DANCER IN THE DARK (2000), THE BLACK SWAN (2010)

Bjork in Dancer in the Dark

Dancer in the Dark is Lars von Trier's film about a Czech immigrant factory worker (Bjork) living in the United States coming to grip with the fact she is slowly losing her sight. Much of the conflict of the film involves her trying to keep her job despite this fact so she can save enough money to get an operation for her son so he won't suffer the same fate as her. At certain points in her life, she fantasizes her life in elaborate Hollywood style musical numbers (Reminding me a bit of Pennies from Heaven). This film seems to really divide people. Some love it...some despise it. I think it's a very original piece from the always interesting Von Trier. I also think Bjork gives a stunning performance in the lead role. She truly has to run the gamut of emotions here and if I had cast my 2000 Oscar vote, it would have been a toss-up between Bjork and Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream.

Also, any film that makes me suspend disbelief enough to accept the most elegant woman in film history (Catherine Deneuve) as a factory worker has that going for it.

Bjork and Deneuve toil at the factory

in Dancer in the Dark

Natalie Portman in The Black Swan

Natalie Portman actually did win an Oscar for her portrayal of a dance in The Black Swan. When I fist saw it, I asked some of my friends and family who have seen it what they think. I 'm following their comments with my comments about their comments!

My niece: It was really strange. Not what I had in mind. Some of those images were just creepy, creepy, creepy…But I liked it. (I'm glad you seemed to have learned that creepy isn’t necessarily a bad thing when seen in an artistic context. It’s an important life lesson.)

My other niece: I thought it was the coolest move ever! But I could have done without the scene with the old man playing with himself on the subway. (I will also have nightmares about that scene.)

My cousin from Georgia: Can’t they make any movies today without bad language? With Natalie Portman in it, I was expecting something more along the lines of Star Wars. (I may have to deduct points from you for making a reference to The Phantom Menace.)

My son: Didn’t really care for it. I prefer anime. (We’ll watch a Miyazachi movie  next, I promise)

An online friend: I must be getting old. I can remember when Barbara Hershey was such a cutie! Now she’s playing parts like this as if she were doing an imitation of the mother in Carrie! (I asked him what he thought of the movie overall, and he said he found it very creative, but didn’t like the scene with the old man on the subway. Note: Since it seems to be a consensus, I would ask Darren Aronofsky for his future films to omit all scenes with old men diddling with themselves.)

Movie buff friend at work: Aronofsky goes from a film about the psyche of washed-up professional wrestler in The Wrestler to an up and coming ballet star in The Black Swan with only mixed results.
(I asked him to embellish and he just threw up his hands and walked away from me.)

My best friend: Not really my kind of flick, Sam. My old lady just insisted on watching, and seeing as it was her birthday and all, I agreed. So much dancing. So boring. But then comes the scene with the two women. You know, he, he he. When they venture to the island of lesbos? Now that’s my kind of movie! Don’t quote me on that. My old lady gets jealous, you know. (My best friend calls everyone Sam. His wife actually left him months ago, so his comments about his “old lady” concern me greatly.)

My wife: Why do you keep talking about The Black Swan? I think you’re just obsessed with Natalie Portman. Maybe you should just off and marry Natalie Portman! But when you do, don’t forget to give her this…(My wife then broke a bottle of Michelob over my head and stuck the jagged edge of it solidly into my gut. Despite the pain, I have to admit it took me to a level of artistic consciousness that I have never attained before.)

Steve Martin in Pennies from Heaven

File under: movies I need to re-watch

1001: A FILM ODYSSEY (2018 UPDATE)

It's that time of year for this blog to look at the new edition of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Book and see what new movies have been added to the old list. And the results are in...and there are eleven new entries this year and they are...

1. The Shape of Water (Best Picture Winner)

The Shape of Water

Offbeat (to say the least) love story set during the cold war is and may have been my favorite among all the Best Picture nominees. We'll see how this one looks in a few years. Maybe we'll decide then that the winner should have been...

2. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (The Best Picture Runner Up)

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

...Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell won Oscars for their performances in this controversial drama that some may find sexist...or racist...at least it will make you feel something, which is more than you can say for a lot of movies out today.

3. Black Panther (The Audience Favorite)

Black Panther

Well done superhero fair that puts a twist on the usual tropes by actually having black actors and actresses in most of the prominent roles. Certain to get a Best Picture nomination next year-a rarity for a Marvel movie.

4. Call Me By Your Name (Bildungsroman: Male)

https://1001afilmodyssey.blogspot.com/2018/11/tongues-untied-1991-call-me-by-your.html

Call Me By Your Name

5. Lady Bird (Bildungsroman: Female)

Nice coming of age film that I've actually seen twice now-and it does gain through a second viewing. Saoirse Ronan got a well deserved Oscar nomination for her role and it might be my favorite performance of all the nominees. However, my controversial choice in the Best Actress category is the unnominated lead actress from the number 9 entry on this list.

Lady Bird

6. Lady Macbeth (The feminist film)

Don't piss off Katherine Lester, that's all I'm saying.

Lady Macbeth

7. Get Out (The horror/comedy/low budget/black film that is hard to label succinctly)

The fact that this film is hard to categorize and has a lot of layers is one of the things I like about it. I'll definitely look out for future Jordan Peele films.

Get Out

8. Blade Runner 2049 (The cerebral science fiction picture)

I didn't know we needed a sequel to Blade Runner! I probably wouldn't have watched this if it hadn't been on the list, but the film does a good job with story as well as the action scenes.

Blade Runner 2049

9. Mother! (The artsy-fartsy choice)

http://1001afilmodyssey.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-exterminating-angel-1962-mexico.html

Mother!

10. The Handmaiden (The offbeat foreign film)

I'll always expect surprises from the director of Oldboy and wasn't disappointed with The Handmaiden.

The Handmaiden

11. Dawson City: Frozen Time (The token documentary)

Dawson City: Frozen Time tells the history of a town put together chiefly through silent films unearthed in 1978. Fascinating and well done.

Dawson City: Frozen Time

For my last post of the year, I'll look at how many movies I have left to watch from the 1001 list. 

I'll break out the abacus if needed.

                

THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (1962, MEXICO), MOTHER! (2017)

The trapped houseguests plan a revolt against...themselves?

in The Exterminating Angel

I've enjoyed going through the Luis Bunuel films on the 1001 list. Going in blind, you just never know what to expect when you see his name in the opening credits. The Exterminating Angel was his follow-up to Viridiana, which was a rather straightforward narrative (for Bunuel) though chock full of symbolism. With The Exterminating Angel, Bunuel lets his surrealism flag fly high.

The Exterminating Angel opens at an opulent home where a elaborate dinner party is being held for twenty or so people. Problems arise when many of the servants and cooks want to leave the home before the party begins. During the serving of the food, one of the servers falls down while holding a plate of food. Everyone laughs inappropriately and you've just entered the Bunuel Zone.

After dinner, everyone sits around and talks, drinks and listens to one of the guests playing the piano. The party is over and everyone is about to go home. But they can't leave the house! "Why can't they leave the house?," the logical part of your brain may ask. The spoiler answer is "Who the hell knows?"

The guests have to spend the night. They have breakfast and...they still can't leave. They complain to each other. They begin to fight with each other. They blame each other. More of their dark sides come out. They stay in the house for a long time. Days? Weeks? They run out of food. Luckily, there are sheep and a bear in the house! I guess that's lucky? There is also a disembodied hand moving along the floor of the house.

We get occasional glimpses of the outside. The military knows they are in there and nothing is stopping them from coming in and performing a rescue, but they can't manage to go in after them. No need to ask why.

After an unspecified period of time, one of the guests notices they are sitting in the same position the first night they were in the house. They recreate the scene and are now able to leave the house.

The epilogue shows the same party guests now in church. After the sermon they all go to the door. They can't leave. Luckily the sheep can roam freely and the military seems to be out in force in the streets.

What you get out of The Exterminating Angel is probably up to you. I'm struck by the fact that the workers had insight to leave the house while the rich did not. Is this a class issue? Could the whole movie be a comment that we are trapped in our world with our own self made prisons? The fact that the movie ends with the group being trapped in a church (One of Bunuel's favorite targets) might add some credence to this theory.

And what about the sheep? Are they just lambs to the slaughter? Or will the meek indeed inherit the earth? What about the disembodied hand? I think that's just Bunuel just screwing with us. Of course, you might say that for the whole film in general. It's hard to say when you see a film like this to answer questions like "Did you enjoy it?" "Was it good?" Let's just say that I appreciated the experience (I watched it twice) and am looking forward to seeing more Bunuel, though I know what to expect from him even less than I did before I watched this film.

 "Don't ask us why we are here. Make up your on mind!"

The sheep in The Exterminating Angel

Why won't these people leave my damn house?

Jenifer Lawrence in Mother!

The 1001 updated list for 2018 came out recently. One of the movies on the list was Mother! All I knew about this film was that it elicited very strong opinions...many of them negative. But it did make the 1001 list and despite the fact that it is directed by Darren Aronofsky, it couldn't possibly be an odder viewing experience than The Exterminating Angel. Could it?

The plot: (Mother) Jennifer Lawrence and (Him) Javier Bardem are a married couple living in a isolated house. The first scene has Mother wondering where Him is. He is a once famous writer trying to get his muse back. She's a resourceful spouse who has spent much of her time refurnishing and renovating the house. Their isolation is interrupted by a man (Ed Harris) who is a fan of Him who comes to their house and later brings his wife (Michelle Pfieffer). They are different degrees and intrusive and obnoxious and even break Him's precious crystal object. The man and wife leave only to return with their sons who fight over the dying man's will and the older brother kills the younger one.

A funeral wake is held at the house to the chagrin of Mother as the guests prove to not respect the house at all and cause a lot of damage. Mother finally kicks them all out. Mother and Him finally manage to have sex and conceive. Him's Writers Block ends and he finishes his book that Mother loves, his publisher loves and the public loves. All these things appear to happen at the same time.

Mother plans a celebratory dinner with Him, but is interrupted by several adoring fans of Him that intrude upon their house and trash the place as many try to take away anything owned by Him as a souvenir.

All going on in the house gets out of hand. The military arrives to restore order. It becomes like a third world coup complete with executions. Mother escapes to the attic and has her baby. Him takes the baby from her when she is asleep and passes it around to the fans. The baby is torn apart and eaten by the fans. An enraged mother lashes out at the fans with shards of glass. The fans strike back at mother only to be saved by Him. Mother blows up the place. Him finds a dying Mother and removes a new precious crystal object from her chest.  The last scene shows a new Mother wondering where Him is.

Wow! Just wow! That's a lot to take in! The whole Genesis biblical allegory is clear (I admit it took me awhile to pick up on it). There are many times I was watching this that I was confused, but when I let my mind relax and float downstream, I began to appreciate it greatly. It's not a traditional film in the least, other than having some noted actors in it. On the one hand, I understand people flipping out over it and even ridiculing it (The Philistines!). Personally, I found it a riveting viewing experience that I can't seem to shake (Though I think I need to!).

Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for a Razzie, which was very undeserved. I'd have nominated her for an Oscar and maybe would have even voted her to win.

In the extras, Darren Aronfsky talked about directors that influenced him. One of them was Luis Bunuel. I should have figured.

It's not nice to fool Mother!

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000)

MILLENNIUM MONTH (MM): MOVIES FROM THE YEAR 2000...

AND IN MEMORIAM

(Post 3 of 11)

Requiem for a Dream

Requiem For a Dream has been one on my "to see" list for some time. I got my wife to watch it with me and I have to admit that it isn't exactly your traditional date flick. Four characters involved in different forms of drug abuse (legal and prescribed) enhanced by director Darren Aronofsky's quick edits, odd angles and speeded up and slowed down film sequences. It's a jarring film and definitely worth seeing once, but I'm not sure I'll pop Requiem in the old DVD player too often in years to come. Off-beat casting includes Jennifer Connelly as a heroin addict and Ellen Burstyn (who would have been my choice for the Best Actress Oscar that year) as Jared Ledo's amphetamine addicted  mother.

As far as my wife goes, maybe we'll just watch Sleepless in Seattle next time.

Obituary of person with 1001 movie connection: When I think of Julius Epstein (1909-2000) or Phillip Epstein, I think of the writer named McKee in the movie Adaptation calling their screenplay for Casablanca the greatest screenplay of all-time. I wouldn't argue with that, but Julius also had a lot of other screenplays to his credit including: The Male Animal, Arsenic and Old Lace and Mr. Skeffington. Phillip died in 1952, but Julius kept on writing into the 70's and 80's with the Walter Matthau films Pete n' Tillie and House Calls, Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron, and an adaptation of Jacqueline Susann's 70's feature Once is Not Enough! He did end his career on a high note, with the quirky 1983 film Reuben, Reuben (which has one of my favorite endings of any movie, which I like to think Mr. Epstein was responsible for.)

I think you can find the Epstein Brothers screenplay credit 

on this poster below if you have a magnifying glass or if you

squint hard enough. Never mind the writer, they only make up 

the damn story in their head!

THE WRESTLER (2007), ANVIL (2008)

Son of 21st century films month! (Post 12 of 12)

The Wrestler and Anvil! The Story of Anvil

The Wrestler and Anvil! both feature high testosterone subjects (wrestling and heavy metal music) and whose ultimate moral for me is the same. “Hang in there! Do what you believe! Never give up!”

In the case of the fictional film, The Wrestler, aging grappler Randy the Ram is still trying to eke out a living in small wrestling venues while being tossed onto tables, having his head cut open or having another wrestler use a staple gun on him! It doesn’t seem too glamorous, but what else is Randy going to do? That is what he knows and who he is. When he develops a heart condition and is told to stop wrestling, he tries to do something different. The scene with Randy the Ram, hairnet and all, trying to work at a deli counter in a grocery store is one of the most tragic yet funny scenes I can remember. Of course, he hangs in there. Doing what you believe and never giving up may cost Randy his life, but he truly doesn’t seem to have a choice.

Anvil! is a documentary about an actual Canadian heavy metal band and their attempts to make a comeback, or just make another record, really.

This film has a lot of similarites to the fictional This is Spinal Tap!-Anvil even visits Stonehenge! Their sound equipment goes up to 11! They even have a gig in Europe where the owner of the club refuses to pay them! (If I told ‘em once I told them a hundred times to put Spinal Tap first and puppet show last!) And there is even the obligatory falling out between bandmates Lipps and Robb where these best friends will never work together again! Of course, they do get back together. “I was wrong. I’m an asshole. I love you brother. I can’t do this without you!”.

Like Randy the Ram, we see Lipps trying to make money at a “real” job. His attempt is as a phone solicitor. He can’t do it. It just isn’t in him. What’s he going to do? I’m not a fan of heavy metal, but you got to admire their perseverance and root for them to get their record made... Or at the very least have a fan like Sacha Gervasi who might one day become a documentary filmmaker and make a movie about you.

THE BLACK SWAN (2010)

Since I imagine The Black Swan will be in the latest edition of The 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book and I watched it this week, I feel pretty safe in adding it here. However, I’m not sure what to say about this film, so I’ll just ask some friends and family who have seen it what they think and follow with my comments about their comments.

My niece: It was really strange. Not what I had in mind. Some of those images were just creepy, creepy, creepy…But I liked it. (I'm glad you seemed to have learned that creepy isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s an important life lesson.)

My other niece: I thought it was the coolest move ever! But I could have done without the scene with the old man playing with himself on the subway. (I too will have nightmares about that one.)

My cousin from Georgia: Can’t they make any movies today without bad language? With Natalie Portman in it, I was expecting something more along the lines of Star Wars. (I may have to deduct points from you for making a reference to The Phantom Menace.)

My son: Didn’t really care for it. I prefer anime. (We’ll watch Metropolis or My Neighbor Totoro next, I promise)

An online friend: I must be getting old. I can remember when Barbara Hershey was such a cutie! Now she’s playing parts like this as if she were doing an imitation of the mother in Carrie! (I asked him what he thought of the movie overall, and he said he found it very creative, but didn’t like the scene with the old man on the subway. Note: Since it seems to be a consensus, I would ask Darren Aronofsky for his next film to omit all scenes with old men diddling with themselves.)

Movie buff friend at work: Aronofsky goes from a film about the psyche of washed-up professional wrestler in The Wrestler to an up and coming ballet star in The Black Swan with only mixed results. (I asked him to embellish and he would not.)

My best friend: Not really mind kind of flick, Sam. My old lady just insisted on watching, and seeing as it was her birthday and all, I agreed. So much dancing. So boring. But then comes the scene with the two women. You know, he, he he. When they venture to the island of lesbos? Now that’s my kind of movie! Don’t quote me on that. My old lady gets jealous, you know. (My best friend calls everyone Sam. His wife actually left him months ago, so his comments about his “old lady” concern me greatly.)

My wife: Why do you keep talking about The Black Swan? I think you’re just obsessed with Natalie Portman. Maybe you should just off and marry Natalie Portman! But when you do, don’t forget to give her this…(My wife then broke a bottle of Michelob over my head and stuck the jagged edge of it solidly into my gut. Despite the pain, I have to admit it took me to a level of artistic consciousness that I have never attained before.)

PI (1998)

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