DOUBLE SUICIDE (1969) - 7/10. Interesting Japanese film which is an adaptation of a bunraku puppet play. Jihei, a paper merchant who has a wife and two children, becomes obsessed and falls in love with a prostitute named Koharu. He is poor and cannot redeem her, and his love for her destroys his family life. His solution to their problem is that they commit double suicide - death is the only place where the two of them can truly be together. The film opens with the performers getting the stage ready for the puppet play; after the main credits human actors take over the drama, though the puppet handlers are always in the background. The set backgrounds are visually stunning; I know nothing about bunraku puppet plays but I was mesmerized the whole way through the film. Toru Takemitsu's music is haunting and the movie is certainly disturbing in many ways, but I found it worth watching simply because it is unique. I have never seen a film like this before and there are several images that will remain with you after you watch it.

mkaroly wrote: ↑Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:53 am DOUBLE SUICIDE (1969) - 7/10.

I have this in my Filmstruck list. I've been recently been catching-up on a lot of Japanese films I have not seen before. Hopefully I can get to Double Suicide before Filmstruck shuts down!

Paul MacLean wrote: ↑Thu Nov 08, 2018 10:57 am

mkaroly wrote: ↑Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:53 am DOUBLE SUICIDE (1969) - 7/10.

I have this in my Filmstruck list. I've been recently been catching-up on a lot of Japanese films I have not seen before. Hopefully I can get to Double Suicide before Filmstruck shuts down!

I hope you enjoy it! Again, I have never seen anything like it before - very interesting with some great set designs and some powerful images.

THE ADVENTURES OF HAJJI BABA
7/10



Strapping, entertaining 1954 adventure from producer Walter Wagner and director Don Weis was one of several early Allied Artists features that Fox distributed – and has received precious little play on home video or television over the decades. John Derek stars in the title role: a Persian barber who gets wrapped up with a princess (future game show hostess Elaine Stewart) en route to her wedding. Sex, violence, harem girls and a robust Dimitri Tiomkin score make for an appropriately colorful affair that plays like a ‘50s updating of an “Arabian Nights” tale. As adapted from James Morier’s popular 1842 novel, “Hajji Baba” looks great in Cinemascope and offers a Tiomkin-Ned Washington title song performed by Nat King Cole that weaves in and out of the film like a passing daydream.

For a movie that’s been notoriously hard to find outside the occasional TCM airing, “Hajji Baba” looks spectacular in Twilight Time’s Blu-Ray, which appears pristine with strong colors and high detail. Two different soundtracks (5.1/2.0 DTS MA) present the movie’s pleasingly directional sound design while the trailer and an isolated music/effects track rounds out the release.

A picture that here marks its first-ever official home video release, “The Adventures of Hajji Baba” is good fun for the Saturday Matinee circuit – amusingly played but not campy, and yet more freewheeling and fun (and sexier) than your typical Golden Age Biblical story. Recommended!

Deluge (1933) 7 of 10

-Very obscure early disaster film that was lost for decades and then rediscovered first in the early 80s in an Italian dubbed version only and then finally the English version just a couple years ago and restored for Blu-Ray. Every 'disaster' film of the modern era literally owes something to this film which in the opening fifteen minutes gives the massive destruction of New York from earthquakes and tidal waves that for a 1933 audience had to look spellbinding, even if by today's standards it looks more like Toho kaiju style destruction of the 50s-60s without a giant monster roaming about. Unlike the Emmerich disaster porn of the modern era, there is no attempt to hang some PC explanation behind the destruction, it just gives it to us, and then we're off into a post-apocalyptic drama tale of survivors that presages films like "Panic In Year Zero" etc. Sidney Blackmer is a lawyer separated from his wife and two children in the disaster. Top billed Peggy Shannon (whom I had never heard of before this film. She is a very beautiful presence and her career flamed out quickly and she died of alcoholism and drugs in 1941 while in her mid-30s) is a long-distance swimmer who is first taken in by two sadistic types and when its clear what one of them wants, she escapes and is found by Blackmer. The two fight off a marauding gang that is out to pillage and rape and meanwhile, further away is a community trying to get civilization restarted and unbeknownst to Blackmer, who is falling in love with Shannon, his wife and two children are very much alive.

-This is a pre-Code film so as a result we see a lot more disturbing implications of rape and assault, and on top of that Shannon is even clad in a 1930s bikini when we first see her. But it's handled fairly effectively and there are some more interesting questions raised than what we get in the vapid character free disaster films of more recent vintage. It's not handled perfectly but it is cinematically effective I felt.

-The commentary track for the film gives us an overview that relates how the film was based on a novel that was set in England and transposed to America and how the novel didn't have these massive scenes of destruction it just gave us the drama after the apocalypse had happened. The track is good overall except for one moment when out of left field he feels a need to give us a quote from a preacher of the day warning about the prospects of the coming apocalypse and in the process he demonstrates (like all Hollywood secularists) a colossal and bigoted ignorance of basic Christian theology. I won't be giving this track a relisten now that I've absorbed the main points about the film.

-Because the running time of "Deluge" is only 66 minutes, a second movie, also starring Peggy Shannon is included, a semi-comedy film called "The Back Page" from 1934, where again playing a strong-willed independent woman, she ends up taking over a small town newspaper as its new editor. The only other name in the cast I recognized was Sterling Holloway. It again shows that she might have had a more interesting career if she hadn't had her own personal demons.

FRANKENSTEIN (1931) - 9.5/10. I haven't seen this film in a long time so I was really excited to revisit it when the Universal BR box set came out. As much as I like DRACULA '31, I feel this film is a much better directed film. It has more energy, has better acting, and in some ways is more disturbing and dark than DRACULA '31. In addition, the Monster (as played by Boris Karloff) is a very sympathetic character (unlike Dracula himself). I love the sets and shadows in FRANKENSTEIN as well as the theme of a created creature confronting its creator (done so well in BLADE RUNNER). I read the book a while back (I think in 2017), so I did not feel like reading it again for this review...but the movie is very different from the book. From what I remember, the book has a twisted Garden of Eden/Adam and Eve subtext in it and is much more philosophical than the film. The book focuses much more on the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his monster than on any other characters, it is very dark at times, and quite scary. The film is based much more on the stage plays that had been performed in the past. One thing that really stood out for me on this viewing was the revelation of the Monster...having him come in backwards and then turn around (followed by a couple of cuts showing his face closer and closer) was a very effective way of introducing the audience to this creature. I cannot imagine what it would have been like back in 1931 to see this image for the first time - I am so used to Frankenstein's appearance that I regret not being able to see it at the time. I wonder if it had the same shock value or made people jump at that time as the chest burster scene in ALIEN did in 1979 (boy I wish I could have been in the theater for that one on the first showing). Strong film that holds up well. Looking forward to BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN which has been my favorite Frankenstein movie for a long time.

Beet trying to take in as many Kurosawa movies on Filmstruck as I can, given its days are numbered!


Scandal (醜聞) (9/10)

Akira Kurosawa's drama about a popular singer (Yoshiko Yamaguchi) and up-and-coming painter (Toshiro Mifune) who barely know each other, but are photographed during a casual conversion, and news of their "affair" immediately published by a low-rent tabloid. The film details Mifune's attempt to sue the tabloid, and the close relationship he forms with his hack lawyer (Takashi Shimura) and the lawyer's terminally ill daughter. All the performances are excellent, but it is Shimura who truly stands out -- as a man who wishes to make more of a mark in his profession, but is fundamentally weak-willed (with skeletons in his closet). Without question one of the best "courtroom dramas" I've ever seen.


I Live In Fear (生きものの記録) (8/10)

Kuroawa's film which centers on a successful older business owner (Toshiro Mifine) who is paranoid another nuclear bomb will be dropped on Japan, and is determined to move his family to the safety of Brazil. His relatives naturally object -- but face disinheritance if they don't comply. Mifune -- only in his 30s at the time the film was made -- is totally convincing as a decrepit man in his 70s. Takashi Shimura once again delivers a stand-out performance as a volunteer court councilor who is assigned to arbitrate between the old man and his family.


Stray Dog (野良犬) (9/10)

The original cop "buddy movie", Stray dog is the story of a rookie detective (Mifune) whose pistol is stolen, and his attempt to save face by tracking down the thief with the help of an older veteran of the police force (Shimura). An excellent film on all counts -- part thriller, part gumshoe mystery, part character study, with the requisite three-dimensional characters and outstanding performances which I've come to find are de rigueur in all of Kruosawa's work.

All of these films also really drive home the fact that Takashi Shimura was truly one of the best screen actors of all time, with an incredible range. It's hard to believe the same man played characters like the spineless lawyer, the alcoholic physician in Drunken Angel, the dying old man in Ikiru, the heroic Kambei in Seven Samurai, etc. An astonishing performer.


Dersu Uzala (デルス·ウザーラ / Дерсу Узала) (10/10)

This 1975 Kuroawa effort is one of his least well-known -- and one of his best. The film tells the true story of a Russian cartographer, assigned to map the Sikhote-Alin region of Russia, and the close friendship he forms with a "mountain man" he encounters named Dersu Uzala (who volunteers to serve as a guide for the cartographer's team). Apart from being a highly compelling story (with gorgeous imagery, and riveting sequences -- particularly the storm scene) Dersu Uzala is also fascinating as a rare example of a non-Soviet director being permitted to make a film in the USSR. Other than cinematogapher Asakazu Nakai, the film's crew and cast are all Soviet citizens. Surprisingly, the film is bereft of pro-Soviet propaganda, though I'm sure Kurosawa would have walked off the project had there been any interference with his vision -- a testament to the high esteem in which he was held (in every nation). The beautiful, symphonic score by Isaak Shvarts is a high point as well. The print quality is poor however; the film has sadly deteriorated over the years (Soviet archiving was clearly not up to the standard to that of the US).


I daresay Akira Kurosawa is the greatest filmmaker of all time. He has an astonishingly broad range, and his work speaks in very universal terms. It is not surprising that Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Yojimbo have been remade in different languages numerous times, or that elements of his work resurface in Star Wars and other popular movies. People tend to lump him with other "foreign" directors, like Godard, Fellini, Bergman or other purveyors of abstract, dense (and sometimes self-indulgent) "art films". But Kurosawa actually has more in common with Ford, Welles, Capra, Huston or Lean -- people who made genuinely great films with accessible characters, and stories which audiences could relate to (without compromising depth or artistry).

Superman: The Movie (9/10)

Just returned from a theatrical screening of this movie. I never actually got to see Superman: The Movie in theaters, but I have to say this is a film whose scope is truly best experienced on a big screen.

Superman: The Movie is a classic on every level, and even four decades on, is still the best superhero movie of all time -- and one that could only have been made in the late 1970s. Much of the film's infectious appeal (and humor) stems from Superman showing-up in jaded, post-Watergate America, to champion old-fashioned values of "truth, justice and the American way" -- and the way he is predictably greeted with incredulity.

Setting the film in New York (though called "Metropolis", it is obviously New York) also adds incalculable character to the movie (with its classic "New York" archetypes -- the mugger, the pimp, the police sergeant, etc.) and only further accentuates the genuinely funny contrast between the stalwart, straight-arrow protagonist and the sour, "realist" attitudes of the humanity he's come to serve.

Christopher Reeve is flawless in both roles -- heroic, charismatic, honest, sincere. And while I can't help but wish just a bit that Debra Winger had accepted the part of Lois Lane, Margo Kidder does a tremendous job, and makes up for what she lacks in feminine allure (well, compared to Winger) by injecting a lot of humor into the role.

Unlike most superhero movies from the past decade, Superman: The Movie is filled with touching, character-driven moments, like the bittersweet scene where Clark removes his glasses in Lois Lane's home -- and suddenly he is Superman -- but then immediately transforms back when he realizes he must never reveal his true identity. Then there is the emotionally riveting climax -- where Superman disobeys Jor-El and listens instead to his Earthly father ("One thing I do know son, and that is you are here for a reason"), and the wonderful final scene where the sun rises and Superman flies by the camera -- and smiles at the audience.

It is a very eclectic film too, which juggles a variety of eras, settings and styles -- from the otherworldly imagery and "Shakespeare / Twilight of the gods" tone of the Krypton sequences, to the "Andrew Wyeth" look of the Smallville chapter, to the gritty Metropolis scenes (which bear the influence of 1970s New York cop thrillers like The French Connection), the brief "chick flick" interlude ("Can you read my mind?") and finally the "disaster movie" quality of the final act. Richard Donner somehow manages to lasso these disparate elements and reconcile them into a cohesive whole, with stellar results.

Despite occasional reminders this film was made in the 1970s (the cars, the police radios, the leisure suits) there is little in this picture that feels "old". The visual effects might be less spiffy than what you'd generally see today, but they hold-up extremely well, and in many scenes look just as believable as today's CGI effects -- in fact I think some of Superman's effects are even more believable than a lot of what you'd see today. Derek Medding's miniatures (particularly the Golden Gate Bridge scene) are thoroughly convincing (though the miniature flood and village toward the end are beneath Meddings' usual standard -- I would not be surprised if someone else designed those).

And the score? Arguably the best ever written. John Williams is at the top of his game, and delivers music that not only uplifts the action and makes the viewer feel as though they too can fly, but he nails the intimate emotional moments with impeccable finesse and nuance.

The version of Superman which was screened was the original theatrical cut (which is the best), but accompanied by the new remix (which is not the best). I prefer the original 1978 sound mix.

As far as the theatrical presentation of the film, again this is a movie which really benefits from being viewed in the cinema. Prior to the main feature, the audience was also shown one of the old Max Fleischer Superman cartoons from the 1930s (which remain the best animated adaptations of the character) and made for a fun "warm up".

That said, my experience today also reminded why I am starting to lose faith in the cinema experience. The audience were fine (and clearly enjoyed the picture), but the movie was screened in one of smaller spaces -- no stadium seating, which was a bit disappointing. But what was truly annoying, was that the the theater lights came-up right in the middle of the flood scene -- and remained on until the end of the movie. I wanted to go and complain, but I didn't want to leave during the climax of the film -- and moreover, who would I have complained to? One of the pimply teenagers who rip tickets or sells concessions? I doubt they would know how to dim the lights (which are probably on an automatic timer anyway). I still enjoy going to the cinema -- but after paying $14 (for non-stadium seating), over $10 for a Coke and pretzels, and watching the last 15 minutes of a favorite film with the lights on, I think maybe I will save for a huge screen and bring the cinema home to me.

I think it's great that they are screening classics in theaters again -- but unless you live in Hollywood, I would guarantee they put these showings on the smallest screen in the multiplex. That's what they do locally -- JAWS was a sellout and had to have been on the smallest screen they had at my theater -- and it's why I don't have a ton of interest in going out to see one of these showings, even though I know it's worthwhile to see the likes of SUPERMAN or JAWS on a larger screen. (If they showed them on the biggest screen in the building, that would be a different story, but you just know they won't sell enough tickets compared to whatever Disney product is out there).

That said, 4K is calling to you Paul...at least you could hear it with the restored 70mm soundtrack at home!

I remember first seeing SUPERMAN THE MOVIE at a drive-in! Lol...I think maybe I saw it in the theater once on a re-release when SUPERMAN II was out, but I cannot recall. Great review Paul!

AndyDursin wrote: ↑Sun Nov 25, 2018 9:01 pm I think it's great that they are screening classics in theaters again -- but unless you live in Hollywood, I would guarantee they put these showings on the smallest screen in the multiplex. That's what they do locally -- JAWS was a sellout and had to have been on the smallest screen they had at my theater -- and it's why I don't have a ton of interest in going out to see one of these showings, even though I know it's worthwhile to see the likes of SUPERMAN or JAWS on a larger screen. (If they showed them on the biggest screen in the building, that would be a different story, but you just know they won't sell enough tickets compared to whatever Disney product is out there).

That's a shame. When I went to see Ben-Hur (about 4 years ago) they did at least screen it in a "stadium" space -- tho that particular cinema was newer and I think all stadium seating. I don't see any way to avoid upgrading to 4K disc in the future. And I have to get a bigger screen! I'm at 49" right now, but I need to upgrade to at least a 60" screen!

mkaroly wrote: ↑Mon Nov 26, 2018 10:04 am I remember first seeing SUPERMAN THE MOVIE at a drive-in! Lol...I think maybe I saw it in the theater once on a re-release when SUPERMAN II was out, but I cannot recall. Great review Paul!

Thanks!

Superman is better than any other superhero movie from the last 15 years -- and not just better, but considerably better. The only thing that comes close are the Tobey McGuire Spiderman movies. And despite what some people will insist, I'm not "blinded by nostalgia". There is no charm, or warmth (or frankly a whole lot of artistry) in these newer comic book movies. They're all formulaic, they all look the same. Heck, Wonder Woman has almost the same storyline as Captain America!

No other actor has ever brought such a character to life the way Christopher Reeve did. I do think Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot are great (and come close to Reeve in performance) but of course nothing else in their respective movies can match what the Salkinds and Richard Donner originally came up with. And don't get me started on the scores from any recent comic books flicks! Then only impressive comic book score from recent years was James Horner's Amazing Spiderman -- and of course we won't be hearing any more James Horner scores.

And beyond the talent involved, Superman: The Movie just "worked" -- and none of the subsequent Reeve pictures were nearly as good. Superman II has some very strong things, but III -- while entertaining -- was a considerable comedown, and the less said of IV the better...

I agree Paul; for me Superman the Movie is THE super-hero movie against which I judge all the others in every way - acting, story, music, etc. I remember from the very starting moments of the film being emotionally involved with the film...I was so totally moved by Clark's isolation and feeling of loneliness in the film, especially during the period after Jonathan Kent died. Visually the filmmakers captured that feeling of solitary uniqueness and isolation with those amazing shots of the fields around him as he said goodbye to Martha (that moving crane shot just kills me)...and John Williams' score nailed it at every turn - so sweeping, epic, exciting, and moving. I have never felt that kind of emotion for a super-hero character since; even now when I watch the film, the sequence from Jonathan Kent's death to the first Metropolis scene with Clark as an adult at the Daily Planet sends chills up my spine and I end up crying. It is a story a whole wide range of people can connect with and relate to (not being Superman, but feeling that sense of isolation and loneliness and, to an extent, a "calling" among any number of other things), and that reflects highly on the filmmakers. The Superman reboots (especially Zach Snyder's garbage films) have nothing of this type of skill, artistry, depth, emotion, and imagination (and sincerity) that Superman the Movie does. And as you said Paul, kudos to Christopher Reeve. He truly, as you said, brought that character to life. Just a fantastic movie all around.

Thumbs up as well to the Sam Raimi Spidey pics, but even they fall short (agree with you there again Paul).

Highlander (1986): 3/10

What a turd.

Monterey Jack wrote: ↑Wed Nov 28, 2018 10:29 pm Highlander (1986): 3/10

What a turd.

I did not think Highlander was a very good movie when I first saw it either. Other than some arresting visuals and Michael Kamen's score, I found it silly and stupid -- and I hated the Queen songs.

But over time I found myself continually coming back to this movie -- mainly because it was the only way to hear Kamen's music (which was not released on CD until a decade later) -- and these repeated viewings of the film started to win me over to its charms.

Oh, the film is awkward, no question. The tone is a little inconsistent, the film is unintentionally funny in places -- like Christophe Lambert's forlorn "Nobody will fight me!" (which had the audience in stitches when I saw it opening night -- yeah, I was there!). The whole sequence where the Kurgan gleefully murders pedestrians and motorists -- capped with Queen's rendition of "New York, New York" -- is absolutely nutty. But despite -- and to be honest, because of its absurdities -- I find Highlander an incredibly fun and entertaining ride.

Highlander is also one of the most amazing-looking films ever made, with eye-popping cinematography and phenomenal use of camera moves. That clan battle early in the film is amazingly well-visualized -- gritty, moody, surreal. And the "training montage" (where Ramirez molds MacLeod into a warrior) is one of the great sequences of all time -- a paragon of camerawork, lighting, cutting, choreography and scoring -- I rate Michael Kamen's work on this film as his single greatest score.

Highlander also scores points as a love story, and the montage which depicts Heather's aging while Connor remains young, is just devastating -- and beautifully, tragically underscored by Queen's "Who Wants to Liver Forever". As I mentioned above, I originally hated the the Queen songs -- today I find that scene poetic and sublime.

Highlander is certainly flamboyant and over-the-top, but it also has wonderful moments of valor, romance, clever (and intentional!) humor and stalwart heroism -- and it is utterly unique. And no movie -- not even Braveheart -- captures the majestic and otherwordly look and feel of the Scottish highlands as well as this film does.

And it's a lot more fun than nearly any genre films made in the past ten years.

IMO HIGHLANDER is a terrific movie and like Paul, I didn't much care for it when I first saw it. It's fun, it's both good AND bad in places, the score is great, the locations are terrific, the tone is romantic...it's absolutely out there and it's a great watch that has weathered the years well. For all its faults Paul cited, it's also "alive" -- and also about 100 times more fun than sitting through THE LAST JEDI or other generic Disney dreck. I'd also gladly sit through it in a heartbeat over any of Peter Jackson's excursions to Hobbit-land.

But different strokes like the say. Clearly MJ has it "in" for any fantasy movie made in the 1980s, trashing the likes of KRULL, LEGEND, and HIGHLANDER...and this coming from the guy who likes GHOSTBUSTERS II! Good thing we don't have a 3 strikes and you're out rule