Road to Perdition

I'm glad it was you

Years from now, maybe even current day, Road to Perdition will be something that is required watching for a cinematography class. The camera work is the major appeal in this film. Whether it is consciously noted or not, there are periods of several minutes where less than five lines of dialogue are spoken. Accolades should be given to David Self for making the lines bait us like a large-mouthed bass. From the general consensus, it seems Road to Perdition is a distant cousin of the graphic novel source material.

I tend to be a sucker for mob and crime stories. Some of my favorite films include The Godfather, Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Reservoir Dogs, L.A. Confidential, and Donnie Brasco. So, a 1930s period piece about Chicago-area gangsters starring Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, and Jude Law made me salivate a bit. Though I was very pleased with the movie, it seemed like the mob/gangster storyline was a sub-plot to a superb father/son tale. The overlay worked very well. Remember in The Godfather how, although Sonny was the first choice, Michael ends up filling the role his father made iconic? Well, in this tale we see a father who goes to great lengths to ensure his son does not fill his role.

McGuire, the crime scene photographer villain (played by Jude Law), lights up the screen in every scene he's featured. His balding hair, yellowed teeth, and black-room tinted skin suit this villain to his creepiest of levels. I had recently re-watched this film, but I remember on my initial viewing thinking that the diner scene, where McGuire and Tom Hank's character meet, was one of the best.

This is an astounding follow-up to American Beauty from director Sam Mendes. Often overlooked, and sometimes forgotten, Road To Perdition works on an emotional level and visual level. Without hyperbole, I recommend anyone who is a fan of film to behold this triumph.

Mystery Train

Well, then. Having finished Mystery Train mere moments ago, I am left with an overall feeling of appreciation. Slight appreciation. The slight arises from the point I made about why Nashville succeeds-I can't seem to answer the "why am I watching this?" question. Sure, independent of each other they are solid, quirky shorts. Put together as a motion picture, however, and one must really ask- what is the point?

Why did I watch these three stories and what did I get out of it? If you're able to answer these questions, then you likely do not need the "slight" disclaimer. With the exceptions of the score and some of the characters, I didn't take much away from this film.

Jarmusch has an eye for casting musicians as actors. It is fun to see 'Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Joe Strummer pull off solid performances. Care to see a drunk Strummer robbing a liquor store? Look no further. There is an early Buscemi sighting, too! The sounds of electric guitars picking around blues lines that feel eerily similar to "Smoke Stack Lightning" creates a cool mood and atmosphere with which to guide the characters down the streets of Memphis.

Would you like to know more about this quirky film? Care to dabble in the 'anthology' genre? Give this film a watch. I'll leave you with a quick scene to digest. It should leave you wanting more... My overall analysis? 3.5/5

Nashville

I am proud to have recently got around to seeing Nashville. It is never easy to find the time to dedicate three hours to a film, but this one was certainly worth the effort.

Robert Altman has a way with an ensemble. It is not hard to see how class act filmmakers like PTA are influenced by this very talented director. Nashville is a collection of lives strewn about a few days in Nashville, Tennessee. Concerts, political rallies, and studio sessions serve as a back-drop for tales of love, infidelity, murder, and the creative process of country music.

What is interesting here is that one of the leads- Barbara Jean (a Loretta Lynn style country superstar)- is played by an utter amateur in Ronee Blakely. Her performance is stellar. I, personally, am not a fan of the country music scene. After watching the film, I sought out the soundtrack and continue to play selections today.

Haven Hamilton's 200 years, an ironic ode to America in light of the bicentennial, is particularly catchy. He really nails the voice that encompasses a country music star of the period depicted in this film. In direct compliment to the voice is the costume and attitude. This man personifies every preconceived notion I had gathered about Nashville in the 1970s. Granted, my only real exposure to the setting were the albums and album covers my grandfather continuously played while I was a boy, and of course the Conway Twitty cutaways on Family Guy. Regardless, my expectations were met.


As stated before, I can't imagine an ensemble (a total of roughly 25 main characters!) being as captivating and intriguing in someone else's hands. Similar to Short Cuts, Nashville never looses the viewer in terms of "why am I watching this?", "who is that?", or "what is their scenario again?". Whereas some ensembles, which I'll leave nameless (2006 best picture, anyone?), desperately try to connect every character by the end of the film, Nashville simply presents them to us. Opal, the BBC reporter, weaves between characters with her hip-attached microphone, which helps in the aforementioned effect of never loosing the viewer. Also aiding in this effect is the political candidate Hal Philip Walker, whose voice is only heard through a megaphone on top of his van, and a young Jeff Goldblum who drives the scenes (literally) atop his three-wheeler.

Several story lines are juxtaposed over the city of Nashville during a political season. There is literally a potpourri bowl- something for everyone. There is comedy in watching a very talented Barbara Harris play Winifred, an aspiring country singer constantly running away from her husband. There is drama in the dynamic of the folk trio Bill, Mary, and Tom (very Peter, Paul, and Mary-esque). The trio consists of a husband, wife, and womanizer/aspiring solo artist Tom. Bill and Mary are married, but Mary yearns for Tom. Mary has bedroom romps and desperation phone calls with Tom while he seduces married women and the BBC Reporter Opal.

Things get spicy.

The film climaxes at an outdoor concert benefiting fictional Replacement Party candidate Hal Philip Walker. Two of the film's best songs are featured here: My Idaho Home performed by Barbara Jean and It Don't Worry Me performed by Winifred. The final cadence for each character is beautifully illustrated as we are given new and exciting insights into some of the faces we've been observing.

Kudos, Mr. Altman. I look forward to watching McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Player, Images, and The Long Goodbye. You have yet to disappoint.

A little insight into my cinemaphilia

We watch films when we're still in Pampers. Sometimes, before we even comprehend language, we're sat before a TV screen with Dorothy and Toto starring right back.

For anyone who ends up appreciating film as more than just a Friday night escape, you tend to remember the film that made it that way.

For me, it was Magnolia. I was certainly not used to a three hour melodrama, and I certainly did not expect the ending that awaited me. I remember sitting up in bed when the storm cadence began. I had waited a substantial amount of time to see how this mosaic's loose ends would be tied together. After witnessing the deus ex machina that "opened" the ensemble character's eyes, I had an epiphany of "oh, it's really up to me to interpret".

It was this realization that led me to eventually appreciate A Serious Man, Dead Man, and every David Lynch film besides Elephant Man. Watching film is no different than looking at a painting. You're presented with something, and its solely up to you to make out of what you will.

Sure, there are films (mostly during May, June, and July) that need not require this internal absorption. I tend to seek out the ones that do.

To name some of my favorites can be easily summarized by mentioning a few of my favorite directors. From Scorsese to Coppola to Kubrick to Altman. From Jarmusch to Tarantino to Anderson to the Coens. Hitchcock to Wilder to Clouzot to Welles. There are few filmmakers that have any sort of legacy that I do not appreciate.

With the exception of Natural Born Killers, which I firmly give a 3/5 rating, I have yet to be fully impressed by Oliver Stone. The same can be said for Von Trier and Polanski. Chinatown stands firm at 3/5 as well.

On my plate, I have a lot more French New Wave filmmakers like Goddard and Truffant to explore, as well as off-beat types like Wenders and Bunuel. Bunuel I am excited about because I thoroughly enjoyed The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.



But, from here on out, any film I see will garner a review. Any film I re-visit will receive the same treatment. Eventually, I'd like to look back at these entries as a completed bucket list. Stay tuned.....

Eyes Wide Shut

I always wondered how demanding and stressful this movie must have been for Tom and Nicole. To be an A-list Hollywood couple playing a couple who have come to some very grave realizations about themselves all under the strain of the perfectionist Stanley Kubrick seems a very daunting task. Kudos to them as the final cut was nothing short of perfect.

Eyes Wide Shut is often looked at as a mystery. Was Dr. Harford's saving grace killed at the masquerade? Or was she a casualty of the lifestyle we saw depicted early on? Was Nick Nightingale killed? Who exactly participated in the masquerade?

I believe it was Roger Ebert who stated in his review of the film, that he would have liked an ending scene that showed Nick's body carried past Dr. Harford on a gurney through the morgue. This would imply that the film revolves around the mystery of the climatic secret society party we see in the middle of the film. It does not. At least not in my eyes. We'll get to my take....

I like to know where a screenplay originates. Jack Goes Boating (below) evolved from a stage play. Eyes Wide Shut is actually an adaptation of a novella published in 1926. The translated name of the novella is Dream Story. It is this title where we find the overall feel of the film.

Throughout the first part of the film it feels as we are watching a dream (or nightmare). Bill Harford weaves through situations and experiences that are all seemingly independent of each other. Whether it is his wife declaring she would have, "given up everything" on a vacation when her eyes fell upon a Sailor, or a dying patient's daughter making a sexual advance on him, Bill could not find solid ground during his night out.

After receiving a tip-off from Nick Nightingale, the film reaches it's apex at the masquerade party. The sounds that emulate from this mansion, and the stare given to Bill from an upstairs balcony make the party scene fall directly into the horror genre. It is the outcome of this party where viewers tend to try and "solve" the mystery of Bill's night out. This party plays no more of an important role to the plot than the prostitutes apartment, or the costume shop debacle. It was just another setting that Bill ended up at after treading out of his apartment when Alice broke the news. The party does, however, offer the most easy-way-out for Bill to seek very rationalized revenge on Alice. He does not, though, and this leads to the nature of the film.


Eyes Wide Shut, although woven like a dream, is the story of a relationship: the relationship between Alice and Bill. After staring temptation in the face and being presented with gut-wrenching realizations of the other, they are left to deliver the famous last line of the film. This last line is the culmination of the days we see during the film. Bill's continuous daydream of the sailor caressing his wife and Alice's puzzlement of what might have really happened during Bill's night out becomes irrelevant. It is comparable to any situation in which you are taken completely out of your element. Immediately after, you want nothing but normality and a return to form. While Christmas shopping with their daughter, Bill and Alice realize that after the emotional distress of the prior two days- adultery has not been committed- and it is time to go home and.......

Jack Goes Boating

It is a bit ironic that a blog which promises to "review and critique some of history's greatest films" would start with an analysis of 'Jack Goes Boating'. This quirky romantic comedy flew well below the radar in a year highlighted by Inception, The King's Speech, and The Social Network.

Being Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut, I made a personal vow to see it. I have been a fan of Philip ever since he was the chubby tornado enthusiast in 'Twister'. His four film span with one of my favorite directors, Paul Thomas Anderson, earned him a special place in my heart. Would Philip parallel his acting abilities with a strong directorial effort?

It came as no surprise that this film was based on a 2007 off-Broadway play by the same name. Minimal main characters and minimal settings set up a nice atmosphere to watch one couple grow closer as one grew apart. While the acting was not far from top-notch, some of the subject matter fell flat.

Jack Goes Boating is the story of Jack, a limo driver who agrees to be set up on a blind date. Jack is set up on this date by his friend Clyde who is a fellow limo driver. Jack and his date Connie hit it off as best as two thirty-something, awkward date-less wonders can. Connie's retelling of her father's death is enough to make a normal man back away slowly.

While the Jack/Connie relationship grows and thrives, the Clyde marriage begins to disintegrate. It was Clyde's time on screen that I enjoyed the most. The shot of the back of their heads, as Clyde explains how a man can grow to accept that his wife has cheated, was inspired. The Clyde/Lucy dynamic at the dinner party was interesting to watch as well.


The falling flat happened through Jack and Connie. While the dinner scene tantrum was very well-acted, I just did not believe this emotion and outburst was coming from this man. A lot of Connie's dialogue in the bedroom seemed exaggerated. I did buy, however, Clyde's quick descent into drugs and paranoia at the dinner party as illustrated by his invitation to the Cannoli after an impromptu binge. I especially loved that Lucy joined in on this binge with little hesitation.

Overall, any flaw about this picture did not arise from acting or direction- it was flaws in the body of work itself. This is not a play I would typically rush out and see, and the reason for the film anticipation came from the Hoffman aspect. I am very eager to watch the entirety of this man's career. As a footnote, I will quickly rank my three favorite Hoffman roles. Until next time, keep watchin!

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