#11-The Thin Man

Quick Recap: Clyde Wynant, eccentric inventor, has disappeared. His friend Nick Charles, world famous detective,and wife Nora take on the case to help solve the mystery. While searching for Wynant, his lover/secretary is murdered. Wynant becomes suspect number 1 and it is up to Charles to clear his name and find the real killer. There’s also a cute dog. A ridiculously cute dog.

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I don’t like dogs, but this one won me over

Fun(?)Fact: This movie was so popular that it inspired a series of movies centered around Nick and Nora Charles, as well as a radio broadcast and tv show.

My thoughts: In writing about this movie, I think it’s important for me to separate my thoughts into two parts. The first part is the actual mystery of Clyde Wynant. I was mildly interested in who the real murderer was, and I did enjoy the few twists and turns. I especially liked the end of the movie when Charles hosts a dinner party for all of the suspects so that he can reveal the true killer. It was a little over the top, but then again, this is 1930’s cinema.

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Every classic movie needs a spinning newspaper montage

So, mystery aside, the real fun in this movie came from the banter between detective husband and wife, Nick and Nora Charles. I genuinely laughed at their exchanges and I was surprised by how strong their chemistry was together. Nick treated Nora as an equal and as a true friend. It was easy to see how much they loved each other, but also how much they respected and enjoyed each other. The character of Nick Charles is especially interesting. The creation of a brilliant, smart ass detective has been run into the ground. Yet, in this context, it’s refreshing and sincere. In most of the scenes, Charles is drinking heavily, to the point one wonders about his alcoholism. He sobers up immediately once he realizes something about the case and it’s amazing to see such a quick transition.

Final review: 2/5. I wouldn’t watch this again. Nick and Nora were charming and the dog was damn cute, but the mystery was meh. It was interesting the watch the beginning of the detective genre take off, but I wouldn’t want to sit through it again.

Where I watched it: Netflix DVD

Up Next: North by Northwest

 

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#10-Rushmore

Quick recap- This is the story of Max Fischer, an eccentric teenager, who falls in love with a first grade teacher at his prep school. Fischer is involved in practically every extra curricular activity at his school and that hasn’t helped him academically. Once he meets Rosemary Cross,  the teacher, he becomes obsessed. He is also befriended by Herman Blume, an industrialist, who tries to convince Max that Cross isn’t worth it, only later to fall in love with her himself. Fischer is eventually expelled from the school and finds out about Cross and Blume’s relationship. Things get quirky as Blume and Fischer fight each other, but in the end Max stays Max and everyone appreciates his quirkiness even more after watching a performance of a play he had written. All is well.

Fun (?) fact- Rushmore was filmed in Houston. I figured it out part way through the movie because I recognized the METRO busses.

My thoughts: Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors, so I went into this with high expectations. The first film I saw from his career, The Royal Tenenbaums, is one of my all-time favorite movies. I’m not here to critique all of his work, but I will say that while watching Rushmore, his trademarks seemed even more glaring.

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It bothered me to suddenly become annoyed by these director traits that make me love Anderson in the first place. After the movie, I came to the conclusion that the issue is not Anderson, but myself. I have watched his films out of order. If anything, I should be annoyed by Moonrise Kingdom, not Rushmore. This film was at the very beginning of his career and it is wonderful, in its own way. I was simultaneously annoyed by/adored Max Fischer. He completely won me over by then end. The music also added to the general enjoyment of the movie.

Final review: 5/5. If you haven’t seen anything of Anderson’s yet, don’t start with Moonrise Kingdom. Start here or better yet, go start with Bottle Rocket because I hear it is even better. Watching Rushmore is watching a play of eccentric characters with heart and I love it.

Where I watched it: Netflix DVD

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#9-A Clockwork Orange

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one more Simpsons joke I finally understand

Before I begin my review, I have decided to work on this project in a different way. Instead of going chronologically, I’ll be using a random number generator to decide for me what my next movie will be. I do this for two reasons: First of all, I stopped updating this because I was too bogged down in silent movies and it was killing my momentum. Secondly, an Alamo Drafthouse just opened up by my house and I want the chance to watch these movies on the big screen while they are available. Now back to the review……

Quick recap: Alex is a young hoodlum, who spends nights with his friends, raping and pillaging. He takes it too far one night and MURDERS A WOMAN WITH A PHALLIC PIECE OF ART. He is sent to prison and after a couple of years is chosen by the prime minister for a new kind of treatment. In one of the most recognized scenes in recent movie history, Alex is made to watch hours of violent and sexual films with his eyes stuck open until it makes him physically ill. One of the movies has the soundtrack of Beethoven, Alex’s favorite musician. After watching the film, however, he hates the sound. He is released two weeks later, unable to cope with the outside world. Even his parents are slow to welcome him back, having already rented his room out. Dejected, Alex walks outside and meets up with a man who he had previously terrorized. The man attacks him and the police arrive. Alex’s relief is short lived when he sees that the officers were two of his best friends when they were in a gang. They take Alex to the country where they beat him and hold his head under water. Having nowhere else to go, he is drawn to a house that he later realizes is one that he had terrorized earlier. The writer that lives there doesn’t recognize him right off and and kindly offers to help him recuperate at his house. While Alex is in the bath, the writer calls his friends with a plan to use him as a symbol of government corruption. As he hangs up, he hears Alex humming ‘Singing in the Rain’, and realizes that this is the same boy who tortured him and raped his wife. In an act of revenge, he locks Alex in his room and plays Beethoven loudly until he jumps out of the window to commit suicide. Alex survives though, and as he regains consciousness, seems to be back to ‘normal’. The prime minister visits him and tries to smooth things over,knowing how bad the whole scene looks to the public. He and Alex reach an agreement.

Fun(?) fact: During the scene where Alex’s eyes were pried open, Malcom McDowell scratched a cornea and was temporarily blind.

My Thoughts: When I asked my husband if this would be a movie I would want to see, he responded that it was ‘rapey and ultra-violent’. And that it was! But at the same time, I don’t see how the story could be told any other way. Alex’s character was disgusting in so many ways and yet he drew me in.

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I love the smirk!

He was awful and yet I wanted him to ‘recover’, even if it meant more violence. I was especially taken aback by how funny parts of the film were. The final scene of the prime minister feeding Alex was hilarious! In the end, I was most surprised with the message of the film. This was a society that bred evilness and when it got out of hand, squashed it in the most inhumane way possible. It’s a message I’m going to have to think on.

Final review: 5/5. I’m sure I will run into movies that I will wonder how they were considered ‘classics’ in the first place, but this one is a no brainer. Go see it.

Where I watched it: at the Alamo Draft House Vintage Park. By far the BEST place to go for movies.

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#8- Way Down East

Quick Recap: A young country girl, Anna,  is sent to her cousin’s house and falls for a man named Sanderson. Sanderson seduces Anna and holds a mock wedding just so he can sleep with her. After discovering she is pregnant, Sanderson admits to the scam and leaves. Soon after, Anna’s mother dies and she eventually gives birth to a baby boy who dies in infancy. Anna is forced to find work after her landlord discovers she has no husband. She eventually finds work with a farming family who are very religious, but kind. It is revealed that Sanderson lives just a few houses down. Things are going well and Anna even begins to fall in love with David, the Squire’s son. Everything comes crashing down when the Squire finds out Anna had a child out of wedlock. She explains her side of the story and then runs away. Even though finding out she is not who he thought, David chases after her and dramatically rescues her from an icy river. All is forgiven and the two eventually marry.

Fun (?) Fact: The icy rescue scene at the end of the movie was done without special effects.

My Thoughts: I do my best not to read about the movie ahead of time so that I won’t form any opinions beforehand. So when I do have an idea, it is nice to know that it sometimes matches up with what is true. Take, for instance, the movie’s premise of a girl ruined by her mock marriage. The whole thing seemed incredibly outdated for 1920, until I later read that the movie is based on a very popular play from 1890. Of course Lillian Gish was wonderful, although I would love to see her play a villain just once instead of the innocent, everything-that-can-go-wrong-does-go-wrong character. Besides the outdated (for its time) plot, I was bored with the subplots of all the other couples falling in love. Apparently there is a revised version so maybe some of this is taken out? I guess I do appreciate the lightheartedness that was put into some of the scenes. I can imagine young couples going on a date to see this movie because it is essentially a romance. I don’t know who in their right mind would bring a date to Birth of a Nation or even Intolerance,  so good for Griffith for branching out a little. The ice rescue scene at the end was pretty amazing and just shows how talented Griffith was.

Final Review: 2/5. Once again, this is my personal opinion in the movie and not necessarily what someone else might think. I am not a romance movie kind of girl so it wasn’t really my cup of tea. I much preferred Intolerance but I would rather watch this than Broken Blossoms. I’m still drinking because of that one.

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