50/50 (2011)
Film #27: 50/50 (2011)
50/50 is a movie about cancer. Well, a movie about cancer and coping with cancer. Written by Will Reiser, who based the script loosely around his own experiences with the big C, and directed by Jonathan Levine, 50/50 takes a comedic-dramatic approach to the story of Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a 27-year-old journalist who finds out he has a rare form of spinal cancer. It’s a total shock, of course. Not only does Adam not smoke or anything, he’s so safety-oriented that he waits for crosswalks to turn white before jogging across the street. This huge disruption shakes him, as well as everyone around him: His almost live-in girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard), his best friend and co-worker Kyle (Seth Rogen), and his worrisome mother Diane (Anjelica Huston), already burdened with taking care of his father who has Alzheimer’s (Serge Houde). Adam begins to undergo treatment for his affliction, but his survival is pretty much a coin toss: The survival rate is 50%.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
In 1995 and 1999, Toy Story and its sequel made a huge impact on the world of feature-length animations, combining stunning visuals, solid stories and unforgettable characters – all in the relatively new field of computer animation. It’s been 11 years since we last followed Woody and Buzz. In that time, CGI has become ubiquitous and the Academy Awards have created the “Best Animated Feature” category.
Despite the age of its source material, Toy Story 3 stands up to both its predecessors and its contemporary competition. This is an excellent movie in every way.
The original principal cast all return. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen lead the excellent ensemble, comfortably reprising their roles of Woody and Buzz. New characters include an old timey strawberry-scented bear named Lotso Hugs, voiced by Ned Beatty in perfect form, and a possibly closeted Ken doll voiced by Michael Keaton.
The film starts with a comical action sequence being acted out in a young Andy’s mind. With the transition to reality comes the reality of aging, as camcorder footage fast forwards us to nine years later. Andy is about to leave for college; he has long stopped playing with his toys, who are desperate for attention.
During packing, the toys accidentally get set out for the trash, and the adventure begins. They eventually wind up in the Sunnyside Daycare Center, where Lotso is in charge of all the toys. At first it seems like toy paradise, with the immortal prospect of cycling groups of children to play with them forever. All of the toys except Woody approve and want to stay. Woody would rather them go back and sit in Andy’s attic.
This motivation was the only problem I had with the movie. The film seems to be on Woody’s side in suggesting that the best thing for a toy is playless waiting out of loyalty. But then again, what do I know about how toys should be treated? I’m a human being.
In any case, the daycare turns out to be a toy prison with Lotso as its strawberry-scented warden. Woody, having left his friends to get back to Andy, finds out about their peril and goes on a rescue mission.
The rest of the story is very fulfilling and entertaining. It always moves forward, and expertly paces its light and heavy scenes. And there are heavy scenes. Toy Story 3 contains the darkest and most emotional themes of the series, appropriate for the maturity of the audience that grew up with Andy. One scene near the end gets surprisingly somber in a moment of fatalist acceptance.
The film is able to retain its humor, however, continuing the balance between heart and laughter that the series has always attained. All of the secondary characters have great moments. Usually as franchises go on, the pantheon of characters expands, but Pixar uniquely decided to scale back its returning players. Now only the core group remains, with even the little green army men defecting early on.
This paucity of characters provides a chance to give each of them a little more screen time. They’re all funny characters with great talent behind them, so I’m grateful that Toy Story 3 is not bloated with new characters.
There are a few new characters, but many of them receive very little screen time. Luckily, they all make the best of the time they’re given, and are some of the highlights of the film. Timothy Dalton is scene-stealing as a pompous hedgehog toy, and it only made sense when I learned that Kristen Schaal voiced Trixie, another toy dinosaur, and a small character that delivered huge laughs. I was also pleasantly surprised to find the Spanish Buzz sequence funny; I thought it looked trite in the early teasers, but it plays out with mucho hilarity in the film.
Toy Story has it all. It provides great laughs (two of my favorites both involved monkeys) and a lot of heart. The end of the film is the most touching of all, and provides a perfect cap for the entire series. Pixar has seemingly done the impossible: They’ve created the perfect trilogy. Toy Story 3 is everything you want and expect it to be. It’s just like the first two, and that has never been a more complimentary comparison.
Final rating: 10/10
–James A. Janisse
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid was one of the biggest hits of 1969. The film was a modern buddy comedy disguised as a western, and its reflexive humor bordering on satire seems to have divided some critics in judging the film as either successfully unique or overbearingly silly. I fall in the former camp. George Roy Hill’s classic is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, able to maintain its humor and style over its 110 minute runtime, as well as its 40 year age.
The film stars Paul Newman as Butch and Robert Redford as the Kid. It served as a sort of vehicle for the rising star Redford and the falling star Newman, and their performances help the film stand out in quality. While it’s true that their dialogue is anachronistic in the early 20th Century setting, and that their sympathetic portrayals depict violent bank robbers as genial bandits, it’s part of the film’s awareness and conscious decision to be a fun, light affair.
For me, it totally works. Newman is fantastically charming as Butch, from his manners and sincerity to the bicycle tricks performed during the famous “Raindrop Keep Falling on My Head” sequence. Redford’s Kid is much more gruff and dangerous, but still able to quip with Butch even under gunfire. The stars have a fantastic chemistry that keeps their banter just as funny today as it was then.
The film is interesting in its use of various different sequence techniques. It begins with its credits alongside a silent film era projector showing still images of the Hole in the Wall Gang holding up trains. It then upgrades technology but maintains an old Western feel with an introductory scene done in sepia. By time it transitions to the full color cinematography that the film mostly sticks to, the audience is prepared for a unique and nostalgic ride.
Other sequences also make the film stand out among contemporaries. It seems to borrow French New Wave techniques like the aforementioned filters, the famous freeze frame final shot, and wordless sequences. These sequences, like the “Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head” scene, are accompanied by cheerful music, a style that has comedic results when Bolivian bank robberies are accompanied aurally only by cheerful a capella. Their journey from the United States to Bolivia is depicted through a montage of old time still photographs, as well. The movie’s definitely not afraid to use montages.
Another sequences is one that some critics, including Roger Ebert, feel detracts severely from the film. In the middle of the movie, Butch and the Kid endure a relentlessly long chase scene. It actually overextends the definition of a scene and must be called a sequence. The “superposse” hired by the angry owner of the company they’ve been robbing are shown to be the best trackers imaginable, following Bruce and the Kid across every kind of terrain they ride through.
To me, this sequence was the height of the film. The pursuers maintain a distance that lends the entire thing an eerie suspense. They are far enough to be indescribable, yet they never fall out of range and are always looming in the distance. I can see complaints because the whole thing pretty much hijacks the film, but to me it was a well done and uniquely intense chase sequence that tops all others.
Even for those who might not have enjoyed the superposse sequence, the film picks up again after the heroes escape to Bolivia. Their initial confrontation with the foreign language is the source of much humor, and after an adequate time being lighthearted again after the chase, the film is able to close with an intense and exciting scene.
**Spoiler alert. This paragraph contains spoilers**
The climactic final shoot out is nothing short of amazing. It builds kinetic tension through interludes of silent stillness as the duo take cover and reload. The shoot out soon reveals itself as the hopeless struggle that it is, first when the pair of robbers are shot and injured and finally when the massive armada arrives to surround them. While the rest of the film and the banter leading up to the final minutes are light and humorous, the film ends somewhat majestically as Butch and the Kid go out in a blaze of glory against an unstoppable foe. The iconic freeze frame helps both the story and the film reach immortal status.
Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid was one of the screenings for my first film class at college, but due to a busy schedule it was the first and only screening I skipped in that class. I can’t believe I let such a classic film evade me for two years. I’m glad I’ve finally seen it, because I do consider it one of the best films I’ve ever seen, and additionally, one of my favorites.
Final rating: 10/10
–James A. Janisse
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Sunset Boulevard is one of the greatest films ever made. I say this as a fact, not an opinion, and it’s not hard to see why. A striking film noir, a harsh and biting look at the Hollywood business, and writing so good that it still retains much of its humor, Sunset Boulevard is the best at many things. Anyone who considers themselves a movie fan is doing a disservice if they don’t watch this film.
Sunset Boulevard begins with a corpse, that of small-time Hollywood writer Joe Gillis. Gillis is played by William Holden, and in an interesting stylistic decision, narrates the entire movie even though we first see him dead. Thus, the film is a flashback, as he recounts his tale of how he came to be a corpse – through an entangled life with former silent movie star Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson.
I’ll get the praise for the acting out of the way first, because it’s impossible to watch the movie without noting the first-class performances. Gloria Swanson gives one of the greatest acting performances of all time. Swanson was a silent movie star herself, so that surely helped her in her depiction of the unforgettable Norma Desmond. Desmond is an ex-star, in an era that has moved on and left her behind. She has grown slightly insane from her isolation and narcissism, believing herself to be adored and loved because of fake fan letters she receives.
Swanson as Norma acts exactly like you’d expect an old silent movie star to act. She’s over-the-top and melodramatic, emoting every last bit of her feelings through exaggerated faces and wild hand gestures. It’s what the silent stars were trained to do, and her strong gesticulating also helps to contrast with Norma’s inability to realize what her life has really come to. As expressive as she is, she’s never able to really express her fears and insecurities, until she’s swallowed up by them and succumbs to her dream world.
William Holden, who would later star in Bridge on the River Kwai, is perfectly suited for the role of Joe Gillis. Holden’s narration wonderfully brings the noir style to the forefront. His dialogue is sharp and acerbic. He’s cynical and pragmatic, and does what he needs to in order to survive in a time where his talents aren’t being asked for. Holden’s narration drives the film, and he brings much of the humor with his witticisms, both internally and externally.
Erich von Stroheim, a former silent film director, plays Norma’s butler Max. He is at the same time the prototypical butler and a smart, knowing, original character. Max protects Norma from the reality of the world behind her, sending her fan letters and keeping her happy. At the same time, by the end of the film when she’s slipped into total dissociation, he is fully aware, and uses her trust in him to get her to cooperate. von Stroheim is excellent and plays his role with a very subdued and knowing edge. Cecille B. DeMille also shows up in a cameo as himself, and he is more than fantastic. Maybe it’s just because he is being himself, but he really comes through as a caring but strong director.
This movie is one that will be more enjoyable the more you know about films. Norma name drops plenty of old silent film stars, and even plays cards with them – seeing Buster Keaton as an old “Waxworth” whose only line is to pass is one of the many highlights of the movie. It’s also interesting to note that this was all filmed where it purports to be filmed – on Sunset Blvd. itself, in Paramount’s studios, and on its backlots. The movie is engrossing even with just a little bit of Hollywood historical knowledge, and I can only imagine how great it would be when it was released and all of these facts were still fresh and newly irrelevant.
Billy Wilder made a near-perfect film with Sunset Boulevard. Its dark humor is modern enough to persist, and its surreal scenes like that of a monkey funeral or when Norma is recognized by an old light technician bring a unique and interesting side to a film made so long ago. Best of all, the stakes and intensity build consistently throughout, as we see the pitfalls and problems in Norma and Joe’s relationship develop. Before long, she has fallen in love with him, something he surely cannot reciprocate. This unrequited desire is just the straw that finally breaks down Norma Desmond, and her descent into murderous madness is at the same time frightening and sad. And so is the entire movie: a combination of interesting darkness, revolting disgust, and pity sympathy for the victims of the Hollywood machine.
Final rating: 10/10
–James A. Janisse
Eraserhead (1977)
After watching Dune as my first David Lynch film, I realized that he might best be approached in a chronological fashion. So I rented Eraserhead, Lynch’s first feature film, and sat down to watch it. I of course knew of Lynch’s reputation as a filmmaker, but no amount of reading or talking about him could prepare me for the surrealist and grotesque nightmare that is Eraserhead.
After a very strange intro that’s symbolic of either conception or birth, we are introduced to the world of Henry Spencer, our hapless protagonist. Henry’s played by Jack Nance, who plays our hero with a great combination of awkwardness, naivete, and gentleness. This temperament is necessary for Henry, who encounters a number of strange things in the world in which he lives.
It turns out Henry has impregnated a girl, and she’s given premature birth to a very strange and unsettling baby. This deformed offspring, which consists of little more than an egg-shaped head and a limbless, tail-like torso, becomes the driving device in Lynch’s experimental narrative. I’m not sure if the baby was anything more than a puppet, but whatever it is, it succeeds in being creepy and distressing enough to center Henry’s surrealist problems around.
The whole film is like that baby: creepy and distressing. I find it pretty funny that this movie was Lynch’s reaction to the news that he was going to be a father. A bizarre feeling permeates the story from start to finish. Filmed in black and white with a big emphasis on shadows and dark lighting, every formal aspect of the movie plays into its tone. Besides the lighting, there’s also a strong focus on sound.
Henry is never given a moment of peace, as there is always background noise throughout the movie. Whether it’s hissing or the baby’s nerve-racking cries, there is never a mute moment. Sometimes, as with the crying, the sound is strictly abrasive. Other times it goes further and moves us to nausea in its grossness – there’s moments where suckling and gushing sound effects are so intense that you may want to cover your ears. Sound is one of those things that often falls flat in the realm of independent movies, so it’s impressive that Lynch is able to use it so powerfully and effectively in his first and obviously independent film.
The film’s story is strange and doesn’t make sense like a standard narrative. But even if you’re someone who focuses on story, the sequences strung together by our hero’s misfortunes and dreams should be interesting enough to entertain you for the short duration of the film. The scene where Henry visits his “baby” mama and finds out about the birth is filled with dark humor and feelings of sympathy for Henry. Vignettes including a disfigured man pulling levers and a slightly less disfigured woman on a theatrical stage. She sings a haunting song, “In Heaven Everything is Fine”, that will probably begrudgingly stick in your head after you finish the film. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the sultry and seductive neighbor, whose close-ups penetrate you and make you desire exactly what Henry awkwardly receives.
Eraserhead launched Lynch’s career, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s one of the most original and thoroughly grotesque movies I’ve ever seen, and I was into every single scene, down to the explosively weird ending. I like to rate movies for what they are, because films like animations and comedies shouldn’t be forced to compare directly to masterful dramas. As far as dark, experimental, surreal films goes, Eraserhead is perfect. If you are interested in any of those three types of films, then there is simply no excuse for not seeing Eraserhead.
Final rating: 10/10
–James A. Janisse
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
I finally saw Lawrence of Arabia, and I feel like I’ve reached a new point in my movie-watching career. This is often referred to as the epic of all epics, and there’s no hyperbole to that claim. Lawrence of Arabia truly is one of the greatest movies ever made.
The film is also one of the longest films I’ve seen – in fact, with a moment’s more consideration, I believe it is hands down THE longest film I’ve ever seen. At a staggering 3 hours and 47 minutes, one might think that there is no way this movie, only spanning about two years of time and focusing almost exclusively on the titular character, could hold the audience’s attention for the entirety of its length. One would be wrong. The film follows Lawrence and his involvement in World War I, from his time as a Lieutenant in Cairo to his final promotion to Major after Damascus, and all of it is captivating.
There are a multitude of reasons why this movie holds up across its enormous length. First and foremost is the acting. Peter O’Toole makes his feature debut as Lawrence of Arabia, and I doubt there has ever been a better first time performance. O’Toole captures a perfect image of Lawrence, combining flamboyancy, charm, arrogance, optimism, naivete, and stubbornness all across the film. You may root for him at first as he fights for Arab independence, a cause he may or may not truly believe in. You might lose faith in him after he breaks down and succumbs to base slaughter upon a Turkish village late in the film. No matter what your feelings toward him, though, you will be interested in his journey and evolution, as he finds himself some sort of Messiah to the Arab peoples of the Middle East.
The supporting cast is just as fantastic. This is my first time seeing Alec Guiness outside the Obi-Wan Kenobi role, and I yearn for more already. He is perfectly serpentine in his role as Prince Faisel, and it’s almost a crime that a British actor can nail down an Arab role with such precision and grace. I actually wish he had been featured more, but alas, the story did not call for it and so it was not to be.
My disappointment was made extinct by the other performances, including Anthony Quinn as a hotheaded Arab tribe leader, Omar Sherif as Sherif Ali, and Arthur Kennedy as reported Jackson Bentley. Every supporting character is well-played and memorable, so even though there are plenty of them to take in, you’ll enjoy meeting and seeing them every step of the way.
There were tons of other things that I adored about this movie. The cinematography is always lauded, and deservedly so. Shot in spectacularly widescreen 70mm, Freddie Young composes absolutely beautiful scenic shots that you never might have thought possible in such an arid desert setting. There’s a lot of deep focus and panoramic visions going on, and all of them are a delight to take in. I’d probably enjoy this movie even if I had to watch it on mute, simply because the images are so breathtakingly awesome.
There are plenty of fantastic sequences throughout the film’s near-four hour run, but the beginning of the second Act most caught my heart. From the moment they begin to assault the train all the way up to Lawrence recovering and being praised as he walks atop it, I have never been so infatuated with a single cinematic scene. It was simply mesmerizing.
One of the last things I’ll note is the film’s score. There are plenty of films with memorable music, but Lawrence of Arabia has such an elegant, majestic score whose tone matches the depth and scope of the film perfectly. I sincerely applaud Marrice Jarre on one of the greatest and most suitable film scores of all time. I’m not sure if it’s available, but if the soundtrack for this film is out there, I fully intend to get it. The music is great enough to sit through the beginning, ending, and intermission just to hear it without pictures. I don’t think I could ever hear this score enough.
Lawrence of Arabia is truly a one of a kind film. If you haven’t seen it, there’s simply nothing to compare it to, and you are doing yourself a disservice as I have done to myself all these years. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who appreciates film, and strongly suggest you not let the long runtime ward you off. It will be a four hours well spent, and one that you will at least consider repeating again and again. I eagerly look forward to the next time I watch Lawrence of Arabia, one of the greatest films of all time.
Final rating: 10/10
–James A. Janisse
