The Movie List - January

The Man Who Knew Too Much - (1956) - I have a short list of actors I will watch in anything.  James Stewart is on that list (other names Henry Fonda, Denzel Washington.  There might be a couple more but none spring instantly to mind).  Add in Alfred Hitchcock directing and I just can't stay away.  And the movie lives up to expectations.  Actually it goes beyond expectations because Doris Day is quite good here.  I forget sometimes that she could be an excellent actress.  Her bout of hysteria when told her character's son was kidnapped was uncomfortable in its sincerity.   Stewart and Day play tourists who get caught up along the edges of political assasination.  It has all the hallmarks of one of Hitchcock's masterpieces.  Tension that is burst by the drop in bit of whimsey followed by the tension rising again.  I'm always torn watching his movies between being drawn into the story and watching his craftsmanship.
A movie worth seeing.

Hereafter - (2010) Matt Damon stars as a man who can talk with the spirits of the dead.  But he's come to the realization that it's not a gift but a curse.  His life will intersect with a French reporter (Cécile De France) and a young English boy (Frankie/George McLaren) and all of their lives will be changed forever.  I was doing fine right up to the end.  I really enjoyed the movie till the final scene.  Which was stupid.  Just pointless and a let down and...well, stupid.  It was really a dsiappointment at the end of an otherwise Ok movie.

Cinema Paradiso - (1988) A Italian film (with sub-titles) about one man's love for the movies and the small town where he grew up.  The movie has a wonderful lush feel to it.  The characters are wonderful as well.  If there's a problem it's long enough to be two movies.  It clocks in at just shy of 3 hours.  It's worth the time but good Lord.  I really enjoyed this movie.  So if you have a long afternoon free it's definitely worth watching.


Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows - (2011) Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law are back as Holmes and Watson.  Did you like the first one?  You'll probably like this.  Are you a Holmes purist?  You'll probably hate this as well.  So here's my thoughts.  I love the original stories and these aren't those.  But they are a helluva lot of fun.  I wish they didn't spend quite so much time having Holmes (referred to as "Sherly" by his brothe Mycroft) punch his way out of trouble.  It gets annoying and seems to be on the upswing from movie #1 to #2 which is sad.  But Downey and Law have so much fun with these roles I have to admit that I enjoy the movies.  So think of them as an alternate universe kind of steam punk interpretation of the stories and enjoy.  Good fun.

Casino Royale -(1967)  This is late '60s parody version of the James Bond book.  Apparently it was something of a disaster from the beginning.  It went over budget.  Two of the stars, Peter Sellers and Orson Welles, loathed each other and Sellers refused to be on set at the same time as Welles.
Incoherent is probably a very good description of this movie.  Given that there are something like a dozen people given credit (public or otherwise) for the screenplay and close to a half dozen for directing that may not be surprising.  The cast is a spot the stars spectacular but the movie is disappointing overall.  Too often it falls into the worst habit of parodies when they are self conciously trying to be clever.  Several pointless dance segments and what is essentially the single joke of the script drag it down quite badly.  David Niven stars as the "original" James Bond 007.  He's cool, intellectual and chaste.  He has no use for those who have come after him who bear his name and number. It's all quite silly and pointless.  Fortunately I've only wasted a cold and snowy afternoon on this one. The only thing worse is the 1950's TV version that's included on the disc. Ideally I'd give it a 2.5 star rating.

The Graduate (1967)  Here's a classic movie that pretty much everyone figures they know.  I know I've seen it before but was surprised by what I had forgotten.  Sure there's the classic lines  ("You're trying to seduce me Mrs. Robinson" and "Plastics"), and the characters and the wedding scene at the end of the movie.  What I'd forgotten was what a manipulative and vindictive woman Mrs. Robinson is.  I'd forgotten just how indecisive and feckless Ben Braddock is.  The movie is a wonderful look at the shallow world of upper middle class America in the '60s.  A classic movie and worth the look.