Category: Film

We were out wandering around in the 90 degree heat today and I saw The Royal Tenenbaums DVD, out more than a week early, so I snatched it up. I’ve been looking forward to this one for many many weeks now.

And speaking of hot, we watched Do The Right Thing (1989) on Friday night. I recall seeing it a long time ago and being kind of confused. This time, I appreciated it a lot more, even though I still have some unanswered questions. I think Spike Lee intended it that way. The first part of the movie is hilariously funny, though, especially the three “cornermen” and a young Martin Lawrence.

A busy and scorching hot weekend in Toronto, with the Pride parade, the World Cup celebrations, and now Canada Day. Hope everyone is keeping cool.

Well, I saw Minority Report yesterday. And, for the most part, I liked it. Not having seen A.I. yet, I can’t compare recent Spielberg with current Spielberg, but I’d have to say that he hasn’t really changed his outlook much. Without spoilers, it’s hard to articulate all my concerns with the film, but I can say that there are several “false endings,” any of which would have been better than the happy ending that Spielberg always demands. Despite my misgivings, and even though I loathe Tom Cruise, I enjoyed the film very much.

Last night we watched Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), one of director Peter Weir’s first films. It’s a strangle little film, about a group of Australian schoolgirls who disappear while on a picnic at a rock formation on Valentine’s Day, 1900. The first part of the film, before the disappearance, is charged with expectation. There’s an eerie feeling, but also a sort of sexual tension (it is the Victorian era, after all) that’s really powerful. It’s not a suspense or mystery film in the usual sense, and you never really know what happened, but if you enjoy creepy films, you might want to check it out. Peter Weir went on to direct lots of successful Hollywood films, including The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), Dead Poets Society (1987), and The Truman Show (1998).

In other film news, today would have been Billy Wilder’s 96th birthday. I’m currently reading On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder, by Ed Sikov, and Billy was certainly a fascinating and brilliant man.

And tonight, our little film group will be screening The Sweet Smell of Success (1957), starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. Being a fan of great writing, I’m looking forward to hearing all of the great lines in this one. In Barry Levinson’s great movie Diner (1982), set around the same time, there’s a character who walks around only speaking in quotes from this film.

I find it hard to believe that a giant dog turd of a movie called Scooby-Doo could sell more than $50 million in tickets on its opening weekend. The funny thing is that it cost $80 million to make it. Imagine!

I’ve just finished reading an interesting book called Easy Riders Raging Bulls, about how the culture of director-driven films of the 70s collapsed into the blockbuster-driven Hollywood of today. It’s really disheartening. Imagine taking the $80 million spent on Scooby-Doo and splitting it among ten hungry young independent directors. Even if half of the films weren’t that good, at least none of them would be Scooby-Doo!

Brooke and I watched the original Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936) last night. The reason this movie works and the new one with Adam Sandler probably won’t is that Gary Cooper is not winking at you the whole time. You really believe he is a decent human being. Adam Sandler will instead come across (as always) as a moron.

I also finally watched Harold and Maude (1971) and loved it. I’d heard that it’s been a big influence on Wes Anderson’s films and that was easy to see. There’s a sort of gentle affection for the strange, damaged characters on the screen, along with a large dose of black humour. A really touching film, and a great Cat Stevens soundtrack.

One of my favourite films from last year, the Oscar-nominated Elling from Norway, is reviewed in the New York Times. If you get an opportunity to see this film, don’t miss it!