Tag Archives: thriller

#178- Shadow of a Doubt

Quick recap: Young Charlie (named before it was cool to call girls Charlie) loves her Uncle Charlie.That is, until she suspects he might be a serial killer. Which he totally is.

Just an uncle and his niece, embracing intimately

Just an uncle and his niece, embracing intimately

Fun (?) fact: The tune Young Charlie gets stuck in her head in the beginning of the film is the ‘Merry Widow Waltz’, a reference to her serial killer uncle. It’s supposed to have been a big clue as to whether or not Uncle Charlie is guilty, but as I’m not so up to date on my waltzes, I missed it.

Still Uncle Charlie and Young Charlie. Nothing weird going on at all.

Still Uncle Charlie and Young Charlie. Nothing weird going on at all.

My thoughts: Shadow of a Doubt was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a fact that at first surprised me and after watching, made perfect sense. Before starting this list, Hitchcock was synonymous with ‘horror’ to me, and I wasn’t entirely impressed by either Psycho or The Birds. But as I have since discovered through Frenzy and North by Northwest, he is also adept at thrillers and I have now learned, Film Noir. Hitchcock has said on several occasions that this was his favorite movie, and it’s pretty easy to see why.

For starters, I think the cast is what really makes this film so enjoyable. Joseph Cotten played the part of Uncle Charlie perfectly, making him a terrifying killer by the end of the movie. Young Charlie (played by Teresa Wright) was also wonderful, with her ability to be naive as well as the most wise in the family. My favorite characters, though, were Young Charlie’s dad and his friend, Herb. The two men had a hobby of coming up with ways to kill each other, which was as disturbing as it was comical.In one scene, Herb asks Charlie’s father if he tasted anything funny in the tea that was served earlier. The father admitted that it did taste funny, to which Herb replied that he had added soda, but it could’ve just as easily been poison. It almost seemed like something David Lynch might do, creating these characters who only talk of gruesome ways to murder the other and still manage to stay good friends.

The one drawback of the film is the actual mystery. It’s clear from the very beginning that Uncle Charlie is a murderer, so it really became more of a question of how he would be caught. The last quarter of the movie dealt with him trying to kill Young Charlie, since she knew too much, which became more comical than it should’ve been. Uncle Charlie was sinister and played his part well, but his constant attempts to murder his niece reminded me of Wil E. Coyote always trying to catch the Roadrunner and instead being outsmarted in some way.

Uncle Charlie giving his niece a ring, full of familial love

Uncle Charlie giving his niece a ring, full of familial love

Final review: 4/5. Depending on your perspective, Shadow of a Doubt is a near perfect satire about suburban life (the entire town falls in love with Uncle Charlie, never stopping to question all the weird stuff he does).

Up next: Diary of a Country Priest

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#153- Straw Dogs

Quick recap: An American and his English wife move back to her childhood town where everyone is out to get them. It’s seriously messed up.

Thankfully, the movie and song aren't related. *shout out to the two of you who get this!*

What does it take to be a super hero in my world?/make no mistake that these villains always get the girl/we can escape and then we’d skate away from all of this/ but no one ever does

Fun(?) fact: Dustin Hoffman says he only took the role for the money. Not being a fan of violence (most people aren’t, buddy), in the scene where Hoffman beats a guy to death on the floor, he instead used coconuts to hit. You can see bits of it flying around in the movie during that scene.

at times, Hoffman reminded me of a much darker Ted Mosby. Now THAT would've been a more controversial ending to HIMYM

at times, Hoffman reminded me of a much darker Ted Mosby. Now THAT would’ve been a more controversial ending to HIMYM

My thoughts: Oh, boy. At first glance, this is just a very violent movie. When I finished it the other night, I was ready to give it a 1/5 because it made me so uncomfortable. The more I thought about it, though, the more Straw Dogs began to remind me of A Clockwork Orange, another seemingly senseless violent movie that actually has a deeper meaning.

So, first of all, I suppose I should start with the concept of a ‘straw dog’. Straw dogs were ceremonial objects in Ancient China, but the reference in this film comes from an old text that says, ‘Heaven and Earth are heartless / treating creatures like straw dogs’. So I guess that would make the characters David and Amy the straw dogs? Honestly, the whole thing is beyond my ability of thinking. What I got from the movie is that violence is not always personal, it just happens and as David showed in the end, violence is in all of us. What a fun lesson!

The beginning of Straw Dogs confused me because the editing was so weird. It would jump to David and Amy about to have sex and then in the very next scene, she is crying in his office after he has said something to hurt her feelings. It made everything seem so turned around and off-putting, which is exactly what director Sam Peckinpah wanted the viewer to feel. And as for that rape scene most people know this movie by, I think it’s vitally important to discuss, since it has become a controversial issue lately. Rape has always seemed black and white to me but then in watching Straw Dogs, I get the grey line- what if a woman consents at first, sends mixed signals, or appears to enjoy herself? It’s still rape and there is still a crime being committed, yet some people feel that it legitimizes it in some way, as if there is only one kind of rape to be had.

Final review: 4/5, but grudgingly. Also, there’s a dead cat so I’m not giving it a full 5.

Up next: The House is Black

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#125- Jaws

Quick recap: killer shark. (I think that might be my quickest recap yet!)

funny-jaws-posters

Fun (?) fact: Like most movie blockbusters, there are a million facts to dig through. My favorite fact is that originally the movie had a different director. During a meeting with the producers, the director referred to the shark as a whale and was promptly fired. First rule of movie making: know the differences between basic sea animals.

a most unfortunate photobomb

a most unfortunate photobomb

My thoughts: I’ve never understood the appeal of Jaws.  I watched the movie as a kid when I was in a horror movie phase and it didn’t scare me at all. In fact, even as an 8 or 9 year old I saw the whole thing as cheesy. Sharks, especially the Great White, are actually cautious fish and don’t go out of their way to murder people. I think Jaws underwhelmed me mostly  because it is a situation specific film. Afraid of sharks? Don’t get in the ocean. Problem solved. And as I grew up, I wore my love of the ocean as a badge of honor. While everyone bemoaned their silly shark attack fears, I bravely went into the waters and swam to my heart’s content. I may be afraid of a number of things but a shark ain’t one of them.

After watching Jaws in the theater the other night, I finally realized the main reason it had never scared me as a kid: I’ve never seen it before. All this time what I had remembered watching was actually Jaws II or III, which are decidedly more campy and awful films. The movie I watched as an adult is horrifying. Seriously horrifying, and not the kind where you say you are scared because that’s what everyone says. Legit horrifying. I even had NIGHTMARES about the shark that night. which is a pretty rare feat these days. My idea earlier that this is a situation specific film isn’t even true now that I’ve seen the actual thing. Jaws is scary not because of the killer shark because once you get a look at him, it’s just a big fish. The scariest scenes are the people in the water unable to see what is about to happen to them.

Jaws is the perfect mix of funny, drama and horror. It was like a roller coaster of emotions, sitting through the movie. I totally screamed when Ben Gardner’s decapitated head surfaced in his boat. Legit terror, I’m telling you. Also, Alex Kintner’s death was as realistic as you can get in a killer shark movie and the scene where the mother discovers that her son didn’t get out of the water was really hard to watch.

I could go on and on about how much I loved this movie but I won’t because apparently I’m the only one who has never seen Jaws up until now. I can’t believe what I was missing out on. Qfcsg1

Final review: 5/5. Completely deserves all your love and adoration so carry on.

Up next: The Thief of Bagdad

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#121- Persona

Quick recap: Netflix told me that this was a story about a nurse who cares for an actress who is unable to speak anymore. The two move to a summer cottage so that the actress can recuperate and in the process, the two women form a bond. Nice try, Netflix, but you aren’t tricking me that easily.

Netflix also neglected to tell me about the giant spider I would have to encounter in the opening.

Netflix also neglected to tell me about the giant spider I would have to encounter in the opening.

Fun (?) fact: The opening sequence features among other things, a cartoon shown upside down, A GIANT SPIDER, a lamb being slaughtered and Jesus crucified. It was all very weird and unsettling to me,but it turns out all the images reference other Ingmar Bergman films.

My thoughts: This is my second Bergman film, which pushes me ever closer to the line of pretentiousness. Not too close however, because I can’t understand a damn thing from either movie without spending a couple of hours researching what the hell I just watched. It makes me feel like I’m back in high school, looking up the meaning of almost every line in a Shakespeare play on Sparknotes and being so proud of myself for finally getting it. And then a minute later regret overcomes me and the whole piece of work has been cheapened just a little.

Just like Winter Light,  I loved how stylized and simple everything is. The film was shot in black in white and the characters also wear dark and light clothing. Watching the two converse (the actress couldn’t talk so it was just the nurse talking) was like watching a play where the focus is on nothing else but the characters. In some ways it made the film easier to identify with but in other ways, it just made everything seem significant. Why was Elisabet perched on that rock? What does that rock stand for? Alma cuts her left wrist, not her right. What could it mean???

The idea of Persona is an interesting one. It certainly drew me in more than Winter Light did. In the beginning of the film Alma is seen as the stronger of the two since Elisabet is unable to speak or do much. As the two become closer at the summer cottage, Alma starts to divulge some dark secrets, including an abortion she had after sex with a couple of underage boys. It’s at this point that Elisabet becomes the sane one. After a night of drinking, Alma observes how much alike she and Elisabet are, which references the title of the film and the idea that we see ourselves in others, but not always in the best way. The most mind blowing scene is when Alma confronts Elisabet about her past and a son that was born after failed abortion attempts. Elisabet’s face becomes more and more pained as Alma continues and then in one shot, it appears as if the women’s faces have merged together.The story could easily be Alma’s.  The realization horrifies her as she can truly see who she is and so Alma is finally able to escape.

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Final review: 4/5. I can see myself watching this again, this time paying more attention to detail.

Up next: The Burmese Harp

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