Criterion Collection - July 2013 Barnes and Noble Sale Part 2

As usual, I'm a little late on posting (especially since tomorrow is the last day of the Criterion Sale).  This next grouping of movies is my latest purchase from the Waterford Lakes Store.  Since this store is closest to UCF and surrounded by a large population of poor college students, I was hoping to find some Out of Print Editions (i.e. Playtime and Last Year at Marienbad).  Unfortunately, I didn't find any, however I did come out with a pretty awesome stash:

• Things to Come:  I don't know anything about this film other than it's based on a story by H.G. Wells.  Since this black and white film is similar in tone to A Brave New World, I'm pretty excited to watch this Sci-Fi affair.

• The Man Who Knew Too Much:  There's not much to say other than "Hitchcock."  Featuring Peter Lorre, Hitchcock later remade this suspenseful mystery with Jimmy Stewart.  Since I'm determined to see every Hitchcock film, I'm glad Criterion is "blugrading" these classic tales so I can enjoy their beautiful transfers and awesome supplements. 

• Insignificance:  Imagine these four timeless celebrities congregating in the same hotel room:  Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, and Joseph McCarthy.  Having never heard of this film, I picked it up merely due to its cover and premise.  Starring Hollywood greats like Tony Curtis and Gary Busey, I'm sure this will be a fantastic watch.

• On the Waterfront:  Other than Repo Man, On the Waterfront has the most beautiful packaging this year.  With illustrations by Sean Phillips, the blue exterior really makes the red interior pop.  Besides being a Hollywood classic starring one of the most quintessential actors (Marlon Brando), I'm glad Criterion added this Film Noir to their collection.  Since this movie can be watched in three different aspect ratios (1.66:1, 1.85:1 (widescreen) and 1.33:1 (full-screen)), I hope to educate myself more on this cinematic subject regardless of the film.

• Safety Last:  Criterion has made me fall in love with Chaplin.  Since I trust their judgement, I can't wait to watch what comedy ensues from one of the other "silent heroes," Harold Lloyd.

• Eclipse Series 37:  When Horror Came to Shockiku:  As a supplement line to the Criterion Collection, the Eclipse Series groups 4-6 films of a common theme in one package.  Although they're all in standard definition and include no supplements, this is a great way to watch multiple films and get the bang for your buck (especially during a Criterion Sale).  This time, I purchased a set of 1960's Japanese horror films.  I'm sure they're influenced by the cheesy American B-movies, but I'm intrigued how they may have established the roots of the terrifying Japanese  horror films of the 1990's (such as The Ring).

Bullet Points - Investigation of the Unknown

Why do we enjoy shows like Law & Order and CSI?  While I'll agree that Mariska Hargitay may be the reason, it's the process of the investigation that keeps us coming back for more.  So here's a few things I've watched recently that makes us pull out our magnifying glass and search for clues:

Homeland:  I have a friend who is in love with Claire Danes.  Although I agree she's extremely pretty, she ranks no where near my Top Ten Most Beautiful Woman List.  However, the one thing I can't deny, she's a fantastic actress.  Playing an overly obsessive CIA agent with a bipolar disorder, Carrie (played by Claire) honestly makes me hurt inside when I see her cry.  Although I started Homeland late in the game, I effortlessly finished the entire first season in less than a week.  For those who don't know, Homeland is about an American soldier (Brody) returning from the Middle East after being held captive for many years.  After returning home and welcomed as an All-American hero, Carrie is convinced he's a terrorist sleeper cell.  With Season 1 almost ending with Brody blowing up the Vice President, Carrie manages to stop him even though she compromises her job, reputation, and sanity.  Season 2 starts months later where Brody becomes an elected Congressman.  What I truly love about this show is that the writers don't milk a story for an entire season.  Rather than making the CIA capture Brody the season finale, they merely use this as a spring board at the season's halfway mark to make an even more intriguing story.  This allowed for an even stronger Season 2 cliffhanger where the status quo has revered -  America now sees Brody as Enemy Number One while Carrie sees him as the All-American hero.  So as long as we still get to see Morena Baccarin (who plays Brody's wife), I'll continue watching Homeland and agree there's at least one woman who'd rank on my Top Ten list.

His Girl Friday:  There's two reasons I watched this movie.  Reason number one is that it stars Carey Grant.  I've come to really enjoy his acting and respect his filmography.  Reason number two is that it appeared on a Tarantino favorite film list.  Although a dark story is involved (an innocent man condemned to the noose), this is a comedic movie with fast-paced and witty dialogue.  Directed by powerhouse Howard Hawks, this tale features how newspaper reporters will almost do anything to get the scoop.  It also explains why the passion of investigation can destroy a relationship.  I highly recommend this movie for anyone wanting to watch charismatic film of the Hollywood glory days.

Rear Window:  Only one man can tell an entire story in one room and create so much suspense.  In Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, Jimmy Stewart is a photographer trapped in his apartment after breaking his leg from his latest escapade.  Bored out of his mind, Stewart watches from his window, peeping on his fellow apartment tenants.  What first seems to be harmless fun to make time pass by, this unhealthy voyeurism becomes quite serious after Stewart believes he witnessed a murder incident.  This is such a fantastic film and I can see its influence on Brian DePalma. The set is perfectly designed where the audience gets to sit with Jimmy Stewart in his wheelchair while he spies on his colorful neighbors: There's the frustrated musician, the woman trying to get a date, and even a beautiful blonde dancer with fantastic legs.  However, the real suspense is when Stewart's girlfriend, played by the beautiful Grace Kelly, sneaks into the murderer's apartment and tries to collect evidence.  If you're not on the edge of your seat as Stewart helplessly watches Grace Kelly being attacked from across the street, you must not have a heart or soul...

Pontypool:  Growing up, I always preferred talk radio over music.  Not to say I don't love music, but I find a car ride is much quicker when there's a radio personality talking in the background (hence why I love podcasts).  Pontypool takes this idea of radio reporting and combines it with a terrifying Sci-Fi twist.  A shock jock played by Stephen McHattie receives news of a potential "zombie outbreak" in the local town of Pontypool.  Although we don't see the violence of the outside world, McHattie and his radio team are receiving real time news from callers reporting on the incident. Although it's a pretty refreshing idea to use a radio broadcast to provoke fear, the cause of the outbreak is even more extraordinary.  Instead of losing your humanity to the typical zombie bite, your brain become infected by the sound of words... one of the unique most ideas I've ever heard of.  Directed by Bruce McDonald (who previously directed a film in Tarantino's Rolling Thunder DVD line), this movie should be watched by every horror fan searching for an absolute original premise.

Bullet Points: A Journey Across America

Luckily, today's Bullet Points have a pretty good theme.  So, relax as we take a journey across continental USA.

North by Northwest - When I was watching the blu-ray special features,  it included a personally filmed "Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock" across America.  With his "road map of film clips," it was a neat and inventive way to promote the film rather than your typical movie trailer.  Anyways, this story is the classic wrong man mixed up in the wrong situation. Carey Grant is a "Don Draper" mistakenly confused as CIA attempting to stop the smuggling of secret information out of the country.  Although Carey Grant is drugged behind the wheel, chased by a crop duster, and almost thrown off Mount Rushmore, he maintains his witty charm and gains access to the beautiful Eva Marie Saint.  Filled with lots of suspense, North by Northwest definitely makes way for the ultimate cross-country action-adventure thrillers of today.

Hell on Wheels -  When this show first premiered a year or so ago, I predicted Westerns would be the new zombie flick.  Even though this trend hasn't really taken off  (we'll have to see the influence of Django Unchained), this show is still pretty awesome.  The show is comprised of lots of little storylines, but the main focus is on Cullen Bohannon - A southern man who lost his entire family in the Civil War.  This season, Bohannon must regain status of foreman on the first transcontinental railroad while battling Indians led by the evil (and creepy) Swede.  With the grittiness expected from someone in the old west times, Bohannon is a character we can truly root for.  He has the rough exterior and resourcefulness of a Clint Eastwood character, but has a soft spot for Lily Bell whose husband was killed by Indians while surveying the railway last season (Lily is played by Dominique McElligott, a blonde who I find on par with Yvonne Strahovski ).  His relationship with the freed black slave Elam Ferguson (played by Common) is quite interesting and has a lot of parallel with Tarantino's Django and Dr. King Schultz.

Paul - Whenever you see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost paired together, you assume Edgar Wright is helming the project.  However, this is a rare case where he isn't.  Directed by Greg Mottola, this wacky film is a nerdy road trip across America.  With tons of pop culture and comic con puns, this film is tied together by an alien who likes to get high (and voiced by Seth Rogan).  This isn't the funniest movie I've ever seen, but there were quite a few scenes that made me laugh out loud.  The funniest character by far is the one played by Kristen Whig, a newly corrupted ultra conservative Christian.

Lost Highway - Granted I've only seen this movie once, Lost Highway makes no sense to me.  That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, but in typical David Lynch fashion, this is just a mind f*ck of a movie.  A story exists, but its hidden between a sequence of crazy images: Videotapes, jazz clubs, death by electric chair, Robert Blake's pale face, and even porn being projected onto a mansion wall.  To summarize this movie in one sentence (which is a challenge), here's what I'd say:  Through twists and turns involving murder, crime, and sex, two men's lives are supernaturally intertwined by a beautiful pair of twins.  If not to watch this film again for a better understanding of the story, it's worth a re-watch just to see the voluptuous beauty of Patricia Arquette who hasn't looked this good since her role as Alabama in True Romance.  Accompanied with eerie sounds (similar to the ambient noise from Paranormal Activity) and a unique soundtrack, David Lynch's crazy sensibilities is truly a journey spanning the Lost Highway spanning across America.

Silver Screen Awesomeness: Spielberg / Hitchcock Double Feature

Ever since I've watched Pulp Fiction at the cinema, I've kept my eyes open for other classics to appear on the big screen.  Recently, I've been fortunate enough to see two awesome films at Regal Cinemas:

Raiders of the Lost Ark:  To celebrate the release of Indiana Jones on Blu-Ray, Raiders was recently projected on the big screen.  Having only seen the "Cold War Era" of Indy at the movies, it was truly a privilege to see the original film the way it was meant to be seen.

The Birds:  As much as I love Indiana Jones, I've seen the film hundreds of times and know the story by heart.  However, for Alfred Hitchcock's thriller, I've never even seen the film on my TV.  With a brief discussion with Robert Osborne prior to the film, The Birds was presented by TCM and Fathom Events to Celebrate a 100 years of film making by Universal Pictures.  To continue this year-long celebration, other classics such as Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein will be shown later this year.

Although these two films are completely different from each other, they were both crafted by masters of the art form.  They are often discussed by fans and scholars alike.  Since so much analysis has already been performed on these films, I want to note some similarities that make these movies so fantastic:

• The Sound:  Maybe my audio system at home sucks, but I definitely noticed the sound effects at the movie theatre.  In Raiders, the gunshots cracked and whizzed across the entire theatre while the thud of a punch cracked pain into my lower jaw.  As for The Birds, the piercing screams of the feathery animals truly hurt my ears, making it hard to watch the chaos spawned across the town.  Especially in the final scene where Tippi Hedren is attacked in the attic, I literally had to cover my eyes and ears from a sensory overload of terror.

•  Fierce Women:  Harrison Ford and Rod Taylor play the stereotypical heroes of their films, however they are not accompanied by the typical damsel in distress.  Both Karen Allen and Tippi Hedren are strong willed  women who can carry their own (and who doesn't like a strong female character).  Just for fun, if I had my choice of either woman at their prime, I'd have to go with Karen Allen.  It's a hard decision, but Karen has the edge because I love seeing her in that white dress (and she's a brunette).

• Supernatural Sensibilities:  Raiders is definitely an adventure flick while The Birds is definitely a thriller.  However, they both deviate from their typical genre with some sci-fi twists.  Raiders contains Nazi's searching for supernatural power to speak to God.  While in the Birds, well... there's man-eating killer birds.

Psycho - What does it Share with The Empire Strikes Back?

If you ask a random person off the street about The Flash's secret identity, more than likely they've never read a comic book in their life. Furthermore, I doubt they'd be able to tell you Barry Allen (and I really doubt if they would tell Jay, Wally, or Bart). However, if you ask anyone about Superman's, they'll quickly respond Clark Kent. Similarly, only cinephiles can tell you the director of movies like Strangers on a Train, Dial M for Murder, and Rebecca. But the minute you mention Psycho, immediately Alfred Hitchcock registers to the brain, regardless if they've seen the movie or not.

Everyone knows Psycho's plot: Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh) decides to run away after she steals $40,000 from her workplace. Tired from driving, Marion stops for some rest off the old highway - The Bates Motel. Run by a peculiar young man named Norman Bates (played by Anthony Perkins), he also takes care of his cruel, yet ill mother in the old house behind the motel. Not caring for Norman's attraction to their new customer, Mrs. Bates brutally stabs and kills Marion in the shower. Being the loyal son that he is, Norman gathers all evidence of Marion and disposes of it by throwing it into a nearby swamp. But when Marion's sister and lover begin searching for her, what secrets and darkness will they discover at the Bates Motel?

If you are one of the few people who doesn't know the ending to Hitchcock's film, stop reading now and do yourself a service - Pick up Psycho and watch a Cinematic Masterpiece. I'd love to be in your shoes!

Now, I'm going to believe most people are like me and probably knew the film's "twist" before even seeing it. In my case, Universal Studios spoiled Psycho's ending in their Alfred Hitchcock Exhibit when I was only a kindergartner. I vividly remember because my family got to skip to the front of the line since my grandfather was chosen to play Norman Bates in a reenactment of Psycho's shower scene. I laugh back on it now, but I was terrified to sleep next to my Grandpa that night...

Just as everyone knows Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, it's synonymous that Norman Bates is the killer. These pieces of pop culture are so ingrained with society that they've become common knowledge. Personally, I wish I could rewatch this film and be as surprised as those who first viewed it in 1960. I imagine the next generation will have a similar relationship to The Sixth Sense since it's parodied so much in movies and television. Regardless, if you do know the ending of Psycho, you can easily enjoy the movie as the suspense is created through the characters, cinematography, and music.

I highly recommend picking up the latest Blu-Ray because it's filled with tons of bonus features and has the seal of approval from TCM. I haven't watched Psycho in quite a while, but Anthony Perkins blows Vince Vaughn out of the water. He plays the role perfectly by showing a likable guy filled with frustrated innocence who can quickly transform into a terrifying murderer. The character of Norman Bates has made major impact on cinematic history, creating a passageway for slashers and bad guys to exist on the silver screen today.

So on Death List Five, Psycho ranks #4

Dial M for Murder - A Systems Engineering Approach

The last time I've watched an Alfred Hitchcock Film was when I wrote my first-ever movie review on Rebecca. Although this was almost a year ago, I had no trouble getting reacquainted with the Master of Suspense in his 1954 thriller, Dial M for Murder.

Ex-Tennis Player Tony Wendice (played by Ray Milland) discovers his wife Margot (played by Grace Kelly) is having a love affair with the American Crime Fiction Writer Mark Halliday (played by Robert Cummings). In a fury of anger and greed, Tony comes up with an intricate plan to murder his wife and get all her money by influencing an old colleague to perform the deed (Charles Swann played by Anthony Dawson). While she is home alone, Tony's plan goes awry when she kills Charles in self defense. However, by tampering with the crime scene, Tony makes it look like Charles was blackmailing Margot for her love affair and she murdered him in cold-blood. Will Mark be able to prove Margot's innocence to the local police inspector or will she be falsely executed by the court of law?

In this film, Hitchcock creates suspense by informing the audience of how the murder should go before it actually happens. Using anticipation, we cannot relax as we already know how the murder should go down. But as the scheme unfolds, we are surprised by unexpected elements that are interjected causing a disruption to the projected murder plan. Knowing this, even though Hitchcock masterfully tells this story, it can be quite confusing without plotting it out. So, using lessons I've learned while working on my Master's degree, I will be using a Systems Engineering Approach to better observe how this story unfolds.

Mapping out events is a great way to analyze and solve complex problems. In this film, the murder plot was both ruined and solved by 3 different keys (meaning the objects that unlock doors) which traveled between characters. Using a relationship diagram, here was the route of the 3 different keys distinguished by 3 different colored arrows:

There were only 2 keys that opened the Wendices' apartment, one belonging to Tony, the other to Margot. The blue arrows symbolize the path of Margot's key:

1. Tony obtains Margot's Key
2. Tony hides the key under the stairs for Charles
3. Charles takes the key to open the apartment
4. Charles places the key back under the stairs
5. Tony later figures out Charles put the key back under the stairs, opens the door, and is caught for knowing the hiding spot
   

The red arrows symbolize the path of a key originally belonging to Charles. This cannot unlock the apartment:

1. After Charles is killed, Tony removes a key from his corpse, mistaking it for Margot's
2. Tony returns the false key into Margot's purse
3. After Margot is imprisoned, the Inspector confiscates the false key
4. After the Inspector discovers the key cannot open the apartment, he switches the key for Tony's original
5. Tony tries to unlock the apartment, realizes it's false, and is caught for opening the door with the right key hidden under the stairs

The green arrows symbolize the path of Tony's key (this is the other key that can unlock the apartment):

1. Tony puts his original key in his coat pocket while talking to the Inspector
2. Unknown to Tony's knowledge, the Inspector switches the actual key with the false one, using it to prove Margot's innocence

Okay, so hopefully this post wasn't too analytical, but it helped me both enjoy and understand the story better. I don't think everyone will like this as much as Hitchcock's other films because it is not loaded with action and it primarily only takes place in the apartment. However, there are a few violent scenes that might arouse some such as Margot being strangled and Charles being stabbed in the back with a pair of scissors. This isn't my favorite Hitchcock film, but the performances and story are still very enjoyable. Oh, and Grace Kelly (a reoccurring Hitchcock actress) isn't too bad on the eyes...

So on Death List Five, Dial M for Murder Ranks #4.

Rebecca (1940) - The First Hitchcock Masterpiece?

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Main Cast:

• Laurence Olivier - 'Maxim' de Winter
• Joan Fontaine - The Second Mrs. de Winter
• Judith Anderson - Mrs. Danvers

3 Sentence Simple Synopsis: The wealthy Maxim de Winter gets remarried after his wife Rebecca, loved by everyone who lays eyes on her, drowns at sea. When he returns home with his new bride, the new Mrs. de Winter is tormented by the head house maid who is still infatuated with Rebecca. As the plot thickens, it appears the spirit of Rebecca never left the house as deadly secrets try to separate the newly weds.

Why is this film in my Blockbuster Queue: Other than the fact that I'm on a quest to watch all of Hitchcock's films, the thing that intrigued me most was the film shares the same name as my little sister.

Some Quick thoughts: So, how could a movie with a common girl's name be such a masterpiece of suspense? In my opinion, the most suspenseful sequence was when the Second Mrs. de Winter comes down the stairs dressed up for the costume ball. We all knew the Evil Mrs. Danvers tricked the poor girl into dressing like Rebecca. The sight of anything resembling Rebecca angrily upsets Maxim, so you can feel the tension even before Maxim turns around to see his beautiful wife.

This movie doesn't have any bombs, guns, or chase scenes, but the memories of Rebecca create enough suspense to make Hitchcock's first Hollywood film a thrill. In the end, the newly weds live happily ever after, even though Mrs. Danvers dies in a blazing fire and Maxim gets away with hiding the true reason for Rebecca's death (don't worry, he didn't kill her, she just fell and hit her head while they were arguing. However, he did make her death look like suicide by sending her body out to sea.). Regardless of any moral ground broken, the audience is pleased with the outcome because we know Rebecca was actually cruel and unfaithful.

Oh, and even though this film is old and in Black & White, I think Joan Fontaine was kinda hot.