Hi friends! Another month has come and gone which is crazy. I’ve been as busy as ever before with my new Friday Flicks show, which is something I’m very proud of and love. Don’t fear though I actually have quite a bit of writing planned for the next few weeks. My friend Allison asked me to help her apply for the Tribeca Film Festival and she was accepted. Almost all of that coverage will be written so expect to see reviews and other posts for that coming up soon.
In the meantime I still have blind spot for May to share with you. This month it is the musical Sweet Charity which I’ve never seen on stage or screen. It was fun to finally watch this film and overall I liked it- particularly for the Bob Fosse dance numbers. My favorite being “The Rhythm of Life” with Sammy Davis Jr selling it as a preacher named Big Daddy.
The story is nothing amazing and I was a little disappointed by the singing quality throughout but it’s still an entertaining musical with again some great dancing (and costumes.) I didn’t realize until the podcast that it was all based on a Fellini film Nights of Cabiria. That makes 2 Fellini films that went on to become musicals (with Nine being the other.)
While the film version of Sweet Charity isn’t a masterpiece it is definitely worth a watch and I’m glad I got to check it off my blind spot list! Next month I have the comedy Housesitter.
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Another Halloween has come and gone and I hope you had a great time with your friends and family. My friend Jacks was in town, and we went to a lot of theatre and had a blast. We even had a theatre themed costume (angel and devil Evan Hansen lol)
This month for blind spot I actually ended up checking 2 movies off of my list from director John Carpenter: 1982’s The Thing and 1998’s Vampires. You can hear my discussion with Manda about both movies below:
The Thing
It’s interesting how certain films can grow and evolve over time. This is certainly the case with John Carpenter’s The Thing. When it was first released it received mostly negative reviews including a thumbs down from Roger Ebert (Siskel gave it a mild recommendation.) Since then it has grown in estimation but I had heard it is a very gross movie so I put off seeing it. Now the blind spot series was the perfect chance to check it off my list, and I’m so glad I did. The Thing is a movie that keeps things simple but is extremely effective in that simplicity.
In the film Kurt Russell plays a man named MacReady who as a scientist at Antarctica comes across a parasite-like alien that when implanted in an organism becomes a deadly mimic of its host. This is what makes the film scary because the things they trust are actually infected and the characters don’t realize it until too late.
It’s hard to believe The Thing wasn’t at least respected for the craft on display. The incredible creature designs by Rob Bottin and cinematography from Dean Cundey immerse the viewer in the experience and we are never left bored or distracted from the experience with Bill Lancaster’s incredibly tight screenplay.
That said, I don’t know that the film is saying anything profound like most good scifi horror like this does but sometimes its perfectly fine for a movie to just be a fun time and that’s what The Thing is. I really enjoyed it.
Smile Worthy
VAMPIRES
I would say John Carpenter’s Vampires is less successful than The Thing but it is still overall a fun time for fans of vampire flicks. In both movies Carpenter keeps things simple and entertaining. The Thing just has better central characters than Vampires.
In Vampires James Woods leads the cast with a lot of charisma as he and Daniel Baldwin seek to take down a vampire leader named Valek. There’s some fun action set-pieces and fights that go down and Thomas Ian Griffith plays Valek with a lot of energy.
The problem is so much of the plot depends on Baldwin’s infatuation with a bitten woman he just met named Katrina played by Sheryl Lee. He’s supposed to be a master vampire hunter; thereby, making a lot of his choices nonsensical and frustrating when it comes to Katrina.
Still, Woods has a ton of fun with the role and at under 2 hours Vampires doesn’t wear out its welcome.
Smile Worthy
At this point I have seen 4 Carpenter films and have recommended all of them (Halloween, Big Trouble Little China, The Thing, and Vampires.) I am sure he has his clunkers but he is definitely one of our strongest directors and certainly one of the best in the horror genre. What’s your favorite Carpenter film?
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One of my favorite parts about doing this Blind Spot series is that it forces me to watch movies I’ve been intimidated by or nervous to watch. It’s been especially fun this year because my BFF Manda has joined me on my podcast to talk about each of the selections! This month’s pick, The Plague Dogs, is one I’ve been intrigued by but a little nervous to watch because of the disturbing imagery and themes. Now I’ve seen it and I was right to be anxious (if anything it was actually more disturbing than I anticipated) but it is definitely a bold and shocking film worth seeing .
Make sure you check out our recap tomorrow:
The Plague Dogs is interesting when placed in context of the animated films of the early 80’s and late 70’s. This was the era when Ralph Bakshi, Don Bluth and other darker themed animators were making a name for themselves. Even Disney explored darker themes with films like The Fox and the Hound,The Black Cauldron and live action Watcher in the Woods and Return to Oz. Animator Martin Rosen was part of this movement and his films Watership Down and The Plague Dogs stand out as some of the best.
While both films are based on Richard Adams books and can both be quite violent, Watership Down has more of a mythical, lyrical quality where The Plague Dogs seems more gritty and that is probably why it feels more shocking. It’s one thing for harsh things to happen to bunnies forming their allegorical societies and another for it to be realistic dogs on the run from the “white coats” trying to give them the bubonic plague.
One of my friends describes The Plague Dogs as “misery porn,” and I don’t know if I would go that far. Both Rowf and Snitter have hopeful moments that help you root for them and the ending could be interpreted hopefully depending on how you take it. However, it is definitely intense. That’s for sure.
The voice acting led by John Hurd is excellent and the animation next level. They had an incredible team behind it including Brad Bird and the great Retta Scott. My only real criticism of the film is the absolutely terrible score by Patrick Gleason. The synthetic saxophone beats would feel more at home at a lounge club than a gritty drama.
Evidently there are 2 versions of the film. I saw the 103 minute version which you can watch on tubi
What do you think of The Plague Dogs and what’s your favorite animated film from this darker period?
Smile worthy (it feels weird to say smile worthy to such a grim film but I would recommend it)
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Ever since it came out in 2015 I’ve been a big fan of the adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd by director Thomas Vinterberg. In my opinion it is one of the most underappreciated films of the last decade and I only love it more with each rewatch (I gave it only a B+ on my initial watch but it has only grown in my estimation since.) That said, I was always told that it really isn’t that great when compared with the 1967 version by director John Schlesinger. This is why I added the classic film to this year’s blind spot selections. Now I have seen both films and… I still like the 2015 film better! In basically every regard I think the 2015 film is superior to the 1967 classic.
Since this is a review of the 1967 film let’s talk about that version first. Schlesinger has made a beautiful film that feels right at home with the epic brand of storytelling popular at the time. There are many stunning sequences such as the fire being on hay and the devastating suicide of the sheep. They also have a talented cast with Julie Christie, Terence Stamp and Alan Bates.
The movie does take its time having every detail from the book such as an extended sequence when Troy is at the circus and more time between Boldwood and Bathsheba. Modern viewers will be surprised by the amount of time focused on Troy instead of Gabriel, who is more of an after thought in this version. We are supposed to buy that Troy is both in love with Fannie that he makes life miserable for everyone else but also so prideful that he rejects her after she goes to the wrong chapel for their wedding. This makes for a difficult and unlikable character to have as your lead for a 3 hour movie.
I personally love the approach by Vinterberg much more. By focusing on Gabriel and his long-seated love for Bathsheba we have a great love story instead of depressing melodrama. It also doesn’t hurt that Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenearts have incredible chemistry and they keep this friends-to-lovers story simmering for the much shorter 2 hour runtime. I see little in the additional hour of the 1967 film to justify so much more time especially with the characters they chose to focus on.
2015’s Far From the Madding Crowd is also beautifully filmed by Charlotte Bruus Christensen giving everything a hopeful energy especially when combined with Craig Armstrong’s stirring score. It makes for an overall moving journey we just don’t get in the 1967 film. The earlier movie may be more accurate to the book but where’s the heart and soul? I’d take the 2015 version any day!
I wouldn’t say the 1967 version of Far From the Madding Crowd is a bad movie. It’s serviceable. I just like the 2015 much better!
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This month proved to be a fun one for Blind Spot. I checked off 2 films that people are stunned I had not seen- Deadpool and the original Blade. Superhero movies have become so unpleasant to cover that if there’s not a pressing need to see one of them it’s easier to avoid them and all the drama that goes along with the fandoms. My podcast cohost Manda hadn’t seen Blade which is why we added it to the lineup so that she would have something fresh as well and they both are actually quite similar so it was a good combo. You can see our discussion here:
To sum up my thoughts Deadpool mostly works at what it is trying to do- be a sarcastic and violent parody of superhero movies up until that point. Ryan Reynolds has loads of charisma and at its core its a love story between Wade and Vanessa (Morena Baccarin.) It does start to ware out its welcome after a while and the whole cynical style isn’t my favorite but again it’s succeeds at doing its own thing. It’s certainly leagues better than its sequel Deadpool 2 which is a huge step down. Practically nothing in the sequel works from the repetitive and belabored jokes, to the wooden acting especially from Julian Dennison, to the underwhelming story, it’s bad. I truly hated it.
As far as Blade goes it is better than Deadpool 2 but not a very strong film. It starts out with a terrific sequence at a vampire rave but then gets lost in one exposition dump after another. Wesley Snipes is good as Blade but the script is frankly quite dull with cheesy special effects and action that is hard to get invested in. I’m told the sequel is much better so I will have to try that. It’s a shame Sanaa Lathan got roped into this as Blade’s mother. She’s one of those talented actresses that just can’t seem to get a break. But all the female characters are thinly written in this script and the villain is underwhelming. I can see why some have nostalgia for this- it’s a very 90s superhero movie- but as a newcomer it didn’t do much to interest me.
So there you have it. My quick thoughts on Blade and Deadpool. What superhero movie do you have as a blind spot?
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Today’s Blind Spot review is a special one for many reasons. To begin with Manda and I had a very fun podcast on the film where we ended up reacting to the famous Daisy Ad from 1964- the same year our movie Seven Days in May came out.
Also it is of note because this review marks my 100th entry in the blind spot series. That means since I first started in January of 2016 I have covered 100 films for 100 months and what a fun adventure it has been! My original review was for Blade Runner and I was nicer to it than I would be now (it’s not for me) but that’s part of the learning experience of this project is gathering confidence on my opinions on classic films and learning how to convey those feelings as coherently as possible. Now on to 100 more!
With Seven Days in May this was a bit of a wild card when I selected it for this month’s blind spot. I had never heard of it but I noticed a bunch of my friends had rated it highly so I decided to give it a go. I’m so glad I did. This is an absolutely terrific political thriller that continually surprised me at each turn.
I think what was the most surprising was to have a character like Burt Lancaster’s General Scott commit outright treason with no real vindication was shocking. He has his reasons for trying to train a coup on President Lyman, (played by the great Frederic March) but he still does it and begins training an elite group of soldiers to overthrow the government.
Every part of this film is outstanding including the acting from Lancaster, Kirk Douglas (as our man of virtue hero) and March. The writing is also excellent with the tension between Scott and Lyman as they both try to plead their case. It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for audiences in Cold War America to watch a film like this. They certainly would have been more sympathetic to Scott’s position. He believes if they sign this treaty the Russians will attack and kill over 100 million people (he states that statistic in one of the confrontations with Lyman.) From his perspective he’s the hero trying to save Americans and Lyman is the fool. However, Lyman tells him he has to use the tools given to us to fight the treaty. A military overthrow will only embolden Russia more.
Anyway, the tension grows especially for Douglas who can’t believe a heroic man like General Scott could be planning treason. Ava Gardner is under-used in her role in this but aside from that Seven Days in May is a tight, well-made, engaging piece of filmmaking and I highly recommend it.
Smile Worthy
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I can’t believe next month will mark my 100th entry in this Blind Spot series! What a fun journey this has been! And it’s been made recently even cooler by my friend Manda joining me to talk about the movies each month on my podcast. I really value her friendship and love talking to her about these films.
This month we have the Western classic from director Sergio Leone entitled The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Whether Eli Wallach as Tuco is ugly may be up for debate but I think you could easily call all 3 “The Bad.” Referring to anyone as “The Good” in this movie is a bit of a stretch. That’s for sure!
Last year I reviewed A Fistful of Dollars for blind spot and found it to be a stronger entry from Leone than this one. First of all it is a lot shorter so that makes it more palatable and it has a lot more memorable lines than this one. My favorite line from this one is “when you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk”
Still you have to admire the craft that is on display in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The incredible long tracking shots and brutal violence have obviously been very influential on many modern directors and were masterfully done by Leone. Also the iconic score by Ennio Morricone is one of the most famous in film history.
The ending with Blondie shooting Tuco off the noose is also very memorable. “You’re a dirty SOB” and he is so it all works!
If you love Westerns than you will enjoy any movie from Leone including The Good The Bad and The Ugly. I’m glad I checked it off my blind spot list and I suppose I will have to watch A Few Dollars More next year (I realize I got the order totally messed up! Oh well.)
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Many people are shocked to find out I have never seen any of the John Wick movies. The first one came out in 2014 and as I’m not the biggest fan of strong violence and wasn’t a critic then I didn’t watch it. Then by the time I was reviewing films as a professional critic it was 2019 and the 3rd movie was coming out. It’s overwhelming to catch up on so many movies so I just never watched them. Now for this blind spot series I have seen the first movie from 2014.
I think the biggest asset you can take away from John Wick (2014) is the old adage to keep it simple stupid. Action movies these days have often gotten increasingly convoluted with AI, staring at screens and other mumbo-jumbo. This makes something like John Wick appealing. It’s a simple revenge story where a hitman is on a rampage after his wife is killed as well as their beloved puppy. We don’t get deep inside John or learn much about who he is or what he wants out of life. His motivations are simple, pure and easy to understand.
The one thing did surprise me, however, is how much of the movie takes place at night or in dimly lit night clubs. This is no doubt due to the small budget of 20-30 million as dark scenes camouflage a lot of flaws. For the most part this works with the overall aesthetic as John Wick is the hitman in black with a gun but it did negate some of the wow power of these scenes for me at least.
You could also feel the budget in the cheap stock footage they use for the transitions of New York City but all that doesn’t matter because John is a compelling character and has a simple yet satisfying arc. I mean they killed his beloved dog! Who can’t root for such a man?
7 out of 10
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JFK is one of those films that if you miss when it first comes out it’s hard to catch up on because it is so long and detailed. It’s not every day you have time for a detailed 3 hour investigative true story thriller but that’s what makes this Blind Spot series fun because I can finally check off some of these classics off my list. It’s a challenging film to write about because so much happens and there are so many characters but it was a fascinating watch nonetheless.
In the film DA Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) starts an investigation into the JFK killer because they aren’t convinced it was actually Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman.) We then follow Garrison as he interviews suspects, witnesses and more trying to figure out what actually happened and what they present is pretty compelling.
It almost plays out like a documentary the way interviews are laid out and real footage is mixed in with the actors. There is also a fantastic supporting cast including Cissy Spacek, Laurie Metcalf, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon and more. While it is a long movie it felt more like a documentary than a fictional narrative and I mean that as a compliment.
In JFK we also have a film that is very well edited and directed with everyone feeding off of Costner’s energy and compelling leading performance. Most importantly it’s just an interesting topic. On one hand it’s easy to dismiss as conspiracy theories but the longer they are laid out for us the more convincing it is.
I can see why Robert Richardson won an Oscar for cinematography on this film. It is extremely well shot and again the way it combined old and new footage is very effective.
By the end it really feels like there is more to this story than The Warren Report let on. The whole thing is just fascinating! Also this is far better than Oliver Stone’s other historical films which makes it worth a rental.
It’s a super entertaining enriching film. Check it out!
7 out of 10
Smile Worthy
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