.)

The rural Kentucky life depicted early in the film seems very authentic and doesn't appear "Hollywoodized." This and the lack of hillbilly stereotypes help to set up the realism that is conveyed in the performances.

Sissy Spacek totally nails the character of Loretta Lynn. She's a perfect mimic in every way. The speaking AND singing voice, mannerisms, innocence and the spunk are all perfectly replicated. With only minimal costuming and hairstyle changes, she expresses the decades that pass during the course of the story, just by the subtle levels of confidence her character has (via her posture, boldness, etc.)
Spacek is an outstanding actress, she can convey the complex emotions of a deceptively 'simple' character  and comes across as real as the real Loretta Lynn.
Spacek deservedly won an Oscar.

Tommy Lee Jones has the most difficult role in the film. He must antagonize the main character, who is adored by millions, yet somehow NOT come off looking like a monster. He's a perfect match for Spacek, they both  portray their roles as realistically as possible. Doolittle has more than a few rough edges and rarely admits his love for Loretta... but Jones is able to convey this with just body language and actions. A lesser actor could not pull that off as subtly.
It's a real shame Tommy Lee Jones has seemingly been pigeonholed playing lawmen and authority figures since his Oscar win for The Fugitive. Even in quality films like No Country For Old Men, he never gets the chance to flex his acting muscles as strongly as he did here.

Beverly D'Angelo (as Patsy Cline) and Levon Helm (as Loretta's father) provide more than solid support.

The film's structure is pretty basic, following Loretta Lynn's entertaining autobiography. The book never dragged, but the film does in many spots and could have even shaved a good 10-20 minutes from it.


Even people who loathe country music should find plenty to enjoy here since it's not focused on the music... it's focused on the life of Loretta Lynn and music is only a part of it all.

F For Fake

1973
Directed By Orson Welles


SYNOPSIS

A documentary that focuses on forgeries in the arts. Infamous art forger Elmyr de Hory is first examined... then his biographer Clifford Irving who notoriously also forged an 'authorized' biography of Howard Hughes. Director Orson Welles confesses some of his own forgeries before unleashing another.

 MY THOUGHTS

This was essentially Orson Welles final (completed) feature film as a director.

His genius as a film-maker also prevents F For Fake from being just a typical documentary.
The film zigzags between its subjects in a lyrical free-form fashion, never lingering on one subject long enough to get boring.
One of the great ironies of 'F' is it's 'stream of consciousness' structure. What onscreen seemingly appears to be 'off the cuff' is actually meticulously planned and arranged... so the entire film's structure, in a way, is itself a forgery! No doubt Orson Welles was fully aware of this ironic joke and intended it.



Welles' own narration and on screen presence ties the pieces of story together. His spirited and impassioned delivery and sense of humor make for a very entertaining film. He has the spirit of a young child full of pranks and lies, with a twinkle in his eye. This is most evident when he's discussing his own forgeries, like his start as an actor (possibly itself a lie) and his legendary War Of The Worlds radio broadcast that duped the entire country. He also lies stating Citizen Kane was originally to be about Howard Hughes and would have starred Joseph Cotten in the lead. Cotten appears, to back up his pal's false claims, duping the audience. These little lies build until we're treated to a very big one at film's end.



Any film geek should definitely seek this film out, just to study its structure, pacing and editing. On the technical side, it's just as engrossing as Welles' Citizen Kane.

The 'art' of forgeries may seem like a weak topic for a feature film documentary... but 'F' is more than just  forgeries. It examines what art is... and how we look at it. The paintings may be fakes, but are they not art? The works don't physically change once we find them to be frauds, but we judge them differently.
Welles also hits on other weighty topics like death... and that life may just be one big illusion.

F For Fake is a unique and engaging piece of cinema from one of it's masters.

Moon

2009
Directed By Duncan Jones


SYNOPSIS

In the near future, Earth's  energy woes are solved by mining on the moon. Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is the sole worker at the Lunar Company's base and is weeks away from going home. His only company is the computer GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey.) When investigating some malfunctioning mining equipment, Sam crashes. When he comes to, he has no memory of the incident. Once healthy, he defies orders and heads back to the mining equipment, only to find himself barely alive in the lunar rover. He brings the other back to base and they find out their clones... and their company has many dark secrets. They must find a way to get to Earth

MY THOUGHTS

This is a perfect example of what Sci-Fi should be... but rarely is.

The best science fiction always transfers modern day social issues and talks about them in abstract terms in a futuristic setting. Moon tackles cloning, self identity, and the corporate/capitalist mentality. All of these factor into the story without being too heavy handed and weigh down the narrative.

The best sci-fi values story over special effects. The special effects in Moon are low tech. The old school style of using actual models over CGI actually makes them look real. Even a bad eye can easily pick out computer graphics because they've yet to completely perfect them to fool the eye. Here, the moon appears as real as looking at high-quality images from the Apollo missions.

Moon has more than a few nods to 2001: A Space Odyssey. GERTY is clearly HAL - the next generation. But Moon has much more humanity than the austere 2001. Moon is also vaguely similar to the 1972 and 2002 versions of Solaris.

Kevin Spacey's voice and other actors appear on the periphery. Sam Rockwell is the star. He's proved himself to be a very versatile actor over the years... yet this is his career highlight. He plays two versions of Sam. Both are clearly the same guy with the same memories, hopes and aspirations (built in to the clones) but are subtly different. One is subtly more quick to anger, the other is subtly more artistic and introspective. You never question who is who. He does a marvelous job.

Director Duncan Jones hits a home run with his first film. The son of David Bowie shows a very bright future as a film-maker

Bugsy

1991 - Tristar Pictures
Directed By Barry Levinson


SYNOPSIS

New York mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (Warren Beatty) heads to Los Angeles to consolidate, run, and expand the small time mob operations. The gangster succeeds and falls in love with a nightclub singer (Annette Bening.)  Siegel then hatches an outrageous plan... to build an enormous hotel and casino in a small back water town called Las Vegas... where gambling is legal. The costs of his venture skyrocket... angering his skeptical big time investors back east.

MY THOUGHTS

A flawed film about a very flawed man.

Bugsy takes way too many liberties with history in order to tell a better story. The Flamingo was really the third hotel/casino on the Las Vegas Strip, not the first as depicted here. Siegel did not come up with the idea for, or have anything to do with the construction of the Flamingo until late in the game. Many events are also shuffled around.
The quick-tempered and very violent Siegel is significantly toned down in order to fit a 'leading man' type of role opposed to a villainous one.
Anyone who's looking for an accurate portrayal of the history of Siegel and his Vegas/LA dealings would be better suited reading a book or watching a History Channel documentary.

Still, the film does give a lavishly detailed look at life in the 40's. The film spared no expense in recreating the period. The costumes, hair, makeup, sets, music, etc. really help to transport you back in time. Barry Levinson's direction helps to bring the most out of the settings.

Story-wise, the film brings nothing new to the gangster genre. It's the same rise and fall tale that had already been told several times by the time Little Caesar and The Public Enemy made instant stars of Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney (respectively) back in 1931. 60 years later, Bugsy was able to amp-up the violence and language... but still paled in every way to Goodfellas released the year before. Goodfellas brought new stuff to the table.

Warren Beatty does a solid job as Siegel, but his performance lacks that spark that most of the big screen gangsters have, including his own take on Clyde Barrow in Bonnie And Clyde. The script sanitized much of Siegel's darkest edges. I would have liked to see Beatty much more edgier here.. but it was not to be.
He was nominated for an Oscar, though Bugsy is far from one of his best roles.
His best scenes show off his great chemistry with co-star Annette Bening, and they married shortly after filming.

Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley play Mickey Cohen and Meyer Lansky. Both are amazing actors but the roles are basically 2-dimensional and they suffer as a result... yet both were also nominated.

Joe Mantegna is woefully miscast as George Raft. Mantegna's laid-back, cool approach (he's practically the same in everything) couldn't be further from the street-bred tough guy Raft. In real life, Raft grew up on the rough streets of Hell's Kitchen and never lost the rough edges that an upbringing like that would create. Mantegna conveys none of this. he comes off like a cream-puff.

Somehow, Bugsy won a Golden Globe for Best Drama over The Silence Of The Lambs... but thankfully Oscar corrected this.
Bugsy is not a terrible film by any means... but the results are disappointing considering the subject matter and the talent involved to tell this story.

Miracle Of Morgan's Creek

1944 - Paramount Pictures
Directed By Preston Sturges


SYNOPSIS

A teenage girl (Betty Hutton) attends an all-night sendoff for some troops before they head off to World War II. The next day she hazily remembers marrying one of them but doesn't remember who... and soon after realizes she's pregnant. She seeks help from a young man (Eddie Bracken) who's loved her all his life and is labeled 4-F (can't go to war) agrees to marry her. She falls for him and their troubles increase.

MY THOUGHTS

The 'Miracle' of Morgan's Creek is that it made it past the censors.

There are so many taboo subjects tackled by the film... it's a wonder it made it to theaters intact. Jabs against marriage, the military (during wartime,) underage drinking, Hitler, small town values, and more risque subjects are tackled in this supreme farce.
Plus, there's the whole 'getting pregnant out of wedlock' thing that somehow got by the VERY strict production code.

The frenetic pacing, witty dialogue, and pratfalls eclipses even the best screwball comedies. The film has to be one of writer-director Preston Sturges' sharpest comedies... and with his filmography it's an impressive mark. He was one of the first (if not THE first) writer/director in Hollywood. Most of his films were in a similar comedic vein sharing many of the same personnel.... but never as biting as in Miracle. The satire of Miracle of Morgan's Creek is equal to or even sharper than the Marx Brothers at their best.

One of the keys of the film's success lies with it's leads Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken. Even with the outstanding writing, the film would not succeed at all without their brilliant and hilarious performances. Sturges regular William Demarest, as Hutton's father, is also a main highlight.

Preston Sturges delivers a miracle... both being controversial and uproariously hilarious at a time of heavy censorship... all the while poking fun at said censorship and delivering a masterpiece.