Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1955)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers was one of a few "B" films that helped Don Siegel rise to the ranks of Hollywood "A" director (along with The Lineup and Riot in Cell Block 11), and to this day it holds up as one of the most influential and great sci-fi/invasion films of the 1950s.

The film follows Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) as the small town doctor who stumbles upon a diabolical plan where the population is being replaced by alien duplicates. The film's style and pace are dead on, moving quickly from one scene to another, and isolating the viewer's point of view to that of Miles -- which effectively brings the utmost sympathy for him, and makes the end all the more insane and scary.

It's hard to write about a film that has been written about a lot, but it's important to mention here that many critics and theorists view this film as an allegory to communism (re: aliens/pods=communists, reds, pinkos) -- though Don Siegel has denied this thoroughly, and from reading interviews with him, is more of a film that argues against the rise of corporate America, bureaucracy, the loss of feeling, and the 'business first' mentality that was on the rise in post-war America. It's also of importance that the opening and closing scenes, as well as the voice over, Siegel claims to have shot in self-defense, as the studio forced him to put it in, and he did it himself to 'avoid having one of their pod directors do it'. He's also claimed that they took much of the comedy out, and from what I can tell that's true, since this film, as is, is dead serious.

Never the less, Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains an essential classic of 1950s sci-fi that captures paranoia and despair through its brilliant use of stylistic lighting, quick editing, general creepiness, and its awesome fatalistic ending.

With Dana Winter as the lovely Becky, Larry Gates as Danny, and a young Sam Peckinpah in a brief cameo as the gas man in Miles' basement. 80 minutes. Black and White.

Withnail and I (1987)

Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)

First thoughts: Withnail and I is a really British movie. I mean that in both good and bad ways, especially for an American viewer like myself. The film concerns two young friends, who are out of work actors with a tendency of indulging in heavy drinking and drugs. The aforementioned friends, are of course, Withnail and "I". Withnail is rail-thin, theatrically flamboyant and narcissistic -- "I" on the other hand, is the healthier looking, more responsible one, but doesn't mind slumming it with his pal in the big city.

Basically, they get so high that they freak out and decide they need to get out of the city, which they do -- and 'escape' to a countryside house that belongs to Withnail's fat, bizarre, homosexual uncle Monty. The film is essentially a comedy buddy film, and is written with a very literate, hilarious sharp wit -- though at times it's a bit much, from the slang to the obviously forced deliveries of certain lines -- but that's part of its charm.

The two characters, as mentioned, are actors -- and this film is as much about strange encounters with murderous poachers as it's about self-deception and the realization of failed dreams and hopelessness. Apparently based on the personal exploits of writer/director Bruce Robinson, Withnail and I has a certain sadness to the film (which becomes explicit near the end), and it makes it much more than a goofy drug comedy. The film also launched the career of Richard E. Grant (Withnail) who would go on to star in a bunch of films, not limited to a few appearances in some Altman films (The Player, Gosford Park).

With Paul McGann as Marwood, Richard Griffiths as Uncle Monty, and Ralph Brown as the stoner/drug dealer Danny. Rated R. 107 minutes.

Additional note, disclaimer: the accents are kind of brutal at times, and I watched a bulk of the film with subtitles on because of either slang or lack of being able to hear what the hell they are saying.

Safe (1995)

Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995)

Rating: A-



Todd Haynes wrote and directed this ambiguously disturbing film about isolation, emptiness, delusion, and paranoia in modern suburbia (although seemingly applicable to the 'modern' world). Safe was his second feature film, and remains a big achievement -- in regards to his earlier works (most notably 1991's Poison), and to 90s independent cinema.

The film concerns Carol White, a suburban house-wife in California, whose emptiness and delusion leads her to a series of panic attacks and the paranoia of being 'environmentally ill'. Played with the perfect amount of frailty, confusion, and lack of self identity by Julianne Moore, Carol is an intriguing character: she knows something is wrong her life, is obviously dispassionate towards just about everything -- and she does not know what is wrong or how to solve these particular mysteries. When confronted with her problems, she cannot identify them, much as she cannot identify herself -- this lack of knowing, or lack of identity, makes it impossible for her to get better (both mentally and physically). When she begins to have actual physical reactions to her own, presumably self-created illness, her search for the solution is a painfully hopeless one to watch. Safe could have easily gone down the roads of other crappy disease movies, or even actually blamed the environment for Carol's problems -- but it doesn't. The film offers no solutions to Carol's illness, and Haynes allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions. The film culminates in two particularly heart-shattering scenes near the end, and Carol's struggle will go on long after the credits roll.

If 1991's Poison was a mere indication and hint of Haynes' talent, Safe is his coming out party (almost a bad joke for a guy labeled one of the pioneers of 'New Queer Cinema', har har) -- the film is shot in extremely long shots and takes, and the suburban environment looks as if it is consuming Carol, and the use of big open spaces gives off an unnerving sense of emptiness and isolation, yet the feelings for Carol remain one's of restraint and claustrophobia. For an apt (though not entirely accurate) comparison, imagine the visual style to be 2001: A Space Odyssey in the San Fernando Valley.

With Xander Berkeley as the 'you don't like him but feel bad for him' husband, Peter Peter Friedman as the shmoozy and cliche cult leader, the excellently creepy low-hum/drone soundtrack by Ed Tomney, and the spacious and beautiful cinematography by Alex Nepnomniaschy. 120 minutes. Rated R.

Cache (2005)

Cache (Michael Haneke, 2005)

Rating: B



The film opens with a lengthy, static shot of an apartment on a architecturally cluttered street in France. We soon learn that this is actually footage from a tape, which has been sent to talk show host Georges Laurent and his publicist wife Anne. The tape sets off a series of terrorizing-type activities, in the form of both video and odd, children's drawings. They do not know who it is, though we all learn who it is later, well, kind of -- Cache is a vague film, but probably for all the right reasons.

The title, Cache, translated into English means hidden -- and is better for understanding the film. The film is very much about what is hidden, and in this case, Georges possesses what is potentially a 'horrible' secret from his childhood -- and at the same time, the strained relationship of Georges and Anne is taken to the test and becomes very much about what they are hiding from eachother through this 'stalking/terrorizing' endeavor. Unfortunately, the latter is the most interesting, but given the least amount of screen time. The former, Georges childhood 'secret', becomes somewhat the center of the film (though the film hardly has a center). Forgive me if I plead ignorance on the murky past of Algerian/French relations, but if what we perceive is to be true, then the importance and horror of all this terrorizing is shallow and almost inconceivable.

Austrian director Michael Haneke (though current French resident) does himself a favor in Cache however, by keeping it vague. And very vague it is. Outside of the relative lack of resolution, the emptiness and suspense is illuminated through the lack of clarity (and this is a good thing). Visually, the film is controlled and deliberately slow, which shows Haneke's patience and discipline, and most of the shots in the film might as well have been the same static surveillance shots. It's clearly made with painful attention to detail. Another plus, the film is wonderfully acted, mainly by Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche, who sleepwalk through this movie to the point of complete believability -- it shares the icy cool acting and characters as Hitchcock's Vertigo (again, a very good thing).

Cache is a film of suspense and mystery, which is handled with care even through the climax (which is a shockingly brutal and amazing scene) -- but it gets muddled in its politics and childish revenge elements. Though it's been noted elsewhere, check the left hand side of the screen in the final shot of the film, which suggests an endless amount of scary possibilities.

117 minutes. Rated R. In French with English subtitles.

My Darling Clementine (1946)

My Darling Clementine (John Ford, 1946)

Rating: A-



There is one thing that should pass through the mind of the modern viewer when watching John Ford's classic western adaptation of the Earp legend, My Darling Clementine: "Tombstone is a great fucking movie." That of course, friends, is the curse of modernity. Now I understand, believe me, if there is no John Ford, there certainly is no Tombstone. To dismiss one of the most revered westerns in American history, as well as the Western's finest director, would probably be considered a travesty to most -- but this is the world we (I) live in.

It's no one's fault that My Darling Clementine has become an inferior film over the years. And after all, it's a pretty good film itself, of which some people have considered a masterpiece. It's skillfully acted, beautifully shot and composed, and directed with the patience and control that only old man Ford could pull off without really caring at all (at least pretending not to). Clementine is a variation on the same old story -- the Earp brothers, Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan, end up in Tombstone, in this case, because their cattle was stolen and their brother James, murdered in the process. Wyatt soon comes out of his 'retirement' and suits up as Marshall in a town full of whores and thieves. This time around, the film is about self-sacrifice, progress, and morality -- all of which makes sense in the ashes of World War II. The problem with My Darling Clementine, however, is its simplicity. The Earp's are good. The Clanton's are bad. Black. White. Shotgun to the head. Holliday is the only character in the film that provides any sort of uniqueness, and he's quite the tortured soul: a former doctor turned gambler/gunslinger, dying of tuberculosis, easing the pain with alcoholism, and so on. This might have passed in 1946, but 50 years later, the same old story has been exhausted, and it takes an anti-hero, an axe-murderer, or a more complex character than Ford's good ol' Earp to stir the pot in my belly.

Of note: Earp is played with a sense of dignity, pride, and decency that probably only Henry Fonda could have pulled off -- and it's no wonder Ford cast him instead of his usual partner, John Wayne. Fonda delivers every line with heart and sincerity, and gives an excellent performance.

With Linda Darnell as Holliday's woman, Chihuahua, Cathy Downs as Clementine of the title, Walter Brennan as Old Man Clanton, the ultimate heavy, Ward Bond as Morgan Earp, and John Ireland as Billy Clanton. The beautiful cinematography is by Joe MacDonald, who should have thought twice about shooting day-for-night, produced by Daryl Zanuck. 97 minutes. B&W.

Once in a Lifetime (2006)

Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (Paul Crowder, John Dower, 2006)

Rating: B-



The truly fascinating thing about the New York Cosmos was that they weren't just a popular soccer team in the United States -- they were soccer in the United States. With the rise of the Cosmos came the rise of soccer, and with the downfall of the Cosmos came the downfall of soccer (in Amerca). This documentary, which came out this past year, is a good look back on the creation, existence, and downfall of the New York Cosmos and the North American Soccer League, starting in the early 1970s and lasting thru the early 1980s.

A brief history lesson: the New York Cosmos were bought out by Steve Ross and Warner Communications, who then purchased some of the finest soccer players in the world (Pele, Carlos Alberto, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, etc.), and single handedly popularized soccer in America.

The film has its fair share of sweet old school soccer footage and anectdotes, but is mainly about Warner Communications guru Steve Ross (and company), and the greedy power struggles that came with the country's most popular franchise. The complete lack of cohesion within the interviewees responses also makes this movie a joy, since everyone seems to have their own view and take on what happened, especially the power hungry Giorgio Chinaglia, who is blamed by many for the death of American soccer.

The film makes the argument that the impact of the Cosmos and the NASL was invaluable to soccer in America, leading to countless youth leagues and kids kickin' the old football around still today and the Unites States competing in the World Cup, but what its about is a grand failure, on the part of the owners, players, and the fans. This film is a treasure simply because it covers a period in time where the United States was obsessed with soccer -- and though the MLS currently thrives in its own small market, nothing like the Cosmos and the NASL will likely ever be seen again in this country. A good thing: this film can be watched and enjoyed by non-soccer fiends (like myself), but that's also kind of a problem, since the style of the film is dreadful, like a bad 'behind the scenes' television show. Never the less, Once in a Lifetime is a worthwhile watch, for any American, who wants to relive or for the first time learn about the national phenomenon that was the New York Cosmos and the NASL.

Features interviews with Marv Albert, Carlos Alberto, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Ahmet Ertegun, Mia Hamm, Steve Hunt, Rodney Marsh, Shep Messing, Werner Roth and more (Pele declined to be interviewed on the grounds of payment, he wanted $100,000, which proves that he really is the money grubbing asshole he was when he became the country's highest payed athlete in 1975, great player or not). Narrated by Matt Dillon. DVD features full length championship games, including (for Chicago fans) the 1981 final against the Chicago Sting. PG-13. 97 minutes.