Tag Archives: 1970’s

#248- Manhattan

Quick recap: Isaac (played by Woody Allen) is in love with his best friend’s mistress, a 17 year old girl and New York City.

Photography By Brian Hamill

Photography By Brian Hamill

Fun (?) fact: This is Woody Allen’s least favorite film, which is a very Woody Allen thing to admit.

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My thoughts: I didn’t think it was possible to loathe every character and still overall enjoy the film, but that’s Manhattan for you. My inner monologue while watching: ‘oh my god, these people are insufferable! Are they trying to be charming, because I just hate them more if so,’ followed by ‘I want to buy a plane ticket to New York City right away and walk around the city listening to Gershwin and maybe take in a few classic films.’ It was a roller coaster of emotions, let me tell you.

I think of myself as a rather open, nonjudgemental person but I just couldn’t get past the creepiness of Woody Allen’s character falling for a 17 year old. And not just any 17 year old, but one that actually looks 17, if not a little younger. Audiences loved this movie, but I’m curious if this was seen as something romantic or if other people cringed too. The other woman Isaac was in love with, played by Diane Keaton, is a step up in the age department but her character seemed too strong of a woman to enter into any relationship. The two of them fit much better than Tracy, the 17 year old, but both were so opinionated that there weren’t many ‘awwww’ moments. And anyway, in the end, Isaac went back to Tracy and begged her not to go to London and I went back to being weirded out all over again.

It sounds like the movie is awful, but it really isn’t and that’s why I’m so conflicted. What I did love was the way Allan captured New York and I loved Gershwin and I especially loved all of the snappy dialogue. Almost every line was quotable and I’m sure I missed some of the humor, although I tried to keep up. And really, although the characters were all awful people, they were awful together and that’s all that really matters. How do you think the show Friends lasted for so long?

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Final review: 4/5, although if I watched it again, I might bump it up to a 5.

Up next: Bob Le Flambeur

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#244- The Last Wave

Quick recap: A lawyer, David Burton, defends 5 Aborigines accused of murdering a man. During the trial, Burton starts to have nightmares and premonitions that make him go insane.

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When the guy who can supposedly turn into an owl looks at you like you are crazy, it’s time to reevaluate things

Fun (?) fact: Much of the movie is about crazy weather in Sydney, and there were actual freak storms happening during production. The crew decided to film in Adelaide, though, and had to recreate all of the heavy rain when they could’ve just stayed in Sydney.

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Also, it’s apparently normal to walk around in Australia with a cowboy hat on and no shirt.

My thoughts: I don’t lean one way or the other when it comes to procedural dramas. I’ve watched my fair share, but I’ve never read a John Grisham novel or seen a full episode of Law and Order. I thought The Last Wave would be similar to what I’m familiar with- a feel good story about wronged individuals, where we all learn a bit about ourselves in the process. I also don’t know much about the Aboriginal people, so I figured at the very least I would be educated a bit. A big fat NOPE this movie was. It was way more creepy than I thought it would be and took many dark turns I would never have imagined.

The movie starts with a really creepy sequence where it starts hailing in the middle of nowhere. There are children at a school and one of them gets hit in the head by the falling ice and the whole thing really unnerved me. It rains throughout the movie, but also frogs and petroleum fall out of the sky too. There were several scenes that freaked me out but for some reason, it was the weather I couldn’t stop thinking about. The premonitions were pretty creepy as well, especially one where one of the men is just standing in the house holding a rock dripping with blood.

I’m not really sure where the trial of the men fit into the story and I’m even more unsure of what happened at the end of the movie. Burton tries to prove that these Aborigines are ‘tribal’, meaning they follow ancient rituals and customs. His whole theory is that the man who died, died from a curse rather than being beaten to death. Yeah, the jury didn’t buy that either. But then it turns out that these men ARE actually tribal and have a sacred place in the sewage system, which is a little weird, tbh. Burton finds the place and then meets up with Charlie, who can turn into an owl. Charlie scares him and he kills Charlie with the same rock as in his dream! After murdering the guy, Burton wanders around the sewer for awhile, dropping tribal relics he stole in poop water. Dude is cursed upon cursed upon cursed at this point. He manages to find his way out and it takes him to the ocean where he either imagines a huge wave wiping out Sydney or there is an actual wave about to wipe out Sydney. A LAST WAVE, if you will.

Final review: 4/5. Much weirder than I expected but a bit ambiguous.

Up next: Foolish Wives

 

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#232- The Godfather

Thanks for the suggestion, Josh!

Quick recap: A charming, uplifting story about a close-knit Sicilian family.

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Extra fun fact: 90% of  Simpsons episodes are just a parody of The Godfather

Fun (?) fact: The cat held by Marlon Brando in the beginning of the film was just a stray he found on the lot. The cat, being a cat, purred so loudly that some of Brando’s lines weren’t able to be heard.

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My thoughts: I’m so relieved to finally be able to cross The Godfather off of my ‘Oh my god, Mary, you haven’t seen ______? What’s wrong with you?’ list.And I’m also glad that it will not be added to my ‘Oh my god, Mary you didn’t like _______? What’s WRONG with you?’ list.

So. The Godfather. There’s so much to love about this film, but I think the genius lies in having all these common family events- a wedding, an ill loved one, a wife getting blown up, a baptism- and portraying them through the eyes of the Mafia. It created this perfect juxtaposition where I, as the viewer could identify with all these scenes and yet also SO NOT identify with any of the scenes. I know people love this movie for all its badass violence (and believe me, there’s plenty of that), but there is also heart, which I found most surprising. The baptism scene is a perfect example of that and also maybe the greatest scene in film,period. On one hand, here is Michael, the new godfather, honoring his duties, and with each phrase the priest says, the other scene is of absolute slaughter. He’s the godfather and he’s also The Godfather. Perfection.

I’m not even going to go into the acting because of course it was superb and all that jazz, but I never really got used to Don Corleone, played by Marlon Brando. I blame two things for this: 1) I’ve seen so many parodies and tributes  of The Godfather that seeing the actual performance felt like a parody itself and 2) I haven’t forgiven Brando yet for One-Eyed Jacks. Nonetheless, it’s one of the greatest roles in film and I can’t imagine anyone else doing it.He too is a juxtaposition between this family man- playing with his grandson, giving his children advice- and also running one of the most dangerous crime syndicates in history. Don Corleone seemed so helpless after getting shot, yet he still managed to influence every decision just by his very presence. It’s one of the greatest roles in film, which I know I’m saying a lot, but come on, it’s The Godfather.

Final review: 5/5

Up next: possibly the Ghostbusters or Casablanca

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#216- A Woman Under the Influence

Quick recap: Mabel Longhetti is on the verge of a mental breakdown, but she’s probably not as insane as the other adults in her life.

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Generally how I feel about most things

Fun (?) fact: This movie made Richard Dreyfuss puke, or so he claims.

My thoughts: A Woman Under the Influence is one of those films I can say I appreciate, while in the same breath also vow to NEVER WATCH AGAIN. I embarrass easily, especially when watching other people act strange (wahjah), so watching this all the way through was excruciating. Not as excruciating as watching hours of fan made videos on Youtube about Slappy the Dummy from Goosebumps (courtesy of my 6 year old), but still pretty bad.

Gena Rowlands did a remarkable job playing Mabel, the main character, although I felt she was a little too dramatic at times. It’s never clear what she is suffering from and I really have no guesses. It was as if director John Cassavetes just opened up the DSM and picked out random symptoms from an assortment of mental illnesses. Mabel was at times manic, other times depressive, anxious and also had a thing with flirting with other men. She didn’t call it flirting though, just that she was a warm person.This gets her in trouble at the beginning of the movie when she goes to a bar and starts talking with a random guy, who later drives her home and assaults her.

The real heart of the movie is how the family copes with Mabel. Her husband Nick seems caring at first and fiercely protective. But he is also sort of the worst in that he continues to put her in situations that are inappropriate. I get that Mabel is a grown woman but her mental state is obviously unstable so maybe it’s not a good idea to keep alcohol around? And also probably not a good idea to throw her a huge party when she gets out of the mental hospital when she is clearly not better. And WHY did they have kids? When you look at it from these points, he almost seems like a villain, even though it is clear that he loves her.

When looking up reviews about this movie, many people point out that it’s actually a heartwarming tale of how unconventional families can still function and raise great kids. The three kids in the film do seem stable and the movie ends with them being tucked into bed with their parents kissing them goodnight and telling them how much they are loved. This is shortly after witnessing their mother have another nervous breakdown, cut herself, and then watch as their father hits her. They are fine now, but there is no guarantee that some damage is being done to everyone.

What I like most about the movie is that it has a happy ending on the surface, but there really is no resolution. Mabel is calm at the end of the film and her husband is happy, but it’s only fleeting. Everything will go back to normal eventually and then start to unravel again. The director didn’t feel the need to wrap up the story in order for the audience to feel good because that’s the reality many people with mental illness face everyday.

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Final review: 4/5. Please don’t make me sit through this ever again

Up next: The Color of Pomegranetes

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