Friday, May 22, 2009

East of Eden

It was with heavy heart that I closed East of Eden for good this afternoon. I had always wanted to read John Steinbeck's classic but somehow it took me almost 30 years to get around to it. Better late then never!

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As with any book that grabs me like this one did, I didn't want it to end. I started reading it about a week and a half ago and I couldn't put it down but as I fell completely in love with it and neared the end I tried slowing my reading pace down because I couldn't bear the idea of it ending.

There are many books in this world that I like a great deal but there are few that suck me into their world so intensely and have me so invested in the characters that I feel I am also a character in the book. Where, if someone I love in the book is injured or dies or is betrayed I feel as though it happened to my own father/mother/sister/friend. Along with this book the others that come to my mind are The World According to Garp and A Fine Balance.

I'm a big fan of epic family stories that span years. From the first sentence I was hooked. I've rarely read a novel that had so many interesting characters whether they were pure evil or the kindest souls you could ever have the pleasure of knowing.

The story begins with Adam and Charles Trask, two brothers and the sons of Cyrus and Alice Trask (Adam has a different birth mother) living on a farm in Connecticut. The boys grow to be very different. Adam is a kind, loving boy and although Charles loves his brother fiercly, he has a wicked violent streak that comes out of jealously causing him to twice beat his brother to a pulp.

It is after these beatings that it becomes obvious to Charles and the reader that Cyrus favours Adam.

Cyrus, an army enthusiast (and liar but that's a whole other story!) raises his sons in a strict military style and once old enough he demands that Adam enlist however, he chooses to keep Charles at home on the farm knowing that his violent temper will do him no good.

The Trasks are only one family this story follows. We also have the pleasure of getting to know the Hamiltons, Samuel in particular. Sam was by far one of my favourites. An Irish immigrant who made his way over with his wife to the Salinas Valley and their barren farm where they raised nine children. Sam was a warm, honest, self educated man who eventually becomes friends with Adam Trask once Adam as an adult relocates to the Salinas Valley with his pregnant wife Cathy.

And this is all just in the beginning. It also follows the evil Cathy along with Cal and Aron Trask, her twin boys whom she deserts as babies, leaving them with a wounded Adam.

Along the way there are so many memorable characters including another one of my favourites, Lee. Lee is introduced as the simple minded Chinese servant to Adam Trask's family but he soon reveals himself to Sam as an intellectual Chinese-American who only speaks 'pidgin' because: “It’s more than a convenience,” he said. “It’s even more than a self-protection. Mostly we have to use it to be understood at all . . . . If I should go up to a lady or a gentleman, for instance, and speak as I am doing now, I wouldn’t be understood.”

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John Steinbeck

I beg you to read this if you haven't already! Today, as I sat and ate my lunch at a local diner, I sadly came to the end. I was filled with such emotion as I read the last page that I walked back to work wiping tears from my eyes. I don't know whether I was crying because of events in the book or if I was crying out of pure joy at having been afforded the luxury to read such a wonderful story.

I just don't know how I will be satisfied by the next book I pick up.

-Amanda

East of Eden
by John Steinbeck
Published 1952
601 pages

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Crimes and Misdemeanors

"Sometimes to have a little luck is the most brilliant plan."

Movies don't get any better than this! Crimes and Misdemeanors is Woody Allen's philosophical tale of ethics and morality, weaving two stories together.

On the darker side of things we have Judah Rosenthal a highly respected ophthalmologist (brilliantly played by (Martin Landau) and "devoted" family man who finds himself in a bit of a pickle when Dolores (Anjelica Huston), the woman he's been having an affair with for a few years sends a letter spilling the beans to his wife. As luck would have it, he finds the letter first and is spared for the time being. He tries talking sense into Dolores but she's hysterical and refuses to be tossed aside. In her desperation she continues to threaten going to his wife with the truth and to go public with some of his shady financial dealings. Judah reluctantly decides that quite possibly, murder is the only option.

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On the flip side we have an unhappily married documentary filmmaker Cliff (Allen), who in a time of need takes the job of doing a film portrait of his wife's pompous brother Lester (Alan Alda), a successful television producer. It is while doing this that he meets and falls in love with Hallie (Mia Farrow), an associate producer.

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This is a thought provoking, at times shocking, dark and funny, film that asks many questions such as: Can you commit morally objectionable acts and not be consumed with guilt? Can anything truly matter if "god" doesn't exist?

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There are strong performances given by each and every actor in this film. Martin Landau is so friggin' good in this! I read an interview with Woody Allen where he stated that Landau is the one actor he has worked with in which every way he moved and gave his lines was exactly how he had envisioned it and he attributed it to the fact that they both grew up in the same area of Brooklyn so they developed a similar way of interacting. Alan Alda is fantastic as usual. His Lester is pretentious, self obsessed and in turn really humourous to watch. And in small but welcome roles we have Jerry Orbach as Judah's dirty brother and Sam Waterston as the painfully kind and sweet rabbi Ben who, although going blind, somehow comes out a winner in the end.

-Amanda

1989
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
IMDB: 8/10

Woody Allen

I couldn't possibly have a film blog and not speak of my main man Woody Allen. Woody has made my world a better place and although this might be a bold statement, I don't know that I'd want to live in a world where his films didn't exist. I love him that much.

We all trudge through life looking for someone or something we can relate to. For me, I do most of my relating with characters in books and in movies. While some might find that depressing it's just how it is and I don't mind at all. What a wonderful feeling when you find people or things or characters that you see some of yourself in. It makes you feel less alone. So naturally, when I stumbled across my first Allen film it was love at first sight. Cue the fireworks.

Suddenly there were other people in the world that I identified with! Ok, I'm no rich Manhattan-ite but here were chatty, intelligent neurotics, something I had never seen on screen before. When you see your faults (or charms, depending on how you look at it) magnified on screen it's funny! Who knew?!

The other thing I instantly loved was how dialogue heavy all of his films were (are). Exactly how I like 'em! I don't need there to be a lot going on in a movie but what I do need is well written dialogue and a lot of it. I don't care if absolutely nothing happens in a film for 2 hours, but I better be watching and listening in on some good conversation. That's what's wrong with so many films out there; there's often a simple, generic formula to follow in writing a film but so many people fail in the dialogue department. Not my boyfriend Woody. He gets an A+!

And above all else, he's funny. When I meet someone and they don't think so, I think less of them. I won't judge you on many things but I will judge you on that. He's a comic genius! Have you seen Play It Again, Sam?! It's a film that he didn't direct but he wrote and starred in it and if you dare say he's not funny then I challenge you to go rent it and just try not to laugh! If you don't find the way he eats rice or the way he dances in it hilarious then there's something seriously wrong with you. A real laugh riot that guy!

I meet many people that say they hate Woody Allen when I speak of his movies. I always ask the same question when I hear that: Have you actually seen one of his films? In most cases they have not and in every case they bring up the fact that he fucked his daughter. WELL then! I could write plenty about that.* I just don't see how any of that has to do with whether or not he makes good movies!

I will talk about many of his films in the future, in fact it's possible that I will touch on every single one of them but over the next few weeks I'd like to focus on my top five starting with Crimes and Misdemeanors which I'll post about later today.

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*All I'll say, because I have to, is that he was not married to Mia Farrow and they didn't live together. Soon-Yi Previn was adopted when she was 8 years old by Farrow and her then husband, Andre Previn. Woody was never a father figure to her, she had a father! I admit that cheating on your partner with her daughter is a sleazy thing to do (Soon-Yi should also take some of the blame) but he's not into incest and pedophilia. Soon-Yi was 22 years old, an adult! And they've been together now for 17 years, married for 12. They also have 2 children. To quote the man himself: "The heart wants what it wants." The situation was definitely unfortunate and there was a lack of class on both Soon-Yi and Woddy's parts, but love prevailed so maybe what was meant to be was meant to be. Jus' sayin'.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Sissy Spacek


At a certain point I realized all of my tastes in motion pictures came full circle, revolving around 5 people: HD Stanton, Terrence Malick, Jack Fisk, David Lynch, and Sissy Spacek; Sissy being the bow that ties it all together. For instance, Eraserhead is my favorite. Film? No, just favorite. And to show you how full circle it is: Sissy Spacek was married to Jack Fisk (production designer extraordinaire), who's sister, Mary Fisk, was married to David Lynch. Terrence Malick tried to raise money for the production of Eraserhead, who had been working with Fisk since 73.

She's not one of my favorite actresses just for being married to the Man in the Planet, or being in Malick, Altman and Lynch films, or for holding the slate between takes on Eraserhead but for delivering one of the finest runs of films in the 70's starting with one of my favorites, Badlands.




In Badlands she plays Holly Sargis, a 15 year old baton twirler, left an orphan and on the run when her trigger happy boyfriend kills her dad, et al.
The film on which she met her husband to be, Jack Fisk.

1973
imdb: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%



Next in the run is Carrie, probably the most famous film of her career and better because she's in it (worse because of Travolta). Creepy and haunting, a powerful performance full of angst. Oh teenage, angst.

1976
imdb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%





Robert Altman's 1977 film 3 Women is hypnotic, dreamy gold. Spacek turns in a varied and spooky performance as obsessive Pinky Rose, and Shelley Duvall is at times hilarious and frustrating, but an incredible performance as well.


1977
imdb: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%






Spacek's performance as Loretta Lynn in the 1980 film The Coal Miner's Daughter is the best biopic in the history of celluloid! Spacek can sing her face off. Plus this film has a young Tommy Lee Jones in it, a favorite of mine and Amanda's. (Perhaps we will post about how much we love the TLJ flick The Hunted.)


1980
imdb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%


-Matthew

Next up: a recap of my recent foray, and new found love of '70's cinema. (Which will include some nice things I have to say about John Travolta, which Amanda will love.)

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

That Obscure Object of Desire

I was completely captivated by That Obscure Object of Desire. I watched it for the first time one late spring evening when friends were gathered in the backyard. I had started it before anyone arrived but was so enamored by it that I couldn't tear myself away to join them. There was also a total babe out there but even that didn't prompt me to turn it off. In the end I got to finish the movie and I got the guy (with time!) so all was well.

Luis Bunuel directed this masterpiece (his last film) starring Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet and Angela Molina. Visually, what I loved about this film was his use of two actresses, one French and one Spanish, both absolutely gorgeous, to play the role of Conchita. Going into the film not aware of this really threw me for a loop at first but once I realized what he was doing and got used to it, I thought it was such a strange, bold and ultimately really interesting idea.

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Conchita

Mathieu is a wealthy man who upon noticing one of the maids working in his home becomes filled with an intense sexual desire for her. The maid is Conchita of course. He is determined to let nothing stand in his way of getting her.

Conchita goes back and forth from tempting and teasing him to refusing him. She never gives herself up to his desires and slowly Mathieu's patience wears thin until he is full of rage.

As she continues to withold sex from him, his anger and frustration reach a boiling point and he threatens to have her deported.

The background of this film is littered with guns and explosions courtesy of a terrorist group wreaking havoc on the city. It's interesting that this all really does just lay in the shadows of Mathieu and Conchita's bizzare relationship.

For me, the culminating point in the film is when Mathieu buys Conchita a house. He hands over the keys and she closes the wrought iron door. He can still see and hear everything. Conchita lets loose and tells him how repulsive she's always found him and then to torture him further she has sex right there with another man in front of him. AAAH! That had to hurt, huh Mathieu?! As I sat watching this by myself, I felt so uncomfortable. I felt her disgust for him and found myself wanting to spit in his face and also glad that she was rubbing her honeypot in his face like that. I wanted to high five her and say, "You go girl, show the man what he's missing!" And then on the flipside I felt my face burning with his humiliation.

Most of this film is told in flashback as he tells his story to strangers on a train. They were curious after witnessing him dump a bucket of water on Conchita's head while she stood on the platform. I'm not often a fan of stories told this way but this film is an exception.

Hands down, one of my very favourite films.

-Amanda

1977, French/Spanish
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
IMDB: 8/10

Marty

I saw Marty for the first time a few months back and got a real kick out of it. Written by Paddy Chayefsky, it stars Ernest Borgnine as Marty Piletti, a single, kind-hearted, overweight, butcher from The Bronx that at 34 is still living at home with his mother.

He seems to have given up on any idea of finding love at this point in his life, deeming himself too unattractive for any woman to love him.

At the prodding of his mother one Saturday night he reluctantly attends a dance at the local hall. Once there he is approached by some douchebag who offers him a couple bucks to take the dog of a blind date that he got stuck with, home.

Marty is horrified that someone could be so cruel and tells him he can't just ditch her like that! Naturally, the jerk doesn't listen to him and ends up ditching his poor date, Clara.

Marty sees her crying and feels terribly so he goes to her and attempts to comfort her. While sharing a dance they get to talking and these two lonely souls connect through their shared lack of confidence. All of the dog talk between them is pretty cute and I have to say that anyone that's ever felt like a bit of a dog themselves is going feel for them tremendously and really relate to this charming film.

In each other they find comfort and some very welcome company.

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Betsy Blair and Ernest Borgnine as Clara and Marty

I have to say that as I was watching this I was repeatedly impressed with the writing. I think Chayefsky's script absolutely stands the test of time some 50 years later and that he was such a wonderful talent.

The superb writing in addition to the always adorable Ernest Borgnine left me with a smile on my face throughout. Definitely worth checking out!

-Amanda

1955, B&W
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
IMDB: 7.8/10