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Old Movies - January 2007

Strangers on a Train

January 31st 2007 10:04
Strangers on a Train (1951)


One of Hitchcock's less star-studded films (but no less the work of art or cinematic classic), 'Strangers on a Train' is a tight film of obsession, murder and chance connections (or miss-connections). Made in 1951, this film comes straight from Hitchcock's golden age of filmmaking, when the master of suspense was at the top of his game.


Guy Haines is a pro-tennis player (played by the all-round wussy Farley Grainger) looking to get into politics. He is engaged to a senator's daughter and seperated from his rather troublesome wife (who is making the prospect of divorce rather difficult for Guy). Whilst travelling on the train one day he is met by Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker, in his last performance), mummy's boy and would-be socialite, and the two strike up a rapport discussing their respective troubles... Guy's wife and Bruno's father. It's here that Bruno hits upon a brilliant idea - what if he and Guy were to murder the two bothersome individuals? The genius bit being that they would swap victims - leaving the crimes without an apparent motive.

The crux of the film is this meeting (as the title suggests). Guy takes the conversation substantially less seriously than Bruno. The problem is that you can never really tell where a stranger is coming from - it turns out that Bruno is somewhat mentally unhinged, and he follows through on the plan, believing that he and Guy have a deal. Guy is shocked and aghast at what has happened, especially when Bruno realises that Guy isn't going to follow through on his half of the 'bargain' and threatens to pin the murder of Guy's wife on Guy.


There's an inherent creepiness in the idea of worlds colliding like this... imagine a chance conversation with a stranger turning into a nightmare of murder, threats and guilt. Something like this could happen to anyone, and the terror in this film is suitably realistic as a result. This is especially compounded by Robert Walker's fantastically insane yet controlled performance as Bruno. Hitchcock's direction is also as inspired and perfectly cut as ever, notably in the final scenes at the fairground (and in one instance, the low-angle shot of a very dangerous stunt involving an old man crawling under an out-of-control merry-go-round). There's also a very unusual undercurrent of homosexuality speckled across the film (it's subtle, but it's there), which adds yet another layer to the tensions that often colour Hitchcock's films.

Another classic amongst the master's many classics.
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The Oscars - The Actor stats

January 29th 2007 10:46
Okay, I said I'd talk some more about the nominees this year and go through some statistics. I know this might bore some of you but it's my blog so nyaaaaaaaahhhhhh, I'll write what I like. Before we launch into this though, bear in mind that I haven't seen all the performances and that I'm speaking about this strictly from a statistics viewpoint. I'm pretty much judging my guesses on how the Academy has voted in the past.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Honsou


BEST ACTOR
Of the nominees this year there are two who have never been nominated before, these are young hunkster Ryan Gosling and underrated character-actor Forest Whitaker. Gosling was the most surprising nominee for this category, he didn't get a Golden Globe nomination and he isn't exactly well known. Whitaker might be doing a Philip Seymour Hoffman though, following through on years of unsung supporting-work with one role of a lifetime. If the Academy is feeling generous this year they just might give it to Whitaker, and I think of the five nominees he is probably the biggest underdog - let's face it, he'll probably never get nominated again.

Peter O'Toole, on the other hand, is probably the most deserving of it - if only to reward him for all the times he has missed out (though, truth be told, I hear he's pretty damn good in 'Venus' too). If O'Toole loses this time he will become the most nominated actor in Oscar history to not get a competitive statue. As it stands, he has seven non-winning nominations to his name (equal to Richard Burton), all nominations for the Best Actor category. They are... 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962), 'Becket' (1964), 'The Lion in Winter' (1968), 'Goodbye Mr. Chips' (1969), 'The Ruling Class' (1972), 'The Stunt Man' (1980) and 'My Favourite Year' (1982). I have a feeling that O'Toole might just win it.

The other two nominees are Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith. This is DiCaprio's third nomination now, his previous being Best Actor for 'The Aviator' (2004) and Best Supporting Actor for 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?' (1993). DiCaprio has an outside chance, but to be honest I hope he doesn't win it, if only because another loss might encourage him to follow on with the great work he has been doing, hahaha. Smith has no chance whatsoever... this is his second nomination, he was previously nominated for Best Actor for 'Ali' (2001). I can't really see him winning at all. A lot of people probably saw 'Ali' as a fluke or one-off, this second nomination improves his credibility a bit but if he goes back to doing crap like 'Hitch' and 'Bad Boys' then he will never really be taken seriously. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to seeing his performance in 'The Pursuit of Happyness', I just hope he does more stuff along this line in the future rather than another 'Men in Black' movie.

My bet is that the Oscar will be either O'Toole's or Whitaker's.



BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
I'm less confident of guessing the outcome of the Best Supporting Actor nominations, it's a real mixed bag this year. I guess that's the great thing about the Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress categories, you can never guess who's going to be nominated.

If I was forced to make a guesstimate, I'd probably go with either Alan Arkin or Eddie Murphy. Eddie Murphy has never been nominated before... he's never really put himself in a position to be nominated before. I haven't seen 'Dreamgirls' but I've always felt that he would really kick arse at more dramatic roles, so it's on this hunch that I'm basing this very shaky guess. In the past the Academy has awarded comedians for turning 'straight' in surprising supporting roles, the ones that automatically spring to mind are Red Buttons' win for 'Sayonara' in 1957, Whoopi Goldberg's statue-winning turn in 'Ghost' (1990), and George Burns' comeback in 'The Sunshine Boys' (1975).

Alan Arkin also has a good chance of winning for being the veteran of the bunch. For an old, respected actor like Arkin - someone who never got huge but has an impressive array of film roles to his name - it probably wouldn't take much for him to win. Like James Coburn and Jack Palance before him, all it might take is a nomination - the Academy might award him the Oscar for all his past work, his latest nomination just a symbol of this. Arkin was last nominated about 38 years ago, a Best Actor nomination for 'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter' (1969). Prior to that he was nominated for 'The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming' (1968).

The other nominees are (in my guesstimation) outside chances. Jackie Earle Haley is the real surprise... he was an emerging teen star in the 70s but faded away in the mid 80s. He went for 13 years without acting in a single film or television show before getting plum roles in both 'Little Children' and the remake of 'All the King's Men' last year. Just getting nominated is a win for him.

Mark Wahlberg has never been nominated before. Don't know what else to say about ol' Marky Mark. Good to see the Academy didn't get snobby about nominating him, he was very entertaining in 'The Departed'. Djimon Honsou is on his second nomination for Best Supporting Actor, he previously got nominated for 'In America' in 2002, and he seems to be building up an impressive portfolio of roles. He might be an outside chance for the statue, but I think he's still too much of an unknown quantity... it shouldn't be too hard for him to get nominated again though now that he's wracked up two of them.

And that's it for the Actors. As for the ladies... stay tuned!

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Posted By: Luke - Category: Academy Awards
   


Little Miss Sunshine

January 28th 2007 02:16


Well, it's Oscar time, and it snuck up on me this year and I've come to the realisation that I haven't seen hardly any movies this year, so I'm now in a frantic rush to see as many of the nominees as possible. This morning I watched 'Little Miss Sunshine', at first a little reluctantly as I felt I was forcing myself to watch these films and that it might be a chore, but oh boy - it wasn't anywhere near a chore. This film was such a delightful surprise that I'm still reeling from the warm fuzzy feeling all curled up in my belly, smile and eyes.

The Little Miss Sunshine of the title is Olive (Oscar-nominated Abigail Breslin), a 7-year old girl who just might be the most normal member of her family. Owing to another girl dropping out, she suddenly qualifies to enter a big beauty pagent for little girls. Her dreams are within reach. Joining her on the road trip to California are the rest of her family, a varied and motley bunch that hits the right amount of quirk whilst still retaining the identifiable everyday-ness that makes them all too familiar to us. There's her father (Greg Kinnear, perfectly cast), the self-help guru-wannabe who (infuriatingly) believes his own bullshit about winners and losers. Her mother (Toni Collette), a wholly reasonable and supportive woman who displays much more warmth than some of Collette's previous charcterisations in similar roles. Her brother (Paul Dano), who hates everyone and has taken a vow of silence to show his determination to become a jet pilot. Her grandpa (Oscar-nominated Alan Arkin, stealing all his scenes), a sex-obsessed old man who snorts heroin. And finally, her uncle (Steve Carrell, who is impressive in a less-whacky role than usual), a gay literary scholar who recently tried to commit suicide. It's through the eyes of Frank that we're introduced to the family and their hopes and dreams.

Anyway, I don't really want to talk about the plot beyond that set-up because it might spoil all the fun. I want you to see this movie. I want everyone to see this movie. I know I probably wouldn't listen if someone said that to me, but I'm saying it here anyway because this was such a wonderful and beautiful movie (and not in a gay, arty-farty sense either). This is a movie about the lengths families go for one another. It's about winners and losers, about dreams and being yourself. It made me laugh and it made me cry, often at the same time. The ending is so awesome I couldn't stop this combination of laughing and crying, it really struck a chord with me and summed up the whole movie so succinctly and without overstatement. A lot of reviews would describe this family as 'dysfunctional', but I think that term has become outdated... they seemed entirely realistic to me. Maybe it's just me!

Recently there has been the emerging use of the word 'dramedy' to describe television shows that fall somewhere between comedy and drama. It's a buzz-word I am loathe to use, but it represents a growing change in genres and I think it reflects the rise of non-reality television's biggest strengths. I think this film exists as a kind of counterpart to this new wave of entertainment... it's very laugh-out-loud funny at times but it manages to strike an even balance with it's more dramatic or serious elements. It doesn't short-change the comedy and the story's themes remain very strong despite these funny bits. It's a bit like life, I guess. I'm very happy to see that the Academy has nominated this film for 'Best Picture', it shows that they're not always completely out of touch. I'll be gobsmacked if it actually wins though.

Go see it now!
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Posted By: Luke - Category: Drama
   


Babel

January 26th 2007 10:14


'Babel' is the latest film from acclaimed Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who previously directed '21 Grams' and 'Amores Perres'. Like these previous films, 'Babel' is a fractured story of interconnected characters... a film that challenges linear story-telling and Hollywood-styled structuring of narrative. 'Babel' also represents a breakthrough for the director, it is nominated for no less than 7 Academy Awards and it pretty much consolidates his acceptance as a major international filmmaking talent


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Drama
   


The Man Who Fell to Earth

January 26th 2007 04:52
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)


Who better to play an alien than everyone's favourite musical freak, David Bowie? It's one of those masterful strokes of casting genius that would make modern-day fanboys gush and slobber and cream their pants completely. Nicholas Roeg's cultish adaptation of Walter Trevis's progressive science-fiction novel has become a surrealist classic, memorable mostly for Bowie's presence. It was with some eagerness that I grabbed this film from the video rental store when I finally saw that it was available


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Science Fiction
   


Oscar Nominees!

January 24th 2007 13:21
A bit late, sorry, I've been away for a day or two. Anyway, it's late, I'm tired, I'm getting up for work in 5 hours, so here are the recently announced Oscar nominees. Turns out they're actually pretty close to what the Golden Globe nominees were this year...

BEST PICTURE
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Posted By: Luke - Category: Academy Awards
   


Golden Globes 2007

January 22nd 2007 23:09
This will be old news to some. The other day I mentioned the Golden Globes, so I thought I might put up the winners here. We'll wait and see how many nominations and wins correlate with the Oscars.

Best Picture - Drama
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Posted By: Luke - Category: Academy Awards
   


Top 10 films of the 80s

January 22nd 2007 03:49
Here are 10 great 80s movies that kept me sane in my childhood. These aren't so much the finest films of the 80s, or the ones most deserving of adult praise. These are purely 100% maximum kid-aimed entertainment, or at least films that had that effect on me when I was little. These are the films I watched over and over again - the movies I memorised, quoted, play-acted and wished were visualisations of my real life. In short, these films were blessed escapism, and they are the bread and butter I grew up on.


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It's Oscar Season!

January 19th 2007 07:57
The Academy Awards are, to me, what the Grand Final is to Rugby League-heads. I love the Oscars. I can't get enough of 'em. I own a couple of books on them, I study various websites detailing stats of past winners and losers, I'm on a mission to watch every film that ever won a significant Oscar (ie. Best Film, Director, or any of the acting awards. Maybe the writing awards too). Simply put, I'm a fanatic.

That's why it's kind of sad that I don't get to watch as many new movies as I used to. I'm not as much of a bum as I used to be, I just don't get the time to hang loose and catch up on all the latest flicks. The total number of new films I've watched this year at the movies is three... 'Over The Hedge', 'Borat' and 'The Departed'. Sad, sad, sad


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Academy Awards
   


A Beautiful Mind

January 17th 2007 12:44


I couldn't get Russell's Crowe's gruff Gladiator-role out of my head, which made it hard for me to pick up this movie. As interesting as it looked, I didn't much fancy a biopic featuring the line "My name is mathematician". Also, this film cops a lot of shit for not being 100% faithful to the facts, and for having Russell Crowe in it. I’ve never really had a problem with Crowe… I think he’s a good actor. Suffice to say, I overcame my silliness and checked this film out


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Drama
   


The Score

January 16th 2007 12:32


'Pedestrian' isn't a word I tend to use all that much in everyday conversation. When I got around to watching 'The Score', a Canadian-set heist film with an impressive cast, I felt I had finally come to that point in my life where I can say "Yes. I can necessarily use the word 'pedestrian' in context". In case you haven't guessed by now, this film is pedestrian


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Action/Thriller
   


The Falcon and the Snowman

January 15th 2007 10:38
The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)


'The Falcon and the Snowman' is one of those films that sits calmly between all the other better known films in your local video story, biding it's time, serene in it's apparent mediocrity and lack of legacy... just waiting to be discovered. I'd never even heard of this film before, and I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I hadn't seen 'Ordinary People' just prior to it. I was so taken by Timothy Hutton's heartfelt and sincere performance in that film that I was amazed he wasn't better known now, and then I spotted 'The Falcon and the Snowman', a film that teamed him with Sean Penn, no less, and I knew it was time to follow up on what Hutton did next


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Action/Thriller
   


Traffic

January 13th 2007 11:14


Meticulously researched, and filmed in a striking yet unobstrusive doco-style, 'Traffic' offers a multi-layered and thorough view of the 'war on the drugs' as fought in the U.S. and Mexico. Through the inspired use of different coloured filters we're presented the home front (Washington), the front line (the Mexico-U.S. border) and the other side (Mexico) in this 'war', and a varied array of characters and plot strands are concisely and expertly interwoven to present as full a picture as any film could possibly get on a subject as complicated as the drugs trade


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Drama
   


Jason and the Argonauts

January 11th 2007 08:01
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)


If there's one film from my childhood that will forever hold a special place in my heart it would have to be 'Jason and the Argonauts'. I must've watched this movie at least once a week for two years, marvelling at the amazing monstrous images conjured up before my eyes. The creepy jerkiness of Ray Harryhausen's famous stop-motion animation was as realistic to me as my own imagination... after watching it I would run outside and stomp around like Talos the bronze giant, terrorising my sister and wreaking havoc on mum's flowerbeds


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Adventure/Fantasy
   


Top 10 Funny guys in films

January 9th 2007 09:27
Funny can be very subjective, so save yourself the trouble - if you don't find one of these guys funny, I get it, I know there's no accountability for taste. These are just 10 film characters that crack me it and make me lose my shit.


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Black Hawk Down

January 8th 2007 05:23


Another film about war. "Yay" you may say, in a sarcastic manner, and - depending on the film in question - I'd probably be fairly inclined to say "yay" in a sarcastic exclamation-free manner too. 'Black Hawk Down' sets itself apart from other recent war films (eg. 'We Were Soldiers') by making it's setting something more contemporary and lesser-known (on a worldwide scale, at least


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Posted By: Luke - Category: War
   


Wayne's World 2

January 5th 2007 08:07


The laughs continue in 'Wayne's World 2', as Wayne and Garth get their own place and decide to put on a rock festival. Oh, and this time round, Garth has pubes


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Comedy
   


Repo Man

January 4th 2007 07:34
Repo Man (1984)


Repo Man is a crazy, culty kind of movie that tends to get people all excitable - if only because it's soundtrack is so punk-rocking. I bought this video, expecting something cool and highly rewatchable after reading various articles pumping it up and hearing dudes say it was rad. Let's just say I wasn't impressed


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Comedy
   


True Grit

January 3rd 2007 06:59
True Grit (1969)


It's hard to review 'True Grit' as just another western film. Is it a mediocre latter-day western elevated by the fact that John Wayne finally won an Oscar with the portrayal he gave in it? Or is it a genuinely good film, a worthy entry into the genre at a time when westerns were becoming increasingly unpopular? I am by no means a Western buff. I enjoy Western films a lot, but there are a lot of supposedly great ones out there that I'm yet to see (high on my list are 'The Outlaw Josey Wales', 'The Ox-Bow Incident' and 'Winchester '73', just to name a few), so I don't think I can really answer this question definitively, but these are things that came to my mind when I watched this film nonetheless


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Western
   


Moulin Rouge

January 2nd 2007 06:40


I used to hate musicals. Mostly. So when I watched this at the time of it’s release I really expect to like it. From the moment ‘Moulin Rouge’ started though I had a hard time not liking it


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Posted By: Luke - Category: Musical
   


The great comedian, Harold Lloyd

January 1st 2007 01:08

Harold Lloyd clip - click to watch.

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