The King of Comedy

There's no denying that Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese is one of the great film collaborations. After all, most of their movies land on many "greatest ever" lists.

One title that doesn't show up as much as it should is The King of Comedy. Why that is, I don't know. Perhaps it's too dark. Perhaps it was ahead of its time. Either way, it's not a movie to be avoided.

The three main actors play their parts excellently. De Niro's Rupert Pupkin is a bit like Travis Bickle and Jake La Motta in the sense that they'll act out without thinking through. Jerry Lewis, completely against type as fame weary Jerry Langford, is revelatory in his performance. He shows a darker side to fame. (Pay attention to when Rupert breaks into his home.) And Sandra Bernhard as Masha makes John Hinckley, Jr. look legally sane. (Just saying.)

The King of Comedy has to be, without a doubt, one of Scorsese's best. It may be too dark for some, but I really liked it. Just because this is underrated doesn't mean it should be overlooked.

My Rating: *****

Eyes Wide Shut

Although I've seen a few of his movies, I'm not entirely won over by Stanley Kubrick. He's a very good director, but his movies take some time to absorb.

Eyes Wide Shut is no exception. Like several other Kubrick movies, it explores the mental deterioration of man (with the occasional sexual reference). I like how the story is set during the Christmas season when the tale isn't exactly cheerful. I mean, really. What better way to celebrate the holidays than through thoughts of infidelity?

And also like several other Kubrick movies, Eyes Shut Wide was no stranger to controversy. (Is there one movie of his that didn't?) Personally, I find that it wasn't needed. Believe me, there have been other movies that are a lot kinkier than Eyes Wide Shut.

An interesting note for Kubrick to end on. I thought that this was very good, a far cry from the usual consensus it receives. It has the usual Kubrick themes and motifs, though the darker ones were a bit of a bother to me. Still, it's worth checking out.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Grass Is Greener

Is it generally a bad thing if I won't watch a movie unless I've heard of at least one actor in it? That's usually the case with most of the movies I've seen, but I wouldn't consider it a major thing.

With The Grass Is Greener, it stars four actors I'm more than a little familiar with: Cary Grant (I saw 11 movies of his prior to this one), Deborah Kerr (5 movies), Robert Mitchum (5 movies) and Jean Simmons (3 movies). And all four play their parts well.

Grant is his usual suave comedic self and Kerr is her usual elegant casual self, but it's Mitchum and Simmons who stand out. You realize that both of them have a sense of humor. I personally liked Simmons the most as the zany friend. And this is the same woman from Elmer Gantry.

The Grass Is Greener is a cute movie, but the slow pace bothered me a bit. Again, I liked the performances but there's not much else to go by aside from that. It's worth a look at least.

My Rating: ****

Mysterious Skin

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is someone I've always liked. His work in (500) Days of Summer reminded me of Jack Lemmon in The Apartment. Gordon-Levitt is also well versed in dramas, as shown with Brick and The Lookout.

Of the movies I've seen him in, his best work is in Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin. As the movie progresses, we get a good glimpse of his personality as layers are peeled away like an onion. We see that he keeps his emotions and his past bottled up and hidden, hoping no one will find out about either.

His most vulnerable moment is after an attack on him. Alone, badly bruised and bloody, the memories of his past come rushing back, consuming him. He now knows of the extent of the damage on him. It's a scene I don't think anyone else could have done so well.

Mysterious Skin is a very good movie, but it's a very hard watch as well. It feels like a mix of My Own Private Idaho and Requiem for a Dream. But it's a good character study to better understand how victimizing abuse is. Watch it with caution.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Devil Wears Prada

Is there one role Meryl Streep can't do? Probably not considering she has like a million nominations and awards for her acting.

One's thing for certain: Streep can play a bitch pretty damn well, and she showcases that trait in The Devil Wears Prada. Her voice's tone never changes, she always gives an ice cold judging stare, and you can never tell if she's content. Almost makes Bette Davis look like a saint.

I also liked Stanley Tucci, who is practically Streep in male form. He spews out catty remarks like Streep, but he doesn't always mean what he says. He shows some concern, not much but enough to stop you from writing him off as a heel. Tucci is definitely a scene stealer here.

I did like The Devil Wears Prada. I thought it was cute, but that's all I really have to say about it. It feels like the typical chick flick to me, but I might see it again if I need to cheer up.

My Rating: ****

Casino

Even great directors have underrated movies. You got Billy Wilder and Ace in the Hole, and Michael Mann and Thief, just as examples.

Of course, Casino is one of the very few movies in Martin Scorsese's resume that gets constantly overlooked. In a sense, it's like Goodfellas set in Las Vegas. After all, both are about men with mob connections that first rise to the top of the world then come crashing down to reality. That they both star Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci doesn't hurt either.

Like Goodfellas, Casino is based on real events. The difference is the narrative changes periodically. It shifts from Ace's (De Niro) calm demeanor to Nicky's (Pesci) profanity-spewing attitude. It may be a tricky move in other movies, but it works wonders here.

Casino is a ridiculously good movie. De Niro, Pesci and Sharon Stone play their roles to great heights. My only complaint is that it's a little too violent, even by Scorsese's standards. (The most violent scene is a toss-up between Nicky stabbing a guy's neck with a pen or Nicky crushing another guy's head in a vise. Either way, they're both fucking nasty.) It's definitely worth checking out.

My Rating: ****1/2

Moneyball

I love movies with damn good dialogue. (Why else would Billy Wilder be among my favorites?) It's fun to quote it every now and again. Well, at least until you annoy the hell out of everyone because of it.

I say this in regards to Aaron Sorkin. Who can forget the witty lines of The West Wing or The Social Network? The thing with Moneyball, however, is that the dialogue isn't as memorable as those two. But there is that Sorkin smarm within it.

Moneyball is Bennett Miller's second contribution to Hollywood. (His first was the excellent Capote.) Both movies are based on real events but as stated before, Capote comes out on top. I'm not saying Moneyball is a bad movie. It's just it could have been improved just a hair.

All in all, I thought Moneyball was good. I didn't love in the strongest sense of the word because I'm not a baseball fan. I will say this though: I like how Moneyball doesn't end like the typical sports movie.

My Rating: ****

The Insider

Michael Mann always captures a certain grit in his movies. Most of them are crime movies set in Los Angeles, but in some cases they're set in various parts of the United States.

There are numerous movies about conspiracies and cover-ups. The Insider is one of those few movies that succeeds. We all know that smoking's a bad habit, but who would've guessed that cigarette companies were purposely making their products more addictive?

Of the many great performances contained within the movie, the best is from Russell Crowe as the mentally trapped Jeffrey Wigand. He knows his expose on his former employers is costly, but even that didn't prepare him for the many threats towards him and his family. Personally, I think Crowe's Oscar win for Gladiator was consolation for losing to Kevin Spacey the previous year.

I'm a sucker for journalism movies and The Insider is good proof as to why. It's hard-hitting and gets the facts of the case, just like a good story. And that's what The Insider is: a good story.

My Rating: *****

Fashion Trends in Film

Fashion is defined as "a popular trend, especially in styles of dress, ornament, or behavior". Of course, with movies being popular as well, they're bound to have an influence on some people. Here are a few trends over the years.

• 1934: Clark Gable exposes his bare chest to unsuspecting audiences in It Happened One Night. Bear in mind, the norm back then was that men wore undershirts. After the release of It Happened One Night, allegedly undershirts sales dropped 50%.

• Early 1940's: Women style their hair to resemble Veronica Lake's "peekaboo" haircut. But when World War II rolled around, Lake had to persuade them to wear their hair up since it continually got caught in the machinery.

• 1953: You know the "aloha" shirts, those tacky shirts with the big flowers plastered all over them? Well, you can thank From Here to Eternity for them because after several of the actors wore them in the movie, they became more popular.

• 1967: Along with it being her big break, Bonnie and Clyde also made Faye Dunaway a symbol of fashion with her 1930's wardrobe she wore in the movie.

• 1977: Like Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde, Diane Keaton would spur a fashion trend for women with her wardrobe in Annie Hall.

Those are the notable ones I can think of. I'm sure there are other ones out there.

Rio Bravo

Howard Hawks was one of the more versatile directors of the Golden Age. He made comedies (His Girl Friday), dramas (To Have and Have Not), westerns (Red River) and film noirs (The Big Sleep). Probably one of the few names who could venture into many genres and do it successfully.

This was John Wayne and Hawks' response to High Noon, where Gary Cooper is on his own protecting the town. In Rio Bravo, Wayne has a ragtag posse consisting of a cripple (Walter Brennan), a drunk (Dean Martin) and a young gunslinger (Ricky Nelson). They may be a questionable group, but all of them are pretty handy with a gun.

I really liked Martin's work in Rio Bravo. It's not an exaggerated performance from him. He knows his drinking's a problem, but he finds it hard to control it. He also proves that when sober, he's quick on the draw.

Rio Bravo is different from other westerns I've seen. The others rely mostly on action; Rio Bravo only uses it in small doses. It also has to be the most fun I've had watching a movie. And to close this review, I shall use an excerpt from Peter Travers: "How many great movies do you know that blend comedy and tragedy and still have time for Martin and Nelson to sing a duet?" (That scene was the highlight of the movie to me.)

My Rating: *****