Raging Bull Durham

I had it in my head that Raging Bull was about baseball, because I've seen Bull Durham. Intellectually I knew the connection had no basis, but whenever I guessed what RB was about, that's what would come to mind. I was actually pleasantly surprised that it is indeed, to some extent, a sports movie.

We had this blue-ray disc on our shelf for months. I kept declining when Todd suggested we watch it. Well, we finally did and I loved it. This is the best movie so far, hands down. (I actually bumped The Godfather and Casablanca down half a point because I liked this one so much.)

I loved the story, the way the movie was shot, the acting...everything. I have a new-found respect for Joe Pesci, and seeing Cathy Moriarty was awesome -- I didn't know she was in this movie, and had previously only known her from another classic, Soapdish. (Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Robert Downey, Jr., and Teri Hatcher in this campy big screen portrayal of a soap set? Hilarity.)

The scene when Sugar Ray Robinson has LaMotta up against the ropes but LaMotta won't go down -- loved what Scorsese did there with the perspective, the slow motion, down to Vikki LaMotta watching in the audience. Robert De Niro's performance was tremendous. And I can never get over the weight gains and losses that actors go through for roles. Jake LaMotta, in the 60s, without a shirt on? Oh my.

Could my appreciation for the movie have anything to do with it's 1980 release date? (cross reference: my first post mentions I don't usually bother with movies made before I was born.) We'll see as we continue. I'm reinvigorated to pick up this project. Up next: Singin' in the Rain.

Raging Bull

After hundreds of e-mails of concern, people thinking we were dead (or worse) and begging us to keep blogging...we're back. Raging Bull sat on top of the blu-ray player for the last 4 months, but we finally sat down to watch it.

1980 Drama directed by Martin Scorsese. We watched the 2009 blu-ray release, which looked incredible.

I'd seen Raging Bull over ten years ago, and didn't remember being that impressed by it. This time around, I was pretty blown away by the film.

Raging Bull stars Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta, a middleweight boxer and general psychopath. We watch him tear through opponents and family members alike, alienating most everyone in the film. This is De Niro at his best. Some of the most intense scenes I've ever seen acted, and lets not forget the 70 pounds that De Niro put on to play the aging LaMotta. They had to cut shooting short because De Niro was having trouble breathing, he was so huge.

At times hard to watch, with a very unlikeable protagonist, it was still impossible to look away from Raging Bull. Gripping, intense, and powerful, I give it a 9.0.

Fun fact, De Niro took up boxing while training for Raging Bull, won a couple fights, and was touted by LaMotta himself as one of the 20 best middle weight boxers of all time.

The film was fantastic. Other than some dropped lines and a very ambiguous biblical quote at the end, I loved it. Scorsese took on this film after nearly dying from a drug overdose, was convinced it was to be his last feature, and spend an inordinate time with Raging Bull in post production, and it shows. Well worth watching.

Casablanca

1942 Drama directed by Michael Curtiz. We watched the 2008 blu-ray version that also contained a 1955 Casablanca television episode (awful) and a Bugs Bunny parody cartoon Carrotblanca (genius).

Casablanca was never supposed to be a great film. Just one of a dozen films released by Warner Bros. that year, but featuring Humphrey Bogart in his first romantic lead role. It has become one of the most beloved (and quoted) films of all time, and for good reason.

Casablanca takes place in Morocco during WWII and centers around Rick's Café Américain where everybody knows your name. Rick (Bogart) runs the joint, and mostly keeps his head down. That all changes when an ex-lover Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) breezes through the door. All hell breaks loose, and at the end nearly everyone has sacrificed something.

First off, the blu-ray looked amazing. I've never seen the film look or sound so good. Casablanca a fanastic film with great characters that all grow and change throughout the film. The ending is satisfying, despite the fact that the US Production Code wouldn't allow it to end any other way.

I give it an 8.5, and here's why.

I love this film, but it could have packed a much more emotional punch with the ending. I think it missed a great opportunity to highlight the sacrifices made by all. The ending seemed a bit rushed.

Plus...the most corny line ever was hidden in the middle of the film. As artillery guns fire off in the distance, Ilsa rattles off, "Is that cannon fire, or is that my heart pounding?" Actually, its big blocks of cheese falling on the floor.

The one thing I did learn, is that there is no correct way to pronounce the title. They all say it differently in the film. When in doubt, go with the spanish accent...it just sounds cooler.

The Godfather, part II

Not a new movie, just the second part of our post for The Godfather. My random thoughts:

1) I want to note that Blockbuster failed us by sending a disc that was cracked so bad you could smoke it. Our local library saved the day! In fact, so far the public library has supplied us The Third Man and Casablanca, our next film on the list.

2) I realized early on that I had seen parts of this movie before on TV. How could I only watch parts of such an epic movie? Let's try to let that go. ...but come on, it's almost three hours long without considering commercial breaks.

3) I fell asleep for about 5 seconds, after Carlo's luggage is placed in the truck, but before he kicks out the windshield. I'm happy with that effort.

4) I thought Connie looked like Jenny from The Muppets take Manhattan. Silly me, those films were made 10 years apart. But I was interested in learning that Talia Shire is a Coppola; Francis Ford Coppola's sister.

5) I discovered The Godfather is also #2 on IMDb's Top 250. A future list to tackle?

6) Fantastic film. Everything about the early 1970s production rocked. 9.5. The minus .5 is for the poorly choreographed street fight when Sonny beats the crap out of Carlo. Concept, awesome; obviously fake punches, not so awesome.

The Godfather

1972 Drama directed by Francis Ford Coppola. We watched the 2004 widescreen DVD.

"I believe in America..."

And so begins one of the best films ever made. The Godfather follows the Corleone family from 1945-1955, and was one of the first films that looked at the mafia from the perspective of those inside. The all-star cast includes Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Caan and Robert Duvall.

Assassinations, double crosses, and shoot outs all take a back seat to the main story line, which revolves around Michael Corleone (Al Pacino). Michael's slow burn from a "civilian" to the new Godfather is incredible to watch, with the hinge of that transition brilliantly captured in one dolly move about 73 minutes in.

This film clocks in at 175 minutes, with the opening scene alone taking 26 minutes...but Joy stayed awake for all but a 10 second nod off. The pacing is beautiful, the characters are dynamic, the music is classic, and the movie is a must see.

I give it a 9.5.

1941. Who knew?

Since I have little knowledge of classic films, I tried to watch Citizen Kane with an appreciation for how differently filmmaking was accomplished before sophisticated special effects. I was told this film was groundbreaking, so I looked for clues. For example, I wonder how they created the shot moving through the sign and into the skylight of the nightclub where Susan worked. (They must have been happy with the payoff, because they used the shot 3-4 times.) There's some other stuff with windows and ceilings, but I don't have any unique insights, so I'll leave my musings at that.

Walking out of the theater, my biggest critique was that Dorothy Comingore, as Susan, was not such a good actress. So much yelling! At the top of her lungs! But then I looked at the script:

SUSAN

Love!  You don't love anybody!
Me or anybody else!  You want
to be loved - that's all you want!
I'm Charles Foster Kane.  Whatever
you want - just name it and it's
yours! Only love me!  Don't
expect me to love you -

So maybe she was just following direction. ...but she also didn't work so much after Citizen Kane.

To Todd: I take issue with "brief doze." I missed maybe two seconds of film immediately after the breakfast montage that ends with Emily Kane reading The Chronicle. My head snapped up before the scene changed. Oh well.

I give Citizen Kane an 8.5. Who knew good stuff was happening in 1941? I'm learning.

Citizen Kane

1941 Drama directed by Orson Welles. We watched a 35mm print, which was by no means pristine, but a 35mm print none the less.

Citizen Kane tells the story of the rise and fall of Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles). The film begins at Xanadu, the larger than life estate of Kane, where we find Kane on his deathbed. The enigmatic last word of "Rosebud" on Kane's lips. The rest of the film is told though flashbacks from those closest to Kane, as we watch a child of modest means become a newspaper man, a shoo in for Governor, and finally a broken shell. The story is driven by a reporter who talks to Kane's associates, trying to find meaning in the word Rosebud. The reporter hopes that Kane's last words will unlock the secret of who Charles Foster Kane really was.

The film is amazing on so many levels. Cinematography was ground breaking, from deep focus to low angle. The story telling techniques were brilliant, especially how Welles handles the passage of time. The story itself was epic, and satisfying.

Citizen Kane is simply one of the best films ever made. I give it a 9.5

If you've not seen this film, you must.

It kept Joy awake for all but a very brief doze!

on the scoreboard

...with my first sleep. I'll get this on the record right now: my propensity for falling asleep during a movie has nothing to do with how much I am enjoying the movie. That said, I have no idea how to score this one. I was asleep before we were even introduced to Harry Lime's lover.

Best lines in the script while I was still engaged:

MARTINS

I was going to stay with him, but he died Thursday.

CRABBIN

Goodness, that's awkward.

I'll give it a .15, representing the 15 minutes I was awake.  

The Third Man

1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed. We watched the Criterion Collection, which had the original version, not the David O. Selznick chopped American release.

The Third Man follows Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) as he arrives in post WW2 Vienna, looking to start a job for his friend Harry Lime. Holly expects Harry to be waiting for him at the airport, only to find out that Harry has just died. The police tell Holly that his friend was involved in some very shady racketeering. Holly suspects that Harry was murdered, and tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, mixing it up with Harry's friends, his lover, and the local police.

First off, I love film noir, and this film looked spectacular. The cobblestone streets of Vienna gleamed at night, and the city itself served as an amazing backdrop for this thriller.

The acting was top notch, although I was disappointed that Joesph Cotton and Orson Welles only shared the screen briefly.

The film was enjoyable, but the sense of urgency and danger was never really there for me. Like a true film noir, The Third Man kept me guessing, but once the secret was revealed...the film really lost its steam.

Scale of 1-10, I give it a 7.5. Since this is the first film I reviewed, I have to start somewhere, leaving plenty of room above and below.

In 1999, BFI put this film at #1 on its list. I'm not so sure...

-Todd

P.S.

Correction: the AFI 10th anniversary list was released in 2007.

Reference: check out the AFI 100 years...100 movies, 10th anniversary edition, for yourself.

I'll just add that, based on a skim, I've only seen 14 of these movies. (Todd? 61!) I basically do not make it a priority to watch movies that were produced before I was born. The exceptions on the list are Jaws, The Sound of Music, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and The Wizard of Oz.

...which reminds me, a great impetus for finally starting up this cinematic journey is the fact that we have an awesome neighborhood movie theater that plays one new release and one classic each week or two. We missed The Wizard of Oz when it played a couple of months ago, but we won't miss Citizen Kane.

I won't comment on Todd's prediction for falling asleep and crying because... he's right on both counts.

Now on with the show!

Joy

the first post

Let me be brief. Joy and I plan to work our way through the AFI Top 100 films list, blogging about them as we go. We'll be using the updated 2008 list, and plan on watching one film a week, starting at the top. We're seeing a 35mm print of Citizen Kane tomorrow!

Why? Since when did someone need a good reason to start a blog? Exactly.

I'll be watching the films not as a filmmaker, but as a audience member. Joy will be counting how many films she can stay awake for. And how many will make her cry. I'm predicting the numbers will be high in both categories.

We'll also include a segment called "What Joy thought the movie was going to be about" and "What the movie really was about." This was inspired by a near disaster screening of Blue Velvet when Joy thought we were going to see National Velvet.

As a warm up, we're watching The Third Man, which comes in at the top spot of the BFI's top 100. We'll see if those Brits know anything about making movies.

Cheers,
Todd