In a Better World (2010)

  This was the Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film in 2011.  I can totally see why.  This film kicked my ass.

Christian (William Johnk Nielsen) and Elias (Markus Rygaard) become best friends because they are both slightly damaged.  Christian's mother has just died from cancer and Elias is bullied at school.  Neither boy feels that anyone understands their pain but Christian in particular is a seething ball of rage looking for an outlet.  His father (Ulrich Thomsen) has no idea how to break through the kid's prickly shell.  Elias's father (Mikael Persbrandt) spends most of his time working in refugee camps in Africa, patching up victims of a local warlord.  He tries to impart the philosophy that violence doesn't make you powerful, but that is not a concept twelve-year-old boys are willing to accept.

This was an intensely powerful film, filled with real depth and emotion.  Not the kind of emotion where you come away crying, but the kind where you're exhausted afterwards.  Exhausted but cleansed.  I was riveted the entire running time.  Nielsen's performance especially was amazing.  He seemed like the angriest kid on the planet.  You could practically see his fuse getting shorter.

This is not a film I could ever watch again but it was excellent nonetheless.

Heathers (1988)

  I have returned from my sojourn down South!  It was unseasonably warm, which was the nicest present I could have gotten.  I missed yesterday's post (again) because I was traveling all day and had no opportunity.

Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) hates her friends, the poisonous Heathers, but especially ringleader Heather Chandler (Kim Walker).  Heather delights in making everyone around her as miserable as possible to reinforce her own popularity.  But Veronica's boyfriend, J.D. (Christian Slater), has the perfect plan to put Heather in her place:  kill her and make it look like a suicide.  Veronica soon finds herself caught up in a rash of teen suicides (both real and staged) and starts to think J.D. may not be the most positive influence.

I love love love this movie.  Always have.  Always will.  The more times I see it, the more I'm impressed with its fucked up brilliance.  This was the movie that gave me my schoolgirl crush on Christian Slater, which lasted an embarrassingly long time.  He was exactly the person I wanted to date in high school, murderous impulses and all.

If you liked Mean Girls but thought it could use a lot more death and destruction, this is the movie for you.  The hair and costumes scream the 80s but the underlying snark over how high school enforces the law of the jungle, lemming-like social behavior, and blatantly disregarding someone's actions in life in favor of tender eulogies are still very prescient today.

Magic Mike XXL (2015)

      This was the Christy pick for December.  She thinks she's funny.

Mike (Channing Tatum) has given up the stripping business to focus on his furniture company but when his stage buddies call to remind him of the annual Strippers Convention in Myrtle Beach (because of course you'd have a stripper convention somewhere classy), he decides to put on his sequined thong one more time.  Along the way, the guys confront their issues with being left in the lurch by their manager (pimp?) Dallas (Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Film).  Mike assures them that he has an MC picked out that will do a bang up job so they swing by Savannah, GA to visit Rome (Jada Pinkett-Smith).

I don't know why anyone would watch this movie when there is an entire Internet full of porn but it exists nonetheless.  Maybe you like painful dialogue, cheesy plots, soft core thrusting, and an homage to early-00's boy bands.  If so, you and your 20 cats should definitely watch this.  It was actually less painful to watch than the original, thanks to the reduction of Alex "Can't Act" Pettyfur and the addition of Donald Glover, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and a cameo by Elizabeth Banks.  Still, nothing was going to save this short of a comet hitting the convention center during the finale.

The Drowning Pool (1975)

  Sorry about missing a post yesterday.  I was traveling to my family's house in Alabama and by the time I got in, I was too tired to function.

This is the sequel to Harper from last week.  This time, Newman invited his wife to the party.

Lew Harper (Paul Newman) is called down to New Orleans by an old flame, Iris Devereaux (Joanne Woodward).  Iris is being blackmailed over an affair she had.  She thinks the fired chauffeur (Andrew Robinson) is behind the plot but she wants Harper to make sure.  He soon discovers a more sinister force at work with oil magnate J. Hugh Kilbourne (Murray Hamilton) after the Devereaux's land and the murder of matriarch Olivia (Coral Browne).

This also features Melanie Griffith as the underaged and oversexed Devereaux daughter.  It's weird to see her so young and plastic surgery-free.  Be warned, the sequel is a lot more depressing and noir than the original.

Harper (1966)

   Here's a little number from the swinging 60's.

Lew Harper (Paul Newman) is a private investigator hired to look for a missing man.  The wife (Lauren Bacall) thinks he's off with another woman.  The daughter (Pamela Tiffin) is kind of a man-eater and doesn't really give a damn what happened to her father.  The pilot/chauffeur (Robert Wagner) thinks the whole thing is a big joke.  Only the family lawyer (Arthur Hill) seems to want to find this guy and that's mostly because he wants to marry the daughter.  Harper follows the clues dropped by all the members of this sordid little drama but the climax encompasses more that he could have imagined.

I don't think there is a single person who does not love Paul Newman a little bit.  He always looks like he's just sailing along a lake, calm and unruffled.  Here, he gets to be a little more gritty and disheveled but he never loses that impenetrable coolness.  It's not my favorite of his films, but it's a pretty decent detective movie.  I have high hopes for the sequel, which I'll probably watch next.

Annabelle (2014)

  It's not the best poster, but it's what I got.

You all know my monthly feature, The Christy Experiment.  The December pick is coming soon.  This, however, was a special request from Christy.  She will tell you that she hates horror movies but every once in a while, her curiosity gets the better of her.  She called me and asked if I would be willing to watch Annabelle with her on Saturday and I agreed.  I had to conform to her rules, which are as follows:

1.  Viewing has to be during daylight.
2.  She has to have something with which to distract herself (cross-stitch, stuffed animal, live animal).
3.  I am only allowed to make funny comments, not scary ones.

With those strictures in place, I settled in to watch the demonic doll movie.  It wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't nearly as good as The Conjuring.

A young couple, Mia (Annabelle Wallis) and John (Ward Horton) Gordon, are expecting their first baby.  John surprises his wife with a new doll for her collection and she places it in a prominent location in the nursery.  Then their next door neighbors, the Higgins, are violently murdered by their estranged daughter, Annabelle (Tree O'Toole) and her boyfriend as part of a ritual to summon a demon.  They break in to the Gordon's house next, the boyfriend stabbing Mia before being gunned down by the cops, while Annabelle slits her own throat, holding the brand new doll.  Anxious to resume a normal life, Mia and John move to a new apartment, but it isn't long before Mia senses something evil has followed them.

The possessed doll thing has been done numerous times with varying levels of success.  I would put this one somewhere around the middle of the scale.  Frankly, my biggest problems with the film are the lead actress and the cop-out ending.

Annabelle Wallis is a stunningly beautiful woman but she has the acting range of a turnip in this film. A stunningly beautiful turnip.  I couldn't tell if she was trying to channel Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby or if she had just suffered a concussion.

Obviously, for spoiler reasons, I can't go into great detail on the ending but it is so lazy and pat that it left a sour taste in my mouth.  Alfre Woodard and Tony Amendola are totally wasted in this movie.  That's the real horror here.

Harakiri (1962)

I know there have been a lot of reposts lately.  I'm doing my best.  Now that I'm done with school for the semester, it will hopefully run a little smoother.

I bought the Criterion Collection release of this and it came with a really nice booklet featuring an interview a professor/historian had with the director.  It was an interesting read and made me focus a lot more on details when I watched it the second time.  Mr. Kobayashi talked about the geometry of certain scenes, for example, and his influences.  I thought it was primarily about honor but it's much more of a fight-the-man kind of piece.  Tsugumo is an individual standing up to an entire system by himself in order to protest the inherent unfairness.  It's a much more powerful film this way.  Originally posted 7/22/13    I can't believe I totally forgot to write a post for this movie.  I watched it last week and even wrote it down on my wish list for a future Buy but I never actually did my review.  I suck, you guys.

If only there were some sort of ritualistic death one could perform to abrogate shame...

Anyway, this is a fantastic film.  It clocks in at over two hours but it doesn't feel that long.  Even though it's 90% dialogue, it had zero problems keeping my interest.

A ronin named Tsugumo Hanshiro (Tatsuya Nakadai) shows up at the Iyi Clan house and politely asks the use of their foreyard to commit hara-kiri -ritual disembowelment- in, as he has fallen upon hard times and would rather an honorable death than a slow one by starvation.  In the relatively peaceful time, many samurai have found themselves without masters and with no other skills.  However, some enterprising ronin have taken to asking for space to kill themselves when they really want to guilt the house into giving them some money instead.  In an effort to forestall this, the Steward (Rentaro Mikuni) tells Tsugumo the cautionary tale of the last ronin who came by:  Chijiiwa Motome (Akira Ishihama).  In return, Tsugumo tells the Steward his story.

Everything else you need to see for yourself.  It's a beautiful piece on the concept of honor, bringing the philosophy to life in a poignant and powerful way.

73rd Golden Globe Awards Nominations (2015)

Holy shit, you guys.  The Golden Globe nominations came out yesterday and I totally missed them!  WTF!  I have seen almost none of these and a few I've never even heard of so my Netflix queue should be really interesting in five or six years.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
CAROL 
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD 
THE REVENANT 
ROOM 
SPOTLIGHT

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA 
CATE BLANCHETT – CAROL
BRIE LARSON – ROOM
ROONEY MARA – CAROL
SAOIRSE RONAN –  BROOKLYN
ALICIA VIKANDER – THE DANISH GIRL

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA 
BRYAN CRANSTON – TRUMBO
LEONARDO DICAPRIO – THE REVENANT
MICHAEL FASSBENDER – STEVE JOBS
EDDIE REDMAYNE – THE DANISH GIRL
WILL SMITH – CONCUSSION

BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
THE BIG SHORT 
JOY 
THE MARTIAN 
SPY 
TRAINWRECK

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY 
JENNIFER LAWRENCE – JOY 
MELISSA MCCARTHY – SPY
AMY SCHUMER – TRAINWRECK
MAGGIE SMITH – THE LADY IN THE VAN
LILY TOMLIN – GRANDMA

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY 
CHRISTIAN BALE – THE BIG SHORT
STEVE CARELL – THE BIG SHORT
MATT DAMON – THE MARTIAN
AL PACINO – DANNY COLLINS
MARK RUFFALO – INFINITELY POLAR BEAR

BEST MOTION PICTURE – ANIMATED
ANOMALISA 
THE GOOD DINOSAUR 
INSIDE OUT 
THE PEANUTS MOVIE 
SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE 

BEST MOTION PICTURE – FOREIGN LANGUAGE 
THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT (BELGIUM / FRANCE / LUXEMBOURG) 
THE CLUB (CHILE) 
THE FENCER (FINLAND / GERMANY / ESTONIA) 
MUSTANG (FRANCE) 
SON OF SAUL (HUNGARY)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
JANE FONDA – YOUTH
JENNIFER JASON LEIGH – THE HATEFUL EIGHT
HELEN MIRREN –  TRUMBO
ALICIA VIKANDER – EX MACHINA
KATE WINSLET – STEVE JOBS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
PAUL DANO – LOVE & MERCY
IDRIS ELBA – BEASTS OF NO NATION
MARK RYLANCE – BRIDGE OF SPIES
MICHAEL SHANNON – 99 HOMES
SYLVESTER STALLONE – CREED

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
TODD HAYNES – CAROL
ALEJANDRO G. IÑÁRRITU – THE REVENANT
TOM MCCARTHY – SPOTLIGHT
GEORGE MILLER – MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
RIDLEY SCOTT – THE MARTIAN

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE 
EMMA DONOGHUE – ROOM
TOM MCCARTHY, JOSH SINGER – SPOTLIGHT
CHARLES RANDOLPH, ADAM MCKAY – THE BIG SHORT
AARON SORKIN – STEVE JOBS
QUENTIN TARANTINO – THE HATEFUL EIGHT

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE 
CARTER BURWELL – CAROL
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT – THE DANISH GIRL
ENNIO MORRICONE – THE HATEFUL EIGHT
DANIEL PEMBERTON – STEVE JOBS
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO, ALVA NOTO – THE REVENANT

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO” — FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
“ONE KIND OF LOVE” — LOVE & MERCY 
“SEE YOU AGAIN” — FURIOUS 7
“SIMPLE SONG #3” — YOUTH 
“WRITING’S ON THE WALL” — SPECTRE 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
EMPIRE (FOX) 
GAME OF THRONES (HBO) 
MR. ROBOT (USA Network) 
NARCOS (Netflix) 
OUTLANDER (Starz) 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA 
CAITRIONA BALFE – OUTLANDER
VIOLA DAVIS – HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER
EVA GREEN – PENNY DREADFUL
TARAJI P. HENSON – EMPIRE
ROBIN WRIGHT – HOUSE OF CARDS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA 
JON HAMM – MAD MEN
RAMI MALEK – MR. ROBOT
WAGNER MOURA – NARCOS
BOB ODENKIRK – BETTER CALL SAUL 
LIEV SCHREIBER – RAY DONOVAN

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDYCASUAL (Hulu)  
MOZART IN THE JUNGLE (Amazon Video) 
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix) 
SILICON VALLEY (HBO) 
TRANSPARENT (Amazon Video)
VEEP (HBO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY 
RACHEL BLOOM – CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND
JAMIE LEE CURTIS – SCREAM QUEENS
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS – VEEP
GINA RODRIGUEZ – JANE THE VIRGIN
LILY TOMLIN – GRACE AND FRANKIE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDYAZIZ ANSARI – MASTER OF NONE
GAEL GARCÍA BERNAL – MOZART IN THE JUNGLE
ROB LOWE – THE GRINDER
PATRICK STEWART – BLUNT TALK
JEFFREY TAMBOR – TRANSPARENT

BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
AMERICAN CRIME (ABC) 
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL (FX) 
FARGO (FX) 
FLESH & BONE (Starz) 
WOLF HALL (PBS) 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISIONKIRSTEN DUNST – FARGO
LADY GAGA – AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL
SARAH HAY – FLESH & BONE
FELICITY HUFFMAN – AMERICAN CRIME
QUEEN LATIFAH – BESSIE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION 
IDRIS ELBA – LUTHER
OSCAR ISAAC – SHOW ME A HERO
DAVID OYELOWO – NIGHTINGALE
MARK RYLANCE – WOLF HALL
PATRICK WILSON – FARGO

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
UZO ADUBA – ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
JOANNE FROGGATT – DOWNTON ABBEY
REGINA KING – AMERICAN CRIME
JUDITH LIGHT – TRANSPARENT
MAURA TIERNEY – THE AFFAIR

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
ALAN CUMMING – THE GOOD WIFE
DAMIAN LEWIS – WOLF HALL
BEN MENDELSOHN – BLOODLINE
TOBIAS MENZIES – OUTLANDER
CHRISTIAN SLATER – MR. ROBOT

Happy Feet Two (2011)

Back just before Rob and I broke up, I was concerned that he would take his server (with all the free movies and TV shows I had come to rely on) with him.  I started buying movies that I had seen on the server that I liked, in case I wanted to watch them again.  He ended up cloning me a copy of everything he had, which was very nice, so I didn't have to buy this but whatever.  Eventually, I'll figure out how to transfer all my movies to digital so I can use the shelves for books but that day is not today.

I don't really have anything extra to add about this movie.  It's still just as cute as when I originally saw it.  The message of global warming affecting the habitats of animals is much more subtle, compared to the first movie.  I know to notice this because my friend won't let her kids watch Happy Feet due to its "liberal agenda".  That is a true story.    Originally posted 5/12/14    I almost forgot to get this posted!  This is what happens when I get sucked into watching seasons of TV shows.  I've now gone through seasons one of Grimm and Hannibal, and seasons two and three of Chuck.  Hannibal was absolutely amazeballs and I can't wait to see the second season.

It took me this long to watch the sequel to Happy Feet because I was convinced it couldn't live up to its predecessor.  It does feel a little derivative, but the addition of some excellent supporting cast makes it worth buying.

Now happily married, Mumble (Elijah Wood) and Gloria (Alecia Moore aka P!nk) have their own chick, Erik (Ava Acres), who is struggling to find his place in the Emperor Penguin world.  He has not shown a talent for dance or singing and fears the ridicule of adults.  When Mumble's constantly-striking-out friend Ramon (Robin Williams) decides to go back to his own tribe, Erik and his two friends follow.  The Adelie Penguin tribe has discovered a new hero in the meantime, Sven (Hank Azaria), a mysterious Northern refugee who can fly.  Erik immediately becomes his biggest fan, much to Mumble's chagrin.  He shepherds the children home again, but discovers that a calved glacier has crashed into Emperor Land and trapped the rest of the penguins.  Without aid, they will all starve to death.

Ok, the best characters in the entire film are voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon as a pair of krill, Will and Bill, who leave the safety of the swarm in search of adventure.  They don't get musical numbers but every scene with them is hilarious. 

Hang 'Em High (1968)

  Did I just skip all the H's the last time I went through my collection?  Because I haven't written about any of the good ones.

If you can't tell, I'm more of a Clint Eastwood fan than a John Wayne one.  I have nothing against The Duke, I just tend to resonate more with Eastwood's brand of revenge-soaked Westerns.

Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is minding his own business, herding some cows he just bought, when he is accosted by a posse of men claiming he is a rustler and murderer.  They ignore his protestations of innocence and decide to hang him then and there.  A marshal (Ben Johnson) was hot on the posse's trail and cuts Jed down before he can suffocate.  He hauls Jed off to the county seat, the only jail in the Oklahoma Territory, and leaves him to the mercy of Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle).  Fenton tells Jed that his story checks out and they caught the real murderer, but Jed wants justice served to the lynching party.  Fenton agrees to make Jed a Marshal so he can hunt the men down, but insists that he brings them back alive to be tried.  He's not handing Jed a license to murder.  Jed soon discovers that "justice" is a concept that is easier to pursue on paper than it is in reality.

It's funny how movies you watched as a kid have a deeper significance when you're an adult.  I don't think I understood before the moral and political conflicts in this film, or if I did, they never stuck out to me.  As a kid, I sympathized with Jed but as an adult, I found myself more on Judge Fenton's side. He has a great speech about being the only judge in the territory and the terrible responsibility that comes with being the final authority over life and death for the captured criminals.

On a completely unrelated note, I find myself bogged down once more with TV shows in my rotation instead of movies.  On the server, I have started watching the anime Naruto which is, if not a classic, extremely popular.  So popular, it has over two hundred episodes.  They are not broken into seasons, so I have no idea where a good stopping point is.  Right now, I'm just taking them ten episodes at a time but it still takes me like a day to get through them.

Over in Netflix Land, I started watching a telenovela called La Usurpadora about a woman named Paola, henceforth to be known as Evil Twin, who finds a woman who looks just like her named Paulina (aka Good Twin) working as a bathroom attendant in a club.  Evil Twin blackmails Good Twin to take her place so Evil Twin can jet off with her billionaire boyfriend while Good Twin tries to repair the damage Evil Twin has caused to her husband's family.  I've never been a soap opera person but Netflix swears I will like this.  It's only one season but, fun fact, that season is 108 episodes.  Apparently, Mexican TV shows just go until the story is done and then they're over.  None of this cliffhanger, come-back-after-Winter-break-to-see-if-your-favorite-character-is-still-alive bullshit.  I was also unprepared for this.  I'm taking it ten episodes at a time as well but again, it takes time.

So if you're wondering why I seem to be posting less this weekend, there you go.  I am deep into a well of subtitles that I am trying to claw my way out of, but it is slow going.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

I re-watched this last week but forgot to post it.  I've been watching some Netflix shows (Jessica Jones) and the first ten episodes of Naruto on my server so I haven't gotten in the requisite number of movies this week.  So you're getting a repeat.  I'm sorry.  I'll do better next week.  Originally published 8/14/2014  Another solid hit for Marvel.  Bravo, guys.

After being abducted from Earth in 1988, Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, (Chris Pratt) joins a group of thieves for hire called the Ravagers.  He is commissioned to retrieve a strange orb from an otherwise abandoned planet, narrowly escaping capture by Korath the Seeker (Djimon Hounsou).  Korath is in the employ of Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), who has promised the orb to Thanos (Josh Brolin) in return for Thanos' destruction of the planet of Nova.  Ronan sends Gamora (Zoe Saldana) after Quill. Meanwhile, the leader of the Ravagers, Yondu (Michael Rooker), discovers that Quill intended to cut his crew out of the deal on the orb and puts a bounty on his head.  Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) are out to collect, which results in all four miscreants ending up in jail, where they meet Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista).  Drax wants Ronan dead for killing his family, Gamora was in the middle of betraying him for the orb, and the other three are just in it for the cash.  Somehow, these five disparate reprobates must band together long enough to defeat Ronan, avoid his assassin Nebula (Karen Gillan), and prevent Thanos from getting the orb.

I don't know if there are enough words to say how good this movie is.  It's hilariously funny, succinctly sets up all five characters without bogging down in backstory, has a ton of action, and furthers the overall Avengers 2 storyline while being completely functional as a standalone film.  I don't know that you could ask for anything more.

Oh, and it has a kickass soundtrack.

The after-credits sequence doesn't have any hints for Age of Ultron but it features a very special cameo for children of the 80's, so be sure to stick around.

Heaven Can Wait (1943)

  This was such a cute movie.  I don't know why, exactly, but I felt like there was going to be more to it, so I was a little disappointed but it is worth seeing.

Henry Van Cleve (Don Ameche) has been a scoundrel and rake his entire life, so when said life comes to an end, he naturally presents himself to the Devil (Laird Cregar).  The Devil isn't entirely convinced Henry belongs and has him recount all his various misdeeds, mostly involving the trials he put his wife, Martha (Gene Tierney), through during the course of their 25 years of marriage.

This was filmed in 1943 and set from the 1880 - 1929 so the moral code on display is quite different from the one I am used to seeing.  By today's standards, Henry is practically up for sainthood.

It is intended to be a romantic film and succeeds on that front.  Gene Tierney is lovely, even if I found her overbite distracting, and Don Ameche is surprisingly good looking.  My whole life, I've always seen him when he was old.  I had no idea that's how he looked before the 1980's.  However, the real MVP of this movie is Charles Coburn, who played Henry's grandfather.  That old man was a riot.

Hairspray (1988)

  This is the original John Waters classic, not the musical.  I could have sworn I had reviewed one or both of them already, but I have not.

Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) is a hip young Baltimore girl with two passions in life:  ratting her hair as high as it will go and making it on The Corny Collins Show.  She inadvertently becomes a spokesman for integration, standing up against the injustice of barring people from opportunities simply for the color of their skin while simultaneously mining their culture for trends.

Most of John Waters' work falls squarely into "cult classic" but this might be his most mainstream.  It's for damn sure the only one rated PG.  The cast is amazing, featuring Sonny Bono, Divine, Debbie Harry, and Jerry Stiller.  If you've only seen the musical (which is adorable in its own right) or never seen either version, you really should check it out.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

  We are zipping right through the G's.

It's been several years since the events of the first film and Billy Peltzer (Zach Gilligan) has realized his dream of moving to New York City and working as an artist.  Unfortunately, he had not counted on the cutthroat world of corporate art being so demanding.  To make matters worse, Gizmo the Mogwai is captured by scientists working at a genetic research lab in the same building.  Soon, the place is infested with nasty pop-culture-skewering Gremlins.  Billy, his girlfriend Kate (Phoebe Cates), and the CEO who owns the building (John Glover) must race against time to stop them from getting out into the city.

People dismiss this because it drastically changed in tone from the first movie.  There are a lot more in-jokes, celebrity cameos, and slapstick moments in this than there was in the original.  You either embrace those changes or you don't.  Personally, I liked this one more as a kid.  That may have been because I was a little too young to "get" Gremlins but I was the right age for the sequel.  As an adult, I think the first movie was more well-crafted, but I still love the insanity of the second one.  Also, this time around I finally caught the Marathon Man reference.

The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

  I am super hungover.  I've spent the majority of the day recuperating so I'm just now getting around to stuff I should have taken care of this morning.

The Great Mouse Detective doesn't get as much nostalgia as The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast and I think that's a shame.  It's a fun movie with an unusual setting and it deserves wider recognition.

Basil of Baker Street (Barrie Ingham) is a detective in Victorian England, living underneath the more famous human detective, Sherlock Holmes.  He is hired by Olivia (Susanne Pollatschek), a young mouse whose father, a toymaker, was kidnapped by a bat with a peg leg.  Basil believes that his nemesis, Professor Rattigan (Vincent Price), is behind the abduction and -- with a little help from his colleague, Dr. Dawson (Val Bettin) -- investigates the seedy underbelly of London for clues to unravel the mystery threatening to take down the monarchy itself.

Personally, I think Basil is kind of insufferable but Professor Rattigan is one of the best Disney villains ever.  Vincent Price was perfect, absolutely perfect, to do the voice work.  The man is a cinematic icon for his horror films but he was just as gifted in humor.  Just a prodigious talent.

47 Ronin (2013)

This is the Christy pick for the month of November and I didn't hate it!  Yay!  I didn't love it but let's focus on the positive, shall we?

After the disgrace and suicide of Lord Asana (Min Tanaka), his samurai are left masterless ronin, outcasts of society.  Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada) vows revenge on the lord that engineered this hostile takeover, Kira (Tadanobu Asana), and the shapeshifting witch (Rinko Kikuchi) who helped him.  To this end, he pulls together his 45 men and the demon-touched half-breed Kai (Keanu Reeves) and sets off to stop Lord Kira before he can marry Asana's daughter, Mika (Ko Shibasaki).

Okay.

The tale of the 47 Ronin is practically sacrosanct.  There is a national holiday in Japan honoring them.  Keeping that in mind, this movie is a sacrilege.  It adds mystical monsters and witches and demons and Keanu Reeves to a story that is dramatic enough on its own merits.

That being said, I'm not opposed to the idea of a magical realism retelling.  I think it was an interesting attempt, though I'm still not sure why Keanu Reeves was involved.  This was not a good character for him.  I like seeing the mythology of other countries, even if this was filtered heavily through a Western lens.  Also, the costumes and cinematography were beautiful.  I think my real issue here is that I don't think they went far enough.  If you're going to co-opt a national legend, go balls out.  Abraham Lincoln:  Vampire Slayer that bitch.

No, wait, that's a terrible example.  Never mind.  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies that bitch!

The Great Lie (1941)

  This is from my Bette Davis collection.  It's a straightforward melodrama and not one of my favorites, though it does give Bette a chance to play sweet and (kinda) innocent.

Pete Van Allen (George Brent) married concert pianist Sandra (Mary Astor) after a drunken party but discovers that her previous divorce hadn't gone through.  This gives him a second chance, of sorts, and he rushes back to his on-again-off-again true love, Maggie (Bette Davis).  She encourages him to quit drinking and put his navigational skills to good use, flying reconnaissance for the government after their wedding.  Unfortunately, Pete's plane goes down in the Amazon and he is presumed killed. Desperate, Maggie reaches out to Sandra, who has claimed to be pregnant with Pete's child, and makes her an offer.  If Sandra gives Maggie the baby, Maggie will ensure Sandra's financial security for the rest of her life.  Sandra agrees and gives up the child.  But then Pete comes back.

All the characters in this are very one-dimensional, but none more so than Sandra.  She is every bad trait a woman can have:  spiteful, snide, selfish, and jealous.  By contrast, Maggie comes across as a saint, bravely putting up with Sandra's moods so she can care for her husband's baby.  It culminates in a showdown where Pete is asked to choose between the woman he married and the woman who bore his child and then sold it to the woman he married.  There's a contest.

I'm going to chalk this up to being a product of its time so I can't hate on it too much, but there aren't really any redeeming features.

TV Catch Up

It's about two weeks until Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd catch you up on what I've been watching on the small screen, now that most of the Fall shows are out.

Blindspot is new this year on NBC, starring Jaimie Alexander (Lady Sif from Thor) as an amnesiac covered in tattoos that are all related to various criminal plots.  It has no basis in actual science, medicine or, probably, law enforcement but it is surprisingly entertaining.  I think it's the combination of puzzles to be solved and ass-kicking.  I could do without the quasi-romantic sub-plot between her and the lead FBI agent (Sullivan Stapleton), but it's very watchable.

Limitless is a spin-off from the movie, starring Jake McDorman as Brian Finch, a struggling musician who gets a hold of the drug NZT.  He is also under FBI care, this time in the capable hands of Special Agent Rebecca Harris (Jennifer Carpenter, who will always be Debra Morgan to me).  But Finch is also being watched closely by Senator Edward Morra (Bradley Cooper), whose motives have yet to be revealed.  Also a super-fun show to watch, mostly because McDorman is very likable.  It has another Dexter alum in Desmond Harrington, who played Detective Quinn.  This actually throws me off slightly, since his new character and Carpenter's new character are a thing, so it's like Debra and Quinn never broke up.  I keep waiting for Dexter to come up behind Finch and stab him in the neck with a syringe of horse tranquilizer.  (Someone please write that episode.)

I am not in love with Supergirl.  I get that it's supposed to tie in to the movies but not so closely that they have to pay people to guest star.  I also agree we need female-centered superhero shows.  I just don't think this is the one.  Melissa Benoist is cute but she's so shiny and happy that it makes me want to throw up a little.  Kara Zor-El is the cousin of the famous Superman but was stuck in a time vortex or something and ended up coming to Earth way after he did.  She was fostered with humans and grew up hiding her powers until she had to save a crashing plane carrying her foster sister (Chyler Leigh).  She decides to take National City as her responsibility against a host of alien criminals.

The Librarians is in its second season and I could not be happier about that.  I loved the first season and I hope this will be just as good.  This year, the overarching villain is the sorcerer Prospero (Richard Cox), a Fictional released from Shakespeare's The Tempest, who is searching for a way to repair his broken staff.  It's only four episodes in but I am so stoked.

Of course I'm watching Ash vs Evil Dead.  Hell, it's the only real reason I pay for Starz.  I need more Bruce Campbell fighting legions of undead and middle aged flab in my life.  If you don't, we can't be friends.

I also finally managed to see the first season of Real Husbands of Hollywood through Netflix.  I didn't have really high hopes but I figured I'd give it a shot since I do like Kevin Hart.  It had some moments that were wildly funny but it does tend to overly rely on the premise that Kevin Hart is a total asshole and his friends barely tolerate him.  Your mileage may vary.

Are you watching The Muppets?  You should be.  It is everything you could have asked for and more.  They've already had guest stars Liam Hemsworth, Reece Witherspoon, Kristin Chenoweth, Christina Applegate, Ed Helms, and Josh Groban.  It is amaze-balls.  This is not your children's muppets.  This is all the behind the scenes insanity brought up to the current age.  Miss Piggy is the star of a late-night TV show, produced by her ex, Kermit, and with all the celebrities and musical stars they can possibly pack in.

The only show I have yet to start is Agent X, which is a TNT action/drama following The Librarians. I don't know really anything about it except that Sharon Stone is the Vice President of the United States and I am ok with that.  The preview snippets remind me a little of Human Target, which was cancelled far too soon.  Hopefully, Agent X won't suck.

The Great Escape (1963)

  This is much more appropriate for Veteran's Day. 

This movie is a classic.  If you've never seen it, you should really make the effort.

During WWII, the Nazi High Command decided to put all their worst prisoners of war into one camp.  It was supposed to be a show of how much they had learned about foiling escape attempts, but sticking a bunch of highly-motivated escape artists in one place is a recipe for disaster.  Bartlett (Richard Attenborough) is the head coordinator of escapes for British officers.  Under his direction, the prisoners set themselves to digging their way out over 300 meters, while others secure supplies, disguises and forged documents.

I think this should be required watching.  Not only because it's stunningly good, but because almost all the people in it were really famous and it's hilarious to see them look so young.  Richard Attenborough is a notable example, but James Garner, Donald Pleasance, James Coburn all look, well, younger, at least.  The real surprise is David McCallum, who is so tiny and blond and grew up to be Duckie on NCIS.

No, but seriously, how have you never seen this movie?

No Strings Attached (2011)

Happy Veteran's Day!

  I know I missed a post on Monday.  This is what was supposed to go up but I got crazy busy with work and a school project and didn't get done with them until one in the morning, and by then, it was Tuesday.

This was cuter than it really had a right to be.  I was expecting the same stupid, boring romantic comedy (which I don't even remember adding to my queue) as all the others I've avoided over the years, but this was surprisingly entertaining.

Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) have known each other since they were pre-teens at camp, but their lives diverged after college.  Emma went to MIT and became a resident at a teaching hospital while Adam is a production assistant for a TV show, trying to claw his way out of the shadow of his famous father (Kevin Kline).  They meet by chance and decide to start a no-strings relationship but things never go as planned.

The cast is really what sells this movie.  Not just Portman -who can do anything- and Kutcher, but the supporting cast of Lake Bell, Greta Gerwig, Mindy Kaling, Jake Johnson, and Ludacris.  They each brought something special to the proceedings.  It was directed by Ivan Reitman, so there is another mark of quality.  Overall, I was pleasantly surprised.

Grand Hotel (1932)

  The 1932 Best Picture winner, courtesy of Warner Bros.

Baron Felix von Geigern (John Barrymore) is a broke, but basically good-hearted, aristocrat staying at the Grand Hotel in Berlin.  He is supposed to be stealing a string of pearls from famed ballerina Grusinskaya (Greta Garbo) but finds himself falling in love with her instead.  He also befriends the terminally ill Otto (Lionel Barrymore), who has cashed in his life savings to end his days in style, and the pretty stenographer, Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford), who is willing to do all sorts of things to pay the bills.  None of them are aware that time is running out for all of them.

I have to confess I didn't find this as interesting as I thought I would.  This was an all-star ensemble cast for the 30's with not one, but two Barrymore's rounding it out and I just didn't care.  I don't think I got enough about any of the characters, except Otto, to feel connected.  Also, this is practically sacrilege, but I found Garbo's accent to be almost unintelligible.  This ran for over a thousand performances on Broadway in the 80's and had a revival in 2005.  I want to see if there is a video copy of that, since I bet I would enjoy it much more.

Spectre (2015)

Nominated for Best Original Song   I haven't been out to a movie since I moved apartments but, in my defense, mostly everything that came out since August I would rather rent anyway.

Except for this.  Bond demands a large screen to properly appreciate the stunts, the settings, and the cinematography.

James Bond (Daniel Craig) is in trouble after running an unsanctioned op in Mexico.  He recovered a ring with an engraved octopus, hinting at a deeper level to the conspiracy, but his boss, M (Ralph Fiennes), doesn't want to hear it.  After the whole Silva thing, the 00 project is being taken over by MI-5, and the new head, C (Andrew Scott), is planning to shut them down.  C believes that global surveillance and drones are the way of the future and human agents are obsolete.  James gives absolutely zero fucks about any of that and continues to hunt down leads for the man pulling the strings of this shadowy organization known as Spectre.

I didn't think I could love James Bond any more after Skyfall, which was a damn near perfect movie, but somehow Spectre has managed it.  I floated out of the theater with oxytocin levels so high, I half-expected to see little pink hearts popping around my head like a cartoon.  Sam Mendes did an amazing job of retelling the Bond story in a way that doesn't feel like a remake.  He brings in all the best elements of the original films but keeps it modern and never loses the darker tone to campiness.  I was already going to buy it to complete my collection but this was so good, I might go see it again in theaters.

Lo (2009)

  I loved, loved, loved this movie.  It's super low-budget, indie, art film that looks like a directorial debut.  Normally, I hate those things but this was amazing.

Justin (Ward Roberts) has a problem.  His girlfriend (Sarah Lassez) has been kidnapped by a demon (Devin Barry).  Justin desperately wants to get her back so he summons a demon of his own, Lo (Jeremiah Birkett), to search Hell and find her.  Unfortunately, Lo is more interested in trying to trick Justin into leaving his summoning circle so the demon can eat him.

This was so up my alley, it was practically my home address.  It's funny, fucked up, and weird.  There's even a musical number.  I highly recommend this film.

Gone with the Wind (1939)

  When I was either in middle school or junior high, my mother made me watch Gone with the Wind.  I thought it was the most boring movie ever made.  It made it worse that nearly every one else I knew held it in high regard.  I thought Scarlett O'Hara was the biggest spoiled brat in cinematic history.

Now, twenty years or so later, it was included in my Warner Bros. Best Picture collection so I thought I'd try it again and see if it was just the callowness of youth that made me dislike it originally.

Nope.  Still sucks.

Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) is a spoiled debutante living on an antebellum plantation called Tara.  Even though she could have her pick of the young men, her rotten little heart is set on her neighbor, Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard).  Ashley, however, has already proposed to his cousin, Melanie (Olivia deHaviland).  Out of spite, Scarlett accepts a proposal from Melanie's brother, Charles (Rand Brooks).  Then the Civil War breaks out and all the young men of the South rush to enlist, except for South Carolinian scoundrel Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).  Widowed at 17, Scarlett moves to Atlanta to live with her sister-in-law and hated enemy, Melanie, right up until General Sherman sacks it.  Danger and privation follow as the South dramatically loses the War of Northern Aggression, but Scarlett is determined not to let anything keep her from the lifestyle she has always been accustomed.

I know the point of this movie was to show how people can rise in times of crisis and how determination and guts will win out over despair, but Scarlett O'Hara will never be anything more than an opportunistic sociopath to me.  She is malicious, calculating, and violent, running roughshod over anyone else's desires in the pursuit of her own.  She makes every other human being around her miserable.  I don't see anything admirable in that.

Another Year (2010)

  This was one of the worst films I've ever had to sit through.  I can't believe this was nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen) are an older married couple.  They are content with their lives, with their jobs, with their hobbies, and they love and support one another.  In short, they are horrible.  Gerri's work colleague, Mary (Lesley Manville), is aging disgracefully, incapable of making good decisions for herself and carrying a pathetically inappropriate torch for Gerri's son, Joe (Oliver Maltman), who is twenty years younger.  Over the course of a year, Tom and Gerri deal with the emotional crises of everyone around them while remaining blissfully in sync with each other.  Like I said, horrible.

The happy couple are never the main characters.  They are the side characters with very little screen time who dispense hackneyed advice to the main character, who is struggling.  Who the hell wants to see a movie where the characters start out happy and stay happy through the entire running time?  There's no arc, no character progression.  This might as well have been a set of still photos for all the people in it grow.  Definitely avoid.

The Golden Compass (2007)

  It's a shame this wasn't a better adaptation.  The books were fantastic and I would have liked to have seen the whole trilogy done with this level of production value.

Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) is a young girl living on the grounds of Jordan College in a parallel universe where people's souls live in the form of animals outside their bodies.  Her uncle Asriel (Daniel Craig) has set off on an expedition to discover the truth about Dust, a mystical substance that flows between worlds, but the Magisterium condemns his research as heresy.  They have employed the coldly beautiful Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) to conduct experiments on kidnapped children in the far north.  One of the kids taken is Lyra's friend, Roger (Ben Walker).  She sets off to discover the truth about everything, with the help of a magical artifact called the Golden Compass.

The books obviously have a lot more substance but the filmmakers did what they could to hit the high notes.  It was, ironically, panned by the Catholic Church and flopped at the box office, though it did win an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.  Sadly, I found this in the $5 bin at Best Buy so it did not have some sort of resurgence in the home market, either.  This is just one of those "if only" films, although, if the many universes theory is true, somewhere out there is a universe where this did well and Transformers never made a red cent.

The Young Victoria (2009)

  This was nominated way back when I first started this blog for three Oscars.  It won for Costume Design, with which I heartily concur.  They were stunning.

Victoria (Emily Blunt) is next in line for the throne of England, but spends her days practically imprisoned by her clingy mother (Miranda Richardson) and her mother's heavy-handed advisor (Mark Strong).  Her uncle Leopold, King of Prussia (Thomas Kretschmann), hopes to influence her future rule by forcing his nephew Albert (Rupert Friend) to seduce and wed her.  These political machinations are hampered by Albert and Victoria's unexpected love for one another.

This is one of those true stories that just gives rise to thousands of dejected sighs from impressionable girls who think that somewhere out there is their perfect match.  The reason this is so memorable is because it is practically impossible.  Despite everything, Queen Victoria managed to marry someone she loved, not just someone politically expedient.  That does not mean it happens to everyone.  I would also add that Albert was her first cousin and this is indirectly responsible for the fall of the Russian Empire.  Suck it, romantics.

I don't know much about Victoria's reign.  She's not one of my favorite monarchs so I can't say I've researched anything about her other than the most basic facts.  Most of the events in the film were new to me and not particularly interesting.  Other than the costumes, I can't really see a reason to watch it ever again.

The Golden Child (1986)

  I wish Eddie Murphy would go back to making movies like this.  Maybe not exactly like this, because this movie is fairly nuts as a concept, but you get the idea.

Chandler Jarrell (Eddie Murphy) is a private investigator specializing in missing children.  A beautiful woman (Charlotte Lewis) comes to him with a case involving a kidnapped Tibetan boy, the Golden Child who is destined to save the world.  The child has been taken by an evil sorcerer (Charles Dance) who wants to kill him and usher in a reign of darkness.

Yep, that's the actual plot of the movie.  I would rank it up there with Big Trouble in Little China, which would actually not be a bad double feature.  Both films are fairly ridiculous but so entertaining.

On the Town (1949)

  This is another classic musical that I had not seen before now. 

Three sailors are in New York City for one day of shore leave.  On the subway, Gabey (Gene Kelly) sees a poster of "Miss Turnstiles" (Vera-Ellen) and thinks she is a celebrity, when she's really a Coney Island cooch dancer.  He decides to scour the city looking for her.  Along the way, his two buddies find girls of their own.

There's really only one truly memorable song, which is "New York, New York", but the dance sequences are fantastic.

I think this is the first musical I've ever seen that actually had a character's job be stripping.  Obviously, except for Gypsy.  But definitely a first for 1949.  I'm kind of amazed they could even say "cooch dancer" when they had to change helluva to wonderful in one of their songs.

The Godfather (1972)

Happy Halloween!  It's my second favorite day of the year!  Here's a totally unrelated movie.

  This is one of the most iconic films in American history.  If you've never seen it, you need to bump it to the top of the queue right now.  Not necessarily because you want to, but you need this as part of your overall familiarity with film.  This put Francis Ford Coppola on the map, turned Al Pacino into a household name, and wrung one last great performance from Marlon Brando.

Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is head of a crime family and rules his family and subordinates as well as he can.  When he is injured by a rival gang, his sons Sonny (James Caan), Fredo (John Cazale) and Michael (Al Pacino) are pulled in to the family business.  Only Michael has the ruthlessness to carry out some harsh business decisions, but it costs him on a personal level.

Every time I watch this film, I get something new out of it.  That's what makes this one of the greatest movies ever made.  I can hear three bars of the score and instantly be transported into that world.  Even at 40-years-old, it has lost none of its power.

Gigi (1958)

  After the heaviness of Gandhi, I had to take a break and watch something happy.  This effervescent little musical won Best Picture in 1958, along with eight other Oscars, for Warner Bros. 

Gigi (Leslie Caron) is a carefree Parisian schoolgirl whose grandmother (Hermione Gingold) has a family friendship with an extremely wealthy sugar baron named Gaston (Louis Jourdan).  Gaston often escapes to their house to get away from the boring rituals of upper class society.  He and Gigi have a playful brother-sister relationship but her grandmother worries about the future.  Gigi is being trained by her Aunt Alicia (Isabel Jeans) to be a respectable courtesan and Grandmother warns Gaston that his attentions may soon conflict with the path laid out for the young woman.  This forces him to reexamine his feelings for her.

Can you love a musical and still disagree with everything it stands for?  Gigi is fun, lighthearted, and entertaining but I cannot ignore the fact that it is still about a family training a girl to be a professional mistress.  And coldly roping in a family friend to be her first meal ticket.  That's hardcore.  It's also extremely catty in its depictions of how the women of Paris handle gossip about their peers.  That part is in the Pro column.  I'm not gonna lie, I laughed hysterically when Aunt Alicia and Gigi's grandmother are discussing the "suicide" of one of Gaston's exes.  That is some quality black humor in an otherwise schmaltzy musical.

Gandhi (1982)

  This is another of my Best Picture winners from Columbia.  That doesn't really do justice to the sheer epic nature of the film.  This was a monumental undertaking with a transformative performance by Ben Kingsley.

Mohandas Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) was just a young London-educated Indian barrister when he came face to face with the hypocritical rules of the British Empire in South Africa.  He began implementing his principles of civil disobedience, reaching across the religious divide to unite the mine workers and demand better treatment.  From there, he turned to his home country, linking up with a small group of highly motivated individuals, who were tired of seeing the indigenous people suffer under British rule.  Gandhi organized people of all castes to refuse participation in laws that were unjust, including the British monopoly on salt production.  He even demanded an end to hostilities between the native populations of Muslims and Hindus.

Obviously, I know who Gandhi was and what he stood for, but I don't think I ever really investigated the particulars.  I had no idea he started in South Africa and I wasn't really aware of the role he played in the establishment of Pakistan.  I don't think I can overemphasize how good Ben Kingsley is here.  For all intents and purposes, he was Gandhi to me.  He took on this role in a way that I don't think another living actor could have.  And I will tell you, I cried like a little girl for about half the three hour running time.  I was so dehydrated when this movie was over.  The word epic gets thrown around a lot for pretty much anything over two hours long but this is the real deal.  They don't make sweeping biopics like this anymore.

Micmacs (2009)

  I love Jean-Pierre Jeunet.  I have seen almost all of his films and each one is a jewel of cinema.

Bazil (Danny Boon) has had a rough experience with the arms trade.  When he was a little boy, his father was killed by a landmine and, as an adult, he was shot in the head by a stray bullet, which caused him to lose his apartment and his job.  He is adopted by a family of misfits living in a salvage yard and finds his purpose:  to bring down the two arms companies that made the landmine and the bullet.

If you've seen Amelie a dozen times but never checked out any of the director's other work, this will move you in the right direction.  It's almost a primer for some of his darker (but still whimsical) films like Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children.  Jeunet actually seems to be moving to progressively more lighthearted fare with each passing year.  His most recent feature is called The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet, which I have not seen yet, but is centered around a ten-year-old genius.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)

  I went hiking yesterday.  It was fine, except for the part where the trails weren't marked and we got lost for over an hour.  We made it out and back to civilization, then had pizza.  After that debacle, I was in the mood to watch something easy and funny that I didn't have to analyze.

Pseudolus (Zero Mostel) is a Roman slave desperate to buy his freedom.  He sees his chance when he realizes his master's son, Hero (Michael Crawford), is in love with the girl next door.  Unfortunately, the house next door is owned by a procurer of pleasure slaves, Marcus Lycus (Phil Silvers), and the girl Hero loves is a virgin already promised to psychotic general Miles Gloriosus (Leon Greene).  Pseudolus convinces Lycus that the virgin has a rare plague and to keep her next door so as not to infect the rest of his stock.  Matters are complicated further by the arrival of Hero's father (Michael Hordern), who thinks that the virgin is a new house maid.

There is a lot more going on in this film but I don't want to spent the next hour trying to nail it all down.  There are disguises and crackpot ideas, gladiators, breeders, acrobats, and eunuchs.  It's complicated, hilarious and a musical.  Sometimes, you need a movie that is just pure joy and for me, this is one.

The Tempest (2010)

  Julie Taymor is the only person I like doing Shakespeare adaptations.  Her sense of surrealism is perfectly matched by her subject and the result is absolutely magical.  She's such a good director, she made Russell Brand not annoying.  And I would have said that was impossible.

Prospera (Helen Mirren) was the Duchess of Milan until her treacherous brother (Chris Cooper) conspired to have her deposed and exiled with her baby for the crime of witchcraft.  She survived, washing up on an island and overthrowing the resident witch before claiming the other's servants.  Now, with her daughter Miranda (Felicity Jones) approaching marriageable age, Prospera uses her sprite Ariel (Ben Whishaw) to steer the King of Naples (David Strathairn), his son (Reeve Carney), his brother (Alan Cumming) and his advisor (Tom Conti) to the island along with her brother for a little revenge.

Everybody in this movie is fantastic.  The cinematography is beautiful, the effects are astonishingly good, the costumes are gorgeous, and the soundtrack is lovely.  There is absolutely nothing I would change.  I love love love Ben Whishaw.  He's so talented it kind of makes me want to die.  It was also great to see Djimon Honsou letting his hair down, metaphorically, as the angry spirit Caliban.  That makeup job was amazeballs.

I can't believe this only got nominated for costume design.  What the actual, Academy?

From Here to Eternity (1953)

  It's been quite a while since I broke out one of my Best Picture collections.  This sweeping tragedy won eight Academy Awards, including ones for Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed, and was nominated for five others. 

Private Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) has transferred to a different Army unit on Hawaii from the bugle corps after being supplanted due to favoritism.  His new commander, Captain Holmes (Philip Ober), finds out that Prewitt used to be a boxer and pressures him to join the division team.  Prewitt refuses so the Captain authorizes his non-commissioned officers to haze Prewitt until he changes his mind.  The First Sergeant, Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster), hates the Captain for being a lazy sod and begins having an affair with the man's brittle, dissatisfied wife (Deborah Kerr).

It's a little melodramatic for my tastes but I've never been a big fan of star-crossed romances.  I have to say it's an accurate portrayal of life in the Army, at least as far as the drinking and screwing around.  It was interesting to see Donna Reed playing something other than a perfect housewife.  As Lorene/Alma, she was steel-heartedly determined to make enough money off the soldiers stationed in Hawaii to retire back to the mainland and marry someone respectable, despite being in love with Prewitt.  It was nice to see her capable of that kind of darkness.