34th Hall of Fame

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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I recently watched another film where someone referred to as a "saint" did some pretty heinous stuff. I'm starting to think that my definition of "a saint" and the Italian film industry's definition of "a saint" are very much not the same.
I've had that internal monologue myself.
__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio



Before man was, war waited for him.
Rocco and His Brothers

I'm torn on this one. On one hand, it's obvious to me that it's a very well made film. It looks great, the acting is all very good. Alain Delon is an icon. I think I am confused about the point of the film though, as I don't fully understand Rocco's commitment to his brother, I also didn't understand the leap his brother made to do what he did in the field. It was a pretty shocking scene that caused me to struggle with the rest of the movie. The act itself wasn't what shocked me, but how abrupt it felt and how whipped Rocco was to his brother after that despite hating him. I do think the ending is great and would have worked better if I could understand how we got there a little better. Watching Leila and Rocco back to back like that took a lot out of me, as both movies stressed me out and had long run times. I got some catching up to do.



I also didn't understand the leap his brother made to do what he did in the field.
While I am also somewhat baffled by Rocco's dedication to his deadbeat brother, what happens in the field does make sense to me.

WARNING: spoilers below
Simone has just been humiliated in a boxing match and berated by his coach. On the same night, he finds out that Nadia and Rocco are a couple. The combination upsets him, and he goes out looking to make trouble. Conveniently, assaulting Nadia is a punishment for both her and Rocco, and sexually assaulting a woman who has done sex work is (also conveniently) a violent crime that no one would report or, if it was reported, take seriously. Because Simone, at the core, is a loser. He has to bring a whole gang to overpower Nadia and Rocco.

And if you're talking about the murder, notice that it likewise follows men in power rejecting Simone, and even more specifically, Rocco "taking" something that "belongs" to Simone (boxing stardom).

Some people are just like that: they take out their grievances on people who have less power than them.





Inside Moves, 1980

Roary (John Savage) is left with permanent injuries after attempting to take his own life. Once released from the hospital, he finds his way to a local bar where he connects with a group of men who all have their own different degrees of disability. In particular, Roary befriends Jerry (David Morse), a man whose leg injury scuttled his basketball potential. Roary also begins a tentative will-they-won’t-they with waitress Louise (Diana Scarwid).

A subtle character drama goes slightly askew with a larger-than-life subplot.

For me, this was a tale of two different movies.

First, let’s talk about the movie here that I liked. Partway through the film, Roary finally finds the courage to talk to his new friend group about how he was injured and his attempted suicide. As he describes the events, he admits that there wasn’t something in particular that led him to that moment. We can see in his inability to articulate what drove him to such a desperate act, and in Savage’s withdrawn performance, that Roary is a person who has not had enough meaningful connection in his life.

What this film shows us in Roary’s story is the importance of community and connection. Roary becomes a part of a group, and this gives him the courage to take the big step of beginning to manage the bar. I really appreciated that Roary does not transform into a social butterfly. In fact, we still see him frequently off to the side, on his own, not part of a rollicking good time. But you can see that he is happier. With children, this is called parallel play. It’s where you are happy doing something, even if you aren’t engaged directly with others. Roary has found a sense of belonging, and I really liked how Savage showed this change in the character as the film went on.

I also appreciated the film’s acknowledgement that dating with any kind of exceptional circumstance can be very challenging. Both Roary and Louise are inexperienced with a romantic/sexual relationship that involves someone with a physical disability. Neither knows what to expect, Louise is obviously worried about doing something wrong, and Roary is obviously worried that he won’t be “good enough.” Roary chooses to friend-zone Louise for a significant portion of the film, preferring to totally avoid the risk of being hurt.

And while she does come off at times a little bit like a Mary Sue, I liked Scarwid as Louise quite a lot. She’s just an all-around nice person. I think that in some ways, it’s important for her to be such a straight-ahead person, because it shows us just how much the threat of rejection and shame is in Roary’s head.

But the movie-in-the-movie here that didn’t really click for me was Jerry’s whole subplot, which feels like some strange wish fulfillment fantasy. Jerry goes to a Golden State Warriors game where he heckles one of the players, Alvin (Harold Sylvester). He then follows that player down the tunnel after the game, challenges the player to a one-on-one game, and almost wins. For me, this just felt disconnected from reality. Morse’s performance is fine, but the storyline is just too outlandish (and only more so as the film goes on).

I was also very torn on the portrayal of Anne/Mouse (Amy Wright), Jerry’s on-again/off-again girlfriend who is addicted to drugs and engages in sex work to support her habit. Drug addiction is a disability, and yet Anne is afforded very little sympathy in the film. She’s presented mainly as an obstacle that stands in the way of Jerry’s happiness and success.

Finally, for a hang out movie, I didn’t love the group of guys at the bar. A guy named Stinky who enjoys porn about having sex with a woman who you babysat when she was a child is not my idea of a fun person. I think that the actors have fine chemistry with each other, and get the job done of drawing Roary into a sense of belonging, but I wasn’t pining for more time with them. Their best moment is when they all go road tripping to try and find Alvin’s house.

I wish this one had confined itself more to a character study of Roary and him finding that sense of community.




I was also very torn on the portrayal of Anne/Mouse (Amy Wright), Jerry’s on-again/off-again girlfriend who is addicted to drugs and engages in sex work to support her habit. Drug addiction is a disability, and yet Anne is afforded very little sympathy in the film. She’s presented mainly as an obstacle that stands in the way of Jerry’s happiness and success.
I agree wholeheartedly, except unfortunately it's consistent with real life for the most part.

Finally, for a hang out movie, I didn’t love the group of guys at the bar. A guy named Stinky who enjoys porn about having sex with a woman who you babysat when she was a child is not my idea of a fun person.
This was certainly a misstep. The fantasy for a guy is normally to be with their babysitter.



Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain
At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)
Director: Héctor Babenco
Key Cast: Tom Berenger, John Lithgow, Aidan Quinn, Daryl Hannah, Kathy Bates, Tom Waits






Two small planes arrive at the remote Brazilian village of Mãe de Deus (Portuguese for Mother of God), far up the Amazon. The first is piloted by Lewis Moon (Tom Berenger), with comrade Wolf (Tom Waits) along for the ride. They’ve run out of gas, and the local police captain, asserting he has no way to tell if they are tourists or criminals, confiscates their passports, effectively holding them captive.

The second is shepherding a family of protestant missionaries to their new assignment. Martin Quarrier (Aidan Quinn) is full of zeal for this adventure, his wife Hazel (Kathy Bates) is belligerent and condescending toward those she considers savages, and their young son is full of curiosity. They’re met by Leslie Huben (John Lithgow) and his wife Andy (Daryl Hannah), who oversee the conversion of local tribes. It will be the Quarrier family’s mission to bring Jesus to a seemingly hostile, isolated tribe known as the Niaruna.

And there you already know it. This will end in tragedy. From the outset we’re asking: Have we learned nothing?

The police captain wants the Niaruna cleared out, somewhat for their own good since he knows the encroaching miners and settlers will eventually push them out at gunpoint, and somewhat for his own benefit to avoid that trouble. He offers Moon and Wolf a deal: he’ll return their papers and provide a tank of gas if they toss a few bombs out over the Niaruna village to “scare them away.” If some die, well, it can’t be helped. Surprisingly, Moon, who is part Cheyenne, reluctantly agrees. But on his pass over the Niaruna village Moon spots a young native shooting an arrow at the plane. Something clicks. He calls off the bombing run and returns to the town.

That evening, a barroom encounter between Moon and Martin Quarrier frames the major themes that director Héctor Babenco begins to explore. Quarrier shares his delight at learning the word for Great Spirit in the Sioux language is very similar to the Niaruna’s word for Great Spirit. Moon explodes in anger. There were greater similarities between his people and the Crow and Shoshone, he retorts, and yet they killed the Crow and Shoshone every chance they got. And the Crow and Shoshone killed his people too. Because, he says, they were too stupid to recognize their real enemy.

Moon pegs Quarrier for being both a true believer and an admirer of Indian culture. And Quarrier agrees. Then why do you want to change them, he asks. The Lord made Indians the way they are. Who are you to make them different? Quarrier has no answer. And by the time we get through this epic-length tale, there will still be no answers. Well, maybe one.

Later that evening, Moon chugs down a potent local hallucinogen and, in a state of delirium, flies off. Huben reaches Moon by radio, asking him what he’s doing. “I’m at play in the fields of the Lord,” he answers. The missionaries think he’s perished when the plane goes down. But he’s parachuted to safety. The Niaruna see him descending. Moon sheds his clothes and joins the Niaruna.

Meanwhile, the missionaries set out by boat to reinhabit the Catholic mission where, earlier, a priest and two nuns were murdered by the Niaruna. This takes you a third of a way into the narrative, where Babenco begins to taunt you with possibilities and then snatches them away. Moon’s early encounters with the Niaruna are filled with hopeful signs, as the men alternately challenge and accept him, the women giggle and stare, intrigued, and the children play happily with him. The missionaries encounter a deserted and nearly destroyed compound, but some of the previously converted natives return. They rebuild.

But as events unfold, as the interactions between two wholly divergent cultures undergo the expected misunderstandings and fallings-out, as disease besets them both, the tragedies mount.

Best Actor Oscar nods for 1991 films went to Anthony Hopkins (you know, Hannibal), Warren Beatty, Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, and Robin Williams. So one can understand how Tom Berenger failed to find a spot in this crowd. But he certainly gave one of the most demanding, physically challenging, and downright brave performances of the year. Naked or barely clad (pun intended) through the vast majority of his on-screen presence, he seems completely at ease surrounded by the tribesmen. Through the joys, the arguments, the disappointments, the dangers, he maintains an even countenance, neither over or under acting his part as the man who straddles two worlds. Rarely betraying what's really on his mind.

In fact the entire ensemble acquitted themselves well. Lithgow perfectly personifies the officious and shallow head missionary, referring to the Catholics as rivals out to “steal” converts away from him, passing off moral offenses as God’s will. Quinn plays the naïve true believer with believable zeal, trying to be brave but coming off as mostly ineffectual. Kathy Bates personifies the distraught mother, throwing herself into a chilling psychotic episode. One could wish Daryl Hannah had more to do, but it was her role to drift in and out of the action, the sounding board for a range of themes.

Also notable? The natives were played by local tribespeople, who perform as convincingly as any professional actor, and in their rituals they are particularly fascinating to watch.

Filmed entirely in the Amazon, with meticulous attention to authenticity, the film has a visceral feel: the oppressive heat, relentless rain. The soundtrack perfectly reflects the beauty of the forest, almost as if echoing through the leaves. Setting to right tone, first ethereal, then foreboding.

And yet, as another 1991 film – the far superior “Black Robe” – demonstrates, a tighter narrative would have made a more convincing point. Chief among the weaknesses are the jarring transitions. For example, Moon joins the Niaruna tribe, knowing nothing of the language, and seemingly in a short time speaks fluently. Only later do we get some idea of the time gap when he explains to Quarrier that a native woman is his wife and her swaddling son is probably his.

Babenco also seems to think that lavishing long takes on scenery can evoke a sense of wonder. The missionary’s first trip up river is needlessly languid (maybe he wants to make it seem like a Conradian journey into the heart of darkness), but the same trip seems to happen later in a flash. Or Moon’s first flight to the Niaruna village, overly long, perhaps to instill awe, ala a similar scene from “Out of Africa.” And, aiming to portray the madness of the missionary’s goals, he beats us over the head with it. Multiple characters throughout essentially mutter the same thing, that the native people would have been better off had they been left alone. But a single, well timed and incisive statement might have had more impact. Then there’s the dying child wondering why God created mosquitoes: a touching moment one cannot fault, but whose manipulative staging is completely out of place in a clear-eyed film that works so hard, and effectively, to eschew sentimentality.

Both innocents and sinners die. Both sinners and innocents survive. Each character represents a different commentary on roles involved in this tragedy. Huben represents the persistence of the church, presenting a final report that is broadly factual but morally lacking. His wife is the observer, who takes it in, obviously disheartened, but merely turns and walks away. Martin Quarrier is the hapless true believer, who succeeds at absolutely nothing. His wife Hazel, who wanted nothing to do with the adventure, leaves damaged beyond repair. Moon, what to make of his final closeup?

“At Play in the Fields of the Lord” asks once again: have we learned nothing? And answers with a resounding No.


WARNING: spoilers below

“At Play in the Fields of the Lord” invites us to think deeply about its themes, which is both its great strength and its great weakness. Its strength, because it is laden with ideas. Its weakness, because it is heaped so deeply with stereotypical criticism of Christian missionaries that I wonder if in fact Babenco has buried his much broader and more biting critique.

The title “At Play in the Fields of the Lord” is a loose reference to Jesus’s Parable of the Weeds. An enemy sows weeds in a wheat field. When they sprout, a servant asks if he should pull the weeds. No, the owner says. You may also uproot the wheat. Wait for the harvest, and separate them then.

But the parable speaks of laboring in the fields of the Lord. Not playing. When Moon coins the phrase, this crucial turn of phrase comes back later to hammer home a final, and perhaps controversial, point.

Consider the final, gut-wrenching events at the Niaruna village. Moon has taken medicine there but it is too late, and he can’t even stop the Niaruna from using it incorrectly. Martin Quarrier turns up, determined to warn the Niaruna to escape the impending assault by mercenaries, only to see they are so far gone they can’t be helped. Moon and Quarrier represent two extremes in the type of aid offered to the natives, yet neither has done anything that can inevitably save them.

They watch a tribesman, who will be the next chief, under the influence of a hallucinogen. He is dancing among his people, stroking their bodies, as if to wipe away the disease. It evokes images of born-again faith healers. The man in his frenzy might be acting out of true conviction, but so might a preacher. In either case, we know it is fruitless.

The final reveal shatters any shred of purpose Quarrier might have held on to. Moon confesses that the villagers didn’t embrace him as a benevolent god. They feared him. Because he descended from the sky they took him to be a messenger from Kisu, an evil spirit, bringer of bad luck. Quarrier turns over the words on his tongue: Kisu, Jesus. Quarrier realizes when he was teaching them about his benevolent Jesus they took it to mean their evil Kisu.

Quarrier: “So I taught them that Jesus was their evil spirit?”

Moon: “Ah, Jesus, Kisu, What’s the difference? It’s all hocus-pocus, isn’t it Martin?”

Undoubtedly the Catholic and Protestant missionaries are the instigators of this particular tragedy. We want to believe it’s that simple. But tragedy brought on by the inexorable march of “progress” was coming no matter what. Moon, the man who straddles both words, essentially pronounces: a pox on them all. Any belief in a benevolent god, or a great spirit … it’s all just human folly.

With “At Play in the Fields of the Lord,” you may be tempted to judge the film by your own beliefs, or prejudices, or superstitions, rather than by how effectively Babenco is making his own, much broader statement. He gives you plenty of wheat to chew on. But he might have given you more intellectual nourishment with much less chaff.

(And I'm cognizant of falling into the same trap with this overly long review! Mea Culpa.]

__________________
Scarecrow: I haven't got a brain ... only straw. Dorothy: How can you talk if you haven't got a brain? Scarecrow: I don't know. But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they? Dorothy: Yes, I guess you're right.



lBut the movie-in-the-movie here that didn’t really click for me was Jerry’s whole subplot, which feels like some strange wish fulfillment fantasy. Jerry goes to a Golden State Warriors game where he heckles one of the players, Alvin (Harold Sylvester). He then follows that player down the tunnel after the game, challenges the player to a one-on-one game, and almost wins. For me, this just felt disconnected from reality. Morse’s performance is fine, but the storyline is just too outlandish (and only more so as the film goes on).

I was also very torn on the portrayal of Anne/Mouse (Amy Wright), Jerry’s on-again/off-again girlfriend who is addicted to drugs and engages in sex work to support her habit. Drug addiction is a disability, and yet Anne is afforded very little sympathy in the film. She’s presented mainly as an obstacle that stands in the way of Jerry’s happiness and success.

Finally, for a hang out movie, I didn’t love the group of guys at the bar. A guy named Stinky who enjoys porn about having sex with a woman who you babysat when she was a child is not my idea of a fun person. I think that the actors have fine chemistry with each other, and get the job done of drawing Roary into a sense of belonging, but I wasn’t pining for more time with them. Their best moment is when they all go road tripping to try and find Alvin’s house.
It is pretty fantastical when you think about it. I'll give the movie credit for making him play for the Warriors, which was a lovable loser team at the time, instead of the Lakers, for instance. It was also a nice touch to show that he played in the D-leagues for a while. Was it a worthy reward for having him accept his old friends' support? Sure, but it does take away from the movie's grounded vibe a bit. Would ending the movie with a D-league game, perhaps with Alvin as well as his friends in the audience have been better and more appropriate? Perhaps.



It is pretty fantastical when you think about it. I'll give the movie credit for making him play for the Warriors, which was a lovable loser team at the time, instead of the Lakers, for instance. It was also a nice touch to show that he played in the D-leagues for a while. Was it a worthy reward for having him accept his old friends' support? Sure, but it does take away from the movie's grounded vibe a bit. Would ending the movie with a D-league game, perhaps with Alvin as well as his friends in the audience have been better and more appropriate? Perhaps.
The very end, for me, was just too outlandish.

He
WARNING: spoilers below
gets to play in a NBA game, and coincidentally gets to see the guy who beat him up---in a totally unrelated subplot!--totally humiliated.



Trouble with a capitial 'T'
The Movie for Week 8 is:

The Good the Bad the Weird (2008)
Director: Kim Jee-woon

Due date to watch/review: March 3rd

@MovieGal @jiraffejustin @John W Constantine @PHOENIX74
@rauldc14 @edarsenal @Torgo @Takoma11 @ueno_station54 @stillmellow @cricket @TheManBehindTheCurtain

Don't fall too far behind because this HoF does not have a set date as to when it ends. It ends on a sliding bell curve...When all the noms have been posted from the members who are currently up to date with their reviews, I will at that point call for ballots, tally the results and reveal the winner.

We have 13 active members which equals about 1/4 of a year! That's plenty of time for a movie fan to watch the noms, so I won't be holding the door for stragglers for very long after the last movie is posted for the weekly watching.

*Keep an eye on the 1st post, that's were the review links and info are.



I'm glad there's a couple of comedies to break up those long serious dramas
This is a long movie too?..

I'm glad my nom isn't long..



It's only 2 hours so not long. It's on Youtube.
I found it on another streaming platform. Roku.



Trouble with a capitial 'T'
I was able to rewatch via Kanopy, no ads. Of course, depends on your local library system, but that's always where I check first.
Kanopy is good and I use to have it by using a reciprocal library card to another library system that did have Kanopy, but during Covid they shut down that service which makes no sense as it was digital. It wasn't like I was walking into the library.



Trouble with a capitial 'T'
What happened to I Wear Pants?
MIA...so unless he pops in before the Hof ends and watches and reviews all the noms then his nom is out. I'm not holding my breath. But that's what I like about this method of 1 movie per week, so far no one has watched his nom so if he's dropped out and it's not a big issue.





The Good, The Bad and The Weird
(2008)

This was a bit weird but in a good way. Not like the weird things I watch.

A Korean Western with a lot of action. Guns, knives and blood, nothing wrong with that. And everybody wanting the treasure map. A normal western? Not really the type of Westerns I watch. I like arthouse westerns or westerns with horror elements.

I like the action and the shoot outs. It would be nice to bring martial arts into the mix.

At first, when I saw the movie poster, it reminded me of a British-Japanese actor Andrew Koji, who started in a tv series called Warriors. It was set in the Old West. Guns, gangs, wealth, martial arts.

I did enjoy and would probably revisit at some point.

Oh by the way, westerns I'm referring to are The Keeping Room, The Dead Don't Hurt and The Wind. If you get a chance check them out.