Fatty's Movie Round-Up

I saw a bunch of stuff, ranging from classics to sorta-classics to not-really-classics to boring crap. I will talk about of these experiences now.

The Back to the Future Trilogy - I hadn't seen these movies in years, and I recall my friend Joe Southards being enamored with them. I remember thinking he was goofy for liking such things.

Sorry, Joe.

I bought the BTTF trilogy Blu-Ray on a whim off eBay a few weeks ago, and watched the whole thing over the course of a weekend. It was my first time seeing these films in decades, and they are ridiculously good. Even the 3rd part of the trilogy (which I had never seen) was decent, although I'm sure people were baffled by it being a straightforward Western for the bulk of its running time. Also, while the 2nd and 3rd parts of the trilogy show signs of Zemeckis starting to disappear up his own butt (especially the convoluted time mythology), they're models of restraint compared to his work in later years. I was wrong about these movies; they're great.

Twin Peaks - It was announced recently that the complete Twin Peaks was coming to Netflix Instant, and I eagerly hopped aboard for a rewatch. Like most people, I'd given up on Twin Peaks around the time Laura Palmer's killer was revealed, and while the second half of Season 2 features moments that aren't very good, I'm still glad I completed the whole thing. If anything, I can tell people that compared The Killing to Twin Peaks are out of their minds. The day The Killing does something like banish a dead woman's soul to a wooden doorknob will be the first time that The Killing is actually interesting. (Full disclosure: I don't like The Killing.)

The Conformist - I was watching the documentary Visions of Light, about great film cinematography, a few weeks ago. One segment specifically focused on the visual achievement of Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist, a 1971 film filled with visual sumptuousness and political allegory. The Conformist is about a man in WW2-era Italy who joins the fascist cause in the hopes of being "normal." It's a fascinating character study, and while I think I would have appreciated it more if I had better knowledge of Italy's turbulent history, the visuals are every bit as good as advertised, lush and innovative, with seemingly every camera set-up a work of art. The Conformist has what my old elementary school friends would have called "Purty Pitchers."

Innocence - I heard of Innocence from Roger Ebert. Well, I didn't hear it from him, because he doesn't know me personally, nor does he talk. Anyway , the point is that Turner Classic showed this film as part of their salute to Ebertfest, Ebert's yearly festival dedicated to overlooked films. I had read Ebert's review of the film, and was quite intrigued. Innocence tells the story of an elderly man who reunites with a long-lost love after several decades, and the fallout that ensues, a perfunctory summation that doesn't begin to hint at the quality of the film. Filled with intriguing discussions on mortality and terrific performances, Innocence is an obscure gem that you won't regret seeing, although since it's not available on Netflix, I'm not sure where you'd be able to see it. NOTE: this movie does feature grown-ups dealing with grown-up things, so if you find that stuff boring, don't bother. Also, punch yourself.


Gates of Heaven - I vaguely recall seeing Gates of Heaven years ago, at a time where I was younger and even douchier than I am now.  Naturally, being young and douchey, I thought the film was just a guy filming weird people, not considering the different aspects of life that Errol Morris (with his first documentary) was trying to explore. It's an incredible film, and the scope of its subject matter is neatly summed up in this glorious 5-minute monologue  from California resident Florence Rasmussen:



Easy A - Easy A is one of those movies that is made by a smart, precocious person, and that smart, precocious person is eager to let you know just how smart and precocious he/she is. It's a riff on 80s teen comedies, but it's WAY smarter than that, yo!  Emma Stone stars as a smart, precocious girl who smartly and precociously makes her way through her smart, precocious life. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson play her smart, precocious parents, and she has a bunch of smart, precocious friends, and by the time it was over I wanted to punch the film in its smart, precocious face. I think this line of voiceover draws a line in the sand for the viewer:

That's the one thing that trumps religion...capitalism.

Now, if you think this line is a hilariously profound satirical jab, congratulations! You have a great future as a political comic open-miker. Also, you're probably in your early 20s. Me? I thought it was lazy, simplistic blah-blah that you hear from an 'edgy' grad student. Easy A was fine, but it would have been much better if it hadn't been so impressed with itself.

A Woman Is A Woman - Jean Luc Godard is fascinating, maybe the greatest vanguard to ever emerge from cinema. And yet, all of his films are a chore to me. I'm much more intrigued by his writings and interviews than I am his films. Ever since college, I've tried getting into the man's work, and I always find myself yearning to watch films made by someone that gives a crap about his audience.

It's not like I don't love esoteric art. I could watch anything by David Lynch any day of the week, and twice on Sunday, because I like my Sundays weeeeiiiiiirrrrrrd. But Godard has never done that for me. Maybe I'm watching the wrong films, or maybe there's a great failing in me that keeps me from appreciating this man's work. I don't know. Anyway, I saw A Woman Is A Woman and didn't like it. Like so much of Godard, it plays with form and characterization and conventional storytelling modes and it's all very clever, and it doesn't move me at all. I'll just have to try again.

The Earrings of Madame De... - Now THIS is a French film that I responded to, and it has to do almost entirely with the cinematography of Max Ophuls. Few people moved the camera with such style and flair, while at the same time giving each movement meaning. Remember that pointless shot through the handle of the coffeepot that Fincher did in Panic Room because he was bored with the script? You won't find any of that time-wasting with Ophuls. The opening shot of Earrings of Madame De... alone neatly sums up the character and her life:



It's hypnotic, the way the camera flows elegantly, but with purpose. It's hard to do that shizz, know what I'm sayin? Max Ophuls, you were good at filming stuff.

So, have you seen any movies recently? Do share.

Grab the Back to the Future trilogy today!