Welcome back gang. It's a short week, life interfering and all. But there's some good stuff here, but also something really bad that it's crazy. Again a decent group of genres and tones, so give it a go and share if you please. Thanks.
Riot In Cell Block 11 (November 16th, 2014)
Director: Don Siegel
Starring: Neville Brand, Emile Meyer, Leo Gordon, and Robert Osterloh
Not many directors were able to make the transition from the old studio system of Hollywood to the new way things were done. But Don Siegel was one of them, and in his debut you can see why. This is a gritty ass movie, a movie about rough men doing rough things. What sets it apart and what would be a trend with Siegel is that we end up sympathizing with these men, so the unhappy ending is kinda upsetting. Which is really quite the feat, cause we're sympathizing with unforgiving criminals leading a riot and holding innocent men hostage. There's really only one problem with the movie and that is it's too short. I really wanted to know these guys, good and bad, a little more so the story could have worked better. That could have also given the prisoners claims of terrible conditions and crooked corrections officers. But despite that problem, the movie works. Siegel lets us see the nasty side of these men and forces us to think real hard about our loyalties. And it is also surprisingly violent for a movie from the 50s, the most shocking of which being a pretty graphic shot of a man being stabbed in the chest. All in all, if a movie about prisoners starting a riot to try to get better conditions is intriguing to you, this is a solid movie. Even if it isn't, give it a try to see the start of the man who helped make Clint Eastwood an icon.
Rating: 8/10
War Horse (November 16th, 2014)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, and Tom Hiddleston
I really couldn't believe the movie I was watching. This was so wrong headed a movie, so stupid a premise that it feels like an elaborate joke. It has to be. Spielberg has had a rough patch since Munich, but he couldn't have fallen this far. He made Tintin the same year. But my god, this is the worst thing he's done since ET. The idea of him doing a WWI movie isn't a bad idea at all. But making a movie about this magical fucking horse that everyone falls in love with as if it's something greater than a fucking horse is one of the lamest ideas ever. The whole time, my sentiment was "But it's a fucking horse" as a held my head in my hands. People literally care more about the horse during a fucking battle in no mans land than other people dying. It's all so god damn cloying that it's sickening. That boy who owns him is such a ridiculous characters, spending literal years upset that the horse was sold to the army and is such a mope and holy shit it's a fucking horse. Seriously, this is insane that anyone liked this. That the man who made Saving Private Ryan though this is a worthy war follow up. It doesn't help that no one in the movie is a legit character, just showing up for 5 minutes to fall in love with the horse, than either die or just get left behind by this fucking horse. The technical merits are stellar, but at this point it goes without saying with Spielberg. But everything else sucks. Stay away. This movie is a joke. The hardest viewing of my Spielberg kick.
Rating: 5/10
Paths of Glory (November 17th, 2014)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, and George MacReady
Well, it seems like I have a new favorite Kubrick movie. This movie was great. Surprisingly great too for a few reasons. One, its a war movie made in the 50s so I didn't think it would be able to convey the feeling of battle well. And 2, I've been pretty cold on Kubrick so the fact that I kinda loved this movie is really surprising. Set during WWI, we follow Kirk Douglas as he leads his men through an unwinnable mission. When the mission does indeed fail, the leader of the mission brings up three of his men on cowardice charges to make himself seem like a better leader, to get himself a promotion. What's kinda surprising is that such an anti war movie was made in the 50s. I didn't think that would be allowed, and its box office failing kinda proved that. But there's a reason this lives on. It shows us that to the higher ups, the men they are fighting with aren't as important as their image. They'll be willing to sacrifice these men for no reason other than publicity. It's a very cynical movie like that, a constant Kubrick trait. But what sets this apart from Kubricks other joints is there is a humanity here. Douglas is the one man who sees what's happening and is trying to fight for his men, but ultimately fails. Douglas is great in the role and grounds the movie. There's really only two problems I have with this movie. One, I wish the movie was longer so we could know the men a bit more so their deaths would hit a little harder and drive the point home. Secondly, am I really supposed to believe that Kirk Douglas and all these men are French? I honestly didn't know they were supposed to be French until the court scene. These things don't ruin the impact of the movie though. It's a great damn film and one that everyone should see.
Rating: 9/10
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (November 22nd, 2014)
Director: Philip Kaufman
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard Nimoy
I felt a bit bad after watching this movie, because while I liked it I thought it was a bit rough. Some elements haven't aged well and kinda makes the movie a bit goofy in parts. That may be in part to the fact that some of it hasn't aged well, but there's a part of me that feels a little less than wowed with this movie due to the fact that I've seen The Thing. They aren't too similar, but they are both about aliens that take over human bodies. Both are also attempting to make the audience feel very paranoid at the idea of being taken over. It's here that I think that The Thing tainted this a bit for me. The Thing is a masterclass in paranoia, never letting us know who is who until it's too late. This movie isn't as ingenious like that. The mood is pretty odd at points, helping along the paranoia. But then the score kinda undercuts things at points. It doesn't help the movie that it becomes a bit of a love story that just sorta happens. The cast is good for the most part but something is missing here. It's still good and hits its points well. But between some goofier elements and some silly character decisions, it stops this from being great for me.
Rating: 8/10
Top Movies
1. Paths of Glory
2. Riot In Cell Block 11
3. Invasion of The Body Snatchers
4. War Horse
Top 5 Moments
1. The Execution - Paths of Glory
2. The Breakout - Riot In Cell Block 11
3. The First Pod Scene - Invasion of The Body Snatchers
4. The Court Scene - Paths of Glory
5. The Battle Scene - War Horse
Top 5 Performances
1. Kirk Douglas - Paths of Glory
2. Neville Brand - Riot In Cell Block 11
3. Donald Sutherland - Invasion of The Body Snatchers
4. George MacReady - Paths of Glory
5. Adolphe Menjou - Paths of Glory
War Horse (November 16th, 2014)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, and Tom Hiddleston
I really couldn't believe the movie I was watching. This was so wrong headed a movie, so stupid a premise that it feels like an elaborate joke. It has to be. Spielberg has had a rough patch since Munich, but he couldn't have fallen this far. He made Tintin the same year. But my god, this is the worst thing he's done since ET. The idea of him doing a WWI movie isn't a bad idea at all. But making a movie about this magical fucking horse that everyone falls in love with as if it's something greater than a fucking horse is one of the lamest ideas ever. The whole time, my sentiment was "But it's a fucking horse" as a held my head in my hands. People literally care more about the horse during a fucking battle in no mans land than other people dying. It's all so god damn cloying that it's sickening. That boy who owns him is such a ridiculous characters, spending literal years upset that the horse was sold to the army and is such a mope and holy shit it's a fucking horse. Seriously, this is insane that anyone liked this. That the man who made Saving Private Ryan though this is a worthy war follow up. It doesn't help that no one in the movie is a legit character, just showing up for 5 minutes to fall in love with the horse, than either die or just get left behind by this fucking horse. The technical merits are stellar, but at this point it goes without saying with Spielberg. But everything else sucks. Stay away. This movie is a joke. The hardest viewing of my Spielberg kick.
Paths of Glory (November 17th, 2014)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, and George MacReady
Well, it seems like I have a new favorite Kubrick movie. This movie was great. Surprisingly great too for a few reasons. One, its a war movie made in the 50s so I didn't think it would be able to convey the feeling of battle well. And 2, I've been pretty cold on Kubrick so the fact that I kinda loved this movie is really surprising. Set during WWI, we follow Kirk Douglas as he leads his men through an unwinnable mission. When the mission does indeed fail, the leader of the mission brings up three of his men on cowardice charges to make himself seem like a better leader, to get himself a promotion. What's kinda surprising is that such an anti war movie was made in the 50s. I didn't think that would be allowed, and its box office failing kinda proved that. But there's a reason this lives on. It shows us that to the higher ups, the men they are fighting with aren't as important as their image. They'll be willing to sacrifice these men for no reason other than publicity. It's a very cynical movie like that, a constant Kubrick trait. But what sets this apart from Kubricks other joints is there is a humanity here. Douglas is the one man who sees what's happening and is trying to fight for his men, but ultimately fails. Douglas is great in the role and grounds the movie. There's really only two problems I have with this movie. One, I wish the movie was longer so we could know the men a bit more so their deaths would hit a little harder and drive the point home. Secondly, am I really supposed to believe that Kirk Douglas and all these men are French? I honestly didn't know they were supposed to be French until the court scene. These things don't ruin the impact of the movie though. It's a great damn film and one that everyone should see.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (November 22nd, 2014)
Director: Philip Kaufman
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard Nimoy
I felt a bit bad after watching this movie, because while I liked it I thought it was a bit rough. Some elements haven't aged well and kinda makes the movie a bit goofy in parts. That may be in part to the fact that some of it hasn't aged well, but there's a part of me that feels a little less than wowed with this movie due to the fact that I've seen The Thing. They aren't too similar, but they are both about aliens that take over human bodies. Both are also attempting to make the audience feel very paranoid at the idea of being taken over. It's here that I think that The Thing tainted this a bit for me. The Thing is a masterclass in paranoia, never letting us know who is who until it's too late. This movie isn't as ingenious like that. The mood is pretty odd at points, helping along the paranoia. But then the score kinda undercuts things at points. It doesn't help the movie that it becomes a bit of a love story that just sorta happens. The cast is good for the most part but something is missing here. It's still good and hits its points well. But between some goofier elements and some silly character decisions, it stops this from being great for me.
Top Movies
1. Paths of Glory
2. Riot In Cell Block 11
3. Invasion of The Body Snatchers
4. War Horse
Top 5 Moments
1. The Execution - Paths of Glory
2. The Breakout - Riot In Cell Block 11
3. The First Pod Scene - Invasion of The Body Snatchers
4. The Court Scene - Paths of Glory
5. The Battle Scene - War Horse
Top 5 Performances
1. Kirk Douglas - Paths of Glory
2. Neville Brand - Riot In Cell Block 11
3. Donald Sutherland - Invasion of The Body Snatchers
4. George MacReady - Paths of Glory
5. Adolphe Menjou - Paths of Glory
- Tom Lorenzo
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