Random Film Of The Week: Alphaville

Posted on August 2, 2012 by geelw

What with all the hype and such over the Total Recall remake plus a few other upcoming sci-fi flicks hitting theaters this year and next, I figured I’d also get in a recommendation of one of my ancient favorites from a great director. Granted, Alphaville: Une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution (Alphaville: A Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution) is going to be a film many younger readers (or those less well versed in cinema) will like or hate outright for its low-tech look and lovely black & white cinematography alone. On the other hand, those viewers willing to dive headfirst into Godard’s film should come up grinning afterwards.

In my own case, I didn’t truly appreciate it until about the third time I saw it. Actually, the movie made me (and still makes me) laugh a lot because it’s so offbeat, but each viewing revealed even more things about it to take away. The whole idea of taking a popular detective from the present day and dropping him into a “futuristic” setting without changing the film noir aesthetic one bit while using real locations around 1965 Paris in unique ways makes for a great film school lesson in minimalism. That said, the film is layered with meaning if you pay attention and maybe have a pot of coffee at the ready if you’re new to this sort of experience. Clever viewers won’t “need a drawing to get the picture” is all I’ll say here…

I won’t even over-detail the plot, as it’s pretty baffling if you try and dive too deep into things and assign meaning and clarity to it all. Basically, super agent Lemmy Caution needs to tackle a three-part objective by putting an end to a super computer overlord controlling a city where not being part of the program is a death sentence. along the way, Caution needs to track down a fellow agent gone missing and kill off the scientist who created the computer. Let’s just say things get REALLY odd, there’s a love interest, an interrogation, a joke-dispensing vending machine, a slow-motion fistfight and a truly weird finale that manages to wrap things up pretty nicely.

I’d also say that next to the brilliance that is Breathless, this is probably the easiest of Godard’s films to get into, so if you’re flipping a coin between this and say, Week-End and Je vous salue, Marie, well, I’d go with this one first. Tracking down a copy on DVD may be a bit difficult, as The Criterion Collection version is currently out of print. However, if you live in an areas with an indie film store, you may find it there. That is, if there are any of those left. I guess the internet is actually more helpful than it usually is in this case, but don’t go blabbing that you went and pirated this or anything. You never know who’s listening and watching. Then again, you DO know… but let’s not give them any more ammunition to use against you in the future, OK?

Random Film Of The Week: (The) Hideous Sun Demon

Posted on July 24, 2012 by geelw

OK, this week’s selection was relegated to a simpler internet search after my usual “secret” selection method (flipping through a big movie encyclopedia or DVD catalog and randomly pointing at a title on whatever page I stopped on) left me with a few too many controversial choices (Targets, Joe and Badlands came up on the first three pages I dropped a finger on) that, while great movies worth seeing, aren’t exactly films I want to go over at this point. So, I’m substituting a favorite “B” movie that’s awful and hilarious with a nice left hook for you sun worshipers out there who can’t seem to catch enough rays.

Hell, it’s been hot enough these past few weeks that I should have added this flick about a month or so ago. Anyway, the plot about a scientist who ends up turning into quite a crispy-faced creature doing no good things to the general populace after radiation exposure is pretty far out there, but you can say that about most 50’s sci-fi and horror flicks. This one works for me because it tries to play as serious and even gets away with it for a bit, but you’ll be smirking along soon enough…

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Random Film Of The Week: Z

Posted on July 17, 2012 by geelw

“Any resemblance to real events, to persons dead or living, is not accidental. It is INTENTIONAL.”

Sure, today’s political climate here in the US is damned awful to the point of it better to have the country be run by a pack of brainy hamsters with suitcases, but at least we’re not quite in Costa-Gavras territory (er, well… outside of illegal detentions, torture and secret trials, but hey, let’s skip that for the moment). “Loosely” based on actual events, his 1969 film, Z was (and still is) a pretty powerful piece of movie history that’s essential viewing for anyone who thinks the political system here has gone too far off the rails. It has (and how, thanks to too many ill-educated, power-mad people allowed to run for, win and hold office without proper vetting), but things aren’t quite as horrific as they were in Greece around 1963. Although the film doesn’t set an exact time or place, that quote above is placed before things get rolling and if you’re a good enough student of history (or can use the Internet properly) it’s easy to figure out that this isn’t just your run of the mill thriller…

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Random Film Of The Week: A Face In The Crowd

Posted on July 4, 2012 by geelw

While most Americans will be remembering the late, great Andy Griffith from his lengthy stints on two hugely popular CBS TV shows The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock, (both in perpetual reruns somewhere around the country) I’ll always be more fond of his much more compelling movie debut, A Face In The Crowd.

In this classic 1957 Elia Kazan film (which was Griffith’s big-screen debut), his character of Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes explodes onto the scene in a still amazing performance that makes the movie even more enthralling to watch today. What makes the film so important is how precisely it nails Rhodes’ rise from vagrant jailbird to media superstar with his own national TV show (with help from a small town news reporter played by the great Patricia Neal) and later, his fall from fame’s grace are so compelling that for me, nearly all of Griffith’s later TV work pales in comparison.

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Random Film of the Week: Deadlier Than The Male

Posted on March 17, 2012 by geelw

(thanks, ohwhatamindblast!)

OK, I know I haven’t been keeping you guys and gals up to date in terms of this feature, but that’s what happens when one tries the world domination thing – you end up with too much stuff on your plate and some things get dropped. Speaking of world domination and dropping things, this fun to watch James Bond pastiche from 1967 happened to pop into my head as a film I haven’t seen in ages that’s worth tracking down. Sure, it’s not perfect, but it’s great for a laugh or three and some excellent set pieces keep things quite cool. Even better, in terms of all the Bond spoofs on that landed in theaters during the period, it’s one of the more polished efforts.

Granted, Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond is NOT a spy, but an updated version of the classic British detective for the swingin’ 60’s set and thus, sure as heck looks and feels like a fun Bond knockoff. Richard Johnson ably plays Drummond as a Bond not so lite tough guy insurance investigator (that’s longhand for detective for hire) who’s good with his fists, pistols, a snappy quip or two and the ladies (not necessarily in that order). He’s put on the case of a dead oil company executive and soon finds out that there are some sexy female assassins (the drop-dead gorgeous Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina) and a mastermind behind the whole thing to deal with in his particular (albeit Bond-like) manner…

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Random Film Of The Week: The Wages Of Fear

Posted on January 24, 2012 by geelw

(thanks, TrailersEmpire1!)

Still one of the most intense films I’ve seen, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 masterpiece will have you glued to the screen and peeling the fabric off whatever you’re sitting on as the movie puts its characters through sheer hell. Set somewhere in South America, the plot has four desperate men take on the challenge of driving two trucks packed with nitroglycerine through some hellish territory in order to help put out a massive oil well fire.

The film touches on a few political points in its (deservedly) negative portrayal of the American oil company that hires the drivers, some not so safe workplace practices and general employee exploitation. However, none of the major characters in the film are what you’d call “good” in terms of morality and motivation. They’re in it for the money and a way back to a better life they left that pushed them to this wretched corner of the globe. The film builds up so much tension that each perilous section of the long drive is practically the most terrifying as the danger increases thanks to all sorts of environmental and human created trouble. It’s practically guaranteed that you’ll forget to breathe at least three times during the more insane sections of the journey where the slightest mistake could send these men to their doom long before they reach their goal.

What works from start to finish are the oppressive atmosphere and fantastic performances by all the principals. Yves Montand and Charles Vanel absolutely steal the show as two of the drivers chosen to transport the volatile cargo to its destination. The deliberate pacing at the beginning is simply Clouzot slowly winding you up to a tight coiled spring that’s going to snap once things get rolling. There’s not a dull moment to be had here, although I’ll admit that Clouzot’s only error was the casting of his too-gorgeous wife, Vera as the local gal that falls for Montand’s character. Granted, she’s the best-looking person in the film, but she’s not portrayed all that well if you’re looking for a likable female character in a flick full of brutes. William Friedkin’s excellent (but not quite as spectacular) 1977 remake, Sorcerer, takes care of this with some more realistic casting for her part, but Clouzot’s cinematographer, Armand Thirard does some truly incredible work that’s still impressive in terms of lending a natural (and very deadly) feel to the environments.

There are some white-knuckle, nail-biting moments (if you can grip an armrest and bite your nails simultaneously, that is) that include a trip across a rotting wooden bridge, the truckers dealing with a huge boulder in their path and the sudden loss of part of their cargo and the aftermath. Oh yeah, that ending? It’s a total corker that may catch you off guard. OK, I’ll stop here as I don’t want to spoil anything more and heck, you need to go watch this as soon as you can. Don’t forget to grab a friend who hasn’t seen this and prepare for a wild ride you’ll want to recommend to as many people as possible. Back next week with another recommendation – watch this space (well, after you go watch the film)…