Monthly Archives: April 2012
Movie Quote of the Day – Heart and Souls, 1993 (dir. Ron Underwood)
Harrison Winslow: Who came up with this ridiculous concept anyway? Resolve your entire life in one bold stroke? What if I fail? And I will. I’ll fail. I’m telling you. I always fail. Then my whole life will be a complete failure.
Thomas Reilly: No offense, Harrison. But you died a failure because you never tried.
First Trailer For Woody Allen’s “To Rome With Love”
I’m not sure how I feel about the name change (I really liked the title Nero Fiddled), but I am so excited for this film. Trailer after the cut.
From The Warner Archive: Fred Astaire vs. Gene Kelly
I’ve always been partial to Gene Kelly, myself. The Warner Archive asks you to choose between the two icons of dance on film with two new releases from the collection: Fred Astaire in the 1943 wartime dark comedy The Sky’s The Limit and Gene Kelly in the 1947 post-war musical comedy Living In A Big Way. Both films are little seen and essential for fans of the dancers, though I will admit as these reviews go on, my preference for Kelly will start to show.
Movie Quote of the Day – Guys and Dolls, 1955 (dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
Sky Masterson: We just got time to catch the last plane to New York.
Sergeant Sarah Brown: People miss planes. It happens.
Sky Masterson: Yeah? It also happens that people win with loaded dice.
Sergeant Sarah Brown: I know what I’m doing.
Sky Masterson: Do you, kid? [beat] I don’t.
Requiem For HAL 9000
When the American Film Institute revealed their list of the top heroes and villains in American cinema in 2003, HAL 9000 from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey ranked as the 13th greatest (or worst) villain. While I understand the knee-jerk response of categorizing HAL as a villain, especially as he is portrayed in the film, I must protest this placement. I’ve actually not read the book 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, but I understand in the book HAL’s reason for acting the way he does is revealed. I have, however, seen Peter Hyams’s sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact (which is also based on a Clarke novel). In it, HAL’s reasons are explained. He was given an order that conflicted with his main directive. Essentially, he is programmed to relay all information accurately, but then he is told in order for their current mission he must withhold information from his crew. HAL was not designed for dealing with such a moral conflict, he’s a damn computer! So he did the only thing he could do in order to not lie to his crew-mates: he killed them. This way he would not be lying to them. I guess that does kind of make him a villain. But one that you can sympathize with. Or, at least, one I can sympathize with. I think HAL’s plight is one of the great condemnations of government duplicity ever created. Every time I watch this film I can’t help but weep for HAL and all that he represents.
I wanted to embed the part in 2001 where HAL sings Daisy Bell, but the only version I could find had embedding disabled. Watch here and cry with me. Here are the lyrics:
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do,
I’m half crazy all for the love of you.
It won’t be a stylish marriage –
I can’t afford a carriage,
But you’d look sweet on the seat
Of a bicycle built for two.
2001: A Space Odyssey premiered 44 years ago today in Washington D.C.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Lavender Hill Mob, 1951 (dir. Charles Crichton)
Henry Holland: A minute later, the guard will appear around this corner, and you, Pendlebury, will detain him for at least half a minute. Ask him for a light, ask him the way, ask him anything, but keep him there, we must have those thirty seconds.
Pendlebury: Edgar.
Henry Holland: I beg your pardon?
Pendlebury: Isn’t one supposed to say that when one’s being briefed? On my rare visits to the cinema. . .
Henry Holland: The word is “roger.”
Pendlebury: Oh, roger. How silly of me.
March 2012 in Films: Napoléon, Short Films and Business Trips
I guess I watched less new-to-me films this last March than I have in any one month in over a year. There were several factors in my lack of new-to-me’s this month. For one, I spent a day and a half working on a short film with some classmates. Then I was in North Carolina on business (something related to this blog, which I will post about later) for four days. I also hurt my back, which caused me to lay in a vicodin-induced haze for a few days. Lastly, two of the films I watched last month were over five hours long. YES. Watching Bertolucci’s Novecento took an entire day, as did my epic watching of Kevin Brownlow’s restoration of Abel Gance’s Napoléon at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland last weekend. Oh yes, also, the lovely Kristen Sales of SalesOnFilm was in town for the spectical and we spent the better part of three days either watching Gance’s brilliant film or wandering around San Francisco eating and drinking and taking in the city’s delights. I also continued my re-watching of old favorites. I found in my watching of soooo many new-to-me’s last year that I began to miss watching films that were dear to me. So this year I am trying to balance new-to-me’s with a healthy dose of old favorites. Lastly, I saw some great films (mostly old favorites, a few new-to-me’s) at the Castro Theatre this month: Manhattan, Welcome To L.A. (n-t-m), Reality Bites, My Own Private Idaho, Freeway (n-t-m), Shame and Take Shelter. As always, the full list of films is after the cut, plus five highlights.
Movie Quote of the Day – Love Story, 1970 (dir. Arthur Hiller)
Oliver Barrett IV: Hey, what makes you so sure I went to prep school?
Jennifer Cavalieri: You look stupid and rich.
Oliver Barrett IV: Actually, I’m smart and poor.
Jennifer Cavalieri: *I’m* smart and poor.
Oliver Barrett IV: What makes you so smart?
Jennifer Cavalieri: I wouldn’t go out for coffee with you.
Oliver Barrett IV: Yeah, well I wouldn’t ask you.
Jennifer Cavalieri: Well that’s what makes you stupid.
the diary of a film history fanatic 