DAVID HOLZMAN'S DIARY (1968)

MOVIES I WATCHED BECAUSE I GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO NETFLIX AND THEY WERE IN THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE BOOK MONTH 

 (Post 10 of 10)

David Holzman made a documentary about his life in 1967. Just what is happening everyday in his life. He is obsessed by films and filmmaking as you can tell by the cameras, reels, projectors and movie posters around his apartment. He is also not afraid to tell us what he is feeling even though what he is often feeling involves how he will be feeling as the camera is rolling.

He wants to get insight from his girlfriend, Penny. Penny thinks David is obsessive with his camera and his wanting to film and record anything and everything. When David films her while she is sleeping in the nude, it appears that is the last straw. David loses Penny. He also films a friend who basically thinks David is wasting his time and just from the fact that he is filming someone, the very nature of that leads to the loss of any authenticity. David interviews a woman who may or may not be a drag-queen who likes to talk about very little but sex. David likes to take pictures of the streets and people of New York. He likes to take pictures of his neighbor and tries to determine what her life is about and tries hard to study the routine of her life for meaning. David also takes film of himself from different angles. Is shooting yourself from a different angle going to show you something different about yourself that you wouldn't have otherwise ascertained?

At the end, David goes to a funeral and returns to find all of his camera equipment has been stolen from him. He makes the final entry from his film from a recording booth as he no longer has any equipment. His final reservation:  I wish I could have learned something. I wish I could have figured something. Other ways it could have come out...like Bartleby the Scrivener.

Do we attempting any artistic endeavor or any other type of endeavor for that matter really try to learn something or figure something out? Like David over forty years ago, I too, have been pondering this question. I haven't come up with a satisfying answer yet.

HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986), AILEEN WUORNOS: THE SELLING OF A SERIAL KILLER (1993), AILEEN WUORNOS: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A SERIAL KILLER (2003)

MOVIES I WATCHED BECAUSE I GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO NETFLIX AND THEY WERE IN THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE BOOK MONTH 

 (Post 9 of 10)

HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER

I decided since Netflix had three films with serial killer in the title that were also in the 1001 book that it was time to tackle a fun, fun triple feature!

After the brightly glowing glee that exuded from the screen from The Young Girls of Rochefort, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer brought me back into the abyss very quickly. Henry is a low budget fictional account of a girl who moves in with her no-account brother and his roommate named Henry, who just happens to be a murder! Though for the record, I disliked the no-account brother much more than Henry.

The fact that it is low budget actually helps with the effectiveness of the film. The characters seem real (which is disturbing in itself.). Some movies I'm glad I saw once and never plan to watch again. I don't plan to watch Henry again and I'm not even sure if I'm glad I saw it at all! But I can't argue that it effected me as a viewer... Even if that effect was to make me feel really depressed...Maybe I'll cue up The Young Girls of Rochefort again before I move on.

Director Nick Broomfield buys information
from Aileen Wuornos's attorney, Steve Glaser
in  AILEEN WUORNOS: THE SELLING OF A SERIAL KILLER 

Well, it looks like The Young Girls of Rochefort isn't on Netflix anymore, so I guess I'll just have to dive into Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer.  Nick Broomfield's documentary is not so much about Aileen Wuoronos as it is about how those around her such as her ambulance chaser lawyer, her born-again friend who wants to "adopt" her and the police department who all use the situation of the seven (known) murders that Wuornos committed to forward their own agendas. Broomfield also puts himself squarely in the middle of the movie, and at times it seems it is a documentary about making a documentary, which is a slant that I did find rather interesting.

I also must admit I did kind of like Wuornos's pot-smoking, guitar playing, TV lawyer, Steve Glaser. Seems like a fun guy to hang out with. Though if I needed actual legal help, I would look elsewhere.

Wuornos comes across as being very self-serving and the contradictory nature of her personality is pretty frightening. Broomfield gets to interview Wuornos at the end of the movie and she actually claims that she killed in self-defense on seven different occasions!

Director Nick Broomfield listens to yet another confession from Wuronos
in AILEEN WUORNOS: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A SERIAL KILLER

Aileen Wuornos: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer is Broomfield's follow-up to his first film, where we see the the events leading up to the death sentence carried out on Wuornos in 2003. We learn everything we need to know about the background of Wuornos (frankly, more than we might want to know). Yes, she had a hard life. The way she had to live growing up certainly didn't bode well for her being anything but trouble. The film is quite a forum for her rants and she can't seem to decide if her confessions of self-defense are what she believes or if she wants to die or not. But as we know by the title of the film, she is executed. Bromfield questions her quickly passing a psychiatric test  before being executed as to what one could possibly do to fail such a test if someone so mentally unhinged as Wuornos passed it. Those who see her last rant would have to agree.

Though it was critically acclaimed, I can see why the dramatized film about Wuornos called Monster with Charlize Theron was left off the 1001 list. I mean, just how many movies about this person should you really have to watch before you die?

THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (1967,FRANCE)

MOVIES I WATCHED BECAUSE I GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO NETFLIX AND THEY WERE IN THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE BOOK MONTH 

(Post 8 of 10)

I really didn't know much about The Young Girls of Rochefort, but its time on Netflix was running out and it was on the 1001 list, so I decided to give it a go. I quickly learned that it was from the director (Jacques Demy) of Umbrellas of Chernbourg, the movie where all the dialogue is sung. Rochefort also has much of the dialogue sung and plenty of characters dancing as well. I suppose you could call it a musical, but the feel is a bit different. I didn't like it as well as Umbrellas, but I admit it did win me over, especially when Gene Kelly comes on the scene and begins dancing and speaking French. The plot involves lost loves, unfulfilled dreams and a rather strange subplot about a serial murderer. Other than the serial murderer, it is a bright, vibrant experience. And it does have Catherine Deneuve. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

The next post will be about a less happy film topic.

L'AGE D'OR (1930, FRANCE) TRISTANA (1970, SPAIN)

MOVIES I WATCHED BECAUSE I GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO NETFLIX AND THEY WERE IN THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE BOOK MONTH  

(Post 7 of 10)

L'AGE D'OR

Spanish Director Luis Bunuel was described as a "vagabond filmmaker..a director without a country" by film historian Gerald Mast. 

Before seeing this Bunuel double feature, I had only previously seen his film An Andalusian Dog, so I don't know why I was expecting something a little more straightforward this time around. However, The Age of Gold (L'Age D'or) was what came up. And after 69 minutes of women sucking the toes of statues, men having bloody faces for no reason, random orgies, religious desecration, and a Christ-like figure who...I'm not actually sure what he was doing! Anyway, after all that I realized this was another adventure in surrealism. And it does have some strong imagery (including the clerics who appear to have escaped their predicament in An Andalusian Dog) and I may try to see this one again at some point. But I'm frankly ready for some different Bunuel films.

The scholarly film source Wikipedia describes the controversy surrounding this movie, including a riot at a theater during the film's initial run in France in 1930.

Tristana is from 1970 (forty years after L'AGE D'OR for those of you doing the math at home) and is a story of a young lady (the ubiquitous Catherine Denueve) who has a most unhealthy relationship with her Uncle. The complexity of their relationship is the gist of this sad and disturbing film. And it is told in a straightforward manner. 

Interesting that Bunuel has listings in the 1001 book spanning from the 1920's until the 1970's. He and Alfred Hitchcock are the only directors to have films in the 1001 book from all those decades.

TRISTANA

UP IN SMOKE (1978)

MOVIES I WATCHED BECAUSE I GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO NETFLIX AND THEY WERE IN THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE BOOK MONTH

(Post 6 of 10)

For those of you scoring at home, Cheech Marin is the one who always seemed to be on uppers and Tommy Chong is the one who always seemed to be on downers.

I first became aware of Cheech and Chong through their record albums such as Big Bambu during the 70's. Their catholic school recording of Sister Mary Elephant is still one of my favorite routines.

Then they started making movies, man.

And if there was ever a movie that defined late 70's midnight movies, it was probably Cheech and Chong's debut of Up in Smoke. I thought it was pretty funny at the time and was popular enough for the team to make several other movies over the next few years whose titles frankly seem to be lost in a purple haze to me. I do remember these later movies had some funny cameos by the likes of Pee Wee Herman, Timothy Leary and Rip Taylor.

After watching Up in Smoke for the first time in decades, I concede it wasn't without its stoner moments, but it also seemed to get old pretty quickly. However, I must admit that seeing this movie straight seemed pretty much the equivalent of watching a 3D movie without the glasses.

Sorry, it wouldn't be in my 1001 book. But I do urge you to listen to Sister Mary Elephant.

THE COOK, THE THIEF, THE WIFE AND HER LOVER (1989, GREAT BRITAIN)

MOVIES I WATCHED BECAUSE I GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO NETFLIX AND THEY WERE IN THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE BOOK MONTH

(Post 5 of 10)

The way Peter Greenway's camera flows from room to room of the restaurant managed by the evil Albert (Michael Gambon) where all of the action of this film takes place is pretty breathtaking. The way we go from parking lot to kitchen to dining room where the interacting characters interact reminded me a lot of Alexander Sukorov's Russian Ark. 

But is what we see in this restaurant at all enticing? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Gambon's Albert is one of the most reprehensible and unlikable characters to ever hit the screen and he really plays him to the hilt. Helen Mirren's Georgina is sexy but sad as his put-upon wife and it's no wonder she finds comfort with her bookkeeper lover. The cook really comes into play later as he makes a delicacy for Albert that he will never forget. We also have memorable supporting characters such as a soprano singing waif and Tim Roth as one of Albert's punkish associates. Rarely has such a beautiful film been so ugly. Or is it an ugly film with great beauty? Probably should be on the 1001 list just for its bravado.

BLACK SUNDAY (1960, ITALY)

MOVIES I WATCHED BECAUSE I GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO NETFLIX AND THEY WERE IN THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE BOOK MONTH

(Post 4 of 10)

Mario Bava's 1960 Italian Horror film Black Sunday (A. K. A. La maschera del demonico, A. K. A. The Mask of Satan, A. K. A. Revenge of the Vampire) is one of those early 60's black and white atmospheric European horror movies that probably would have scared me silly if I had seen it at a younger age. It's still quite disturbing and the story features a witch from the middle ages (played by 8 1/2's Barbara Steele!) seeking revenge centuries later on the descendants of the family who tried to kill her. It isn't particularly unfamiliar plot territory to a modern day viewer, but this is kind of a neat little horror film in it's on low-budget way. In fact, if I were writing a blurb for this movie, I'd probably say, "See Black Sunday, it's kinda neat!)

This also made me want to go back and see a couple of movies in this vein that I haven't seen in over thirty years, The Castle of the Living Dead. (Il castello dei morti vivi) and Passport for a Corpse (Lasciapassare per il morto) They may not date as well as Black Sunday, but who knows.

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (1992)

MOVIES I WATCHED BECAUSE I GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO NETFLIX AND THEY WERE IN THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE BOOK MONTH

 (Post 3 of 10)

The film version of  the David Mamet's critically acclaimed stage play about the daily struggles of an office of Chicago real-estate salesman I found to be pretty powerful at times. The film benefits from a strong ensemble cast that includes: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey and Ed Harris. Alec Baldwin really connects in his one scene as a ruthless company "motivator."

My favorite quote from the movie is Ricky Roma (Al Pacino) cursing out his office manager (Kevin Spacey) after a lost sale.

WHAT YOU'RE HIRED FOR, is to help us... does that seem clear to you? TO HELP US, not to... FUCK-US-UP... to help those who are going out there to try to earn a living... You fairy! You company man!!

WITHNAIL AND I (1987, GREAT BRITAIN)

MOVIES I WATCHED BECAUSE I GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO NETFLIX AND THEY WERE IN THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE BOOK MONTH

(Post 2 of 10)

Withnail and I was produced by George Harrison's Handmade Films and is about two struggling London actors in 1969 who decide they need some time away from the city and spend a holiday at a country cottage with Withnail's amorous uncle. That's really about it for plot. Richard Grant as Withnail is pretty good and so is Richard Griffiths as Uncle Monty. Withnail and "I" drink, smoke grass and gripe about their inability to get any suitable acting parts. They also have a hippie drug dealer who they hang out with that is also good for some laughs. When they are on holiday, they try to cope with country life but also find time to act up and cause some problems with the rural community. Also, Uncle Monty makes a pass at "I," which is probably the funniest scene in the movie.

I guess my major problem with the film is that I was having trouble getting Netflix to download. So I guess it's more of a personal problem than anything. It really hurts your viewing if you have to keep pausing and going back and starting over. Looks like I may have to get a faster Internet connection.

THE WOLFMAN (1941)

MOVIES I WATCHED BECAUSE I GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO NETFLIX AND THEY WERE IN THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE BOOK MONTH

(Post 1 of 10)

I might be the only person whose first movie to be cued with their brand new Netflix subscription is...the 1941 version of The Wolfman with Lon Chaney, Jr. I just hadn't had a DVD of it available and I haven't found it available on YouTube before, so I decided to give it a go.

I grew up watching the Universal monsters on TV. Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy etc. The scariest one of all had to be the Wolfman, because the wolf  moved at you quickly like a force of nature and there was really no getting away. You could always run away from the Frankenstein monster, but there was no escape from The Wolfman.

The Wolfman as a film is dated as far as some of the action goes and the transformation scene is only adequate. However, once Larry Talbot changes into The Wolfman, I do love the way he looks. So A for makeup, B- for transformation. 

The exposition scenes with the gypsys and Bela Lugosi actually playing a gypsy named Bela is actually pretty good, though a bit on the abbreviated side. Of course, everything is abbreviated in this movie at only 69 minutes in length total. We also have appearances by supporting actor masters Claude Rains and Ralph Bellamy. 

The mood of this film which is exemplified by the Talbot ancestral home and all that darn fog is pretty effective. A for atmosphere.

The Wolfman also gave Lon Chaney Jr. his defining career role. Interesting that he did play Frankenstein and Dracula in later films, but The Wolfman was the one role that was really his. He isn't revered by film buffs like his father, but let's certainly give him his due as Larry Talbot/Wolfman. Of course, he does seem to have a little problem in the scenes where  clunky Larry Talbot is trying to hit on the lovely Evelyn Keyes. But no matter, you need to see The Wolfman. But if you are going to include The Wolfman on the 1001 list, I'd think about adding The Creature From the Black Lagoon to the list too.