Saturday, December 7, 2024

What I've Caught Up With, November 2024 Part 1

While I didn’t post a ton of reviews in November, I did get through a lot of movies on the giant list of films to watch. It always feels like an uphill battle getting through the list, but I made a concerted effort to watch movies from all eras this month. What that means essentially is that I watched at least one movie from every decade from the 1930s to the 2020s including the full review of Barbarian.

What I’ve Caught Up With, November 2024 Part 1:
Film: A Night to Remember (1958)

There are plenty of films about Titanic, not the least of which is the Oscar-winning film from 1997. A Night to Remember does away with things like characters and plot for the most part and sets us up for the thing we’re here to watch—the sinking of the great ship. Seen in large part through the eyes of second officer Charles Lightroller (Kenneth More), we get the launch, an introduction to a few characters, and then the sinking. About 90 minutes of the two-hour movie is the ship going to the bottom, and while the effects aren’t those from 1997, it’s pretty great. On a related note, the real Charles Lightroller is the reason for a lot of the safety improvements on ships—he was a genuine hero.

Film: Coherence (2013)

A group of eight friends meet for dinner on the night that a comet is passing close to the Earth. What follows are a series of strange events and occurrences. Looking for answers, a few of them wander out of the house and discover an identical house set up for eight people down the road. As the night continues, more and more anomalies crop up and it becomes evident that the passing comet has caused a sort of meeting of multiple realities, and leaving one house brings about the possibility of arriving in a completely different version of the same house with different versions of the same people. It’s a clever film; it’s a time travel paradox without the time travel, but the camerawork is nausea-inducing.

When We Were Kings (1996)

When I was a kid, boxing was still a major sport. Today, I don’t really know anyone who pays attention to boxing, but in the early ‘70s, it was a sport everyone knew, and everyone knew the major fighters. In 1974, Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in Zaire in a fight dubbed “The Rumble in the Jungle.” When We Were Kings is a memoir about that fight and everything leading up to it. It’s a fascinating slice of history. Ali was very much distrusted in the U.S. still at this time but his stand against the Vietnam War made him a folk hero in much of Africa. I vaguely remember the fight, and I certainly didn’t know about the huge music festival that accompanied the Rumble. This is also the fight that gave us the rope-a-dope technique.

Film: Black Dynamite (2009)

I’m Gonna Git You Sucka is a self-aware blaxploitation parody. If it were a little less self-aware on its surface (but as self-aware in reality) and was designed to look like it was from the ‘70s, you’d get Black Dynamite. It’s a movie that feels like it could have been made in 1972 by an incompetent director and team; it’s just earnest enough-seeming that you can almost believe it. Fortunately, there are enough winks to the camera for us to remember this really isn’t serious—likes like “I used to be an orphan!” or “Donuts don’t wear alligator shoes” are just stupid enough to not be real but seem like they could be and just dumb enough to be really funny. If Shaft in Africa is in your wheelhouse, this is one you should watch.

Film: Rocky II (1979)

Sylvester Stallone made a couple of lackluster choices (F.I.S.T. and Paradise Alley) after the massive success of Rocky, and he needed another hit. Rocky II was a risk, but it’s a risk that paid off, mainly because it follows the path of the previous film. Rocky Balboa (Stallone) wins a moral victory in the first film but can’t make life work outside the ring. Meanwhile, heavyweight champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) can’t shake the fact that he only won in a split decision against Balboa, who was perceived to be a punch-drunk bum. Eventually, they’re going to have to get back in the ring, but we deal with Rocky’s marriage to Adrian (Talia Shire), the relationship with her brother Paulie (Burt Young), and the strained dealings with Rocky’s trainer Mick (Burgess Meredith). This is long before the series spirals into stupidity, and while it’s not the original film, it builds on the story about as well as could be expected.

Film: Journey’s End (1930)

There are plenty of American movies about World War II, but not a ton about the Great War, probably because we were involved in it for such a short time, relatively speaking. Other countries are much more prone to making films about World War I, and Journey’s End is a clear example of this. A man three years at the front (Colin Clive) has become addicted to whiskey to survive the conflict. A young man (David Manners) joins his outfit in 1918. As it happens, our newcomer once hero-worshipped the veteran at school, and our veteran is betrothed to the new guy’s sister and is terribly distressed that his alcoholism will be revealed. It’s an odd moral quandary we’re presented with in the middle of a terrible conflict. It feels a bit amateur, and neither Clive nor Manners can pass for the young 20-something men they’re supposed to be.

Film: The Lusty Men (1952)

I’m not a huge fan of the concept of rodeo, but I have to admit that it makes for a compelling topic for a movie. The Lusty Men concerns competitor Jeff McCloud (a perfectly-cast Robert Mitchum) who has taken one knock too many. Looking for something new, he hooks up with Wes Merritt (Arthur Kennedy) and his wife Louise (Susan Hayward). The Merritts want to buy a ranch, but on Wes’s salary, it’s going to take years. Seeing a potential shortcut, Wes quits ranch handing to go on the rodeo circuit, and while he has a lot of success, he also gets used to the big life and spending the big money. Arthur Kennedy feels a bit miscast, but both Mitchum and Hayward are pitch-perfect and make the whole thing work. An added bonus is Arthur Hunnicutt as a washed-up rider in a role that seems like it could have been made for Walter Brennan.

Film: Rocky III (1982)

My descent into the Rocky-verse continues with Rocky III, the first significant drop in quality in the Rocky films. While nowhere near the bottom of the barrel, Rocky III is a step down because it subverts the things that the franchise did best. The first film went against expectations with the ending and the second might have been more expected, but it continued to focus on the drama of the lives of the characters. With the third film, the franchise moves into focusing on the boxing, and the boxing in these films was never that good. The problem is that this dipped heavily into formula, and the first two films in the franchise went out of their way to challenge formula. It’s disappointing, but at least still watchable. Seriously, does no one know how to put their gloves up?

8 comments:

  1. Oh wow, I remember recommending Coherence to you like eight years ago; I'm surprised you finally got around to it. XD

    It's not a great movie, and it certainly looks its budget, but I love little-movies-that-could that take a minimal budget & resources and make a brain-bender of a concept that's engaging just in trying to unravel the puzzle. Films like that are inspiring to me personally; it shows off what someone can do with a good script/idea, enough resources to get it done, and actors/crew with enough talent to pull it off.

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    1. The list of recommended movies is right about at 1000 now, so it takes a lot of time to get through them, but eventually I do get to everything, or at least I try to.

      The camerawork in Coherence I found bothersome, but I love the idea behind it.

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  2. Oh yay you got to The Lusty Men!! That’s a huge favorite of mine and I think it contains Bob Mitchum’s best performance ever. Yes, better than “The Night of the Hunter” because it requires him to make an impact without the inherent villainy of Harry Powell. All his work is complexly interior. He’s a drifter closing in on the end of the road, realizing what he’s squandered and hoping it’s not too late while being aware it probably is. If he had ever won an Oscar (or been nominated more than once!) it should have been here. Speaking of Oscars Susan Hayward did receive one of her nominations this year for “With a Song in My Heart” and as you know I love that film and think she’s great in it, but I would have rather seen her up for this performance. Louise is almost all tough flinty grit (LOVE the scene where she lays out for Wes why she picked him to marry over all the others who offered) until she tired and frustrated and her vulnerability comes to the surface. She and Mitchum are a near perfect match, their final scene is a gut puncher. I didn’t think Arthur Kennedy was miscast, though his role doesn’t have as much meat to it, I thought he did well by it. Glad you mentioned Arthur Hunnicutt, I absolutely can see Walter Brennan in the part, but Hunnicutt is terrific. Though her role is small Carol Nugent makes an impression as his daughter Rusty as well. The film is one of those that has benefited from repeat viewings for me. I liked it well enough the first time I saw it, but I have found extra layers on repeat views and the performances just get richer.

    I’m a little surprised that you hadn’t seen “A Night to Remember” before now. It’s so seminal to the whole Titanic-verse. It wasn’t the first version of the story I saw, that was the Barbara Stanwyck/Clifton Webb film, but this is the one that spurred me to read the book and then go back and watch it again. It’s much more of a chronicle of the sinking than the others, and British to its backbone which is appropriate, however the brief framing stories of actual passengers adds just enough of context to pull the viewer fully into their plight. The Stanwyck/Webb film provides emotional resonance, the Cameron film the spectacle and this a compelling document of the tragedy. I suppose we’ll never get one that combines all three.

    James Whale’s skill in the director’s chair made Journey’s End worthwhile though Colin Clive was his usual block of wood (he had played the role on stage which Whale had also directed; they were close friends leading to his repeating the role). There is a great deal of irony to Clive’s role since his rampant alcoholism (often so bad that his costars had to prop him up in his scenes at times) led to his death at only thirty-seven.

    Rocky II isn’t bad, a small step down from the first but still enjoyably human and relatable but Rocky III was trash, though nowhere near as terrible as Rocky IV after which I stopped watching them.

    I never got around to When We Were Kings because I remembered the actual events leading up to “The Rumble in Jungle” and the fight itself. I probably should though since it will no doubt release a flood of nostalgia.

    Black Dynamite is on my to see list, just haven’t gotten there yet but I have never heard of Coherence. That nausea inducing comment doesn’t fill me with desire to make a point of seeing it though.

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    1. I knew you'd be very pleased that I finally crossed The Lusty Men off the list--it's one that you pound the table for, and with good reason. It's probably not quite fair on my part to say Arthur Kennedy is miscast, but he feels like such an afterthought in the film compared with Mitchum and Hayward that he's almost forgettable despite being a major driver of the plot.

      A Night to Remember almost feels documentary, which is interesting, and not really what I was expecting. I say that not as a problem, though; I thoroughly enjoyed watching the film.

      I did know that about Clive--there is a sort of satisfaction in an alcoholic playing a man embarrassed by his alcoholism. Journey's End is interesting, but probably not required viewing for a lot of people.

      I agree on the Rocky films, although I have seen the low-point fifth one. The first Creed is very good, though; I haven't seen the others.

      When We Were Kings is a short watch, and an interesting one. It's worth your time. Coherence probably is, too, but the camera does a lot of what feels like unnecessary moving.

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  3. I'm a sucker for the Rocky movies as I get life lessons from those films. I love the 2nd film for its exploration of a man unsure what to do with the recent fame he's given but also what he needs to do in order to become a champion. I love the scene of Rocky trying to catch the chicken as he finds it to be humiliating but he does catch it! Rocky III is just fun as Mr. T as Clubber Lang was a monster that Rocky needed to overcome. I think it's a better film than the 2nd because it forces Rocky to realize that it's OK to be afraid but also to not let success get into his head. That scene with Adrian is awesome as she proved to be as tough as he is. Plus, how can you not love those training montages? The one in the third film is a bit gay but it's funny. It's a shame in how much of a bitch Sly has become. No wonder people like Arnold more.

    BTW, you know in Titanic when Kate Winslet's character was on top of that piece of wood? You know that there was more than enough room for her and Leo in that piece of wood. One of them had to be on top of another.

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    1. The "There was room for Jack on the door" debate feels to me like the "Han shot first" of romance/tragedies. My problems with Titanic are all tied up in the ending.

      One of these days I'll get to Rocky IV. I don't know if I look forward to it so much as I dread what it is.

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    2. Rocky IV is a propaganda film and it's so much of an 80s film but it's still good fun and the fight is one of the best. Rocky V on the other hand.... oh boy.... just skip that and go to Rocky Balboa and then Creed.

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    3. I have sadly already seen Rocky V. It's not one I will watch a second time.

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