Starring Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, and Maggie McOmie
Directed by George Lucas
The Short, Short Version:
It’s some point in the future and everyone has a shaved head, wears white, and is on drugs for everything to avoid human emotion. THX 1138 (Duvall) repairs androids and lives with a female roommate LUH (McOmie), who switches some of his pills for hers. The result is a spiral from them having sex and being caught, to a “watcher” named SEN (Pleasence) trying to force THX to be his roommate, to LUH being pregnant, to THX being “taken away” to stay with other “undesirables.”
Why This Made the 40:
I have always wanted to watch this movie. While in film school at SIU-C I had viewed the original student-film version, “Electronic Boutique,” which I thought was interesting. This seems as if first-time director Lucas was taking jabs at California culture or maybe prophecizing Big Pharma. Either way it’s an interesting treatise on societal disconnection not unlike “Brave New World.”
I watched the “Director’s Cut” version and from what I can tell as compared to the original there are more effects that Lucas tried to “blend in” with what he shot at that time. It makes for a funky looking film, but not in a bad way. It’s not the greatest sci-fi movie you’ll watch but it’s not the worst either.
Starring Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Maggie Cheung
Directed by Zhang Yimou
The Short, Short Version:
Set in the time before the Great Wall of China, Jet Li is the Nameless Man who’s not too different than Clint Eastwood’s “Man With No Name.” China is divided into seven warring factions and Nameless approaches the Emperor Qin claiming his victories over master fighters Broken Sword, Sky, and Flying Snow. Upon speaking with Qin he relays the stories of how he beat all three. What we’re then treated to is three stories about how it all went down. The real reason behind the assassinations and Qin’s fate unravel as the tales unfold.
Why This Made the 40:
I had never watched it before this week. I remember someone saying that I would like it, giving it to me, and I can’t remember who. Did I like it? Sure. I think I didn’t watch it when it came out due to thee fact that I’m just not a big person on fantasy stories; kinda pick-and-choose. I did go to a theatre and watch, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and wasn’t really all that impressed. It looked nice but too much “wire-fu” and the story wasn’t all that great. Again, my opinion.
This time around being removed from the early aughts wire-fu movement I can say that I enjoyed the film. It pays homage to a few other films you may know. I mentioned earlier that Li’s character reminded me of the old Sergio Leone Clint Eastwood character. Aside from that there are a few references back to Kurasowa’s, “Rashomon,” in story structure and the fight with Broken Sword. At one point in the film (minor spoiler) a calligraphy teacher’s in a building being hit by multitudes of arrows. He commands his students to stay in their places as he is. Sitting cross-legged on the floor arrows fly around him much like the retired Emperor in, “Ran.” I’m sure there are several more references in this film.
Again, I’m not a huge fan of Asian cinema but every now and then there’s one I like. For it’s breathtaking scenery and mis en scene, “Hero,” is an incredibly beautiful movie. I actually went looking for it on Blu-ray as I only have the DVD version which is constantly grainy/pixelated. The one advantage to having the DVD version is that the original Mandarin Chinese 5.1 DTS sound mix is incredible while the video is, unfortunately, lackluster. Meanwhile the word is that the Blu-ray looks incredible while unfortunately the DTS 5.1 mix is the English dubbed version. Apparently, it’s one or the other…
Starring Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, Martin Shaw, and Terence Bayler.
Directed by Roman Polanski
The Short, Short Version:
Finch is MacBeth, the Scottish Thane of Glam who happens upon three witches who tell him that he’ll be the new Thane of Cawdor as well as the King of Scotland. Next thing he knows he IS the Thane of Cawdor as well but once King Duncan’s son Malcolm is crowned Prince MacBeth is less about redemption and more about retribution as he kills Duncan and becomes King. Following the Despot’s Guide to Complete Rule he sets to murder anyone else who may be able to claim the throne from him. One last trip to the witches gives him the prophecy, “… till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane,” which boggles and infuriates him but faster than you can say, “Ides of March,” MacBeth is overturned and beheaded.
Why This Made the 40:
In what also feels a lifetime ago it was a pick by my high school senior English teacher, Mr. Gleaves. Usually Shakespeare’s stuff feels stilted (c’mon… how many times do you use “thane,” or “thee,” or thou sayest?” without some sense of mockery?) but watching it on a 13” TV suspended from the ceiling I was transfixed. This was what Shakespeare was at its core – dark, bloody, gritty, dirty, and violent. I would later happen upon the reason for that – Polanski directed the movie following the murder of his wife, model Sharon Tate. For those of you who don’t know Polanski was in a relationship with Tate who, on a certain fateful night, became a victim of slaying by the followers of Charles Manson. Manson sent his followers to a house that was initially owned by a certain record producer who Manson wanted dead but was since sold to another person. Manson’s followers didn’t know the difference and murdered everyone there. Polanski, grief-stricken, decided to plunge himself back into his work. Playboy owner and founder Hugh Hefner, feeling sorry for the death of Tate, assisted in bankrolling/producing the movie. Polanski’s hurt, anger, pain, and rage are reflected in the film and, knowing that, gives a context to the violence on screen. I recommend this film not as a celebration of a tragedy but as a darkly personal catharsis wrapped in a Shakespearean tragedy. It’s not the grass on the ground but the dirt and worms underneath. Forget any of the Hammer film sets or anything Kenneth Branagh put out – this is the must watch.
Starring Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, and John Leguizamo.
Directed by Brian De Palma
Short, Short Version:
It’s notably the Eighties and former “J.P. Morgan of the smack business” gangster Carlito Brigante (Pacino) has his 30-year sentence overturned via his lawyer Kleinfeld (Penn) proving that the police conducted illegal investigations on him. “Free at last!” Brigante espouses his renewed faith in the world and swears he’ll never go back to what he did before. Problem is that the rest of his social circle doesn’t feel that’s the right move to make. The story of one man’s quest for redemption comes to the conclusion that sometimes you’re just as far in as you’ll ever be out.
Why this made the 40:
Aside from being in my favorites category the film is literally in my Top Ten Favorite Films of All Time. Sure, Pacino may be a stretch for being Cuban however the film is done so well you forget about that idea. Brigante enters as a flawd character trying to do the straight and narrow – invest on a friend’s car sales business in the Florida Keys. As he tries redeeming himself to society and keeping out of jail he finds himself dragged back into the thick of it: his best friend/lawyer Kleinfeld (who has now turned into a gangster himself) not only enlists him to help dispose of some guys yet also offers him to the D.A. on trumped-up drug charges. His second-in-command at the club he winds up owning sells him out to another up-and-coming gangster, Benny Blanco (Leguizamo). The girlfriend he broke up with 6 years ago is dancing at a high-end strip club (surprise!) and they get back together. For everything he’s trying to do right by not doing anything at all everything goes wrong. Call it fatalism.
I’ve enjoyed De Palma’s work: “Carrie,” “Dressed to Kill,” “Blow Out,” “Scarface,” “The Untouchables,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Femme Fatale,” etc. While being more of a “modern Hitchcock,” De Palma crafts interesting moments of drama and action while sneaking in the style (except for “Dressed to Kill,” which is pretty much a Hitchcock film in its own right). In the case of “Carlito’s Way,” as Penn’s Kleinfeld becomes more and more coke-addled/insane, the camera takes on more and more “Dutch angles.” De Palma also goes the extra mile and does 360-degree movement around the characters while doing Dutch angles (I don’t know of any other instance of this) thus heightening paranoia. Also of note: the scene where Kleinman is going to Riker’s Island Barge and the camera pulls back as he’s walking alone is a very Hitchcockian shot.
From it’s one-liners (“Favor’s gonna kill you faster than a bullet,” “You think you’re big time? You’re gonna fuckin’ die, big time!”) to the shots to the script (David Koepp) to its actors, “Carlito’s Way” is a helluva movie all-around and not just my favorite De Palma but one of my faves overall.
Starring Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Henry Wilcoxon, and Ian Keith.
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
The Short, Short Version:
This historical romance has Queen Cleopatra (Colbert) kidnapped and left in the middle of the desert along with her assistant. While Caesar (William) sits plots out his capture of Egypt Cleopatra manages to outwit her captor and cozy up to Caesar. This relationship proves fatal as 1) Caesar is already married to Culpernia and 2) No one in Rome likes Cleopatra. Failing to heed the Ides of March Caesar is assassinated and Cleopatra takes the only vehicle she has back to Egypt. Marc Antony (Wilcoxon), pissed off at Cleopatra as well, takes his legions into Egypt dead set on killing Cleopatra. Cleopatra placates to Antony and he, in turn, falls in love with her. Octavius (Keith) uses this relationship to turn Rome against Antony.
Why This Made the 40:
The second of the categories this came from the “Haven’t Watched” one. Believe it or not I have a few movies I found interesting by the packaging or historical context and as such, collected them; this was one.
This movie is about as compact as a black and white epic can get. 100 minutes may sound short however DeMille wastes no time in movie. Each scene “ramps up” to the next scene and gets bigger and better as it goes along. Claudia Colbert seethes sex and allure as Cleopatra and she knows how to play her cards and really, this movie is a showcase for her. William and Wilcoxon do fine jobs with their characters as much as they were written but again, this movie wasn’t about Caesar or Marc Antony so much as Cleopatra. As a female protagonist movie it navigates the sensibilities of the time fairly well.
Secondly, it’s a DeMille movie. From 1914 to 1956 he directed 80 films, most notably, “The Ten Commandments.” His sense for epic grandeur is in no short supply here – from the rooms of Egypt to Cleopatra’s trireme it’s about space and glory and opulence. The musical number on Cleopatra’s ship is the greatest example of it with the camera slowly pulling-back to show Marc Antony at the head of the ship as if on a stage while on the floor below are dancers and hoops on fire and even further back synchronous rowing and at the back one guy pounding on a giant drum. All in one shot. THAT is directing.
Like “Key Largo,” the coup-de-grace scene is expertly edited; tight and never short of action. Once Egypt and Antony take on Rome there’s a sequence that shows triremes ramming into each other, soldiers falling into the water (complete with underwater shots), Roman legions versus Egyptian legions, sword-fighting – everything one could ask for in a spectacular fight scene. You can also notice small bits of actors in front of a backlit projected image but those are interspersed with the other action shots so as not to interfere with the “suspension of disbelief,” which in my opinion was an incredibly smart move.
Did I enjoy it? Yeah. Equal mix history, romance, and action movie on an epic scale in 100 minutes is a feat for its time and altogether a decent movie. Sure, there are a few hokey instances such as Caesar playing with a device that’s supposed to thrust spears into the enemy (made from a cash register) and a giant door with a metal locking mechanism, but really these are just “of the time” issues; they happen every generation. Give it a spin if you get a chance.
Here I sit in a coffeeshop a month and some change from the point of no return – turning 40. With that in mind I’m doing Forty for 40 – 40 movies over 40 days leading up to my birthday. I’ve spent the past week culling through my collection of nearly 1000 movies on DVD and Blu-Ray to figure out which ones I would watch. Some have cinematic meaning. Some have personal meaning. Some were based on my favorite by that director. Some I haven’t even completely watched or seen yet. Any way the plan is to watch the movie and provide a little bit of review, trivia, and why I picked the film. You’ll have to check out the page to find out which one(s) I chose. While I’m not going to disclose the list, here are the movies I had to choose from. Enjoy.
12 Angry Men (1957)
The 13th Warrior (1999)
16 Blocks (2006)
2 Days in the Valley (1996)
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
21 Grams (2003)
28 Days Later… (2002)
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
3:10 to Yuma (1957)
300 (2006)
The 39 Steps (1935)
50/50 (2011)
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
9 (2009)
Adaptation. (2002)
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
The Adventures of Bob and Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew (1983)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)
The African Queen (1951)
Airplane! (1980)
Akira (1988)
Alien (1979)
Alien 2: Aliens (1986)
Alien 3 (1992)
Alien 4: Alien Resurrection (1997)
All the President’s Men (1976)
Almost Famous (2000)
Altered States (1980)
Amelie <Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain> (2001)
The American (2010)
American Beauty (1999)
American Gangster (2007)
American History X (1998)
American Hustle (2013)
American Psycho (2000)
American Sniper (2014)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
The Amityville Horror (1979)
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Anchorman: Wake-Up Ron Burgundy (2004)
Angel Heart (1987)
Annabelle (2014)
Antz (1998)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Argo (2012)
Arlington Road (1999)
The Arrival (1996)
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)
The Artist (2011)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
The Atomic Cafe (1982)
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)
Attack the Block (2011)
Austin Powers 1: International Man of Mystery (1997)
Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Austin Powers 3: Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
Avatar (2009)
The Avengers (2012)
The Aviator (2004)
Back to the Future (1985)
Back to the Future 2 (1989)
Back to the Future 3 (1990)
Bad Lieutenant (1992)
Bananas (1971)
The Bank Job (2008)
Barb Wire (1996)
Barbarella (1968)
Basic Instinct (1992)
Batman (1989)
Batman 1: Batman Begins (2005)
Batman 2: The Dark Knight (2008)
Batman 3: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Batman: The Movie (1966)
*batteries not included (1987)
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
Battle Royale <Batoru rowaiaru> (2000)
Bedazzled (2000)
Beetle Juice (1988)
Before Midnight (2013)
Before Sunrise (1995)
Before Sunset (2004)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Below Zero (2011)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Beowulf (2007)
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
The Big Chill (1983)
The Big Hit (1998)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Big Red One (1980)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
The Birds (1963)
Birthday Girl (2001)
Black Dynamite (2009)
Black Hawk Down (2001)
The Black Hole (1979)
Black Snake Moan (2006)
Blade (1998)
Blade Runner (1982)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Blood Diamond (2006)
Blood Simple (1984)
Blow (2001)
Blow Out (1981)
Blue Valentine (2010)
The Blues Brothers (1980)
The Boat <Das Boot> (1981)
Body Heat (1981)
The Bone Collector (1999)
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Born Yesterday (1950)
Bound (1996)
Bourne 1: The Bourne Identity (2002)
Bourne 2: The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Bourne 3: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Bowfinger (1999)
Braindead (1992)
Brave (2012)
Braveheart (1995)
Brazil (1985)
Breakdown (1997)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Broken Embraces <Los abrazos rotos> (2009)
The Brothers Bloom (2008)
The Brothers McMullen (1995)
Bruce Almighty (2003)
Bugsy (1991)
Bull Durham (1988)
Bullitt (1968)
Burn After Reading (2008)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Cabin Boy (1994)
Caddyshack (1980)
Cape Fear (1991)
Cape Fear (1962)
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
Captain America 1: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Captain America 3: Civil War (2016)
Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1974)
Carlito’s Way (1993)
Carrie (1976)
Casablanca (1942)
Casino (1995)
Casino Royale (2006)
Casino Royale (1967)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
The Center of the World (2001)
The Change-Up (2011)
Changeling (2008)
Changing Lanes (2002)
Chappie (2015)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Charlie’s Angels (2000)
Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
Chasing Amy (1997)
Child’s Play (1988)
Children of Men (2006)
Chinatown (1974)
Chloé (2009)
Christine (1983)
The Chronicles of Narnia 1: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
The Chronicles of Narnia 2: Prince Caspian (2008)
The Chronicles of Narnia 3: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
Citizen Kane (1941)
City of God <Cidade de Deus> (2002)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Cleopatra (1963)
Cleopatra (1934)
Clerks (1994)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Closer (2004)
Cloud Atlas (2012)
Collatéral (2004)
The Color Purple (1985)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
The Conjuring (2013)
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Constantine (2005)
The Conversation (1974)
The Convincer (2011)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Countess Dracula (1971)
CQ (2001)
Crash (2004)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Creepshow (1982)
Crimson Peak (2015)
Crimson Tide (1995)
Critters (1986)
The Crow (1994)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Cyrus (2010)
Dances with Wolves (1990)
Dark City (1998)
Darkman (1990)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
The Day of the Jackal (1973)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The Dead Girl (2006)
Dead Man (1995)
Deadpool (2016)
Death Proof (2007)
Deep Impact (1998)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Deliverance (1972)
The Departed (2006)
Derailed (2005)
The Descendants (2011)
Despicable Me (2010)
Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Diabolique <Les diaboliques> (1955)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
The Dictator (2012)
Die Another Day (2002)
Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Dirty Harry (1971)
Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Dirty Work (1998)
District 9 (2009)
Django Unchained (2012)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Dogma (1999)
Don Jon (2013)
Donnie Brasco (1997)
Donnie Darko (2001)
The Doors (1991)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Down Periscope (1996)
Dr. No (1962)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Dracula (1992)
Dracula (1931)
Dracula 2000 (2000)
Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Dragnet (1987)
Dressed to Kill (1980)
Drive (2011)
Duel (1971)
Dune (1984)
Duplicity (2009)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
East of Eden (1955)
Eastern Promises (2007)
Easy A (2010)
Easy Rider (1969)
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
Elevator to the Gallows <Ascenseur pour l’échafaud> (1958)
Elizabethtown (2005)
Elysium (2013)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Enemy of the State (1998)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Entrapment (1999)
Escape from New York (1981)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Europa Report (2013)
Event Horizon (1997)
Everything Must Go (2010)
The Evil Dead (1981)
The Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
The Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness (1992)
Ex Machina (2015)
The Exorcist (1973)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
Falling Down (1993)
The Fantastic Planet <La planète sauvage> (1973)
Fargo (1996)
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
A Few Good Men (1992)
The Fifth Element (1997)
Fight Club (1999)
Final Destination (2000)
Finding Nemo (2003)
First Snow (2006)
The Fisher King (1991)
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Flash Gordon (1980)
The Fly (1986)
The Fog (1980)
Following (1998)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Forrest Gump (1994)
The Fourth Kind (2009)
Frailty (2001)
Frankenstein (1931)
Freejack (1992)
The French Connection (1971)
French Connection 2 (1975)
Frequency (2000)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Frost/Nixon (2008)
The Fugitive (1993)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
The Full Monty (1997)
Galaxy Quest (1999)
The Game (1997)
Gandhi (1982)
Gangs of New York (2002)
Garden State (2004)
Gattaca (1997)
The Gauntlet (1977)
Get Carter (1971)
Get Shorty (1995)
Get the Gringo (2012)
The Getaway (1972)
Gettysburg (1993)
The Ghost Writer (2010)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
The Girl Next Door (2007)
The Girl Next Door (2004)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Gladiator (2000)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Glory (1989)
Go (1999)
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather Part 2 (1974)
The Godfather Part 3 (1990)
Godzilla (2014)
Godzilla (1998)
Godzilla <Gojira> (1954)
GoldenEye (1995)
Goldfinger (1964)
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Gone Girl (2014)
Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
Gone in Sixty Seconds 2: The Junkman (1982)
A Good Life <La Dolce Vita> (1960)
Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Goodfellas (1990)
Gosford Park (2001)
The Graduate (1967)
Gran Torino (2008)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Grand Prix (1966)
Gravity (2013)
The Great Escape (1963)
The Green Mile (1999)
Green Zone (2010)
Gremlins (1984)
The Grey (2011)
The Grifters (1990)
Grindhouse (2007)
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Halloween (1978)
Hamburger Hill (1987)
Hang ‘Em High (1968)
The Hangover (2009)
Hard Candy (2005)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
Harry Brown (2009)
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Heat (1995)
Heavy Metal (1981)
Hell’s Angels (1930)
Hellboy (2004)
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008)
Hero <Ying xiong> (2002)
High Anxiety (1977)
High Fidelity (2000)
High Noon (1952)
High Plains Drifter (1973)
Highlander (1986)
His Girl Friday (1940)
History of the World: Part 1 (1981)
A History of Violence (2005)
The Hobbit (1977)
The Hobbit 1: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
The Hobbit 3: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Horns (2013)
The Horseman (2008)
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Hot Shots! (1991)
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
How the West Was Won (1962)
The Hunger Games (2012)
The Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire (2013)
The Hunger Games 3: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)
The Hunger Games 3: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
The Hunter (1980)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
The Hustler (1961)
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
I, Robot (2004)
Ice Station Zebra (1968)
Identity (2003)
Identity Thief (2013)
The Ides of March (2011)
In Cold Blood (1967)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Inception (2010)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Independence Day (1996)
Indiana Jones 1: the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones 2: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Indiana Jones 3: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Indiana Jones 4: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Inherent Vice (2014)
Inside Man (2006)
Insomnia (2002)
Insomnia (1997)
Instinct (1999)
The Interpreter (2005)
Interstellar (2014)
Into the Wild (2007)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
The Invisible Man (1933)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)
Island of Lost Souls (1932)
It Came from Outer Space (1953)
It Follows (2014)
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
The Italian Job (2003)
J.F.K. (1991)
The Jackal (1997)
Jackie Brown (1997)
Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
Jade (1995)
Jaws (1975)
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Journey to the Center of Time (1967)
Juno (2007)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park 4: Jurassic World (2015)
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Key Largo (1948)
Kick-Ass (2010)
Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
The Killers (1964)
The Killers (1946)
The Killing (1956)
King Kong (2005)
King Kong (1933)
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Kingpin (1996)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
Knowing (2009)
Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance (1982)
Kung Fu (2004)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Labyrinth (1986)
The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
Lake Placid (1999)
Lantana (2001)
The Last Action Hero (1993)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
The Last Castle (2001)
The Last House on the Left (1972)
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Last Man Standing (1996)
The Last Samurai (2003)
Lawless (2012)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Laws of Attraction (2004)
A League of Their Own (1992)
Leatherheads (2008)
Legend (1985)
The Legend of Hell House (1973)
The Lego Movie (2014)
Léon: The Professional <Léon> (1994)
Let Me In (2010)
Licence to Kill (1989)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
Life of Brian (1979)
The Life of David Gale (2003)
Limitless (2011)
Lincoln (2012)
Little Caesar (1931)
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Little Nicky (2000)
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Live and Let Die (1973)
The Lives of Others <Das Leben der Anderen> (2006)
The Living Daylights (1987)
Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Logan’s Run (1976)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Looper (2012)
The Lord of the Rings 1: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Lord of the Rings 2: The Two Towers (2002)
The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King (2003)
Lord of War (2005)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Love and Other Drugs (2010)
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
Lust, Caution <Se, jie> (2007)
M (1931)
MacGruber (2010)
Machete (2010)
Machete Kills (2013)
The Machinist <El maquinista> (2004)
Mad Max (1979)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Mad Max 4: Fury Road (2015)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Major Dundee (1965)
Maleficent (2014)
Mallrats (1995)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Maltese Falcon (1931)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Man on Fire (2004)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
The Man with No Name 1: A Fistful of Dollars <Per un pugno di dollari> (1964)
The Man with No Name 2: For a Few Dollars More <Per qualche dollaro in più> (1965)
The Man with No Name 3: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly <Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo> (1966)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Manhunter (1986)
Marathon Man (1976)
El mariachi (1992)
El Mariachi 2: Desperado (1995)
El Mariachi 3: Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
Married Life (2007)
Mars Attacks! (1996)
The Martian (2015)
The Mask (1994)
The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Master of the Flying Guillotine <Du bi quan wang da po xue di zi> (1976)
The Matador (2005)
The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix 2: Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The Matrix 3: Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)
Me, Myself and Irene (2000)
Mean Streets (1973)
Memento (2000)
Men in Black (1997)
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
Metropolis (1927)
Michael Clayton (2007)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Millennium 1: the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo <Män som hatar kvinnor> (2009)
Millennium 2: the Girl Who Played with Fire <Flickan som lekte med elden> (2009)
Millennium 3: the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest <Luftslottet som sprängdes> (2009)
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
Minority Report (2002)
Misery (1990)
Mission: Impossible (1996)
The Mist (2007)
The Monster Squad (1987)
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Moon (2009)
Moonraker (1979)
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)
Mr. Baseball (1992)
Mr. Brooks (2007)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Mud (2012)
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
The Mummy (1999)
The Mummy (1932)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Muppets (2011)
Muppets from Space (1999)
Must Love Dogs (2005)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Mystery Men (1999)
The Naked City (1948)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Naqoyqatsi: Life as War (2002)
Narc (2002)
Natural Born Killers (1994)
Never Let Me Go (2010)
Never So Few (1959)
Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist (2008)
Night and the City (1950)
The Night Comes Too Soon (1948)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Night Watch <Nochnoy dozor> (2004)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Nikita (1990)
Nine (2009)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Nomads (1986)
North by Northwest (1959)
Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror <Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens> (1922)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Octopussy (1983)
Odd Man Out (1947)
Office Space (1999)
The Omen (1976)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Once (2006)
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Once Upon a Time in the West <C’era una volta il West> (1968)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Open Your Eyes <Abre los ojos> (1997)
The Osterman Weekend (1983)
The Other Guys (2010)
The Others (2001)
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
The Panic Room (2002)
Papillon (1973)
Paranormal Activity (2007)
Parker (2013)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Patton (1970)
Paul (2011)
Payback (1999)
Paycheck (2003)
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Permanent Midnight (1998)
Pet Sematary (1989)
The Petrified Forest (1936)
Phantom of the Opera (1943)
Pink Floyd The Wall (1982)
Pirates of the Caribbean 1: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Planet Terror (2007)
Platoon (1986)
Playing God (1997)
Poison Ivy (1992)
Poltergeist (1982)
Poor White Trash (2000)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Powwaqatsi: Life in Transformation <Powaqqatsi> (1988)
Predestination (2014)
The Presidio (1988)
The Prestige (2006)
Priceless <Hors de prix> (2006)
Primal Fear (1996)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Prometheus (2012)
The Proposition (2005)
Psycho (1960)
Public Enemies (2009)
The Public Enemy (1931)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The Punisher (1989)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Pushing Tin (1999)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Raging Bull (1980)
Rain Man (1988)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Ran (1985)
Rango (2011)
Re-Animator (1985)
Rear Window (1954)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
RED (2010)
RED 2 (2013)
Reign of Fire (2002)
Reindeer Games (2000)
The Replacement Killers (1998)
Repulsion (1965)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Retroactive (1997)
The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976)
Rififi <Du rififi chez les hommes> (1955)
The Right Stuff (1983)
The Ring (2002)
Rio Bravo (1959)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Risky Business (1983)
The Road (2009)
Road to Perdition (2002)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
RoboCop (1987)
Rock Star (2001)
RocknRolla (2008)
Rocky (1976)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Roger and Me (1989)
Roger Dodger (2002)
Romper Stomper (1992)
Ronin (1998)
The Rookie (2002)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Rounders (1998)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Run Lola Run <Lola rennt> (1998)
Run Silent Run Deep (1958)
Runaway Jury (2003)
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
The Saint (1997)
Satan Met a Lady (1936)
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Saw (2004)
Say Anything… (1989)
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Scanners (1981)
Scarface (1983)
Scarlet Street (1945)
Scary Movie (2000)
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Schindler’s List (1993)
The School of Rock (2003)
Scrooged (1988)
The Searchers (1956)
Seconds (1966)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Secretary (2002)
Serendipity (2001)
A Serious Man (2009)
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
Serpico (1973)
Session 9 (2001)
Seven (1995)
The Seven Samurai <Shichinin no samurai> (1954)
The Seventh Seal <Det sjunde inseglet> (1957)
The Seventh Sign (1988)
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)
Shallow Grave (1994)
Shanghai Noon (2000)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
She’s Out of My League (2010)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
The Shining (1980)
Sicario (2015)
Sicko (2007)
Sideways (2004)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Silent Movie (1976)
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Sin City (2005)
Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Skyfall (2012)
Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)
Sling Blade (1996)
Small Soldiers (1998)
Smokin’ Aces (2006)
Snatch (2000)
Sneakers (1992)
The Social Network (2010)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Something Wild (1986)
Sorcerer (1977)
Sound City (2013)
Southland Tales (2006)
Spaceballs (1987)
Spartacus (1960)
Spectre (2015)
Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Spy Game (2001)
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek 1: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek 8: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek 9: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek: Beyond (2016)
Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars Episode 5: Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars Episode 6: Return of The Jedi (1983)
Star Wars: Episode 7 – The Force Awakens (2015)
Stardust (2007)
Stargate (1994)
Stay Tuned (1992)
The Sting (1973)
Stir of Echoes (1999)
Stoker (2013)
Strange Days (1995)
The Stranger (1946)
Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Straw Dogs (1971)
Stripes (1981)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Sunshine (2007)
Super 8 (2011)
Super Troopers (2001)
Superbad (2007)
Superman (1978)
Superman 2 (1980)
Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)
Superman 3 (1983)
Superman 4: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Superman Returns (2006)
Swingers (1996)
Switch (1991)
Syriana (2005)
The Tailor of Panama (2001)
Take the Money and Run (1969)
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Tales from the Crypt (1972)
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Tango and Cash (1989)
Tank (1984)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Teen Wolf (1985)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
The Terminator (1984)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
That Thing You Do! (1996)
There’s Something About Mary (1998)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
They Live (1988)
Thief (1981)
The Thing (1982)
Things to Come (1936)
The Third Man (1949)
Thirteen Days (2000)
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
¡Three Amigos! (1986)
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Three Kings (1999)
Thumb Wars (1999)
Thunderball (1965)
THX 1138 (1971)
Time Bandits (1981)
Time Lapse (2014)
Titan A.E. (2000)
To Be or Not to Be (1983)
To Catch a Thief (1955)
To Die For (1995)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Tom Horn (1980)
Tommy (1975)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Top Gun (1986)
Top Secret! (1984)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Total Recall (2012)
Total Recall (1990)
Touch of Evil (1958)
The Tourist (2010)
The Town (2010)
Traffic (2000)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (1971)
Trainspotting (1996)
Trance (2013)
The Transporter (2002)
Transsiberian (2008)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The Tree of Life (2011)
The Trial <Le procès> (1962)
TRON (1982)
TRON: Legacy (2010)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
True Grit (2010)
True Grit (1969)
True Romance (1993)
Truth or Consequences, N.M. (1997)
The Twelve Chairs (1970)
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Twister (1996)
Two Weeks Notice (2002)
UHF (1989)
Unfaithful (2002)
Unforgiven (1992)
Universal Soldier (1992)
The Untouchables (1987)
Up (2009)
Up in the Air (2009)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
V for Vendetta (2005)
V.I. Warshawski (1991)
Vacation (1983)
The Vampire Lovers (1970)
The Vanishing <Spoorloos> (1988)
Vanishing Point (1971)
The Vault of Horror (1973)
Vertigo (1958)
Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)
Vidéodrome (1983)
A View to a Kill (1985)
Virtuosity (1995)
Wag the Dog (1997)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)
Walk the Line (2005)
Wall-E (2008)
Wall Street (1987)
War, Inc. (2008)
WarGames (1983)
Watchmen (2009)
The Way of the Gun (2000)
Wayne’s World (1992)
We’re the Millers (2013)
Wedding Crashers (2005)
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Weird Science (1985)
Westworld (1973)
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
White Heat (1949)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
The Wicker Man (1973)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Wild Things (1998)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Wolf (1994)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music (1970)
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
The World’s End (2013)
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
The Wrestler (2008)
The X Files: Fight the Future (1998)
The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008)
X-Men 5: First Class (2011)
X-Men 6: Days of Future Past (2014)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
You’re Next (2011)
You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Young and Innocent (1937)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Zodiac (2007)
Zombieland (2009)
Starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, and Crispin Glover. Directed by Tim Burton. Based on the books “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll.
NOTE: I watched this in Disney Digital 3-D.
I’ve never been a big “Alice in Wonderland” fan. I know the gist of the story: girl follows a white rabbit into a hole and enters a strange land inhabited by the translucent Cheshire Cat, the insane Mad Hatter, befuddled twins Tweedledee and Tweedledum, March Hare, blue hookah-smoking Absolem the caterpillar, and the Queen of Hearts with the signature phrase: “Off with their heads!” That’s as much as I remember.
As of late there has been a lot of discussion about Alice’s adventures and whether or not it was really kid story material. Granted the initial novel was written over a hundred years ago, and yes times have changed, but what was the story about? The current consensus is that it’s a weird tale of a girl running into even weirder characters, moving from event to event. Tim Burton saw this challenge and decided to give his own spin and story structure to Carroll’s famous characters.
When this tale begins, Alice is four years old and confesses to her father that she’s been having a weird dream filled with these various characters. Her father reassures her that even though she may be mad/bonkers/off of her head, some of the best are a little mad.
It’s now fifteen years later and Alice’s father has recently passed. Alice (Wasikowska) is now nineteen years of age and being taken by her mother (unknowingly) to an engagement party. Hamish Ascot (Leo Bill) is a red-headed Lord with digestive problems who plans to propose to Alice. Everyone at the party knows that he plans on asking for her hand in marriage at the gazebo. Hamish has title and money and in interest of those times, Alice would be a fool not to accept. Her only other option is to wait and end up like her Aunt Imogene (Frances de la Tour), a woman physically in account but mentally in her own world, forever waiting for her prince to come. Standing at the gazebo, Hamish on his knees proposing, Alice is emotionally overwhelmed and runs away, chasing after the white rabbit and falling into a hole.
After getting past the “cake makes you bigger, potion makes you smalle” debacle, Alice enters Wonderland and finds a weird wasteland that unfolds. She’s escorted by the chubby, dimwitted twins Tweedledee and Tweedledum (voiced by Matt Lucas) and the White Rabbit (voiced by Michael Sheen) to Absolem, a blue caterpillar smoking a hookah. The White Rabbit swears that she’s the correct Alice and Absolem replies that she’s not quite Alice yet. The Oraculum,” a scroll detailing the chronological history of all events regarding Alice, is produced and Alice is foretold to be the one who will save Underland by slaying the Jabberwocky, the Red Queen’s dragon.
Meanwhile, we meet the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), a small tyrant with a giant, heart-shaped head of red that has a moat filled with the heads of the beheaded including her husband, the former King. The Knave (Crispin Glover) is her right-hand man. He’s incredibly tall with a scar across his face and a heart-shaped eye patch that changes from black to red. After retrieving the Oraculum, he commissions a bloodhound named Bayard (voiced by Timothy Spall) to find Alice. Alice must evade the Knave and slay the Jabberwocky, along the way befriending the Mad Hatter (Depp), March Hare (voiced by Paul Whitehouse), and Mallymkun the Dormouse (voiced by Barbara Windsor). She must also get the Vorpal Sword and conquer the dragon, Jabberwocky.
But the real question is: does it live up to the hype?
If not for the fact that this is based on books whose characters have permeated pop culture history (“White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane, anyone), probably not. If not for the fact that Johnny Depp is in it, probably not. If not for the fact that Tim Burton directed it, probably not. If one were to take out any of these three crucial elements, the film would’ve suffered. All three, and no one would have bothered to go see it.
Which brings me to say that as it lays, “Alice in Wonderland” is a good movie. Not great, but good enough. There’s a solid structure to the story going on which plays as either a parable or an allegory; you be the judge. The characters Alice meets in Underland are abstract caricatures of those back in the real world and just like the real world, Underland is forcing Alice to grow up; no more living life on her own terms of what she does or doesn’t want to do.
As noted in the title, the Queen of Hearts (Helena Bonham Carter) really sets this movie moreso than Depp. Depp is an interestingly complex Mad Hatter, sure enough, but this film really rests on the tyranny of the Queen of Hearts and in that department, Carter delivers. The Queen is more of a brat than a bitch per se which makes sense in Alice’s world.
On a filmmaking level this movie probably harkens more to “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” There is a level of kid-friendliness to it, mixed with Burton’s grasp of visual desolation, but underneath it all is a heroine who needs to come to bat in order to save the world/grow up. On a visual level it’s not “Avatar” nor is it meant to be, but Burton does a well-enough job mixing live action green-screen technology and CG characters.
One problem I had with the film was The White Queen (Hathaway). Imagine if Arwen from “Lord of the Rings” danced around prim and proper and was shot with a creme-colored filter. I have heard that the White Queen was supposed to be as mad as the Red Queen but not show it, and that’s acceptable, but the character just didn’t work for me; she seemed to belong more to Middle Earth.
The other problem I had with the film was in the final act, and there are two: first, the Mad Hatter is supposed to do a dance better than anyone else. He does a funky jig (infused with some hip hop music) that just looks too goofy for any seriousness. Then again, I might be taking it too seriously. The second problem is that attention is diverted from Alice trying to slay the dragon to the battle between the White and Red Queen’s armies. This was unneeded, seeing as the movie was about Alice learning to grow up and take responsibility as opposed to two sides waiting eternally for some prophetic day when both will battle for sole control of wherever.
One final note: my favorite character was the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry). Great, cool character that was well done.
TRIVIA: Christopher Lee does the voice of the Jabberwocky. And for those who didn’t know, Lewis Carroll wrote that, too.
Starring Benecio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving. Directed by Joe Johnston
If I were thirteen years old, this would be the awesomest werewolf movie ever made. But, I’m not and it isn’t.
The time and place: late nineteenth century England. Gwen Conliffe (Blunt) is writing a letter to her brother-in-law, Lawrence Talbot (del Toro). Her husband Ben, Lawrence’s brother, was mauled by something in the forest late one night. The police aren’t sure who or what did it and the speculation (this being post-Jack the Ripper) is that it was some sort of madman. However, giant claw marks and the fact that only half his body were recovered from a ditch suggest a “werewolf.” With no real leads and the fact that you just can’t get a “werewolf” lineup down at the station it’s all just hearsay and rumor, but everyone is pretty sure it was a werewolf.
Lawrence arrives at his boyhood home, a giant castle that he was initially sent away from. He was sent abroad to New York City and studied theater, his last production being “Hamlet.” With the murder of his brother shrouded in mystery, he plans on getting to the bottom of what really happened. He’s greeted by his father Sir John (Hopkins), a man who he doesn’t so much despise as feels detached from. Sir John has a dog as well as a servant named Singh (Art Malik). We find out later that he sent Lawrence to an asylum for a year before sending him abroad to America. If my own father did that to me I would never speak to him again.
Upon meeting Gwen again we realize the two have something between them. Yes, she’s his sister-in-law currently living on his creepy father’s residence but they have feelings for each other, or else why did she bother writing him? Not really sure on that one, but now is not the time to question story or plot.
Lawrence finds that his brother was a liaison between the gypsies and the townspeople. He heads to the camp to find out more info when suddenly it’s attacked by a fierce, malevolent creature (or, a werewolf). Shots are fired, people run around, there’s a lot of bloodletting and amputees… Going into the fog-filled forest Lawrence is attacked but saved by the main gypsy woman who knows that he’ll eventually become a werewolf. Maybe she took the Hippocratic Oath…
He’s sent back home and wakes up days later after having some intense CG-filled dreams (and one that questions how his mother had died). He had some claw marks left on his neck but other than that, he checks out alright. His father has shifty eyes and a smile that seem not to make any sense, or at least gives the idea that there’s more to what’s going on than he’s letting on.
Scotland Yard Investigator Abberline (Weaving) comes to question Lawrence but doesn’t get that much more info. It’s not so much that he suspects Lawrence but seeing as how the rest of the town despises Sir John and consider his family cursed Abberline just wants the facts.
To hit the fast-forward button and save you some cash, Lawrence is in fact a werewolf who was bitten by his father. Lawrence goes to get revenge, a giant melee ensues, the father is killed, and Gwen puts a silver bullet through his heart. The end.
This is the type of movie you show to others and say, “See? This is where Hollywood went wrong.” Having watched so many movies within 10 minutes I know where most movies go off the track. The problem with “The Wolfman,” is that, like “Transformers 2,” you’re not sure that it was on the track to begin with. Hell, after 10 minutes I wanted to go home and pop Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula” into my Blu-ray player and watch that. But, I digress.
Where did this movie go wrong? I think part of it lies in the fact that -supposedly- it was staying close to the original source material. Unfortunately movies made in 1941 are not movies made in 2010. Secondly, for a film taking place in England Hopkins, Blunt, and del Toro do NOT have any type of accent. In fact, del Toro -painfully- delivers an accent that sounds so ambiguously straight-forward that NO person talks that way. Third, Hopkins looks as if he’s channeling the spirit of Montgomery Burns (“The Simpsons”) in the way that he’s eyes constantly shift (or maybe that’s him making sure that the producers are signing his paychecks). Last, there’s a love scene so stilted I could almost hear George Lucas say, “See? The scene from ‘Episode 3′ was better than THAT!” Honestly, I can’t remember what point in the movie I stopped caring about what was going on but it just made it THAT much longer…
Blame the horrible writing (was it a direct translation?) Blame del Tor’s accent. Blame Hopkins’ character. Blame the CG effects and plastic prop-looking set design. Hell, just blame Joe Johnston.
I cannot recommend this movie. While not horrible, I wouldn’t bother watching it on cable or even as an in-flight movie. I wouldn’t even recommend downloading it illegally.
Welcome to Remake Radar, where we take on Hollywood’s penchant for remaking films for better or worse (which is most of the time). This month’s movie:
“The Crazies” (1973)
Stars: W.G. McMillan, Lane Caroll, and Harold Wayne Jones
Director: George A. Romero
Story: A military plane carrying a dangerous bio-weapon crashes outside the small town of Evans City, Pennsylvania. Troops and scientists are dispatched to contain the area. Meanwhile, the biological agent infects the town’s water supply causing death and permanent insanity to the residents. When the troops show up, all hell breaks loose.
What do we know now?: Pretty much the same plot. Tim Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, and Joe Anderson star. Breck Eisner is directing.
Welcome to Remake Radar, where we take on Hollywood’s penchant for remaking films for better or worse (which is most of the time). This month’s movie:
“Bad Lieutenant” (1992)
Stars: Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, and Frankie Thorn
Director: Abel Ferrara
Story: Harvey Keitel plays the main character, a guy who is as much a criminal as a cop. Buried under gambling debt and looking for the next score, he ends up helping out a nun (Thorn) and reflecting on his life, searching for forgiveness.
What do we know now?: Werner Herzog has taken the reins on this one, subbing in Nic Cage for Keitel and relocating from NYC to Bayou country. Cage is investigating the killing of five Senegalese immigrants. Eva Mendes (who was with cage in “Ghost Rider”) shows up in this one as well. Also starring is Val Kilmer, Fairuza Balk, and Brad Dourif.
Chas Andrews' Movie Blog 