Tag Archives: drama

#253-12 Angry Men

Quick recap: 12 guys ( some angrier than others) must decide whether a kid murdered his father.

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Fun (?) fact: To increase tension, the first third of the movie is shot above eye level, the second eye level, and the third below eye level.

My thoughts: Although I hadn’t seen 12 Angry Men until a few nights back, the movie ran through my mind constantly when I sat on a jury a few years ago. More than anything else, I was terrified I would end up in the Henry Fonda role and have to defend my verdict against everyone else. I know some people are born into that role, but I’m definitely not. Luckily, the trial was about hazardous waste that leaked out of some expensive bags so I didn’t have to decide whether or not someone was murdered.

Cinema-wise (totally a word. Shut up.), this movie is amazing, maybe even one of the best. The acting is phenomenal, which it has to be because people talking is the only action that takes place. On the surface, it sounds like the most boring premise ever- two hours of men deliberating. But director Sidney Lumet managed to pull out off so well that even though I knew the ending, I was still on the edge of my seat.The camera angles mentioned above really brought out the claustrophobia and by the climax  it felt like the walls were moving in on everyone.

12 Angry Men is lauded as the perfect movie to showcase that the justice system can work. But to me, it was terrifying to imagine how many juries are without a Henry Fonda.And how, even though there were some very angry men, most of them were at least a little open to hearing the opposite side. It’s a nice fantasy, but real life is much more messy. I try to be somewhat optimistic about humanity, but nothing squashes that quicker than sitting in a pool of jurors and listening to person after person give bullshit excuses as to why they can’t serve. I know that’s the whole point of jury selection, to actually choose people who will listen and make a good judgement, but it’s disheartening to know how many people don’t take the responsibility seriously. On an even more terrifying aside, it occurred to me halfway through the film that what if the kid was actually guilty and Henry Fonda is about to convince a group of people to let a murderer free? It goes both ways, I suppose.

Final review: 4/5. It was a little schmaltzy at times, but overall very well done and about as exciting as 12 men arguing can get.

Up next: The Jerk

 

 

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#250- The Crying Game

Quick recap: A man befriends a soldier, Jody, who he is holding hostage. After Jody dies, Fergus starts up a relationship with the dead man’s girlfriend. Yes, this is the movie with the surprise penis.

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The only other movie I remember seeing with Forest Whitaker is Last King of Scotland. This was definitely a departure.

Fun (?) fact: In his review of the film, Richard Corliss gave away the twist by spelling out ‘she is a he’, using the first letter of each paragraph.

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WHY ARE THEY WALKING BACKWARDS IN THIS GIF?

My thoughts: Holy trainwreck, Batman! This was a mess of a movie, and I don’t mean it in the ‘hot mess’ way. This was just straight up messy. I knew about the ‘twist’ before watching so I was expecting some controversy. What I didn’t know was just how many issues this film tried to deal with. Here is a (very) incomplete list:

  • racism
  • the Irish Liberation Army
  • being transgender vs crossdressing
  • homosexuality
  • grief over the loss of a loved one
  • surviving a bad hairstyle

I don’t have a problem with an issue oriented film, but it just felt like it was being pulled in too many directions. The reveal of Dil being a man was actually the least complicated part of the whole movie. I still don’t really get what was going on between her and Fergus because he literally threw up when he saw her undressed but then continued to see her. I guess it’s sweet that he cared for her? But he also still cringed when he had to kiss her, so I don’t know.

It was very obvious to me that Dil was a man and although it was supposed to be tragic, I found myself laughing  when Fergus went back to the bar they met at and realized everyone was in drag.

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The best part of the movie was, of course, Jim Broadbent. He had a small role as bartender but he was wonderful. I loved that he took care of Dil and wanted to protect her. I also loved the scene where he was singing along to one of the songs because it reminded me of Moulin Rouge. Then again, almost everything reminds me of Moulin Rouge so maybe it wasn’t so special, after all.

Final review: 2/5. Just a mess all over.

Up next: The Awful Truth

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#249- Bob le Flambeur

Quick recap: Bob, a gambler, is almost broke- you guessed it- from gambling. Instead of bowing out gracefully, he decides to plan a heist to rob a casino.

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Fun (?) fact: Stanley Kubrick once said that he gave up doing crime films because of Bob le Flambeur.

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My thoughts: When I think of the genre ‘crime film’, I picture a bunch of hot guys in suits being all clever and flirty and through sometimes bumbling efforts, somehow end up pulling off the heist. Bob le Flambuer invented all that. Being French, however there is an undercurrent of sadness and a lingering feeling that even if the robbery does go through, it won’t change anything for anyone, so why bother, really?

So, this isn’t the most fun crime film I’ve watched, but it was definitely interesting to see such an American concept integrated with something so quintessentially European (in case you are keeping count, I’m pretty sure that’s the most pretentious thing I’ve written on this blog yet). The beginning of the film, as Bob describes Montemarté, reminded me so much of Lola or Cleo From 5 to 7. That makes sense because director Jean Melville is considered the father of French New Wave films. I loved the scenes with Bob interacting with his friends. He seemed so suave, it’s no wonder even the police loved him. Yet, there was this lingering sadness to him that I also liked. He wanted to pull off the heist, but not as a ‘screw you’ to society. Instead, he was doing it as a last ditch effort to find happiness.

The planning of the heist, including the gathering of the team, bored me the most. I couldn’t keep up with all of the men and their roles and it was clear to me early on that this wouldn’t end well. Bob, however, shouldered on, against everyone’s advice. I admire that, though. His insatiable urge to come out on top shielded him from logic, which is a very French thing to do. The end of the movie drew me back in, as Bob’s luck changed inside the casino. He was finally winning the hands and by the end, had won so much money that he completely forgot about the heist going on downstairs. The police were there, though, and by the time Bob remembered, he too had been rounded up and handcuffed. Being Bob, he managed to stay on top one last time as the casino staff shoveled in the massive amounts of money he had won. It was a very smart ending, to show Bob succeeding in the only way he truly cared about.

Final review: 4/5

Up next: The Crying Game

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#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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