ATONEMENT

(December 2007, U.S.)

There was a time in the early '90's when I went through what I call my "Merchant-Ivory Period", in that I really got into slow-moving British Dramas like HOWARD'S END, THE REMAINS OF THE DAY and even films of similar style like Martin Scorsese's THE AGE OF INNOCENCE. ATONEMENT has all of that flavor, to be sure, but it also combines elements of mystery, suspense, wartime drama and, of course, true love.

Watching the film, one can sense some very frightening elements in the character of 13 year-old Briony Tallis in her misinterpretations of events and errors in judgement. The mere act of her looking through her bedroom window and drawing drastic conclusions based on the version of what she THINKS she's witnessing and what actually took place in reality (Kurosawa's RASHOMON, anyone?) begins a chain reaction of events to not only lead an innocent young man to jail and the frontlines of World War II, but to also deny two young lovers their inevitable happiness.

The ending, too, offers us a surprise ending in story structure where we not only learn that much of what we've seen between two young people in love never took place except in the imagination of Briony Tallis as an accomplished novelist, but also that the young lovers were actually killed in 1940 as casualties of war. Vanessa Redgrave's cameo appearance as the old Briony ties the entire film together perfectly.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Older Briony Tallis: "So, my sister and Robbie were never able to have the time together they both so longed for... and deserved. Which ever since I've... ever since I've always felt I prevented. But what sense of hope or satisfaction could a reader derive from an ending like that? So in the book, I wanted to give Robbie and Cecilia what they lost out on in life. I'd like to think this isn't weakness or... evasion... but a final act of kindness. I gave them their happiness."

ARTHUR (1981)

(July 1981, U.S.)

Before I get into this post, I have a confession to make - it's nearly 30 years later and I still love the song, "Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do)" by Christopher Cross. Hey, man, good is good and that song is (still) good!

I think Dudley Moore will forever be known as the New York City drunken millionare playboy ("I wish I had a dime for every dime I've got."). And why not? I don't know about you, but I haven't heard anyone play the role of a drunkard with slurred speech so well since ARTHUR. And even a guy like me, who doesn't like musicals or musical performers, can still enjoy the comedic efforts of someone like Liza Minnelli. I give credit where credit is due, and she IS funny in her role as Arthur's would-be girlfriend.

But as much as Dudley Moore is practically legendary in this role, it is, in my opinion, Sir John Gielgud who deserves the most recognition here. The man may be the proper British gentleman in every other role he plays, but it's his synical wit and insulting sarcasm (the man sounds perfectly at home when he calls Arthur a "little shit") that steals the show in this movie.

As of writing this post, I've learned that Hollywood is actually going to remake ARTHUR (???). The only part of this undertaking that sounds even remotely interesting is that the role of the valet (Hobson) will now be played by a woman (Helen Mirren to be precise). Beyond that, today's remakes are wrong...so wrong!

Favorite line or dialogue:

Arthur: "Gloria, I'd like you to meet Hobson - my best friend in the world."
Hobson: "I relish the compliment. It's thrilling to meet you, Gloria."
Gloria: "Hi."
Hobson: "Yes...you obviously have a wonderful economy with words, Gloria. I look forward to your next syllable with great eagerness."

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE

(September 1944, U.S.)

Frank Capra was one of the truly great directors of the 20th Century. His name traditionally conjours up films of uplifting inspiration like MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946). Turns out, though, the man could also make a great screwball comedy like this one. And Cary Grant? Forget what you traditionally know of his dramatic work - the man was a screwball genius! In films like BRINGING UP BABY (1938), MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940) and MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948), he could portray wild emotions of surprise, shock, awe, confusion and bewilderment at such a level that could only make you crack up with laughter.

In this film, he's running around stir crazy trying to protect his two kind aunts from the law (they have this very bad habit of committing mercy killings against lonely old men by giving them elderberry wine with poison in it and burying the bodies in the cellar) and protect himself and his new wife from his escaped, demented (and VERY Boris Karloff ugly!!!) brother. On top of that, he's also got another crazy (but harmless) brother who's convinced he's Teddy Roosevelt. I challange you not to laugh out loud every time Teddy runs up the house stairs yelling, "CHARGE!!!"

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE is not just funny, but it's what I like to call "escapist funny" - the kind of comedy that is so laced with lunacy and insanity (but not the stupid teenage kind that plagues the screen today!) that you simply loose yourself in the process of watching it.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Mortimer Brewster: "Yes, operator, I'd like the Happy Dale Sanatorium, Happy Dale, New York. Come on, operator, what's taking so long? They're just across the river. I could swim it faster! No, I don't want the Happy Dale Laundry. I want the Happy Dale Sanatorium. Sanatorium, sanatorium, sanatorium. Yes, yes, like a broken record. Hello - what? They're busy? Busy? Look, they're busy and you're dizzy. No, I am not drunk, madam, but you've given me an idea."

APOLLO 13

(June 1995, U.S.)

Every once in a while, there is a film I'm interesting in seeing in the theater - I go, I pay, I sit, I watch and I end up disappointed. Sometime later, for whatever reason, I decide to give it another shot and watch it again and I end up liking the film, after all. This is actually the case with my favorite film of all time (we'll get into that much, much later). This was the case with APOLLO 13 also.

When I saw it back in 1995, I think I may have been expecting a lot more exterior space adventure footage along the lines of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (did you know that's Tom Hanks' favorite movie?). When I didn't get it, I felt very let down. Months later, on cable, I decided to try again and accept and appreciate the film for the drama and solid performance of its stars that it offers. There's also a certain emotion that you feel when watching a film where you know beforehand that there's going to be a serious problem ("Houston, we have a problem.") with the mission that will put our heroes in danger. There's no element of surprise, but rather a sense of dread when you know that the crisis is coming. On the flipside, you also know that things will end well and our heroes will be saved. You can't help but smile when you see the space pod appear in the sky with its parachutes and land safely in the water. It's these kinds of movie victories that can still make you feel like a joyful child!

Favorite line or dialogue:

Gene Kranz: "Let's work the problem, people. Let's not make things worse by guessing."

APOCALYPSE NOW

(August 1979, U.S.)

I am writing this post on Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 theatrical release of the film and NOT the totally unnecessary "Redux"...

This is without challange, one of the greatest war films ever made! Based loosely on Joseph's Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", it is more than just Vietnam combat and drama. It's a dark journey into the nightmare of the jungle and those who have succumbed to it's temptations and its evils. The stories behind it's notorious lengthy and troubled production became just as infamous as the film itself (see the documentary "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse"). It is, in my opinion, the last truly great film of Coppola's career. It's also a film with as many quotable lines to compete with the likes of CASABLANCA, GONE WITH THE WIND, JAWS, STAR WARS and ANIMAL HOUSE.

One of the special things about APOCALYPSE NOW is that it features my all-time favorite opening sequence. If you've never actually seen this film, let me try and describe the sequence for you now...

A slow fade-in to an array of jungle trees. The soft, distant, slow-motion whirl of a passing helicopter blade. The delicate beginnings of the song "The End" by The Doors. For a moment, the scene is quiet and still. As Jim Morriosn begins to sing, "This is the end...", the world we're looking at explodes into Hell with a mass of destructive fireballs. This is no longer a quiet jungle. This is the Vietnam War! A battle rages on until it slowly desolves onto the face of Martin Sheen, who is lying in an almost catatonic state, slowly smoking a cigarette. The story begins with his intense voice uttering the words, "Saigon...shit. I'm still only in Saigon."

The rest of the film cannot be justifyably discribed. It must be experienced with a degree of patience and a true love of film and filmmaking. It must be understood as one might understand a great painting and all of the love, hate, pain and anguish the artist felt while creating it.

(What can I say? It's one the great films of cinematic history! You either know it or you don't. You either love it or you don't.).

And now, a more personal story. One of my best friends of 20 years from college whom I shall call Greg, (because that's his name. He's also the one who took that picture of me grilling) loves war films and war history. APOCALYPSE NOW was the first film he and I (and some others) ever watched on video shortly after meeting some 20 years ago. I can still remember how enthralled and mesmerized he was while watching one of his favorite war films of all time. So, it is to Greg that I dedicate this post. Thank you for 20 years of close friendship, support, laughs, insanity, and the patient ear to listen to more crap from me than anyone should ever have to endure. I love you, man!

Favorite line or dialogue: (okay, in this case, an entire SPEECH!)

Col. Kurtz: "I've seen horrors... horrors that you've seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that... but you have no right to judge me. It's impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. Horror... Horror has a face... and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not, then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies! I remember when I was with Special Forces... seems a thousand centuries ago. We went into a camp to inoculate some children. We left the camp after we had inoculated the children for polio, and this old man came running after us and he was crying. He couldn't see. We went back there, and they had come and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms. And I remember... I... I... I cried, I wept like some grandmother. I wanted to tear my teeth out; I didn't know what I wanted to do! And I want to remember it. I never want to forget it... I never want to forget. And then I realized... like I was shot... like I was shot with a diamond... a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I thought, my God... the genius of that! The genius! The will to do that! Perfect, genuine, complete, crystalline, pure. And then I realized they were stronger than we, because they could stand that these were not monsters, these were men... trained cadres. These men who fought with their hearts, who had families, who had children, who were filled with love... but they had the strength... the strength... to do that. If I had ten divisions of those men, our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men who are moral... and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling... without passion... without judgment... without judgment! Because it's judgment that defeats us."

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY

(December 1999, U.S.)

Truth be told, football doesn't interest me much as a sport or as a subject for a sports movie. In fact, if you include this film with the Marx Brothers' HORSE FEATHERS (1932), BLACK SUNDAY (1977) and JERRY MAGUIRE (1996), you pretty much total up all of the football-relalted movies I own in my collection.

So then, why ANY GIVEN SUNDAY? Well, although I don't consider this one of his best films, Oliver Stone is a director whose work I've admired for a long time. The main reason is Al Pacino; my favorite actor. He seems perfectly fit to play a hard-stressed American football coach who finds himself in the position of having to yell a lot. And in my opinion, there's nothing more dramatically entertaining that listening to Al Pacino yell on screen! There is also the passion he brings to the screen in any role he portrays, whether it's Shakespearean, an Italian gangster or an American football coach.

For those who take the game of football a lot more seriously than I do, the film does it share of taking on the different aspects of the game, including players, staff, owners, the press, politicians and even the doctors. The film also sports (pun?) a very impressive all-star cast (you can google that yourself!) that you don't see in too many films anymore.

Favorite line or dialogue: (okay, in this case, an entire SPEECH!)

Tony D'Amato: "I don't know what to say, really. Three minutes to the biggest battle of our professional lives. All comes down to today, and either, we heal as a team, or we're gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play. Until we're finished. We're in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And, we can stay here, get the shit kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell... one inch at a time. Now I can't do it for ya, I'm too old. I look around, I see these young faces and I think, I mean, I've made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I've pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who's ever loved me. And lately, I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror. You know, when you get old, in life, things get taken from you. I mean, that's... that's... that's a part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losin' stuff. You find out life's this game of inches, so is football. Because in either game - life or football - the margin for error is so small. I mean, one half a step too late or too early and you don't quite make it. One half second too slow, too fast and you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They're in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team we fight for that inch. On this team we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know when add up all those inches, that's gonna make the fucking difference between winning and losing! Between living and dying! I'll tell you this, in any fight it's the guy whose willing to die whose gonna win that inch. And I know, if I'm gonna have any life anymore it's because I'm still willing to fight and die for that inch, because that's what living is, the six inches in front of your face. Now I can't make you do it. You've got to look at the guy next to you, look into his eyes. Now I think ya going to see a guy who will go that inch with you. Your gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team, because he knows when it comes down to it your gonna do the same for him. That's a team, gentlemen, and either, we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals. That's football guys, that's all it is. Now, what are you gonna do?"

ANTZ

(October 1998, U.S.)

We have, here, an interesting case of one Woody Allen film following another...sort of. But I suppose if you're going to make a computer animated film about a nervous, anxious, neurotic, socially unacceptable insect with no self-confidence, who better to voice it than Woody Allen to play the protaganist, Z?

I actually saw ANTZ by accident. During most of the 1990's I did a lot of "movie-hopping" at any multiplex where security was a joke. Sometimes I could get in four movies in one day if the start times worked out (talk about saving a LOT of money during an entire decade!). So anyway, ANTZ turned out to be the unexpected second feature after RUSH HOUR at a theater in Hampton Bays, Long Island. To date, I had only seen TOY STORY on cable. This was my first movie of its kind on screen, and I have to say I was blown away by its graphics and its comedy. The eccentric voice styles of Woody Allen, Christopher Walken, Sylvester Stallone and Gene Hackman are more than enough to carry a movie like this. Mind you, I have not developed a more humane attitude toward ants in general since this movie. If I see them, I still take great pleasure in killing them! Now, of course, ANTZ is part of my little boy's movie collection, but it's one of the fun family films we can enjoy together that doesn't involve musical numbers.

By the way, I met and talked with one of the writers of ANTZ, Chris Weitz, at a Hollywood pitch festival back in 2000. He hasn't stop calling me since (just kidding).

Favorite line or dialogue:

Z: "I think everything must go back to the fact that I had a very anxious childhood. My mother NEVER had time for me. You know, when you're the middle child in a family of five million, you don't get any attention."