Movie Minx

Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Plot: A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive.

But is it any good?

So THAT’s where the much-spoofed man-being-chased-by-a-plane scene comes from. There is so much energy in this spy thriller that it hasn’t dated a bit. I’d never seen North by Northwest before I viewed it for this blog and was delighted. Of course, I’m always delighted by Hitchcock movies. It’s long, but there are so many twists and turns that it’s worth every minute. See it if you haven’t already - it’s the kind of movie that pretty much anybody would love.

IMDb’s rating: 8.6/10
My rating: 9/10

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Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Plot: Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy.

But is it any good?

I watched Goodfellas last night for the first time, reluctant as always to watch a mafia movie. Maybe it’s a girl thing, but I just don’t like them. The characters are selfish, mean, often thick and the scenes are often bloody. People are bullied, bashed, shot and knifed - often all at once.

Yes, Martin Scorsese is one of cinema’s most talented directors and it’s a travesty he hasn’t won an Oscar yet. I don’t have a problem with the slick direction or stellar cast - yes, De Niro plays menacing well and Joe Pesci masters the psychotic mob man - I simply don’t like the characters or the plot, and I sigh whenever yet another poor sap’s face meets the end of a boot. There are also the token doormat, screechy wives and dumb blondes on the side, completing what I find to be a boring picture. Classic? Not in my books, buster.

IMDb’s rating: 8.6/10
My rating: 5/10

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Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster
Directed by: Jonathan Demme

Plot: Clarice Starling, a young FBI agent, is assigned to help find a missing woman, and save her from a psychopathic killer with the help of another killer.

But is it any good?

It’s been 15 years and still tha lambs haven’t stopped screaming. It’s certainly not a family movie, this one, but it’s one of the best films made in the past two decades.

With his bone-chilling “Hello, Clarice” and blank blue eyes, Anthony Hopkins created one of cinema’s most infamous characters. What Silence of the Lambs does so well is provide psychological chills without drowning the audience in buckets of blood. We hear the horror recounted more than we see it and we read it in Hannibal Lecter’s passive face.

Jodie Foster is also brilliant as young FBI agent Clarice Starling, who has to get into a killer’s head by letting another killer into hers. Was Michelle Pfeiffer REALLY the first choice for the role? Honestly.

No question one of the best thrillers ever. Shit sequel and quite good prequel.

IMDb’s rating: 8.6/10
My rating: 9.5/10

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Starring: Gloria Swanson, William Holden
Directed by: Billy Wilder

Plot: A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.

But is it any good?

Another unexpected gem on this list. In Sunset Blvd., a cynical screenwriter named Joe Gillis is down on his luck when he chances across a seemingly abandoned mansion. Only it’s not abandoned - it houses faded Hollywood star Norma Desmond and her ever-faithful butler. Gillis agrees to pen a script for Desmond and becomes a kept man, but soon finds the living arrangement, and Desmond’s delusions, stifling.

The script is biting and Gloria Swanson, herself an old silent-era star, plays the washed-up, mad old crone to perfection, surrounded by images or herself in her glory days. The final scene as she trails down the staircase is utterly chilling. Brilliant.

IMDb’s ratingL 8.6/10
My rating: 9/10

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Starring: James Stewart
Directed by: Frank Capra

Plot An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed.

But is it any good?

Only the most hard-hearted, cynical bastard could fail to be touched by Wonderful Life. While its senitmentality may be challenging in this day and age, everybody needs a spoonful of sugar now and then. I’m sure watching it at Christmas time is a particularly moving experience - for some reason I’d never seen it, in New Zealand we always seem to get Sound of Music and/or Gone with the Wind on December 25.

I knew the outline of the story, but I didn’t expect to get so attached to its protagonist, George Bailey (Stewart). Poor George just wants to get out of the small town he grew up in, travel a bit and then go to college, but events continue to conspire against him. As the years pass George always does the right thing, putting others before himself each and every time, until he finds himself one Christmas Eve standing on a bridge overlooking an icy river and contemplates jumping in.

Basically this film is all about how we touch the lives of others, without even realising it. It has one of the most uplifting endings I’ve ever seen. You may or may not find tears rolling down your face, but you will feel touched, whether you believe in angels or not.

IMDb’s rating: 8.6/10
My rating: 8.5/10

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Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning
Directed by: Sam Mendes

Plot: Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation for his daughter’s attractive friend.

But is it any good?

I’ve always thought the similarly-themed Ice Storm was better than American Beauty, but this is still a very good movie. It seemed to touch a wide audience with its premise of being true to yourself. It certainly isn’t a light-heated romp and there’s a lot of pain in its story, which is well played by some of cinema’s finest actors. Some of the images, such as the naked girl in the rose petals, are also incredible striking.

But I think the film also takes itself rather seriously and deserved its mocking in Not Another Teen Movie. The guy with the video camera is creepy, and I’m sorry, but a floating plastic bag is not the Most Beautiful Thing in the World. It’s trash and will probably end up suffocating a dolphin. And if my boyfriend smiled in wonder as he studied my dead father’s bleeding head, I’d be reconsidering the relationship.

American Beauty is worth seeing, but I wouldn’t rate it as one of the greatest movies ever.

IMDb’s rating: 8.5/10
My rating: 8/10

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Starring: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Plot: During the on-going Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a God among a local tribe.

But is it any good?

One-word summaries: trippy. powerful. stunning. raw. long.

I’ve only seen the Redux version, and from what I’ve read the original was better. Redux did meander in parts and contained a few unnecessary (added) scenes, but still - my god! What a film. It’s exhausting. A little like Dead Man but set in a war zone with The Doors’ The End playing hollow in the background, or Wagner blaring from helicopters as they descend on the beach. Or no music as they travel silently down the river.

The movie went over budget and way over schedule. This is no surprise. Martin Sheen is intense, and apparently suffered a heart attack during filming. While it was slightly distracting that he looked like an EXACT 50/50 combo of his sons Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, that wasn’t his fault.

Marlon Brando apparently showed up late and didn’t know his lines and was a bit fat. This is no surprise. It’s also no surprise that despite these issues he delivers a killer performance as the mad Green Beret living in the jungle. He’s like Jack Nicholson - he could blow his nose and win an Oscar.

The overall feeling is one of unease as Capt Willard makes his journey through the jungle. It’s beautifully shot with memorable scenes and the narration is brilliant. You know when you’ve seen a masterpiece of film-making and I knew it. I just wish I’d seen the original before it was tampered with.

IMDb’s rating: 8.5/10
My rating: 9.5/10 (only because I saw Redux)

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Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving
Directed by: The Wachowski brothers

Plot: A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against the controllers of it.

But is it any good?

At the end of the last millenium, posters began springing up, and billboards, asking: “What is The Matrix?” I remember pondering it on the bus. And then it was revealed that The Matrix was an awesome movie that was sadly to be followed by two of the dumbest sequels I have ever seen. Sadly, their existence dilutes the coolness of the first film, but it is still a very very cool film. If only it had been stand-alone.

The Matrix helped make computers and computer geekdom cool (there was still some doubt at the time). It was also the perfect vehicle for Keanu’s one-dimensional acting talent. Here he could “whoa” and “awesome” his way to infamy.

There was also the timing of the plot. The pre-millenial angst of the western world (who are we? what are we doing here? etc) was perfectly reflected by the paranoid concept that the world we know is fiction and we’re all brain-duped. Of course! It explained everything. And somehow wearing PVC seemed real and convincing.

The CGI was also convincing, and the fight scenes were “whoa” and “awesome”. The full 360 shot around the paused action was invented and parodied (even down to Shrek level) to kingdom come. The cinematography is sharp and so is the script.

The soundtrack kicked ass. I used to listen to it in my car on an..erm..dubbed tape *blush*.

IMDb rating: 8.5/10
My rating: 10/10 (sequels: 2 = 5/10, 3=2/10)

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Starring: Jim Carry, Kate Winslet
Directed by: Michael Gondry

Plot: Outlining the plot ruins the surprise, in my opinion.

But is it any good?

I was surprised and charmed when I discovered Being John Malcovich (which I walked into randomly in Paris one winter), and I love Charlie Kaufmann scripts (including Adaptation) so I had high hopes for Eternal Sunshine. And lo, it became one of my favourite movies.

At the beginning Joel (Jim) and Clementine (Kate) meet in a strange area and can’t quite figure out why they went there, but they feel drawn to each other. Then we find out why, and the rest of the move runs through their memories. As I said, I don’t want to spoil it if you haven’t seen it, but I must say I’ve never emerged from a movie theatre feeling so uplifted and positive about relationships.

The script is original. What I like about Kaufmann scripts is that they twist and turn and include the wacky, but they’re never pretentious. The characters seem very real indeed, and it’s a rare film that can touch you without leaving you wrestling with your inner cynic.

IMDb’s rating: 8.5/10
My rating: 10/10

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Starring: Kirk Douglas
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Plot: When soldiers in WW1 refuse to continue with an impossible attack, their superiors decide to make an example of them.

But is it any good?

Bloody hell this is a depressing movie. If you’ve just seen Top Gun and are pumped at the idea of rushing out to fight the enemy, Paths of Glory will quickly deflate your balloon. It’s grim, it’s got bad characters, and it’s got good characters who die or are going to die or simply don’t get what they want. Don’t expect an uplifting tale of love or redemption.

Pros: Well, it’s a Kubrick film, so it’s got more awesome camera shots than you can count. Highlight scenes include the panning across of the battle scene as soldiers crawl across the bullet-riddled, explosive field; Kirk Douglas’ march through the trenches as we see the nervous troops from his perspective in the gathering smoke of bomb blasts; the long march up to the execution; the tears on the men’s faces as they hum along to the German song.

IMDb’s rating: 8.5/10
My rating: 7.5/10

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