#384: The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Cast: James Stewart & Margaret Sullavan



Alfred Kralik, the assistant to the manager of a gift shop right around the corner from the main boulevard in Budapest, is hesitant to hire the young and talented Klara Novak from the start. Throughout her time at the store, the two can’t stand to be near each other. What they don’t realize is that they have each fallen in love with each other through their anonymous pen pal letters to each other.

Does this premise ring a bell? Of course it does. The film (based on a play by Miklós László) was the inspiration for Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail (1998). Due to this fact, this post will be more of a comparative study (although, let’s face it, not much of a study) rather than my usual standard review.

There are two vast improvements made by You’ve Got Mail. First off, the location. I understand that the play was written and took place in Hungary. However, this doesn’t seem to be a good enough reason to set it there. Normally I’m all for keeping the original locale, but it has nothing to do with the story. If they at least decided to have non-American accents used, it would be a step up. But when the main characters are clearly American in a set that doesn’t look particularly Hungarian, you might as well set it in the States.

Next, the female lead and her relationship with Kralik. Klara is often rude to Kralik for his insincere reception. Klara comes across as bitter, but at first I let it slide; he was rude to her as well. But once Kralik discovers that she is his pen pal, he is very kind to her – even romantic. However, she continues her streak of insults without apology. Nora Ephron brilliantly fixed this up in two ways. First, she made Klara’s character (renamed Kathleen Kelly) extremely likable, and when she blurts out an insult, Kathleen immediately feels horrible about it. Second, the female lead’s position in society is brought up to date. Kathleen Kelly is not just a salesgirl; she’s the owner of a small store that is fighting against the large corporation that’s taking her business, which is owned by her e-mail pal Joe Fox. Kathleen Kelly has a much more meaningful reason to detest Joe Fox than Klara Novak’s hatred of Alfred Kralik. The relationship didn’t resonate nearly as brilliantly as Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.

Speaking of Tom Hanks, I was amazed at how similar he is to James Stewart in both performance and appearance. I think I can go as far as saying that I believe Tom Hanks to be the James Stewart of our age.

I don’t mean to bash this film; it absolutely has a charm to it, and though it was outdated, it certainly had a je-ne-sais-quoi that led Ephron to bring it to this day and age. James Stewart was clearly the backbone of the film, and his wit and charm certainly influenced Tom Hanks’ role of Joe Fox. Some scenes in You’ve Got Mail were taken almost directly from The Shop Around the Corner, most notably the scene when the male lead discovers that he has been writing to his business foe. If I had to guess, the similarities between these two scenes were intended to support the humorous side of the male lead and his good nature, which was pulled off flawlessly on both accounts.

Outdated, but a lovely lighthearted film.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• According to Bright Lights Film Journal website, when Kralik mentions "You read Zola's Madame Bovary," Klara immediately corrects him: "Madame Bovary is not by Zola," she snipes. The joke here is that though Klara knows who wrote Madame Bovary, she doesn't understand that she herself is living exclusively in Emma Bovary's world of impossible ideals.
• The play, "Perfumerie" (also known as "Illatszertár"), was copyrighted 10 November 1936.
• To make sure his film was stripped of the glamor usually associated with him, Lubitsch went to such lengths as ordering that a dress Sullavan had purchased off the rack for $1.98 be left in the sun to bleach and altered to fit poorly.
• According to the Book "Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise", ‘The Shop Around the Corner’ is the most meaningful tribute possible to the owner and employees of the long vanished Berlin clothing firm of S. Lubitsch.

#388: The English Patient (1996)

Director: Anthony Minghella
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Kristin Scott Thomas & Willem Dafoe



A man with an indistinguishable accent has been found near a plane crash in 1944. His face is horribly burned, and he has lost his memory. His weakness makes it difficult for him to be moved with the caravan full of hospital workers, so a makeshift hospital is set up in an abandoned monastery in Italy. Hana, a Canadian nurse who has lost all of her relations in the war, stays to take care of him. A mysterious character named Caravaggio arrives at the monastery, and he is certain the patient still has his memory in tact. While Hana begins to allow herself to love an Indian bomb detector who arrives soon after Caravaggio, the patient begins to remember how he came to his current state. While working for the Royal Geographic Society in Cairo, he becomes enamored with a married English woman, Katherine. Their relationship unravels along with the patient’s memories, leading us to the striking final act.

With such a complex premise, this is one heck of a long movie. This seems to have turned off a lot of viewers, but for me, I was riveted throughout. The performances by everyone were outstanding.

Juliette Binoche doesn’t belong in our generation; she is so comfortable in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Fiennes exhibits an ambiguity that has become a trademark for his characters. He shows a great potential for malice, but all due to his love for a woman. Dafoe’s resentment towards the patient is also brilliantly unraveled throughout the course of the film, and it is hard to look at anyone but him while he is on the screen, never knowing when he is going to burst. And then there’s Kristin Scott Thomas, whose performance as a woman torn between two lovers shines.

This movie requires a lot of patience, but I found it to be well worth it.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• The Germans who shoot at Almazy's plane at the beginning were actually tourists roped into the production because they couldn't afford any more extras.
• Was the first digitally-edited film to win an Academy Award for Best Film Editing (Walter Murch). Murch began editing the film mechanically, but then switched to the Avid system after his son suffered a medical emergency so that he could work from his home while his son recovered. Murch writes about the experience in his book "In the Blink of an Eye (2nd Ed.)."
• In the scene where Hana is being pulled up to see the paintings in the church, the electric power and smoke for her "torch" was being piped through the seemingly real rope on which she was sitting.

#390: 2 Days in Paris (2007)

Director: Julie Delpy
Cast: Adam Goldberg & Julie Delpy



The American Jack and his girlfriend, the French Marion, are on vacation throughout Europe. For the last leg of the trip, they are staying with Marion’s parents in Paris for two days before they fly back to the States. In Paris, their relationship is tested by the unconventional French conventions that Jack can’t begin to understand.

The best part about this film is that it’s not about French customs seen through an American’s eyes, but through the eyes of the English-speaking French who understand what the American sees and try to make him understand. The problems the couple face are not at all unheard of, but it is still completely unpredictable as a foreigner.

The cinematography and choices of location are perfect. The film captures the contemporary Parisian style flawlessly, and it brought back many memories for me that I probably wouldn’t have remembered otherwise. Delpy also manages to poke fun of French culture in a very endearing way, and it made me understand and love the French culture just a little bit more.

Amazing film, though I’d be interested to see what people think if they’ve never been to France. I may just buy the DVD, so if you’ve never been to Paris, and you’re reading this, hit me up.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• The characters of Marion's parents are played by Delpy's real life parents, Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet.
• Marie Pillet, Julie's mother, was actually one of the '343 salopes' back in 1971.

#393: Garden State (2004)

Director: Zach Braff
Cast: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman & Peter Sarsgaard



Andrew Largeman returns home to New Jersey for the first time in years to attend his mother’s funeral. His trip unexpectedly turns his life for the better. While in the waiting room to check on a headache problem, he meets the life-loving, ever-optimist Sam. She’s a compulsive liar, but she’s cute, and they have a connection right off the bat. He spends his few days at home with her and his old classmates who have all gone on to bigger and weirder things (one invented silent Velcro, another digs graves, you get the idea).

It’s so unfortunate what kind of reputation this film has nowadays. It’s completely linked with the hipster movement, and it’s almost shameful to say that I’m a fan today. But it was chosen to be an iconic film for those types for good reasons. It’s got a great quirky sense of humor, it’s got loads of color to keep your eye on the screen, and it has a wonderful message overall.

Though Portman is a bit over-the-top in her half-glass-full attitude, she’s still a sight for sore eyes. After the first viewing of the film, she might be a bit annoying, but I’d love to know somebody that happy with life. Zach Braff is also pretty good, but he’s been outshined. Fortunately, his directing made up for it – and with his debut film!

But most importantly, the soundtrack is one of the best I’ve ever heard. It brought The Shins to fame, but used their music so well with the overall mood of the film. Honestly, it might be the best soundtrack I’ve ever heard.

Oh, and I’ve totally been to the restaurant that Largeman works at in the beginning of the film (it’s not Vietnamese, but a Thai restaurant called “Sea” in Williamsburg). Woot!

A good movie for a rainy day.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• The cue for the seeing eye dog to mount was, "Love 'em up," while the cue for the dog to start humping was, "Who's your bitch?"
• The motorcycle is a Russian/Ukrainian Dnepr.
• During the swimming pool scene (when Andrew cannot swim) the fog was not there for effect. The site was originally chosen because the Manhattan Skyline was clearly visible but it just happened to be incredibly foggy on the day of filming.
• The Vietnamese restaurant in Los Angeles in the beginning is actually a Thai restaurant - Sea in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. Walking through the kitchen the background voices can be heard conversing in Thai, not Vietnamese.

#405: Dirty Dancing (1987)

Director: Emile Ardolino

Cast: Jennifer Grey & Patrick Swayze

On a family vacation at a resort in the Catskills, Baby Houseman strays from her family when she hears the undulating sounds of Rock 'n Roll in an area for staff only. She'd never seen dancing like it, and her eyes are particularly struck by the professional dancer at the resort, Johnny. When Johnny's dance partner falls ill, she becomes Johnny's only hope for some of his gigs, though she can't dance for the life of her. He coaches her over the next few days, while their emotions grow more and more apparent to each other (though they were quite clear from the beginning of the film for the audience!).

The biggest problem with this film is predictability. Of course Baby's father will be against the idea of her being with the greasy-looking guy that has no future in law or medicine. Of course Baby will stay by his side no matter what. And of course, there will be a huge scene at the end in which she dances with Johnny in front of a crowd, and the two win over her father's heart.

What this film does have is some great dances. Baby's education in dance is thoroughly believable. Her starting steps are pretty awful, but not so awful that it looks staged. The audience learns with her some of the basics of ballroom dance, and by the end she's ready to be on Dancing With The Stars. Of course, Swayze's dancing is flawless.

Not much else to say. Mr. Swayze, you will be missed.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Voted #2 Must See Movie of all time by listeners of Capital FM in London.
• The film was re-released in 1997 solely due to a petition led by late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien in which he asked viewers to send letters calling for the film's re-release. When exhibitors finally agreed, O'Brien joked that he actually didn't like the movie all that much.
• In the scene where Johnny and Baby are practicing dancing, and she keeps laughing when he runs his arm down hers, it was not part of the scene, she was actually laughing and his frustration was genuine. They left it because it was effective. Her falling over in this scene was unplanned too.
• The lake practice scene was filmed at Lake Lure in the mountains of North Carolina in October. There are no close-ups because the actors were so cold that their lips were blue.

#420: Jerry Maguire (1996)

Director: Cameron Crowe

Cast: Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger & Cuba Gooding Jr.

Jerry Maguire is one of the top sports agents in his firm. He's rolling in the dough, keeping his romantic life active and never committal, and doesn't even really need to try too hard to get it all done. But one night, out of the blue, he looks at his life and realizes how repulsive it is. He puts all his thoughts to paper, writing a personal mission statement in which he places morals over moolah. He distributes it to the entire company, and before he changes his mind the place is roaring with applause... except for his boss. He's fired on the spot. He calls all of his clients begging for them to stay with him, but only two stay on his side. Also on his side is single mom Dorothy Boyd, from the finance department, who has fallen head over heels for Jerry.

In all honesty, I wasn't looking forward to watching this. I mean, it has Tom Cruise - that's a bad sign. But the fact of the matter is, this is a great movie. Probably among the top 10 of the 90's (I sense a list will be made soon...). Part of its greatness is in the casting. This role IS Tom Cruise. There's even bits of insanity thrown in. Cuba Gooding, Jr. is also at the top of his game in the film, earning him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. And of course there's Ms. Zellweger, whose character is among the most charming roles of hers that I've seen.

It's also not possible to review this film without mentioning its catchphrases. Having never seen the film, I never knew where some of these lines came from, and was surprised just how many this film has.

The plot is a nice twist for the sport film genre, focusing on the work put off the field rather than the games themselves. All of the characters have much more depth in them than in the standard sport film as well, pulling you in much more for the final game we witness.

My only problem? The fact that I saw a skit on SNL before I saw the film. Renée Zellweger was hosting, and parodied a scene with Dorothy and her son. In the skit, the son was played by Chris Farley, wearing extremely large glasses and holding a gargantuan juice box. Sitting on Zellweger's lap. I just couldn't watch scenes with Dorothy and her son the way I was intended to. I wish I could find the video on YouTube, but I can't.

Great film. Don't pass up on it because a crazy man has the title role.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Cameron Crowe has stated that Jerry's memo/mission statement was directly influenced by Jeffrey Katzenberg's tirade after leaving Disney.
• Tom Cruise did not remember that Bonnie Hunt was in Rain Man (1988). At first he thought she was joking when she said they had worked together before.
• Renée Zellweger admitted that the day she was cast in this film, it had been so long since she had worked that when she went to an ATM, she did not have enough of a balance to make a withdrawal.

#424: To Have and Have Not (1944)

Director: Howard Hawks

Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Walter Brennan, Marcel Dalio & Dan Seymour

Just after the fall of France thanks to Vichy, the French Caribbean suffered under the new regime, though it often was overlooked. To Have and Have Not sets its tale in Martinique in 1940. American fisherman Harry Morgan (Bogart) finds himself in a pickle, trying to avoid allying himself with either the Vichy government or the French resistance.

This film is probably best known for one line, carried out by Lauren Bacall: "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? Just put your lips together, and blow." To Have and Have Not was Bacall's first role in a film, at the tender age of 19. And I'm surely not the only one to say, but my, girls just don't mature the same way as they used to. She has one of the most sultry voices you'll get from the leading ladies of the '40s. It comes as no surprise, then, that this is also the film in which Humphrey Bogart fell in love with her, leading to a marriage (despite the 25-year age difference).

The music by William Lava and Franz Waxman is phenomenal, particularly the songs performed on screen by Hoagy Carmichael. Carmichael has an incredibly impressive resume - take a look at his IMDB profile and glance at some of the songs he's written that have been used in films for decades.

Now here's the beef. I found this film to be pretty much identical to Casablanca. They both feature Bogart in a role where he's stuck in the middle of riots between the Vichy gendarmes and the French resistance in an exotic landscape, where he meets a beautiful and intriguing girl. The strange thing about this is that the story has been completely altered from the original novel by Hemingway to actually reproduce what had been done in Casablanca intentionally. Who does that!?

Still, the film is hailed as one of Bogart's finest, with a 100% rating on RottenTomatoes. I don't agree with it - it's certainly not as good as Casablanca... but it's still a very good, classic film.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall fell in love during production. Director Howard Hawks afterward said that it was actually Bacall's character Marie that Bogart had fallen for, "so she had to keep playing it the rest of her life." However, it has also been said that Hawks - who was something of a womanizer, and who had a fling withDolores Moran during the shooting of the film - was jealous and frustrated that Bacall had fallen for Bogart and not for Hawks himself.
• The setting was shifted to Martinique because the Office of Inter-American Affairs would not have allowed export of a film showing smuggling and insurrection in Cuba.
• The most famous scene in To Have and Have Not (1944) is undoubtedly the "you know how to whistle" dialog sequence. It was not written by Ernest Hemingway, Jules Furthman or William Faulkner, but by Howard Hawks. Hawks wrote the scene as a screen test for Bacall, with no real intention that it would necessarily end up in the film. The test was shot with Warner Bros. contract player John Ridgelyacting opposite Bacall. The Warners staff, of course, agreed to star Bacall in the film based on the test, and Hawks thought the scene was so strong he asked Faulkner to work it into one of his later drafts of the shooting script.
• The screenplay was rewritten to boost Slim's role to take advantage of the public interest in the real life romance between Lauren Bacalland Humphrey Bogart.

#427: Spring in a Small Town (1948)

(Original Title: Xiao Cheng Zhi Chun)

Director: Mu Fei

Cast: Wei Wei, Yu Shi, Wei Li, Hongmei Zhang & Chaoming Cui

Surprise! No trailer found, but you can watch the full film for free! Sorry, embedding doesn't seem to work. But! Free movie!

Soon after WWII, Yuwen finds herself living unhappily with her ill husband Liyan. Also living at their formerly exquisite house are Liyan's sister known simply as Meimei (Mandarin for 'little sister') and their servant, Lao Huang. Yuwen gets a shock one day when her old sweetheart named Zhichen arrives to visit Liyan, Zhichen's old schoolmate, a fact that Yuwen never knew. She soon realizes that she is still in love with Zhichen, while Liyan hopes for Yuwen to play matchmaker for Zhichen and Meimei.

This film was originally released just a year before the Communist Revolution. Before the film could make a name for itself, the Communists banned the film for being counter-revolutionary, and it was doomed to be lost forever. Luckily, the '80s brought a renaissance of Chinese cinema, leading to the film's rediscovery. Since then, Spring in a Small Town has been hailed as the greatest Chinese film of all time.

I'm not gonna lie, I don't see the big deal about this film. Yes, it demonstrates a feeling of a world lost to a joyless post-war depression, but there doesn't seem to be much in style or content that stood out to me at all. And to be completely honest, the audio quality completely ticked me off. Every time the narration comes in, you can hear the microphone turn on by the initiation of scratchy annoyance.

I read a fellow film blogger's analysis of this, and he completely adored it. I wouldn't mind if somebody could convince me to see this film in a better light. Because right now, I'd take Crouching Tiger over this for Best Chinese Film Ever any day.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Voted the best Chinese-language film of all time by the Hong Kong Film Academy in 2004.
• Voted the best Chinese-language film of all time by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in 2002.

#436: Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Directors: Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise

Cast: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson & Richard White

Based on the French fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast tells the story of Belle, a girl from a small provincial village, who comes across an enchanted castle. Under a spell, the castle's inhabitants have all been transformed into common household furniture and appliances, except for the Prince, who has become a terrifying beast. The only way to break the spell is for the Beast to fall in love, and to be loved in return. However, the Beast doesn't know how to control himself in front of Belle, who is terrified of him.

The fairy tale La Belle et La Bête was first published in 1740. In this original version, the character of Gaston does not exist. Belle is the youngest of three daughters, whose father, a merchant, goes on a mission to a far away land to discover if there are riches to be found. He asks his daughters if they would like a gift on his return; the older two request jewels, while Belle asks only for a rose, as no grow in their homeland.

On his journey, the father encounters the Beast's castle, though there at first appear to be no inhabitants. He takes food from the already-set table, as well as jewels for his two daughters. Outside, he finds a rose garden. When he plucks the most beautiful rose, the Beast appears and holds him prisoner for taking the most prized possession of the house. As the father tells the Beast of his daughters, the Beast tells him he will be freed as long as Belle comes to live with him.

When Belle arrives at the castle, she is treated royally. Every night, the Beast asks for her hand in marriage, and every night, she refuses. However, in her dreams she encounters a Prince asking her why she will not marry the Beast. She responds that she loves him only as a friend. In the morning, she assumes the Prince is a prisoner in the castle, but never finds him.

Soon, Belle becomes homesick and begs the Beast to return home temporarily. He permits her to leave, on the condition that she returns in one week. She is given a mirror that shows the Beast's location, as well as a ring that brings her back to the castle if it is spun around her finger three times. While home, the sisters grow jealous of Belle's luxurious lifestyle. After hearing of her deadline to return, they decide to persuade Belle to stay just a day longer, hoping the Beast will kill her. Belle agrees, believing the sisters truly wish her to stay. However, the following day, she looks in the mirror to find the Beast lying motionless in the rose garden.

Belle immediately returns to find the Beast is dead. She tells him she loves him, and begins to cry. When her tears hit the Beast's body, he revives and is transformed into the Prince.

Although the Disney film keeps a good deal of the original tale in tact - and in fact enhancing it with a backstory - the French are not too keen on the animated version. The story was famous from the beginning, becoming an opera in 1771. In 1946, Jean Cocteau directed the renowned film version of the story, La Belle et La Bête. This film (which is in fact in the 500 list) is considered a classic of French film, though Disney has stolen its thunder. Today, many French people are concerned that though the cartoon is charming, it is Americanizing French youth.

Aside from the controversy in France, this film is a Disney classic, and for good reason. The music is sensational, winning Oscars for both Best Score and Best Song. The voice acting is excellent on all parts, and the animation... well, the animation.

This film is not only another great Disney film, but it is also in fact a landmark in the history of animation. It is the first animated film to use computer imaging to enhance the visuals. This is predominantly used in the ballroom scene, as well as for the chandelier in "Be Our Guest". The style was an immediate success, though it has led to the downfall of hand-drawn cartoons.

Oh, and just so you know, there was an extra song cut in the original, but added to the 2002 DVD release, titled "Human Again". It completely baffled me watching this on SurftheChannel and not recognizing a scene after seeing it so many times. It's actually quite a good song, with most of it being sung by the wardrobe (wow, that sounds awkward).

I doubt anyone's out there who hasn't seen this already. If there is, you're crazy.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• "Be Our Guest" was originally animated with Maurice (not Belle) as the guest, but they decided not to waste such a wonderful song on a secondary character.
• Nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, losing to The Silence of the Lambs (1991). It was, however, the first full length animated feature to win the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy).
• In the 1930s and again in the 1950s, Walt Disney attempted to adapt Beauty and the Beast (1991) into a feature but could not come up with a suitable treatment, so the project was shelved. It wasn't until The Little Mermaid (1989) became hugely successful that they decided to try it a third time.
• Robby Benson's voice was altered by the growls of real panthers and lions so that it is virtually unrecognizable. This is why near the end when the Beast transforms into the prince his voice changes. His voice is also not changed on the original motion picture soundtrack.
• Rupert Everett auditioned for the role of Gaston, but was told by the directors he didn't sound arrogant enough. He remembered this when he voiced Prince Charming in Shrek 2 (2004).

#439: Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

Director: George Armitage
Cast: John Cusack, Minnie Driver & Dan Aykroyd

Martin Blank is a professional assassin whose latest assignment is in his hometown. The twist? It’s the same weekend as his 10^th high school reunion. Nobody in his hometown has known where he’s been since he vanished on the night of the prom, and nobody has wondered where he is more than his high school sweetheart, Debi. When they meet up again, Blank attempts to explain, but he’s really a much better conversationalist when it comes to assassinations. Meanwhile, another assassin has apparently been assigned the same target as Blank, and he’s also trying to coerce Blank into joining his new union for professional hit men.

The only thing that makes this film stand out from others is its script. It’s really two basic films combined (and combined well) with a quirky script tying it all together. Each character delivers great lines. Here are a few to give you an idea:

Marcella: You know, when you started getting invited to your ten year high school reunion, time is catching up.
Martin Q. Blank: Are you talking about a sense of my own mortality or a fear of death?
Marcella: Well, I never really thought about it quite like that.
Martin Q. Blank: Did you go to yours?
Marcella: Yes, I did. It was just as if everyone had swelled.

Marty: I'm a professional killer.

Paul: Do you have to do postgraduate work for that?

Debi: Everybody's coming back to take stock of their lives. You know what I say? Leave your livestock alone.

All in all, it’s a fun movie. Not much to it, though. I put it in the same category as Mickey Blue Eyes, but better. One thumb up.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Four of the Cusack siblings are in this movie. John, Joan, Ann and Bill
• Just after Martin has put on his neck tie to go to the reunion there is a poster on the wall for The Clash's "Out Of Control" tour. The score is credited to Joe Strummer of The Clash. Also, as Martin rounds the bend while headed to his locker, there is a banner on the wall "The Future is Unwritten", a Bio-Documentary about Joe Strummer's life released in 2007.
• When Marcella tells Martin about the offer in French about taking out a Greenpeace boat, it's a reference to the 1985 sabotage of the Greenpeace yacht 'Rainbow Warrior' in New Zealand by two French Secret Service agents. The yacht was to lead a fleet to protest French nuclear tests in the Pacific before it was destroyed by the French agents. One Greenpeace photographer died aboard the ship during the sabotage mission.

#446: High Fidelity (2000)

Director: Stephen Frears

Cast: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso & Jack Black

Rob is the owner of an independent record store who is fed up with working with his two employees while going through his fifth-worst break-up in his life. He categorizes his life in "Top 5"s, which indicates that he analyzes and overanalyzes everything in his life - which is exactly what he spends the film doing. Instead of starting discussion with Laura, he reconnects with his top four break-ups instead to discuss what exactly he'd done wrong.

This is the second book-to-film by Hornby that I've seen, and I have to admit that the transition went well. Before my viewing, I was dubious that the story could be set anywhere but Crouch End, and couldn't believe that the cynical British outlook on life could be duplicated even by Cusack, King of Cynicism. But it worked! It was a great relief.

Beyond that, though, I'm not really sure why this movie is so highly regarded. I agree, it's an entertaining movie, but most of its charm in my opinion is in the plot and characters. I'm sure some of you out there are big fans of the film, and I'd like to hear your opinion.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• This is the eighth film in which John Cusack and Joan Cusack have appeared together. The others are Class(1983), Sixteen Candles (1984), Grandview, U.S.A. (1984), Broadcast News (1987),Say Anything... (1989),Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) and Cradle Will Rock (1999)
• In the Hungarian dubbed version, Barry and Rob are discussing Reservoir Dogs (1992) instead of Evil Dead II (1987), because that film was almost unknown in Hungary that time. "Reservoir Dogs" was also the film discussed in a similar scene in the novel.

Lastly, I want to apologize for giving you false information in a recent post. I stated that I believed I was done with the string of bad films on the list. Unfortunately, my next post will (almost certainly - I've never seen it) prove to continue that trend of awfulness.

#484: The Fountain (2006)

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Hugh Jackman & Rachel Weisz

Ugh.

The Fountain is a larger-than-life film on the themes of life, death, and immortality. Told in three tales, each with just two main characters played by Jackman and Weisz, each story is centralized on the idea of warding off death in attempts to find a Fountain of Youth. Although somewhat difficult to discern, only one of the tales is supposed to be 'real'. Izzie is a writer on her deathbed, and Tom is her doctor husband who is searching for a cure to save her. In Izzie's novel, Tomas is a conquistador searching Mayan ruins for a Fountain of Youth-type tree to allow Isabella to work forever. The hardest one to discern whether it is real or not is a future where Tom is bald, in a bubble preserving a tree, and traveling through space. This, it turns out, is Tom's chapter in Izzie's book which she never finished.

Now, I don't think anybody believes that in the future we will be Buddhist bald-headed treehuggers flying around in magic bubbles. Even if it's supposed to be a novel by a doctor who has a different style of writing than his romantic wife. The special effects in these scenes were over the top, as well. Ebert put it best:

... I will concede the film is not a great success. Too many screens of blinding lights. Too many transitions for their own sake. Abrupt changes of tone. And yet I believe we have not seen the real film. When a $75 million production goes into turnaround and is made for $35 million, elements get eliminated. When a film telling three stories and spanning thousands of years has a running time of 96 minutes, scenes must have been cut out. There will someday be a Director’s Cut of this movie, and that’s the cut I want to see.

I give this film one thumb down. The other thumb pleads the fifth, only because some scenes in the movie were pretty. Jackman is also really good at crying.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• In early 2002, writer/director Darren Aronofsky cast Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in the central leads of Tom and Izzi with a budget of $75 million. During pre-production, Pitt and Aronofsky were having major creative differences, so Pitt left to film Troy(2004) instead and the film was shut down. In early 2004, with a smaller budget of $35 million, Aronofsky cast Hugh Jackman as Tom and Rachel Weisz replaced Blanchett as Izzi. Ironically, Pitt and Blanchett played a couple in a film that was released just before this one (Babel)
• Instead of using CGI, Aronofsky chose to do the special effects for the film by using micro-photography of chemical reactions on tiny petri dishes. He has said that CGI would take away from the timelessness of the film and that he wants the film to stand the test of time.
• Tom's last name is Creo which is Latin for "I create." Creo also means "I believe" in Spanish.

#486: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Director: Blake Edwards

Cast: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard

Note: I felt it necessary to go through this film step by step, so if you don't want to know the ending, please be advised that this post contains spoilers.

Upon first glance, Breakfast at Tiffany's is a classic romantic comedy about a quirky woman who falls in love with her neighbor. Looking further, the film has some very deep messages that I'm sure anybody can relate to.

Holly Golightly is a self-described free spirit, living in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Her new neighbor, Paul, is moving in upstairs. In their first encounter, Holly is late for her weekly trip to Sing Sing to visit Sally Tomato, a man accused of being the boss of a mafia. Holly is paid to send messages to Sally's henchman through phony weather reports, though she doesn't seem to realize what she is doing. Holly has never settled down, claiming that the only place she feels at home is Tiffany's.

Paul is a writer, working on his first novel. It is also found out soon enough that he is also a kept man, though the extent of his use for his client is unknown.

Her free-spiritedness is always in question. Despite her claims, she is in fact a needy character. Though she has an emotional attachment to Paul, he can not provide her with a lavish lifestyle. Instead of Paul, she turns to the two millionaires in her social circle: the Brazilian José da Silva Pereira and the friendly and chubby Rusty Trawler. Even her attachment to Tiffany's is significant, hinting to us that her need for high culture overrules her so-called free-spirited nature.

Although she claims to be such a free spirit, Holly has trapped herself with all her quirks. She can easily be seen as a human version of her unnamed cat. She calls the cat a 'wild thing' which she has no authority over, and thus she denies the cat the right to a name. Holly not only is using a pseudonym, but her pseudonym even identifies her as catlike. Ms. Golightly treads carefully through both her boyfriends and her homes. She doesn't even keep a key for her home, claiming she'll just lose a new copy anyway, and would rather ring in her upstairs neighbor to gain entrance. Whenever she's caught in a bind, she lightly steps over it and moves on to her next adventure.

When she throws the cat out of her cab in the final scene, she is attempting to prove how free she is, only to run after Paul to find Cat again. In one of the most memorable images in cinematic history, Holly is just as discontent as Cat in the rain, even further showing her similarities to her feline friend.

Holly's character is thoroughly explored in this film, much more so than Paul. This is one effect of the transition from Capote's novella to film. Paul's character was originally the unnamed homosexual narrator, turned into a more conventional character for the big screen. Unfortunately, this has turned his character a bit bland, often being critiqued as a stiff.

I never forget to note the music of a film, and there is no way anybody could in this case. Mancini won two Oscars for his music for this film. Moon River is still a well-known, well-used song. On Mancini's IMDB page, Moon River comes up 65 times, having been used in both large-named films and TV shows. The song was written specifically for Audrey Hepburn, who defended keeping the song for the film when filmmakers debated its use.

There is only one portion of the film that everyone will agree the film would be better without. This is the racist and incredibly annoying Mr. Yunioshi, the neighbor upstairs who just won't stop complaining, played by Mickey Rooney. Even Rooney has stated that this character was his very least favorite part that he'd ever had.

Still, this movie is a complete joy to watch, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Audrey Hepburn said the scene where she throws Cat into the rainy street was the most distasteful thing she ever had to do on film.
• Audrey Hepburn's salary for the film was $750,000, making her the second highest paid actress (behind Elizabeth Taylor) per film at the time.
• Holly's couch is really an old-fashioned bathtub split in half. In some scenes, you can still see the gold handles at one end and the legs on the bottom.
• Audrey Hepburn hated Danish pastries, making filming the famous opening scene a bit of a chore for her.
• Although not visible on camera, hundreds of onlookers watched Audrey Hepburn's window-shopping scene at the start of the film. This made her nervous and she kept making mistakes. It wasn't until a crew member nearly got electrocuted behind the camera that she pulled herself together and finished the scene.

#494: Sideways (2004)

Director: Alexander Payne

Cast: Paul Giamatti & Thomas Haden Church

Sideways is one of those movies that doesn't require any crazy special effects, or even any complex camerawork. It's all in its Oscar-winning script and some great acting.

Based on Rex Pickett's novel of the same title, Payne juxtaposes Giamatti and Church to demonstrate the two opposite stereotypes of the male persona. Giamatti - as always, and as brilliant as ever - represents the depressed and shy Miles, while Church is the outgoing and sex-driven Jack. A week before Jack's first wedding, the two are off to California's wine country. Miles is anticipating exploiting his talent for wine tasting, while Jack is trying to get laid once before he's married.

The acting of both Giamatti and Church is amazing, neither of them ever stealing the spotlight. The two leading women, Sandrah Oh and Virginia Madsen, are not to be forgotten, either. Madsen has a particularly moving speech describing the life of a bottle of wine.

The film overall has a great atmosphere the whole way through. It's got some comedy comparable to The Big Lebowski and even a little I Love You, Man. It's also got a script to make your taste buds tingle for a glass of wine, which brings to mind Julia & Julia, though combined with the jazzy score by Rolfe Kent it is even more comparable to Ratatouille.

I've only seen two of Payne's other works: Election (1999) and the pilot of episode of Hung, both of which I'm a huge fan. His style is consistently simple, and it's really a breath of fresh air.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Most of the wine used in the wine-tasting scenes was non-alcoholic. The actors wound up drinking so much of it that it made them nauseated (and had to periodically switch to the real thing to clean out their palates).
• During an emotional scene in the film, Miles talks with great passion about Pinot Noir. After the release of this movie, sales of Pinot Noir wines rose by more than 20 percent over the 2004-05 Christmas/New Year period, compared to the same period the previous year. A similar phenomenon was experienced in British wine outlets. Miles is deeply disparaging, in a different scene, about Merlot, and sales dropped after the film came out. Ironically, Miles's prized bottle of wine, a 1961 Château Cheval Blanc, is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, another grape Miles disparaged.
• This is the first film to win best screenplay from all five "major" critic groups (National Board Of Review, New York, Los Angeles, Brodcast and National Society Critics), the Golden Globes, the WGA and, ultimately, the Academy Awards.

#497: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Director: Ang Lee

Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang

It's really too bad this film has been parodied so often, because it really is a great film. I guess that's just what happens to the good ones, though.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon tells the story of warriors Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien. Known to be the bravest and strongest warriors in China, they still aren't courageous enough to express their feelings for each other. When Li Mu Bai's famed 'Green Destiny' sword goes missing, Shu Lien finds herself protecting the young Jen from the authorities - and from herself.

Although a simple story, Ang Lee found ways to make this film into a masterpiece. Each aspect of the film works in unison with the next. As Shu Lien notices, the action sequences are motioned in a similar style as Jen's fluid strokes of calligraphy. Not only is the choreography flawless, but the camerawork seems to have been just as much a part of the choreography as the fighting. And of course, Tan Dun's score is quite an achievement - especially considering he had only two weeks to write and record it.

The only problem with the film is the length. A full two hours, you definitely need to be in the right state of mind to watch this straight through with undivided attention. I also would love to learn Mandarin to understand the script. A friend told me once that the entire script was in an old Mandarin dialect - almost Shakespearean. It would certainly be an improvement to some of the English subtitles provided.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• "Crouching tiger hidden dragon" is a quote from Chinese mythology. It refers to hiding your strength from others; advice which is followed too well by the characters in the film.
• In Chinese, Lo's name is "Little Tiger", and Jen's name is "Gorgeous Dragon".
• The film's action choreographer, Woo-ping Yuen, was also responsible for the fighting sequences in The Matrix (1999) and its progeny.
• The four main actors all spoke Mandarin, but with different accents. Yun-Fat Chow had a Cantonese accent, Michelle Yeoh had a Malaysian/English accent, Ziyi Zhang had a Beijing accent, and Chen Chang had a Taiwanese accent. Because of the difficulty some Chinese-speaking markets had with the voices, some markets actually had a dubbed version (into standard Mandarin) of the soundtrack.
• The stamped documents shown by Shu Lien to the guards at the city-gate before she enters Beijing shows the date "In the of 43rd year of the reign of (Emperor) Qianlong, the sixth month, the eighth day", which is the year A.D. 1778, somewhere in June or July.