JayDee's Movie Musings

I saw Glengarry Glen Ross a couple of years ago for the first time, JD. Thought it was MUCH better than I was expecting it to be. All I knew about the film was how Baldwin stole the show from the likes of Pacino, Lemmon and Harris. While I wouldn't go that far, it is a very memorable cameo. I agree that the film itself is great, completely dialogue driven, which is interesting since i'm more attracted to the tone and themes of a film than dialogue. Very true to it's theatre roots.

Haven't seen Coma, but it certainly sounds like its worth a watch.

Keep it up, matey.

Congrats on 50, JD. You clearly have so much more discipline than myself.

Even though I'm a big Wes Anderson fan I had never gotten around to watching this entry in his catalogue. Not entirely sure why, but with Moonrise Kingdom kicking about I thought it was about time.

Even I, despite being a huge Wes Anderson fan, can struggle at times with his films if I don't catch them in the right mood. Even films of his that I really like can not really do much for me if I just happen to catch them on a particular day. And I just wonder if this was one of those days for The Darjeeling Limited. It has just about everything you come to expect from Anderson – extreme quirkiness, oddball characters, a whimsical nature, dysfunctional family dynamic etc. And yet while it undoubtedly entertained at points it struggled to really pull me in. It just seemed to meander aimlessly for stretches, and while I wouldn't say it feels overlong it did feel like every one of its 90 or so minute running time.

Wilson, Brody and Schwartzmann all equip themselves well and seem comfortable in Wes' world, but the characters and their stories just didn't capture me the way the characters in his films usually do. Wilson in particular is very effective as the controlling, insecure eldest brother delivering both laughs and a touching poignancy. And the film does look great, lovely cinematography doing justice to the beautiful colour palette of oranges, greens, blues and golds that are employed and really create an atmosphere of India. Along with some terrifically vibrant and colourful locations, in aesthetic terms it is a very attractive film. The train itself is quite a characterful creation.

While I did like the film it just came up short in terms of how I usually feel about Anderson's work. It's certainly worthy of a repeat viewing and hopefully on that occasion it will appeal more to me.




Now I'll be the first to admit that I can hold great affection for films that push style over substance. And as a result I had high hopes for this but really struggled to greatly care about it. I struggled to follow the at times seemingly incomprehensible story of the film, a result of both the narrative itself and the use of chaotic, schizophrenic editing. The story just seemed way more convoluted than it needed to be, and at times gave the impression of just being made up on the fly.

I can't argue that at many times the film does look spectacular. Striking use of colour and some wonderfully lavish sets make it a treat to look at. It really does revel in its excess. And the music is fun as well. The score has some playful musical cues and I can't argue that it's theme tune is exceptionally catchy. I think all movie characters should have their own theme song! Oh and the does have a great big bar room brawl scene at its climax.

As a comic book piece of pop art I'd say it works, but for me it didn't really do so as a film. While I was enchanted at times, there was also a lot of occasions were I was just a bit annoyed by Tokyo Drifter's ways. I was going to score it lower but decided to air on the generous side. Like Darjeeling there was enough here to make me think I'll give it another shot one day, and again maybe I'll appreciate it more.

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There's quite a bit of quality in this one but it's about as far from 'fun viewing' as you're likely to get. And it's tough for me to envisage revisiting it all that often, though to be fair there was something compelling about it. It's rather bleak stuff as it presents a country in flux and at war with itself.

Peter Boyle takes on the role of the title character Joe; a working class stiff who likes to run his mouth, mostly on his contempt for blacks and hippies. That makes him the perfect man to appreciate the actions of advertising executive Bill Compton. After Compton's daughter suffers an overdose from a pill given to her by her drug dealer boyfriend, Compton seeks him out. Their confrontation turns violent and her boyfriend ends up dead. When Joe learns about his actions he doesn't choose to turn Bill in to the authorities or even attempt to blackmail him, instead he befriends him.

I've always like the work of Peter Boyle and here he is incredible as the eponymous Joe, a raw powerhouse showing. As well as disgusting us with his hate-filled rants which are cringing to watch Boyle is also able to find a kind of humour in Joe's sheer ignorance. Despite his despicable views however, Boyle's performance means that he doesn't come across as a pure out and out villain, but as a real human being, however flawed he may be. And as result it makes the character and his views all that more disturbing. Oh and despite not having a great deal to do and it being her very first screen role Susan Sarandon already exudes a touch of star quality as Compton's doe-eyed daughter.

For me the film's most interesting element was the strange, class-spanning friendship between Joe and Bill Compton (a solid Dennis Patrick). After Compton tells Joe about the murder he committed you assume that Joe is going to blackmail him, but our expectations are subverted. Instead Joe's troubled mind sees Compton as some heroic figure; he has pulled off what Joe has only been dreaming and ranting about. Despite their great class difference a friendship develops based on their shared hatred of the current culture and society, though we're never sure just how strongly Compton's feelings actually are, and how much he is just going along with Joe to keep on his side. The scene were Compton and his wife visit the modest home of Joe and his wife is very enjoyable in an uncomfortable, cringeworthy, Curb Your Enthusiasm kind of style.

It's really quite a dated film in that it's a film very much of its time, back when the view of the hippie movement had begun to darken. However as a story of hatred encompassing elements such as drugs, racism, murder, class system etc then in a way it will most likely always feel current at the same time. It's a real portrait of hatred and the crushing effect it can have on your life if you allow it to overcome you. Along with relying on clichés a touch too often, it's not particularly subtle, very much in your face. And at times it looks and feels rather cheap and rough around the edges, and yet at the same time comes across as well constructed. It also has an incredibly powerful and tragic finale, which when you've seen it are unlikely to forget it anytime soon. It may seem a little silly but there's no denying the visceral impact it has.

It's a snapshot of post-60s America and acts as a social commentary, verging on satire at times, on a number of aspects such as the clash between generations, culture and class systems; as well as giving a different view of the hippie era than we are used to getting. It presents a really negative aspect of the hippie movement, many of the characters being portrayed as nymphomaniacs, drug dealers and scam artists who take advantage of fellow hippies, as opposed to this loving community we often see. Though the party/orgy they go to seems tremendously stereotypical, seeming like it would be more comfortable in a straightforward exploitation flick, and created some unintentional laughs on my part.

Conclusion – Quite a raw, but undoubtedly powerful film which deserves to be seen for Boyle's incredible performance alone. The biggest surprise for me was learning the director was John G. Avildsen, a man I knew as the director of Rocky and The Karate Kid. This is certainly very different fare from those rousing, feel-good tales of underdogs.

Same boat for me with Glengarry. Didn't massively fancy it but went for it based on all the great reviews and my growing adoration for Jack Lemmon

Yeah Coma is a fun film. Maybe not worth putting a great deal of effort into tracking down but if you get the chance.

Thanks.


Thanks Skepsis. To be fair it's still quite a recent thing for me. Looked back and I only posted 11 reviews in the first 10/11 months of the thread. So from March 11th I've now posted 40 of my extended reviews plus that Darjeeling/Tokyo Drifter combo. 40 in three months is pretty damn good going I think. And I've got another just about finished which should be up sometime tomorrow

Any plans to return to your reviews thread by the way?

JD, do us a favour and review Walter Hills The Driver if you've seen it? Or have you done a review for it already somewhere?

Jay, I found another quirky Korean movie that you would like- Attack The Gas Station. You did a great job at reviewing Save The Green Planet! Your review made me appreciate the movie so much more I kinda regret not including it in my top 101. A big thumbs up to you!

And what makes you think I take requests?!!! Anyway no I haven't seen it, and don't currently have access to it. Am aware of it though after it was mentioned numerous times in Drive reviews and after loving Hill's The Warriors (also enoyed 48 Hrs and Streets of Fire) so will most likely try and track it down at some point.

Thanks for the rec Tyler. The title is familiar but not seen it. And thank you very much, very kind of you. That bit about making you appreciate the film even more is about as big a compliment as you could give really.

Are you talking about your old 101 list? Or have you decided it's not made the cut for your new list you've not posted yet?

Plot – Politican Walter Chambers (Vaughn) assigns Detective Lieutenant Frank Bullitt (McQueen) and his team to protect Johnny Ross, an informant against The Organisation. When Ross is the subject of a professional hit that leaves him clinging to life, Chambers threatens to destroy Bullitt's career. When the hitman attempts to kill Ross at the hospital Bullitt chases him off, and vows to catch him and whoever hired him. Though not all is as it seems



Coming into this the one thing that I really knew about and associated with this film was its cars and the chase that they take part in. And it certainly lives up to its billing as one of the great screen chases of all time. With slick, energetic editing and the use of POV shots it really puts you right in the middle of it all, and its an exhilarating burst of action as we see the cars, dripping with menace and cool, barrel up and down those famous hills. It's one of the few occasions were we really feel the extreme speed and danger of a car chase. It feels spectacularly real as opposed to the often constructed and choreographed feel that plagues many a chase scene. It really is a spectacular 10 or so minutes as the cars slam into each other and surrounding objects, bounce up and over the hills and survive a series of near-misses that really put you on the edge of your seat. And as I said the cars themselves just have so much character.



As far as many cop films go, in comparison Bullitt actually delivers quite a complicated, intricate plot but always keeps control of it, making it easy for the viewer to follow. The script also features some strong, realistic dialogue. And the action is captured by some taut direction from Peter Yates. While it pales in the shadow of the earlier car chase the conclusion of the film on a runway and then inside the airport is a bit different from the norm and succeeds in being a tense closer for the film.

As for flaws it feels a little bit more slow moving than it needs to be at times, spending time on Bullitt's personal life when it feels the investigation should be taking precedent. Though perhaps that's just as a result of me being raised on more pulse-pounding, small minded action flicks. And outside of McQueen and Vaughn most of the supporting cast don't offer much. Jacqueline Bisset in particular offers absolutely nothing other than to annoy us with a cringingly clichéd speech to McQueen at one point about the effects his job is having on him.

Conclusion – Despite being a touch slow moving at times (do we really need to see Bullitt buying groceries or his personal moments with Bisset?) McQueen and the car chase alone make it a good watch, even if the rest of the film never really lives up to said car chase.

Forgot to ask, why exactly would you like a review of that movie in particular?

Bullitt is a classic. Desvering of higher rating imo.

Heh, this is like the most alive blog on MoFo right, if i'm gonna ask anybody, it may as well be the Heathers man, init?

Would like your opinion the film.

Sorry Gandalf, can't please everyone. It was floating between a 4- and a 4+ for a while.


Nice move buttering me up! I'm honoured you consider this the most alive blog on here. Although when did I become the Heathers man?

Yeah well I guessed that but why Driver exactly? Is it one of your favourites? Do you think I will like it going by my other reviews? Do you fancy it but just want to see what I think to gauge whether you might like it or not?

Plot – Akira Kurosawa delivers his telling of MacBeth, reimagined in feudal Japan. After proving victorious in battle, Lords Washizu (Mifune) and Miki (Chiaki) become lost in Cobweb Castle. Eventually they come across an evil spirit who predicts great things for Washizu and great things for Miki's son. Washizu, with encouragement from his wife (Yamada), sets out to make the spirit's prophecy come true, no matter who he has to betray and kill along the way.

The first thing I feel I have to comment on is just how damn atmospheric the film is. From the opening seconds when we are presented with a rugged landscape shrouded in a thick fog a brooding, foreboding tone abounds. Throughout the film the weather reflects the tone and mood of the film as driving rain and swirling wind join the almost eternal fog, while birds flee from the forest and horses gallop wildly. And it's not just the sights either, but sound that creates the tone as screeching animals seem to surround the castle. And then of course there is the supernatural element of the evil spirit who visits Washizu and Miki in Cobweb Forest. It's terrifically conceived and very effective. Had it been in colour I think it's impact would have been lessened, perhaps even coming across as silly. The striking, high contrast black and white however helps to create the eerie, spooky tone of it all as we meet the spirit, bathed in light with a mist swirling about it.

I feel I need to ask a question at this point. How awesome is Toshiro Mifune? Now looking at imdb I see he has apparently starred in an astonishing 182 films. I've only seen 5 or 6 of those, but that's enough to make me confident of my answer – very. As in very awesome! He just has such an incredible screen presence, it's impossible to take your eyes off him when he's on screen. His wild eyes and sheer intensity that he shows here are just insanely gripping, like a wild animal. His megalomaniacal samurai is a thrilling creation; a loyal and valiant warrior who is corrupted by ambition which sees him reach great heights, before his guilt and paranoia of others bring about his crushing downfall. A perfect embodiment of the sentiment “If you live by the sword, you die by the sword.”

All of that said however he almost has the film stolen from him by Isuzu Yamada's showing as Asaji (Washizu's wife), a terrifically intriguing character. She is dangerously ambitious, conniving and supremely manipulative. The engrossing performance from Yamada just helps to round it off. The way she plans and helps to carry out such dastardly acts in such a creepy, emotionless state is quite disturbing. I think one of the reasons I found her to be such a fascinating character was down to seeing her in this setting. Usually in Japanese society, at least films that depict the times presented here, the female characters appeared very weak and subservant. So to see such a powerful, robust performance was quite startling. As with Rashomon the acting style is quite high on energy and heavily stylised. With sparse dialogue much of their acting is achieved through body language, large gestures and facial expressions. It's all done so well that for fair chunks of the film even without subtitles on you could still have an idea of what is going on..

The sheer grand scale of the film is incredible. It really is a stunning spectacle, and when you take into account it's 55 years old then it makes it even more impressive – a truly amazing accomplishment. Particularly impressive is Cobweb Castle. Kurosawa insisted on building the entire structure of the castle up on Mount Fuji, and it pays off big time. It just adds so much to the film. With some beautiful cinematography it is visually astonishing

The film's finale is fantastic, visually thrilling stuff. The jaw-dropping sight of the forest actually moving as was prophesied is outrageously wonderful, and then you have Washizu's tragic end. With a seemingly endless array of arrows raining down on him he ends up resembling something of a human porcupine. It's a terrifically grand swan song; very operatic and stunningly vivid. And again Mifune is incredible here as he prowls from side to side above his own army that are shooting at him, roaring in pain and fury, though I'm not sure how much credit he deserves for this particular segment of his performance. The reason? That I just discovered they were using real arrows! Probably not a lot of acting has to go on to capture fear and terror when that's happening.

As always Kurosawa's direction is excellent; almost peerless. Even with a number of silent stretches in the film (a few minutes with no dialogue here and there as we watch riders on horses or the returning of the Master's body to his castle) Kurosawa still keeps everything moving along at a brisk pace, especially when you look at all of the large elements it is tackling – loyalty, betrayal, murder, war etc. To achieve it all in just a little over 100 minutes is impressive. Though it does feel a little different to the other work of his I've seen. It's feels a bit more cold and detached, lacking in some of the fierce passion usually found. The scenes indoors especially have quite a stagy and claustrophobic feel to them, set in rather sparse interiors. Though he still finds the opportunity to deliver moments that are more dynamic. Particularly when it comes to Washizu and Miki getting lost in the forest. His camera movements because fast paced and sweeping, creating a frantic feeling that leaves us the audience feeling just as lost and disorientated as his characters.

What's really quite interesting is the question of how self-fulfilling the prophecy actually is. Do things pan out the way they do just because it's the natural progression, or do they happen because of actions of the characters which are brought about by hearing the prophecy? Without hearing the prophecy how different, if at all, would the story have turned out?

Conclusion – Another terrific work from Kurosawa. A film that combines both beauty and darkness to create something special, a film of haunting power. The performances from Mifune and Yamada are just the icing on the cake.

Figured your screeny was a direct reference to the film

I've actually never seen The Driver, mate. I've been meaning to ever since Refn's Drive came out (it's not a remake, but there similarities). I just wanted to get a fresh perspective on the film before I saw it myself is all.

Not overly fond of Bullitt, but it certainly has a fascinating place in Hollywood history. It virtually invents the modern police drama - before Bullitt most crime dramas focused on private detectives or lone individuals and the police (if they featured at all) were either incompetent or corrupt.

It's an interesting question as to why the cop drama suddenly became popular at a time when attitudes towards the police, and authority figures in general, were often very negative (this was 1968, after all). Personally, I think it's no coincidence that it rose up just as the western, as a mainstream movie genre, was running out of steam. The cop is a modern version of the western sheriff, but - unlike the sheriff - he is part of a bureaucracy that gives him almost as much trouble as the criminals he's chasing.

Well, that's my theory, anyway.

It's also about the time that the western was becoming popular as a revisionist genre. Peckinpah actually started that in America before Leone got popular, but they obviously kick-started that form of western which was still popular with Butch Cassidy and Little Big Man. Don Siegel got involved and then Altman did McCabe and Mrs. Miller and started revisionizing every genre. Eastwood is a good crossover between the cop film/western, so I like your theory just fine, even if you need to detail it further. Maybe you should start a thread about it. Does the "Summer of Love" ('67) factor in your theory?

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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Hmm. I shall give it more thought and report back (though, as you say, a new thread is probably needed).

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I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this any more!

I should hope so! How dare you two take the shine of my Throne of Blood review by introducing intelligent discussion to the thread!

Anyway welcome to the thread Stanton and welcome back Mark, seems like it's been a while.

No it's not actually.

Oh I see. So you just want me to be the guinea pig for The Driver? See whether it's worthy of you! What did you think of Drive by the way?