Sorry you've had to wait!

I've been pretty busy (working, eating, sleeping, watching DVDs/Blurays etc) and haven't been reviewing as much as i hoped i could. Let's see what i've seen:

Miracle on 34th Street (1947). I really enjoyed this movie as everyone gives a stellar performance (including Edmund Gwenn who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Kris Kringle). In fact this was such a good Christmas movie that it almost makes you believe in Santa Clause. I saw the remake a while ago and found it... Well i just didn't get into it, maybe because the acting wasn't good or because the script wasn't. Maybe both.

Scream 2 (1997). Funny, fairly suspenseful, good death scenes and great to watch while enjoying some junk food. it's not as good as the first, but definitely a worthy successor, all of the principle cast return and we even get to see Sarah Michele Gellar get killed (i just found it very funny because i could just see Buffy kicking Ghost Face's ass).

Reefer Madness (2005). This is quite possibly my favourite musical of the last decade, it is hilariously over the top, deliciously camp and is home to wildly inventive songs, it is rare that a musical doesn't go by without at least one forgettable song (usually there just to fill in time) but this movie had none. It was brilliant. It stars Christian Campbell, Kristen Bell, Alan Cumming (Amazing), Amy Spanger, Ana Gasteyer and Steven Weber. Plus we get the added bonus of Neve Campbell (i say bonus because A: i didn't know she could sing or dance and B-  I just plain wasn't expecting to see her). Another great thing about this movie is that no other film in the history of the world has a list of characters that includes The Statue Of liberty, George Washington, Jesus, Uncle Sam and The Devil. None. At. All.

Heroes: Season 1. I enjoyed this show back when it was on but halfway through season 3 i just gave up on it, they kept the lame characters around too long (i wish they'd killed Claire slowly and painfully) and didn't spend enough time developing the more interesting ones. But Season 1 is astoundingly good and has what almost every other season lacked: a sense of humour. They didn't have one character that was there purely the comic relief, instead the comedy was a bi product of the characters and their personalities. Season 2 suffered due to the writers strike but it did hold good ideas, then in season 3 they just kind of lost it. I can't comment of season 4 as i haven't watched all of it yet.

The Descent (2007). A well shot suspense thriller (i don't really see it as a horror movie) that gives us a real sense of claustrophobia and fear for the characters who are trapped in a cave and then hunted by the (really gross) inhabitants. Unlike most of these kinds of movies this one got a genuine fright out of me (if only one). Recommended.

Halloween (1978). Enjoyable but very unscary movie that is everything that Scream satirizes, from the obligatory nude scene to the 'have sex and you will die' rule. The main score is chilling, Michael's mask is miles better than it was in the remake and PJ Soles says 'Totally' about ten times in one scene. Not even in exaggerating that one. Great popcorn flick with good direction but John Carpenter, however the acting is mediocre. Totally.

Now for a film i am very excited about: Les Miserables. I love the music, it's beautiful. I haven't seen the musical on stage and i know that I probably never will, so that is why i am excited for this movie. It is to star Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Aaron Tveit, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne and (i don't think it's official yet) Amanda Seyfried. I heard that director Tom Hooper wants to hire Tayor Swift for Eponine to which i say "NO!!!!!!!!!!!" I don't hate Taylor Swift, she's a good country/pop singer and seems like a nice person. But i don't think she could pull off the demanding score or the acting required. The rest of the cast i wont complain about because to be honest i'm happy with them (although i can understand the skepticism about Hathaway and Seyfried.) Seyfried isn't really known as a singer, i know she is trained as one (at least that's what i read somewhere) but the fact that she doesn't use her voice much - besides for Mama Mia which wasn't really that good of a film- is probably troubling people. Oh well, i just hope that it's a good movie. Because that's all i want.

"Like Montague! That's not even a real word i looked it up in two different dictionaries" Mary lane (Kristen Bell) Reefer Madness

RWAC analysis

Sometimes a movie will just pop into my head. last night Rebel Without a Cause (1955) was one of these movies. Let me just say that it is one of my favourites.
Instead of doing a plain old review i thought that i would try to analyze the 3 main characters, Plato (Sal Mineo), Judy (Natalie Wood) and Jim (James Dean). Now i don't think i'm very good when it comes to analysis but i'll let you be the judge.

Plato

John "Plato" Crawford is probably the most disturbed of the 3 characters. He has been pretty much abandoned by both parents and since he has no friends he mostly spends his time with his maid or at one point killing puppies. The way i see it Plato killed these puppies not out of angst or hate but a warped view of justice. Puppies are abandoned by their mother, the way he was abandoned by his, he shot them because he saw himself in them. He was sort of suicidal. But as far as we know he never attempted it, but why not? Perhaps subconsciously he thought things would get better and when Jim arrived they did (for a little).

Plato's relationship with Jim is just one of the many interesting relationships in this movie. Jim and Judy became sort of surrogate parents to Plato during their brief time at the secluded mansion. But yet Plato is obviously attracted to Jim, for a fifties movie it's astounding that it was even featured, but nonetheless it was and it adds a whole other layer to the movie. Plato both see's Jim as a father figure and a potential lover. he was certainly a confused young man.

Judy

Continuing the trend of complex father relationships in this movie is Judy's need for attention from her father. It is natural for a girl to still want some attention from her father even though she is growing up, but he doesn't seem to want to show any kind of affection. Even slapping her when she tries to. i once read someone else's theory that he was afraid of his attraction to her, which is a very good idea and i think it is just about right.
It has been debated on the IMDB boards about why she suddenly fell in love with Jim mere hours after Buzz (her boyfriends) death. This i think i can explain. Judy's father was pushing her away, Buzz became the man of her life, she was close to him and was allowed to show the affection she couldn't show to her father. But did she love him? No. The fact that she didn't have a huge mourning over him is because she had to push him out of her mind. To be strong and find another man to be her rock. This man was Jim. She said she loved him because he was security, he was attentive and loving (and he was James Dean), she loved the idea of him.

Jim.

The template for teen angst everywhere is Jim Stark. The 'rebel' who wants to break away from his restraints but at the same time fit in. A paradoxical character, (in fact they all were). He doesn't want to be like his Father (Jim Backus), who is a push over who can't stand up to his own (shrewish) wife. Jim hates being called 'chicken' as it reminds him of his Dad, who he doesn't want to be. Here is the main cause of his 'rebellion', he wants to be seen as his own man, a real man. To be a real man he thought he mustn't be afraid of even the most dangerous  and stupid things (like driving a car towards a cliff). His relationship's with Judy and Plato were perfectly suited to him. Judy was very different from his own mother, she didn't tell him what to do or was demanding. Plato was the son. Plato wanted parents. The entire family dynamic is very well put together.

I may be wrong about quite a few of these things, after all I've never been great at analysis. But the thing i love about this movie is that it can be interpreted in many different ways. i also love it's basic theme- teenagers trying to find their own way. It is still so culturally significant today (and will be in the future). Sure the events are melodramatic (impromptu switch blade fights...)  but again, the theme isn't teen violence or even rebellion, it's finding a purpose.

"You have to do something" Buzz Gunderson (Corey Allen), Rebel Without a Cause.

Inside Daisy Clover (1965)

I am a self admitted Natalie Wood fan and it was a small ambition of mine to see this movie in spite of the mixed reviews. I can see now why it has mixed reviews. You see, i can't decide whether it was good or bad either....

For me the good parts were Robert Redford as Wade Lewis, i defy you not love him just a little bit. Christopher Plummer as Raymond Swan and Ruth Gordon as Daisy's mother. I also really liked the ending.
The bad parts were: The film has pacing problems and a less than great script. The acting is melodramatic at times and Natalie Wood was noticeably too old to play the 15 year old Daisy (she was about 26 at the time.)

I enjoyed the film in spite of the huge flaws. But in some scenes i simply couldn't get past the melodrama. Wood was one of those stars where if she was good she was REALLY good, such as in Splendor In the Grass, Rebel without a Cause, West Side Story and Sex and The single girl (which was very funny IMO). But in this she came off a bit try hardish. Not to say she didn't have her moments. in the scenes where she hardly had to say anything, where the clunky dialogue didn't affect her, she shone and stole the scene. It was the eyes, they conveyed a lot of emotion. I think her best moment in this movie was a her breakdown scene, i think she had a flare for breakdown scenes.

I love Robert Redford and he was good with what he was given to work with, but his scenes aren't all that flash, but i can tell he tried and he was the second best supporting character (the 1st being Mrs Clover).

The movie takes place in the 30's and revolves around Daisy's whirlwind journey into stardom. The story is okay. But the fact we hardly see Daisy doing any work (except about 3-4 song and dances) takes it's toll on the plot. Maybe they could've added a scene or two to show us she actually does something. Daisy also seems a little erratic (even for a teenage girl), which makes her seem kind of crazy and it is hard to like her at first. But as the movie goes on it's easier and we really admire her by the end of the movie.

It is good the film has a sense of humour. Ruth Gordon injects some of this in her first scene where she  reports her husband missing, she admits he'd been gone for seven years, the cop asks her why it took her so long to report it and she answers: "well i only started to miss him this morning."

Overall i think it had more good in it than bad but it takes a while to pay off, i strongly recommend though that you stay watching it until the end. Because the ending is pretty cool.

"You're as sound as a roach" Raymond Swan (Christopher Plummer), Inside Daisy Clover.

My ideal comedy....

I still love movies, i try to see as many good ones as possible and if that means paying the money to go to the cinema i am all for it. But somehow i always find myself wondering how it could have been better, did Megan Fox really need to say "you give me such a wettie" in Jennifer's Body? That was really a cringe worthy line, the movie wasn't that flash either. Really i have to wonder sometimes how the movie stars of the classic studio era would have implied anything raunchy. I've seen movies with double entendre's that you really had to listen to understand and love and they were way funnier than Jennifer's Body. Enough about that movie.

I love how they implied things, i suppose there is something to be said for subtlety. I kind of just want to see a movie that has the double entendre's and dry wit of the classic era combined with the darkness of modern comedies like (here i go again) Jennifer's Body. That was really dark, it had some good idea's but it's attempts at being edgy were kind of cheap and awkward. However if i took the best things about the movie (the action and storyline) and combined it with the comedy of old, then i'd be closer to my ideal film.

I suppose it is just a pipe dream and i feel silly for even saying it aloud. But it's true. The recent death of one of the last great movie stars, Elizabeth Taylor, has sort of spurred this post. I decided not to do a whole post on her specifically because in truth i haven't seen many of her movies. But i do know that she was THE movie star. Her sheer presence in a film made it watchable, even The Flintstones. I suppose that anyone who watches an Elizabeth Taylor movie will see just that: Elizabeth Taylor. She could act (she was great in Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf), but i'm not sure that was why she was so successful. Personally i think it was her looks (i wish i had those eyes) and her attitude. That's my opinion. Here another of my opinions: i thought she'd live forever. Her movie's will though.

Back to what i was saying. The comedy of the classic era (at least the good ones) were witty, screwball and lighthearted. I loved them, i want the modern sex comedy to be mixed with the screwball and slapstick of the classics. It would be epic.

Then there are the stars. I'd want....
Johnny Depp
Cary Grant
Katharine Hepburn
Anne Hathaway
Jack Lemmon
Tina Fey
Natalie Wood
James Dean (i am just curious how he would have been in a comedy)
Robin Williams (circa Mork and Mindy)
Mae West
The Marx Brothers
Tony Curtis
Barbra Streisand (circa What's Up Doc?)
Liz Taylor (circa Father of the bride)
Spencer Tracy (circa Woman of the year)
Madeline Kahn
Gene Wilder
directed by Frank Capra
written by: Mel Brooks, Woody Allen and Billy Wilder

That is who would be in my perfect comedy. With a cast like that it would have to be a road movie or something, but still... it would be so cool. Even if it is unattainable.

This was a pretty pointless post....

"Is that a gun in your pocket or you just glad to see me?" Marlo Manners, (Mae West) Sextette (1978)

Gypsy (1962)

I have to say that although it's no musical masterpiece it has been unfairly treated in the past.

After all Rosalind Russell (who plays Mama Rose) while not physically suiting the part (the real Mama Rose wasn't as tall or slim, which is probably why Ethel Merman played her on stage to rousing applause- because she had the look) anyway she brought some emotion and depth to it, plus she's made worse movies.
Then there is Natalie Wood, (who gets to sing for herself in this!) now she has been one of my favourite actresses since i saw her in The Great Race (being funny) and in West Side Story (miming but acting the hell out of it), so i was looking forward to seeing this. While she plays the title role her part isn't that showy, at the start she is a sort of quiet and timid girl, but as the movie progresses she comes out of her shell much more. Thats character development. She too has made worse movies (Bombers B-52 anyone?).
Karl Malden isn't mentioned much so i thought i'd just mention that while he didn't give a groundbreaking performance it was solid and had some life.
Ann Jillian who played June Hovick (Gypsy's sister) embodied her character pretty fully and i have no complaints.

Now the music is a mixed batch but mainly entertaining, especially "let me entertain you" and "if mama was married."
Dances are fine, especially Tulsa's dance with Louise (AKA Gypsy, played by Natalie Wood), which is a highlight.

To be honest it ran a little long and some parts of it should have been cut, but this is not the fault of the actors. I have to say that it's funny, dramatic, light and overall uneven, but if you're a fan of the actors it's worth a watch. Personally i enjoyed it, i got a bit bored in some parts because almost any scene without Russell or Wood is unbearable (thankfully there are very, very few). And i still watch it occasionally, it's not the best musical comedy by a long shot but for an afternoon watch you could do a lot worse.

"Have a Goldstone Mr Eggroll!" Mama Rose (Rosalind Russell), Gypsy.

To fast to live too young to die

This post is about James Dean (*obviously). I was prompted to post this because he was brought up in quite an unlikely place today at school, it was during History and we are soon to be learning about 'Youthquake' and my teacher wants to show us a little 1950's youth movie named Rebel Without a cause. which, according to her, well i'll quote her:
"It's very famous but probably no-one in here has seen  it (this is where i started to think it must be Rebel without a cause) it's called Rebel without a cause ("I've seen it!" i said, trying to show how i'm a bit different to everyone else) and it starred James Dean who was a big famous icon in the mid 50's and wrapped himself around a tree when he was 20something (i mumble, and she says without looking at me as she knew who it was) how old was he? (i say 24) he only made 3 movies. that was how big an impact he made"

The people in my history class, well most of them, have closed minds when it comes to movies, they'll only watch new movies or horror movies, because they think that following the masses is 'cool'. I've got news for them, thats not cool, James Dean was cool. He and Steve Mcqueen were the essence of 'cool.' So anyway this announcement got me hyped for this class, to be honest i thought history would be boring but if i get to watch one of my favorite movies then i'm all for it. I don't think my class will really understand and respect it the way i do but you never know. I hope so.

In one of the best known trivia in movie history the 3 young stars of this iconic film all met with tragic ends: James Dean at 24, car accident, Natalie Wood at 43, drowning and Sal Mineo at 37, murder. Of course, they were all well respected actors and shouldn't just be remembered for dying young, Rebel without a cause is one of the finest of all of the actors' careers. The film gave James Dean iconic status (partly because it was released barely a month after his death), Natalie Wood forged an adult career by being in this film and Sal Mineo got his big break. Dennis hopper also appears (with little to no lines but still if you look you can see him) in the film. So it's pretty special.

"Please lock me up, i'm gonna hit somebody and i don't want to" Jim Stark (James Dean) Rebel Without A Cause.