The Women

It's ironic once you think of it. George Cukor is noted for his "women's pictures" (particularly the ones he made with Katharine Hepburn), and he made a literal women's picture. Why literal? I'll explain.

The Women starred only women. (Even the animals showed are female.) Upon hearing the dialogue, it was clear that it was written by and for women. This wouldn't have worked if it was written by men, mainly because they don't know what goes on in a woman's mind.

The cast has some of the biggest names of the time, most of them I've seen in other movies. Such names include Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard and Joan Fontaine. I loved the performances from all four of them, but Russell and Goddard stood out the most for me mainly because they have attitude (and most of the movie's best lines).

Prior to this, I hadn't seen anything with Norma Shearer. After seeing her in The Women, I now desire to see more of her work because she possesses an aura very few actors have. This aura shows she's the kind of person you support no matter what.

The Women just works wonderfully. Cukor shows that he knows how to work with actresses, all of whom play their roles vibrantly. And is it any surprise that this great movie was released in the great year of 1939?

My Rating: *****

Jezebel

Bette Davis was and always will be a firecracker of an actress. She always made an impression on audiences, co-stars and directors (even if the latter two were mostly negative). Hey, she didn't get ten Oscar nominations and two wins just by being a good actress.

In William Wyler's Jezebel, Davis' character of Julie Marsden makes Scarlett O'Hara look like Melanie Hamilton. Her first scene alone proves it. She appears at a party wearing her riding clothes, gets a drink made strictly for the men, and basically shocks everyone there. You think they would rarely be surprised by Julie's attitude. It seems she's like this all the time.

Julie's fiance Preston Dillard (Henry Fonda) is one such person accustomed to her behavior. However, he has his limits with her. Particularly in one famous sequence. Julie causes a stir at a ball by wearing a red dress instead of the required white. Preston keeps his opinion silent, but it's clear he's furious at her decision.

As aloof and carefree Julie may seem, her emotions towards Preston are genuine. She cares more about him than anyone else, even herself. Even after he leaves her, she still holds a torch for him. (Well, not in the same sense of Scarlett with Ashley.)

Jezebel is really like a watered down Gone with the Wind, but not in a bad sense. After all, I find Julie much more bearable than Scarlett. (Yeah, I said it. What about it?)

My Rating: *****

Night Moves

With Arthur Penn's passing back in 2010, I was compelled to see some of his films (as with the case of other names in the business that have died recently). But what to watch? I had already seen Bonnie and Clyde and The Miracle Worker within a month before his death.

Then I discovered Night Moves, his film from 1975. It's an underseen entry year because, let's face it, 1975 was loaded with great movies. Like the other releases of the year, Night Moves is damn good.

Gene Hackman, who worked with Penn on Bonnie and Clyde, stars as detective Harry Moseby. He's stuck in a faltering marriage, but he doesn't let that affect him too much. Comparing him to other film private eyes, he shares similarities with Elliot Gould in The Long Goodbye.

In relation with Bonnie and Clyde and The Miracle Worker, Night Moves focuses more on character development than it does on plot development. I'm saying it not as a bad thing but as merely an innocent observation.

All in all, I really liked Night Moves. The flow of it kind of bothered me considerably, but the performances made up for it. Either way, it's an underrated entry of the 1970's.

My Rating: ****1/2

Purple Noon

It's no surprise that there are similarities between Rene Clement's Purple Noon and Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley. Both are based on Patricia Highsmith's novel, but their styles are completely different.

Same goes for the actors' personalities. Alain Delon is more elusive than Matt Damon. Maurice Ronet is as much as a bastard as Jude Law. Marie Laforet isn't as suspicious as Gwyneth Paltrow. In fact, Delon, Ronet and Laforet are on a completely different level of acting to that of Damon, Law and Paltrow.

Purple Noon isn't as swank and posh as The Talented Mr. Ripley. It's more down to earth. It rarely focuses on the luxuries surrounding Tom. It focuses more on Tom trying to conceal the crimes he committed. Both films have their advantages but when it comes to hiding the unlawful acts, that goes to Purple Noon.

One aspect of The Talented Mr. Ripley was its homoerotic subtext. Of course with this being released during the final years of the Production Code era, it isn't as abundant in Purple Noon. In fact, there isn't even any hinting that Tom wants Philippe, not just his money and life.

Purple Noon is a very well-crafted film, even though it loses its way towards the end and has a resolved ending (much to the dismay of Highsmith herself). Still, it's just as seductive as Minghella's film.

My Rating: ****1/2

Golden Globe Winners

Looks like my predictions were way off in some categories. Underlined means my prediction; bold means the winner.

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA

The Descendants

The Help

Hugo

The Ides of March

Moneyball

War Horse

BEST PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY

50/50

The Artist
Bridesmaids

Midnight in Paris

My Week with Marilyn


BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo


BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball


BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin


BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OF MUSICAL
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris


BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants


BEST SCREENPLAY
The Artist
The Descendants
The Ides of March
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss in Boots
Rango


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Flowers of War
In the Land of Blood and Honey
The Kid with the Bike
A Separation
The Skin I Live In


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
War Horse
W.E.


BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Lay Your Head Down", Albert Nobbs
"Hello Hello", Gnomeo and Juliet
"The Living Proof", The Help
"The Keeper", Machine Gun Preacher
"Masterpiece", W.E.

Mala Noche

There are very few directors that, regardless of how well their films do, continue to work in Hollywood. One such name is Gus Van Sant. His filmography has been a mix of studio productions and independent features.

His debut Mala Noche falls into the latter category, and conveys many themes seen later in his work. (If you've seen any of his later works, you know what those themes are.)

Much like My Own Private Idaho and Good Will Hunting, Mala Noche features a lead character who's on the fine line of being out of place in society and belonging in it like a normal person. Throughout the film, he wavers on that line, staying on each side for some time.

In a similar vein of Milk and To Die For, the lead has aspirations he plans to achieve. He won't let anyone or anything get in his way, regardless of what others might think.

Mala Noche has you thinking about aspects of society, something Van Sant most definitely did with Milk. What's right with it? What's wrong with it? These are questions that are raised constantly when watching this transfixing film.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Moon Is Blue

Of the films I saw that were directed by Otto Preminger, they were dramas and controversial ones at that.

In between his many successes (and failures) of the 1940's and 1950's, he made an unconventional film: a comedy. Like his other films, it too garnered its share of controversy upon its release back in 1953. What with the use of shocking words like "virgin" (which the female lead is), "mistress" and "pregnant". Of course, the mention of those words isn't that big of a deal nowadays.

The three main actors of The Moon Is Blue are William Holden, Maggie McNamara and David Niven. Holden and Niven I'm the most familiar with, though McNamara I knew of faintly. They're fine in their roles, but McNamara came off as too talkative.

Of the trio, the one that stood out the most was not Holden (the biggest name in the cast) nor McNamara (who got an Oscar nomination for her work here). It was Niven. His pithy commentary makes the film a little more bearable.

Back then, The Moon Is Blue was one of the most scandalous films ever released. Now, especially watching it after seeing Shame, its once-infamous controversy has faded considerably. Still, you can tell it's an Otto Preminger film.

My Rating: ****

Grand Hotel

Even during the early years of Hollywood, ensemble acting was big. I personally like it. It shows that studios were willing to focus on more than one or two stars.

Grand Hotel features several actors I have either heard of or seen in other films. Here, I want to focus on three that stood out for me. The first is Greta Garbo's worn out ballerina who gets a new view of life after meeting John Barrymore's "baron". You gotta love that immortal line of hers: "I vant to be alone."

Lionel Barrymore's dying man also got my attention. Once mourning not living his life up enough, he soon makes up for lost time. To think this is the same man who played Mr. Potter fourteen years later.

In the film's best performance, Joan Crawford as Wallace Beery's stenographer is perhaps in her most natural performance. None of her lines feel forced, her actions aren't contrived, and she appears to be a normal person. And personally, I adore it.

Grand Hotel describes itself within the title. It's a grand film. All of the actors play their parts magnificently, none of them feeling out of place. I usually gripe about AMPAS choosing the wrong films for Best Picture. Not here.

My Rating: *****

The Letter

The opening moments of William Wyler's The Letter shows a scene of peace and serenity. And then, gunshots.

The shots were fired by Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis). She vehemently claims that the shooting was in self-defense, and all evidence supports it. Everyone else believes her...well, almost everyone.

Many of the movies I saw Davis in had her in charge even with a personal flaw within her character. As Leslie, she convinces almost everyone that there was reason behind the shooting while at the same time hides some secrets of her own. It's a hell of a role for Davis.

Leslie is also very concerned on what others might think of her if the titular letter is revealed to the public. Of course, the whole outcome of the trial will be completely different than what she hopes for.

It ends with an expected Production Code-required ending, but The Letter is a hell of a film. As mentioned, Davis gives a powerful performance in it. Bear this thought as you watch it: looks can be deceiving.

My Rating: *****

Missing

Costa-Gavras' Missing raises many questions on politics, war and society. Can any of the three be trusted?

To Ed (Jack Lemmon) and Beth Horman (Sissy Spacek), their views on the Chilean government constantly change throughout as they look for his son and her husband Charles (John Shea). What they thought was a reliable government turns into uncertainty towards that so-called reliability. Even the U.S. government's reliability comes into question.

Throughout Missing, the violence within Chile gets dangerously close to everyone. Gunshots fill the air. Bodies lie in the streets. Panic rises within everyone. It's a dog-eat-dog world in Chile, and every day is a fight for life.

As they search for Charles, Ed and Beth have to come to terms with their own personal differences. Beth supports Charles' job as a journalist; Ed believes that's what got him arrested. Despite their differing opinions, they agree they won't leave Chile without Charles.

The physical turmoil of Chile mirrors the emotional turmoil of Ed and Beth, devastated and in ruins. Seeing the country's conditions makes a question Ed asks at one point all the more resonant: "What kind of world is this?"

My Rating: *****