Jackie Chan really is a fantastic leading man. He is so funny and an amazing martial artist. You really see how his major US acting career spanned from this and stuff like RUMBLE IN THE BRONX. The trial that takes place in the middle of the movie is so well done. It’s like there’s a mini courtroom drama in the middle of this action comedy. In fact, this movie ping pongs between true comedy moments to then moments that are really dark then to the fight scenes. After Chan has been framed when he returns to the police station he looks emotionally destroyed in a way that I have never seen a leading action star do. He really is a fantastic actor. The action set pieces are also great. I was shocked when they blew up that whole shanty town. It felt like something big enough to be in a FAST AND FURIOUS or AVENGERS film. The May character really only is in here so Chan can have his screwball misunderstanding moments (seriously, he is basically a Cary Grant who fights). When she is at the mall, it becomes annoying that she is just there as a liability. I liked the actress, its just the addition of her in the story made the script feel uneven.
Quarantine Watch #647: Willy's Wonderland (2021)
Everything in this movie is a skosh away from being in the right spot. First though, I am SHOCKED that they were able to make this considering the FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S video game series exists. There is a lot in here that makes it even feel like its a video game from each robot fighting one at a time, Nic Cage not speaking, the energy drinks, all of it. How they were able to get away with it is so amazing, I commend the filmmakers. I wish Nic Cage was able to go a little crazier. Having him not react to a single thing in the film was a terrible choice. He could have been so much more fun than the kids they surround him with, most of which I did not care for the acting. I also think this film suffers from its low budget, which affects the actors when they can’t do multiple takes. I like Beth Grant a lot, but she is not good in this and I think it is because the whole film was probably rushed. I wish the backstory was cultivated a little better, as it stands right now it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, even for a film about possessed serial killing animatronic animals. Do they need to “eat” or do they just want to kill? Willy cuts Cage and then walks away without trying to eat him. I wish the rules of the film were just grounded. It also really doesn’t make sense why they attack one at a time, except for logistics and budget. They also aren’t designed well, I wish they put more work into making them look better. The fairy/siren girl doesn’t even make sense nor does she look like a robot. It looks like a lady in a mask who could have been in THE STRANGERS. Finally the lenses the film was shot on were so weird and I’m not sure why they were chosen, although I did like the look and color of the film.
Quarantine Watch #646: Swing Time (1936)
Fred Astire is such a powerhouse not only of energy but in his comedy. He is bursting with life and it shows. Ginger Rogers also great here, this really is her best performance, at least from what I’ve seen of her work. She is so lovable in this. Just seeing them together on screen really help to keep you interested in the film. The moment where she goes into kiss him and he backs away then she goes in again and he does it again is pure magic. Otherwise, it seems like these two talents are just playing around one of the most bare minimum of plots. It’s a moment that doesn’t add anything to the picture and must be something steeped in the era it was made. A lot of the characters that aren’t Fred or Ginger act so big that it takes away from the film and makes it feel a bit silly. Both Pops and Mabel are stock characters of the era and its hard to see them as anything but cartoons. It feels like John Lovitz based his style of comedy on Ginger Roger’s boss at the dance academy. Every time he spoke I just heard his voice. If it is ever remade he has to play him. “The Way You Look Tonight” is so good that I teared up a bit during that scene. It’s such a beautiful song and you can just feel its presence on the film. My favorite song & dance number goes to “Never Gonna Dance." It is such a bittersweet song, even their dancing is bittersweet, but when you watch Fred Astaire sing the song you can’t help but feel lifted in the air. “Bojangles of Harlem” dance number has cool moments like the dancing shadows/silhouettes and the dancing with the girls in black and white outfits in an almost Busby Berkley like fashion, but then it becomes cringeworthy as it ends in blackface. He also stays in the blackface makeup for far too long.
Quarantine Watch #645: Quincy (2018)
Quincy Jones is an icon in so many groups of people — Music, African American, Film, pop culture, Americans, etc. He is as the film opens with Dr. Dre’s words, a legend. This documentary is such an interesting point of view considering it was co-directed by his daughter Rashida Jones. I always wondered what life must have been like for her growing up with her parents and the people they surrounded themselves with. It is a real testament to who Quincy Jones is that he is still doing it at his age and he’s still great. The documentary does what you expect it will do — its framed around planning for an event at the the National Museum of African American History and Culture while also telling his life story as well as the many legendary people he crossed paths with. The music of the film is all Quincy Jones music and it works so well as a time capsule and as a score to the documentary. Jones’s music is so full of vibrancy and life it is infectious in your soul. You get the same from his personality as well. There are moments towards the end of the middle that the film drags a bit, but ultimately it was such a great thing to watch.
Quarantine Watch #644: Willow Creek (2013)
This movie is able to work so well because you bring so much into it. You go in knowing it is a horror film and due to our experience in the found footage genre, the audience is accustomed to looking for certain in the background of shots for Bigfoot. It’s almost like we experience looking for something along with the characters. Going into it knowing Bobcat Goldthwaite directed the film also lets you know that the tone is something you shouldn’t expect. The scene by the water when they run is filmed so well — Goldthwaite really has a knack for directing the camera here. The opening goes on for a bit long as did the tent scene. Both of these contribute to the slow pacing of the film, but at the same time the film can scare you because of its measured pace.
Quarantine Watch #643: She Done Him Wrong (1933)
Mae West is so great and the film is so much better once you know she wrote Diamond Lil the play the film is based on. All of her character’s writing is so sharp and biting. Her delivery and the words she chooses to use are so deeply tattooed into our collective consciousness that it is great seeing it at the height of its powers. It is so fascinating to watch Cary Grant so early in his career. He has the same face and yet its a baby face, it is hard to explain. Rochelle Hudson was also really good in the short time she is on screen. I wish she was in the film more — but no she is shipped off into human trafficking, which is so strange to have something this super dark in this comedy film especially in 1933. There are such great moments in this, like when Lou goes to the prison and knows everyone there. Still the sheer amount of men that she surrounds her with became a little too much. It’s not even a joke, its just a lot of characters. It feels like it would have played better in its own time and on the stage. I don’t understand the controversy with the title of the original play and why the Hayes Code had an issues with the diamonds. It’s something so in the early 20th century that I can’t understand it.
Quarantine Watch #642: My Days of Mercy (2019)
The biggest issue with this movie is that it is actually two movies happening at the same time: the first movie is about three siblings dealing with a father on death row for killing their mother and the other is about a passionate romance between with two people with different life outlooks. There is a lot of great stuff in both of these movies, but when juxtaposed and edited together, despite similar tones, don’t mix. It’s weird to be jolted from horny scenes to scenes of extreme grief. Another issue is that there are different ideas and themes being spouted in both storylines is that any additional plot moment feels like too much — this is what happen with Ben’s storyline of not being able to see his father. There are moments where his character feels like the annoying little brother from an ‘80s movie just toned down a bit. The thing that holds this film together is the insanely fantastic acting by Elliot Page. When Lucy finds out the truth about everything you can see how completely and utterly decimated she is. I’ve always been a big fan of Kate Mara and she is really good in here, but the writing is so much steeped with Elliot Page’s story that he character comes off a bit flat. She immediately is giving off a “fuck me attitude” to Lucy from the first second they meet. She didn’t feel like a real person. I also didn’t buy her protesting attitude because it was a relief to her father that someone died. Mara is so great and playful with the singing and dancing scene, you fall in love with her. The great thing is she never tries to throw her point of view at Lucy to change her mind, it was in order to find out the truth and truly help Lucy grow. I really appreciated how the film downplayed the whole “different side of the tracks” trope by making it not a big deal that they are together. Mercy’s dad and Martha make one comment each, but it isn’t overly hammered in. The sex scenes feel so authentic and honest, mostly due to the nudity/variations of nudity. It is so different to watch a lesbian sex scene with directed by a lesbian director with one of the talent being LGBTQ (It could be both of them, I don’t know Kate Mara’s love life).
Quarantine Watch #641: The Big Boss (1971)
This is such a fascinating piece of film history in the sense that you see what ideas and techniques Bruce Lee and director Lo Wei were playing with before refining it more in FIST OF FURY. So many scenes in here are comically bad like Bruce Lee’s fight with the dogs. The story isn’t anything to write home about, its just the protector deals with a criminal organization fighting his way to the big bad. It is so easy to see how Bruce Lee will be a superstar since he is so much faster than everyone else, that they look like they are in slow motion. I also didn’t expect this to be as bloody and sexual as it was.
Quarantine Watch #640: Small Axe: Lovers Rock (2020)
This film is all about mood and specifically the mood of love and romance when it gets to let its hair down and just flow with the rhythm of the night. The moment when everyone joins together to dance and sing is such a nice moment. The use of light and colors throughout the film are so appealing and inviting while also screaming that these characters are alive. This is just a nice movie to let wash over you as you watch the slow, sensual dancing of a room full of pure, in the moment, yet subdued, passion. The soundtrack is also great.
Quarantine Watch #639: Putney Swope (1969)
I remember seeing a trailer for this at the Cinefamily in Los Angeles this back in 2014 showing the movie and that Louis C.K. was hosting a talk about it. That was way back when both Louis C.K. and the Cinefamily we’re fun things to be associated with. I didn’t go to the event, but that trailer never escaped my memory. Was it because I hadn’t seen a Robert Downey Sr. film and it’s so interesting to think about him especially since growing up with Robert Downey Jr. all over the place. Maybe it was the unique name. Maybe its the premise of the film. All of that made it a film I knew I wanted to see. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to it, because it is brilliant. There are some moments where the film falls into a more free spirited 1960’s mode and away from the sharp satire of the rest of the film. It’s so well crafted and funny that some lines are funny enough to go toe to toe with AIRPLANE! one-liners. It’s one of the best satire’s I have ever seen. I can’t believe Downey Sr. does the voice for Putney Swope. I both love and hate that he does it simultaneously. I wish I could have seen people’s reactions back when it came out. You can also see a lot of what would eventually inspire (at least in my opinion) a lot of future films like YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, NETWORK, THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE, and SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
Quarantine Watch #638: All About My Mother (1999)
I haven’t seen many Pedro Almodóvar films and the ones I had seen (THE SKIN I LIVE IN and PAIN AND GLORY) I wasn’t too fond of. However this was spectacular. Everything is so masterful, from the compositions to the colors to the directing to the acting to the cinematography to, well, everything. This has a little bit of that telenovela melodrama that permeates through Almodóvar’s work, but I honestly didn’t mind it since it fit the film perfectly. Penélope Cruz was amazing as Rosa. Her character is so interesting considering she is a nun who had an affair with a transwoman and got HIV, however this is not the main plot of the film, just a side story. Most people I think would have made that the main story, but as a side story it allows it to be another thing that adds to the eclectic tapestry that is this film. Antonia San Juan is also great as Agrado. The film also pays so much back to the films of multiple eras of Hollywood with ALL ABOUT EVE, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, and OPENING NIGHT. It is fascinating that Lola played the role of Stanley because it is such a man’s man role and it is the perfect role for her to be in. Conversely, in regards to their relationship, it makes so much sense that Manuela played (and then plays) Stella. The script is so smart and so well crafted that every part of the film balances around it. I couldn’t have loved it more.
Quarantine Watch #637: Samson & Delilah (1949)
My parents love the biblical epics from the 40s-60s becuase they grew up watching them on TV ad nauseam. My dad wanted to revisit this one and show it to me. I do not understand the appeal of Hedy Lamarr, I don’t think she is that attractive. Especially not enough for Samson to be so won over by her. It is insane that he would be drawn to her at any time since she is the person who caused the deaths of her sister (his love) and her own father. She is a horrible human being and an overall dick. The almost Herculean myth of Samson is interesting and fun, especially when he breaks out of chains and fights off everyone. My biggest issue with the story, and this is just something that comes part in parcel with bible tales is that it is so misogynistic. Every woman is a horrible liar and cheater and will cause men to go blind and die. I’m not religious nor do I know most of the bible stories. For instance I never knew what this was about. I can’t see why this it’s a bible story and what moral it is trying to impart. I looked it up and apparently it can be interpreted as don’t marry outside of your own religion, which seems like a terrible ideal to impart. There are also a lot of parts where the film falls into lulls, especially towards the end. Samson is weakened and captured but the film still has 30 minutes left to go, which felt entirely too long.
Quarantine Watch #636: The Thin Red Line (1998)
This isn’t as poetic or meditative as some of Malick’s other works, but it does have enough poetic imagery and voiceover that it is trademark Malick. I’m not sure how it must have been shooting this considering it is a period piece with a lot of action set pieces and Malick tends to find moments on the day or outside the script. Maybe he was still a little more in the box due to this being his 3rd film, despite it being the film that everyone in Hollywood wanted to be in. The performances here are really good, specifically Elias Koteas, Nick Nolte, Jim Caviezel, and Sean Penn. It is interesting to see Sean Penn and John C. Reilly together in a war film so soon after seeing CASUALTIES OF WAR. This is also one of my favorite Hans Zimmer scores. It is so well done and sets a template for what we would see more from of him in the future. It is so fascinating that this film and SAVIGN PRIVATE RYAN were released in the same year because they are so complimentary to one another while also being so vastly different. Both have phenomenal A-List casts. Both have fantastic looks from some of the best DP’s in film history. John Toll’s look here is bright while SPR has a dark complexion complete with a bleach bypass. SPR focuses on the European front while this focuses on the Pacific campaign. Both films throw you into a subjective point of view, but in different ways. Both feel real. SPR for how it must feel to be in a war while TRL shows what it must sound like and feel like to run through a battle. The camera moves fast and yet is able to linger so long on specific parts.
Quarantine Watch #635: A Poem is a Naked Person (1974)
This is a film I think I’m going to need to see a few times. It is hard to follow, mostly due to its freeform nature, but you feel like you are there with Leon Russell in these moments and places. I don’t know much about Leon Russell, but it seems like he is the perfect person to profile in capturing this era of the early 1970s in Southern American music, art, and culture. The scene where the snake eats the bird and the VO that accompanies it is so poignant and hypnotic. I need to explore Russell’s music and work more as well. It seems crazy that it took 40 years to get the rights together to release this and for that makes it all the better.
Quarantine Watch #634: The Last Emperor (1987)
This is a great example of just because something is impressive, doesn’t necessarily make it great. Don’t get me wrong I thought this was good, albeit a little longer than it needed to be, but still good. The craft on this film is so grand and well done, especially the cinematography, wardrobe, and production design. This is especially the case with the first half of the film in the Forbidden City. I don’t know how Bertolucci was granted such access to these places, but power to him. John Lone was also really good in this. The central theme of examining what it is like to be an emperor and what the word even really means is great, but the film gets bogged down by following so much of Puyi’s life. I also don’t know how I feel about this being shot in English as opposed to Mandarin. I don’t know much about the Rape of Nanjing and it’s something that I wish they could have gone into more as it is really important to the outcome of Puyi’s choices. In thinking about the Academy Awards for a second, the grand scale and amount of work that needs to go into making a film like this always seems to enamor voters. FATAL ATTRACTION, BROADCAST NEWS, and MOONSTRUCK are all better films, but they aren’t on as large of a scale as this one is. It is something I think we moved past as cinephiles since films such have AVATAR and THE REVENANT have lost the big award to something smaller like THE HURT LOCKER and SPOTLIGHT.
Quarantine Watch #633: A Man Escaped (1956)
Wow this was special. PICKPOCKET didn’t do much for me so I was curious as to why Bresson was so revered — this film is why. It is one of the best directed and best sound designed films I’ve ever seen (or heard). It is a master class on how to force people to pay attention to the tiniest of details. Every choice is so deliberate and it forces you to hang on every sound. The way time is edited also happens seamlessly. The film is so short yet we really feel the time that has elapsed in each of Fontaine’s steps to escape. The rope that is constructed is such a great prop and has a personality in and of itself. François Leterrier is so freaking good in this, especially for a non-actor at the time. His face gives you everything you need. Charles Le Clainche is also perfect for Jost. He has such a babyface that you can’t help but see the innocence and naiveté. The entire plot point where Fontaine debates bringing him along or killing him out of logic and necessity is so smart and human. All of this on top of Fontaine’s other choices, patience, and his overall resolve makes him one of the best characters I have ever seen in a film. This is a better example of a long term prison break than THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, a more masterful art of silence than RAFIFI and a more engaging dive in on moments happening in real time than JEANNE DIELMAN.
Quarantine Watch #632: One Night in Miami... (2020)
It is so easy to see how this is a play and that the openings and closings of the films were added on (I’m assuming since it seems so natural to have it all take place in the motel room) for the sake of making it cinematic. Regina King did a fantastic job on her first feature directing effort, however she is outshined by both the great script by Kemp Powers and the performances of the main cast. Leslie Odom Jr., far and away, shines the brightest as Sam Cooke. His personality, musical talent, and vigor makes him stand taller than someone with the greatest vigor of all — Malcolm X. Having them focus on such a fulcrum point for all four men is so smart, although I feel like Jim Brown gets shafted storywise since the film mostly feels like Sam and Malcolm presenting their ways of life for Cassius Clay to live. The film has so many twists and turns, dips and dives, and 180s for all of the characters that it is really something special to be sure.
Quarantine Watch #631: Earwig and the Witch (2021)
I was very skeptical of this newer style of 3D animation that has a different shape and contour to it than the 3D animation of say Pixar. I’m seeing it a lot more in Japanese films like DETECTIVE PIKACHU and LUPIN THE THIRD THE FIRST. I didn’t know if it was that it was new and that’ s why it was weird to me (similar to how traditional 2D cel animators felt in the early ‘90s when the Pixar shorts came out. There must have been people who just didn’t like the change. I went into this was an open mind nonetheless. This film is just gross looking. It feels like a cheap 3D animated Disney Junior show that doesn’t have the time to render real quality images that we are accustomed to today and comes close to reaching the uncanny valley of something like MARS NEEDS MOMS. The film is very similar in structure to the Harry Potter series with the first scene basically being the opening of the first Harry Potter book. I watched this dubbed, which looked bad in terms of matching the dialogue to the mouths. I love Richard E. Grant, but even his character felt like a Ghibli character that has been overused. All of the charm and life that we are so accustomed to seeing in Studio Ghibli films is just not here. Even though it is about witches — there is no magic in here at all.
Quarantine Watch #630: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Caught this on TV about half way through. It’s not a film a particularly like, but it had been a bit since I’d seen it and there are parts that are interesting enough to draw you in (especially if you are stoned). The one thing I always forget is how many amazing actors are assembled in this cast, even if roles that are super brief. It is so fun to see everyone from Tobey Maguire to Cameron Diaz to Christopher Meloni to Flea to Christopher Walken to Christina Ricci.
Quarantine Watch #629: Solaris (1972)
"Suffering makes life seem dismal and suspicious. But I wont accept that, no I wont accept that."
The cinematography and imagery in this film is simply breathtaking from moment one. The use of color in the film is so smart with earth looking so green and the use of yellow and amber and white on the space station. I also don’t know how he captured those shots of Solaris. They look like a time lapse of clouds or the ocean under a microscope. The production design was a little weird at times (why is there a chandelier in a space station?), but also their are certain parts of the space station that so nice to look at. Like all of Tarkovsky’s film he is saying a lot here about memory, the past, the future, love, life, and the human condition and he is doing it an a very atmospherical and allegorical way. This isn’t as poetic as other films, which made it much more accessible to me. The plot was also very interesting, even though it takes a long time to get going. Natalya Bondarchuk was outstanding as Hari. The scene where she is revived from being frozen is some of the best acting I’ve seen. She also just has a captivating presence about her.
