tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post7970194921172069405..comments2024-03-27T21:42:56.131-05:00Comments on 1001plus: Families Under SiegeSJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-1027292536395269872018-01-30T09:00:28.227-06:002018-01-30T09:00:28.227-06:00I think it's a great film, mainly from the mon...I think it's a great film, mainly from the monster performance from Mason.<br /><br />Then again, I tend to think that of Mason in general, so...SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-75603587989364481492018-01-27T17:14:22.176-06:002018-01-27T17:14:22.176-06:00FXM Retro showed Bigger than Life (1956) a few nig...FXM Retro showed Bigger than Life (1956) a few nights ago, and I DVRed it and watched it yesterday.<br /><br />Apparently, one of the major studios decided there needed to be a remake of Reefer Madness starring James Mason, where Walter Matthau is his best friend. And then they got Nicholas Ray to direct.<br /><br />If I had ever seen a similar summary of this film, I would have watched it a long time ago. I've been thinking about what it would have been like if Douglas Sirk has directed - Probably one of John Waters' favorite films!Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17921029597363212734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-73187921623444887552013-08-29T19:19:33.339-05:002013-08-29T19:19:33.339-05:00I get that Fuller connection, too. There's a s...I get that Fuller connection, too. There's a sense of the lurid about Ray. Fuller goes for it completely (see <i>Shock Corridor</i> for a prime example) while Ray is more subdued with it, but there's an undercurrent of prurience to Nicholas Ray that I kind of love.<br /><br />In some sense, that's why I paired these two films together. Solondz goes into lurid territory without being lurid. Ray goes there, but tries to keep things sort of sanitary.<br /><br />I agree with you on <i>In a Lonely Place</i>, too. It's a great Bogart performance. That said, this might be the best thing James Mason ever did.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-72562947699281850862013-08-29T17:22:32.933-05:002013-08-29T17:22:32.933-05:00From the four Nicholas Ray films that are in the b...From the four Nicholas Ray films that are in the book and therefore are the only Ray films I've seen (Johnny Guitar, In a Lonely Place, Bigger than Life, Rebel Without a Cause), I've learned that Ray can do anguish, torment, and psychosis really REALLY well. You talk about how great Mason is here is definitely true, and I'm reminded of Bogie in In a Lonely Place, which I think is one of Bogart's standout performances. Crazed, desperate, villainous without being a true villain, morally gray areas... yeah, it's good stuff. Bigger Than Life is definitely good stuff.<br /><br />From these four films, Nicholas Ray also reminds me somewhat of Samuel Fuller. Sure, he's not as absolutely nutso as Fuller is, but I think there is something akin to Fuller's insanity in Ray's work as well, of a regular person with a deep flaw that pushes them very far, maybe even too far. siochembiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11487373396181856763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-91742631608054918952013-08-29T12:54:13.814-05:002013-08-29T12:54:13.814-05:00Bigger than Life was quite the surprise, and I mea...<i>Bigger than Life</i> was quite the surprise, and I mean that in a good way. There's that great moment (I won't spoil) on the staircase near the end...the conversation about Abraham and Isaac...absolutely chilling.<br /><br />As for <i>Happiness</i>, I think you're safe not seeing it again. I certainly don't plan to watch it again any time soon. I agree that the Dylan Baker story was the most interesting (also the most lurid), but I did like Philip Seymour Hoffman in this, too.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-36728946842476406922013-08-29T09:32:07.777-05:002013-08-29T09:32:07.777-05:00I completely agree on Mason in Bigger Than Life. ...I completely agree on Mason in Bigger Than Life. I thought he did a great job. This was one of those films that I had never heard of that turned out to be a pleasant surprise. (Congrats on finishing off the 1950s, by the way.)<br /><br />I've already mentioned to you that I refer to Happiness as "(Un)Happiness". If ever there was a title to be taken ironically, it is this one. I agree that it definitely is designed to make people uncomfortable. The conversation between the son and father where the son asks what's "wrong" with him because his father didn't try to molest him is a prime example. I thought it was well-handled, though. I agree that there is also very dark humor here, such as when the father is trying to drug the neighbor boy and keeps getting stymied.<br /><br />Dylan Baker was a revelation to me in this role. I recognized him as one of those guys who shows up periodically in movies, but he had never stood out to me. I think that Baker's story is the only "good" part of this film, though. All the other threads were mostly forgettable for me. In fact, until I read this review I didn't even remember that all the people were connected and that the women were sisters. I saw it around 14-15 years ago. It's not the kind of film I'd ever watch again. Ultimately, with only Baker's section worthy of note for me it's not a film with enough to it for me to like it or recommend it.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-11186503526544317852013-08-29T08:16:28.314-05:002013-08-29T08:16:28.314-05:00I agree that there's understandable schadenfre...I agree that there's understandable schadenfreude with seeing Trish's life go up in smoke. In the world of Todd Solondz, though, my prediction is that it simply intensifies her judgmental nature. Now it will be important not to knock people down, but to drag others down to her level or below.<br /><br />But I do understand the love for the film.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-10082459585211815112013-08-29T04:38:03.763-05:002013-08-29T04:38:03.763-05:00I like Happiness a lot. Yes, it is totally disgust...I like Happiness a lot. Yes, it is totally disgusting, but it is also liberating in a very weird way. It presents us with all these apparently normal, nice people and basically tells us that the nicer it looks the worse it actually is. It strips away pretense as being hypocrite and forces a truth on the characters that life is not perfect and that there are worse people out there. The "love" story between Allen and Kristina is kind of sweet and there is something delicious about the cracking up of Trish perfect life. Maybe she will be a bit easier on other peoples faults now.<br />TSorensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12208153011927807857noreply@blogger.com