#15. Detachment (2011)

 

 

The whole "radical teacher makes a difference at some ghetto school" formula got stale decades ago (if it was ever interesting to begin with), so, at the very least, I admire Tony Kaye's dedication to making Detachment look and feel as fresh as possible. This movie's got documentary-style interviews, sexually explicit dialogue, flashback imagery, chalkboard animation, and an ungodly bleak tone. It's unique, I'll give it that much. But does it actually work?

 

I guess sometimes it does. For the most part, I was invested in these miserable characters and their miserable lives (the strength of the cast definitely helps), and the gritty cinematography certainly fits the intended mood. But these elements are largely undercut by stock supporting characters, forced editing choices, and downright cringe-worthy POV shots. Plus, as compelling as this depressing tone might be, the movie's overall lack of subtlety pushes us dangerously close to "misery porn" territory.

 

Still, the emotions hit more often than they miss. I just think they would've hit even harder if everything else wasn't so gimmick-heavy, on-the-nose, and borderline aimless. 

 

Grade: B-

 

#14. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

 

 

You can call the Frank Capra formula corny all you want. You can tell me that his penchant for gooey sentimentality and easily-consumed messages is both shallow and manipulative, and that his stories in no way reflect the harshness of reality. I don't care. As someone who craves a little heavy-handed optimism once in a while, it almost always works on me. And Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is no exception.

 

I'm not sure that I'd rank this one among the true Capra elite (which, to my taste, is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's a Wonderful Life), partly because I'm not completely sold on Gary Cooper in this kind of role and partly because the emotional core isn't quite as strong (though that's a ridiculously high bar), but it's nevertheless a timeless and wonderful romantic comedy, bolstered by its sincerity, its playful attitude, and an extremely likeable performance from Jean Arthur.

 

Plus, I dunno, I guess I'm just a sucker for Capra's belief that one person really can make a difference. That's a message that'll always resonate, even if none of our real-life billionaires seem to agree.

 

Grade: A

 

#13. Torso (1973)

 

 

A.K.A. Carnal Violence

 

Prior Viewings: 1

 

This was the first true giallo film I ever saw, and I can remember not quite knowing what to make of it. In hindsight, it's clear that I lacked a frame of reference. So I was curious to see if a revisit would improve my perception now that I've come to adore this subgenre as much as I do. 

 

The answer, you won't be surprised to discover, was a pretty emphatic yes. All the mystery and horror stuff was appealing to me from the word go, but I was much more equipped to embrace the foreign flavour and general pulpiness this time around. And while I remember thinking that the movie loses a lot of steam once those four college girls take shelter at the villa, this rewatch made me realize that I was likely just being impatient; the third act might be stripped-down and more deliberately-paced, but that's what allows it to be so intimate and suspenseful. 

 

To date, Torso is still the only Sergio Martino movie I've seen, and that really needs to change at some point. Not only is this a great piece of debaucherous entertainment, it's also beautiful to look at, stylishly pieced together, far more efficient than my memory led me to believe, and actually somewhat groundbreaking in its proto-slasher sensibilities.

 

Grade: A

 

#12. Indecent Proposal (1993)

 

 

Our first Razzie winner, Indecent Proposal caught a lot of flak for being contrived and implausible and emotionally over-the-top, but I was honestly fine with those elements. If anything, I wish they were more prominent. That stuff is why we're here. My problem is that, once you put them aside, you start to notice how little else there is to cling to. 

 

In particular, the overall story arc is just far too obvious. Scene for scene, it plays out in the exact way you would expect it to, from the initial hesitancy to the growing jealousy to the temporary separation. There just aren't any surprises here, which isn't good in a movie that wants to be seen as risqué and dangerous. And while the leads do provide some damage control (especially Redford, who turns this rich monster into someone strangely sympathetic, and Moore, who's really giving this her all), their talents and efforts only further illuminate the weaknesses in the writing.

 

This is a competent and watchable movie, and I'd argue that it's not quite as bad as its reputation would suggest, but it's also too flavourless and underdeveloped to work for me in any meaningful way. 

 

Grade: C+

 

#11. The Cell (2000)

 

 

The critical reception for this one has always been fiercely divided, and I can now understand why. It's got a lot of cool concepts, from creating visual environments out of psychological theories to the notion of literally going inside the mind of a killer. But I guess my main issue here is that the movie never really makes any effort to actually capitalize on these ideas.

 

Like, I have no problem with abstract storytelling, but there is a difference between abstraction and laziness. And when, for instance, the killer's backstory basically boils down to "he was abused as a child", I'd say that we're veering closer and closer to the latter. Plus, it doesn't help that the real-world elements are so tropey (the cop is an insomniac who cares too much about his job and the criminal is a socially awkward weirdo who keeps women in his basement) that I otherwise feel like I'm watching an episode of Criminal Minds. 

 

Still, there's nothing wrong with Criminal Minds, and many of the ideas and visuals presented here really are quite neat (when they aren't too overwrought). I think this is a decent movie, and even occasionally a creative one, but I can't help but feel as though it's also a bit of a missed opportunity.

 

Grade: B-

 

#10. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)

 

 

Huh, I had no idea this was Michael Cimino's directorial debut. Interesting.

 

I'm always down for a breezy heist movie, and Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is exactly that. It's got that road trip appeal (complete with some beautiful Western landscapes), a steady combination of action and comedy, and a fun mix of characters at the center of it. Eastwood and Bridges also have a lot of chemistry, and I'm glad we get to witness their entire relationship, from its formation to its bittersweet end.

 

Where everything really starts cruising for me, though, is when George Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis get more involved. Once they become key players in the story, and all four of these guys start planning their heist, I'm all in. Lewis provides some comic relief, and while Kennedy does as well, this surely has to also rank among his most threatening performances.

 

It's an entertaining movie all around, but there's also something oddly tender about it. Despite the fact that these characters are assholes and outlaws, you really feel genuine affection for them (the two leads, at least; not so much in Kennedy's case), and it's all slightly glorified and mythologized in that Old West kinda way. I like that.

 

Grade: A

 

#9. The Love Witch (2016)

 

 

Okay, let's start with the positive here: without question, The Love Witch is an absolute feast for the eyes. Anna Biller clearly knows her stuff when it comes to '60s horror and Technicolor filmmaking, and her dedication to recreating that style is both admirable and impressive. I'm accustomed to British movies looking this way, so the American accents kinda threw me, and four or five of the wide shots don't quite convince, but, otherwise, you could probably fool someone into thinking this thing was made over fifty years ago. It's that authentic.

 

And yet, that's basically where my praise ends. Nothing else about the movie worked for me, frankly. The deliberately hokey writing and acting, while initially kind of amusing, started getting on my nerves after a while, the pacing was far too slow for me to ever get fully invested, and the horror elements were so tame and infrequent that I'm not totally sure this should count as an entry in the genre. Even the satirical elements, which do make some amusing points about gender roles, are largely too subtle and esoteric to fully land (though I freely admit to being a bit of a moron when it comes to this kind of commentary, so that one's almost certainly on me).

 

I can understand why the movie's received universal acclaim, but I'd also be lying if I said that I wasn't bored for the majority of the runtime.

 

Grade: C