That Obscure Object of Desire {Cet Obscur Objet du Désir} (1977) - "Recounted in flashback are the romantic perils of Mathieu, a middle-aged French sophisticate as he falls for his nineteen year-old former chambermaid Conchita."I watched it because: yep, you can blame this one on my Amazon Prime recommendations. It seemed like just the right kind of funky and different thing for me on a Friday afternoon in captivity.
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 90%
story: 4/5--extremely clever
visuals: 2/5
acting: 1.5/5
intangibles: 1/5--if you're not familiar with this one, the conceit of the whole film is that two different actresses play Conchita, the capricious would-be lover of Mathieu. (Each theoretically represents a different side of her personality - the madonna v. whore syndrome.) It is confusing and disturbing.
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Writing, based on material from another medium
• Best Foreign Language Film
overall: 2.125/5
I watched it because: it's a classic that I have wanted to see for a while, #17 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (original list 1998) and #65 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – 10th Ann. Ed. (2007).
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 98% Audience: 86%
story: 3/5
visuals: 3.5/5
acting: 4.5/5--It's essentially a two-man show, and they're both brilliant. So well done.
intangibles: 4/5--the progression from beginning to end is inspiring and lovely
Academy Award winner: Best Actor--Humphrey Bogart
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actress--Katharine Hepburn
• Best Director--John Huston
• Best Writing, screenplay
overall: 3.75/5
Next (2007) - "A Las Vegas magician who can see into the future is pursued by FBI agents seeking to use his abilities to prevent a nuclear terrorist attack."I watched it because: I'd seen it before, but it's been long enough that I didn't remember it all the way.
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 28% Audience: 53%
story: 2/5--extremely silly, but fun
visuals: 3.5/5--some of the effects are cheesy as hell, but some are terrific (his job through the casino is terrific)
acting: 3/5--standouts: Nicolas Cage (Cris Johnson) & Jessica Biel (Liz Cooper)
intangibles: 2/5
overall: 2.625/5
I watched it because: it's a classic, and it's been ages since I saw it. (And when I did see it, before, it was with someone with whom I really should not have watched such a thing. Insert eye-roll here.) It was #7 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (1998), #17 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition (2007), and #9 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs (2000).
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 86% Audience: 90%
story: 3.5/5
visuals: 3/5
acting: 4.5/5--standout: Anne Bancroft (Mrs. Robinson) is a marvel
intangibles: 2.5/5--there are some things about this film that struck me this time around. For instance, what in the world would inspire Benjamin Braddock's interest in Elaine Robinson? For that matter, what was it about Ben that caught Mrs. Robinson's eye, at the start? Some of the attractions here make sense, but there are elements that are hard to buy.
Academy Award winner: Best Director--Mike Nichols
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture
• Best Actor--Dustin Hoffman
• Best Actress--Bancroft
• Best Supporting Actress--Katharine Ross
• Best Writing, based on material from another medium
overall: 3.375/5
The Opposite of Sex (1997) - "A 16-year-old girl visits her gay half-brother and ends up seducing his boyfriend, thus wreaking havoc on all of their lives."I watched it because: the title reminded me of something that I saw and liked before, and I really like Martin Donovan from his days doing pretty much any of Hal Hartley's films.
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 80% Audience: 60%
story: 2.5/5--it's, um, interesting. I think that's the best that can be said for it. The script is incredibly vulgar and weirdly dated.
visuals: 3.5/5--pretty people being pretty
acting: 3/5--standout: Donovan, as always, lends a wry humor and intelligence to the film. He balances out the rest of the cast, which is somewhat sketchy and overbearing.
intangibles: 3.5/5--when it's not blatant and overtly offensive, it is pretty funny
overall: 3.125/5
I watched it because: since watching To Kill a Mockingbird again, I've been thinking it's time to see more Gregory Peck movies. This was recommended on Amazon Prime, and added some WWII action to boot.
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 60%
story: 3/5
visuals: 4/5
acting: 4/5--standouts: in addition to Peck's fine performance as Squadron Leader Bill Forrester, Lyndon Brook (Carrington) and Anthony Bushell (Group Captain Aldridge) were quite good
intangibles: 3/5
overall: 3.5/5
Pretty in Pink (1986) - "A poor girl must choose between the affections of dating her childhood sweetheart or a rich but sensitive playboy."I watched it because: it's been a while since I've seen it, and I was looking for something kind of light.
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 79% Audience: 81%
story: 3.5/5--if you've ever heard about a girl named Cinderella...
visuals: 4/5--a lovely flashback to my days in the Flatland, combined with a lovely flashback to my days being shoved inside lockers and being stood up for dates by guys named "Shawn"
acting: 3/5--please note the lack of Academy Award action going on here. Still, it's a good little movie and a few of the performances are marvelous. James Spader's Steff is a preview of his future gorgeous, prevaricating, 'morally flexible' bastard roles. Annie Potts' Iona is wild, weird, and true to the era and the type.
intangibles: 3/5
overall: 3.375/5
I watched it because: I don't think I've ever seen an Agatha Christie film? Definitely haven't read the books. I was curious, it was recommended on Amazon Prime, and what the Hell I'm watching everything else under the sun this weekend....
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 89% Audience: 79%
story: 3/5--intricately detailed, with a huge (named) cast and heaps of facts that might turn out to be vital, or may just be red herrings. Don't watch it if you're sleepy.
visuals: 2/5--dreadful reproduction, dark and grainy
acting: 3.5/5--John Gielgud (Beddoes), Jean-Pierre Cassel (Pierre) - incidentally, the father of Vincent Cassel, one of my faves - and Anthony Perkins (McQueen)
intangibles: 2.5/5--frankly, I found it kind of overwhelming
Academy Award winner: Best Supporting Actress—Ingrid Bergman
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actor—Albert Finney
• Best Writing, adapted from other material
• Best Cinematography
• Best Costume Design
• Best Music, original dramatic score
overall: 2.75/5
Tenderness (2009) - "A policeman works to figure out whether a violent teen murdered his [i.e. the teen's] family."I watched it because: This was recommended on Amazon Prime, and I was looking for something more "me" (i.e. action related and potentially violent) than the last few selections.
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 40% Audience: 22%
story: 4.5/5--yet another example of how my taste doesn't match the Tomatoes'! If you look at this as a disturbing-as-F$%& psychological thriller rather than thinking of it as "a Russell Crowe movie," you might like it a whole lot.
visuals: 2.5/5--John Polson directed the heck out of this and the two leads acted it masterfully, but then it was edited into the ground. It is beautiful to watch but the circuitous editing and chop-cuts would make anyone question their sanity.
acting: 3.5/5--standouts: Jon Foster (Eric Poole) and Sophie Traub (Lori Cranston) embody their messed up teen characters with just the right mix of arrogance, vulnerability, and pathos.
intangibles: 4/5--the final couple of scenes - really, the last half hour or so - absolutely make the movie.
overall: 3.625/5
[the title quotation is by Frank Capra]
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