So, the movies. At that place, at that time, Wednesday evening was Movie Night. The owner of the local video store would bring over 3 new releases and we would watch one or all of them depending on the time we had. They all played but we had individual curfews. How late we were allowed out. That evening the first video was "The Terminator". I don't know what your first impression was but the thing is riveting. It was highly touted as futuristic/science fiction. Time travel, cyborgs, real Galaxy Magazine stuff. About 2/3's of the way thru I began to realize it was actually an old-fashioned monster movie, a lot like Frankenstein or Nosferatu. I kept that thought to myself and enjoyed the mayhem. "I'll be back."
In that connection, someone asked what movie gave you nightmares as a kid. Hell, I grew up in the 50's and 60's. No movies; the evening news gave me nightmares. Forty years later the sequel to "The Terminator". depicted a nuclear explosion at a playground. That scene gave this middle-aged man nightmares.
Now, everyone is fascinated with zombies. It's just stupid. In the late 80's and 90's people loved Anne Rice and vampires. I never got that either but my kids (late teens, early 20's) loved it. One day, I came in after work and they were watching "Near Dark". In the course of maybe 15 minutes of conversation, I was exposed to 15 minutes of the movie I had dismissed as just more vampire nonsense. I went on about my business but I noticed I kept thinking about the snippet I'd seen. That always indicates to me I've seen something of artistic value that might be revisited. I watched the movie the next day. It scared the living bejesus outta me. Lestat and all that gothic crap still seems like just crap to me. Sorry, Anne. If I want chewing gum for my eyes I prefer Anne Perry.
The thing about 'Near Dark" was it's just so naturalistic in its settings. So contemporary. You can actually see yourself having a beer in some hole in the wall bar in the sticks and a bunch of people come in and murder everyone and you're helpless. It still gives me the shivers.
A few years later TV Guide published a list of the scariest horror films of all time. "The Terminator" and "Near Dark" made the list. Everyone likes their thoughts confirmed. "The Terminator" was a science fiction movie. "Near Dark" was a vampire movie. Nah, they are true horror movies and though my mind runs to "Bringing Up Baby" or 'The Front Page", I recommend them both.
Movies. I just had occasion to rewatch "David Copperfield". It made me think about the fact that as a vaudevillian, W C Fields always traveled with a trunk of books. He spent an entire career imitating Mr Micawber. Who better to play Micawber in the movie? That made me think of what we think of as quintessential Bogart. If you read Hammett, you realize Bogart was just taking stage direction right down to the smallest gestures. It testifies to Bogart's power as an actor and his belief in Hammett's vision and it's testimony to Hammett's talent. Interesting. Like everything else, the more you know the more interesting something is.
I was thinking about authors and the movies made of their work. You can always tell how much the movie makers loved the novel they're working on. "Sometimes a Great Notion" by Ken Kesey is a good example of this. I think it's one of the 10 best contemporary novels. You can tell by watching that Fonda, Newman, Remick, et al just loved the book and wanted to be as true as possible to what they loved. I watched "Nobody's Fool" years ago. If you're an older guy it's just really great. If you're from a small town, it's great. It captures the rough and tumble and love of life-long relationships to a word. To a touch. Watching that movie got me to read Russo's novel. I can't remember having done that before. I normally read the novel and then make a point to see the movie. Most people do, I expect. I discovered why the people made the movie. The novel is great but the screenplay is so much kinder to the characters. It made me love the movie even more. I recommend both. I liked Benton's touch so much better. He polished the rough edges off of Russo and so doing brought out and enhanced the beauty of the grain.
I just had occasion to rewatch the 2010 version of "True Grit". That's been made twice from a novel. John Wayne bought the film rights as soon as he read the book. Eventually, the character of Rooster Cogburn earned the Duke his only Oscar for a specific performance. I think the Cohen Brothers did a better job with the Charles Portis novel. I can't ever fault the Duke but it's pretty obvious Jeff Bridges read the book pretty closely.
In the spirit of random thoughts, I was thinking about "Big Jake". I love John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in the movies. There is a scene in that movie where Wayne realizes O'Hara is in agreement with and instructing his more rigid nature. He looks at her and says, " Is this the way you want it?" to which she replies, " These men should get exactly what they have asked for." I actually get that. My wife can look at me and instruct me to do the exact opposite of what anyone overhearing would think. I just like that little moment. Been there, done that.
Sometimes the more you know, the dumber something is. Here's something in the westerns, which I love, westerns that is. A couple desperadoes will rob a bank and high-tail it out of town with a posse a couple hundred yards behind them. Who saddled the horses that fast? If you left a horse saddled all day it wouldn't be fit to ride. On top of that, how far are you going to ride a horse at full gallop? Not far. The old adage is: Run on four, walk on two. it could never happen that way.
Another thing. A man the size and weight of John Wayne would not have ridden a quarter horse. At least not far. He's too big. If he wanted to ride all day he'd be on a plow horse. Traditional cowboys were all little, wiry guys. On top of that, about a third of them were black because it was one of the few jobs open to them. Oral histories will tell you that but written history wasn't open to black folks back then.
Here's another thing. I really like the movie, " McClintock" but I was at a loss to see how it was made even then and it certainly couldn't be made now. It's sometimes, violent misogyny throughout is kind of jarring. It wasn't until I learned it was a conscious remake of "Taming of the Shrew " that I got it. If the Bard can do it, so can the Duke. I guess.
Did you know that a silencer won't work on a revolver? The side blast from the cylinder wouldn't and can't be suppressed. Not only would it be just as noisy it would probably burn hell outta your hand if you tried it. Well, it's just the movies but you'd think people would know that. I don't know why I add that except it just annoys me.
Speaking of things that annoy me. I watched "The Day Before Yesterday" a bit ago. It has a few deliberately mean, comic moments. I'm sorry but the news reporter getting nailed with the billboard is funny. You would think it would be instructive but if recent hurricanes are any indication, apparently not.
Now, this movie postulates global warming triggers a new ice-age. That's hilarious. It just don't work that way. In the process of this immediate freeze over the climatologist's kid gets trapped in the New York Public Library with a few friends. Meantime, some sort of tidal wave they can't explain has brought a North Atlantic freighter to just outside the door. They're inside burning books to try to stay warm. Outside is a freighter with probably several thousand tons of fuel oil equipped to handle North Atlantic conditions. It doesn't occur to them to not burn the books that would show them how to light the boilers and pretty much go wherever they needed. Luke! Go to the ship! And by the way, call your Dad's cell phone.
That's something that's changed a great deal in recent years. I love film noir and mysteries but now I keep noticing that so much of some plots depend on the character being out of touch with his office or other characters. I find myself saying, "For God's sake, just call his cell!" In that vein, you gotta wonder if Perry Mason's answering service wasn't clairvoyant. He gets all his calls at just the right time and in obscure places.
Star Wars was a shift in the way science fiction was made. There's been reams expended on how it changed the genre. Here's what I noticed when I first saw it that set it apart. Greasy fingerprints around the light switches. Ever before that the future had been very well maintained, groomed and dressed. Uniforms were, well...uniform and freshly laundered and pressed. I think the future will actually be a cross between Star Wars and Spaceballs and parts of it will smell pretty bad. The idea that men or women for that matter, will ever commonly wear clothing that zippers up the back is just stupid.
As you can see I really enjoy the cinema. After all, it's only a movie.
As you can see I really enjoy the cinema. After all, it's only a movie.
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