McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)

Director: Robert Altman

If this film is a deconstruction of the western genre, then this might be the best genre deconstruction ever committed to film. It subverts many traditional notions of the genre, but more impressively, it's a film that feels like a unique and great film on its own, irrespective of the statements it might be making on the western genre. It definitely subverts the myths of the western on purpose, most significantly with the lead character McCabe who initially comes into this Pacific Northwest town looking like a legendary gunslinger, but is slowly unwrapped and revealed as a man who is less a mythical figure than just a real human being. In keeping with the subversion of gender tropes in the western genre, Mrs. Miller, the madame of a group of prostitutes, comes across as quite business savvy, much more so than McCabe who seems to be taking advice from her on how to run his brothel. In this film it is the woman who influences the man.

Altman also uses the rain, the gray skies, green trees, and the fog of the Pacific Northwest setting as a way to make the film feel a bit off. It creates a naturalistic atmosphere for the film while also giving us something much more unique than the typical blue skies and endless barren flat landscapes of most westerns. That natural, and even ethereal, tone of the film is one of the most impressive elements of the film. Altman lets his setting breath, his actors emote naturally, and films everything with an unobtrusive eye. On top of that is the amazing acoustic soundtrack by Leonard Cohen. The importance that soundtrack has to the melancholic feel of the characters cannot be understated. McCabe's melancholic feelings are what truly make the movie for me. His character is such a thoughtful and subtle attack on our concept of masculinity, and his private soliloquy's to himself, especially regarding his feelings towards Mrs. Miller, provide some of the greatest moments of the film. The film does so much (there's even vilification of the no holds-barred free enterprise system) while feeling completely natural. McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a naturalist film all the way, and that's why it's amazing it does so much while doing so little.

Grade: A

All the Presidents Men (1976)

Director: Alan J. Pakula

 This is known as a film about the Watergate scandal, but it's not really a movie about that scandal or President Nixon. It's not a movie about politics either. It's actually a movie about journalism. The film is much more procedural than I thought it would be, and that is because it shows even the smallest of things that could affect a reporters investigation. It's a very realistic take on investigative journalism and how detail-oriented it can be. I certainly respect the film for not glamorizing the process. There are cinematic touches here and there, including a great shot of the Library of Congress, but the film makes sure to always include moments what would usually be seen as "boring" if not for the high-stakes nature of the investigation.

Pakula's greatest achievement as director in this film was creating tension in completely mundane situations. Though I admit he had some help because the audience knows the results of the investigation and the consequences of it on the presidency, so there is tension already because of that. But even with Pakula's direction not all of the movie cinematic gold, there are some sequences that could have been straight out of Law and Order due to how procedural and standard they were. I still consider the film an impressive accomplishment though because it shines a light on the process of journalism and how game-changing things like calling numbers out of a phone book can be.

Grade: B+

Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976)

Director: Barbara Kopple

 This is a classic documentary about organizing coal miners that so simply and effectively takes on the cause of the working class against the corporations. The union is the one institution that has the potential to actually fight corporations and win, and this great movie displays how hard the corporations will push back against organizing workers. The movie displays the tactics that the corporation will use in order to put down the unions and to please their shareholders, it reminds me of governments who will do anything to put down uprisings, including using violence.

The film is best at showing the difficulties in the lives of these coal miners and the sacrifices and effort they must go through to get what they need for themselves, which is respect and fairness. Launching a movement against such a powerful company can be very difficult, and more often than not immense sacrifices must be made to get that, sometimes they even include death. We really end up getting to know some of the miners most involved in the situation, and I really enjoyed the very personal songs the film would play that were written and sung by coal miners and their wives. Barbara Kopple took some great risks in making this film, including risks to her physical self, and it really pays off because this is one important documentary.

Grade: A

Jacob, the Liar (1975)

Director: Frank Beyer

 This is a surprisingly smart film about the living conditions in Jewish ghettos during World War II. I've seen plenty of Holocaust movies now, but this one is surprisingly smart in the way it deals with the question of hope vs. truth. The main crux of the movie is whether or not the main character, Jacob, is doing the right thing by lying about some positive news, when he really has no idea. It is a movie about hope, but it's smart because it also goes into the perils of false hope.

The fact that the movie does show that in the end, false hope is just temporary pleasure to precede disappointment makes this movie better than many other movies that talk about how great hope is. It is a bit melodramatic during parts, when I would have liked it to be more subtle because I think everyone knows how horrible the situation for Jews was. But ultimately it's definitely one of the smarter Holocaust films I've seen. Something to think about is that one way this film is different may be because it was made in East Germany, perhaps adding a perspective fairly unique to most viewers.

Grade: B

Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Director: Brian De Palma

 A really wacky, silly, over-the-top movie that you can't help but like because its so fun to watch. This is a movie that mixes the genres of comedy, horror, and the musical, while also acting as a tragedy. It references an insane amount of prior work, from Psycho to The Phantom of the Opera to Faust. This movie is the definition of campy fun, I'm not sure if I learned much from the movie or if the movie represents any great artistic filmmaking, but it does represent a wild time.

The themes it has have been done to death, especially the main theme of artistic integrity. And there are scenes that are not campy fun, but just campy dumb. So it's not completely successful, but the unique visuals, musical dances, and costumes do give the movie an other-worldly feel that set it apart from any other movie you've ever seen. The highly expressionistic style is definitely De Palma at his most fun. It doesn't work all the time, but no one can deny that this is one unique film.

Grade: B-

Interiors (1979)

Director: Woody Allen

This one of the few films Woody Allen has made that has absolutely no comedy in it. I've also seen Allen's Match Point, which also has no comedy, but if I had not seen that I'm not sure I would have a whole lot of confidence in Allen's dramatic chops. The movie is good, but there is not a lot that stands out in it. The movie centers on one family that has three mature daughters, and we see that everyone has a wide range of problems, from a fear of death, guilt for not caring about parents, loneliness, etc. All of this makes the individual characters fascinating to an extent, but the film as a whole lacks focus.

One of the more impressive things is that the film is directed with a lot of control by Allen. Every shot is blocked perfectly and the compositions are framed with precision. The characters get to stand out and become real people. Allen definitely tries to get all Ingmar Bergman in its serious examination of the issues above. While I was fascinated by the characters, their dialogue, and certain individual scenes while I was watching, the movie lacks memorability because of the aimless story.

Grade: B-

The Last Detail (1973)

Director: Hal Ashby

 Any discussion of this film would have to center on its historical context, specifically the context of American filmmaking in the 1970's. It was the American New Wave, a time when studios took a few more risks and a time when rebellion and protest was in full gear. This film is pure 1970's. It's about free spirited behavior and a subversion of the traditional Hollywood image of professionalism in the military. I'm not so sure if its a film that is timeless enough to have a lot of impact today, but if I had seen this film when it came out in 1974, I imagine I would have called it a truly great movie.

Nonetheless, as a piece of film history and a time capsule of the filmmaking and social thinking of a certain time, this movie is very worth watching. A young Jack Nicholson gives one of his best performances (which is saying a lot), and the direction by Hal Ashby is non-intrusive but still includes you in the action. It's not quite as touching as the other Ashby film I've seen, Harold and Maude, which is undeniably a great movie, but there is still a rebellious spirit in this film that makes it feel alive.

Grade: B

Filmcap: The week of Nov 28-Dec 4

Old Joy, and Aguirre: The Wrath of God are the two films that get reviewed in this post. Two absolutely wonderful movies that capture nature and all its beauty through the theme of friendship in one, and the theme of madness in the pursuit of power in the other. 

Filmcap: The week of Nov 13-20

Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry and Scorsese's New York, New York both feature in this post that also includes a Thai movie with a very long name by a director who also has a very long name. In this post you will read about Scorsese's epic experiment, the similarities between the movies of Marvel Studios, and how a movie that makes very little sense can still be completely magical. 

Filmcap: The week of Oct 23-30

Don't Look Now, Hoop Dreams, and Morvern Callar are some of the highlights from this productive week of movie watching. In this post you'll two "adaptations" of classic novels by two very different authors, two mesmerizing movies about the different ways people deal with grief, and also a movie with a typewriter that is a bug. Many more reviews of 2011 movies that I'm catching up with coming in the coming posts. Now that it is winter break I hope to catch up a bit with these posts. Also, the movie posters for the movies this week are all pretty good (except for the In Time one).

Filmcap: The week of Oct 2-9

Bunuel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, von Trier's Europa, and the final season of Deadwood all feature in this post. Yes it's been a long while since my last one, and I am good awfully behind, but I am determined to keep it going. Quite a large variety of stuff in this one. It includes a couple of television documentaries about history and also the culmination of a series that almost serves as the history of society. The Deadwood post is possibly the longest in this blogs history, maybe being second only to The Tree of Life post. 

Filmcap: The week of Sept 11-18

The Conversation, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, and Drive are some of the highlights of this week. Not quite as packed with great stuff as last week, but the great movies definitely continue. Included in this post are some discussions on the American perspective of Mexico, comedies of failures, and turning the political into the personal.

Filmcap: The week of Aug 7-14

You may have noticed I've skipped a few weeks, that is because I was out of the country and did not view any films during that time. This week, my first week back, I only watched one film, but it's a brilliant one. In this review of a prophetic 1979 film, the in's and out's of reality programming is discussed.

Filmcap: The week of July 3-10

This week I discuss the weakest Almodovar film I've seen yet but still comment on how good he is, and I also compare apply the lessons of a Kubrick classic to the recent London riots. 

Filmcap: The week of June 5-12

In this weeks post, I go on about how Matthew Vaughn is one of the better hack directors, how J.J. Abrams is talented but ultimately pointless, and another example of why Terrence Malick is one of the best to ever play the game (I did see "The Tree of Life" and that will be in next weeks post. Look forward to that one).

Filmcap: The week of May 15-22

I went to Sasquatch which messed up my posting schedule even more. I'll slowly get back to a more regular rhythm though. This week's post sees the end of two television seasons for two very similar comedies that I do end up comparing a bit. There is also one very good 2011 movie (from Wales) and one great American movie that will probably be one of the few poetic and beautiful movies you will see from a Texan director. Watch out for the next post, which will include my favorite movie of the year so far. 

Filmcap: The week of May 8-15

There seems to be much fewer things in the summer on this blog, but that's not much of a surprise for me. Family life, work life, and the addition of many more extracurricular activities in a much more urban area will have that effect. This week I saw the finales of two television series', the only connecting strand between the two being Kevin Corrigan (who has a minor role on both of them). The only film this week is an American classic I had never seen, and it did not disappoint. 

Filmcap: The week of April 10-17

This week I review a recent HBO miniseries, a quirky but great movie, two thrillers from different eras, one character study, and another Iranian film in my continuing research for a paper on Iranian cinema I'm going to write soon for my Art & Society class.

Filmcap: The week of Mar 28-April 3

This week saw my second pre-Annie Hall Woody Allen movie in two weeks, a 1990 movie that feels very much like a Woody Allen movie, a very stylish French noir, a violent Korean movie, and newly released 2011 film. I've also been watching the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," when I finish that I'll review that in one of these as well (probably in a week or two).

Filmcap: the week of Mar 20-27

In this post I've got a couple superb realist post-crisis foreign films, one from post-war Italy, and another is post-revolution Iran. A couple recent films, one brand new and horrible, the other from last year and amazing. Then there's a little-talked about film from a great director, and a much-talked about genre film I have finally watched. Also, links to two very good short films.