Bill Cunningham New York

Until I saw this movie, I've got to admit that I didn't really pay that much attention to Bill's photos in the Sunday Times. I always would give it a cursory glance before powering onto something else in the paper.

I didn't quite get the brilliance of the photographs until I understood the brilliance of the man himself. Whether or not you know anything about the man or not, this is a must see documentary. It's so good that I wanted more. I could have watched at least another thirty more minutes of the man in action. He's a relic of another era - a New York treasure. And I can't believe I didn't know anything about him until now.

Plus there are at least two or three people in this that deserve their own movies.

I just wish someone could convince the man to wear a helmet while riding his bike from event to event.

Check out out the trailer and you'll be hooked.

Directed by Richard Press

2011

DVD

Manhattan

This is one of those movies that I pretty much know every line to but it doesn't matter because every line and every moment is worth watching over and over again.

I hadn't seen this film in at least ten years but my love for it came rushing back pretty quickly. It was fun watching it with Sujan who had never seen it before. It was interesting watching it shortly after watching the PBS doc about Allen where he talked about how he didn't really like the film that much. And despite how much I love it, I can kind of see why. It looks great, yes. And the Gershwin score is something else. But the characters really aren't terribly likable. And the story is pretty pedestrian (at least that's probably what Allen was thinking at the time) especially when sandwiched between Interiors and Stardust Memories.

But he's wrong - this really is one of those great films from his classic era. And while it still makes me cringe to think that his 42-year-old character is dating a 17-year-old girl (especially with the knowledge of later events) it still somehow works due to the incredible performance by Mariel Hemingway. And that ending gets me every time.

And is there any other movie that makes New York look so great? I'd love to watch this back to back with Taxi Driver to really get the full flavor of 1970's New York.

Directed by Woody Allen

1979

HBO

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

I know a movie is good when I'm pretty confused most of the time but I'm still really into it. That was the case with this film. I love good spy movies. I love spy movies set during the Cold War. I miss those days. Bring back the Soviet Union. Today's terrorists are so boring as a plot device.

I suppose I should read some of John le Carré's books considering how much I liked the vibe of this endeavor. I hear the first movie based on this book starred Alec Guinness. I love that guy. I should see that too.

I also didn't realize until I was writing this that the guy who directed this directed Let the Right One In. I knew I liked the look of this film for a reason.

Who wants to rent Spies Like Us with me soon?

Directed by Tomas Alfredson
2011
Times Square 25

Out of Sight

I hadn't seen this movie in 14 years. What the hell? 14 years? Where does time go? And I'm embarrassed to admit that when I look at my 1998 Best of List, this movie wasn't even in the Top 15. But somehow There's Something About Mary was. Yikes.

Anyway, I was surprised by how much I remembered about it. It's a fun time. I'd like to see Jackie Brown again but I can't imagine that Tarantino found a way to beat Soderbergh on the Elmore Leonard front. I haven't read the book on which this was based, but Soderbergh really nailed the essence of Leonard pretty well. Makes me even more sad that he didn't get a chance to direct Moneyball. He would have made a movie more similar to Michael Lewis' book than Bennett Miller did.

The film felt dated in a good way. Clooney was Clooney but younger. It looked great, was scored great, and was paced great. Just an all around good time. And I'm also proud to have gotten the reference to Three Days of the Condor that Jennifer Lopez made in the trunk of the car that I didn't get the first time I saw this movie.

Oh 1998, where have you gone?

Directed by Steven Soderbergh
1998
HBO

Dead Alive

How the hell had I never seen this before? This has got to be one of the craziest movies I've ever seen.

It reminded me at first like Sam Raimi directing a remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Then it felt like a fun homage to the first Evil Dead. Then the non-stop goo fest reminded me of Drag Me to Hell. It was so melodramatic at times that it felt like a zombie Douglas Sirk movie. The score and some of the 50's aspect reminded me of Twin Peaks. There was a bit of Child's Play in here as well with the baby zombie. In general, it reminded me of some of the out of control low budget 80's horror films that I loved to watch when I was 14 - unfortunately I can't even remember any of the titles.

It got to the point that the gore seemed so neverending that I just had to tip my hat to the genius of Peter Jackson. It was so gory in a ridiculously fun way though. There need to be more movies made like this now. The world would be a better place.

At one point, I wanted to write down some of my favorite gory moments but then I would have missed another one.

Was it the baby in the blender? Or the zombie with the lightbulb head? Maybe the delinquent who kept getting torn to shreds? Or maybe the nurse with the head that hung on by a thread? Or the guy who just had part of his head that kept getting kicked all over the place? It's hard to beat the preacher with the lawnmower.

But I guess it had to be dear ol' mom. She was the only one of all the zombies that devoured a dog.

I need to watch this movie again. Right now.

Directed by Peter Jackson
1992
Blu-ray

Withnail and I

This was amusing. I was expecting more though for some reason. Maybe it was because both Jeremy and Chris Larry mentioned recently how much they liked it. I think if I had seen this closer to the year it came out, I would have liked it more? I don't know - I also get the impression I would have like it more if I watched it a second time. Or at least if I were to watch it with Chris Larry. Hell, watching a movie with that guy makes even pretty bad movies a lot of fun.

I liked the meandering pace of it. I liked the look of it. I liked the actors quite a bit. Richard Griffiths is always funny. So I don't quite get why I didn't get more into watching this film. Perhaps I hate the British?

Does anyone know what the hell Bruce Robinson was up to between 1992's Jennifer Eight (Jennifer Eight????) and last year's Rum Diary?

Directed by Bruce Robinson
1987
Blu-ray

The Adventures of Tintin

Jeremy convinced me that I should see this by stating that it was "the rightful fourth chapter in the raiders saga - 100 times better than the crystal skull mumbo jumbo" in my review of the insufferable War Horse. He was right, this movie was a good time.

I didn't think I was going to like the animation much but after awhile I got used to the performance capture aspect. There were times that I even felt like this could have been made without the animated aspect. But then the fun action stuff started and I'm glad that it was filmed the way it was. Part of what was so bad about the last Indiana Jones opus was that the computerized special effects looked ridiculous next to the real people. With this hyperrealistic animation, it all looked right and thus I could pay attention to the fun action and not be distracted by how bad it looks a la Crystal Skull.

I didn't know much about Tintin at all but now I do and I know that I like the kid. And I liked his dog. And I liked those bumbling policemen. And I think that I love Spielberg again even though he hadn't made a good movie in almost ten years before this one.

Bring on the sequel!

Directed by Steven Spielberg
2011
Times Square 25

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

For the first 3/4 of this movie, I was thinking that this was one of the best movies I'd seen all year. Crazy, right? Then the last 1/4 dragged a little. It wasn't terrible or anything but the bar had been set so high in the first 90 minutes. I think that part of the problem might have been that the Jeremy Renner hovering in the air thing was referencing a scene from the first installment of the series that I've never seen. Maybe I just didn't get the joke? Then again, there were some interesting parts in the last 30 minutes so why am I complaining?

But oh man, that first 90 or so minutes. There were at least two or three moments that I was genuinely surprised by the turn of events. There were at least three or four moments where my jaw dropped in amazement at the sheer audacity and fun in the filmmaking. Just look at that poster, dude! And I haven't even mentioned anything about that incredible duststorm. What a movie!

A few other thoughts and comments:

- This was the first live action film from Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, The Incredibles) and I think I will make the commitment to watch any other movie he ever directs. The man's got chops.

- I love that the Russians are kind of sort of the nemesis. But not really. It's 2012, you know.

- Tom Cruise is looking old, weird, and a wee bit droopy. And he's kind of the weak link to the movie. Which is kind of a drawback to the overall chances of this film truly being great I suppose. Then again, I guess he was fine - I'm just tired of the guy in general.

- I loved the music - especially the Dean Martin song at the beginning.

- This movie was funny. Are all of them this funny?

- I think this might be the first ever feature film I've ever seen on on IMAX screen.

- I now have seen the second and fourth installments of this franchise. I had no interest in the time in seeing the first. I saw the second in Seattle with Sam and about three minutes of the third on a plane. Philip Seymour Hoffman seemed really oddly cast in that one. I guess I should just go ahead and see, at the very least, the first one.

Directed by Brad Bird

2011

Times Square 25

Panic in the Streets

Bart fell asleep during parts of this movie. I stayed awake but I can't say this was as good as I was hoping. Still, it had its moments.

Some thoughts:

- I think I need to see all of Kazan's films from the 40s through the early 60s.

- The cinematography was great. I love the noirish shadows, the scenes on the docks (foreshadowing Kazan's later film On the Waterfront perhaps?)

- Shortly after this film was made, Zero Mostel was put on the commie blacklist which made Bart and I wonder if Kazan had anything to do with that. A quick Wikipedia search was vague but Kazan apparently loved Mostel so who knows?

- I liked Richard Widmark as a good guy but I think I prefer him as a sniveling scam artist or a conniving lowlife.

- So the film was about a murdered guy who is found to have pneumonic plague and the clock is ticking to find the killer so he can be immunized. Otherwise, the whole country could be in danger. It's like 1950's version of trying to stop Contagion.

- As far as ticking clock movies from this era go, the original D.O.A. is better.

- Bart and I think this movie could easily be adapted for 2012. James Franco would play the Richard Widmark character.

- Holy crap - Jack Palance was one scary dude. I was wondering who would possibly be cast as that crazy killer giant dude in the 2nd and 3rd parts of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. Someone that looks as angularly creepy as Palance would be good.

- And then there was this great exchange between Widmark and the doubtful police captain.

Widmark: You know, my mother always told me if you looked deep enough in anybody ... you'd always find some good, but I don't know. (He was talking about appealing to the murderer's good sense to turn himself in if he knew the danger.)

Police Captain who reminded me of William Bendix: With apologies to your mother, that's the second mistake she made.

Zing!

Directed by Elia Kazan
1950
TCM

Frontrunners

This is the third best movie about a school election I've seen in the past few years. Too bad, I've only seen three. Granted, one was a great one about a Chinese class election so it isn't really a fair comparison. But a better comparison would be to this movie.

Sujan and I were thinking this movie would be interesting because the high school in question is a renowned, top public high school in the city. We assumed the kids running for office would have a lot to say. Unfortunately that wasn't the case.

Plus, the footage is repetitive and not that interesting. How many shots do I need of high schoolers passing out fliers?

And I like an indie rock score as much as the next person who owns Dusk at Cubist Castle but I hated the soundtrack. So loud and jarring and unnecessary.

Don't waste your time on this movie. That is, unless you really liked the redhead from that Todd Solondz movie Palindromes. She's one of the students running for office. And even then, maybe just watch that movie again.

Directed by Caroline Suh
2008
Sundance Channel