Thief's Monthly Movie Loot - 2023 Edition

That is how Larry (Clive Owen) refers to a punk club he used to frequent when he was a teen, which has now turned into the strip club where he's talking with stripper Alice (Natalie Portman). Maybe a reference to how things change with time or rather how they try to present themselves as things they necessarily aren't. Either way, the statement is applied to people and relationships in this Mike Nichols' romantic drama.

Closer follows two couples, or more specifically, four people: Dan Woolf (Jude Law), an obituary writer and wannabe author; Alice, a former stripper; Anna (Julia Roberts), a photographer; and Larry, a dermatologist, and how their lives and relationships intertwine through the years. Through those interactions, we get a glimpse of their aspirations, frustrations, and prospects of life and love.

Nichols' first film, 1966's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, also follows two very different couples as they go through different phases of emotions in one night. Closer is my sixth Nichols' film and you can say it is a different version of that. Because if there's something he has put forward since his debut is the fragile nature of romantic relationships and how people might present themselves as "a version of something else" to try not to affect that fragility. His characters are often deceitful and duplicitous, not necessarily because they want to, but because it's what people do. After all, lying is "the currency of the world".

In Closer, you get four very different characters committing similar "mistakes" in very different ways, all with very similar results. The way he shows these characters changing, creating versions of themselves to try to adapt to their situations is quite something. This is helped in great way by the excellent performances from all four leads, each of whom carries their character through a rollercoaster of states of mind and emotions.

Granted, being based on a play, some of the dialogue feels choreographed in its delivery, but that doesn't make it any less witty, insightful, or effective. Also, the way the revolving door of relationships keeps unfolding as the film moves on might feel a bit ludicrous, but I accepted it as the way in which the story and characters serve the overall theme of the film, which is about honesty in relationships; to not present ourselves as "versions of something else", but rather as we are ourselves if we want to really get closer to someone.

Grade:

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During the last couple of years, Mike Nichols has really went up on my ranking of favorite directors. With the exception of The Birdcage, which I haven't seen in 20+ years, I've either loved or really liked anything I've seen from him.

The Graduate -
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? -
Carnal Knowledge -
Closer -
Charlie Wilson's War -

Always great dialogue, always great performances. The thing is that before I chose Closer for my challenge, I had bunches of people recommending me Catch-22, Working Girl, Postcards from the Edge, Silkwood, Heartburn... all at pretty much the same level. I'm really looking forward to checking out the rest of his filmography.

FINALLY, here's my summary for NOVEMBER 2023:

A film about the occult (Occult Day, November 18): Lovely Molly, Seventh Moon
A film noir: Criss Cross, Detour, Murder, My Sweet, The Whistler
A film widely considered one of the worst ever: Plan 9 From Outer Space
A film from Joe Dante (born November 28): The Howling
A film from Mike Nichols (born November 6): Closer


Other films seen, not for the challenge

Theater outings: PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
Neo-noir films: Le Samouraď
Other films: The Killer (2023), It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown



There was a lot of good stuff with most of those film noirs, Closer, and others... but I think the one that stuck with me most was Criss Cross.

My least favorite was probably Seventh Moon, with Plan 9 from Outer Space close, but even those had worthy stuff in them.

Act of Violence follows Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan), a former World War II POW determined to find one of his comrades, Frank Enley (Van Heflin), at all costs. The reason? It's one of those things that happened in the war that nobody understands, not even Joe or Frank; but that's one of the mysteries that this film holds on to for a while.

The film opens with Joe tracking down Frank to kill him, all while leaving us in the dark as to why. Frank seems to be a well-doing and renowned contractor in the housing business while it is evident that Joe is unhinged and dangerous. The film does a great job of just throwing us right in the middle of that crux without telling us all the details, so our allegiance tends to be with Frank. But this is something that might change as the film reveals more about Joe's reasonings.

I think that was my favorite thing about the film; how it manages to contrast and juxtapose these two characters, none of which are entirely free from blame or wrong-doing. For a 1940s film to present the complexity of those things that "happened in the war" and that we can't understand, it is quite something, and I like that the film never fully commits to any side. Neither Joe nor Frank are demonized or idolized, but are rather presented as two damaged individuals.

Ryan and Heflin are pretty solid in their roles, but I think my favorite performances were from Janet Leigh as Frank's wife, Edith, who has to handle Joe while also trying to understand the truth about her husband's past, and Mary Astor who plays a street-smart woman who stumbles upon Frank and also tries to understand what is happening and tries to help him in a different way.

But to go back to my initial point, I think the film's biggest success is how relentless it feels. Just like Joe, the film's pace rarely lets us catch our breath as we see this cat-and-mouse game unfold and these things that are impossible to understand are brought to light. Things that, just like Frank himself told his wife, we might never understand them ourselves.

Grade:

Thieves' Highway follows Nick Garcos (Richard Conte), who returns from World War II to his family in California, only to find that his father, a produce driver, was roughed up by a ruthless dealer called Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb). This resulted in Nick's father losing his legs and sets Nick on a path for revenge against Figlia.

Like many film noirs, the film does a great job of presenting the insurmountable stakes that our lead seems to be against. Perhaps a representation of the struggles and difficulties that veterans had to face upon returning home, Nick seems to have little chances to win. But he more than makes up for it with determination and guts as he stands up to Figlia.

Nick is also helped by Ed (Millard Mitchell), another driver that took up Nick father's truck, and Rica (Valentina Cortese), a local that Figlia might or might not be using against Nick. Conte is solid in the lead, but it is Cobb who easily shines as Figlia. His character moves seamlessly from fake amiability to sheer unscrupulousness and opportunism.

However, the film's pace is a bit dragged down by Ed's subplot, despite Mitchell's performance being pretty good. I also didn't like how the film handled the subplot with Nick's girlfriend, Polly (Barbara Lawrence) and how Rica serves as the rebound. I don't think the character of Polly was entirely necessary, or on the other hand, the romantic relationship with Rica.

Despite those flaws, the film was enjoyable with some nice twists and solid performances. The exchanges between Nick and Figlia were intense and featured some good dialogue ("your end of nothing is nothing") without it resorting into the stereotypes of antagonists, so I'll give it a fair shake.

Grade:

That is part of the closing statement offered by the police at the end of this iconic film noir. Perhaps the jungle/beasts metaphor is a bit on the nose, but that doesn't make it any less appropriate. Because if there's one thing the film succeeds is in transmitting the savagery and ruthlessness of this "asphalt jungle" where survival is of the fittest.

The Asphalt Jungle follows a group of criminals led by Doc Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe) as they plan and stage the robbery of a jewel store that could leave them all set for life. To pull it off, he needs a safecracker (Anthony Caruso), a getaway driver (James Whitmore), and a "hooligan" (Sterling Hayden). But in this jungle, the predatory beasts are all over.

This is a film I had been hearing about for a long time, but somehow I hadn't been able to get to it. Now that I finally did, I can see what all the fuss is about. The Asphalt Jungle is a thrilling, sharply written crime film that doesn't pull its punches, which is best exemplified in the nature of its lead character, Dix Handley (Hayden), a 6'4" intimidating thug that's a chronic gambler and essentially a killer.

But, as many other similar films have done after, the film succeeds in making us root for Dix by pairing him against more despicable characters. In this case, slimy lawyer Alonzo Emmerich (Louis Calhern), who is not afraid to double-cross Dix and his men. Calhern's performance goes masterfully from confident and cocky to pathetic and pitiful, and it is probably my favorite from the film.

It is worth noting that Marilyn Monroe had a brief but crucial supporting performance as Emmerich's mistress, and she is very good in it ("What about my trip, Uncle Lon?"). The character of the Doc (Jaffe) also offers an interesting balance of heart and soul deep within the "predatory beasts" of this jungle. I might say it works even better than the background they try to give Dix, with the horse farm, which feels a bit forced.

But putting that aside, the real star here is Huston's masterful direction, mood, and atmosphere, and the snappy script. The Asphalt Jungle drags you deep within, along with the predatory beasts as they claw and fight each other, and makes you think: what if they take over?

Grade:

Parenthood is a challenging thing. We feel committed to the happiness and well-being of our children to the point that we want to provide them with everything. We don't want to see them lacking anything. But how much is enough? That seems to be a question that hangs above the titular character in this film that mixes drama and romance with film noir.

Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford) is a hard-working woman that is torn between her desire to provide for her spoiled daughter, Veda (Ann Blyth), and her relationship with several men. There is Veda's father, Bert (Bruce Bennett), with whom she splits because of infidelities and economic issues. Then there is Monte (Zachary Scott), the young playboy she meets later that might be in it for her money, or maybe something else.

In typical film noir fashion, the film features a broken narrative. We start with Monte being shot by someone and then most of the film is told in flashback as we see what led to that. It is an effective choice that makes us think about the psyche of the different characters and their possible motivations; from Bert to Mildred herself, or maybe someone else.

But putting aside the mystery, what made the film tick for me were the interactions between Mildred and Veda. Crawford is her usual great self, but I was really surprise by how Blyth managed to hold her own against her. Her clashing personalities and attitudes are what make the film feel interesting, and perhaps separate this from other film noir that rely more on mood and atmosphere.

These exchanges and great performances are helped by a neat script and a pretty good direction from Curtiz. All to make a pretty nice package of a film that might keep you guessing until the end. So if you haven't seen Mildred Pierce, make sure you don't lose her.

Grade:

I first saw The Shawshank Redemption back in late 1994 or early 1995, and it immediately became my favorite film. I've seen it more times than I could count, which means I've seen that famous scene from Gilda more times than I could count, as Red and Andy watch it in prison. The sight of Rita Hayworth coming into frame whipping her hair and smiling as she replies "Me? Sure, I'm decent" always gave me vibes of light melodrama or even comedy. Oh, but what a surprise I got as I finally sat down to watch this 1946 film.

Gilda follows Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford), a small time gambler that ends up down on his luck in Argentina, which puts him in the path of the titular character (Hayworth) with whom he might have had a past we're not so sure about. To complicate things further, Gilda is now married to Ballin Mundson (George Macready), a shady casino owner that happens to be Johnny's new boss. Will decency prevail among them?

A "decent" person is defined as one that "conforms with generally accepted standards of respectable or moral behavior". But even though Gilda assures her husband that she is, indeed, "decent", the truth is that she spends all the film pushing back against those "standards", which puts her at extreme odds with her husband as well as with Johnny, who has been tasked by Mundson to "keep an eye on her". But Gilda is not having any of that, as she assures Johnny at one point that she's "going to do exactly what I please, when I please".

Although Gilda is often labeled as a romantic drama, the truth is that 85% of the film is Farrell and Gilda just taking jabs at each other as they are each filled with seething hatred. The toxicity of this relationship is quite bleak and probably one of my favorite things on the film. What does that say about me? I don't know, but I really loved seeing these two trying to take down each other. The dialogue and the lines were so pointed and sharp that I couldn't help but gasp and laugh at some of them ("Statistics show that there are more women in the world than anything else. Except insects."). Still, the delivery of these is never light, but extremely serious.

Aside from the script, most of the performances are quite good with Macready and Hayworth topping the list for me. Even though I've never seen any other film from Rita Hayworth, I was quite surprised by her performance and range. The direction from Charles Vidor and the cinematography from Rudolph Maté were also great, with some great camera movement and neat uses of lights and shadows, perhaps to illustrate that "decency", or lack thereof.

If I were to complain about something, it would be the ending. After seeing how harsh and unapologetic the film is, a certain final revelation felt like the writers were all of a sudden pulling their punches. Maybe because they wanted to make the film more accessible, or maybe the Hays Code forced them to change things to make Gilda more "decent", but it felt somewhat forced and apart from the tone and vibe that preceded it. Still, this was a pretty great watch.

Grade:

Sabata follows the titular character (Lee Van Cleef), a lone but skilled gunman as he tries to protect the residents of the small town of Daugherty, Texas from their corrupt leaders. In the process, he sides with several colorful characters, including a Confederate veteran (Pedro Sanchez) and a mysterious drifter called Banjo (William Berger).

This western was recommended by a good Twitter friend. I hadn't heard of it before, but it's interesting to see how it conforms to many of the typical tropes of the gunslinger western. Sabata is not very different than Eastwood's The Man with no Name or Charles Bronson's Harmonica, but that doesn't make him any less cool as he's shooting his way through numerous bad guys.

What I liked about the film is how evident it is that Van Cleef is having a blast with the role. What possibly separates him from the above two gunslingers is that his portrayal of Sabata is more charismatic and fun. Like them, Sabata's pretty much invincible; he's rough and tough, but he's usually seen smiling and is not above a wisecrack or two.

The film pairs him with a couple of stereotypical characters: Carrincha, a Mexican drunk, and Alley Cat, a "wise" Native American that never speaks. Both characters are cool, but I would argue that they weren't entirely necessary; at least Alley Cat. Also, as much as I liked Berger's performance as Banjo, I didn't really like that his motivations were never clear and just seemed random.

On that line, I think that the epilogue was stretched a bit too much. But putting that aside, I really enjoyed the film quite a bit. The gunfights were good, the characters were fun, the main villain was very villain-y. All things I would expect from a western like this, starring a bad-ass gunslinger, that never misses and is always on the right side.

Grade:

Before the month ends, here's my latest "assignment" episode!

The Movie Loot: The Holiday Assignment

In this one, I'm solo again to choose the set of 5 categories to guide me on what to watch during the month.

You can also see the live broadcast we did via YouTube



...or listen to it through any podcasting platform like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or any other.

Here are the criteria we chose for DECEMBER 2023:

A film with a title that starts with the letters W, X, Y, or Z:
A western:
The last Best Picture winner I haven't seen:
A Christmas/Holiday film:
A film from Michael Curtiz (born December 24)

That's one of the lessons taught in this Christmas anthology feature from Disney. Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas features three separate stories, all focused on the importance of loving and sharing with your loved ones. The first one features Donald Duck's nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, stuck in a Groundhog Day-like time loop after they wish every day would be Christmas. The second one follows Goofy's son, Max, wrestling with the possibility that Santa might not exist. The last one follows Mickey and Minnie's struggles to celebrate Christmas despite their economic issues.

This is one of those features I put in for the kids, but ended up sticking through. It is a fairly stereotypical Disney family film with some very earnest messages. That said, I really enjoyed the creativity of the first chapter, as well as several of Goofy's one-liners in the second chapter. The final chapter is the more "serious" one, but if you're a fan of Mickey, I suppose you'll enjoy the warm and the candy-coated approach to its message.

It was also nice to see some traditional "hand-drawn" animation, as well as some clever nods to adult stuff like the aforementioned Groundhog Day. Sure, there were times I drifted away to do other stuff, but the kids enjoyed it and after all, that's the reason for the season. To forget about the worries and sit back happily, while watching TV and spending time with your family.

Grade:

The Last Emperor follows the life of Puyi (John Lone), the last emperor of China during the early 20th Century. What makes his reign and life notable is that Puyi was crowned when he was 2 years old and "ruled" only until he was 6 years old, when the waves of the 1911 Chinese Revolution ended the country's imperial system. But what can a child raised in this environment do after? How do you go from being "Lord of 10,000 Years" and "the Son of Heaven" into something "less"?

Although I hadn't seen the film before, I've been seeing its cover for decades. The sight of a 2 year old baby propped up in front of scores of servants in the middle of the Forbidden City always piqued my interest. I was under the impression that the film would dwell more in the absurdity of having a ruler who can't speak and still has to wear a diaper, so I was surprised when the film shifted from the baby to the boy, and became not so much about the system but more about the person.

Going back and forth from his middle age years as a political prisoner to his childhood in the Forbidden City, I thought the film did a great job of exploring the state of mind of Puyi. I thought it was so interesting to see a person that never had much say in his life in terms of what to say or what to do, try to figure his life out as he grows up. It has to be quite a shock being groomed and raised to be one thing and then have that thing taken from you, and leaving you essentially with no alternatives.

Guiding Puyi through a good chunk of his youth is Reginald Johnston (Peter O'Toole), a British tutor that tries to keep his Majesty's feet on the ground, at least a bit. The casting of O'Toole is an inspired one considering that he's famous for playing a character that also struggled with his life purpose and a God-like persona. O'Toole gives some subtle energy to the whole second act during which his character is present.

Lone, who plays the adult Puyi, gives a more subdued and restrained performance but one that is full of melancholy and pensiveness. Being based on Puyi's autobiography, the film does sugarcoat some of the darker aspects of Puyi's reign and there is a certain glamorization of the character. Still, I don't think it made the film any less interesting. For an almost 3-hour biopic about a Chinese ruler where there is little to no action, I found myself absorbed by the film most of the time.

Grade:

We tend to think that our family is the most important thing ever, and we strive to protect that. But how far will you go to protect your "loved ones" when they're not necessarily "loved"? That is the situation that the Davison family finds themselves as they have to navigate the threat of being attacked by a trio of masked killers inside their home with the personal issues and estrangement between them.

You're Next focuses mostly on Erin (Sharni Vinson), the new girlfriend of Crispian (A.J. Bowen), as they arrive at the family's vacation home to celebrate their parents anniversary. Along for the ride are Crispian's siblings: Drake (Joe Swanberg), Felix (Nicholas Tucci), and Aimee (Amy Seimetz), with their respective partners. But just as their personal differences start to boil, all hell breaks loose as the killers start their attack.

This is one of those little films that manages to surprise you. I know I had heard good things about it but I really didn't know much about it. I thought the script from Simon Barrett and the direction from Adam Wingard have a great balance of horror and thrills with a bit of dark humor peppered in. That balance is not something that every director can find, especially in a home invasion film that still manages to pack a decent dose of scares and violence.

I thought that the tension between the siblings felt real, and the script did a great job of walking around that in the first act, although I think they could've fleshed out one or two characters more to give the last act a bit more punch. I also thought that the design of the killers with their masks was clever, and the way they are introduced was effective. The film really doesn't waste a lot of time, and Wingard does a great job transmitting the dread and menace of their arrival.

I really enjoyed the mystery of what is really going on, and what are the background and motivations of everyone. However, once all of that is cleared towards the last act, I felt that the film got less interesting. Still, I really enjoyed what I got for the first two acts, and I still think the final act held its own. To be honest, I don't know what's scarier; a random attack or a targeted one, but even though I love my siblings, this film could've easy be targeted to me. Fun watch.

Grade:

Certainly that's what most people have in mind when the Holidays come, and certainly that's what Det. John McClane (Bruce Willis) expected when his wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) asked him to come to California. What they didn't expect was a group of "terrorists" taking over the office building where she works, leaving John alone to save the day. That is the basis for this iconic action film.

When Die Hard opened in 1988, Hollywood's action craze had reached a peak with bunches of films featuring indestructible superheroes played by bulked up actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. It had reached almost comical levels as these heroes threw dozens of bad guys across the screen with one hand while spewing one-liners and winking to the screen. But not John McClane (at least at this point in time).

What Die Hard brought to the game was a regular guy, vulnerable and flawed, faced with insurmountable odds just trying to live another day. Willis' McClane is not spectacularly strong, he's balding, and his marriage is falling apart. When you see him praying to God not to let him die, as he's preparing to jump from a 40-story building wrapped to a fire house, you believe he's a man afraid, with no more options at his hand.

On the other hand, we have Hans Gruber, masterfully played by Alan Rickman. A performance that you wouldn't guess was his film debut (he was already an accomplished theater actor, though). Just like Willis' McClane, Rickman defined a new type of antagonist. One that is not scenery-chewing and cartoonish, but more slick and smart. As much as you're rooting for McClane to make it, a little devil inside you is hoping for Hans to make it as well.

Pair that with a tight direction from John McTiernan, a straightforward script from Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, and some wonderful supporting performances from Bedelia, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Alexander Godunov, and Reginald VelJohnson as police officer Al Powell. If anything, Powell's backstory and final redemption are the only things that feel forced and tacked on, but it's not enough to put a dent on this.

So if for some miraculous reason, you haven't seen this; or if you're like me and you've seen it a thousand times, but still want to cheer up the season, then come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs... and we'll see Hans Gruber fall off the Nakatomi building.

Grade:

Here's my summary for DECEMBER 2023:

A film with a title that starts with the letters W, X, Y, or Z: You're Next
A western: Sabata
The last Best Picture winner I haven't seen: The Last Emperor
A Christmas/Holiday film: Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, Die Hard
A film from Michael Curtiz (born December 24): Mildred Pierce


Other films seen, not for the challenge

Film noir: Act of Violence, Thieves' Highway, The Asphalt Jungle, Gilda



Pretty solid month, especially with the film noirs I watched to complete the Hall of Fame. I think Gilda easily takes the spot of my favorite watch of the month, but The Asphalt Jungle and Mildred Pierce wouldn't be far behind. I was also pleasantly surprised by The Last Emperor. I thought it would be a snoozefest, but alas, it wasn't. I also had a lot of fun with You're Next and Sabata.

My least favorite was probably Thieves' Highway, which was still a pretty solid film noir. Just not up to par to everything else I saw.

The absolute correct rating, and also great review. At the movies you could feel the seismic shift in the way action had been changed by this one film - and no other ever did it better.

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Definitely! Even the Die Hard franchise forgot how to do it cause by the third or fourth one, McClane is pretty much an indestructible superhero himself.

I posted it on the other thread, but just to properly close this thread, here is the comprehensive list of everything I saw during the year: a total of 195 films; a smidge less than the 200 I saw in 2022. Anyway, here it is...























Rewatches are in blue, short films in red, rewatched short films in purple.

I had the pleasure of talking with Eduardo Sanchez, co-creator of The Blair Witch Project. We talked about his work and found footage films in general. This was supposed to come out back in November, but real life has really got in the way of the podcast. But, much like the footage of The Blair Witch Project was found a year later, hope you can find this "footage" and enjoy it.

The Movie Loot 96: The Found Footage Loot (with Eduardo Sanchez)

Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other streaming platforms.

Hope you like it!

For any listener, I just released what is supposed to be my final episode of 2023. Me and my friend Pete, one of the co-hosts of the Middle Class Film Class Podcast, talked about closing scenes, our favorites and the importance of a film sticking the landing. Check it out!

The Movie Loot 98: The Closing Loot (with Pete from Middle Class Film Class Podcast)

Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other streaming platforms.

Have fun with it!