THE HUNGER GAMES (2012)

Directed by Gary Ross

Written By Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray Based On A Novel By Suzanne Collins

Starring Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss); Josh Hutcherson (Peeta); Liam Hemsworth (Gale)

OK.  Now that the "hype" has died down a bit I have decided to take a look at The Hunger Games.  I'm not trying to be a "Johnny Come Lately" (I wonder who the real Johnny was who came late--does he get residuals on this?  I have managed to digress in only two sentences, a new record for me--maybe I can start a new phrase "Johnny Digression").  I intentionally waited to see and review this movie because, frankly, if you are a hardcore fan of this franchise you have already seen it (more than once) and wouldn't heed my advice (whether a recommendation or a dismissal) in any case.  This review is not written for teenagers.  It is written for guys just like me.  Let's face it--this movie wasn't made with the "Geeky Guys Approaching 40" demographic in mind.  That said--

In 1924, a short story written by Richard Connell was published by Collier's Weekly.  Entitled "The Most Dangerous Game", it involved the concept of Man hunting Man.  I mention this fact not to show how knowledgeable I am (since I pulled that fact not out of the recesses of my mind but from Wikipedia), but to point out something crucial/critical about the supposed lack of originality in The Hunger Games.  Most geek-oriented reviews of this movie point out its liberal appropriation of plot elements from sources such as Battle Royale (an insanely violent Asian film), The Running Man (based on a novella by Richard Bachman--whatever became of him?), The Long Walk (based on a novella by Richard Bachman--oh yeah, he was "killed" by Stephen King some time ago), the Star Trek episode "Breads And Circuses", and, of course, the television show "Survivor" (which to me, at least, is not a "Reality Show" so much as it is a "Game Show").  The point being, sure, The Hunger Games certainly is not "original" but then again, neither are any of the stories/movies that it takes from.

Is it original?  No.  Does that instantly categorize it as bad?  No.  So, then, is it good?  Well, sure.  I suppose it is.  I mean, it kept me engaged for its (to be fair overly long) 2 1/2 hour running time.  It entertained me.   There were actual moments of suspense and things of a gripping nature.  I recommend it for the sheer enjoyment value.  However--

The problems I have with the movie (and would likely have with the book were I to read it) are fairly large.  The basic plot (I'll "high concept" describe this as best I can) is this:  In a dystopic future, the United States (I know, I know, it's really called Panem, but to be honest, it's America) has been split into 12 sectors (districts).  Every year a boy and a girl (ages 12-18) from each district are chosen by lot (I guess we can add Shirley Jackson's The Lottery to this movie's origin stew, come to think of it) to battle to the death on television.  The reasons for this are not all that clear, but it evidentially is to pay tribute to the evil overlord-like government (run by a ZZ Top bearded Donald Sutherland).  So, the survivor rate for these Games is not very much in your favor, should your name be drawn (I would calculate it, but I am not much for math learnin').  Since the Games are televised (there are cameras EVERYWHERE), all of the killings are broadcast (presumably all 23 of them) to the bloodthirsty masses (though, when we see the masses watching the Games, they don't appear to be especially bloodthirsty).  We follow the Tributes from District 12, a fierce headstrong girl named Katniss, and a likable, if dull, boy named Peeta (not sure if this is a subtle advertisement for PETA, my guess and hope would be not).  Will one of them survive?  Will they fall in love?  I am not going to spoil it.  I will say, however, that there are three books in the series, so what do you think the chances are Katniss gets offed?

So, that's basically it.  This is one of those "futurey" movies where there's an occasional rocketship flying overhead and most of the characters have "future hair" (you'll know what I mean if/when yo see it).  The costumes all look to be not so much futuristic as they appear to be Gaultier designs, circa 1995 or so (I can see in my mind Kate Moss wearing some of these clothes).  There's stormtroopers and weird facial hair, which I would imagine means our great-grandchildren's generation will be spending lots of time with grooming.

So, if Katniss is the hero of the movie (is "heroine" considered now to be sexist the same way "actress" is?) and we have to like her and want to see her survive, we're going to have to see her actually kill people.  It's here that the movie really loses me.  The story wants its cake and to eat it too.  If we watch Katniss kill people in a bloodthirsty fashion it will make her not sympathetic.  However, if she doesn't kill anyone, she would probably be the first to go.  So, the movie cheats.  It keeps putting her into scenarios where should would have to make some morally shaky decisions and then almost immediately removes her from them.  Had the movie really examined what its premise was, it would be glorifying a mass murderer.  Since glorifications of mass murderers aren't usually fodder for PG-13 event movies, this won't do.  I am treading lightly here to avoid spoilers, but there's another Tribute that Katniss teams up with, and when I saw that, I thought, "Hmm, this could get interesting if Katniss needs to eventually fight this other character to the death".  A second or two later, that moral quandary was eliminated, as was the possibility of the film going into some dicey and interesting territory.

Another problem is the Hunger Games themselves (should it be plural?  Not sure).  The rules should be set in stone and yet they are amazingly flexible to the demands of the plot.  Again, we cannot have two characters we grow to care about killing each other (not in a teen movie, apparently), so the Game Master (or whatever you want to use to describe Wes Bentley's character) makes a fundamental change that makes no sense to the world that the movie is depicting.  Did someone read the screenplay?

Another major issue I have is with just how futuristic this world really is.  It is a mixture of high tech and agrarian cultures, which is fine, but just how high tech is this future?  The Games, as mentioned, are monitored by what must be thousands of cameras.  Fine, but later in the movie, the people running the Games seem to be able to make living breathing creatures materialize out of the thin air (monster creatures that seem to be half dog, half bear, and all bad CGI).  So, if this is a world that can manufacture animals from nowhere (maybe the science of this is explained in the novel better, but in the movie it is a confusing mess) it would seem hunger would not be much of a problem (I mean, just create lots of cows, pigs, and chickens, for God's sake).  These creatures are a jarring addition to the proceedings and go a long way to wreck the credibility of the world that we're being asked to buy into.

In any case, I still liked the movie fine.  The acting was good.  Jennifer Lawrence is quite good as Katniss, a strong-willed earthy young woman who is comfortable in the woods and will do anything to save her sibling (coming off her work in the overrated Winter's Bone, where she played a strong-willed earthy young woman who is comfortable in the woods and will do anything to save her siblings).  Josh Hutcherson is fine as Peeta, though the script fails him (why have him betray Katniss at one point if you're never going to deal with it).  As the "Adults" Woody Harrelson is decent as a former Games survivor (though his character seems to be pulled and pushed in directions that make no character sense but further the plot).  Stanley Tucci, as the host of the television show, is having fun here and it is infectious (he is one of the few people in the movie, both as actor and character who seems to understand the utter ridiculousness of the premise).  Liam Hemsworth is barely used (I imagine we'll have more of him in the sequels, when the movie adds  Twilight to its influences by having a love triangle between a good girl, a decent boy, and another boy with a dangerous edge).

This is a pretty good movie.  I'm not sure it should be closing in on $400 million domestic, but then, as mentioned, this movie doesn't necessarily consider me as a viable target for it.  It has enough action to keep you watching, if not "hungry" for more (I believe all reviews should in some way pun the title of what you're reviewing--thanks Gene Shalit and Jeffrey Lyons!)

Two more books to adapt into movies.  How much you wanna bet the last book Mockingjay is made into two separate movies?

Letter Grade:  B

Fat, Drunk, And Stupid:

The Inside Story Behind The Making Of Animal House

Written by Matty Simmons

Published by St. Martin's Press

218 pages

Overall Rating:  C-

 

If I had a gun to my head (which happens surprisingly sparingly) and was forced to name my favorite all-time comedy, it would be a toss up between National Lampoon's Animal House or This Is Spinal Tap.  Both films sort of came from the same comedic primordial ooze (both movies have significant Lampoon veterans), and I say both films have a somewhat similar sensibility in some ways (in fact, rumor has it that John Belushi--RIP--had a copy of Tap on him when he was discovered dead under tawdry circumstances at the Chateau Marmot).  I would say that either movie breaks the tie when I'm watching it, if that makes sense.  In any case, I have easily seen both films start to finish a minimum of 25 times a piece and they both manage to make me laugh out loud like a mental patient like it's the first time I'm seeing it.

So, it was with great anticipation when I bought the newly published memoir by National Lampoon founder all about the making of Animal House.  Unfortunately, it is with great sorrow that I must report the book is a miss.  Matty Simmons seems like a nice man, a mensch if you will (and no, you can probably expect no further Yiddish in this review or any other I pen).  The book is a fond look back at the creation of one of the most popular comedies of all time (adjusted for inflation, the movie, per this book, made $500 million dollars, which would make it the biggest comedy of all time, as well as the biggest R rated movie of all time as well--I am not sure of these stats so don't hole me to 'em).  The problem is that one word in the last sentence--fond.

Look, I wasn't expecting a smear job here, but this memoir is entirely too Goddamn nice.  There is almost no tension to be had within its pages, no real conflict.  This should come as a surprise, since some of the people involved in the flick are notoriously bigger than life "crazies" such as John Belushi, National Lampoon Founding Genius Doug Kenney, short-tempered mercurial studio executive Ned Tanen, and of course director john Landis.  You'da thunk with all these outsized personalities mixing it up would lead to tales of debauchery and madness, but no.

The entire process of making this movie, as outlined by Simmons was, apparently, very easy.  Everyone got along, there was no in-fighting (except between the actors who played the Deltas and the actors who played the Omegas, and let's be honest, if you're fan enough to buy this book you already knew that).  There is a total lack of drama or tension in the tales being told.  A mere eleven pages cover the actual shooting of the film.  John Belushi, avid drug enthusiast, was, according to this book, clean and sober during the entire shoot (to be honest, this claim seems dubious, especially in light of the reporting Bob Woodward uncovered in the unfairly maligned Wired).

The movie's ultimate critical success is handled by including snippets of many many (many) reviews, seven long long (long) pages worth of 'em.  About the same amount of time is spent on the failed attempts at sequels (which is merciful since the ideas recounted in the book are pitiful in a Blues Brothers 2000 sort of blasphemy).  Time is also spent on the unsuccessful television spin-off Delta House (which featured future star of Grease 2 Michelle Pfieffer), the failure of which is blamed on the network's consistently changing its airtime.

Look, I really wanted to like this book.  It just didn't live up to my expectations (or, likely, yours if you are a fan of Animal House).  The tales take on an "oft told" feel.  I get the feeling Matty Simmons could probably give speeches about this movie that would be more entertaining than the way it reads.  As it is, Simmons seems too afraid to say anything controversial (he mentions John Landis would go on to make a segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie but doesn't mention the catastrophe that befell Vic Morrow and two children during its making).

So, we're left with an entirely genial book that will likely be of no interest to anyone but hardcore fans.  The problem is, hardcore fans will not gleam any new insight from this book (which is quite short) and will, like me, find themselves bored.  I cannot in good conscience recommend buying this book, certainly not at full price. 

That said, if you're a true fan, I would be willing to bet someone will probably get this book for you for your birthday or Christmas.  You can put it on the same shelf with that book of Caddyshack quotes someone gave you a few years back.

| Played: 68 | Download | Duration: 00:45:35

Tim & John take a look at the classic Troma flick The Toxic Avenger and delve into an uncomfortable glimpse into John's personal life.  You shall laugh and cringe!

OK, as promised, here is my Criterion Collection Wish List.  Most of these are out of print, which means they are inordinately expensive on the collector's market.  The ones still in print I have yet to buy since they are boxed sets that are also a bit pricey.  I will likely get some of these within 2012 (at least before the Goddamn Mayans screw everything up for everyone in December--live it up while you can!)

As a sort of side note, I was in Wal Mart this past weekend (yes, you can hate me now for my participation in the "Death Of American Small Business") and came thisclose to buying the Blu Ray boxed set of the Star Wars series (sextology?  What does one call a series of six things?  I know I should know this).  It would have set me back 89 bucks American, but in the end I put it back.  One simple reason.  I couldn't bear the thought of Darth Vader quietly contemplatively saying "Nooooo" as The Emperor is shocking Luke towards the end of Return Of The Jedi.  So, good one, George Lucas!  You lost a sale.  Of course, it is a matter of time before I cave in and buy the consarn it thing.

These are, more or less, in production order. 

1. Dead Ringers

David Cronenberg directing Jeremy Irons playing twin drug addict gynecologists?  I am so there.  Apparently this movie is very hard for women to watch, what with all the crazy scary-looking speculums and whatnot (note, that is likely the first time I ever wrote a sentence with "speculum" in it).

2.  Peeping Tom

I've not seen this, but apparently it is a psychological thriller that puts Hitchcock's Psycho to shame.  One of Scorcese's favorite movies.  The English sure know how to be creepy.

 

3. The Bank Dick

WC Fields is not for everyone.  I all the time dig on his mumbling drunkeness.  He always seems to be saying something that would be banned by the Production Code if he was only more easily understood.  Laurel And Hardy may be favorite old comedy act (although Our Gang may be if I think about it hard enough), but I have a soft spot in my heart for Fields, who apparently spent good amounts of his free time hiding in bushes shooting random passersby in the ass with a BB gun.  Liquor is fun.

 

4. Whitnail and I

A LOT of people's all time favorite comedy.  While I definitely love it to pieces, it is not "the best".  It is funny and sad at the same time, in the way only the English can do it.  Richard E Grant is undervalued and should be a much bigger deal in America than he is (his big claim to fame is being the main bad guy in the 1991 Bruce Willis caper film/action epic/musical/comedic satire Hudson Hawk).

 

5. Notorious

An argument could be made this is not only the best Hitchcock movie ever, but also the best Cary Grant movie as well.  I wouldn't try to counter-argue that too strongly.  See it now.  It is full of suspense and black comedy.  This is one of those films that a LOT of movies afterwards were "influenced" by and "paid homage" to (polite way of saying "ripped off").

 

6. The Man Who Fell To Earth

Nic Roeg's sci-fi epic (?) with David Bowie playing himself (an alien who is off-putting).  I have only seen this in bits and pieces (and yes, you do get to see Rip Torn's bits and pieces, if you get my drift).  This is out of print, which annoys me because if there is a DVD I have picked up and put down in Borders or Barnes & Noble over the years, it's this one.  Stupid!

 

7. Ali: Fear Eats The Soul

Fassbinder.  Acquired taste, but once you have it you will crave more.  I love his ability to mix art house snobbery and wild 50's style melodrama.  Dead before 40.

 

8. John Cassavetes: Five Films

What's my take on Cassavetes?  Genius?  Alcoholic?  Genius Alcoholic?  In any case, this one is a set I am almost certainly going to buy in 2012.  You get: Shadows; Faces; A Woman Under The Influence; Killing Of A Chinese Bookie; Opening Night.  Anyone who elevated Peter Falk is OK by me.

 

9. The Golden Age Of Television

I love the way old 50's television kinescopes look (reminds me of The Honeymooners Lost Episodes).  Here you get a lot of kitchen sink dramas that I can only imagine confounded people in the first of the American Suburbs.

 

10.  American Lost and Found: The BBS Story

Read Peter Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls for the whole story (any true film fan should have this book read and re-read).  BBS was a fascinating company run by some pretty intense dudes, a couple of whom had gotten rich manufacturing The Monkees.  It burned bright but it burnt out damn fast.  Some good movies left in the embers.  You get:  Head; Easy Rider; Five Easy Pieces; Drive, He Said; A Safe Place; The Last Picture Show, The King Of Marvin Gardens.  Just typing that last part is making me REALLY want to go on Amazon right now and order this set.  Rest in peace, Bert Schneider.

Flashback.  1997.  I become the proud owner of a DVD player.  While this put me ahead of the curve of most Americans, it hardly puts me in the realm of the Early Adopter (you know, those people who already own both an iPad and an iPad 2 yet felt the need to stand outside the Apple Store for seven hours to get an iPad 3 on the first day of release--detestable people, no?)  The first movie I ever watched on DVD was Blade Runner (had to be, no?)  My parents had gotten the DVD player along with the aforementioned Ridley Scott dystopic epic and a copy of The Negotiator for some reason (which, nearing 15 years later, I have never once watched on DVD).

The next day, I made a hasty trip down to the Ocean County Mall, more specifically to Suncoast Video (this was before you could get DVDs in most stores like Wal Mart or Target--and as a sidenote, let's all agree to stop pronouncing it "Tar-jay" as this hasn't been funny since Bill Clinton was still in office--end of digression).  Suncoast had a decent selection of DVDs, all at list price (which means, normal price was $20 or $30 depending on the title).  More importantly, they carried the gold standard of DVD--The Criterion Collection. 

Now, The Criterion folks made their name way back in the 1980s with laserdiscs (which I also owned a player for--though I never really "got" the appeal of having to stop and flip a movie at least once and often four times to see it though to the end), so I was familiar with them.  Siskel and Ebert had once done a show about letterboxing and they showed a clip from The Criterion laserdisc of Blade Runner (which has, in all honesty, a totally tits Warner DVD boxed set, but I cannot help wishing it was Criterion).  The problem was, Criterion laserdiscs tended to be at least a hundred dollars, and in some cases, much more.  The only Criterion laserdisc I was ever to affordably own was Monty Python And The Holy Grail, which didn't play right in my machine (the extra audio tracks bled together so you couldn't make out the Pythons' commentary since it was jumbled with a Japanese language track).

Ok, back to my 1997 flashback.  I'm at Suncoast and I have some cash to burn so I plunk down $80 and buy, for $39.95 each (duh), my first two DVD purchases.  They were Robocop (which boasted the uncut unrated version with the extra extreme violence) and This Is Spinal Tap (with hours of outtakes and commentary tracks).  I remember thinking it was amazing that they were so inexpensive, since the laserdisc versions had been in the $100 plus category on both.  To this day, most of the Criterion Collection discs retail for $39.95, or in some cases (usually with fewer added features) $29.95.

I got the DVDs home and spent the next several hours (days?) digesting everything on the discs and basking in the glow of their sheer movie loving awesomeness.  It sparked a still ongoing love affair with The Criterion Collection.

What I love most about this company is their willingness to mix high class foreign snobbery with low class American trash.  What this means is that a Kurosawa masterpiece will get the same loving care and treatment as, say, Videodrome.  One gets the sense they are as excited by all elements of Cinema, so you get "films" as well as "movies". 

So, for shits and giggles and chutes and ladders, I thought I would list all the Criterion DVDs I currently own.  I expect this list will grow with time.  Once I hit it big in the Screenplay trade or win the MegaMillions lottery (which probably have the same odds of happening, frankly--I suspect both to happen to me this year), one of my first acts will be to track down and own every single solitary Criterion DVD, which I will then keep in a vault with a lock that can only be opened with my breath (like in the unfairly neglected Alien Resurrection).  Till then, however, I will celebrate the 42 I consider myself honored to own (out of 618 released/announced).

I have listed these by their spine numbers, not the order in which I purchased them.  Next week, I will make a list of the ten Criterion DVDs I most want to have but don't (yet!):

 

2.  Seven Samurai

I own the re-release.  Haven't watched this one yet, the sheer enormity of it cows me.  I will see this sometime this year.  When I have four hours to lose myself in medieval Japanese fantasy.

 

12.  This Is Spinal Tap

As already noted, this is the first I ever watched.  Sadly, it is out of print (which happens all too frequently with Criterion, I think because of rights issues).  More sadly, this version kicks the only available version's ass.

 

17.  Salo Or The 120 Days Of Sodom

Re-release.  The original is out of print and mad expensive.  I wrote about this one already, so I will only say it is an original film that you probably only need to see once (if that).

 

23.  Robocop

Out of print and WAAAAAYYYY superior to the currently available release.  Watching the extended scene of Peter Weller being brutally "killed" was one of those moments that made me happy to be alive (I swear I am not a sickie).  I would love to see more Verhoven on Criterion.  Think of what they could do with Starship Troopers.

 

24.  High And Low

Another Kurosawa movie I still need to man up and watch.  I own four Kurosawa flicks and have yet to watch one of them.  I bought them all on a binge when Barnes & Noble had a 50% off sale.  I HAVE seen many of the other Kurosawa movies, I just don't own 'em.

 

37.  Time Bandits

I love Terry Gilliam movies, but I always found this one more interesting than good.  I love the kid's parents exploding at the end and George Harrison's song "Dream Away" over the end credits, but this is one of those movies I think most people think they like more than they do.  Criterion did a great job on a mediocre movie.  More Gilliam shortly...

 

40.  Armageddon

Yep.  Criterion released a Michael Bay movie.

 

51.  Brazil

The original three disc release (there's a lesser version out there, but go for the expensive one).  Now this is a GREAT Gilliam movie.  The release outdoes the movie, even.  Three versions of the movie (including one made for TV with a happy ending completely out of place ala Blade Runner) and a fascinating documentary about all the tsuris that went into the making (and nearly unmaking) of this classic flick.  This may be my favorite all-around Criterion DVD.

 

52.  Yojimbo

See my comments on High and Low.

 

53.  Sanjuro

See my comments on Yojimbo.

 

61.  Monty Python's Life Of Brian

Fun disc.  The commentary tracks are good, though would it kill John Cleese to not sound like a bored academic prick?  How can someone so funny be so dour?  But I digress.

 

65.  Rushmore

The Price Club had this bundled with High Fidelity for 10 bucks.  So I got this for five bucks, which was a deal of a deal.  Holds up well, though Bill Murray has now re-played the same character he plays in this in every movie he has made since (except Zombieland).

 

75.  Chasing Amy

Love Kevin Smith.  Never thought this movie was so hot.  Like all other releases, though, Kevin Smith really understands how to do an entertaining commentary track (his only betters in this regard are John Waters and Trey Parker and Matt Stone).  When I watch this now, it is always with the commentary track on.

 

108.  The Rock

Uh huh.  Criterion released a second Michael Bay movie.  I could be wrong, but this may be the only Nicholas Cage movie Criterion has released.  Until Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, that is.  I mean, why not?  They released The Rock, didn't they?

 

151.  Traffic

My favorite movie of the first decade of the 2000s.  Stellar release.

 

157.  The Royal Tenenbaums

I need to re-buy this at some point, as the first disc is hopelessly damaged.  I haven't seen this one in a while.  I should chuck it out, but cannot bear to.

 

175.  Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas

This one is loaded with goodness.  Hunter S Thompson's commentary track is amazing.  Plus, there's a good full-length documentary on the good Doctor as well.  Wal Mart sometimes sells this one for cheap, so if you see it there snap it up.

 

180/181.  I Am Curious (Yellow)/I Am Curious (Blue)

These Swedish art films really push the barrier of watchability.  Notorious in their initial release (seized by US Customs, no less), they are impenetrable bores with occasional nudity (and not especially sexy nudity at that).  For serious art film snobs only.

 

182.  Straw Dogs

Out of print.  One of my top ten movies of all time, this has never lost its ability to shock me.  Violent as all hell with a great Dustin Hoffman performance (even better than Dr. Magoriom's Wonder Emporium, or whatever the fuck that was called).  The remake is OK, though it loses all the psychological tension and drama of the original (how did Ebert prefer it)?  In any case, this DVD is well worth seeking out.  Lacking only a Peckinpah commentary track, which I suppose is more than understandable since he's dead.

 

220.  Naked Lunch

If you go with the flow, this is a great movie.  If you cannot lose yourself in it, it is pretty hard sledding.  Another disc filled with goodness, especially for Burroughs fans (who isn't one?).  Cronenberg is a genius (except for Eastern Promises, which was stinky).

 

247.  Slacker

The movie that made Kevin Smith want to direct.  It's good anyway (I kid, I kid).  The movie is a lot of fun, as it is about, by, and for hipsters (it probably could have been called Hipster with no changes at all).

 

248.  Videodrome

Another Cronenberg.  James Woods is the best ever at playing smart sleazy guys.  I'm pretty sure this makes even less sense than Naked Lunch, but then I never watched it high.  Criterion did a good job on the transfer.  The other release by the Studio is pissy poor.

 

258.  Tanner '88

Not a movie.  An HBO miniseries (of all things) conceived by Robert Altman and Garry Trudeau.  It was made during the actual lead up to the 1988 Presidential election, and is quite good.  There's references being made I am sure I missed since it was so of its time, but it is a great time capsule (I love old shot on video eighties stuff, the aesthetic of it appeals to me).  It is very Altman-esque with a large mosaic of characters and overlapping dialogue and stuff.  If you've seen Clooney's recent The Ides Of March, this is for you.

 

265.  Short Cuts

Another Altman.  Maybe his best movie (save for Nashville).

 

277.  My Own Private Idaho

Not my favorite Gus Van Sant film (that would be Elephant) but it is damn fine nevertheless.  This has really neat packaging (as all the Criterions do, but since this one stands out that is really saying something).  Watching it now, you can't help but wonder what River Phoenix would have become had he lived.  Clearly he was something special.  Also decent is Keanu Reeves, who only later became something of a goof (whoa).

 

289.  Hoop Dreams

This may be the best documentary ever made.  You need to see it immediately if you have not already done so.  The Academy Awards still have not lived down ignoring this film.  Remember, this wasn't even nominated, but Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close was.

 

303.  Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession

Nicholas Roeg is not for everyone (no shit, really?).  This flick about obsessive love stars the always-underrated Theresa Russell (who should have been way huger a star than, say, Julia Roberts) and Art Garfunkel (of all people).  It is fun to watch in a car crash sort of way, and Garfukel is amazingly believable as a pretentious asshole.  Roeg makes something tawdry into something poetic.

 

336.  Dazed And Confused

Highly recommended.  If I was trying to make a believer out of any Criterion doubters this would be the DVD that I'd use for my case.  Again, there's a studio-released version that just totally sucks (which is unsurprising since it is released by the studio that totally botched this masterpiece's release in 1993).  Go with this one.  The extras are great, the booklet is fun, and I can just watch this one over and over.

 

399.  House Of Games

David Mamet directing his own screenplay with Joe Mantegna as the star is like watching a confluence of greatness.  The plot is a bit contrived, but just listening to that dialogue makes up for it.  You probably never saw this movie.  Correct that as soon as possible.

 

469.  The Hit

Stephen Frears directing John Hurt, Tim Roth, and Terence Stamp in a crime drama.  That should be 'nuff said.  The transfer on this one is especially good.  Tim Roth is fun to watch as a young punk (as a sidenote, I am convinced Ryan Gosling was inspired by Roth's look in this for the movie Drive).  Why hasn't John Hurt ever won an Oscar?  Embarrassing fact.  He's great here as a scary hit man.  Terence Stamp is also his usual awesome self.

 

486.  Homicide

Mamet.  Mantegna.  Adding in William H Macy (who was in House Of Games, but with a larger role here).  Again, the plot is not as tight as it should be (Mamet loves his reversals), but the writing crackles.  Both a tough police procedural as well as an examination of a man's faith.

 

496.  Che

Soderbegrh's four hour biopic of Che Guevera (actually it is broken into two separate movies) is not a fun night at the movies, but I was expecting a bore-fest that I didn't get.  Surprisingly engrossing (especially since it is mostly not in English).  Benicio Del Toro does wonders with this role, giving a performance deeper than an image on a t-shirt (really, could the average hipster wearing a Guevera t-shirt they bought at Hot Topic in the mall elucidate what Guevera's philosophy was?)  I say, watch part one, take a break of a day or two, then watch part two.  This movie's length scared people off unfairly.  It is more accessible than you might imagine.

 

533. Crumb

This documentary would be unbelievable as fiction.  As it is, an examination of Robert Crumb's life, work, and family is fascinating like a good novel.  Watching Crumb take us through his art and some of his processes could be taught in art school.  Notoriously press-shy, Crumb apparently only agreed to be in this movie when its director Terry Zwigoff threatened to kill himself.  Don't know if that's true, but it makes sense even as an urban legend.  This is another movie you can watch and you will feel better that it is not you (for all his wealth and fame/infamy Crumb is a miserable sumbith).

 

552.  Broadcast News

Big budget Hollywood filmmaking at its best.  Unusually literate and wise.  What happened to James L Brooks?  How do you make a movie as good as this and then a movie like Spanglish or How Do You Know?  Holly Hunter, William Hurt, and Albert Brooks really bring it here, playing realistic yet well-written characters.  You will feel smarter after watching this one.

 

555.  Sweet Smell Of Success

Hollywood filmmaking at its best, circa 1957.  Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster aren't always thought of in the same way, say Bogart or Brando are.  They should be.  This is a dark dark movie, and Lancaster, especially, seems to be chewing up the dialogue with unusual relish (Ernest Lehman knew how to write like nobody's business).

 

562.  Blow Out

Failure redeemed.  A movie that flopped in its release, this has gone on to be regarded as the classic it is (though both Ebert and Kael loved it upon release).  I had only ever seen this on a pan and scan VHS, which looked like total shit (no duh).  Seeing it remastered and in widescreen was a revelation.  Brian De Palma was/is unafraid to make dark movies with sad endings.  John Travolta is at his best here, and so are Nancy Allen, Dennis Franz, and John Lithgow (who plays a crazy person about as well as anyone).  While no De Palma commentary (him, Spielberg, and Eastwood are the three directors who really shun doing them), there is a great conversation between him and director Noah Baumbach on the extras.  Get this.

 

563.  Something Wild

Jonathan Demme's screwball comedy, road movie, love story, psycho thriller is still as good as you remember it.  Melanie Griffith is so good here, how did she end up in shit like Milk Money?  Jeff Daniels is his usual self, bland on the surface, roiling emotions below.  Ray Liotta is astonishing at combining good natured cheerfulness and angry psychosis.  Jonathan Demme doesn't make many movies these days.  Our loss.

 

568.  Kiss Me Deadly

This movie is fucking crazy.  Mike Hammer and nuclear explosions. Robert Aldrich made the best 50's film noir ever, which is saying something.  Ralph Meeker plays Hammer with a smirky sadistic edge which makes the whole movie much edgier.  Tarantino was clearly (and specifically) influenced by this movie (the glowing briefcase).  This is also out on DVD elsewhere, but this is the one to get.  Tons of fun and you will definitely say "huh" at the end.

 

574.  Life During Wartime

Todd Solondz is not for everyone.  Sometimes I like him (Welcome To The Dollhouse; Happiness), sometimes I appreciate him (Palindromes), sometimes I just think he's wanking off (Storytelling).  This movie combines all three of my basic feelings for him.  This is not a bad movie, but it's also not a very good one.  I respect the attempt, but can't see watching this again any time soon.

 

575.  The Killing

Kubrick before he drained all life and emotion from his movies.  A caper film that also was a direct influence on Tarantino (time shifts and stuff), this is another movie for film noir fans.  Fatalistic.  The cinematography comes across well on this edition.  Plus, I can always watch Sterling Hayden in anything.  The narration seems out of place, but on the whole this is a good one.  The disc also includes Kubrick's feature debut Killer's Kiss, but I've yet to watch it.

 

586.  Island Of Lost Souls

"Are we not men?"  This is one of those old horror movies from that talkies' infancy.  The makeup effects are really well done, especially for the time.  Old horror movies knew they had you if they provided the right level of creepy atmosphere.  This movie delivers on that in spades.  This should be the only Dr Moreau movie you ever need to see (especially not the Val Kilmer/Marlon Brando mess from the 90s).

 

598.  World On A Wire

I have yet to watch this.  Fassbinder making a three hour plus science fiction film is something to see.  If you know nothing of Fassbinder, make a point of learning.  I wish more of his stuff was readily available (a miniseries he made for German TV called Berlin Alexanderplatz is out on Criterion and though I don't have it, I wish to).

 

So, these are the ones I have.  As mentioned, shortly I will follow up with a wish list of Criterion Collection DVDs.

Tim and John discuss their recent trip to see classic rock band Guns N Roses (aka Axl and friends!) Also discussed is John Carter of Mars. 

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 Tim and John talk about the 1930's classic Bride of Frankenstein,

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Tim & John talk about the 1965 Russ Meyer Proto-feminist camp classic Faster Pussycat Kill Kill.  Before that, John does his annual complainin' 'bout the Oscars and once again mentions that he enjoyed Sucker Punch.

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Tim & John dicsuss the masterpiece 1979 war film "Apocalypse Now" and all the trials and tribulations that occurred during the making of it.

We did a Die Hard podcast. Want proof? give a listen!

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