Ladybug Ladybug
(1963) This could have been good. Started out as a twist on a 60s nuclear
apocalypse story by taking the perspective of schoolteachers and the kids in a
rural school where communications aren’t very good and showed the kinds of
confusion that could result. That only lasted half an hour or so and things
deteriorated into the standard dreary “end of the world” 60s flick. The
highlights were seeing young versions of William Daniels, Estelle Parsons, and
Nancy Marchand.
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
One of those movies that gets better every time I see it. It operates on
multiple levels and works on all of them. George Kennedy richly deserved his
Oscar for supporting actor, and Paul Newman would have won Best Actor in most
other years; he lost to Rod Steiger for In
the Heat of the Night. Full of iconic scenes that hold together just as
well in another century, there are elements here that might be even more worthy
of attention today than fifty years ago.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Another movie that gets better every time I see it. I can damn near recite the
whole thing now, which leaves me free to notice little things. I’ve written
about it before and I’m sure I will again. Without doubt one of the five
greatest crime films ever made.
The Imitation Game (2014)
Yet another one of those. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing, the man who
led the team that broke the German Enigma machine codes and shortened the war
by as much as two years according to British MI6. The film moves between
Turing’s work at Bletchley Park, his days in boarding school, and his arrest
for homosexuality in 1951. It’s inspiring to watch Turing struggle to complete
his machine, heartbreaking to watch him lose his only friend at school, and
depressing to see how all his contributions to the war effort meant nothing in
the face of his homosexuality. It’s not just a blight on British history, but a
condemnation everyone needs to find a way to get past.
Get Shorty (1995)
One of my favorite comfort movies. There’s no way I feel anything but chipper
by the time it runs its course.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Yes, I watched it again. It’s sorely underrated as a Christmas movie and I had
a rough couple of months. Sue me.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The annual New Year’s Eve viewing. See Get
Shorty above for the review.
Godless (2017) Not
a movie, but the kind of thing movies wish they could do. Most of the promotional
attention is paid to the city of women—which is well enough done to merit the
praise—but there’s a lot more going on. Jeff Daniels plays against type as one
of the meanest SOBs ever on the screen, though he has his own moral code. Sam
Waterston plays a US marshal, but I didn’t recognize anyone else. Didn’t
matter. All the actors inhabited their roles to make Godless a uniquely successful project. Scott Frank, better known (to
me at least) for his successful adaptations of Elmore Leonard novels, wrote and
directed all the episodes, which should move him into the realm of those who
can be trusted with anything. I have nothing bad to say about this show.
Roadside Prophets
(1992) Easy Rider for the punk set.
An entertaining film that has the prime virtue of not trying to be more than it
is, and what it is is time well spent. The humor is offbeat and fresh, the
cameo appearances by Arlo Guthrie, John Cusack, Bill Cobbs, Timothy Leary, Don
Cheadle, David Carradine, and Stephen Tobolowsky are great fun, and—best of
all—it doesn’t talk down to its presumed audience. A nice choice if you’re
looking for something off the beaten path.
True Grit (2010)
Fun no matter when I watch it, but even more so less than a week after seeing The Big Lebowski, to realize that’s The
Dude pulling all this Rooster Cogburn shit. Superior to the original film in
many ways, not the least of which it its closer adherence to Charles Portis’s
wonderful novel. Bridges is better than John Wayne (though I admit it’s one of
The Duke’s better performances), Matt Damon is far better than Glen Campbell,
and Hailee Steinfeld is perfect as Mattie Ross. The Coen Brothers’ do well in
keeping their idiosyncrasies subordinate to the quirkiness of the novel. The
end result is a movie worthy of one of my favorite books I’ll happily watch
again.
Wheelman (2017) Turns
out this isn’t based on Duane Swierczynski’s excellent novel. Jeremy Rush's use
of the title is a non-stop action movie made for people who like more than
non-stop action in their non-stop action movies. There are more things done
well here can I can mention: the lighting, the spot-on performance by Frank
Grillo as the title character, the use of his cutesy cell phone ring tone in
the tensest moments, and the fascinating concept of telling pretty much the
whole story from the point of view of the cars. Eighty-two of the most
entertaining minutes I’ve spent in a long time, and an outstanding surprise.
L.A. Confidential
(1997). Uh-huh. Again. For my birthday. And I’m still finding things to appreciate.
The Assassination of
Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Outstanding Western until its
leisurely pacing outlives its welcome and you end up resenting its length and
wish it would just end, already. The acting is outstanding, the story is an
interesting take on a legend, and the production values are first-rate. At 2:39
it’s just way too damn long for what it is.
A good list. I loved GODLESS.
ReplyDeleteLA CONFIDENTIAL is a great movie. For me, the biggest mystery is how the filmmakers adapted Ellroy’s dense plotting and crazy prose style into such a good movie.
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