It has been a strange a slow week for me personally, I’ve watched half of the 2006 gritty German rape drama The Free Will (Marina’s review here) and little else. The rest of the Row Three contributors have been munching steadily on a plethora of cinema, particularly Dave Becker who has been devouring silent cinema. Not everything we watch merits its own article or post and everything else is captured in bite-size capsules accessed by the Movies We Watched icon on the side bar. Here are the highlights over the past fortnight:
My Wife’s Relations (1922) 3.5/5
This short was co-written by Buster Keaton and Edward Cline (who would go on to become a director, helming, among other films, W.C. Fields’ classic The Bank Dick). In My Wife’s Relations, Keaton inadvertently marries a woman who lives with her overbearing family (as contemporary advertisements put it, “The only one of his wife’s relatives that he liked was himself”). Most of this one takes place inside, somewhat limiting Keaton’s physical style (though the film does end with an entertaining chase). Some funny moments, but not nearly as many as we’re used to seeing in a Buster Keaton film. -DAVE
The Goat (1921) 5/5
Short film from Buster Keaton in which everyone mistakes his sad-sack character for an escaped murderer. Like many of Keaton’s films, the plot is secondary to the action (in fact, we don’t even get down to dealing with the story at hand until the film’s halfway point). Full of laughs, and some really inspired physical comedy. Keaton at his absolute best. -DAVE
Lonesome Dove (1989-TV) 2/5
A gigantic cast that is really misused. Aside from Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall, there isn’t a whole lot to get interested in. A a western fan, I always like the props and sets and what have you, but the story is taken so lightheartedly and with no real deep conflict, it’s hard to care much about anything here. For a five hour film, I would’ve expected a lot more plot and a lot less nothingness; especially with the level of caliber in the cast. Go watch “Open Range” instead. -ANDREW
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972) 4/5
What this film lacks in historical accuracy, it makes up for in fun. Cliff Robertson is strong as Cole Younger, the leader of the gang, and Robert Duvall gives a spirited performance as the out-of-control Jesse. Ultimately a minor entry in the cinematic mythology of Jesse James, but an entertaining one nonetheless. -DAVE
Da zui xia (1966) 3.5/5
This Shaw Brothers action-packed offering has achieved classic status over the years. Cheng Pei Pei (who portrayed the deadly Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) stars as Gold Swallow, a kung-fu expert sent to rescue a kidnapped official from a violent gang. The opening sequence, a battle punctuated by that official’s kidnapping, is very exciting, and a great example of the real strength of these early Shaw Brothers films. But things get a bit more clumsy as the film progresses, and not every fight is as exciting as this opening one. – DAVE
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) 5/5
Writing for Cahiers du Cinema, Jean-Luc Godard once penned “There are five or six films in the history of cinema which one wants to review simply by saying, ‘it is the most beautiful of films’, because there can be no higher praise”. Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is one of my six. – DAVE
Kingpin (1996) 4/5
A Farrelly Brothers gross-out comedy that, at times, is a bit too gross. Still, the film boasts three funny performances (Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid and Bill Murray), not to mention a good many jokes that hit their mark with deadly accuracy. While not for the squeamish, everyone else will find something here to keep them laughing. -DAVE
The Battle at Elderbush Gulch (1913) 4.5/5
A basket-full of puppies, and a Native American ceremony called the “Feast of the Dog”, figure prominently in this early short film from D.W. Griffith. Once again, Griffith’s sensitivity towards different cultures leaves a little to be desired (the Native Americans are portrayed as little more than gluttonous children), but contains enough of Griffith’s patented flair (battle scenes knitted perfectly together by some expert editing, and some first-class pacing) to keep it interesting. Throw in a small role for Lillian Gish, who plays a mother whose baby is caught in the middle of the fracas, and you’re in for a real treat. -DAVE
The Birth of a Nation (1915) 4/5
I’ve recently become quite interested in exploring the silent film era, and what better place to start than D.W. Griffith’s “Lightning in a bottle” 1915 film about the U.S. Civil War and it’s aftermath. As with most modern-day reviews of the film, I’m having a hard time giving it a rating. If I were to rely solely on it’s technical achievements, it’s pacing, it’s success at building a story, I would have to give it 5 out of 5. However, there is no escaping the atrocious racism that the film displays (praising the development of the Ku Klux Klan as an organization that protected the oppressed white southerners). Unfortunately, the film’s achievements cannot be divorced from it’s story. -DAVE
My Neighbor Totoro (1988) 4.5/5
Hayao Miyazaki’s most delicate and intimate film, where little happens in the plot department, but lots happens in the imagination. Two young girls move into an old house in the country with their father while they wait for their mother to convalesce in a hospital. They have adventures with the spirit that lives in the massive (!) tree in their backyard. There is a sense of childlike wonder in this film that is unique and joyous. Nothing too deep, but rich in ways children films rarely are. -KURT
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) 2.5/5
Perhaps it was the hype or the expectation but I was thoroughly disappointed by the new exploits from my favourite pot heads Harold and Kumar. A few truly funny moments (namely those feature NPH) aren’t enough to save this mess of a flick. I’ll stick to #1 when I want a good laugh. -MARINA
