Tag Archives: 4/5

#112- Ashes and Diamonds

Quick recap: Maciek Chelmicki is a Polish assassin who has never had any problem killing anyone. No problem that is, until he falls in love.

He's more James Dean than James Dean was

He’s more James Dean than James Dean was

Fun (?) fact: One of Martin Scorsese’s favorite films. He showed it to Leonardo DiCaprio while filming The Departed so that DiCaprio would see another character with the same struggles that he had.

My thoughts: I’ve never been a big ‘war movie’ kind of person, especially not the ones centered around World War II,  because there are SO many out there already. My opinion has started to shift a little lately, thanks to this list. I’m still not too keen on America centered war movies but I find ones from other countries like The Ascent or Rome, Open City to be fascinating, perspective wise. Ashes and Diamonds is a great example of this kind of thing because I have never really thought about what Poland had to go through after the war. Warsaw was in almost complete ruin during WWII and that’s about all I know, so it didn’t occur to me that someone would have to deal with the consequences of a broken country, one that was so fragile after conflict.

Apparently, before France started making ‘artsy’ movies, Poland was considered to be one of the best for that sort of thing. Ashes and Diamonds is a beautiful film. I liked that it wasn’t a straightforward action movie, even though the plot would have me believe otherwise. There were so many haunting parts, my favorite being Maciek and Krystyna strolling through the destroyed church. I loved the contrast between the couple falling in love in the midst of destruction. And just in case it wasn’t clear what was going on, the director threw in the couple coming upon the bodies of the two men Maciek had accidentally killed.

a great place for a first date!

a great place for a first date!

The real reason to watch Ashes and Diamonds is for Maciek Chelmicki. I loved him from the very first scene when he was laying down in the grass, casually waiting to carry out the assassination. He looked so badass in his colored shades and so above it all. He was the true James Dean of  Poland- laid back, a rebel, a guy with a story. I thought the idea of him falling in love so quickly was a little silly but it made sense in the context that Chelmicki had never considered the idea before and latched on so fiercely. The final scene as he realized he had been shot fatally and would never get to experience another way of life was heartbreaking, to say the least.

ashes_diamonds_rubbish_heap

FInal review: 4/5

Up next: Apocalypse Now

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#111- Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Quick recap: Set in Texas, a family of cannibalistic murderers hunt down a group of teens with-what else- a chainsaw.

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Fun (?) fact: Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface, had only one shirt to wear during the entire four weeks of filming. By the end, none of the cast wanted to sit or be near him because he smelled so bad. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was also shot in the summer in Texas, which to me is the most frightening part.

My thoughts: Like most Texans my age who grew up in a small town, I believed the  Texas Chainsaw Massacre to be fact.  This was pre-internet mind you, so if someone said it happened there was no way to dispute it one way or the other. Parents would say it didn’t happen but they weren’t too emphatic because after all, it’s a great cautionary tale about the perils of wandering off alone. I saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre when I was in middle school and found it to be pretty lame, as far as horror movies go. Cannibals are scary but a chainsaw carrying maniac just didn’t do it for me. So when it was time to revisit this movie again for the list, I figured that the best way to do so would be on the big screen.

As I settled into my seat, I looked around and saw a great mix of people: guys out with their girls on a date, groups of teens and a few sets of monster aficionados. The show was almost completely sold out and there was an energy buzzing around that made me glad I chose to watch the movie here. The first few minutes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre was much creepier than I remember, starting with a news report about bodies being dug up out of the cemetery and then images of bones and the sun through a harsh red light. Actually, the movie up until Leatherface was sufficiently scary. I really enjoyed the buildup, especially the whole scene with the hitch hiker. I’m not sure how someone outside of Texas would experience watching this movie but the fact that it was ‘local’ made it all the more creepier.

As for the con to the movie, the biggest is that I just wasn’t scared when Leatherface appeared. And actually, as the movie progressed I began to feel sorry for him more than fear him. I also may have cheered when he chainsawed Franklin (the guy in a wheelchair) because that guy was so annoying. It was for the best. The end of the movie with the entire family sitting down for dinner was my favorite, not because it was terrifying but because if you look past the fact that these were cannibals eating barbecued people, what you really had was a nice little family dynamic. Everyone was included, even Grandpa who was some sort of zombie vampire? Leatherface rose to the fancy occasion by donning a nice suit and makeup. Sure it ended with the entire family attempting to murder Sally but at least they bonded doing so.

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Final review: 4/5. If I want something scary I won’t choose this, but it’s still a very well made horror film and required viewing for any Texan.

Up next: Ashes and Diamonds

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#104- American Graffiti

Thanks Mom for the suggestion! You too (yes,you!) can suggest a movie for me to review by commenting on this blog post or emailing me at mabelsfa56@gmail.com Hurry now while supplies last!

Quick recap: A group of friends spend their last night cruising around town before heading off to college the next day. Shenanigans were had and life lessons were learned all around. A good time was had by all!

I'm not okay with these shenanigans, especially those done by 'Ronny' Howard

I’m not okay with these shenanigans, especially those done by ‘Ronny’ Howard

Fun (?) fact: The car from Two-Lane Blacktop  is driven by Bob Falfa at the end of the movie. American Graffiti was also shown as a double feature with The Sting when it was in theaters. I’m a little creeped out by all these connections between the movies I have just reviewed.

Also creeped out by Wolfman Jack

Also creeped out by Wolfman Jack

My thoughts: Despite (or maybe because of) watching several movies made in the 50s, I expected American Graffiti to be a little more ‘wholesome’ than what was actually shown. I wouldn’t consider this a drawback to the movie though, just a little surprising. Also doesn’t help that one of the stars is ‘Ronny Howard’. Really, Ronny? That’s the name you decided to go with to shed you of your wholesome image from The Andy Griffith Show? Nice try, buddy.

Without a doubt, this movie has one of the best soundtracks from those I have reviewed so far. There’s a nice selection of rock hits from The Beach Boys to Buddy Holly, an enjoyable time in American music before those damn Beatles had to come and ruin everything. I had only vaguely heard of Wolfman Jack before last night and what I pictured was nothing like what he ended up being. I had always assumed that pranking and ‘shock’ radio was a relatively modern invention but apparently not. I would’ve loved listening to Wolfman Jack back then, and it makes me a little nostalgic for djs like that nowadays. Podcasts have somewhat brought back the enjoyment of sitting and listening, but there aren’t too many djs out there like he was.

As for the actual movie, it all comes down to the fact that I didn’t really care for any of the characters. All of them were annoying in their own way and I didn’t really root for any of them, except maybe John, the tough guy with a heart of gold. All of the storylines were predictable, like the nerd finally getting the girl and Curt finally deciding to head to college. In the same respect, it is this predictability that makes this movie perfect for teens. I can very distinctly remember those last few days before heading to college several years ago, and all of the mixed emotions that went with it. All of my friends were attending different colleges than I was and it seemed terrifying to do something brand new. Steve (played by Ronny Howard) was the perfect example of all of the high school romances I knew and how important they seemed at the time.

What a bitchin' movie!

What a bitchin’ movie!

Final review: 4/5, but just barely. I hated the end when it was revealed that Milner died and The Toad was MIA. Total downer to a fun movie.

Up Next: The Golden Coach

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#103- Two-Lane Blacktop

Thanks to Andy (that guy I married) for suggesting this movie, although I’m a little disappointed it wasn’t literally about a road.

Quick recap: Two guys (called simply The Driver and The Mechanic) love to race cars. Like- REALLY love to race cars. There’s kind of a plot about a race to Washington DC with a rival car (G.T.O) but most of the movie is centered around the guys talking about cars, driving cars, or hitting on the hot hitchhiker they picked up (The Girl).

Whatcha thinking about? Oh,I dunno....car stuff, I guess.

Whatcha thinking about?
Oh,I dunno….car stuff, I guess.

Fun (?) fact: This was James Taylor’s and Dennis Wilson’s (of the Beach Boys) only acting performance.

My thoughts: One of my favorite activities the past few years has been to go out and drive around aimlessly for a few hours a couple of times a week. It relaxes me to no end sipping on a cup of coffee and listening to my music, not really caring where I end up. Two-Lane Blacktop captures aimless driving perfectly for me. The Driver and The Mechanic don’t need a reason to hit the road but they do because in their mind, what else is there to do?

It’s hard to put my finger on what I enjoyed so much about this movie, meaning I know EXACTLY why I enjoyed this movie so much: James Taylor and Dennis Wilson. I can’t say they did a superb acting job, unless you count staring as a sign of a great acting performance. If that were the case then they would win an Academy Award for sure. The thing is, Two-Lane Blacktop doesn’t call for much in the form of acting. The point of the movie is centered on a couple of guys who live and breathe cars. When they have to talk, which happens rarely, it is something technical about cars. The Mechanic is the more polite of the two, answering questions when The Girl decides to ride with them across the country, but of course he would be polite because he gets to answer questions about cars. The two seem telepathic at times, like when they stop for gas. The Driver gets what he needs and The Mechanic starts in on his job, fixing what needs to be done, all without saying a word. They never disagree or even ask each other’s opinion because they already know the answer.

G.T.O on the other hand, provides a great contrast to the Driver and The Mechanic. Although he has a very fast, flashy car, he knows next to nothing about it. When he meets up with the other two, he challenges them to a race across the country with the winner taking possession of both cars. For the most part, G.T.O stays focused on winning while the other two get off track several times. Either they know they would win anyway or they are just in the race because it means getting to be in the car even longer. At the end of the movie, everyone sort of forgets about the competition and stops to participate in a drag race.

My one issue with the movie was the ending, which just stops at some point while The Driver is in a drag race. It doesn’t bother me that there was no resolution to the plot about racing to Washington DC because even if there was a winner, The Driver and The Mechanic would’ve just continued on their way, although maybe with a different car. What bothered me was that I kept expecting the plot to build up to something and it didn’t. If I watched it again, I would know what to expect and just enjoy it.

Final review: 4/5. I’ve always thought that if I could choose a decade to live in, it would be the 60s but after watching Two-Lane Blacktop, I’m definitely meant for the 70s.

Up Next: American Graffiti, a movie about cars made in the 1970s. I’m starting to notice a trend here.

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