Third viewing, probably; previously viewed on November 24, 1992 and, possibly, once before that between 1983 and 1986.
An alcoholic man is getting ready for a weekend in the country away from liquor with his brother. Things do not go as planned, though.
The excellence of this drama comes from an honest screenplay, a taut narrative, and the expert technique with which it was filmed. It is not, in my opinion, a complete analysis of alcoholism. Many troubles the protagonist goes through do not seem to be directly derived from alcohol itself -- some of them are caused by the repression of alcoholism, and some others might be attributed to his personality. And, on the other hand, many noxious traits found in some alcoholics, e.g. physical violence, are simply absent from his behavior. There is a philosophical aspect to addiction on which the film touches very slightly, namely the fact that the distinction between a bad habit and good one is not that easy to establish, and both in the final analysis are psychological constraints on the individual which could become real mental prisons. As we all tend to form habits, we all tend to become addicts one way or the other. I found Milland's resemblance to Nicholson in this film remarkable, and apparently something of that perception is shared by Paul Mayersberg in this review of The Shining. And here is a fine review of The Lost Weekend by TV Guide.
Rating: 83 (unchanged)
Friday, July 31, 2015
Thursday, July 30, 2015
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Second viewing; first viewed between 1983 and 1986.
A man of obscure origins who has acquired great wealth tries to reapproach the woman with whom he had once a brief relationship, and who is now married.
People generally say there is a problem with this film, but perhaps the problem is that people took seriously what is undoubtedly a dark comedy. There is nothing, not one scene in it that is not laugh-inducing, and that is not a bad thing for those who like a good laugh. Even the bad performances fit like a glove when you look at it that way. You might say it is not the best comedy ever made about rich people, and there I would agreee with you, but that is a different matter.
Rating: 56 (down from 60)
A man of obscure origins who has acquired great wealth tries to reapproach the woman with whom he had once a brief relationship, and who is now married.
People generally say there is a problem with this film, but perhaps the problem is that people took seriously what is undoubtedly a dark comedy. There is nothing, not one scene in it that is not laugh-inducing, and that is not a bad thing for those who like a good laugh. Even the bad performances fit like a glove when you look at it that way. You might say it is not the best comedy ever made about rich people, and there I would agreee with you, but that is a different matter.
Rating: 56 (down from 60)
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
Second viewing; first viewed between 1983 and 1986.
Lawman Wyatt Earp allies with dentist-turned-gunfighter 'Doc' Holliday to fight outlaws in the old West.
Decent Western, competently written and directed. Its most appealing point is perhaps the analysis of how a friendship develops in somewhat uncommon circumstances.
Rating: 67
Lawman Wyatt Earp allies with dentist-turned-gunfighter 'Doc' Holliday to fight outlaws in the old West.
Decent Western, competently written and directed. Its most appealing point is perhaps the analysis of how a friendship develops in somewhat uncommon circumstances.
Rating: 67
Sunday, July 26, 2015
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939)
Some events in the life of the inventor of the telephone.
Energetic biographic story with a dire subject (technology always is). The Hollywood treatment has some respect for the viewer's intelligence and the film is watchable, if only barely.
Rating: 40
Energetic biographic story with a dire subject (technology always is). The Hollywood treatment has some respect for the viewer's intelligence and the film is watchable, if only barely.
Rating: 40
Saturday, July 25, 2015
American Gigolo (1980)
Second viewing; first viewed between 1983 and 1986.
A male escort and prostitute is framed for the murder of one of his clients.
Viewing this film for a second time was a pleasanter experience than my first one. Formally, there are evident qualities in it. In other aspects as well, it is not as bad as I previously thought (e.g. the main actor's performance). Nevertheless, I could not completely shake off a certain boredom over the progression of the plot and certain pieces of dialogue. Furthermore, the film's underlying concept seems unfocused, and what superficially seems to be an utterly secondary plot point came across, in my analysis, as the film's underdeveloped real center. The point in question, as expressed by one character, is the situation when "you have stepped on too many toes, and nobody cares about you". It is very hard to gather, from the movie itself, what exactly those "toes" are, but then again the events in question may be of a strictly imaginary order.
Rating: 40 (up from 30)
A male escort and prostitute is framed for the murder of one of his clients.
Viewing this film for a second time was a pleasanter experience than my first one. Formally, there are evident qualities in it. In other aspects as well, it is not as bad as I previously thought (e.g. the main actor's performance). Nevertheless, I could not completely shake off a certain boredom over the progression of the plot and certain pieces of dialogue. Furthermore, the film's underlying concept seems unfocused, and what superficially seems to be an utterly secondary plot point came across, in my analysis, as the film's underdeveloped real center. The point in question, as expressed by one character, is the situation when "you have stepped on too many toes, and nobody cares about you". It is very hard to gather, from the movie itself, what exactly those "toes" are, but then again the events in question may be of a strictly imaginary order.
Rating: 40 (up from 30)
Thursday, July 02, 2015
Crime et châtiment (1956)
English title: Crime and Punishment
Based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, first published in 1866, in serial form.
A student kills an old woman whom he despises expecting to steal her money. An investigation ensues.
I do not remember the novel very well, but its themes seem to be present in the movie as well. I do not think it is a particularly brilliant movie, because, although in its first half it lays out the basic problem in an intelligent way, the second half provides somewhat poor solutions to it, appealing as it does to the religious nature of a prostitute and her influence being too easily applied on the protagonist. It has merits, though, and the leading player, and most supporting ones, do their parts well.
Rating: 59
Based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, first published in 1866, in serial form.
A student kills an old woman whom he despises expecting to steal her money. An investigation ensues.
I do not remember the novel very well, but its themes seem to be present in the movie as well. I do not think it is a particularly brilliant movie, because, although in its first half it lays out the basic problem in an intelligent way, the second half provides somewhat poor solutions to it, appealing as it does to the religious nature of a prostitute and her influence being too easily applied on the protagonist. It has merits, though, and the leading player, and most supporting ones, do their parts well.
Rating: 59
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