Karl Brezdin's Top Films of 2011: Yes, I Watched Something Other Than Don "The Dragon" Wilson Movies

This was the first in many years where I made a conscious effort to see new releases in the theater. In some cases, it worked like gangbusters (Take Shelter, Drive) while other films have continued to elude me (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Shame, Melancholia). I decided to take a break from grad school and not updating the Fist of B-List blog to share some thoughts with the GGtMC community on my favorite ten films of 2011, in reverse order.

Attack the Block
Everything a popcorn flick should be: fast, funny, and slick as all hell. John Boyega looks like a star in the making and the movie contains the latest and greatest in visually iconic screen creatures. Somewhere in there, the filmmakers also managed to include some actual character development. What a concept!

Midnight in Paris
In his return to magic realist territory, Woody Allen achieves a funny and charming cinematic meditation on nostalgia, art, and relationships. Owen Wilson is cast perfectly as Allen's artistic "man out of time," an aspiring novelist in a modern era which values the book far less than it values his current trade (hackneyed Hollywood film scripts). It features terrific performances from Michael Sheen, Rachel McAdams, Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway, and the always enchanting Marion Cotillard. The present is boring because we're stuck here, the future is hopeful because we're going there, and the past is alluring because we can't ever go back.

Senna
Great documentary films take any subject, no matter how unfamiliar to the audience, and find ways to make it engaging and fulfilling. In weaving archival footage of the life and times of Formula One racer, Ayrton Senna, director Asif Kapadia has made the finest documentary film of the year, and one of the best sports films in recent memory. The doc touches on all the elements which make sports narratives so compelling: rivalries, comebacks, organizational bureaucracy, transcendent greatness, and sadly, unfulfilled potential.

Warrior
Underdog sports stories are nothing new. Alcoholic mentors have been done to death. In 2011, however, well-acted films about estranged brothers beating the piss out of each other joined wrestler retirement speeches and dog/soldier reunions as manly things that make me weepy. Nick Nolte's performance is incredible. The end.

Beginners
Little known fact about the guy who covers Billy Blanks and Art Camacho movies: I'm a total sucker for romances and tearjerkers alike. Beginners hits all the right beats for me with respect to technically sound filmmaking and authenticity of emotion, and it shifts between sadness, sweetness, and hilarity without feeling forced or twee. Performance-wise, Christopher Plummer is getting all the press, and Ewan McGregor is typically solid, but Mélanie Laurent is armed to the gills with 1,001 ways to steal your heart. If you like your stories about beautiful people falling in love backed by some frequently bittersweet notes, Beginners is eminently qualified.

Martha Marcy May Marlene
The talent and beauty of star Elizabeth Olsen can't be overstated, but the deliberate pace and jarring narrative jumps in Martha Marcy May Marlene made this a more complete film than most performance-oriented criticisms might have led you to believe. I felt the film's stinging notes of unsettling paranoia in the central character nicely echoed 1971's Let's Scare Jessica to Death, which also featured a damaged woman cracking up before our eyes as she attempts to rejoin the normative societal fray. Throw in a gaunt John Hawkes playing folksy backwoods menace to a T, and you've got a fantastic debut feature film from director Sean Durkin.

The Skin I Live In
Two decades following Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Antonio Banderas and Pedro Almodóvar reunited for this total gem of a psychological thriller. Fantastic performances, a deliciously sick premise, and a solid score combine for one of the best cinematic punches to the dick in years.

A Night in Nude: Salvation
Gonin director Takashi Ishii's fantastic return to the noir-tinged universe of 1993's A Night in Nude was underseen on account of its one-night U.S. showing at the 2011 New York Asian Film Festival back in July. Have no fear though, you needn't see the original to appreciate this follow-up because it works just fine as a stand-alone film. Naoto Takenaka and former model Hiroko Sato deliver the dramatic goods and Ishii's attention to shot composition in this world of beating rain and Tokyo neon is admirable. Add in Joe Shishido achieving a level of sleaze somewhere between Noah Cross and Frank Booth, and you've got a finely twisted piece of Japanese cinema that will stick in your craw for days on end.

Drive
Other writers have already sung the praises of Nicolas Winding Refn's entry for Coolest Cinematic Shit of the Year better than I could hope to do. This film was a well-polished marriage of sound, image, pace, and mood, while providing the moments of violence and action plenty of room to breathe. We'll look back on Gosling's character as one of the most iconic of its time. I still want that jacket.

Take Shelter
Stellar direction, a potent allegory, and fantastic performances from Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain combined for my favorite film of the year. Shannon joins a short list of contemporary actors who can act circles around most of his peers with his face alone. Jeff Nichols has the potential to be one of the finest directors of his generation. I'll stop there and take this tumble down the hyperbolic wormhole offline.

Freakin' Awesome Network's Justin Oberholtzer's Top 30 Films of 2011

With the Oscars right around the corner, the "Cinemasochist" Justin Oberholtzer reveals his top thirty films of 2011. Be sure to head over to the Freakin' Awesome Network to read more of his writing, as well as that of the entire crew.

30. The Other F Word
-This documentary focuses on punk rockers and their newfound fatherhood. Ousted by society as freaks and misfits, these rebels must cope with now being the authority figures. Simply put, it’s a funny, engaging look at parenthood through the eyes of those that aren’t expected to be good role models.

29. Win Win
-The always reliable Paul Giamatti turns in another fine performance as Mike, a part-time wrestling coach who takes custody of an elderly man. His trouble grandson, Kyle (Alex Shaffer), lands on his doorstep after another fight with his mother. Taking him into custody, Mike discovers his true talent of wrestling and puts him on the team. This funny and heartwarming tale is a sweet little slice of life.

28. The Last Circus
-Alex de la Iglesia’s latest is a twisted tale of a sad circus clown, Javier (Carlos Areces), who gets entangled in a love triangle between Sergio (Antonio de la Torre) and his lovely girlfriend, Natalia (Carolina Bang). Faster than you can say “clowns are scary”, the film goes off the deep end into manic overdrive, which is why I loved it. It’s a lot to take in (especially the finale), but it’s well worth it.

27. The Last Mountain
-This eye-opening documentary focuses on mining operations in West Virginia and their disastrous effects on the communities around them. Local civilians fight back against Massey Energy Company, leading to some truly shocking abuses of power. “The Last Mountain” is this year’s “Gasland”.

26. The Trip
-Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play thinly veiled versions of themselves in this delightful comedy. When Steve is asked by The Guardian to tour the country’s finest restaurants for an article, he’s tasked with a dilemma. He can’t take his girlfriend due to relationship issues. Who does he take? He enlists the aid of his longtime friend Rob, who tends to get on his nerves. The two tour the country and share exuberant conversations from jobs to Michael Caine impersonations. A well-written script and cheery performances by Steve and Rob make this comedy a delectable treat.


25. Attack the Block
-Alien creatures invade a block in Southern London. Fighting back are a group of mouthy delinquents, as well as drug dealers and the female they mugged. Simple creature design goes a long way in this fast-paced, exhilarating sci-fi extravaganza.

24. Super 8
-JJ Abrams’ love letter of sorts to super 8 filmmaking and Steven Spielberg is a wildly fun sci-fi yarn. A group of adolescents film a train crash while shooting their latest zombie film. As strange happenings overtake the town, they investigate and get more than they bargained for. Incredible special effects (even with the unsatisfactory monster), tolerable and relatable pre-teens and tight direction make Super 8 an enjoyable popcorn flick.

23. Warrior
-A by the numbers account of family turmoil mixed with MMA. It’s done so well that I simply didn’t give a damn about it’s clichéd nature! Nick Nolte plays the father of two distant sons. Joel Edgerton is a loving husband and father struck with financial issues; Tom Hardy is a former soldier drifting through life. Both enter a huge MMA competition and, lo and behold, wind up facing each other. The direction is focused more on the emotions of all three men, leading to quite a few tear-inducing scenes.

22. Certified Copy
-Abbas Kiarostami’s latest film follows author James Miller (William Shimell), who is doing a book tour in Tuscany. He meets a French woman named Elle (Juliette Binoche), who takes him on a tour of the town. A romance brews or does a pre-existing relationship stir back up? This romance challenges the viewer, but the chemistry between the two leads is what carries it. No matter what outcome you draw, the love story itself is beautifully told. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

21. Cold Fish
Here’s a movie that, on the surface, doesn’t sound that great. When Syamoto’s (Mitsuru Fukikoshi) daughter is caught stealing, rival fish store owner Murata (DenDen) generously forgives her and gives her a job. As time rolls on, Syamoto finds out the sickening truth behind the seemingly perfect life of Murata. It may not sound like much, but this tightly wound thriller is nearly perfect. It’s near two-and-a-half hour running time just flies by.

20. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
-This prequel to the classic “Planet of the Apes” is a smart and stylized dissection of man’s selfish power and the impending doom when nature strikes back. James Franco plays a scientist working on a cure to Alzheimers. When his testing goes awry and the experiment is shut down, he smuggles home his guinea pig, Caesar. Franco finds the cure and raises the ape. When he’s taken away and abused in a shelter, he forms an alliance with the other apes and stages a revolution. Jaw-dropping special effects and a stunning performance by Andy Serkis as Caesar elevate what could have simply been a cash-in revival.

19. Weekend
-Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New) have a one night stand after a night of partying. Attempting to make something serious out of it, the two men spend the weekend learning about each other and possibly falling in love. What’s refreshing about this film is that the director, Andrew Haigh, treats his characters like human beings and not homosexual stereotypes. This is a love story that just so happens to be between two gay men. It’s a wonderful one, at that.

18. Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
-This hilarious and at times emotional documentary follows the late-night talk show sensation’s “Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour”. We witness candid shots of the funnyman in his natural demeanor, as well as his struggles with the anger and depression of losing the job he fought so hard to get. The film also deals with how he copes from being away from his family, his relationship with his co-workers and his love and admiration for his fan base. You don’t have to be a Conan fan to enjoy this film, though it certainly helps.

17. Hugo
-Martin Scorsese’s latest film, his first family and 3D venture, adapts the Brian Selznick book to the big screen while implementing his own personal love letter to cinema, as well. Hugo (Asa Butterfield) is an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station. He befriends Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) and the two set out to fix his father’s automaton. What they discover is the making of film itself. This magical tale is enchanting for both adults and children. Cinephiles such as myself will be drawn in deeper, due to the aforementioned love letter to cinema.

16. These Amazing Shadows
-This documentary is for the film fan in all of us. Documenting the importance and creation of the National Film Registry, Paul Mariano and Kurt Norton interview those working for the company and famous directors and stars of cinema. The reasoning behind a film’s inclusion into the registry, as well as the fight to preserve and salvage older film reels, make for an enriching watch. It’s easy to get lost in this one’s magic.

15. Rango
-Who would have guessed that a Nickelodeon animated film would be so much fun for adults and, especially, western fans? To much surprise, this Gore Verbinski film does just that. Johnny Depp voices the titular character, who is mistaken for a hero in a small, defenseless town. With humor the whole family can enjoy and enough nods to westerns from the likes of Sergio Leone, this animated comedy exceeds all expectation and is one of this year’s most surprising delight.

14. Horrible Bosses
-It’s hard for a comedy to hit all of the right notes. Once the story picks up, the laughs usually begin to subside. That’s not the case with this somewhat dark comedy about three disgruntled workers (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day) who plot to murder their despicable bosses (Kevin Spacey, Collin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston). Once the film starts, the laughs begin and never end. The three leads have tremendous chemistry and their horrible bosses bounce off of them perfectly. This is the type of comedy I love. One that simply ceases to stop being funny.

13. Beginners
-Mike Mills’ film about the relationship between a father, Hal Fields (Christopher Plummer) and his son, Oliver (Ewan McGregor), is quite wonderful and touching. Loosely based on his relationship with his father, Mills gently tells the story of Oliver’s feelings when he discovers that, not only does his father have cancer, but that he’s gay. He reevaluates his life and relationships, including his current one with Anna (Melanie Laurent). This simple story is told so elegant and sweetly that it’s hard not to fall in love with it.

12. Tyrannosaur
-In the second most depressing film of 2011, Joseph (Peter Mullan) is nearing self-destruction. Not being able to cope with his rage and short temper, he finds an unlikely companionship in Hannah (Olivia Colman), a Christian shop owner. Her seemingly perfect life is actually quite dark. She has an abusive husband (Eddie Marsan) who treats her like garbage. The two new friends both struggle with their emotions in this deeply effective and gloomy dissection of depression and angst.

11. Senna
-In what has to be the most shocking entry on this list for me is this documentary on famed Formula One driver Ayrton Senna. Why is this so shocking? I have absolutely no interest in Formula One racing and am unfamiliar with Senna. That doesn’t matter, as Asif Kapadia’s documentary lays out his life story, rivalry with Alain Prost, his many championship wins and eventual tragic end. This is almost as gripping and involving as high-caliber fiction, if not more so. I went in with no interest or expectations, but came out loving every second of it.

10. The Artist
-This love letter to silent films is much more than that. It’s about the downfall of former star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), whose pride gets in the way with the transition from silent films to talkies. When Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) picks up the ball and runs with it, she’s transformed into Hollywoodland’s “It” girl. George watches on with jealousy and anger, as his plight becomes much more tragic. Despite this grim description, the film is also very cheerful and exuberant. John Goodman is wonderful as director Al Zimmer, as is James Cromwell as Clifton, George’s assistant. Nearly stealing the show is Uggie, George’s loveable dog. Done almost entirely in silence, this film takes a risk and it pays off.

9. Trust
-Leaving behind his persona as Ross Gellar from “Friends” and cementing himself as a serious director is David Schwimmer. His latest film tackles the treacherous subject matter of online predators. When Annie (Liana Liberato) is raped by an online predator, her parents, Will (Clive Owen) and Lynn (Catherine Keener), are stunned. When Annie reveals she’s in love with the man, Will nearly loses it in hunting him down and finding the reasoning, while Lynn simply tries to console her daughter. This could have easily slipped into “Lifetime Movie of the Week” territory, but Schwimmer’s solid direction and pacing keeps this film from sinking. As of right now, it’s the best film to tackle the subject matter.

8. Beautiful Boy
-Another film that tackles a heavy subject matter. This one being about a college shooting. More so, it’s about the aftermath of the shooting and the parents’ (Maria Bello and Michael Sheen) response to their son’s (Kyle Gallner) actions. As they dig deep to find the answers, they struggle with their marriage, blame themselves and fight the demons inside of them. This is the second film of the year to tackle this subject (the other being “We Need to Talk About Kevin”). In my opinion, this one is superior.

7. A Separation
-This powerful drama centers on the troubled marriage of Nader (Peyman Maadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami). The wife wants a divorce, but the courts don’t deem her cause worthy. She wants to move out of Iran and have a better life for her daughter, Termeh (Sarina Farhardi). When an incident occurs (which shall be kept secret), the stakes are raised and emotions run wild. This is a nail biter that kept me hooked until the end.

6. The Descendants
-A touching, real and honest observation on the death of a mother and wife and it’s effect on her family. George Clooney turns in one of the finer performances of his career as Matt King, a grieving widow-to-be who’s not only dealing with the stress of his wife’s death, but just now learning about her affair. He’s also dealing with a huge settlement issue that can effect the entire state of Hawaii, as well as raising and coping with his daughters, Scottie (Amara Miller) and Alexandra (Shaliene Woodley, in a breakthrough performance). It really is quite wonderful.

5. Biutiful
-This one may be a cheat in many people’s eyes, as most view it as a 2010 film. Despite having some Oscar nominations under it’s belt in last year’s awards spectacle, this wasn’t highly accessible for me until afterwards. I may have let it slide from appearing on the list if it wasn’t so damn good. It’d be a shame for me to leave it off of this list, considering how powerful it is. Javier Bardem plays a father who is stricken with cancer and is coping with his mortality, as well as his children growing up without him possibly being there. Even the supernatural elements play in nicely to the story. Just like “Cold Fish” it’s nearly two-and-a-half hour running time flies by.

4. The Skin I Live In
-Pedro Almodovar’s latest film is a twisted medical thriller that is strikingly original. Plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) is haunted by past tragedies which play into effect on his current project, Vera Cruz (Elena Anaya). The reveal halfway through that ties everything together is nothing short of brilliant and is utterly shocking.

3. Snowtown
-The most depressing film of the year is made all the more unpleasant thanks to it being based on a true story. Jamie (Lucas Pittaway) falls in with his mother’s new boyfriend, Gavin (Bob Adriaens) and his flock of neighborhood watchmen. He turns out to be a violent sociopath who forces murder upon Jamie. This film is brutal, violent, unnerving and intense. Not for the squeamish.

2. The Tree of Life
-Terence Malick’s newest film is best related to Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”, simply in it’s cinematography and execution. His dissection of human life and our mortality is a beautiful and elegant film that is challenging, well acted and dazzling to look at. Some have questioned his choices (such as the dinosaurs), while others have embraced them. I’m of the latter.

1. Drive
-The film to take the coveted number one spot this year is one of the most loved. That’s for good reason, as Nicolas Winding Refn’s character evaluation of the Driver (Ryan Gosling) is tense and gripping. The Driver is a Hollywood Stuntman by day and getaway driver by night. When he is left with a briefcase belonging to Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman), his life and that of his neighbor/love interest Irene (Carey Mulligan) are in serious jeopardy. This isn’t a “Fast and the Furious” film, despite a few car chases being present. It’s a character assessment on top of being a crime thriller. It’s a near-flawless one at that.

The Abominable Snowman (1957)

Cryptozoology ("the study of and search for animals and especially legendary animals [as Sasquatch] usually in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence," as defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary) is something which has fascinated me since I was a child. To be sure, it has fascinated legions of people over time. And yet, it is rarely the actual proving or disproving of a creature's existence which captivates our interest. No, it is the mystique of the unknown which rouses us and keeps us watching. The actual animals, once illuminated by the sterilizing light of day, become mundane, banal, taken for granted. But as long as they continue to elude us in the remotest parts of the world and the deepest, sodden depths and the farthest reaches of outer space (okay, extraterrestrials are not really considered cryptozoological, but work with me here), our minds will continue to dance with a million possibilities, and we will continue to be sated. Until new "evidence" rears its inevitable head, that is. 

Dr. John Rollason (Peter Cushing) is studying the mysterious medicinal plants harvested by the monks of a Tibetan monastery in the Himalayas. However, what John hasn't told anyone is he is waiting for Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker) and his party to arrive so they can head up the mountain. To everyone's disappointment, John and Friend are fixated on finding the legendary abominable snowman. As the expedition encroaches farther into the beasts' territory, the men begin to realize that the Yeti may be more than just an unthinking brute.

Of all the cryptozoologically-based films (Loch Ness Horror, Curse Of Bigfoot, Night Of The Demon, etcetera), Val Guest's The Abominable Snowman is without a doubt the best. It is distinguished from its brethren primarily by not being borne of exploitation. Certainly, it has elements of exploitation. The premise alone is testament to that fact. Yet, there's very little blood, no nudity, and a point to the film rather than just getting it up on theater screens. Interestingly, the same film studio that produced this film (Hammer) would, the very same year, add bright red blood and gobs of cleavage to their gothic horror films (beginning with Curse Of Frankenstein) and make themselves a household name (at least to fans of horror).

Hammer films always had an air of class to them, even in their later, more explicit fare. There was a high degree of production value onscreen, and the filmmakers were unafraid to take their time in telling their stories. It lent a traditional feel to films that had a more modern sensibility in terms of permissiveness. You almost felt like you were going to school when you watched a Hammer picture, only the instructor had rather large fangs. This film is no different. The widescreen frame is used in its entirety, and Guest moves the camera smoothly through the detailed sets, taking in everything it can. The cinematography by Arthur Grant is exquisite, with deep pools of black and three-dimensional lighting that distinguishes what could very easily have looked like a flat expanse of white. I would also like to mention here that there are a few lens flares in the film that instantly put me in mind of Dean Cundey's work with John Carpenter. Never a bad thing.

The film is concerned with an intellectual, rather than a visceral sense of horror. Screenwriter Nigel Kneale deserves the credit for this, I suspect. Known for the "Quatermass" series of films and television productions, Kneale's work has always looked beyond the surface of things and come up with new ways of seeing the world around us (yes, I own a copy of the Kneale biography, Into The Unknown, and no, I haven't had a chance to read it yet). Here, he posits the notion that the Yetis are not only a third branch of man's evolution (the "Missing Link" they've always been thought to be) but possibly a more advanced one which is hiding out in the hinterlands for a very specific reason. They also act as mythological sirens and banshees, calling out to lure men to their deaths and presaging their demise, though there's also a less paranormal explanation for this effect in the film. Nonetheless, according to John, the creatures' faces contain sadness, wisdom, and gentleness. Kneale's writing credits the viewer with a modicum of intelligence, and that's something I think viewers appreciate (usually).

The characters are fleshed out nicely, too. Friend is the ostensible villain, but he's not one-dimensional. He has goals and reasons for doing what he does. Taking the "ugly American" role, Tucker does an admirable job portraying a man driven by hard experience into making bad choices. John, by contrast, is not a lily-white hero figure, though he is more empathic (and empathetic) than the others. In the struggle of brain versus brawn, the survivors of the ordeal will be determined not by physical strength but by strength of character. And even then, there are no guarantees.

The filmmakers wisely keep the snowmen in shadows, only showing us an arm or eyes, just enough so we get the basic idea. To display the costumes in full would rob them of their enigmatic presence. They would be just guys in hairy costumes. Like Val Lewton very successfully proved earlier in films like The Cat People and The Leopard Man, the power of suggestion is worth more than any hundred effects shots, no matter how well-done. Allowing the viewer to complete the image in their own mind is, ironically, more potent than simply giving the audience what it thinks it wants. This is why the best performers and comedians live by the motto "always leave them wanting more." 

The Abominable Snowman also wisely uses three of Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch's seven basic conflicts: Man Against Man, Man Against Nature, and Man Against Himself. This, in and of itself is not particularly noteworthy, but in this film the conflicts are all taking place at the same time to the same people. It's not just John trying to stop Friend from attacking what he shouldn't. But he has to do this while surviving blizzard conditions and unknown creatures and also struggling with his own reasons for being there. It provides a richer, more satisfying story than any one conflict or crosscutting between conflicts could. 

When all is said and done, the filmmakers may not have crafted the single greatest or scariest movie ever. But they did create (in my opinion, anyway) the greatest Bigfoot movie ever. And you should do yourself the favor of tracking this one down.

MVT: It really is a toss-up between Cushing and Kneale (though, honestly, both Guest and Grant could just as easily be included in this melee). However, since the likelihood of me covering another Cushing film is higher than another Kneale film (but one never knows), I'll go with Mr. Kneale on this one. If you've never seen anything written by this man, you're in for a treat.

Make Or Break: The first night shot on the mountain is absolutely stunning. There's a heavy fog that blankets the set in strata, the characters are nothing more than silhouettes, and it is damn near a perfect cinematographic composition, to my eyes. 

Score: 7.5/10

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DVD/Blu-Ray Picks Of The Week - 2/14/12

Large William's Pick: ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN (Region 1 DVD & Blu-Ray; New Video)
Although there are several great options this week, I have to go with this Brazilian powerhouse. For the uninitiated, the 2 Elite Squad films focus on the BOPE task force in Brazil. Truly one of the most rugged, hardcore tactical units on the planet. Focusing on interwoven characters and themes, specifically corruption and how pervasive it is throughout Brazil, this certainly is a sequel well worth everyone's time. Written by the same scribe as City of God, those familiar with that film, can expect the same style, quality, and effortless density with this seriously great duo of films.

Kisses,
Will

P.S I have a man crush on Werner Maura

Links:
Amazon Blu-Ray and DVD
Blu-Ray.com Review

Sammy's Pick: THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI Region 1 Blu-Ray; Criterion)
No Questions. Just Buy.

Links:
Amazon Blu-Ray and DVD
BoulevardMovies.com - Blu-Ray and DVD
Blu-Ray.com Review
High-Def Digest Review

Episode #171: Bamboo Express

Welcome to possibly the sleaziest episode we have ever produced....maybe?

The GGtMC is back and this week we bring treasure in coverage of Bamboo House of Dolls (1973) directed by Chih-Hung Kuei and Terror Express (1979) directed by Ferdinando Baldi and written by the Immortal George Eastman.

We have said some tasteless things in our day but we have the spirit rolling in this episode, hope you guys have fun because we had a blast!!!

Direct download: Bamboo_ExpressRM.mp3

Voicemails to 206-666-5207

Emails to midnitecinema@gmail.com

Adios!!!

The Great Texas Dynamite Chase (1976)

Technology has all but killed that age-old American tradition of bank robbing. Oh, sure, you can still rob a bank if you're of a mind to, but the planning needed to do so today falls this side short of just getting a job instead (that is, if you don't want to get caught). The security measures used in modern banks are so sophisticated, you could spend just as much on setting up the heist as you could make pulling it off. There have been timelock vaults for decades, but the intricacies and difficulty of actually getting one open have risen exponentially as the speed and complexity of technology has increased. Then there's the aspect of getting away with it, which if you wear a mask and don't leave your wallet behind (as an alarmingly high number of crooks seem to do), shouldn't be too hard, but the clarity of today's security cameras, the use of smaller and smaller tracking devices, ink packs, and so forth don't guarantee a clean getaway.

Candy (Claudia Jennings) has just escaped from prison with a few sticks of dynamite, to boot. Ellie-Jo (Jocelyn Jones) is a put-upon bank teller who has just been fired. When Candy shows up at Ellie-Jo's former employer's with a lit stick of said dynamite, Ellie-Jo feels a thrill she's been missing all her life and helps her rob the place. Having paid off the debt owed on the family farm, Candy takes it on the lam. After picking up the now-hitchhiking Ellie-Jo, the two determine that they make an okay team, and that robbing banks with dynamite instead of guns is a swell idea. Pretty soon, the duo's fame reaches a point where the authorities have to take them very seriously, indeed.

Michael Pressman's The Great Texas Dynamite Chase (aka Dynamite Women) is something of a mixed bag. It positions itself as a distaff Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, but with cars and dynamite instead of horses and pistols. However, the pacing stops and starts depending on which of its two leads' turn it is to get naked (or even both at the same time). Granted, there's nothing inherently wrong with this, and it is certainly the main reason most people would want to see this film in the first place (the others came to see shit blow up). Producer Roger Corman's exploitation film strategy (boobs or blood every ten minutes) holds true, but there's little, if any, effort to work the exploitable elements into the story. Consequently, the film as a whole doesn't hold together too well. 

Also, the filmmakers seem unsure as to the tone of the film. It starts off as two girls having a good time robbing banks, but once the Fuzz bring shotguns to this dynamite fight, the mood sobers up for as long as it takes some bullets and blood to fly. I'll give you two examples to illustrate my point. There is an extensive undercranked shot of the robbers counting their loot, giving the goings-on a light, carefree feeling. Not long after, a character is rather messily shot and winds up floating in a lake. It's not so much the mood shifts that are an issue, but rather how they are handled. In my mind, undercranking has no place in any film that an audience is supposed to take even one iota seriously. If a technique was a staple of television sitcoms ("Gilligan's Island," I'm looking at you), it is disqualified from usage in non-comedic films. Likewise, graphic violence has no real place in a film intended as a light romp. That's just me. This is not to say a balance is impossible to strike. One's just not struck for the majority of this film.

This unevenness, then, applies to the film's treatment of authority figures. The first cop we see is overweight, rather dim-looking, and he hitches up his belt before approaching the crime scene. Plus, he is dumb enough to park over a lit stick of dynamite. Later, another cop is introduced reading a stroke mag on the side of the road. Pulling the ladies over, he tells the boys back at the station he's going to "get some piece o' ass." Needless to say, the girls make an ass out of him. A bank manager that the women robbed not once but twice is spoken of lowly by his unsuspecting wife and called a loser outright. Authority (and more so male authority) is depicted as clownlike. Even so, once the cops start showing up with rifles and hair triggers, all traces of buffoonery evaporate. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye (or small intestine).

Still and all, the sexuality of Candy and Ellie-Jo is never portrayed as out of their control. They determine who they want to sleep with and when, and then they proceed to do so. Men who seek to force themselves on the duo are handily swept away. On this level at least, the film can be classified as feminist. The duo makes their own choices for their own reasons. They own their bodies and are the final deciders of what to do with them. In this sense, they are free, the whole reason for heading down their criminal path in the first place. And of course, a male-dominated society cannot bear the idea of independent women making them look bad, so they must be brought low by any means (read: violence) necessary.

To be fair, there are things in the film which are both interesting and entertaining. The first couple of times Candy and Ellie-Jo rob a bank are genuinely involving. There's some nice tension and uneasy comic mishaps (see, it's not impossible to do both), as well as an intriguing ploy which is at once wildly dangerous and thoroughly convincing in its effectiveness. Ellie-Jo's escalating search for thrills is also absorbing and provides an element of uncertainty and danger. Unfortunately, the filmmakers don't make an effort to build on these assets, and the viewer is left shrugging. That said, there is some very nice cinematography courtesy of Jamie Anderson (who would move on to the original Piranha and Grosse Pointe Blank), but it can really only elevate this material so much. 

So let's break it down, shall we? Yes, there is dynamite, and yes, it is set in Texas. There is some chasing whenever the story remembers it. But great? More like The Middling Texas Dynamite Chase. 

MVT: Whether she's brandishing TNT or prancing around in a pair of Daisy Dukes which could more aptly be described as a denim belt, Claudia Jennings is magnificent to watch whenever she's onscreen. And it's not just her looks. The woman had magnetism and talent in excess. Her death three short years later was truly a tragedy.

Make Or Break: The undercranked money-counting scene accentuates the uneven and dismissive feel of the film in toto.

Score: 6/10

Episode #170: Digging the Night Plumage

Welcome to the GGtMC!!!

This week we are sponsored by diabolikdvd.com and with the two selections we chose The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) directed by Dario Argento, this is the Arrow Blu ray release. We are also covering Warner Archives The Night Digger (1971) directed by Alastair Reid.

We had to get creative this week with our recording, phones were used, pizzas were ordered...dogs were barking...it was chaos but it is the the GGtMC!!!

Direct download: Digging_the_Night_PlumageRM.mp3

Emails to midnitecinema@gmail.com

Voicemails to 206-666-5207

Adios!!!

DVD/Blu-Ray Picks Of The Week - 1/31/12

Sammy's Pick: FERNANDO DI LEO CRIME COLLECTION (Region 1 Blu-Ray; Raro)
If you don't own it in some capacity your are missing out!!! I have seen the Blu Set and I have to admit it is a very nice upgrade....either way its a definite BUY!!!!

Large William's Pick: FERNANDO DI LEO CRIME COLLECTION (Region 1 Blu-Ray; Raro)
My pick is also the Di Leo collection. For all the reasons I mentioned when this set came out on DVD. We Euro-Crime fans are truly blessed to have as important and high quality a set as this on Blu. Sadly, there's a real lack of Euro-Crime on blu(much like DVD), so when a set like this comes out, we buy it. We need to encourage fine companies like Raro to have financial justification for doing great work like this. BUY. BUY. BUY. And besides, who doesn't want to see Silva's legendary yellow robe in Hi-Def?

Kisses,
William

Links:
Amazon
Diabolik DVD
BoulevardMovies.com

Jackson County Jail (1976)

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act into law, creating the Interstate Highway System (part of the National Highway System) we use (in America, obviously) to this day (and more often than not are inconvenienced by what we perceive to be the extremely inefficient and perpetual maintenance thereof). In post-WWII/Korean War America, more and more people opted to "See the U.S.A. in [Their] Chevrolet," and long-distance driving became something to do for reasons other than (primarily) shipping goods and mobilizing military assets from state to state. For fans of exploitation and genre cinema this opened up a whole new avenue to explore. For all the major metropolitan areas that these roads zip through, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of small towns which are inherently creepy (at least to people raised in more urban and suburban settings) for their insularity and remoteness. After all, not all monsters come with fangs and claws.

Dinah Hunter (Yvette Mimieux) is an ad executive in Los Angeles. After expressing herself forcefully to a (jackass of a) client over a feminine hygiene product ad, she goes home early. Upon arrival, she discovers her hubby, David (Howard Hesseman), screwing around with some teenie bopper. Deciding to head back to New York, Dinah chooses to drive rather than fly and "see the country" (never a good idea in exploitation movies). Through a series of despicable and harrowing events, she finds herself locked up in the eponymous jail where a final incident pushes her over the edge. Whisked away by aloof crook, Coley Blake (Tommy Lee Jones), looking like something Joan Crawford dug up out of a cave in England), the pair find themselves on the lam with no easy way out.

Michael Miller's Jackson County Jail, being attached as it is to Roger Corman, was sold to the American grindhouse circuit as an exploitation film. Though it does have some exploitable elements, the film is of a higher caliber than many similarly-themed films of the time (the first that springs to my mind is Black Mama, White Mama, but feel free to add your own). It has action and an aura of sleaze, but it never wallows in it, and the filmmakers create characters that behave (more) believably given the circumstances. Moreover, it doesn't dwell on the exploitable facets as so many of its brethren would. The filmmakers seem to care about what happens to these characters other than in a strictly prurient sense, and consequently so does the viewer.

This is Dinah's story, and principally it is one of discovery. When the film starts, she certainly has an opinion (and often a correct one), but the men she encounters undermine and devalue this opinion, trying to make her a subservient woman to their own chauvinistic needs and desires. Once the events in her life escalate, she finds herself robbed not only of her mind but her body, as well. Sheriff Dempsey (Severn Darden) sums it up succinctly when he tells Dinah that she's being held until she can prove who she says she is. 

It is through the juxtaposition of her words to her actions in the remainder of the film that Dinah's character should be revealed. And yet, somehow it never truly feels like it is. The filmmakers seemed to want to play it safe, with Dinah aligning herself with the outlaw Coley, but maintaining that she has faith that the system will vindicate her. Or perhaps this subversion of the expectation that Dinah must emerge from her ordeal a much stronger woman is, in fact, the whole point. Maybe she isn't a strong woman, and all of her actions and positions before were just posturing, a façade masking the true person.

Dinah Hunter's name can be seen as a variation on the Roman Diana, goddess of the hunt and protector of virgins and women. Dinah, herself, doesn't appear to be looked after by any divinity in particular, though the case can be made (and I can hear you groaning as I stretch for this one) that Coley represents Apollo, Diana's sister and god of (among other things) truth and prophecy. Jones plays Coley as stoic as stoic gets, saying things like, "I'll play what's dealt," and "I's born dead." He tries to show Dinah that there is really only one path open to her. Whether she accepts this by film's end is open to some debate.

On a filmmaking level, Miller displays a capable hand. He moves the camera when necessary and locks it down when appropriate. He also uses handheld techniques on four occasions (that I counted), and each time it succeeds in conveying the immediacy and tension required of the scenes. The first use is during Dinah's excursion into a bar's back room, and it conveys the chaos and confusion of her character right up until she exits into the main bar room (and assumed safety). The second use is during Dinah's rape, and there is an abundance of closeups and extreme closeups to draw us in and force us to witness the event but never in a leering, exploitive way. The shots immediately following the violation are longer, awkward, and uncomfortable, as befits the situation. The third and fourth handheld sequences focus on Coley and are action scenes to add thrills and tension, not necessarily to illustrate a point, but they are effective and well-done, nonetheless. The car chase scenes are also handled nicely, and there were a few points where I thought Coley's pickup was going to flip over (ah, the joys of practical filmmaking). To be fair, there are some continuity errors and gaffs (most noticeably with some mismatched eyelines), but it's never enough to detract from the experience overall.

The filmmakers also make a point of stating that the film takes place during America's (and the town of Fallsburg's, coincidentally) bicentennial celebration. This was a year for the country when national pride was at an all-time high, on the surface at least. But with the recent end of an enormously unpopular war in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal that ousted President Nixon from office, there came a strong distaste and distrust of public authority in general. Though it is never stated outright, it is easy to intuit that Coley was a soldier who returned from Vietnam to an uncaring country. He claims he has always been a crook, but he is also of the popular counterculture opinion that "the whole goddamn country is a ripoff." His nihilistic demeanor seems more a defensive reaction than an inborn credo, but we are never let in fully to his motivations. It is telling, then, that the film's finale occurs at a bicentennial parade, disrupting it and symbolically calling out a collective establishment that had become dismissive of its rank and file. Also of note is the expression on Dinah's face as the film fades to black. On one hand, the full impact of her life up to this point clarifies for her. Yet on the other hand, she glances around, seemingly confused about where to turn next. Certainly, this is a sentiment prescient for both its time and our own.

MVT: Mimieux carries the film, and I think she does a remarkable job portraying someone struggling to deal with the most traumatic events of her life and not truly knowing how.     

Make Or Break: The "Make" scene is when Coley tells Dinah that they're both now wanted for the events in the jail. The scene is understated, but places a very definite bit of punctuation on the ineluctable finality of the duo's fate.

Score: 7/10