To Die For

There are a number of movies based on real-life crimes (Zodiac, Monster) and there's a handful of movies where a crime is a major influence on them (Psycho, Dog Day Afternoon). If you're wondering, To Die For falls under the latter category.

It's based on the Pamela Smart case. Smart seduced her teenage lover into killing her husband, which he did. It's a juicy case to read up on, so I don't blame screenwriter Buck Henry for having a desire to turn it into a movie.

Nicole Kidman's Suzanne Stone is determined to get on TV, even if it means working as a weather girl for the local TV station of the aptly name town of Little Hope, New Hampshire. Her wardrobe looks like the 1950's threw up on her (same goes for her sense of decorating) and she always has a smile on her face as though she's forever on camera. Too bad neither her husband Larry (Matt Dillon) or her teenage lover Jimmy (Joaquin Phoenix) could see through her phony facade.

Oh man, To Die For is really funny. A tad too dark in some scenes, but it was fun to watch. Kidman's delightfully wicked performance is definitely the highlight, but I also liked Phoenix (though it looked like he was trying to channel his brother River). All in all, I liked it.

My Rating: ****

Seconds

What would it be like to start your life with a new identity? Your past is erased and your future is presented with a clean slate.

That is exactly what Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) is presented with early on in Seconds. He is taunted by phone calls in the middle of the night, making him think about leaving his family and steady job to start a new life. Does he deserve to fake his death for the sake of starting his life anew?

One moment in Seconds I adored was the reveal of Hamilton's new identity Tony Wilson (Rock Hudson, quite effective). His scar-covered face is exposed and Hamilton gets a glimpse of who he will be. He sees a vision of youth that he probably never had. His reaction and expression to the changes are flawless.

Seconds is an excellent movie. It gets muddled in the middle, but that aside it is very well done. The main contributors are John Frankenheimer's meticulous direction and Jerry Goldsmith's haunting score, but I want to say something about James Wong Howe's cinematography. The use of distorted imagery and close ups to capture a person's sense of uncertainty increases the paranoia the viewer might feel. And that makes for a damn good thriller.

My Rating: ****1/2

Damn you, Irene!

Due to Hurricane Irene passing through the east coast (and the possibility that I'll lose power), I'm holding off blogging until the weather clears up.

Blogging will resume on Tuesday.

Now, Voyager

Being a woman, I'm not entirely crazy about today's "women's pictures". Most of them aren't well made. Another reason as to why I prefer the classics.

Now, Voyager stars Bette Davis, a Hollywood legend I'm starting to like. The other movies I saw her in, All About Eve and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, have her in charge. In Now, Voyager, she's under the suffocating control of her heartless mother.

Because of her poor upbringing, Davis' Charlotte Vale hasn't had chance to become a woman, one that's independent and full of life. Once out of her mother's grip, Charlotte blossoms into the woman she has longed to be and captures the eye of Jerry (Paul Henreid), who is stuck in a dead marriage.

I may be a tomboy, but who says I can't enjoy a good romance movie? Now, Voyager is a very lovely movie and I admire Daivs' work to no end. Maybe because I can somewhat relate to Charlotte.

My Rating: *****

The Misfits

The Misfits is noted for being the final movie of both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. It's also considered the last major movie in both Montgomery Clift and John Huston's careers. Those factoids aside, The Misfits is a very good movie.

Not long after her divorce is finalized, Rosalyn Tabor (Monroe) meets three men, each one different from the last: Gay Langland (Gable), an aging cowboy; Guido (Eli Wallach), a widower; and Perce Howland (Clift), a drifter rodeo rider. Of course, all three men eventually fall for Rosalyn.

At first it would appear that Gay, Guido and Perce like Rosalyn for her curves. But as they get to know her better, they realize they just want someone trusting to talk to (especially Perce). We also view Rosalyn not as a dumb blonde but as a martyr because of her complicated past. That's because the script by Arthur Miller (Monroe's soon-to-be ex-husband at the time) has some events of Monroe's life as parts of Rosalyn's.

As mentioned above, The Misfits is a very good movie. It has its four principal actors in some of their finest work. It may have been neglected upon its release, but that doesn't mean it should be fifty years later.

My Rating: ****1/2

Room at the Top

During the late 50's and early 60's, British cinema had a flux of realism dramas. Most of them haven't aged well, but those that did are relevant to today's audiences.

Laurence Harvey is better known by modern crowds for his work in The Manchurian Candidate but he is also stellar in Room at the Top, which he did three years earlier. It got him his only Academy Award nomination, but that's an understatement as to the scale of his performance. Like in The Manchurian Candidate, his Joe Lampton isn't a very likable person yet you sympathize for him because he falls under the spell of a woman.

Joe becomes interested in two women: Alice (Simone Signoret, who was wonderfully evil in Diabolique) and Susan (Heather Sears). Of course, both women are complete opposites and have their flaws. Alice is married and older but brings out what remains of Joe's warmth; Susan is dull but comes from a family of wealth and high class, something Joe wants to be a part of.

By the end of Room at the Top, Joe has reached his goal. But he realizes something: he's not happy. The final shot of Joe captures what he's feeling, a look of hopelessness. That shot, as well as the performances by Harvey and Signoret, is what makes Room at the Top so memorable.

My Rating: *****

A History of Violence

Escaping your past is the method to use when you have more than a few skeletons in the closet. Usually it's related with an affair or something that occurred during childhood, but sometimes it's something more taunting.

This is the case with Tom Stall, played wonderfully by Viggo Mortensen. Before having an idyllic life, he was Joey Cusack, a hitman for an Irish mobster. His family is shocked by the realization, even after he vehemently denies such claims. But soon, he goes back to his violent past.

Mortensen's transformation from mild-mannered Tom to brutish Joey is both an eye-opener and evident during his two sex scenes with Maria Bello's Edie. The first encounter is somewhat of an awkward role-playing experience, lacking that certain spark. The second encounter takes the phrase "banging" to a new level.

Having also seen Eastern Promises, it's clear that Mortensen and David Cronenberg are excellent collaborators. I look forward to their next movie together. A History of Violence is very well done, but there's something missing to it. I can't place what it is though.

My Rating: ****1/2

Spider

We've seen descents into madness depicted in movies countless times. But what about when the person's already insane?

Ralph Fiennes, an actor I have always admired, gives one of his finer performances. He doesn't show the traits of Hollywood's regular take on schizophrenia (basically a LOT of twitching and breakdowns). His performance has him lost in his own world, trying to piece together his past with what little of his sanity remains.

David Cronenberg blurs the fine line between hallucination and reality. He also blurs how serious of a condition Fiennes is afflicted with so we can understand him better. Pretty freaky stuff if you ask me.

Spider is well-acted, but the pace bothered me a bit. I found it too slow more than once. That slightly annoying factor aside, I thought that Spider was a good movie.

My Rating: ****

Cinema Paradiso

It's amazing to discover people with similar interests. They're usually the most unlikely of people.

In Cinema Paradiso, the residents of a small Sicilian town gather at the local movie theater to forget their problems. They laugh, cry and cheer from watching movies, completely forgetting their problems outside of the theater.And it's there where they connect.

The center of Cinema Paradiso is Salvatore, or Toto as he's called by those at the theater. Like many of the town's residents, he goes to the movies to escape the abuse he faces at home. It would become an everlasting love with all things film. After all, a love has to start somewhere.

Cinema Paradiso is one of the more entertaining foreign movies I've seen in recent memory. It captures memories of one's childhood perfectly. And if you didn't feel the slightest pang of emotion from the ending, there's something wrong with you.

My Rating: *****

Liebster Award

Thanks to Meredith at Forever Classics, I now have something to get me out of this writer's funk.

Reportedly, liebster means "beloved" in German. Must be a popular meme floating around in Germany then.

Rules are simple: link back to the blog(s) that tagged you (check), and pass along to five blogs that have under 300 followers. Here are my five.

• Stevee @ Cinematic Paradox
• Sam @ Duke and the Movies
• Tyler @ Southern Vision
• Marya @ the diary of a film awards fanatic
• Jake @ Not Just Movies