Vertigo

I really enjoyed Vertigo, the Alfred Hitchcock tale of John "Scottie" Ferguson (Jimmy Stewart), who develops vertigo and a fear of heights as a response to watching a fellow officer fall off a roof. Retired with nothing else going on except torturing friend Midge with the hope of a romance (Barbara Bel Geddes... Miss Ellie from Dallas!), he meets up with an old college friend and takes a job following his wife. Turns out, he thinks his wife Madeleine is possessed by a dead person, Carlotta Valdes. Scottie follows her around, and she's certainly acting the part--visiting a picture of Carlotta, her grave, a hotel where she stayed. This continues for awhile till she tries committing suicide by jumping into the bay. Scottie rushes to rescue her and brings her to his apartment to regroup (which got weird--she was naked in his bed, he had her clothes in the kitchen...and she didn't really think to question him about that??). She escapes his penetrating questions and glare when he answers a call from her husband. But like a moth to the flame, they can't avoid each other. They begin spending some time and taking day trips together, most notably the Redwoods where she goes into a trance and confesses her fear that she's going to kill herself. They find themselves at Mission de San Juan Batisto, where after a passionate embrace and a declaration of love, Carlotta overtakes Madeleine , and she runs to the top of the church steeple. Scottie's vertigo and acrophobia take over, and he's unable to stop her from committing suicide.

Scottie's grief and guilt put him into a catatonic trance. The only one to help him is Midge. He finally snaps out of it enough to leave the hospital, and finds himself roaming the streets during the day. On his travels, he runs across a woman who is the spitting image of Madeleine and follows her home. She's Judy Barton, from Salina, and though she thinks he's rather stalkerish, she agrees to see him. Turns out she's got a little secret--she was an actress playing Madeleine; in a flashback, we see that Madeleine's husband staged the whole production as a way to kill his wife without suspicion. Judy loved Scottie, so instead of running away, she goes along with his desire to see her, eventually turning herself back into Madeleine to please him. However, she makes the fetal mistake of wearing the necklace which he remembers Madeleine wearing, which was supposed to be an heirloom of Carlotta. Figuring it all out, he takes her back to the mission, and conquers his acrophobia by forcing her to climb to the top with him and admit everything. During his impassioned and emotional rant, a nun hears noises in the tower and comes to check. She frightens them both, and Judy ends up falling out the window to her death. Scottie is left to look at the lifeless body of his true love for the second time.

It was a very interesting movie, and in comparison to the weeks before, quite quick! I enjoyed it as a precursor to the thrillers we have today, using music and expression to tell the story. They didn't have the flash we have today, so they did more with less. Enjoyable and well worth the watch.

And finally, poor Midge. She couldn't catch a break at all.

Wizard of Oz is next, oddly enough, in the same week as its 70th anniversary. It's Dear Daughter's favorite movie, so we are all going to be in it to win it with the flying monkeys and ruby slippers. She does have an outfit...maybe she'll dress up.

Schindler's List

So...there's nothing really I can add to Schindler's List, so I won't try. Depressing. Yes, he makes a change in the end and the story of the redemption of a man...but painful to watch and imagine a world where that existed. I still shake my head.

"Oreance"--Lawrence of Arabia

Ah, Lawrence--227 minutes of desert. A true story of T.E. Lawrence, a British soldier who seems not to popular or successful but knows the ways of the Bedouin circa World War I. He is sent by the Arab Bureau to meet with Prince Feisal and see how his revolt against the Turks is going. He makes friends with the Prince and advises him to battle in Aqaba to take a stronghold the British could use. Lawrence travels across the desert night and day with Sheriff Ali, at one point turning back for a lost person and risking his own life to save a man down, earning the respect of the Bedouin and the sheriff. After lying to a few more groups he meets along the way, Lawrence leads the charge and defeats the Turks at Aqaba. The British give him a commission and support, which he refuses. He begins to be frightened of himself, as he realized that he enjoyed the power and rush of killing.

He launches a guerrilla war against the Turks, at one point, taken hostage beaten and implied worse. His conscience changes completely, and he's tormented by past decisions and what he should do with his future. he finally goes back to fighting to take Damascus, and assembles a group of hired mercenaries to help. In an epic scene, some retreating Turks come upon the group after slaughtering a village; with a little prodding, Lawrence enjoys killing many of the Turks and enters the city before his British counterparts. The Arabs are ill prepared to run a city as Damascus, and their coalitions deteriorate. They abandon the city, leaving it to the British, who promptly promote Lawrence and then send him home while they negotiate with Prince Feisal. The last scene is a dejected Lawrence leaving the land he loved, unrecognizable from when he arrived. A timeless story on a recurrent theme: man with demons finds little peace in the world.

A great story and interesting history for me to look up and reflect on before and after.

It's a man story about war in the desert, so of course the men in the room thought it was akin to the greatest story ever told. The hostess and I took a break to make appetizers. I feel justified; they were in the desert for quite awhile. I still enjoyed the movie, but if the host can actually go to bed without telling us during Gone with the Wind, I can make appetizers during Lawrence of Arabia.

"She'll never go hungry again"--Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind was very unpopular with the men. It was the first in our series of "really, really long movies" it was a 222 minute commitment. The hostess would argue worth every minute, as an avid fan of the book.

I think most people know the story--Scarlett, girl from Tara, that selfish little tart, loves Mr. Ashley Wilkes, but alas...he loves a plain little woman named Melanie Hamilton. How dare he, thinks Scarlett, and goes out of her way to tell him of her love. But he rejects her. In the midst of this rejection, she meets Rhett Butler, a general cad. She catches his eye, and he manages to seek her out many times in the future. Scarlett marries Melanie's brother (not sure if it was to make Ashley jealous or to just give her an in with the wife), but he dies soon after. She can't bear to be in mourning, and generally embarrasses herself with her need to attend parties, dance, and receive male attention. After running out of cash, she steals her sister's beau, Frank Kennedy, to gain enough money to pay taxes on Tara. He dies defending her in an altercation after she is attacked by some stranded soldiers. But, she really doesn't care, and moves on deftly running her business and taking care of Tara. She then marries Rhett Butler, but her pride and still undying love for Ashely Wilkes manages to screw that up, and he leaves her with their daughter, Bonny. A reconciliation is in the works, but there is more fighting, Bonny's death, a miscarriages, and general bad behavior. He then leaves just when she decides she loves him, because "he doesn't give a damn". She then decides to leave his estate and return to Tara to rebuild, because "tomorrow is another day".

It's a classic, and I can't argue with that--an accurate and chilling picture of the times in which it took place; humanity mixing with the inhumanity of war. You can argue that Scarlett was really a champion, or a victim of the times in which she lived. But after a certain point, you have to get sick of Scarlett's selfishness and self-absorption. I can't believe any man, especially one as debonair as Rhett Butler, would have stuck around that long. But then again, we all make poor decisions in love....

Singing in the Rain- "I'm happy again..."

It has been a long time since posting, but I believe in second chances.

Singing in the Rain was next on the list. The movie drove the guys crazy, but I really enjoyed it. It's the story of two men who travel together as entertainers, making it big in the silent film industry. Gene Kelly plays Don Lockwood, the main character, who becomes a giant movie star as a studio couple with Lina Lamont, played by Jean Hagen. Of course, Don has no interest in Lina, and Lina as more than enough interest in Don for the both of them (no points for a typical storyline). He's much more interested in the fiery Kathy Seldin (Debbie Reynolds), who he meets when he's trying to escape some overactive fans. They have a couple adventures, which end with Kathy throwing a cake in Lina's face by accident, causing Lina to declare her a sworn enemy.

Don and Lina work for Monumental Pictures, which finds itself behind the times when another studio releases the first "talkie", The Jazz Singer. So it immediately turns the new Lockwood Lamont picture, The Dueling Cavalier, into a musical renamed The Dancing Cavelier. Unfortunately, Lina has a face for pictures and a voice for torture. Monumental takes Don's suggestion to have Kathy be a voice over for Lina, and of course....he and Kathy fall in love.

The movie comes out to lavish praise, and Lina threatens to keep Don for herself by blackmailing the studio to fire Kathy and force Don to work with her forever. Kathy doesn't understand Don trying to defend her, and she walks out in a huff. Don and Company find a way to expose her to a live audience by revealing Kathy as her "voice" behind a curtain; Lina flees in shame, Don and Kathy make up, and...happily ever after. The movie is from 1952, after all.

I really enjoyed it, and only saw pros...the dance scene with Gene Kelly, the singing, the humor which had a slightly risque bent at points. The only con was the imagined scene with the dancing and psychedelic visions--I didn't blame a fellow watcher for asking "What the hell is this?".

All in all, a classic. Dear daughter of the hosts thought the women and the outfits were "beautiful". I concur.

Toy Story: "To infinity, and beyond..."

Due to technical difficulties, Singing in the Rain, next on the list, had to be scrapped. Thankfully children live in this house, and they came to the rescue with number 100, Toy Story.

Toy Story is the animated film about Woody, an old school cowboy doll who leads the toy community in young Andy's room. They know the rules of being a good toy, and no one knows them better than Woody, Andy's favorite. The day of Andy's birthday party, Woody's world is rocked by the arrival of Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger with newfangled components, lasers and a cool rocket ship. Buzz also has the unfortunate problem of not realizing he's a toy; he's convinced he's a space ranger who needs to return to his mission. His complete lack of understanding about his role drives Woody to the edge. After accidentally throwing Buzz out the window before the family's move and earning the disgust of the rest of Andy's toys, Woody sets out to save Buzz. The adventure leads them to Sid's room, the next door neighbor who works out his issues by torturing toys. Hilarious adventures ensue, including a comeuppance of Sid (where Woody steps out of comfort zone and breaks some "toy rules"), Woody's redemption among his toy peers, and a rocket ride right back into the car, next to Andy, where they belong. The movie ends with Christmas presents being opened and Andy receiving a puppy, which brings trepidation to the toys. (Since they mostly all showed up in the sequel, we can assume they made it through the chewing stage.)

This is really a great movie, with several applicable life lessons: accepting the changes of life and finding your place (Woody), learning who you are and being happy with it (Buzz), that bad people should watch it, because you never know when it could all go haywire (Sid). Cool graphics for that time, funny for kids and adults, great voice overs by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. A winner.

Pros: The dear daughter of the house joined us for the movie...she finally got one that wasn't "very boring".
Cons: I can't think of any. I would have rated it higher.

Next week: I believe Singing in the Rain if technical difficulties can be solved. If not, we'll move on--and "never go hungry again...."

Raging Bull: "So give me a stage where this bull can rage..."

Raging Bull was one of the more disturbing movies the group has watched, and for about half the room, the least favorite. I was intrigued by it, enjoyed it, and was incredibly depressed by it. Knowing it was a true story was the worst part.

Raging Bull is the story of Jake LaMotta, an Italian boxer from the Bronx, forced into boxing by his father who used the money he earned fighting neighborhood children to pay the rent. The film opens up to a flashback to 1941, when LaMotta loses the match with Jimmy Reeves, inspiring a fight amongst the crowd and creating a riot. The film then follows his career with numerous fights, his relationship with his brother and manager, Joey, the demise of his marriage and his relationship with the teenager Vicki, who he meets at a swimming pool and eventually marries. There are implications of his relationship with the mob, his downfall after fixing a fight for them, and his quest for the title. All the while, he is almost constantly overwhelmed by rage, jealousy and masochistic tendencies. He leaves his life with his wife for Vicki, but can never be happy, always assuming his own inadequacy and her infidelity. He nearly beats his brother to death after Vicki says in jest she's had an affair with him and half the neighborhood, and their relationship is severed. He moves to Miami, gives up on his boxing career, and spirals downward as a drunken bar owner. Vicki leaves him, he goes to jail for allowing underage girls into his club (in one of the most heart wrenching and uncomfortable scenes in the movie), and wanders through the world as a nomad with a nightclub show. The end of the movie shows him about to go on stage for a performance, repeating the lines from "On the Waterfront": "I could have been a contender; I could have been somebody".

This movie was brutal, not only because it's painful to watch someone ruin their life in general, but you got the feeling that he was almost unable to stop himself. His scene in the jailed revealed his feelings of inadequacy and shame. The movie may have saved Robert De Niro's life, but that's not enough redemption for this viewer.

Pros: I thought it was pretty riveting throughout. Some of my fellow moviemates would disagree.
Cons: The near constant muttering, especially of Vicki's character. I know, a superficial complaint. But a complaint none-the-less.

There's another film coming out about Jake LaMotta, according to online sources. Apparently, and in some ways, unfortunately, there's more sad stories to tell here.

Casablanca: "I wore gray, you wore blue"

First off, I apologize for the delay in posting. We've had a few weeks off based on schedules, etc.

So then, Casablanca.

Set in Rick's Cafe in 1942, it chronicles the ill-fated love story of Rick Blaine (an American expatriate and general crusty guy with baggage but a good heart) and Ilsa Lund (Czech beauty full of allure and mystery). Rick and Ilsa met in Paris and fell immediately in love, but Ilsa left him waiting at the train station after he proposed; it turns out that she's married to Czech freedom fighter Victor, who had shown up alive and well. Rick found his way to Casablanca and opened up a club, aptly titled Rick's Cafe, a swinging hotspot for all the Europeans trapped in Casablanca before they could make an escape to America.

Rick has two exit visas, which Ilsa and Victor need to escape to America. Will he deny them freedom and ensure Victor's certain death as the Nazis move to take over North Africa? Will he leave with Ilsa? Will he swallow his own pride and love, give them the passes, and live out his lonely life in Casablanca, with only the beginning of a beautiful friendship with Captain Renault to give him comfort?

Of course, Rick sends the couple on their way, with the promise that he and Ilsa "will always have Paris".

Certainly a classic. The wonder that is Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman is before you for the entire film. And the wonderful lines of the movie--"here's looking at you, kid", "round up the usual suspects", and of course, "Play it again, Sam" (which isn't actually said, but who's counting? It's pop culture.)

Pros: the mellow tones of Bogie, the smoldering of Ingrid Bergman, the power of a true love story.
Cons: can there be cons? It's Casablanca.

I eagerly await some posts from the other club members. *Ahem*. That means you, guys. We even have a Casablanca expert who joined in to watch....

The Godfather: "It's just business"

It's been awhile since I've seen The Godfather. And it is awesome.

I know I really don't have to go into it much, because it's The Godfather. We already know about the Corleones and the whole story. The horse head in the bed (of which I do an awesome "ahh, ahh, AHHHH" impression). The offer you can't refuse. It's not personal, it's business. Totally and completely awesome.

The interesting thing when it's all said and done is the effect the movie had on modern culture. The lines, the expressions, the hand gestures. References to the five families. I myself am considered the consigliere for a nice young guy in Gretna...it all comes from The Godfather. An inspiration for The Sopranos, right down to the detail from its finale where the man passes, looks at Tony, and then heads to the bathroom. For a gun to end it? From The Godfather. From the perspective of American life and the idea of America abroad, it has been an integral part of pop culture.

Also, let it be known: if a pissed off suspected Mafia relative says "you can trust me....would I make you a widow?" DO NOT TRUST THEM. It's pretty obvious they don't mean it. They're going to kill your husband. If this same relative is angry with you but then tells you "it's going to be fine, trust them, just get in the car"..say your prayers, because you are going to eat it within the next five to ten minutes.

There's nothing else to say, so I'll stop.

Cool things about the movie: pretty much everything.

Not so cool things: I would have preferred to see Carlo die sooner. It would have made the character of Sonny more redeemable. And Kay, what were you thinking? "You didn't have anything to do with Carlo's death? Oh good. I believe you." Simple, simple Kay. You should have stayed in New Hampshire. He's a Corleone. Let's not gloss that over, okay?

Next week: Casablanca. And I'm in charge of snacks. Get excited.

Citizen Kane--"Rosebud"

So, you'll notice that you are getting three blog posts this evening. It's taken me awhile to figure this out. Now, on to the review.

Citizen Kane:

It's a pretty high standard to call a movie the greatest movie of all time. You bring a lot of expectation into it. I mean, you don't go into Transformers expecting to be blown away...it's a "summer blockbuster". Not "the greatest movie of all time as judged by people who obviously consider themselves to be experts in the area of film".

That being said, let's get to the point.

I had never seen Citizen Kane before. Had no idea what it was about. Went into it with no information except that if I didn't enjoy it, I was a cinematic dolt. And I did enjoy it. I can see where at the time, it was considered rather groundbreaking, with it's small special effects (aging), the cinematography and set quality, so on. The story itself, interesting. A young man who had been abandoned ends up living his life to encourage the same cycle. He who was thought to have every opportunity ended with nothing, because he just couldn't keep it together. Manipulated as he was manipulated. Filling his life with things and acquisitions, not real relationships. Entering a career on a quest for truth, which then turned into a simple pursuit of power and money. Dying alone, as he spent most of his life. And it all started with that day at the cabin, fighting the cold banker guy with his beloved wooden sled.

Cool things about the movie: the black and white aspect, Orson Welles himself, the loosely veiled reference to William Hearst, the excessive use of the word Xanadu.

Not so cool things: got a little slow, those scenes where he forced his wife to be an opera star were pretty painful, after a while, you get the point he's out of control...let's wrap it up, folks.

And I will admit that if the movie had ended without telling me what "Rosebud" was, my head would have probably exploded.

All in all, a great start.

From the beginning....

I'm not a blogger. Let's just start with that.

A little bit about us: four friends who've broken bread together for over five years (two married to each other, two others just friends, two women, two men). Since the beginning, we've added two kids (adorable, and they belong to the marrieds), one engagement, new homes, new jobs....life.

So, what's the point of this blog? We have embarked on a new journey--to watch the AFI Top 100 movies of all time. Why?

• The marrieds renovated their basement....and it is awesome. If they didn't host movie night, the other two would have just begun squatting in the basement anyway. Might as well make it fun and have snacks.
• Kids reduce mobility. I don't know this personally, but this is what I've heard. Why not just cut the fuss?
• Shouldn't we be trying to become more cultured? Seriously.

Rules:

• If a majority decides they are not interested in the movie, it can be skipped. Three out of four is hard to come by.
• If someone is not able to be present, the other members can decide to postpone or move on.
• If the movie is not available on DVD, it can be skipped. We're not going to get ridiculous and set up a projector and film reel for a Charlie Chaplin movie.
• We rotate the responsibilities for snacks.
• We don't always have to sit in the same chairs *though we usually do.

So, here goes. We will hunker down weekly and move through the list. Top to bottom. Why wait two years to see Citizen Kane?

Four by 100: Four friends, 100 movies, infinite memories.