-- Hooray for Hollywood
Today was the last day of my vacation, and I was pretty tired of the usual things I do on vacations. I was sick of going to interesting sites and learning new things. I'd come to Newport News with a vague idea of seeing something called The Living Museum of Virginia, but it sounded too educational.
I wound up going to a museum anyway. It's not that I wanted to be educated, but the Virginial Air and Space Center had an Imax Theater showing Alice In Wonderland, and going to the museum seemed like a good way to kill a couple of hours before the film started.
Rather than just talking about my day, I'll talk about all the movies I've seen on this vacation. I won't include any spoilers for Alice in Wonderland, and won't deliberately include spoilers for any of the other movies, but they may slip out anyway. I would say that five and a half of the seven movies I saw were worthwhile, which is pretty good.
First movie of the vacation: "Quicksand," a 1950 movie starring Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney (James' sister) and Peter Lorre.
Where I saw it: In a coffeehouse in Savannah, Ga. A group called the Psychotronic Film Society regularly shows old and obscure movies there.
What it's about: In this film noir, Rooney, a broke mechanic, borrows 20 bucks from the cash register of his shop so he can go on a date with a hot blond. He intends to pay it back before the bookkeeper comes to count the till, but the accountant comes a couple of days ahead of schedule. He knows he has to get money quick, and there's a store in town selling fancy wrist watches for $1 down. (This is probably the scene that dates the movie the most, when the shop owner asks him if he has a line of credit anywhere in town.) Rooney then pawns the watch for $30. And the next day, the police show up, saying they think he has no inention of returning the watch, and demanding he pay the shop owner $100 or get arrested. Things continue to escalate, rapidly, from there; Rooney digs himself into more and more trouble trying to solve each dilemma.
What I thought: It's a very enjoyable film. There's a certain morality to film noir, and I was curious to see what would happen to Rooney's character, who hadn't really meant to do anything bad, but couldn't seem to help himself. It also makes me wonder if Lorre ever got upset at being typecast as the creepy petty criminal. He does a fine job of it.
Second film of the trip: "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt," a 2009 I mentioned earlier.
Where I saw it: With relatives in Naples, Florida. We saw quite a few movies during those evenings.
What it's about: A TV reporter is convinced that a high-profile District Attorney is planting evidence to frame innocent people and secure convictions. So when there's a murder, he arranges to have it look as though the circumstantial evidence points to him. He plans to expose the D.A. after he gets put on trial and fake evidence is put showing his DNA was at the crime scene. Unfortunately, the DA in his corrupt police crony figure this out, and kill the man who had been assisting the reporter before he can produce the evidence. Will the reporter, sentenced to death row, somehow prove the corruption? (Hint: It's a Hollywood movie, so yes.)
What I thought: There were a lot of obnoxious twists. And there were several totally unnecessary, and uncinematic, car chase scenes. And the only character I really cared about was a Jack Russell Terrier mix. Don't waste your time.
Third film of the trip: "White Heat," the classic 1949 move starring the other Cagney sibling.
Where I saw it: With relatives, in Naples. We took this DVD from the library.
What it's about: Cagney plays Cody Jarrett, a brilliant but unbalanced leader of a tough and rough gang. They commit a massive train robbery, stealing a fortune and leaving several dead. In order to take suspicion away from him, Cody (falsely) confesses to committing a smaller robbery, which would carry a small sentence in a state prison. The police are on to him, but play along, so they can insert an undercover officer into the jail disguised as an inmate, and win Cody's confidence. And hopefully find out who Cody's fence is, and catch the gang. This is the movie that ends with the "Made it Ma! Top of the World" scene.
What I thought: This movie is deservedly a classic. The characters are top-notch. As I said, there's a morality to film noir, and the evil characters are all evil, but in their own way. Cagney is a brilliant, magnetic psychotic. There's Margaret Wycherly's performance as his mother, a cold, calculating woman totally devoted to him. His wife Vera, who is willing to tell anybody what she thinks they want to hear. His second in command, Big Ed, who is ambitious but not as good as Cody. The dialogue is top notch too. Early on, Vera says something about Cody like "He's not human; if you shoot him, he'll keep coming." That proves prophetic. There's also some nice "choreography." That's not the right word, but the placement of the actors and vehicles relative to each other is important to the plot, and always well handled.
Fourth and Fifth film: "Murder She Said," and "Murder at the Gallop," two Agatha Christie films from 1961 and 1963, starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple.
Where I saw them: With relatives. We took out Murder She Said for a change of pace from the darker movies in our selection. Since we liked it, we took out the sequel the next day.
What they're about: In Murder She Said, Miss Marple is looking out the window of a passenger train when she sees a woman being strangled in a passing train, though only the pair of hands strangling her. However, the police refuse to believe her because there is no body or report of a missing woman on a train. Using her love of mystery books, she figures out the body must have been dumped by a household. To get access to the house, Marple becomes a maid, and there unravels the plot. In the second one, Marple suspects murder after a wealth recluse is killed. She goes to a riding retreat where all the relatives of the man are staying, under suspicion of murder. My favorite part of this movie is when she criticizes the police inspector for not reading enough Agatha Christie.
What I thought: The plots are pretty much identical. Had I been watching them in the theaters two years apart, that probably wouldn't have bothered me, but watched one after another it is less effective. But there were a few things I really enjoyed, probably because they were very British. Rutherford was 69 in 1961, and was willing to play an old lady -- and while Marple has some charms, she can be stubborn and rude. America has very few roles for actresses over 30, or someone who is not too likable. The movies are also set in a time when there was still a strong upper class in England, who hired maids and gardeners for their estates and went to riding stables on vacation. I suggest watching one in this series (there are a few others), probably Murder She Said.
Sixth Film I watched: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney's classic)
Where I watched it: A hotel room in Charleston while updating this blog
What it's about: I assume anyone over five knows the story.
What I thought: It's been a while since I saw it, but I was impressed by a lot of details. Most notably, Disney spent a lot of time getting into the personality of each character. I think this is missing from a lot of modern cartoon movies (and movies in general), which favor too much slapstick and action over characterization. You've got six pretty similar looking Dwarfs (Dopey is pretty distinct), but once they open their mouths, it's impossible to mistake one for another.
Seventh Film I watched: Alice In Wonderland
Where I watched it: At a museum
What it's about: There's quite a few reviews on the Internet that describe the plot: Alice goes down the rabbit hole for a second time, a decade later. She finds a world where the Red Queen rules with an even more tyrannical fist, and is told that she must defeat the Bandersnatch in combat to save the kingdom. Of course, she's reluctant to accept this, having convinced herself what happened years ago was just a dream. The plot is solid, but you don't really watch a Tim Burton movie for the storyline. (Mars Attacks is exactly what it says in the title; Beetle Juice is about ghosts who inadvertently summon a nasty spirit; Ed Wood is the life of Ed Wood; etc.) You watch it for the ambiance and the characters.
What I thought: I've seen Imax movies before, and I've seen 3-D movies before, but this was the first time I've seen them together. The end result is like chocolate and peanut butter. I really felt that if I put out my hand, I could touch Underland (as it is called in the film; the characters say young Alice got the name wrong, thinking it was some sort of fairyland).
Burton and the actors did a good job of capturing both Lewis Carroll's sense of whimsy and the undercurrent of menace that permeated the books. The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) is a despot, willing to execute anyone who betrays or angers her. But she's also a freak, with a head two or three times too large for her body. And she insists her court be similarly grotesque: her nobles have six inch noses, swollen bellies, or triple chins. (I was originally going to say "endowed with large parts," before I realized how that sounded. Possibly we're supposed to make that conclusion.) And the way Alice tricks her is both clever and involves the sort of wordplay Carroll might have used. Mia Wasikowska plays Alice very consistently; I found the character's evolution very believable. I know several people reading this will be upset if I don't point out Johnny Depp did a great job as the Hatter. He did, but I was expecting that. I think one of the more interesting performances that surprised me was Barbara Windsor's Dormouse, who's no sleeping beauty here.
Burton also did a good job of not becoming too manic and wacky, or being too flat and disaffected. I think he's ruined several movies by doing that. Finally, the dialog struck me as pretty solid. It didn't have the perfected feeling of White Heat, where I thought just about every word did something, but it did have a lot of good thematic allusions and literary references without pounding you over the head with it.
Tomorrow, I head home, and wrap up this travelogue.
What I thought: It's a very enjoyable film. There's a certain morality to film noir, and I was curious to see what would happen to Rooney's character, who hadn't really meant to do anything bad, but couldn't seem to help himself. It also makes me wonder if Lorre ever got upset at being typecast as the creepy petty criminal. He does a fine job of it.
Second film of the trip: "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt," a 2009 I mentioned earlier.
Where I saw it: With relatives in Naples, Florida. We saw quite a few movies during those evenings.
What it's about: A TV reporter is convinced that a high-profile District Attorney is planting evidence to frame innocent people and secure convictions. So when there's a murder, he arranges to have it look as though the circumstantial evidence points to him. He plans to expose the D.A. after he gets put on trial and fake evidence is put showing his DNA was at the crime scene. Unfortunately, the DA in his corrupt police crony figure this out, and kill the man who had been assisting the reporter before he can produce the evidence. Will the reporter, sentenced to death row, somehow prove the corruption? (Hint: It's a Hollywood movie, so yes.)
What I thought: There were a lot of obnoxious twists. And there were several totally unnecessary, and uncinematic, car chase scenes. And the only character I really cared about was a Jack Russell Terrier mix. Don't waste your time.
Third film of the trip: "White Heat," the classic 1949 move starring the other Cagney sibling.
Where I saw it: With relatives, in Naples. We took this DVD from the library.
What it's about: Cagney plays Cody Jarrett, a brilliant but unbalanced leader of a tough and rough gang. They commit a massive train robbery, stealing a fortune and leaving several dead. In order to take suspicion away from him, Cody (falsely) confesses to committing a smaller robbery, which would carry a small sentence in a state prison. The police are on to him, but play along, so they can insert an undercover officer into the jail disguised as an inmate, and win Cody's confidence. And hopefully find out who Cody's fence is, and catch the gang. This is the movie that ends with the "Made it Ma! Top of the World" scene.
What I thought: This movie is deservedly a classic. The characters are top-notch. As I said, there's a morality to film noir, and the evil characters are all evil, but in their own way. Cagney is a brilliant, magnetic psychotic. There's Margaret Wycherly's performance as his mother, a cold, calculating woman totally devoted to him. His wife Vera, who is willing to tell anybody what she thinks they want to hear. His second in command, Big Ed, who is ambitious but not as good as Cody. The dialogue is top notch too. Early on, Vera says something about Cody like "He's not human; if you shoot him, he'll keep coming." That proves prophetic. There's also some nice "choreography." That's not the right word, but the placement of the actors and vehicles relative to each other is important to the plot, and always well handled.
Fourth and Fifth film: "Murder She Said," and "Murder at the Gallop," two Agatha Christie films from 1961 and 1963, starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple.
Where I saw them: With relatives. We took out Murder She Said for a change of pace from the darker movies in our selection. Since we liked it, we took out the sequel the next day.
What they're about: In Murder She Said, Miss Marple is looking out the window of a passenger train when she sees a woman being strangled in a passing train, though only the pair of hands strangling her. However, the police refuse to believe her because there is no body or report of a missing woman on a train. Using her love of mystery books, she figures out the body must have been dumped by a household. To get access to the house, Marple becomes a maid, and there unravels the plot. In the second one, Marple suspects murder after a wealth recluse is killed. She goes to a riding retreat where all the relatives of the man are staying, under suspicion of murder. My favorite part of this movie is when she criticizes the police inspector for not reading enough Agatha Christie.
What I thought: The plots are pretty much identical. Had I been watching them in the theaters two years apart, that probably wouldn't have bothered me, but watched one after another it is less effective. But there were a few things I really enjoyed, probably because they were very British. Rutherford was 69 in 1961, and was willing to play an old lady -- and while Marple has some charms, she can be stubborn and rude. America has very few roles for actresses over 30, or someone who is not too likable. The movies are also set in a time when there was still a strong upper class in England, who hired maids and gardeners for their estates and went to riding stables on vacation. I suggest watching one in this series (there are a few others), probably Murder She Said.
Sixth Film I watched: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney's classic)
Where I watched it: A hotel room in Charleston while updating this blog
What it's about: I assume anyone over five knows the story.
What I thought: It's been a while since I saw it, but I was impressed by a lot of details. Most notably, Disney spent a lot of time getting into the personality of each character. I think this is missing from a lot of modern cartoon movies (and movies in general), which favor too much slapstick and action over characterization. You've got six pretty similar looking Dwarfs (Dopey is pretty distinct), but once they open their mouths, it's impossible to mistake one for another.
Seventh Film I watched: Alice In Wonderland
Where I watched it: At a museum
What it's about: There's quite a few reviews on the Internet that describe the plot: Alice goes down the rabbit hole for a second time, a decade later. She finds a world where the Red Queen rules with an even more tyrannical fist, and is told that she must defeat the Bandersnatch in combat to save the kingdom. Of course, she's reluctant to accept this, having convinced herself what happened years ago was just a dream. The plot is solid, but you don't really watch a Tim Burton movie for the storyline. (Mars Attacks is exactly what it says in the title; Beetle Juice is about ghosts who inadvertently summon a nasty spirit; Ed Wood is the life of Ed Wood; etc.) You watch it for the ambiance and the characters.
What I thought: I've seen Imax movies before, and I've seen 3-D movies before, but this was the first time I've seen them together. The end result is like chocolate and peanut butter. I really felt that if I put out my hand, I could touch Underland (as it is called in the film; the characters say young Alice got the name wrong, thinking it was some sort of fairyland).
Burton and the actors did a good job of capturing both Lewis Carroll's sense of whimsy and the undercurrent of menace that permeated the books. The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) is a despot, willing to execute anyone who betrays or angers her. But she's also a freak, with a head two or three times too large for her body. And she insists her court be similarly grotesque: her nobles have six inch noses, swollen bellies, or triple chins. (I was originally going to say "endowed with large parts," before I realized how that sounded. Possibly we're supposed to make that conclusion.) And the way Alice tricks her is both clever and involves the sort of wordplay Carroll might have used. Mia Wasikowska plays Alice very consistently; I found the character's evolution very believable. I know several people reading this will be upset if I don't point out Johnny Depp did a great job as the Hatter. He did, but I was expecting that. I think one of the more interesting performances that surprised me was Barbara Windsor's Dormouse, who's no sleeping beauty here.
Burton also did a good job of not becoming too manic and wacky, or being too flat and disaffected. I think he's ruined several movies by doing that. Finally, the dialog struck me as pretty solid. It didn't have the perfected feeling of White Heat, where I thought just about every word did something, but it did have a lot of good thematic allusions and literary references without pounding you over the head with it.
Tomorrow, I head home, and wrap up this travelogue.
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