CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, THE

(March 1921, U.S.)

We now return to another silent film and the first of the letter 'C' in my alphabetical film collection. THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI is one of the most influential of German Expressionist films and is often considered one of the best horror films of the early times of cinema.

Watching this film is definitely an exercise in opening your mind and your imagination, because when you do so, the images on screen and the physical elements, gestures and actions of the actors can be very creepy. The character of Cesare, a somnambulist (sleepwalker) has been under the control of the evil Dr. Caligari for twenty-five years and is being passed off as a simple carnival side show. But like the character Raymond Shaw in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962), he is being used (presumably against his knowledge and his will) to commit brutal murders throughout the small German mountain village. And getting back to the creepiness of it all, just watch carefully as Cesare slowly opens his eyes and moves his body at the command of his master. In it's black and white and grainy imagery, it can be truly eerie and frightening, even by today's horror film standards. But like I said, it's all in the open mind of the imagination.

What's most interesting about this film is that it's one of the first (if not THE first) films cited as having introduced audiences to the "surprise twist ending" in cinema. The entire story is presented as a flashback by one who has supposedly lived through it. It is only at the "twist" end that we find out the entire story was actually a deluded fantasy of one of the patients at an insane asylum and that Dr. Caligari is actually the asylum doctor who may or may not be able to cure the patient of his delusions. Hey, does all of this sound more than vaguely similar to Martin Scorsese's SHUTTER ISLAND or am I just crazy??

Favorite line or dialogue (it's a SILENT film, so the pickings are slim!)

Alan: "How long shall I live?"
Cesare: "The time is short! You die at dawn!"

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

(September 1969, U.S.)

This is the first western to be discussed from my film collection. But don't get too used to it. After musicals, westerns are my least favorite film genre, so I don't have a lot of them. Really, when you think about it, aren't most western stories and plotlines the same? The peaceful town, the bandits and rustlers, the women is distress, and the hero who saves the town at the end with the traditional climactic gunfight showdown.

Thankfully, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID doesn't fall into any of those cliche western categories. This is an Amercian western disguised as a buddy, action and chase film. Butch and Sundance are two of the most likable bandits you're ever likely to see on screen. The dialogue they share thorughout the film feeds off of each other like almost perfect clockwork. For its filming style, there is an interesting montage done in sepia still photographs of the 19th Century period—showing Butch, Sundance, and Etta (played by Katherine Ross) having a brief fling in New York and making the steamer passage to South America. The stills tell you so much about the curious and sad relationship of these three people that it's with almost reluctance that you allow yourself to be absorbed again into their further slapstick adventures. I say "almost", thought, because Butch and Sundance's relationship and adventures can easily sweep you up again.

Then, of course, there's the end of the film when they're inevitably killed by the Bolivian army (sorry for the spoiler!) and the shot that depicts them ready for their final fight before presumably escaping to freedom. The film freezes as the endless rifle gunshots go off and you hear the word "¡Fuego!" (that's Spanish for "Fire!"). You know our two heroes are dead and the camera slowly pulls back, not only revealing the extent of the forces that were surrounding them for an ambush, but it also allows you a moment of reflection on who Butch and Sundance were and how much you just enjoyed the last two hours of your life watching them on screen.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford were, perhaps, one of the greatest team-ups in film history, and it's just a shame that they only made two films together. Paul Newman died in September 2008 and I still miss him today.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Butch Cassidy: "Alright. I'll jump first."
Sundance Kid: "No."
Butch: "Then you jump first."
Sundance: "No, I said."
Butch: "What's the matter with you?"
Sundance: "I can't swim!"
Butch (laughing): "Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you!"

BUGSY

(December 1991, U.S.)

Whatever happened to director Barry Levinson? I don't mean that he's dead, or sick or he stopped working altogether. What I mean is there was a time when he was making successful, Oscar-worthy films almost one after the other. There was a time, like Spielberg, when you could count on repeatedly being blown away by films like GOOD MORNING VIETNAM (1987), RAIN MAN (1988), DISCLOSURE (1994) and SLEEPERS (1996). Somewhere along the way, though, the films got smaller and, in my opinion, far less impressive. Perhaps that's just what comes with getting older at your craft.

In 1991, BUGSY solidified Levinson as a major directing force and it also brought back Warren Beatty after what I consider to be a major debacle with his version of DICK TRACY (1990) only a year and a half earlier (man, that movie SUCKED!). This is a gangster film with much of the same colorful and and music-scoring style that we'd seen some years before in THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987). BUSGY is less about violence, though, and more about attitute, dialogue and the dream of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel to create the city in the middle of the Nevada desert that would one day become the great city of Las Vegas. Warren Beatty and Annette Bening feed off of each other's persona so perfectly in this film that it's no wonder they would inevitably end up together in real life. Bening as Virginia Hill is an ultra-sexy mob moll with a brain and the capacity for business and management that is not to be found in other gangster films. And you know what they say; behind every great man is woman telling him what to do to be that great man...I think.

Let me digress for a moment on the subject of Las Vegas - before seeing BUGSY or ever having heard of gangster Ben Siegel, I had seen THE GODFATHER-PART II many times. Would you believe that I actual thought, for a fact, that there had been a real man named Moe Green who had actually invented the city of Las Vegas, just like Lee Strasberg describes in the film? Talk about putting too much faith in what you hear in the movies! But then again, haven't we learned much of what we know about gangsters and the Mafia from the movies, be they totally accurate or not?

Favorite line of dialogue:

Virginia Hill: "Were you under the impression that I was a virgin?"
Ben Siegel: "No, no, no, I just thought maybe there was somebody you HADN'T fucked."

BRUCE ALMIGHTY

(May 2003, U.S.)

For a while, it seemed as if Jim Carrey and director Tom Shadyac were becoming the Scorsese/DeNiro team of comedy with ACE VENTURA (1994), LIAR LIAR (1997) and this film. BRUCE ALMIGHTY is not a perfect film, by any means, but there are some irresistable moments of Carrey's lunacy that can have you in absolute stitches. These are the moments that make any comedy, even faulted ones, totally worthwhile.

I don't believe in God, but if he or she does exist and wanted to hand over his or her omnipotent powers to someone for a time, why not give them to someone who would completely abuse them for their own personal gain? As struggling Buffalo (the city) news reporter Bruce Nolan, why not use those new-found powers to gain the reputation as "Mr. Exclusive" by causing exciting news, such as a meteor impact and the discovery of Jimmy Hoffa's body, to occur whenever you happen to be on the scene reporting? Why not use those powers to make your girlfriend's breasts biggers and give her a series of monumental orgasms without even touching her? Why not use those powers to force humiliation to your co-worker on live television (my favorite part of the film!)? Why not cause your city's hockey team to win the Stanley Cup and create havoc by causing everyone in the city to win the state lottery so that all that any winner ends up getting is about seventeen dollars? Why not for all of it??? Hell, I would!!!

The problem with a crazy comedy like this is the innevitable moment when it begins to turn sentimental and even depressing on you. The word "serious" can sometimes act as a cancer when all you really want to do is laugh and laugh 'till you drop. Woody Allen can be serious if he wants to, but Jim Carrey, short of starring in something like THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) or THE MAJESTIC (2001) is not someone I want to get too deep on me.

Favorite line or dialogue (I have laughed so hard at this sequence, I've literally had trouble breathing!):

Evan Baxter (reading the news prompter under Bruce's divine intervention): "In other news the Prime Minister of Sweden visited Washington today and my tiny little nipples went to France."
Director: "What'd he just say? Check the prompter."
Technician: "The prompter's fine."
Director: "Evan, READ THE COPY! Please! The copy's good. Just read it."
Evan: "The White House reception committee greeted the Prime Ribroast Minister and...I do the cha-cha like a sissy girl. I lik-a do da cha-cha. I'm sorry we seem to be having some technical difficulties. In other news..."

BROOKLYN'S FINEST

(March 2010, U.S.)

When I was a child, my grandmother lived in Brooklyn. I thought it was a shithole! Growing up, I saw movies like THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977) and DO THE RIGHT THING that depicted Brooklyn in its existence. I thought it was a shithole! The college I attended and lived at was in Brooklyn. I thought it was a shithole! Having watched BROOKLYN'S FINEST three times since its release, I am convinced that the borough of Brooklyn, has been, is, and will forever remain in my eyes and my opinon, A FUCKING SHITHOLE!

Having gotten that less-than-flattering conviction out of the way, let's talk about the film. BROOKLYN'S FINEST, directed by Antoine Fuqua (he made TRAINING DAY, too) is a police crime thriller that depicts the horrible grit and the ugliness of the New York City streets in such an outstanding way that I haven't seen since films like THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), SERPICO (1973), DEATH WISH (1974) and even Sylvester Stallone's NIGHTHAWKS (1981). Watching this film can cause you to temporarily forget all of the hype that has been generated about New York City ever since former mayor Rudy Giuliani supposedly "cleaned it up". The look, the feel and the sense of the city are hard-hitting and frightening. The cops who comprise the story here are equally frightening in their own manner.

Let's begin with Ethan Hawke. I had never heard of this guy before I saw him as an innocent and scared schoolboy in DEAD POET'S SOCIETY (1989). The schoolboy has not only grown up, but also displays an acting credibility that has transformed him into one of the most desperate "bad-ass motherfucker" cops I have ever seen on screen. His desperation, though, is not without empathy and understanding. He's a man with a loving wife, needy children and an immediate need for a bigger house. For this, he will commit acts of violence and theft against the very evil men he has sworn to fight. Following these acts is the inevitable rationalization and church confession that he must cling to in order for his soul to survive. In the end, though, neither he nor his soul will survive and you can only feel bad for the guy. He's a corrupt cop, yes, but that doesn't lessen your own longing for him to get what he needs to support and protect his family, even if he has to blow away the drug dealers and steal their money!

There is less to say about Don Cheadle, except that his style, his performance, his attitude and his personality as a desperate undercover narcotics cop are exactly what you'd expect on screen outside of a silly OCEAN'S ELEVEN film. And believe me, that's more than welcome, in my opinion. Wesley Snipes returns to the big screen after many years and offers more of the same that you may have seen in a film like NEW JACK CITY (1991). Don't worry - that's a good thing for a film of this magnitude.

Richard Gere has played a cop before. This time, there's no glory and no guts. He's a 22 year veteran who is so burned out that he no longer cares about anything except getting through the last week of the job to reach his long-deserved pension. Except there's one problem; deep down inside he's still a man with a heart and a conscience to do the right thing. This is never clearer than in the end when, after having already surrendered his shielf forever and acting on nothing more than his cop's instincts, he saves three girls from drug dealing pimps. Yes, there's probably nothing more cliche than the hero saving the girl from the villian, but I'll be damned if it doesn't work beautifully here. The last shot of the film is unforgettable, as he slowly walks away from the crime scene, having saved the girl(s) and finally redeemed his long-lost soul.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Detective Sal Procida (inside a church confession booth): "I did a bad thing...but to a bad guy; a very, very bad guy, all right, and for a good reason. You think that a rationalization, right? That's what you're thinkin'."
Priest: "Here, did you pray for guidance?"
Sal: "No, I couldn't do that."
Priest: "Why not?"
Sal: "'Cause prayers were not gonna get me what I needed."
Priest: "Is it more important than your relationship with God? No matter what you may have done, he's ready to forgive you."
Sal: "He is, huh?"
Priest: "We're all imperfect creatures, and we're lead to sin. That's why we have to surrender our souls to God."
Sal: "Well to be honest with you - I've been here before, all right, askin' for God's help, a lotta times, okay, an' my situation is not gettin' any sunnier, you know? So, so why should it now?"
Priest: "Your pride is denying the possibility of God's goodness."
Sal: "Why does He get all the glory, you know? Why is that, huh? He gets all the glory an' I get all the blame. I mean, is it not possible that maybe God isn't carryin' his end of the weight?
Priest: "Look, this thing is obviously weighing on you...so release it. Confess your sin. Pray for foregiveness."
Sal: "I don't want God's foregiveness! I WANT HIS FUCKIN' HELP!"

BROADWAY DANNY ROSE

(January 1984, U.S.)

Compared to some of Woody Allen's bigger classics like SLEEPER (1973), ANNIE HALL (1977) and MANHATTAN (1979), a modest little film like BROADWAY DANNY ROSE probably doesn't stand up as well. It doesn't, really. But in its own right, the film has an irresistable quality to it. The fact that's it's shot in black and white adds a cliche of artistic element to it. The fact that it stars Woody Allen playing his usualy neurotic, moronic and sometimes psychotic personality never hurts, either.

As with many of Allen's film characters, Danny Rose is associated with show business. The kick here is not so much his profession as a theatrical manager, but rather the ridiculous acts he handles; a one-legged tap dancer, a blind xylophone player, a balloon artist and a woman who plays the tops of drinking glasses with her hands whom Danny swears will one day play at Carnegie Hall (???). His one great client is an overweight Italian crooner who's in love with a cheap, gangster's blonde Tina (played by Mia Farrow), and it's with her that the screwball adventure begins to take shape, much in the spirit of films like BRINGING UP BABY (1938) and WHAT'S UP, DOC (1972). Those who know Woody Allen's nervous style and mannerism will know that he won't take too kindly to any kind of adventure that puts him in any confusing or dangerous position.

As mentioned earlier, BROADWAY DANNY ROSE will likely not go down in film history as one of Woody Allen's best. It's a fun film to watch, nonetheless. The dialogue below when he's just been grabbed and shoved into a car with two gangsters who intend to kill him is a prime example -

Favorite line or dialogue:

Danny Rose: "Fell...fellas...fellas...fellas...may I...can I...may I just interject one thing at this particular point in time?"
Gangster #1: "Keep goin' straight."
Danny: "Look, I LIKE Johnny. This is...what you don't understand...I LIKE your brother. I got nothin' against him. I just met him today. He's sweet. I liked his poem. What's under discussion here is the girl's feelings. That's what we're...the girl...incidentally, where is the girl?"
Gangster #2: "Oh, we're gonna take real good care-o-you, pal."
Danny: "I wanna say one thing, and I don't mean to be didactic or facetious in any manner...she doesn't love him. That's...she doesn't love him anymore. What can I...? You know...I know, it's hard to take, you know, because we all want what we can't have in life. This is...it's a natural thing. But, uh, you know, take my cousine Seal - not, not pretty like Tina at all. She looks like something in a reptile house in the zoo. So, you'll like this story...she meets this accountant..."
Gangster #1: "Will ya shut up!"

BROADCAST NEWS

(December 1987, U.S.)

Ah, Christmas 1987 - I was in my third year of college and partying my ass off! At the movies, Michael Douglas was telling the world that greed was good, Robin Williams was yelling "Good morning!" to Vietnam and BROADCAST NEWS was giving a young guy like me his first glimpse as to just how phoney and fabricated network news television could be. Even today, I find myself unable to watch the news for no more than a half hour without developing a knot in my stomach. It's not just because nearly all of the news is bad news, but the style in which it's presented has become completely over-sensationalized in its delivery, filming and editing style. In short, it has, in my opinion, developed a status level that falls just short of a reality TV show. You want an example? Just watch anchorman Chuck Scarborough on New York's NBC-TV nightly news at 11 pm; the man has a constant happy and chipper demeanor throughout his broadcast, even when the news is horribly tragic, just as if he were prepped, primed and put together like an overbloated TV game show host. So what's the solution? Watch more CNN or MSNBC? Well, it's a slight improvement, but I'm afraid even those two so-called "serious" news networks may be falling victim to the disease of broadcast sensationalism.

But anyway, back to movie in discussion - BROADCAST NEWS is a film that can be called as knowledgeable about the TV news-gathering process as any movie ever made, but it also has insights into the more personal matter of how people use their high-pressure jobs as a way of avoiding time alone with themselves. The best example is news producer Jane Craig (played by Holly Hunter) who is so appalled by every negative element that modern television news epitomizes, she has actually managed to repell other people through her personality and convictions. When alone with herself, she can only cope with the stress and pressures by experiencing a well-needed cry. News anchorman Tom Grunick (played by William Hurt) is admitedly uneducated, uninformed and unseasoned at his profession, and as he puts it, is "making a fortune" (what's not to love about the guy?). Albert Brooks' presence is as funny and as charming as you'd expect from any role he takes on. Frankly, I don't think I've ever heard anyone express sarchasm on film the way he does. But in this film, he's also excellent at taking the viewer inside the world of television news, though perhaps not terribly good at analyzing it all. Can ANYBODY alalyze television these days? It's all such a horrible mess!

Favorite line or dialogue:

Aaron Altman: "I know you care about him. I've never seen you like this about anyone, so please don't take it wrong when I tell you that I believe that Tom, while a very nice guy, is the Devil."
Jane Craig: " This isn't friendship!" You're crazy, you know that?"
Aaron: "What do you think the Devil is going to look like if he's around?"
Jane: "God!"
Aaron: "Nobody is going to be taken in if he has a long, red, pointy tail. No, I'm semi-serious here."
Jane: "You're serious..."
Aaron: "He will look attractive and he will be nice and helpful and he will get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation and he will never do an evil thing. He will just bit by little bit lower our standards where they are important. Just coax along flash over substance...just a tiny bit. And he will talk about all of us really being salesmen. And he'll get all the great women."