Category Archives: Drama

1955 Films, Comedy, Drama, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Drama, Summer, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films

Picnic-1955

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Picnic-1955

Director Joshua Logan

Starring William Holden, Kim Novak

Top 250 Films #81

Scott’s Review #550

Reviewed December 19, 2016

Grade: A-

Picnic is a classic 1955 film that is wonderful to watch over Labor Day weekend or anytime during the summer.

The film perfectly depicts summertime in a tiny town in Kansas. It is a slice-of-life story about life in middle America during the 1950s, despite its trials and tribulations.

William Holden stars as a “wrong side of the tracks” type of guy who arrives in a quiet Kansas town on Labor Day weekend, disrupting the town’s events and causing scandals for the townspeople.

He is a hunky former college football player and exudes sexuality.

He then falls in love with his best friend’s girlfriend, Madge Owens, played by Kim Novak. The chemistry between the two stars is the film’s main appeal.

The supporting cast makes this film unique (Arthur O’Connell and Rosalind Russell star as townspeople who are in a relationship of their own).

Picnic also features a gorgeous, lovely musical score, specifically “Theme from Picnic” and “Moonglow”.

It is shot on location in Kansas, mostly in and around Hutchinson, and is considered classic summer enjoyment.

Based on the Pulitzer-award-winning play.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Motion Picture, Best Director-Joshua Logan, Best Supporting Actor-Arthur O’Connell, Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Art Direction, Color (won), Best Film Editing (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: 1 win-Best Director-Joshua Logan (won)

1957 Films, Best International Picture-Golden Globe Winners, Cerebral, Drama, International, International Drama, Swedish, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films

Wild Strawberries-1957

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Wild Strawberries-1957

Director Ingmar Bergman

Starring Victor Sjostrom, Bibi Andersson

Top 250 Films #82

Scott’s Review #1,111

Reviewed February 10, 2021

Grade: A

A seventy-eight-year-old man (Victor Sjostrom) reflects on life, loss, and a million other emotions as he ponders his inevitable death in the Ingmar Bergman masterpiece Wild Strawberries (1957).

The film’s melancholy tone forces viewers to imagine themselves in the older man’s shoes and wonder how senior citizens view death.

One significant point is that it represents the geriatric demographic, which has traditionally been lacking in cinema.

It’s cerebral and reminds me of A Christmas Carol since an older man struggles over his forgotten and sometimes misbegotten youth.

Bergman creates genius on par with his most famous work, The Seventh Seal, also released in 1957. I’d list these two films as his very best and most inspiring.

Do older people fear death? Do they whimsically revisit their youth from time to time, or do they live with regret and unfulfilled desires?

My hunch is that it’s probably a bit of all.

Wild Strawberries made me think like the older man, and the effect was powerful. They made me worry about my death and relive my glory days.

Isak Borg (Sjostrom) begins to reflect on his life after he takes a road trip from his home in Stockholm to the distant town of Lund to receive a special award. Along the way, a string of encounters causes him to experience hallucinations that expose his insecurities and fears.

He realizes that his choices have rendered his life meaningless, or so he perceives it.

He is accompanied by his daughter-in-law Marianne (Ingrid Thulin), who doesn’t like Isak too much, is pregnant, and plans to leave her husband. They meet a trio of friendly hitchhikers led by Sara (Bibi Andersson), who reminds Isak of the love of his youth.

A bickering couple reminds him of his unhappy marriage, while his elderly mother reminds him of himself.

The best part is when the group stops at Isak’s childhood seaside home and imagines his sweetheart, Sara, with whom he remembered gathering strawberries but who instead married his brother.

Anyone who has returned to their childhood home or neighborhood can easily relate to the powerful memories. I pretended I was in Isak’s character, and several emotions occurred.

Sjostrom infuses a natural range of emotions. At first, crotchety and distant, I admired his sentimentality as he fondly recalls innocently picking strawberries on a summer day. How glorious and innocent it is to reminisce in a mundane yet monumental act.

Although he was an older man, he was once young. How quickly the years pass. I took this as a lesson to appreciate each day and experience. Sjostrom had me mesmerized.

Some find Izak unsympathetic. I found him incredibly likable.

Relationships are a strong element of Wild Strawberries. Izak muses over past loves, his mother, daughter-in-law, housekeeper, and hitchhikers. Peculiar is his relationship with his housekeeper, Agda, who is played stunningly well by Julian Kindahl.

Are they secret lovers or platonic friends? They seem like husband and wife.

While the story is astounding, the visual qualities of Wild Strawberries are exceptional.

The video content is crisp and clear, with very bright black-and-white photography. Each shot is mesmerizing and reminiscent of paintings.

There is so much going on in Wild Strawberries. The closest adjectives to describe the experience are hallucinogenic and mesmerizing.

The people gathered over a meal were young, fresh, and carefree. They all have lives ahead of them, and almost every viewer can recount a time when they felt that way.

It’s both nostalgic and sad to realize it doesn’t last, as Bergman makes so painfully evident.

The scene where Isak witnesses a hearse approaching is terrifying. When he realizes it is himself lying in the casket, it gives one a chill. The scene is creepy and powerful in tone and effect.

Wild Strawberries (1957) explores many facets of the human experience, including sorrow, joy, depression, acceptance, frustration, and fulfillment.

This is a work of genius and is highly recommended to anyone who appreciates excellent experiences in cinema.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Screenplay

Golden Globe Nominations: 1 win- Best Foreign Film-Foreign Language (won)

2019 Films, Comedy, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Los Angeles, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood-2019

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood-2019

Director Quentin Tarantino

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie

Top 250 Films #84

Scott’s Review #926

Reviewed August 1, 2019

Grade: A

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) is another brilliant offering by one of the most (deservedly) respected directors of the modern film era.

This film may be his most personal, as it includes many cinematic references and immerses itself in Hollywood life.

Toned down considerably from the violence standard in his other films, the first half lays the groundwork for a startlingly good second half, with every detail of utmost importance.

A bevy of riches awaits any viewer enthusiastically feasting their eyes on this film.

The time is 1969, as actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) struggles to reinvent himself and revitalize his career in Hollywood amid a changing cinematic landscape.

Famous for a popular western television series from the 1950s, Bounty Law, a pursued film career has not taken off, and he is reduced to guest appearances as the villain, then considered throwaway roles, in other episodic series.

His stunt double and best friend, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), accompanies him almost everywhere, serving as both sidekick and errand boy.

Meanwhile, famous director Roman Polanski and his wife, actress Sharon Tate (played by Argot Robbie), have moved into the house next door, which Dalton hopes will help him revitalize his career aspirations.

As Tate goes about her daily life of running errands and watching her movies in the theater, she is visited by Charles Manson one day, looking for the former resident of her house.

Historical viewers are familiar with the subsequent events that unfolded in real life, while Tarantino presents a fictional, tantalizing version of them.

The film’s length is two hours and thirty-nine minutes, quite robust but typical for a Tarantino production. Some may complain about the bloated running time, but the film never drags; instead, the director lays out all the pieces carefully like a fine chess game.

By the mid-point, all hell breaks loose with one of the most suspenseful and edge-of-your-seat scenes in film history. When Cliff drives a flirtatious young hippy hitchhiker, Pussycat (Margaret Qualley), to a range populated by Manson followers, he is in for the adventure of his life…..if he survives.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is an orgy of cinematic tidbits, featuring a myriad of clips from forgotten films of the late 1960s and popular songs from that era.

This is just the tip of the iceberg in greatness as Tarantino perfectly immerses the viewer into the time with fury and zest. Every set piece, costume, hairstyle, or car is flawlessly placed. Kraft macaroni and cheese, Velveeta cheese, and popular dog food from the period are featured.

Tarantino is a fan of cinema and makes cinema lovers fall in love with cinema all over again.

The cast is humongous, but each character is necessary and perfectly represented in both large and small roles.

The haunting troupe of Manson followers, specifically Tex Watson (Austin Butler), Squeaky Fromme (Dakota Fanning), and Susan Atkins (Mikey Madison), are all real-life figures. They are foreboding, dangerous, and crucial to the story.

Al Pacino shines in the small but pivotal role of Schwarz (not Schwartz), Dalton’s agent, while Steve McQueen’s look-alike, Damian Lewis, is memorable on-screen for merely seconds.

The list of cameo performances goes on and on and on, and the fun is wondering who may appear next.

Despite the incorporation of big-name stars in important minor roles, the best performances belong to DiCaprio and Pitt. DiCaprio’s best scene takes place alone in his trailer as the washed-up star botches his lines thanks to a hangover, causing a delay in filming.

He abuses himself into nailing the scene, receiving kudos all around, while becoming teary-eyed after a compliment from a young actress.

Pitt has never given a better performance than he does as Cliff, sharing his best scenes with his adorable dog Brandi and with DiCaprio.

Who can ever forget his chest-baring rooftop scene?

Quentin Tarantino scores again with a bombastic and flawless picture, his ninth release. Rumored to retire after his tenth film, one can hardly fathom the reality of that statement. Hismovis can be watched and watched again, continuously absorbing new and noteworthy details of rich texture.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) easily joins the ranks of great works, not just of the director’s catalog, but of all time.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Quentin Tarantino, Best Actor-Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor-Brad Pitt (won), Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design (won), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design

1984 Films, Crime Drama, Drama, Epic, Favorite Film of the Year, Guy Films, Mob, New York City, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films

Once Upon a Time in America-1984

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Once Upon a Time in America-1984

Director Sergio Leone

Starring Robert De Niro

Top 250 Films #85

Scott’s Review #218

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Reviewed January 19, 2015

Grade: A

An epic film, the extended director’s cut of 1984’s Once Upon a Time in America is more than four hours in length and a directed by Sergio Leone, who also directed the 1968 masterpiece Once Upon a Time in the West and numerous other westerns starring Clint Eastwood.

This particular film is in a different vein and not to be confused as any sequel or related to the aforementioned film- this time Leone explores the crime drama genre rather than the western, and does so in remarkable fashion.

The film tells the story of a group of Jewish friends who became involved in organized crime in New York City during the 1920s.

The main story is told via flashbacks as the central character, Noodles, played by Robert De Niro, returns to Brooklyn thirty years later to reunite with his former mobster friends.

In this way, the film is sectioned- the group of youngsters and kids, and the same characters as adults.

Once Upon a Time in America has been met with considerable controversy since its release. At the time of its release, the film was butchered, with over an hour of footage cut by the studio heads, leaving it largely uneven.

Fortunately, the restored version, over three hours long, is available for viewing. Furthermore, the director’s cut clocks in at well over four hours and is the best version to watch. Due to so many cuts, other versions appear shoddy and out of order, making the viewing experience difficult.

Once Upon a Time in America is largely underappreciated, except among die-hard cinema lovers, most of whom are patient with the film, and it deserves mention as an excellent crime epic drama.

The film shares many similarities with The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, and the role De Niro plays is not too different from that of Vito Corleone in Part II.

However, the greatest contrast is that Once Upon a Time in America is more visually artistic than The Godfather films.

The film centers on Noodle’s perspective as he enjoys his youth in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where he meets his lifelong friends.

The focal point is his friendship with Max, the adult character played by James Woods, and his undying love for Deborah, played by Elizabeth McGovern as an adult.

As kids, they are worry-free but gradually fall in with a group of older mobsters, first doing their dirty work, then venturing out on their own.

The film’s themes are loyalty, childhood friendship, betrayal, and greed, as all the characters change (or die) over the course of the film.

When a mysterious letter forces Noodles to resurface in Brooklyn, we begin to understand the backstory and the history between the friends as layers are slowly peeled back.

The film drags slightly in the middle section, but the first and last parts are very well made and absorbing.

Leone has a way of pacing the film that works- it is methodical and nuanced, with wonderful set pieces and each period explored- 1920s, 1930s, and 1960s seem equally as authentic as the next one does.

I especially enjoyed the 1920s art direction- it revealed such a state of genuineness and felt like truly being there in that period.

The relationship between Noodles and Deborah is an interesting one worth mentioning. Falling in love as youngsters (when a very young Jennifer Connelly played Deborah), they had an innocent puppy-love relationship.

As adults, they are ruined by a violent, disgraceful act, and one might argue that one of the characters becomes quite unsympathetic.

Once Upon a Time in America (1984) is a sprawling epic film sure to be enjoyed by intelligent fans of the crime epic drama genre and specifically Sergio Leone fans- an underappreciated gem.

1970 Films, Drama, Epic, Romantic Drama, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films

Ryan’s Daughter-1970

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Ryan’s Daughter-1970

Director David Lean

Starring Sarah Miles, Robert Mitchum

Top 250 Films #87

Scott’s Review #10

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Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A

Ryan’s Daughter (1970) is a sweeping epic by the masterful director David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, A Passage to India, Doctor Zhivago).

The film is sprawling and filled with fabulous locales of oceanic Ireland. Much of the action takes place in exterior scenes, and this is arguably as prominent and important to the film as the story is.

Set in WWI-era Ireland, you immediately notice the gorgeous Irish landscapes and the brilliant photography. This gives the film a timeless look, and one can escape into the scenery itself, forgetting the story, and dream away through the roaring waves.

The intense “storm scene” is second to none, as Lean had to wait over a year to film this pivotal scene- and Mother Nature had to cooperate.

The story is twofold: a love story involving a woman torn between her schoolteacher husband and a strapping, yet English (at this time, there was no love lost between the Irish and English), officer.

Rosy (Sarah Miles) is headstrong yet kindhearted, the daughter of a local, prominent man.

Her husband, Charles (Robert Mitchum), is dutiful and loyal to a fault. After Rosy’s affair with a British officer, the townspeople deem her a tyrant, while her husband stands by her side.

The second story is political. A strong sense of nationalism runs through the townspeople toward the British. Both stories blend nicely as small-town gossip, and a subsequent witch hunt comes into play.

John Mills plays the village idiot brilliantly, and he won an Academy Award for his work.

The story’s main appeal is character-driven, and the audience will surely feel perplexed about whom to root for or empathize with. I know I did. In fact, loyalties can fluctuate or be challenged at different times.

The film is reminiscent of Doctor Zhivago (1965) to me, as romance and politics intertwine, and a dilemma involving the central female characters is similar.

At over three hours, the film does not drag and remains interesting throughout, as the conflict and drama reach a crescendo in the final act.

At no time is there any filler or unnecessary scenes, which, in itself, is a positive.

Sadly, Ryan’s Daughter is not considered as worthy as other aforementioned David Lean efforts, but I disagree with this- the film ages exceptionally well, like a fine wine.

This film also focuses mainly on a female character and, therefore, is female-driven, a remarkable aspect of the film, circa 1970.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Actress-Sarah Miles, Best Supporting Actor-John Mills (won), Best Sound, Best Cinematography (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: 1 win-Best Actress-Drama-Sarah Miles, Best Supporting Actor-John Mills (won), Trevor Howard

1959 Films, Best Picture-Comedy or Musical Golden Globe Winners, Black & White, Comedy, Crime Drama, Drama, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films

Some Like It Hot-1959

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Some Like It Hot-1959

Director Billy Wilder

Starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis

Top 250 Films #88

Scott’s Review #388

Reviewed March 26, 2016

Grade: A

Considered one of the best comedies ever made, Some Like It Hot (1959) is a funny, outlandish, yet controlled film that never goes too over the top or dives into outrageous camp. Instead, it is well-written, well-acted, and contains excellent chemistry between the stars.

In summary, it is a film in which all the elements come together just right. In film comedy, this is an infrequent occurrence. Instead, we are typically treated to formulas or retreads of past successes.

Some Like It Hot feels refreshing and brilliant.

The film was also monumental in paving the way to the eventual elimination of the hated Hays Code, which imposed many restrictions on American cinema from 1930 to 1968.

Some Like It Hot pushed the envelope in essential ways, leading to a spike in creativity and art within the film industry that lasted mainly throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

For that, it is a masterpiece.

Down on their luck, broke, and needing work, Jerry and Joe (Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis) are struggling jazz musicians seeking a meager existence in snowy Chicago.

Having witnessed the St. Valentine’s Day massacre, they go on the run from the assailants, who have seen them, and pose as Josephine and Daphne, dressed in drag.

This leads to one humorous situation after another as they take the bus from Chicago to Miami with an all-girl musical band, a sort of slumber party led by boozy starlet Sugar Kane (played by Marilyn Monroe), who serves as the band’s vocalist and ukulele player.

Once arriving in sunny Miami, “the girls” find themselves entangled in romantic relationships with Sugar and the wealthy millionaire Osgood Fielding III, which leads to some blatant comic antics.

Josephine poses as a male Shell Oil Junior, attempting to woo Sugar with his assumed riches in the oil business.

What makes Some Like It Hot work so well is that it does not go too far over the edge to seem campy, nor does it play it too straight. This perfect balance makes the film rich with natural, fresh comedy.

Director Billy Wilder chose to film in black and white, avoiding Lemmon and Curtis looking ridiculous with colorful, bright makeup. This was toned down and muted to allow for greater believability.

Additionally, the film’s subtle edginess impresses me with each passing watch. Some Like It Hot got away with a lot in 1959, considering the restrictions, and that knowledge gives it a groundbreaking quality.

There is an air of homosexuality throughout, and the final line is my favorite, allowing for a thought-provoking interpretation.

When Daphne reaches her breaking point with Osgood’s romance and yanks off his wig, she professes exasperation, “I am a man!! Only to hear Osgood’s startling reply, ‘Well, nobody’s perfect,’ is clever dialogue.

Did Osgood know all along that Daphne was male? Will he marry ‘her’ anyway?

Who wouldn’t have blushed gazing at Monroe’s skin-colored and quite revealing outfit? It gave the impression that she was nude and showed how funny Lemmon and Curtis’s physical comic timing together is.

Bumbling around in stockings, heels, and dresses, attempting to be feminine but never quite succeeding, makes all the other characters think they are women, which is excellent.

Curtis was reportedly quite uncomfortable in drag, which shows on camera, but this works out well, giving Josephine a natural awkwardness.

Lemmon went all out in his costumes, and his energy came across.

In my opinion, although not looking her best, slightly plump and tired, Marilyn Monroe still gives the film added life and charm, and who is not mesmerized by her on stage singing “You Wanna Love Me”?

To think that Monroe died only three short years later is sad, and it highlights the appreciation for her career in its final stages.

A risqué, laugh-out-loud, funny treat, Some Like It Hot resonates with me and did so with audiences upon release in 1959.

Comical, thoughtful, and highly influential, the film is a must-see for fans of honest and cliché-free film comedy.

It is a blueprint for all witty comedies to follow.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Director-Billy Wilder, Best Actor-Jack Lemmon, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Art Direction, Black-and-White, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: 3 wins-Best Picture-Comedy (won), Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy-Jack Lemmon (won), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role-Musical or Comedy-Marilyn Monroe (won)

1967 Films, Biography, Crime Drama, Drama, Heist, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films, True Stories

Bonnie and Clyde-1967

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Bonnie and Clyde-1967

Director Arthur Penn

Starring Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway

Top 250 Films #89

Scott’s Review #628

Reviewed March 25, 2017

Grade: A

Bonnie and Clyde is an excellent 1967 crime drama that is not only a great film but also successfully and surprisingly influenced an entire generation, becoming something of a rallying cry for the youth of the time.

Released in a tumultuous period in history (the Vietnam War, the Sexual Revolution, and Civil Rights), the film fits the times and was groundbreaking in its use of violence, blood, and sex.

The film holds up tremendously well to this day and is beloved by intelligent film lovers everywhere.

The film begins with snapshots of the honest Bonnie and Clyde- a duo of bank robbers who rampaged the Southwest during the Great Depression.

Set in steamy 1930s Texas, the film tells their story.

Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) meets Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) when he tries to steal her mother’s car one hot day. Instantly infatuated with each other, the steamy duo team up and become partners in crime.

Over time, they enlist others and become more successful bank robbers, with the stakes rising with each heist.

Rounding out the crew of criminals are gas-station attendant C.W. Moss and Clyde’s older brother Buck, played by Gene Hackman, along with his wife, Blanche (Estelle Parsons), an innocent-minded and sometimes hysterical preacher’s wife.

Bonnie and Clyde is a unique film in many different ways- the quick-cut editing style influenced Sam Peckinpah in his movies to come, and the film uses a fast-paced rat-a-tat-tat style that symbolizes the gunfire, a significant element of the film.

Blood spurts from victims’ bodies in a style never before seen on the big screen, which led to many filmmakers’ comfort with using increased violence.

You could say that Bonnie and Clyde took away the innocence of Hollywood films and shook all of the traditional elements inside out.

The film’s conclusion is one of the greatest in cinematic history.

Far from an idyllic, happy ending- the traditional one in those days- the law finally catches up with Bonnie and Clyde, with grim results for the pair, and their demise is gruesome but true to form.

We have fallen in love with the characters, so their hasty exit from this world is tough to stomach, and as they writhe and twitch with each gunshot wound, the bullets pummeling the bodies, the scene is a difficult one to watch.

The love story between Bonnie and Clyde is intense yet sweet, and Beatty and Dunaway’s casting is spot-on. Smoldering with sexuality- as Bonnie fondles Clyde’s gun, which he does not see as a phallic symbol- their relationship is fraught with stamina and emotional energy.

The two actors feed off of each other and fill the scenes with gusto. Their chemistry is part of what makes the film so great.

One of the best scenes is the shoot-’em-up showdown at a ranch where the robbers are hiding out. The scene is intense and violent.

As Buck is mortally wounded, Blanche is blinded and captured, soon to make a grave mistake in revealing one of the others ‘ identities.

Bonnie, Clyde, and C.W. barely escape with their lives, and their antics from this point become bloodier and bloodier. The cat-and-mouse play during this scene makes it the most suspenseful of them all.

Amid all the violence, a fantastic scene unfolds when Bonnie and Clyde meet Bonnie’s mother at a secret location. A local townswoman, not an actress, was cast in the pivotal role of Bonnie’s mother, and the scene is emotionally charged.

The woman’s kindness and sensibility, and the sheer “regular person” she embodies, humanize Bonnie and Clyde, and ominously, their downfall is imminent.

A highly influential film, Bonnie and Clyde is a film that is still quite relevant, especially for those who appreciate good movies and rich, intelligently written characters who are flawed yet humanistic, layered with complexity.

This is what director Penn carves out, and the film is an all-time Hollywood classic.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Arthur Penn, Best Actor-Warren Beatty, Best Actress-Faye Dunaway, Best Supporting Actor-Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard, Best Supporting Actress-Estelle Parsons (won), Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Motion Picture-Drama, Best Director-Arthur Penn, Best Actor-Drama-Warren Beatty, Best Actress-Drama-Faye Dunaway, Best Supporting Actor-Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard, Best Supporting Actress-Estelle Parsons, Best Screenplay, New Star of the Year-Actor-Michael J. Pollard

1967 Films, Drama, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films

Reflections in a Golden Eye-1967

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Reflections in a Golden Eye-1967

Director John Huston

Starring Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor

Top 250 Films #90

Scott’s Review #678

Reviewed September 3, 2017

Grade: A

Reflections in a Golden Eye is a film made during the beginning of a rich and creative time in cinema history (the latter part of the 1960s and the beginning part of the 1970s), where films were “created” rather than produced.

Less studio influence meant more creative control for the director- in this case, John Huston, who cast the immeasurable talents of Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando in the key roles.

Worth mentioning is that Montgomery Clift was the intended star, but died before the shooting began. Richard Burton had turned down the role.

The film is an edgy and taboo story of lust, jealousy, and sexual repression set amid a southern military base. In the novel 1967, repressed homosexuality is explored in full detail, as well as heterosexual repression and voyeurism.

Initially a box-office flop, the film has since become an admired and cherished part of film history.

Reflections in a Golden Eye is based on the 1941 Carson McCullers novel.

Major Weldon Penderton (Brando) resides with his spoiled wife, Leonora (Taylor), at a US Army post somewhere in the South during the 1940s and 1950s.

A neighboring couple, Lieutenant Colonel Morris Langdon (Brian Keith) and his depressed wife, Alison (Julie Harris) are also featured and the trials and tribulations of Army life are exposed. Playing key roles are Langdon’s effeminate houseboy, Anacleto, and a mysterious Private Williams, played by a young and dashing Robert Forster.

Weldon is a repressed homosexual, rigid, and very unhappy with himself and his life, despite being successful professionally. To make matters worse, he is repeatedly needled and tormented by Leonora, who is having an affair with Morris.

Leonora adores her prized horse, Firebird, who becomes a significant part of the story. When Weldon and Leonora spy Private Williams completely naked in the woods riding bareback, Weldon feigns disgust, but his secret desires for the young man are revealed.

The two men then begin a secret cat-and-mouse game of spying and following each other around until a tragedy occurs.

Reflections in a Golden Eye is not a happy film; rather, it is a depressing piece about troubled lives and emotions. Passions are unfulfilled and repeatedly repressed as each character can be dissected in a complex fashion.

I am most intrigued by the character of Private Williams. A bit of an oddity, he mainly watches the action from afar, learning Weldon and Leonora’s secrets- they keep separate bedrooms and repeatedly squabble.

We wonder- is Williams obsessed with Weldon or Leonora? Or both? He sneaks into her room and rummages through her lingerie and perfume drawers. Would he, in a different time, consider himself to be transgender? Or merely intrigued by cross-dressing?

Weldon can also be carefully examined- he has fits of rage and violence that frequently erupt. Poor Firebird suffers a violent beating at his hands, to say nothing of the main character’s fate at the end of the film.

Having a macho and masculine exterior, his job is that of a leader, but the perception of a homosexual male during that time, if it was thought of at all, was more like the femininity portrayed by the Filipino male, Anacleto.

Huston wisely casts both male roles well in this department, as the men, along with Williams, could not be more different or nuanced.

A wise and telling aspect of the film is how it was initially shot with a muted yet distinguishable golden haze- appropriate to the film’s title- and much of the action seems to be viewed from the viewpoint of the horses.

The color theme was reportedly changed because it confused audiences, but my copy has the intended golden haze, and I find this tremendous. It works brilliantly in capturing Huston’s original intentions.

The film is reminiscent of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the latter made only the year before. Arguably, Taylor’s character in that film is very similar to Leonora’s.

In ways, Reflections of a Golden Eye (1967) could have been a stage production. One thing is clear: the film explores the human psyche deeply. I look forward to repeated viewings and further digging into the feelings and motivations of every principal character in a groundbreaking film by Huston.

1977 Films, Drama, Feminist, Independent, Independent Drama, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films

3 Women-1977

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3 Women-1977

Director Robert Altman

Starring Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek

Top 250 Films #91

Scott’s Review #578

Reviewed January 1, 2017

Grade: A

Robert Altman is one of my all-time favorite directors, and what a pleasure it is to uncover additional gems that he has directed over the years.

I have seen 3 Women (1977) before, but some films (the true greats) are like fine wines, getting better and better over time and more appreciated with each passing viewing.

3 Women is a prime example of this. The psychological depth and the characters’ evolving personalities make it a unique and brilliant experience.

3 Women is a psychological feast and the study of three complex characters, hence the title.

How fantastic, how Altman claimed to have dreamed the entire film, complete with Duvall and Spacek in the roles, and then attempted to recreate the dream on film- he has done a masterful job.

The film is dream-like with an interpretive element that will leave the viewer pondering not only the relationships between the three women but who exactly each woman is- consciously and subconsciously.

Lots of questions will abound as the film concludes.

The main relationship is between the characters portrayed by Duvall and Spacek.

Duvall plays Millie Lamoreaux, a chatty and confident woman who works at a California health spa for elderly clientele. She is statuesque and gorgeous, but surprisingly not well-liked by her colleagues, two of whom are mysterious identical twins.

New employee Pinky Rose is a shy, vulnerable, mousy type who takes an immediate liking to Millie, becoming somewhat obsessed with her. The pair eventually moves in together and begins a mysterious, sometimes volatile friendship, dripping with jealousy and lust.

Eventually, they switch personalities, only adding to the film’s mystique. They reside in the Purple Sage Apartments, run by Edgar and Willie Hart.

Willie is the third woman referenced in the title and a pregnant painter, creating unsettling murals that amaze Pinky.

It has been argued that 3 Women influenced the David Lynch masterpiece, Mulholland Drive (1992), and the more I ponder this, the more I agree.

The dream-like, surrealistic qualities are prevalent in both films.

Peculiar, strong-willed women are the central characters in both films, and psychology and amnesia are the main themes. The Southern California setting is identical, as are the interpretive elements, and the fantastically odd characters- both lead and supporting.

When Pinky’s elderly parents are introduced, it feels uncanny, like a pair of grandparents featured in Mulholland Drive. Both are superior films, so the comparisons are a joy to think about and ponder the complexities.

Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 psychological film Persona is most certainly a large influence on 3 Women. That film dared to explore merging personalities among women.

The final scene of 3 Women is intense and thought-provoking. The women’s lives carry on after a tragic event, but each assumes a distinct persona and role within the family unit they have forged.

Among other qualities, I view 3 Women as a feminist film, despite being directed by a male. Altman was famous for giving his actors free rein in dialogue and development, and this was most certainly the case with 3 Women.

One of Altman’s masterpieces.

Altman is a genius in nearly every film he creates, but 3 Women is probably his most cerebral and the one that can be talked about and analyzed more than the others.

What a pure treat for a complex film lover to explore. 3 Women (1977) is not for mainstream audiences, nor is it meant to be.

2000 Films, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Drama, Psychological Drama, Top 10 Most Disturbing Films, Top 100 Films, Top 250 Films

Requiem for a Dream-2000

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Requiem for a Dream-2000

Director Darren Aronofsky

Starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto

Top 250 Films #95

Top 10 Most Disturbing Films #3    

Scott’s Review #172

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Reviewed September 21, 2014

Grade: A

Requiem for a Dream (2000) is a disturbing film and, at times, tough to watch.

Still, it is a brilliant masterpiece, visually and in storytelling, that I appreciate more and more with each painful (in a good way!) viewing experience.

The film is easily one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen.

The subject matter is drug trafficking/addiction that affects more than one character in the cast- a myriad of different films have tackled this subject- think Traffic, released around the same time as Requiem for a Dream, for a comparison.

At the risk of directly comparing Requiem for a Dream to Traffic, which is unfair, I will say that, as gritty as Traffic is, Requiem for a Dream makes it look like a kid’s film.

Director Darren Aronofsky’s direction is superb.

The story revolves around a young man (Harry) from Brooklyn, played by Jared Leto; his girlfriend, Marion, played by Jennifer Connelly; Harry’s mother, Sara, played by Ellen Burstyn; and Harry’s best friend, Tyrone, played by Marlon Wayans.

Each individual falls into a trap of drug addiction in their own way, but all are written sympathetically so that the audience cares about them and feels their sorrows intensely.

Harry and Tyrone are involved in drug selling but aspire to be successful, and both love their mothers and their significant others- in Harry’s case, that is Marion.

Marion (Connelly) falls in over her head and is forced to turn tricks to feed her heroin habit. She is an intelligent young woman from an affluent family, which makes her downward spiral into prostitution all the more shocking.

The standout among the central characters is Sara Goldfarb, who is a lonely, widowed woman obsessed with a television game show.

Sara develops delusions of grandeur of becoming a contestant and is tragically determined to lose weight to fit into her favorite red dress.

She becomes dependent on diet pills and begins hallucinating that her refrigerator is attacking her.

Aronofsky perfectly blends fantasy sequences that showcase Burstyn’s real attractiveness, contrasting them with Sara’s desperation. Sara is a sad character, and Burstyn is mesmerizing in the role.

How she lost the Oscar to Julia Roberts in 2000 is and always will be one of the biggest Oscar travesties, in my opinion.

The special part of this film lies in its visual and cerebral aspects. The film is dreamlike in its texture and features extreme, fast-paced close-ups of the diet pills or heroin being consumed.

The viewer feels the highs and lows the characters experience, and there is a immediate sense that all the characters are doomed and hopeless.

Besides, this film has one of the most effective and haunting scores I have ever experienced, right up there with John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978).

The slow-motion sequences combined with frenetic images make this quite cerebral to watch.

I cannot watch this film very often as it is too disturbing and upsetting, but I sure am glad it was made at all.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Ellen Burstyn

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 2 wins-Best Feature, Best Director-Darren Aronofsky, Best Female Lead-Ellen Burstyn (won), Best Supporting Female-Jennifer Connelly, Best Cinematography (won)

1950 Films, Best Picture-Drama Golden Globe Winners, Black & White, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Film noir, Los Angeles, Top 250 Films

Sunset Boulevard-1950

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Sunset Boulevard-1950

Director Billy Wilder

Starring Gloria Swanson, William Holden

Top 250 Films #101

Scott’s Review #330

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Reviewed January 8, 2016

Grade: A

I adore films about Hollywood (good ones), and Sunset Boulevard (1950) is an absolute treasure.

Directed by classic film director Billy Wilder, the film is a film noir about a legendary silent film star, Norma Desmond, who struggles to cope with the advent of sound movies and the instability of her life, plagued by mental illness as her career has long since ended.

Handsome Joe innocently stumbles upon her mansion, forming an eerie relationship that ends in tragedy.

Sunset Boulevard is a famous street in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, California. It is immediately featured in the film as Joe Gillis, played by William Holden, drives down the street, an unsuccessful screenwriter whose car is about to be repossessed.

Joe narrates the film, and we see a man lying dead in a vast swimming pool. Ironically, this is the film’s ending, and Wilder works backward in an interesting way, so the audience knows tragedy will eventually ensue.

To avoid being chased by men, Joe pulls into a driveway and hides his car in a garage near a vast yet run-down mansion. He is mistaken for a coffin salesman and meets the infamous and creepy Norma and her servant, Max.

The coffin is for Norma’s deceased pet chimpanzee. Intrigued and broke, Joe hatches a plot to rewrite Norma’s terrible screenplay- and make some money from the aging Hollywood star.

Norma needs companionship. The two, along with Max, embark on a complicated relationship marked by jealousy, passion, and rage.

The black-and-white style works exceptionally well in the film, and the lighting creates a sense of intrigue and film noir mystique.

Sunset Boulevard combines noir with a rich character study of Norma, and we feel her pain and isolation as she is cast aside due to the times.

I love how Wilder focuses on the gloomy nature of Norma’s vast mansion—especially when she throws a New Year’s Eve party, isolated with just her, Joe, and a hired band—and intersperses it with a lively Hollywood party filled with young, energetic, up-and-coming talent.

The scenes blend seamlessly and effectively showcase the two different worlds and perspectives.

Sunset Boulevard is a brilliant depiction of old Hollywood at its best (and worst). A study in ambition, struggle, high hopes (Joe), and faded success and dreams shattered in reality, where delusion is the only defense (Norma).

Oscar Nominations: 3 wins-Best Motion Picture, Best Director-Billy Wilder, Best Actor-William Holden, Best Actress-Gloria Swanson, Best Supporting Actor-Erich von Stroheim, Best Supporting Actress-Nancy Olson, Best Story and Screenplay (won), Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (won), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White (won), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Film Editing

Golden Globe Nominations: 4 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-Motion Picture-Billy Wilder (won), Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama-Gloria Swanson (won), Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in any Motion Picture-Erich von Stroheim, Best Screenplay-Motion Picture, Best Original Score-Motion Picture (won), Best Cinematography-Black and White

1946 Films, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Drama, Epic, Top 250 Films, War, World War II

The Best Years of Our Lives-1946

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The Best Years of Our Lives-1946

Director William Wyler

Starring Frederic March, Dana Andrews

Top 250 Films #102

Scott’s Review #858

Reviewed January 20, 2019

Grade: A

Many films emerged during the 1940s that depicted the horrific events of World War II. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is the first film to focus on the war’s aftermath and the lasting psychological effects on soldiers and their loved ones.

The film may teeter on the edge of soap opera territory.

Still, it is powerful, dramatic, tender, and heartfelt, allowing its audience to experience the challenges faced by those who serve their country after leaving the military.

Director William Wyler, who also created the similarly themed Mrs. Miniver (1942), again explores the family drama genre. Still, the drama occurs this time in small-town America rather than outside London.

While Mrs. Miniver focuses on the ravages of the current war, he chooses to delve into its after-effects, which offer a broader range of situations and greater complexity.

The result is a more substantial and cerebral experience.

The story centers on three U.S. service members as they attempt to readjust to civilian life upon returning home from the battlefields of World War II. Homer (Harold Russell), Al (Frederic March), and Fred (Dana Andrews) all live in the same small town, Boone City, USA.

The men were acquaintances but did not serve together in the war, as each held a different rank and had other duties.

Al has the most going for him with a loving wife, Milly (Myrna Loy), two children, and a stable household. He is promoted to Vice President of a local bank, but despite this achievement, he is a heavy drinker and prone to anger.

He is enraged at the poor treatment of veterans trying to obtain bank loans and at the United States for hindering veterans’ attempts at rebuilding their lives.

His adult daughter, Peggy (Teresa Wright), is a prominent character as she begins a flirt with Fred.

Fred is unskilled and must return to his menial job as a drugstore soda jerk, much to the chagrin of his selfish wife, Marie (Virginia Mayo).

Homer lost both hands in the war and wore mechanical prosthetic hands, which made him insecure and troubled.

His days as a respected high school football quarterback have sadly come to an end, though he has unwavering support from his fiancée, Wilma (Cathy O’Donnell).

The trials and tribulations of many characters begin to mount as one character fights another over a dispute about the meaning of the war. Another character plots to ruin a marriage and embarks on a plan to rescue a character from another.

The plots risk being too daytime-drama-like, except that the underlying point about troubled veterans is always at the forefront, and their challenges are to be taken seriously.

A poignant moment is a crucial scene when one character admits that they have “given up the best years of my life,” a frustrated testimonial and proof that war can ravage not only the lives of the veterans but also of their loved ones.

Wyler does not hold back in conveying a clear message through the film. The viewer will undoubtedly ponder the title, “The Best Years of Our Lives,” and realize that it is open to different interpretations and does not have only a positive connotation.

The most powerful aspect of The Best Years of Our Lives is that the actor who played a military veteran, Harold Russell, was a disabled veteran.

This realism of a man portraying himself and the terrible effects the war had on him makes his character my favorite and highly empathetic.

His Academy Award wins for Best Supporting Actor are emotional and deserving, as he a won Best Picture and seven other awards.

Featuring a topic that gained prominence after World War II, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is a grand Hollywood film that embodies all the hallmarks of a classic drama.

Under the surface, the film is dripping with relevance, social commentary, and the psychological trauma that veterans face upon returning home, and how some are damaged beyond repair.

The rich American-style film remains a worthy watch, nearly a century after production wrapped.

Oscar Nominations: 7 wins-Best Motion Picture (won), Best Director-William Wyler (won), Best Actor-Fredric March (won), Best Supporting Actor- Harold Russell (won), Best Screenplay (won), Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (won), Best Sound Recording, Best Film Editing (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture (won), Special Achievement Award-Harold Russell (won)

2001 Films, Drama, Murder Mystery, Period Drama, Satire, Top 250 Films

Gosford Park-2001

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Gosford Park-2001

Director Robert Altman

Starring Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Ryan Phillippe

Top 250 Films #105

Scott’s Review #350

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Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Somewhere between the brilliant PBS series of the 1970s and the ultra-modern cool of Downton Abbey (also PBS) lies the masterpiece that is Robert Altman’s 2001 gem, Gosford Park.

It’s ironic that the creator, writer, and executive producer of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, wrote the screenplay of Gosford Park.

No wonder, combined with Altman’s direction, they created genius.

The period is 1932, and the wealthy, along with their servants, flock to the magnificent estate of Gosford Park, a grand English country home.

The guests include both Americans and Brits, and everyone is gathered for a shooting weekend- foreshadowing if ever there was.

Following a dinner party, a murder occurs. The remainder of the film follows the subsequent police investigation, and the perspectives of the guests and the servants as a whodunit ensues.

Many of the characters’ lives unravel as secrets are exposed.

Sir William, the murder victim, is a powerful industrialist. After he announces he will withdraw an investment, the ramifications affect many of the guests, so that the setup is spelled out for the audience.

At the risk of seeming nothing more than a plot device, it is so much more than that.

During a pheasant shoot, Sir William receives a minor wound thanks to a stray birdshot- is this intentional or merely an accident? When Sir William meets his fate that evening, the potential suspects pile up.

If there are two compelling aspects to a great film, they are a good old-fashioned whodunit and an enormous cast, all potential suspects.

What makes Gosford Park exceptional is that every character is interesting in some way, and all are well written.

Secrets abound for miles in this film and are revealed with delicious detail. Torrid affairs, sexuality secrets, and blackmail abound as revelations make their way to the surface, and Altman knows exactly how to cast doubt or suspicion on many of his characters.

The compelling relationship between American film producer Morris Weissman and his valet, Henry Denton (Ryan Phillippe), along with the domineering head housekeeper, Mrs. Wilson (Helen Mirren), is my favorite character and dynamic.

How clever that Maggie Smith would play similar roles as stuffy aristocrats in both Gosford Park and Downton Abbey.

Rich in texture is the balancing between the haves and the have-nots, and how those characters mix (sometimes in secret rendezvous!)

Typical of Altman films, the character dialogue commonly overlaps, and the actors largely improvise the script. In addition to being an actor’s dream, this quality gives a dash of realism to his films, and Gosford Park is no exception.

Since there are so many characters and so many plots and subplots going on at once, my recommendation is to watch the film at least twice to fully comprehend the layers of what’s going on.

Gosford Park (2001) will be increasingly appreciated.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Robert Altman, Best Supporting Actress-Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen/Original Screenplay (won), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design

1948 Films, Ballet, British, Drama, Top 250 Films

The Red Shoes-1948

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The Red Shoes-1948

Director Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Starring Moira Shearer, Marius Goring

Top 250 Films #108

Scott’s Review #683

Reviewed September 19, 2017

Grade: A

The best in the collection of cinematic ballet films, 1948’s The Red Shoes is a highly artistic and influential film, one that is undoubtedly studied in film schools everywhere.

One cannot view The Red Shoes without amazement, and the realization that this piece must have been dissected by legendary director Darren Aronofsky before he created his creepy 2010 psychological thriller, Black Swan, is evident.

The Red Shoes is a British film that imbues it with a transparent element of grace, class, and sophistication, perfectly encapsulating the themes of love, ambition, and jealousy —the Brits do it right.

Director Michael Powell later crafted the odd and controversial 1960 film Peeping Tom, which was sure to have wholly ruined his career, yet he brought his A-game to this 1948 work.

Decades later, Powell is now considered a genius director.

The film is laden with foreshadowing, at least a handful of times during its running time, as we meet our heroine, Vicky Page (Moira Shearer), a bright-eyed young woman with flowing red locks and aspirations of grandeur as she emerges as a fledgling ballerina in the Covent Garden area of London.

Partially due to her aristocratic upbringing and her assertive, snooty aunt, she lands an audition for the ballet company led by the sophisticated Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook).

He is immediately enamored of her, yet gives her the cold shoulder, making her question her talent. The key here is incorporating trains into multiple sequences.

As Lermontov and Vicky’s lives begin to intertwine, a young music student named Julian (Marius Goring) is perturbed by his professor’s plagiarism of his music, which he had conducted under the guise that it was his own work.

When Julian expresses his displeasure to Lermontov, he is hired to perform with the orchestra.

The addition of Julian to the plot sets off a compelling triangle among the three characters, whose lives overlap in a mix of young love, passion, and jealous rage.

The action takes off even further as the film moves to the gorgeous settings of Paris and Monte Carlo, a treat for any worldly or aspiring world traveler, with breathtaking photography and cinematic angles of the lush locales.

As former prima ballerina Irina Boronskaya decides to leave the company to be married, Lermontov creates a new ballet, The Red Shoes, starring Vicky, with music composed by Julian.

This creates enormous pressure for all involved as the film takes a dark turn.

Dashes of influence surrounding the exquisite performance of the famous Swan Lake dance number heavily influenced the 1950s classic An American in Paris (1951).

The long, colorful, dramatic sequence emits lush, vivacious music and performance. This “time out” from the heavy drama encompassing the rest of the film is beautiful and peaceful, and one of the sheer highlights of The Red Shoes.

The film hinges on the dynamic between the three principal characters, as each actor is spot-on and rich in flair.

Incredibly profound are the performances by Shearer and Walbrook, as each actor brings their respective character to life with the perfect amount of fury, ambition, and tension. Still, Goring as Julian is equally worthy of mention. Kudos.

I adore witnessing Moira Shearer dance; her talent and tenacity are astounding. An internationally renowned British ballet dancer and actress, Vicky is ideally suited to the role, as the character must have been close to her heart.

Who can forget the most famous scene, where a determined and crazed Vicky finishes her stage performance, Powell firmly holding the camera on her makeup-stained face, her blue eyes wide and hair wild?

Her look of triumph and insanity, lost in the moment, is a grand and unforgettable image often reproduced in cinema reference books.

Equal parts dramatic, romantic, eerie, lustful, and wise, The Red Shoes (1948) is a classic film made way ahead of its time. Its startling visuals, treasured art and set designs, powerful acting, and compelling story make it a must-see.

No wonder this film had such a profound influence on other masterpieces to come.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Motion Picture Story, Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (won), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color (won), Best Film Editing

Golden Globe Nominations: 1 win-Best Original Score-Motion Picture (won)

1987 Films, British, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Romantic Drama, Top 250 Films

Maurice-1987

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Maurice-1987

Director James Ivory

Starring James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves

Top 250 Films #111

Scott’s Review #14

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A

A brilliant film adaptation of E.M. Forster’s novel, set at Cambridge University at the turn of the twentieth century, it tells the story of oppression and the social norms of the time.

It is a gorgeously shot film, with beautiful landscapes, photography, and costumes.

Reminiscent of the British films “A Room with a View” and “Howard’s End”, it is a male love story set in a time when such sexuality was forbidden, and lives were ruined because of it.

The film’s characters make choices: some repress, others celebrate, with differing results. In the middle of it all is a beautiful love story.

Maurice (1987) is a timeless, brave treasure.

Oscar Nominations: Best Costume Design

1955 Films, Coming-of-Age, Drama, Melodrama, Romantic Drama, Top 250 Films

Rebel Without a Cause-1955

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Rebel Without a Cause-1955

Director Nicholas Ray

Starring James Dean, Natalie Wood

Top 250 Films #112

Scott’s Review #885

Reviewed April 14, 2019

Grade: A

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is usually most associated with being the best-remembered film of star James Dean’s short-lived career. East of Eden (1955) and Giant (1956) are his other notable films in a far too brief span of time.

With Rebel Without a Cause, Dean and underappreciated director Nicholas Ray crafted a story about teenage angst and rebellion that is brilliantly authentic and was the first of its kind to influence countless other films.

In Los Angeles, three teenagers meet and commiserate at the juvenile section of the police station, revealing their respective crimes.

Jim Stark (Dean) has been brought in for drunkenness and meets John “Plato” Crawford (Sal Mineo), who was brought in for killing a litter of puppies, and Judy (Natalie Wood), who was brought in for curfew violation.

All three suffer from problems at home and confide in one another. Their most profound revelations connect them and bond them for life.

To complicate matters, Jim is a new student and must endure the challenges that come with it, in addition to his troubled home life.

His main rival is Buzz Gunderson (Corey Allen), who challenges Jim to a knife fight and, finally, a deadly “Chickie Run” game.

This leads to Buzz’s death, which infuriates his gang, who mistakenly assume that Jim ratted them off to the cops. This puts a target on Jim’s back as he slowly falls in love with Judy and develops a deep friendship with Sal, who idolizes him.

One key to the success of Rebel Without a Cause is in the casting. Dean, rebellious in real life and the roles he portrayed, chews up each scene he appears in.

The famous scene in which Jim quarrels with his father (Jim Backus) culminates in a dramatic emotional unraveling and an exclamation of “You’re tearing me apart!” as his blind-sided parents bicker over how best to handle the situation.

Dean is a pivotal reason for the film’s success and landmark status.

Wood infuses her character, Judy, with poignancy and a calm demeanor. Judy is a good kid who behaves wildly out of frustration over her inability to communicate with her deliberately distant father (William Hopper).

Finally, Plato (Mineo), who is so sensitive that he threatens to break apart at the seams, has taken to killing puppies as a desperate cry for attention from his wealthy, always absent parents.

Wood and Mineo support the film brilliantly.

Jim and Judy are likable as a pair from opposite sides of the tracks, another influential aspect of the film that became commonplace in oodles of entertainment genres over the years.

Good Girl meets Bad Boy is dangerous, tender, and filled with story possibilities.

It is implied that Plato is in love with Jim, but in 1955, films were meticulous about pushing the envelope much further than an implication when it came to homosexuality.

Rumors ran rampant that Dean and director Ray had a torrid love affair off-screen.

Another positive is that the film is told within twenty-four hours, providing excellent pacing and an action-packed emotional punch.

The best scenes occur at night, especially the deadly car race, and the fantastic conclusion takes place in the old, deserted mansion that the trio of friends claims as their sanctuary.

The tragic ending is sure to bring a tear or two to anyone who watches and is entranced by the event’s decisive finality.

Watching the film today, one must appreciate the enormous influence Rebel Without a Cause has had.

Some classics that succeeded Rebel and stand out on their own include American Graffiti (1973), The Breakfast Club (1985), and even West Side Story (1961), which also starred Natalie Wood.

Each is riddled with teenage angst, hormones, and elevated emotions, and all contain a seriousness and a depth all their own.

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is a film that should be viewed and revisited for more than just the prominent and impressive story it tells.

The film is well directed and speaks to a generation of unruly, angry teenagers, giving them a much-needed voice. It is fraught with emotion and balance, offering current and future generations of teenagers lessons to learn from.

Oscar Nominations: Best Motion Picture Story, Best Supporting Actor-Sal Mineo, Best Supporting Actress-Natalie Wood

Golden Globe Nominations: 1 win-New Star of the Year-Actress-Natalie Wood (won)

2012 Films, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Top 250 Films, Western

Django Unchained-2012

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Django Unchained-2012

Director Quentin Tarantino

Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz

Top 250 Films #116

Scott’s Review #699

Reviewed November 26, 2017

Grade: A

Quentin Tarantino, the brilliant filmmaker, can do very little wrong in my opinion, and he releases yet another masterpiece with 2012’s Django Unchained, a western story centering around the delicate subject matter of slavery.

Like several other talented directors’ stories, the main focus here is a revenge-driven tale with plenty of bloody scenes and stylistic ferociousness, making Django Unchained yet another masterpiece in the Tarantino collection.

Certainly not for the faint of heart, the film will please fans of film creativity and artistic achievement.

As with many Tarantino films, a stellar cast is used, and each actor is cast to perfection- it seems almost every actor in Hollywood is dying to appear in the director’s films.

This time, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson are the lucky ones, all featured in prominent roles- not surprisingly, the acting is top-notch.

An interesting fact to note is that whoever appears in a Tarantino film seems to be having the time of their lives- what creative freedom and interesting material to experience.

A comparable director to Tarantino, in terms of recruiting fine actors, is Robert Altman, who was also tremendously popular with talent.

The saga begins with clear Western flair as Django Freeman (Foxx) is led through the scorching heat of Texas with a group of other enslaved Black people, presumably to be sold by their abusive white captors.

The time is 1858, and the abolition of slavery has not yet occurred; the Civil War is still two years away.

Doctor King Schultz (Waltz), a former dentist and current bounty hunter, is on a mission to find and kill the Brittle brothers and realizes Django can help him find them.

To complicate matters, Django has been separated from his wife Broomhilda (Washington) and vows to find her and avenge her abductors.

As circumstances lead Schultz and Django to a vast Tennessee estate, the duo becomes business partners and friends. The race to rescue Broomhilda takes the pair to sunny (and equally hot) Mississippi- the home of vicious Calvin Candie (DiCaprio) and his dreaded “Candyland”.

The crackling heat and atmospheric nature of Django Unchained, combined with the revenge theme, make the film an immeasurable success.

An ode to spaghetti westerns of yesteryear, the film incorporates similar music and grit so that the result is a modernized version of those films, with lots more blood and violence.

Slavery is a tough subject matter to tackle, especially when members of the Ku Klux Klan are featured, but Tarantino does so effortlessly. As Django takes revenge on his tormentors, the audience gets a lot of satisfaction.

The indignities and downright abuse that several black characters suffer can be quite tough to sit through.

The climactic dinner scene in Mississippi is splendid and the film’s best sequence.

Schultz and Django dine with Calvin at his spectacular mansion. Calvin’s sinister and loyal house slave (Jackson) suspects a devious plan is about to be hatched, and a vicious shoot-out erupts between the parties involved.

The ingenious, drawn-out sequence is a cat-and-mouse affair, with all the characters tiptoeing around the others for fear of being revealed as imposters.

The scene is exceptional in its craft as we watch the characters dine on delectable food and drink, all the while motivations bubble under the surface.

Django Unchained is not for film-goers seeking either a linear story or a mainstream piece of blockbuster movie-making-Tarantino is not a typical Hollywood guy.

The film is exceptionally crafted and constructed a challenge the viewer to endure what some of the characters (specifically Django and Broomhilda) are made to go through.

This discomfort and horror make the inevitable revenge all the sweeter and more satisfying.

Quentin Tarantino has created masterpiece after masterpiece throughout his filmography.

Proudly, I can herald 2012’s Django Unchained as one of the director’s finest and will be remembered for decades to come for challenging, provoking thought, and satisfying legions of his fans.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor-Christoph Waltz (won), Best Original Screenplay (won), Best Sound Editing, Best Cinematography

2015 Films, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Romantic Drama, Top 250 Films

Carol-2015

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Carol-2015

Director Todd Haynes

Starring Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara

Top 250 Films #117

Scott’s Review #308

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Reviewed December 27, 2015

Grade: A

My comparison would be that this film is the female version of Brokeback Mountain (2005).

Carol is a story of hidden romance and secret lives in the early 1950s when it was difficult to lead an alternative lifestyle openly (or even in hiding!).

The film is a marvel in its honest storytelling, exquisite class, and gracefulness with excellent cinematography and a nice, heartwarming tale.

Carol is directed by Todd Haynes, a director known for films about doomed romances faced with societal challenges. Carol is a wonderful piece of work.

The film contains two equal female lead roles- Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett) is a gorgeous, sophisticated socialite.  She exudes confidence and style in everything that she does.

Always perfectly dressed, well made up, manicured fingernails, her mannerisms relay confidence, and control. She is married to a wealthy businessman, Harge (Kyle Chandler), who is madly in love with her, yet they are divorcing because of her “problem”.

The fact that Carol is a lesbian is known to Harge and they share somewhat of an understanding, and a five-year-old daughter. The divorce they are going through is difficult.

Therese Belevit (Rooney Mara), is the polar opposite of Carol.  Young, and naïve, she is a part-time shopgirl, fascinated by photography. She dates men and goes to parties, living out a typical young girl’s life.

When Carol and Therese meet at the store where Therese works, they are immediately enamored with one another and a friendship develops. Both seem caught off guard and the chemistry between the two actresses sizzles.

The focus is the budding romance between Carol and Therese, and the societal differences that they face, not to mention the age difference between the two women. I found the chemistry quite evident thanks to Blanchett and Mara.

Worlds apart, the two women somehow find their way to each other and form a bond. Their relationship is tender, gentle, and carefully laid out for the audience. They are neither animalistic nor barbaric in a sexual way, but rather sweet.

When Therese takes a spontaneous car trip from New York to Chicago, leaving her boyfriend, Richard, conflict develops. He wants them to run off to Paris but Therese wants to be with Carol. He breaks up with Therese and accuses her of having a crush on Carol.

Therese and Carol’s romance is finally consummated in a mid-western hotel. It is New Year’s Eve and Todd Haynes chooses to shoot this scene in a romantic, spontaneous way. They are celebrating the holiday, but both are blue and vulnerable. It makes perfect sense that they would turn to one another.

The film delves into many different emotions that Carol and Therese face- love, glee, anger, rage, confusion, rejection, and loneliness. These adjectives and the tone of the film are why it succeeds.

From an acting perspective, both Blanchett and Mara are great, but I am more partial to Blanchett’s performance. She embodies this character. From when she orders a martini dry with one olive, to how she brazenly approaches Therese, she is a woman in control. But faced with family issues she becomes vulnerable and we see her as human.

Besides the interesting story of a love faced with many challenges, the look of the film is grand. The sets, hairstyles, clothes, and makeup are graceful and rich. To summarize- everyone looks great and it portrays a perfect picture of the 1950s.

A progressive Hollywood tale, Carol showcases glamour, and great acting, and sends a powerful message of acceptance and struggle during a difficult time to be “different”, to fulfill one’s life.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Cate Blanchett, Best Supporting Actress-Rooney Mara, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best Feature, Best Director-Todd Haynes, Best Female Lead-Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography (won)

2017 Films, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ Romance, Romantic Drama, Top 250 Films

Call Me By Your Name-2017

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Call Me By Your Name-2017

Director Luca Guadagnino

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer

Top 250 Films #118

Scott’s Review #708

Reviewed December 27, 2017

Grade: A

Call Me by Your Name (2017) is a gorgeous film. It is simply beautiful in storytelling, cinematography, and acting.

A humanistic film that crafts a lovely tale of young love, friendship, and emotions, which is breathtaking to experience.

In fact, in the LGBT category, I would venture to proclaim that this film is groundbreaking. It leaves behind any tried-and-true homophobic elements and instead tells a good story that is fresh, sincere, and simply flawless.

The period is the summer of 1983, and the landscape is the beautiful Italian Riviera.

Seventeen-year-old Italian-American Elio (Timothée Chalamet) dreams of spending the summer away, living with his affluent parents in a small village. His world is rich with culture and learning—his father (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a professor, and his mother is a translator.

A brilliant student, Elio wiles away the days reading, playing music, and flirting with his girlfriend, Marzia.

When a handsome twenty-four-year-old American student, Oliver (Armie Hammer), arrives for a six-week stay to assist Elio’s father on a project, desire and first love blossom between the young men as they struggle with their burgeoning relationship.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino, who has also directed the lovely 2009 film, I Am Love, is a man known for stories of desire in small Italian villages.

Call Me By Your Name is the third in a trilogy, I Am Love and 2015’s A Bigger Splash being the others.

The setting is crucial to the story, as both the summer heat and the world of the intellectual scholars are nestled into a grand shell of culture. The philosophical nature of the story is palpable—the film exudes intelligence and sophistication.

By 2017, the LGBT genre had become populated with films in the romantic, drama, and comedy sub-genres, but many use the standard homophobic slant to elicit drama and conflict.

Not to diminish the importance of homophobic discussions to teach viewers, Call Me By Your Name stands alone in that homophobia is not an issue in this story.

Given the time of 1983, this may be surprising—at the very cusp of the AIDS epidemic, this topic is also not discussed; rather, the subject matter is simply a love story between two males and the coming-of-age story that their love expresses.

The film is quite moving; Elio and Oliver are characters filled with texture and raw emotion. Oliver is confident, charismatic, and a great catch for any lucky young lady in the village.

Hammer fills the role with poise and humanity.

Chalamet, a beautiful young man, gives the complex role his all, as so much can be conveyed not by dialogue, but by expressions on the actor’s face.

As Oliver slow dances with a local girl, the wounded look that Chalamet reveals, his eyes welling up with tears, is heartbreaking. Seventeen is a tough age for most young men, but when coming to terms with one’s sexuality, it can be excruciating.

The final scene is poignant, as it features a five-minute-long sequence of gazing into Chalamet’s eyes, during which many emotions are expressed.

Enough credit cannot be given to Stuhlbarg as Elio’s father, as he gave one of the best speeches ever performed in film history. The actor gives a subtle and poignant performance as the sympathetic and knowing father.

His speech, marked by understanding and warmth, is riveting and inspirational—to be cherished. Mr. Perlman is a role model to fathers everywhere and the ideal parent for any gay son.

One scene that could stir controversy is the sure-to-be-controversial “peach scene”. Involving an innocent peach used during a sex act, the scene is erotic and borders on “icky”, but is also vital to foster the connection between Oliver and Elio.

Another potential risk to the film is that Oliver is twenty-four, while Elio is seventeen, making Elio underage. However, the film never portrays Oliver as more of an aggressor, and the relationship remains tender and consensual.

Call Me By Your Name (2017) is not just a great LGBT film but a film for the ages.  Beautifully crafted with gorgeous landscapes and nuanced, powerful acting, the sequences are subtle and carefully paced.

The film is simply a treasure.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Actor-Timothée Chalamet, Best Adapted Screenplay (won), Best Original Song-“Mystery of Love”

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 2 wins-Best Feature, Best Director-Luca Guadagnino, Best Male Lead-Timothée Chalamet (won), Best Supporting Male-Armie Hammer, Best Cinematography (won), Best Editing

1971 Films, Coming-of-Age, Drama, Top 250 Films

The Last Picture Show-1971

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The Last Picture Show-1971

Director Peter Bogdanovich

Starring Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd

Top 250 Films #121

Scott’s Review #1,349

Reviewed March 9, 2023

Grade: A

1971 was a great year in American cinema, from The French Connection to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to Fiddler on the Roof to Dirty Harry.

The list goes on and on.

The brilliantly filmed and directed The Last Picture Show is easily ensconced in the year’s top ten, featuring an embarrassment of riches across the board.

One key strength is its successful use of the dusty setting and time, the film’s secret sauce.

Peter Bogdanovich crafts a dreary coming-of-age tale set in landlocked Texas. The film is loosely based on a 1966 novel of the same name written by Larry McMurtry.

The film includes many songs by Hank Williams Sr. and other country & Western and 1950s popular music recording artists to reflect the era.

Most of the townsfolk are bored to tears in the windswept hamlet of Anarene, Texas. Their saving grace is a local cinema (the picture show) run by the popular Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson), which is about to close its doors forever.

Others frequent the café run by sultry waitress Genevieve (Eileen Brennan), who knows everyone’s business.

Gossip and scandal run wild throughout town, following several main characters through their trials and tribulations.

High school students Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane (Jeff Bridges) lust after flirty Jacy Farrow (Cybill Shepherd) while trying to figure out their futures.

Sonny also finds time for an affair with depressed housewife Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman), twenty years his senior, who is married to the school gym teacher, Coach Popper (Bill Thurman), who may be gay.

The year is 1951, when the Korean War is raging, and the once-prosperous oil town is in significant decline.

Bogdanovich’s apt black-and-white camerawork is central to the film and the winning recipe (well, one of them).

If The Last Picture Show were shot in color or, worse yet, colorized, it would undermine the film’s sad mood.

The exterior scenes involve swirling dust and wide-angle shots of the main street, often enough to relay a comparison to a ghost town, especially as events go along.

Some sequences also feature vehicles or highway scenes, evoking thoughts of escape or departure.

The other key ingredient is the ensemble of characters led by exceptional acting. Sonny is the handsome lead character with a lifetime ahead of him and the kindest of all the players.

His all-American good looks infuse the character with vulnerability, especially in scenes with his mentor, Sam, and his friend, Billy.

Other quiet scenes reveal much about the supporting characters.

Ruth sadly hangs the wash on her clothesline, looking worn and weary, while Genevieve grills a cheeseburger in the café, cigarette dangling and her once youthful aspirations slipping away.

Leachman and Johnson, both Academy Award winners in the supporting categories, deserve their awards. They portray their anger quietly, and both have dignity and self-worth, making their characters complex and revered.

The heartiest scenes belong to the younger set as they deal with simmering sexuality and hopes for college. Jacy experiments with sex, even sleeping with the man who her mother Lois (Burstyn) is having an affair with.

Shepherd also presents Jacy as vulnerable as she awkwardly strips off her clothes during a pool party, encouraged by a handsome boy she hopes to impress.

At times, she is childish, other times a selfish bitch. The film mentions that her family is wealthy, so it’s assumed she is spoiled.

The 1950s usually provide a level of nostalgia and good, old-fashioned, carefree Americana.

The Last Picture Show (1971), thanks to the flawless direction and screenwriting of Bogdanovich and McMurtry, instead paints a perfect portrait of misspent youth and shattered dreams.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Peter Bogdanovich, Best Supporting Actor-Ben Johnson (won), Jeff Bridges, Best Supporting Actress-Cloris Leachman (won), Ellen Burstyn, Best Screenplay-Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Cinematography

Golden Globe Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture-Drama, Best Director-Peter Bogdanovich, Best Supporting Actor-Ben Johnson (won), Best Supporting Actress-Ellen Burstyn, Cloris Leachman, Best Screenplay, New Star of the Year-Actress-Cybill Shepherd

1972 Films, Comedy, Drama, Independent Comedy, International, International Drama, Italian, Top 250 Films

Fellini’s Roma-1972

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Fellini’s Roma-1972

Director Federico Fellini

Starring Peter Gonzales

Top 250 Films #122

Scott’s Review #649

Reviewed June 5, 2017

Grade: A-

Fellini’s Roma (1973) is a trippy experience set in Rome across two different periods.

As with all Fellini films, the film is meant to be experienced rather than analyzed.

One must nestle into the life that Fellini offers on-screen- in this instance, the fabulous city of Rome, Italy, in both positives and negatives.

The experience was very good for me, as a world of odd characters and ancient Rome oozed from the screen, appealingly and absurdly.

In terms of a plot, there is a not one. Arguably, the only character portrayed is Rome herself. The film takes place in both the 1930s and the 1970s and is said to be an autobiographical tale of director Fellini’s childhood in Rome.

We see a young Fellini experiencing the vast city for the first time, and a teenager living in the city. Interestingly, the film moves back and forth between the two periods with no rhyme or reason.

Throughout the film, we see both the beauty and the ugliness of Rome- the majestic Colosseum and the dirty entrails of the gloomy city.

Scenes of seedy brothels, mainly in the 1930s, and a myriad of strange and scantily clad females prance before the cameras, looking for a lucky score amid the droves of men lusting after them.

Another depicts a fashion show, of sorts, at the Vatican, featuring nuns and priests in bizarre costumes.

The 1930’s setting is my personal favorite. Gritty, cold, and harsh, Rome’s bleakness is depicted. Unsurprisingly, this ties into the historical period: with Mussolini in power and World War II on the horizon, the darkness was apparent.

In a frightening scene, bomb sirens wail while a woman shrieks in panic. The brothel scenes are downright creepy, and the subsequent theatre scenes involving drunken, rowdy, young men leering and cursing at the entertainment are a particular slice-of-life sequence.

In contrast, the 1970s sequences feature more beautiful depictions of the city.

Brighter colors predominate, and scientists or explorers appear to dig into ancient ruins, finding gorgeous art that is later damaged by the wind. We also see hippy types basking in the sunlight.

Again, much of this film is largely open to interpretation.

I adore Fellini’s Roma in terms of an expression of the city of Rome as an art form, but the film is highly unconventional- another plus for me.

Sure, I may have wanted to learn more about the bevy of creepy and potentially interesting characters. Still, I finished the film with an appreciation for Rome unlike any I have ever known.

A startling final scene, in which legendary Italian film star Anna Magnani appears scantily clad, implied to be a prostitute, was filmed shortly before her untimely death at the age of sixty-five.

As a film, Fellini’s Roma (1972) is a wonderful history lesson, but also a lesson in interpretation and film appreciation. Most filmgoers are accustomed to a beginning, middle, and end, as well as some semblance of a plot.

Roma contains none of that; instead, it remains mind-opening and fresh many years after its release, which is a true testament.

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Foreign Film (Foreign Language)

1993 Films, Best Feature- Independent Spirit Award Winners, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Drama, Los Angeles, Top 250 Films

Short Cuts-1993

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Short Cuts-1993

Director Robert Altman

Starring AndieMacDowell, Julianne Moore, Bruce Davison

Top 250 Films #123

Scott’s Review #1,400

Reviewed September 20, 2023

Grade: A

I am such a fan of acclaimed director Robert Altman because he typically features an enormous cast of richly drawn characters, all serving a story’s purpose.

Frequently, there is much character development and investment.

Short Cuts (1993) is a latter-day Altman offering set in Los Angeles, California, the City of Angels, that is nearly as good as my all-time favorite of his, Nashville, made in 1975.

Similarities burst onto the screen with twenty-two principal characters to Nashville’s twenty-four. Their lives frequently intersect, and the fun is peeling back the layers of their lives and discovering who is connected to whom.

Comparisons to 1992’s The Player (also Altman) and 1999’s Magnolia, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, can also be made for obvious reasons related to the Los Angeles setting.

But Magnolia is much weirder than Short Cuts.

The irony is that most characters are anything but angels as they suffer from insecurities, deaths, infidelity, and various shenanigans as they attempt to get through California life amid an earthquake and a fleet of helicopters spraying for medflies.

Altman based the film on the nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver.

Some of the tales include a waitress Doreen (Lily) who is married to an alcoholic limo driver (Tom Waits) who accidentally runs into a boy with her car.

Soon after walking away, the child lapses into a coma. While at the hospital, the boy’s grandfather (Jack Lemmon) tells his son, Howard (Bruce Davison), about his past affairs.

Meanwhile, a baker (Lyle Lovett) harasses the family after they fail to pick up the boy’s birthday cake.

Dr. Ralph Wyman (Matthew Modine) and his wife, Marian (Moore), meet Stuart Kane (Fred Ward), an unemployed salesman, and Claire Kane (Anne Archer), a party clown, at a cello concert.

They impulsively decide to have a Sunday dinner date. seemingly having nothing in common.

Meanwhile, Marian’s sister, Sherri (Madeleine Stowe), is married to a cheating cop named Gene (Tim Robbins), who is having an affair with Betty Weathers (Frances McDormand), while Betty is divorcing one of the helicopter pilots, Stormy (Peter Gallagher).

There are other stories and connections to round out the fabulous cast.

The juicy, dramatic storylines play out like a terrific arc on Days of Our Lives or As the World Turns, with some needed comedic elements to balance things out.

Anyone who knows Altman will salivate with the name recognition among the cast, most notably Tomlin and Robbins. Actors frequently chomped at the bit to appear, knowing that he was an actor’s director.

This means he allowed his cast open range to create dialogue appropriate for their characters.

There’s no better example than when Jack Lemmon tells a story in the film. His improv and free dialogue are a dream to watch and a lesson in good and natural acting.

Despite the enormous cast, everyone has something of quality to do. Nobody is languishing on the back burner with throwaway scenes or unimportant activities.

All characters connect to others in some way.

Fans who fancy Los Angeles both in film and in real life, with its bursting sunshine and cheery perception, will revel in the down-and-dirty subtext of Short Cuts.

The fun is getting there.

Some characters are wealthy, but most struggle with day-to-day routine, so the film contains a harsh realism. They try to find any shred of happiness wherever they can.

Like real life, which is part of the brilliance of Short Cuts. The audience can relate to the characters because we all know people like them, which makes the film a beautiful and treasured experience.

Or some may even be like us. The writing is brilliant, and the characters are true to form.

One day, I’ll create a list of my Top Ten Robert Altman films, and I bet Short Cuts (1993) lands in the Top Five.

Oscar Nominations: Best Director-Robert Altman

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 3 wins-Best Feature (won), Best Director-Robert Altman (won), Best Screenplay (won), Best Supporting Actress-Julianne Moore

1997 Films, Crime Drama, Drama, Los Angeles, Top 250 Films

Jackie Brown-1997

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Jackie Brown-1997

Director Quentin Tarantino

Starring Pam Grier, Robert Forster

Top 250 Films #124

Scott’s Review #356

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Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown (1997) is a fantastic film and one of the few to have a solely female lead (Kill Bill Volumes I and II are the others) and successfully re-launched the careers of stars Pam Grier and Robert Forster after too many years on the sidelines.

Grier’s earlier films heavily influenced the 1970s blaxploitation genre.

Jackie Brown is one of Tarantino’s more obscure films, but it is brilliant nonetheless and filled with slow, plodding yet tremendous scenes.

Grier plays the title character, Jackie Brown, a flight attendant for a small Mexican airline who smuggles money from Mexico to the United States to supplement her income.

When she is caught and threatened by the Feds to help them catch a much larger fish, she plots to use both sides to her advantage and walk away with the money.

Jackie develops feelings, and a sweet relationship ensues with Max Cherry, a bondsman played by Forster.

Mixed in with the plot are Tarantino staples: Samuel L. Jackson as Ordell Robbie, a crooked drug smuggler; Robert De Niro as Louis, a former cellmate of Ordell’s; and Bridget Fonda as Melanie, a dizzy stoner girl.

As is always the case with Tarantino films, Jackie Brown features a stellar cast just chomping at the bit to deliver the best performances they can, aided by rich, crackling dialogue written for them.

The writing is always fantastic in Tarantino films, and Jackie Brown has plenty of plot twists and turns.

My favorite scene by far is the one involving the transfer of money at the local Mall. Rich with flavor and atmosphere, it is a marvel. Jackie and Max engage in small talk at the food court before the transfer is to take place- Jackie then goes to a fitting room where the “switch” will occur.

Throughout this sequence, the tension is incredibly high, and the film turns into a nail-biter.

Tarantino, not one to focus on a romantic storyline, gives Jackie Brown a unique quality by featuring the respectful and delicious romance between Jackie and Max. This adds layers to the mainly bloody and crime-laden film.

In contrast to this relationship is the volatile relationship between Louis and Melanie, which ends in tragedy.

I love how the film is set in Los Angeles. Sunny, bright, with a stuffy and superficial element to the action, mixing the beach and the hot weather with a crime story, manipulation, and double-crossing works so well.

Giving aging Hollywood stars a deserving comeback, Tarantino weaves a complex, adventurous, and well-paced crime drama featuring veteran actors who deliver the goods.

Jackie Brown (1997) is a treasure in a world of Tarantino’s other treasures and a must-have for all the director’s fans and fanatics.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor-Robert Forster

2006 Films, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Romantic Drama, Satire, Top 250 Films

Little Children-2006

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Little Children-2006

Director Todd Field

Starring Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson

Top 250 Films #126

Scott’s Review #334

Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Little Children is a subtle, dark drama from 2006 that reminds me a great deal of The Ice Storm (1997) and American Beauty (1999)- both equally quiet masterpieces.

All are similar films about damaged interpersonal relationships.

The great film is one of my more modern all-time favorites.

On the surface, the small suburban Boston town where the film’s characters reside is whimsical, peaceful, and quiet. Spacious colonial and Victorian houses similarly line the sleepy streets.

The small town (unnamed) is affluent and, we learn very early on, is rife with scandal.

A child molester, Ronnie (Jackie Earle Haley), who is also a resident of the town, living with his mother, has recently been let loose to resume his life, which makes the neighborhood tense and angry.

It is summertime, and the air is thick with heat and secrets.

Aside from the child-molester story, the main drama centers on Sarah Pierce (Kate Winslet), an intelligent, bored stay-at-home housewife.

She is angry and frustrated.

She cares for her three-year-old daughter, Lucy, while her husband is addicted to porn and regularly sniffs panties that he purchases online, even risking his job to immerse himself in his addiction to porn.

They have a sexless marriage.

Soon, Sarah embarks on a relationship with the resident hunk, Brad (Patrick Wilson), a stay-at-home Dad to four-year-old Aaron. His wife, Katherine (Jennifer Connelly), a “knockout”, produces documentaries and is the breadwinner of the family.

Thrown in the mix is crazed ex-cop Larry, obsessed with protecting the neighborhood from Ronnie, and a trio of suburban housewives, who are friendly with Sarah and secretly lust after Brad.

Little Children is a film about relationships, insecurities, and unfulfilled dreams. How these relationships are damaged, filled with angst, or yearning for a resolution far out of reach, is explored, and every character is sad in some way.

Each character is unfulfilled, and in the middle of it all is the torrid romance between Sarah and Brad. They while away the summer in romance that we know will not last. They find some happy moments, but how will this continue?

Tragic is the situation with Ronnie- despite being a child molester, he is portrayed as a sympathetic character. The entire town is against him- a sad scene involves the townspeople fleeing the community pool when Ronnie dares to go for a swim.

When he tearfully tells the police that he just wanted to cool down, there is such sadness in his eyes.

Despite being supporting characters in the film, my favorite performances are by Haley and Phyllis Somerville, as Ronnie’s feisty yet haggard mother, May.

Determined to ensure her son has a decent life, she lashes out at anyone who bullies her poor Ronnie.

Somerville’s performance is heartbreaking, and, in a perfect Hollywood world, she would have received an Oscar nomination.

Happily, Haley did, as injecting any sympathy in a character such as his is a difficult task, but Haley does so in spades.

The film is filled with narrative- in not dissimilar fashion to the classic Barry Lyndon (1975)- as the narrator explains the thoughts and inner turmoil of the characters in regular intervals. This adds layers and clarity to the film.

A masterful scene is centered around the dinner table and is successfully done. Curious about husband Brad’s daytime life when she is away at work, Katherine invites Sarah and her daughter to join them for a cozy dinner.

As everyone eats and converses, the light bulb suddenly goes on in Katherine’s head, and she pieces together events, realizing Brad and Sarah’s true relationship.

All of those days when she knew not where Brad was now came flowing back to her. A similar scene was played out in 2008’s The Kids Are Alright, where it worked successfully too.

The stories eventually intersect, and I love this point in the film, especially since it takes place in a smothering small town.

Character-driven, cynical, tragic, and dark. Little Children (2006) is a humanistic masterpiece that I never tire of watching- one of my favorites.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Kate Winslet, Best Supporting Actor-Jackie Earle Haley, Best Adapted Screenplay

2002 Films, Best Feature- Independent Spirit Award Winners, Connecticut, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Social Issues, Top 250 Films

Far From Heaven-2002

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Far From Heaven-2002

Director Todd Haynes

Starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Haysbert, Dennis Quaid

Top 250 Films #127

Scott’s Review #332

Reviewed January 8, 2016

Grade: A

Far From Heaven (2002) is a gorgeous film, set in 1950’s upper-class, sophisticated Connecticut, that tackles not one but two separate social issues in a wonderfully crafted story.

An interracial couple fraught with discrimination, and a homosexual husband hiding his secret lifestyle, encompass this amazing film by acclaimed director Todd Haynes.

In the years to follow, Haynes would also direct masterpieces in a similar period (and story) to Carol (2015).

For starters, the cinematography and art direction are breathtaking- the beautiful and colorful small town in Connecticut, on the surface, prim and proper, is oozing with secrets and scandal just waiting to bubble to the surface.

An aerial view of the town allows the viewer to see it in a sweeping motion, perfectly carved.

Far From Heaven contains many similarities to All That Heaven Allows, made in 1955, and also focuses on a great scandal in a small, seemingly idyllic New England town.

Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) seems to have everything perfectly styled and kept at home in affluent Connecticut: a successful husband, Frank (Dennis Quaid), an advertising executive, beauty, and a neighborhood filled with friends.

One night, when Frank is working late, Cathy surprises him with dinner at the office, only to be surprised herself by catching Frank passionately kissing another man.

In an awkward scene, Frank admits to Cathy that he needs conversion therapy, but instead turns to alcohol and continues to see men secretly.

Devastated, Cathy befriends her gardener, Raymond Deagan (Haysburt), a handsome black man, and slowly begins a relationship with him.

Needless to say, this causes gossip and scandal amongst the townspeople.

Far From Heaven is fantastic storytelling, weaving together, in essence, two main social stories.

Frank questions his sexuality, is afraid to admit he is gay, and risks his reputation and career. Undoubtedly, he is a tormented individual, and we see him slowly come to terms with his sexuality.

Haynes, fantastic at crafting a worthy story, carves a similar tale in 2015’s Carol, only she is a woman confident about her sexuality, but hiding it from society.

Since the time in both films is the 1950s, the sexual revolution has not occurred, let alone anything gay-related.

The central story, though, belongs to Cathy, and Julianne Moore portrays her to perfection. I would argue that Cathy is Moore’s best role, along with Amber Waves from Boogie Nights.

Hurt and betrayed by her husband, she suddenly is filled with new and dangerous emotions- falling in love with a black man in a not very open-minded time.

Moore and Haysbert have fantastic chemistry from their very first scene together.

I love how Haynes showcases the perfection of the town- the lawns are perfectly mowed, the flower beds flawless, and everyone appears cheerful and colorful.

But when something in their little town becomes amiss (in this case, Cathy going against the grain), the fangs come out, and the animals bear their teeth.

A wonderful scene showcases Cathy and Raymond slow-dancing in a black-only bar. They sway as one, and the black patrons accept Cathy.

Raymond (and his daughter) are not treated the same way by the white folks of the town once they catch wind of the shenanigans going on between the interracial couple.

Far From Heaven (2002) is a beautiful film, from the way it looks and is shot to the powerful performances throughout.

Moore may be the star and the central character of the film, but Quaid and Haysbert certainly deserve their due.

They each give layered performances as wounded and tortured men, and the conclusion of the film- perceived as open-ended- is also not a happily ever after climax.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Julianne Moore, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 5 wins-Best Feature (won), Best Director-Todd Haynes (won), Best Female Lead-Julianne Moore (won), Best Supporting Male-Dennis Quaid (won), Best Cinematography (won)