Murmur Of The Heart

1971 - France
Directed By Louis Malle


SYNOPSIS

14 year old Laurent (Benoit Ferreux) is a gifted student, living in an upper class family in 1950's France. As he becomes a man, experimenting in smoke, drink and sex, he suffers a heart murmur. After he recovers, he attends a sanatorium as he recovers and shares a hotel room with his mother (Lea Massari,) who's the most important woman in his life.

MY THOUGHTS

An amazing French film that should be better known.

Murmur Of The Heart perfectly captures all that is being a 14 year old with all the confusion, awkwardness, and budding sexuality. This is all due to Benoit Ferreux's outstanding performance. It's one of the best performances of a young actor in any language. His performance is the equal of Jean-Pierre Leaud's amazing performance in Francois Truffaut's similarly-themed (but very different) The 400 Blows. Ferreux never appears to be acting and is very natural and realistic in his portrayal of Laurent.

All the other actors also are very believable and help to create this very real world.

Plot-wise the film lacks in comparison to The 400 Blows... but then again this is more of a slice-of-life piece. It doesn't so much tell a story as it is just a peek into the life of a family and a young boy's coming of age.

Director Louis Malle no doubt based this film on his experiences growing up and it has a very autobiographical feel just like Truffaut's 400 Blows. This is made more evident by the film's very cheerful and, at times, silly tone... despite the darker aspects of the story. Laurent gets hit on by a priest, humiliated by his brothers after they set him up with a hooker, and... ahem... resolves part of his Oedipal complex (the non-murderous half.)
Despite the obvious autobiographical nature of Murmur... it's clear Malle is looking back fondly... it thankfully never appears sentimental or maudlin.... or sermonizes against the uglier aspects of the story. It has, in fact, no message. It is just telling a story.

The cinematography augments the autobiographical feeling. The film uses warm lighting and earthy colors to give it a homey, happy feel.

Adding to the autobiographical nature, we're treated to some of Malle's musical heroes like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sidney Bechet whose songs from the era comprise the awesome soundtrack.

To most, the film may be a little slow, but it is a deeply-engrossing, beautiful film that can truly be called "art."

Uncertainty

2009 - IFC Films
Directed By Scott McGehee and David Siegel


SYNOPSIS

Young couple Bobby and Kate (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins) flip a coin to decide their Fourth of July plans. They either attend her family's party in Brooklyn... or explore Manhattan and visit a friend's party that night. The story splits in two showing both results of the coin toss. One is an easy going day that involves finding a stray dog, while in the other a found cell phone leaves them running for their lives!

MY THOUGHTS

An interesting experiment that ultimately fails.

Splitting the story in two is an ingenious idea, something only the creativity of the independent film scene would devise.
The scenarios are complete contrasts and are like two entirely separate films. One a family drama, the other a mystery/thriller. In both, the main characters are very indecisive and are dealing with a huge dilemma... Kate is pregnant.

It's the same actors playing the same roles in both scenarios... except Joseph Gordon-Levitt is wearing a different shirt rendering it immediately easy to distinguish between the two story lines. The use of color is a very simple and clever way for the directors to keep the film easy to follow.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to impress me with each film he makes. Not only is he an amazing actor, but he knows how to pick unique and challenging scripts.
I was not aware of Lynn Collins before, but she holds her own against Gordon-Levitt's talents and is a revelation. The two have the chemistry of a real couple.
They are the film's only strength.

The story (stories) drag down the experimental nature of the film.

The family drama-half lacks any interest. It's no wonder why the couple was debating to go in the first place! Family dramas usually have little action but high levels of character development with lively conversations. There was little of either.

Also, The thriller-half  is very unbelievable. Why would someone have information stored on a simple cell phone that's worth half a million dollars to them? And how would someone charged with carrying that much responsibility, leave it in a cab? We're never given a definitive answer as to who these bad guys are or what they're doing. But they somehow show up within moments of tracing the found cell phone. It's just as ridiculous and unbelievable as the film Eagle Eye.

As for the film's message... I'm not sure if the directors were saying that:
1. Domestic life (family party) was happier and more comforting than the single life (running through Manhattan) and the two should settle down with child.
2. The internal conflict of trying to tell your family that you're pregnant is just as chaotic as the external conflict - running from assasins.
3. Big decisions are hard in any scenario.

I'm left feeling very... uncertain. (sorry)

Then there's the end...
The two stories never come together at the conclusion. We never find out what the couple has decided to do with their future, or if they've shaken the bad guys or found the stray dog's family. The lack of closure is a big letdown.

Uncertainty would have been a much more interesting and drama-filled if it used the same set up to show the results of a more important choice in the couple's lives (such as whether to have the baby/get an abortion.)

Apart from the fine performances from the leads, Uncertainty is certainly a letdown.

Sgt. Kabukiman, N.Y.P.D.

1990 - Troma
Directed By Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz


SYNOPSIS


The spirit of a long line of Japanese Kabuki actors is transferred into the body of a bumbling New York detective (Rick Gianasi.) Against his will, the sergeant transforms into Kabukiman with amazing superpowers (like shooting chopsticks.) He must find "The Evil One," who is destined to take over the world, and defeat him. A powerful and evil businessman (Bill Weeden) is revealed to be The Evil One. Now, Kabukiman must master his new powers and defeat the Evil One and his minions.

MY THOUGHTS

As you can tell from the synopsis (or even the title,) Sgt. Kabukiman, N.Y.P.D. is completely ludicrous.

The film is made by Troma and like all of its films, this is pure schlock.... but 'Grade A' schlock. Bad acting, over-the top story, horrible one liners, excessive violence and gore, gratuitous nudity are all traits of Troma... and are here in ample quantities. Kabukiman never takes itself seriously and is the absolutely perfect mastery of cheesiness and silliness in every possible form. Lacking the extreme violence and gore of other Troma films, this is far more accessible to the general public then their usual fair.

The film is a great send-up of the superhero genre and has a few nods to Superman: The Movie and Tim Burton's Batman. It's certainly on-par with Troma's greatest 'classic,' The Toxic Avenger.

Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.is a far cry from 'cinematic high-art' but it is a very entertaining film, ideal for a movie night/party for a group of friends looking for a fun 'bad' movie.

Peck's Bad Boy With The Circus

1938 - RKO
Directed By Edward F. Kline

SYNOPSIS

A gang of young friends led by Bill Peck (Tommy Kelly) is heading to summer camp, but get sidetracked when a circus comes to town. With his parents out of town, Bill spends all his money at the circus and is stranded. He hopes to hitch a ride with the circus to the next town, close to the camp... but he gets wrapped up in a battle between two competing circus acts and may miss the chance to defend his championship at the big race at camp.

MY THOUGHTS

A mildly amusing film that picks up steam and builds to a fun and hilarious conclusion.

The character of Bill Peck was the creation of author George W. Peck. His book Peck's Bad Boy had been previously filmed twice, in 1921 starring Jackie Coogan and in 1934 starring Jackie Cooper. 'Circus' is not based on any book and works as a sequel to the 1934 version, though the entire cast is different.

Tommy Kelly does a decent job holding the whole film together. He and his gang are no more as rough or tough as those in the Our Gang/Little Rascals comedies and their portion of plot could have been a rejected plot from those shorts. Apart from Kelly and the youngest gang member Pee Wee ('Spanky' McFarland,) the rest of the boys lack any individual personalities. Though, with the film's short b-movie length, there really isn't time to develop them.

The film is padded out to its 65 minute running time by introducing the rivalry between a lion taming act and a young girl doing tricks on horseback. The audience is immediately dropped into this feud and it takes a while to get our footing and find out who we're supposed to be rooting for.... even though we still aren't made to care. It's certainly made clear who's side we're on when the woman lion tamer causes the young girl to injure her ankle in a nasty spill.

This whole lame plot element does play out to perfection as Bill Peck must perform in the young girl's place... wearing her dress and a wig! The whole sequence is hilarious as the boy may have never even been on a horse before. He's attached to wires so he doesn't get injured... and spends most of the time floating in the air. Peck is then rushed to his camp to compete in the big race while still wearing the dress.
These ending sequences pick up the lackadaisical pace of the film and deliver laughs and excitement that the rest of the film does not.
It's a chore to sit through the first half of the film, but once it gets going, it's almost dynamite.

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

1933 - Germany
Directed By Fritz Lang


SYNOPSIS

A police investigation of a jewel heist leads them to Dr. Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge,) a man who's been mute and locked up in an asylum for a decade... and recently deceased. Is this master of hypnosis somehow controlling a group of thieves from beyond the grave?

MY THOUGHTS

Dynamic visuals and a still-relevant storyline make for an entertaining film.

I went into it expecting a horror film and not a crime film but it doesn't disappoint. The supernatural scenes of the ghostly Mabuse interacting and taking over his doctor are very effectively done and are downright creepy even today 80 years later.
The crime ring elements are on-par with the early Warner Brothers gangster films made at the same time. One scene far exceeds them though... when the bad guys shoot a cop who's figured them out while he's stopped at a traffic light. All the cars at the light drive off... except one.


The film is a sequel to the 1922 film Dr. Mabuse The Gambler, also directed by the legendary Fritz Lang. His last film would also visit Mabuse with 1960's The 1000 Eyes Of Dr. Mabuse. I have not seen either but am now eager to seek them out. This film clearly illustrates his talents as a filmmaker.

Mabuse lacks a central powerful acting performance like Lang's classic M, the film he did immediately prior to this. It does feature Otto Wernicke who played the same character (Inspector Lohmann) is both films. He is great, but the acting from everyone is overly melodramatic (and pales to M in every way) but doesn't detract from the film. It's almost expected in films of this vintage, so close to the silent era.

Visually the film is amazing. With the camera angles and use of shadows, the camerawork is clearly German expressionist. Combined with the subject matter, the film could be viewed as a proto-film noir.


Like Lang's epic Metropolis, Mabuse was heavily truncated and only recently have scholars been able to piece it back together. The Criterion DVD provides the most complete version of the film available.

You can definitely see a parallel with the villains in the film and the rise of Nazism in Germany at the time. Lang later claimed this was intended but that is in dispute (he liked to tell tale tales.) The rising Nazi government did seem to recognize this and banned the film. Mabuse didn't play in Germany until well after World War II. Parallels can also be drawn with terrorists in the modern age.

This remains a very accessible film and would be an excellent introduction to Fritz Lang's German work, if you haven't already seen M or Metropolis.

It Might Get Loud

2009
Directed By Davis Guggenheim


SYNOPSIS

3 generations of guitar gods (Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White) meet to discuss their instrument of choice and jam.

MY THOUGHTS

A unique, entertaining and different take on the 'rocumentary.'

It Might Get Loud mainly features the three guitarists on their own discussing their musical influences, how they work, showing off prized guitars, along with visits to important places in their careers (i.e. we see the mansion where Led Zeppelin recorded their 4th album.) We're treated to plenty of old concert footage and song clips. All these scenes are scattered throughout the film in a very scatter-shot order thats seemingly random like the splashes in a Jackson Pollock painting. The structure is a bit confounding but it keeps the film from falling into a boring routine.

The key to the success of the film is choosing the three guitarists. Page, The Edge, and White are all very different men from different backgrounds and different outlooks on music. When they tell their story, there's no common theme that runs through all three except the presence of a guitar and a love of music.

We never have to hear their band mates or fans/critics telling us how great these three are. (half of the film would have been Bono rambling endlessly!) You only ever hear the three stars tell their story and that's very refreshing.


But, I would have liked there to be more scenes of the three of them together talking (which seemed to be the premise of the whole film as evident in the trailer). There's actually very little of that, but they do jam together on several songs.
The three share many awkward moments during the jams because they all come from different schools - Page's influences are classical, blues and early rock, The Edge's are punk/new wave with plenty of technology and White's are bare-bones blues and punk. They don't completely gel but you wouldn't expect them to. The segments where each is on his own shows this by how completely different they approach music.

As a fan of 'rockumentaries,' and of these three amazing guitarists, I heartily recommend this documentary.
(and not to spoil anything... it DOES get loud)

Virginia City

1940 - Warner Brothers
Directed By Michael Curtiz


SYNOPSIS

Union Officer Bradford (Errol Flynn ) escapes from a Confederate prison with knowledge of a Confederate plot to ship gold to bolster their war-torn nation and leads a mission to stop it. Confederate Captain Irby (Randolph Scott) is leading the secret mission that will ship the gold from Virginia City, Nevada to the south. Both sides must contend with a dastardly Mexican bandito (Humphrey Bogart) who will stop at nothing to get the gold.

MY THOUGHTS

An entertaining B-movie... except it's an A-picture.

Michael Curtiz was well versed in action films, having directed all of Errol Flynn's 'swashbuckling films' like The Sea Hawk, Charge Of The Light Brigade and The Adventures Of Robin Hood (among others.) The action of a western is only a little bit different and he excels at this as well. The action looks great making the film look a lot better than it actually is.

The script is less as exciting. It's another very routine and predictable good conquering bad story. There are a few surprises along the way (like Flynn's prison sentence at the end,) but those are quickly tidied up.

Errol Flynn lacks the charm that made him a star and comes across rather bland. The character is a fairly bland one to begin with, so there was little for him to spice up... especially the romance.
Flynn's character's romance with Miriam Hopkins completely lacks the spark and chemistry of his several onscreen parings with Olivia De Havilland. The film would have done alright completely jettisoning this subplot and further developing the main plot to create something more original than a tacked-on romance to interest female viewers (who probably wouldn't be keen on seeing a western anyway.)

Surprisingly, Humphrey Bogart does OK as a Mexican. He's got the accent down pat but sadly doesn't have the menace or the screen time that even his basic supporting gangster characters did at the time. This was one of his final supporting roles and would soon graduate to lead roles by the end of the year.

The film makes great use of the many familiar faces of the Warner Brothers stock company who all shine in brief roles.

Virginia City is an entertaining and serviceable western but lacks much spark or originality.