Lady Snowblood (1973) Paramount Summer Classic Film Series

 

How I missed "Lady Snowblood" when it originally played back in the seventies is beyond me. It is the kind of exploitation film from the Far East that I would have loved. It's a Revenge story with a female protagonist and it involves martial arts and sword play, the nature of which inspired Quentin Tarantino when he made “Kill Bill”. I did finally catch up with the film on home video through a Criterion Edition that I bought at one of their annual sales. So I didn't go into this last evening screening completely blind.

The idea that makes this film work,  is that the woman in question was born into revenge.  She is supposedly a demi-demon incarnation of her mother's desire for Vengeance.  It takes a series of flashbacks to see how she got prepared during the  twenty years after being born and her mom dying.  Meanwhile we get to see her in action a bit before we go through the exposition. 

Copious amounts of stage blood are used in the film as katana swords are the weapon of choice for most people in the film.  Heads and hands get separated from the body on a regular basis,  and gushers occur as they do in these sorts of movies.  There seems to have been a whole subculture of criminal organizations in Japan at the time. Rival gangs rat each other out, fight for power, and generally get to the center of the Revenge plot in a variety of ways. 

Sometimes the storytelling in films like this is a little incomplete. It's not quite clear what the motivation of the first gang leader is, when helping Lady Snowblood track down her victims. It's also not quite clear how the sensationalist writer who starts publishing stories about this quest for vengeance, ends up being in an alliance with our heroine.  And maybe there's even a romance there, but again that remains relatively abstract.

The truth is that we don't really care about much of that stuff. What we want to see is Lady Snowblood go off on criminals who stand in her way, but we especially want to see the ones who destroyed her family be punished. We do get all of those things, along with a mournful song starting and ending the film. So you can sit back rest assured, that there will be bloodletting and revenge. There might even be a moment or two of contemplation but don't take it too seriously because there's a geyser of blood coming.

Hero (2002) Paramount Summer Classic Film Series

 I had owned this movie on Blu-ray for a dozen years before I finally watched it for an episode of the Lamb cast just a couple of years ago.  It is filled with the names of martial artists who have been acting in Asian films for 20 plus years, and with whom I only had passing familiarity. Many of my friends in the LAMB community would know all of these names in the films they've been in without thinking hard about it. So I'm coming in on this film underprepared. I will cautiously refrain from trying to be too familiar with their previous work, because after all, I'm not.

There are a few martial arts movies that I've seen over the years, three or four Bruce Lee films, Jackie Chan has been a regular, and the gloriously beautiful “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”. In no way would I diminish the work in these previous movies, but for scale and the frequency of combat, "Hero" seems to be the “Gone with the Wind” of martial arts films. It is epic and has a cast of thousands, and the leads are the biggest stars in martial arts movies in their generation. Looking at the film from a purely cinematic perspective , it can be a little overwhelming. The scale and grandeur of some of the sequences, comes pretty close to those things that we appreciate in films like the “Lord of the Rings”, or “The Odyssey”.. 

If I have any reservation about recommending this movie, it comes from the fact that it is clearly also a piece of propaganda about China's place in the world. The philosophy of the Chinese Communist Party that there is one China. Not too subtle a threat to Taiwan, and to the rest of the Pacific area, that China is an expansionist bully, that sees its mission as being righteous. Although the film appears to have the central character called Nameless, as its hero, the real heroes from the story's point of view are those who enabled the king to achieve his goal.

There are a dozen different fight sequences in the movie that could be the highlight in any other film. The battle between Nameless and Sky, at the Temple of chess, is choreographed furiously, with thrusts, strikes, and close escapes chilling in wide Master shots and  an occasional close up. It is filmed the way these kinds of movies should be done, giving us time to see the actors performing the martial arts in the context of the complete battle rather than just isolated close-ups with their hands or feet. The rain effects and the water dripping into containers around the temple add beautiful elements to the conflict, although I don't know that they signify anything of critical importance. Many of the same things can be said about the fight between Flying Snow and Moon. Their fight takes place in the daytime in a forest filled with Golden Leaves that swirl around them as the long sleeves of their clothes spin in the Wind and accentuate the fluid movements of their swords. 

Those are only two of the fight sequences that occur in the film and they may not even be the best ones. They are however the most visually stunning ones and therefore the easiest for me to remember. At first it appears that Nameless, in telling his tale To The King, is presenting the story in flashback, but in reality he is sharing a narrative that is designed with an ulterior purpose. And we are going to see the same story told more accurately from a different perspective. What looked originally like it was going to be a straightforward tale of martial arts combat,  becomes an entangled conspiracy between the combatants, and the surrounding environments, including surprisingly enough, a strong influence from calligraphy.

This was a double feature in the Paramount classic film series for this summer. I'm going to include a link to the podcast episode for you, if you'd like to hear us talk about this in more detail.

Whiplash (2014) Re-Visit Paramount Summer Classic Film Series

 

Back in 2014 I declared this the best film of that year. There hasn't been anything to change my mind since, and after watching it again on the big screen, I might easily think it's the best film not only of that year but of the last 10 years. At its core is the most confounding character you were likely to see on screen. Terence Fletcher is simultaneously a monster and an icon that we might admire. His demand for excellence is truly admirable but his means of achieving it are horrific.

Those of you not familiar with the story, let me briefly explain that it involves a student at the most prestigious musical Institution in the country, pursuing excellence in his instrument. Miles Teller plays the striving young man, and he encounters a teacher that pushes him to reach the excellence that he aspires to. All is not well however, because the path to excellence according to both of these people involves sacrificing the human decency that the rest of us take for granted.

JK Simmons won the Academy Award for supporting actor for this year, in what is probably the most deserved bestowing of the award in the last 20 years. His portrayal of Fletcher, as a precision driven taskmaster, is incredibly absorbing. At times he wears the mask of civility, and seems to genuinely be invested in the music culture. Yet when he stands up to his lectern to take over directing his musical ensemble, he's the personification of the most controlling, ill-tempered, unpleasant boss that anyone has ever had. The drill sergeant in “Full Metal Jacket" could take a few lessons from Terrance Fletcher in breaking down a young protege.

Writer/director Damien Chazelle, creates a story that crackles like a thriller, in spite of the fact that it has all of the accoutrements of a classroom drama. There is tension in 80% of the film that Fletcher appears on screen, and in about 50% of the time that he is not there. Aspiring Jazz drummer Andrew Neiman, is incredibly talented, but don't tell him that, because that would lead him to be satisfied with mediocrity. The recurring story about Charlie Parker having a cymbal thrown at his head, becomes the blueprint for how Fletcher is trying to teach his students. “Good job”, is a filthy phrase in his vocabulary. “Not my tempo”, is the cattle prod that he uses on Teller's Niemann. 

Both these personalities have something wrong with them. They both are addicted to the concept that suffering beyond human capacity both by yourself and by others , is the only way to achieve greatness. Neither of them has the kind of humility that will allow for a satisfying social life. And in the end, the film actually seems to be endorsing the terrorist method of instruction that Fletcher inflicts and Neiman endures. I'm sure there are plenty of successful artists, who have struggled to overcome adversity and achieve great things, without becoming insufferable a-holes. The problem is, their stories are never going to be as compelling as this one is.

The Brink of War (2026)

 

If there were a way to create a hybrid version of this film with the biographic presentation from a couple of years ago starring Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan, we'd have a complete winner. Even though that is not possible, I'd still say we have a pretty solid film in “The Brink of War”. Jeff Daniels is just good enough not to kill the movie, and that means something given that Hollywood has tried for years to use Reagan as the butt of a joke,

What this Angel Studios film does is give a story of Ronald Reagan in the style used in  Steven Spielberg's version of “Lincoln”. Instead of a comprehensive look at the life of one of our great leaders, it focuses on a specific time and event, one which helped change the world because of the man that Ronald Reagan was. There's been plenty of retconning of Reagan's story in the last 30 years, but “The Brink of War" does a good job sticking to the history, and minimizing the politics of these events.

The meeting between Reagan and Michael Gorbachev, in 1986, was viewed at the time as a failure because it did not produce an arms control agreement. In the end though, the meeting appears to have been significant, not the least of which was because the Soviet leaders recognized that the Soviet policies of the era were not really working. The eventual collapse of the Soviet Union is a direct result of the Kremlin recognizing that the Soviets did not have the resources  to fight back in the face of American economic power and the will power of the 40th President to keep to his course of action. 

Most of the movie consists of a recreation of the meetings between the two leaders. Reagan is shown to be engaged, thoughtful and with the sense of humor that he was known for. His disarming persona contrasts with the more formal Gorbachev, and Daniels, while not inhabiting the President, does a solid job conveying his real earthiness and desire for peace. The segments featuring Mrs. Gorbachev and Nancy Reagan, who were not together at all during the event, provide us with some appropriate humor as well. 

JK Simmons is another Hero of the Day, playing Secretary of State George Schultz, the patrician old school elitist, who recognizes the wisdom of playing it according to Reagan's plan. Simmons becomes the level headed narrator that we needed. This film is a reminder that grown ups once thought out their policies and worked to accomplish them. They did not just dream big, they dared to try.

Ice Cream Man (2026)

 I'd say this movie was a disappointment but I didn't really have high expectations for it in the first place so it's hard to reach that conclusion. Basically this is a rip off of the concept from "Weapons" ,  and not a very good one at that. The idea of creepy kids being used to take retribution is a cross between a “Nightmare on Elm Street” and the film from last year where Amy Madigan played the part of an ice cream man, sorry I mean witch.

This film is told from the perspective of the young protagonist, a lactose intolerant lad who has been bullied by classmates and even a little bit by his friends,  but in the end, he stands up the firmest against the evil that is encroaching on his small town. The story doesn't make much sense until we get a data dump in exposition from a local priest about 2/3 of the way through the movie. And if by any chance you're suspicious of the priest and what he has to say, you will not be at all surprised at the twist that comes near the end.

This is an Eli Roth film, so no one's expecting much subtlety. When the vicious killings occur, there's not really a lot of cutting away, we're going to see heads separated from bodies, faces smashed to smithereens, and dismemberment galore . Once in a while we get a sly joke inserted into the mayhem, unfortunately they don't always land. I can say however, that there was one bit that landed for me. There is a very funny scene which is basically a takeoff on the playground scene from Alfred Hitchcock's the birds. It builds in a form that mimics Hitchcock's style of shooting in that scene, and the juxtaposition of antagonists is what makes it work.

The Ice Cream man depicted in the film never really talks. And in spite of the horrible things that occur, there is even a slight effort to make his character somewhat sympathetic. That doesn't work, for the obvious reasons that innocent people are harmed in the process and that in the absence of any words of contrition from the victims, the Ice Cream man just continues to smile maliciously.

So the movie plays like the gore version of The Pied Piper of Hamlin, with indiscriminate victims, and innocent children turned into murderers. Ho hum. I guess I should have known when I saw that Osgood Perkins was a producer on the film. Let's just say he's gone zero for three with me, and I'm someone who appreciated that Eli Roth was directing this film,

Thief (1981) Re-visit Paramount Summer Classic Film Series

 

It felt a little like I was going to a James Caan Film Festival this last weekend, since he appeared in both the Saturday night and Sunday night films. His part in “Bottle Rocket" was barely more than a cameo, but he is clearly the star of Michael Mann's “Thief", the Sunday night experience and one of the best performances of Caan's career. I saw this film when it was originally in theaters back in 1981. I think I may have seen it one more time on cable sometime in the late 80s. 

For a film that I hadn't seen in more than 30 years and saw only a couple of times before that I remembered quite a bit. I also misremembered a few things, it seemed to me that Willie Nelson had a bigger part in the movie, but that was not true. He had two very brief scenes. Nevertheless the crime component is the main element of the movie and that I did remember. 

Caan plays a master Thief who's used to operating on his own, but in a bid to rush his exit from the criminal world, he agrees to pull a job for a syndicate, and of course that leads to trouble. The movie is drenched in atmosphere, lit with the blues and blacks that characterize a lot of Michael Mann films. Once in a while there are splashes of color like the neon that would become emblematic of Miami Vice, but it was all a lot more subdued in this particular film. A layer of dread also hangs over the enterprise, created by the haunting music score from Tangerine Dream. It suggests constant suspense and danger, even when people are just sitting in a diner arguing over coffee. 

The central premise is that our Master Thief, Frank, is so autonomous that no one can control him. I find it frankly easy to believe that he might be the same character played by Robert De Niro in Michael Mann's Heat 15 years later. Frank stands up to a brutal beating by corrupt cops who want a slice of the action, and he cleverly beats them at their own game so that he can carry out the main crime. As in most heist films, for some reason the audience usually identifies with the criminal, we want them to succeed and not be caught. It's great when a plan plays out the way it's supposed to, and no one gets hurt.

Of course if no one got hurt in the plan, and it was perfect, there wouldn't be any drama in the story. That's where the boss of the crime syndicate comes into play. Robert Protsky, plays a avuncular, seemingly reasonable gangster, who makes big promises, and comes through on some of them, but breaks the one rule that Frank sees as a red line. 

The conclusion of the film is really a test of Frank's Independence. His willingness to fight back against the intrusion on his autonomy, is the main focus of the third act. Once again we may want Frank to succeed, but we're not going to see him as a very good person, because of the sacrifices he's willing to make in order to stay his own self. I don't think however it could have gone any other way and felt authentic.

Bottle Rocket (1996) Re-Visit Paramount Summer Classic Film Series

 

Over the years I've become a fan of Wes Anderson films, “Bottle Rocket" was his first film, but it was not the first one that I saw. I'm pretty sure that “Rushmore” was my Gateway into Wiss Anderson filmography. It was after that film that I went and rented "Bottle Rocket” and watched it at home. I had virtually no memory of seeing it other than the memory of going to Blockbuster, putting it in the VCR,  and being done with it later and thinking that was a nice bit of nothing.

30 years later I'm pretty much in the same place. “Bottle Rocket” is a shaggy dog story, with the two brothers Owen and Luke Wilson playing off of one another as dimbulb characters whose lofty goal is to become master thieves. Or maybe that's just the goal of Dignan, the delusional character played by Owen Wilson in full stoner mode. For some reason he's the character who hasn't been in a mental institution but clearly should have been. Anthony is the friend who has been self-committed for a time, played by Luke Wilson, as a character who's only guile is fooling his friend and indulging his delusions. Otherwise he's a pretty stand-up fellow.

The ridiculous 75-year plan to become Master criminals and live a life of ease is Dignan's fantasy. It is however clear from the very beginning that these two guys, along with their friend Bob, are too inept to be successful as criminals. At best they would be small timers forever at worst they might get killed pulling off a job that would hardly be worth it. What pleasure is found in the movie is in seeing Anthony trying to make a connection with the maid at the hotel that they're staying at, in spite of his inability to speak a language she understands. 

The sincerity of this Romance is put as a backdrop to Dignan's plan to connect with Mr Henry, his former boss at Landscaping Company, who also happens to be a low-level criminal. If crime were all in the planning, then Dignan and Anthony would be at the top of the game. For them the problem is that crime is really in the execution, and they are frankly not capable of executing anything more complicated than opening a can of beer.

The story here is not deep, we kind of want the best for these idiots, but we also recognize that they deserve to go to jail for the activities that they are engaged in. At the same time we want Anthony and Inez to work it out. I did think there was one clever twist along the way concerning their plot, but it's not one that benefits them at all. Mr Henry is the one who's capable of planning and executing a crime, not these three dimwits. 

The offbeat humor and the thickness of the main characters are the traits that mark this as a Wes Anderson film. He will continue to mine these tropes for all of his future movies, but he will add a plot and additional characters to make those a little bit more absorbing. Meanwhile “Bottle Rocket” is a pleasant enough couple of hours, that you won't mind having spent some time watching. You may however have trouble remembering why I was so pleasant.