Monday, January 5th
Grade: D+
Synopsis: A sensitive, club-footed man (Leslie Howard) can’t escape the promiscuous, lecherous woman (Bette Davis) he loves.
Of Human Bondage opens on Leslie Howard as he’s told that he has no chance of becoming a successful artist. Discouraged, he abandons his dream and enters medical school. A little later, he meets a cockney waitress played by Bette Davis. Though she’s clearly toying with him, he falls for her, sacrificing his future to bail her out of trouble in what becomes a reoccurring cycle throughout the film. It’s a sad, but powerful story with one critical flaw: though it established Davis as a major talent, her performance is utterly charmless. MORE »
Posted at 6:45 PM in Movie Reviews.
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Monday, January 5th
Grade: D+
Synopsis: A manic director (John Barrymore) makes a star out of an actress (Carole Lombard) who deserts him for Hollywood, taking success with her.
Twentieth Century is a screwball comedy from director Howard Hawks. The title refers not to a period in time, but rather to the Twentieth Century Express train line that serves as the setting for the film’s final third. As for the film itself, your enjoyment will depend largely on your interpretation of John Barrymore’s performance.
If viewed as an over-the-top self-parody, the film is a sharp comedy propelled along by Hawks’ typically tight editing. But if viewed as a variation, rather than satire, of his performances in Svengali (1931) and The Mad Genius (1931), the film takes a decidedly darker tone, with Barrymore’s character as a dangerously unstable man who Lombard would do well to avoid. Unfortunately, try as I might, I couldn’t shake the later view and thus, Twentieth Century never really worked for me as a wacky comedy. MORE »
Posted at 4:34 PM in Movie Reviews and Howard Hawks.
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Monday, January 5th
Grade: C-
Synopsis: An idealistic student (Max Minghella) at a prestigious Art School goes to extreme lengths to win the attention and affection of the model (Sophia Myles) he’s fallen for.
Art School Confidential is either not clever enough, or too clever for its own good. On the one hand, it’s a scathing look at the pretentious tendencies of art and artists, but, on the other hand, it’s a formulaic teen comedy. Initially, you might think it’s actually poking fun at the teen comedy genre, but in reality it’s shackled by it, which results in a frustratingly uneven film that alternates between brilliance and mediocrity. MORE »
Posted at 1:28 PM in Movie Reviews.
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Friday, January 2nd
Grade: C+
Synopsis: A Los Angeles strip club owner (Ben Gazzara) finds himself impossibly indebted to the mob, who offers him a dangerous way to square his account.
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is an almost Robert Altman-esque take on the crime and film noir genres. Writer/director John Cassavetes is certainly less interested in the plot than in the characters themselves, sometimes to the film’s detriment, but the colorful, detailed world he creates is vivid and resonate.
Unfortunately, as mentioned, Cassavetes’ interest in his characters often exceeds our own, such as when he indulges in long takes involving the strip club’s lounge acts. While the first few minutes add atmosphere, they soon turn into a grueling test of patience. MORE »
Posted at 4:29 PM in Movie Reviews.
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Friday, January 2nd
Grade: B+
Synopsis: Four friends (Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, and Jason Statham) find themselves indebted to a London gangster with only a week to come up with half a million pounds.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels has aged well. Director Guy Ritchie’s slick visual style was so overwhelming in 1998, that it obscured the script’s ample wit and humor. Ten years and countless imitations later, the film gels together as a more even whole, no longer dominated by the editing and camera work.
Some of this newfound appreciation may also come from the inspired casting of Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones, both of whom made their film debuts here. Jones in particular is a casting coup, and Ritchie’s decision to give him the best line in the film is well rewarded. And let’s not forget Ritchie’s other casting triumph, making Sting believable as a hard-ass, tough-as-nails London pub owner. That is damn near amazing. MORE »
Posted at 2:33 PM in Movie Reviews.
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