Day 185 - 7/4/09 - Movie #185
BEFORE: OK, so I wussed out on Memorial Day by watching "Armageddon" - today I can watch something actually patriotic, without breaking up my De Niro chain.
THE PLOT: The story of Carl Brashear, the first African American, then also the first amputee, US Navy Diver and the man who trained him.
AFTER: Cuba Gooding Jr. plays the central role here, with De Niro as Master Chief Billy Sunday. I was wondering if I should address the latent racism in "Taxi Driver" and "Mean Streets", but here it's an actual plot point, as Brashear has to fight both the navy regulations and personal battles against racist officers, in order to qualify for diving training, and then succeed as a diver. De Niro's Sunday starts out as a drill instructor (in the style of Louis Gossett Jr. or R. Lee Ermey) but after a demotion, he returns to help the injured Brashear train and regain his active duty status (in the style of Mr. Miyagi).
Michael Rapaport, last seen in "Cop Land", plays a stuttering diver wanna-be, also appearing is "Hey it's THAT Guy" regular Holt McCallany (semi-regular from CSI: Miami a few years back). It's a very inspiring story, mined for the maximum amount of drama. One quibble - as the years pass and the technology improves, shouldn't the new navy diving suits get lighter, instead of heavier?
RATING: 7 out of 10 flanges
DENIR-O-METER: 8 - Billy Sunday, with his corncob pipe and Southern accent, is a great character and one mean SOB - does he have a heart of gold beneath the rough exterior, or does he just like to buck the system?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Mean Streets
Day 184 - 7/3/09 - Movie #184
BEFORE: As long as we're up late, and roaming the gritty streets of NYC...let's make it a Scorsese double-shot (also 3rd film in a row with De Niro + Keitel, but who's counting?). I remember a lot of people requesting this film when I worked in the media lab at the NYU library - I never really saw the appeal, but I never took the time to watch the movie either. It was just sort of always on in the background.
THE PLOT: A small-time hood struggles to succeed on the "mean streets" of Little Italy.
AFTER: Jeez, and I thought "Taxi Driver" didn't have much of a narrative - this one has even less! It's like a slice-of-life look at the NYC underworld, through the eyes of some street toughs. It's a world of gambling, loan sharks and bar fights, and the plot rambles from place to place with little point, like drunks stumbling from bar to bar.
RATING: 4 out of 10 pool cues
DENIR-O-METER: 5 - De Niro's Johnny-Boy owes a lot of debts, especially to Harvey Keitel for carrying most of the movie. There are signs of life late in the film, but nothing can excuse that awful "Prince Valiant" haircut.
BEFORE: As long as we're up late, and roaming the gritty streets of NYC...let's make it a Scorsese double-shot (also 3rd film in a row with De Niro + Keitel, but who's counting?). I remember a lot of people requesting this film when I worked in the media lab at the NYU library - I never really saw the appeal, but I never took the time to watch the movie either. It was just sort of always on in the background.
THE PLOT: A small-time hood struggles to succeed on the "mean streets" of Little Italy.
AFTER: Jeez, and I thought "Taxi Driver" didn't have much of a narrative - this one has even less! It's like a slice-of-life look at the NYC underworld, through the eyes of some street toughs. It's a world of gambling, loan sharks and bar fights, and the plot rambles from place to place with little point, like drunks stumbling from bar to bar.
RATING: 4 out of 10 pool cues
DENIR-O-METER: 5 - De Niro's Johnny-Boy owes a lot of debts, especially to Harvey Keitel for carrying most of the movie. There are signs of life late in the film, but nothing can excuse that awful "Prince Valiant" haircut.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Taxi Driver
Day 183 - 7/2/09 - Movie #183
BEFORE: Shocking, yes? I'm coming clean, admitting that I've never seen "Taxi Driver". Now that it's out there, I feel a lot better. So, how does this happen? How does a man get to the age of 40, consider himself a movie buff, even have a job in the industry, without ever seeing this film? I suppose I was somewhat intimidated by its reputation, but that's a poor excuse. In fact, of the top 10 most glaring omissions among my viewed movies, three star Bobby D. (the other two are "Raging Bull" and "The Deer Hunter"...) So, let's kick off the second half of my Movie Year (or 2nd quarter, if this project ends up lasting 2 years...) and rectify this situation. Again, I'm issuing 2 ratings - one for the film itself and the other for the De Niro factor.
THE PLOT: A mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as nighttime taxi driver in a city whose perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge to violently lash out, attempting to save a teenage prostitute in the process.
AFTER: I'm struck by two things - the first is the way that a young De Niro looks and acts reminds me of Christopher Meloni, from "Oz" and "Law & Order: SVU" (more likely, Meloni studied or was influenced by De Niro...). Something about the way both actors will smile at someone, just before taking them out.
The second thing is how, taken on its own, the first 45 minutes greatly resemble a Woody Allen film. It's New York City, it's late, a bunch of cab drivers are sitting around a diner, talking about their strange passengers, while jazz music plays in the background. A neurotic man goes on a date with a beautiful woman, he doesn't know how to act, and it's a disaster - that's Woody, right? But once Travis Bickle gets himself "organiz-ized" and starts keeping a journal, we see just how obsessive he's becoming - and before long, he's buying guns and doing those scary push-up exercises.
I'm glad Bickle points out that he's an ex-Marine, presumably a Vietnam vet, because it's easier to envision a disgruntled veteran becoming an armed urban assassin than it is for a guy who just got turned down by Cybill Shepherd. (Don't take it personal, Travis, she won't return my calls either...) There's a small scene that tells you everything you need to know about Travis Bickle: he's watching a soap opera, the TV is balanced on a box or something, and he's tilting it back further and further with his foot. Of course, he tilts it too far, and the TV falls and breaks. Well, how else would he know how far back he could tilt it? How close are any of us to the edge of madness, and how do we know where the edge is, without falling into the abyss?
They say it's the quiet ones you need to look out for - and when someone in NYC snaps, they always interview his friends and neighbors. Invariably, what do they say? "He was a quiet guy, kept to himself, didn't say much of anything..." In the event that I go off the rails someday, I've instructed all my friends and co-workers to say the exact opposite: "Yeah, that guy was wound way too tight! We all knew it was just a matter of time..." Just because you never seem to hear that.
RATING: 5 out of 10 snub-nosed pistols (the narrative was like a 4, but I'm adding 1 for the unintentional (?) comedic bits, like Scorcese himself as a talkative cab passenger.
DENIR-O-METER: A solid 10, for an actor's showcase from start to finish.
BEFORE: Shocking, yes? I'm coming clean, admitting that I've never seen "Taxi Driver". Now that it's out there, I feel a lot better. So, how does this happen? How does a man get to the age of 40, consider himself a movie buff, even have a job in the industry, without ever seeing this film? I suppose I was somewhat intimidated by its reputation, but that's a poor excuse. In fact, of the top 10 most glaring omissions among my viewed movies, three star Bobby D. (the other two are "Raging Bull" and "The Deer Hunter"...) So, let's kick off the second half of my Movie Year (or 2nd quarter, if this project ends up lasting 2 years...) and rectify this situation. Again, I'm issuing 2 ratings - one for the film itself and the other for the De Niro factor.
THE PLOT: A mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as nighttime taxi driver in a city whose perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge to violently lash out, attempting to save a teenage prostitute in the process.
AFTER: I'm struck by two things - the first is the way that a young De Niro looks and acts reminds me of Christopher Meloni, from "Oz" and "Law & Order: SVU" (more likely, Meloni studied or was influenced by De Niro...). Something about the way both actors will smile at someone, just before taking them out.
The second thing is how, taken on its own, the first 45 minutes greatly resemble a Woody Allen film. It's New York City, it's late, a bunch of cab drivers are sitting around a diner, talking about their strange passengers, while jazz music plays in the background. A neurotic man goes on a date with a beautiful woman, he doesn't know how to act, and it's a disaster - that's Woody, right? But once Travis Bickle gets himself "organiz-ized" and starts keeping a journal, we see just how obsessive he's becoming - and before long, he's buying guns and doing those scary push-up exercises.
I'm glad Bickle points out that he's an ex-Marine, presumably a Vietnam vet, because it's easier to envision a disgruntled veteran becoming an armed urban assassin than it is for a guy who just got turned down by Cybill Shepherd. (Don't take it personal, Travis, she won't return my calls either...) There's a small scene that tells you everything you need to know about Travis Bickle: he's watching a soap opera, the TV is balanced on a box or something, and he's tilting it back further and further with his foot. Of course, he tilts it too far, and the TV falls and breaks. Well, how else would he know how far back he could tilt it? How close are any of us to the edge of madness, and how do we know where the edge is, without falling into the abyss?
They say it's the quiet ones you need to look out for - and when someone in NYC snaps, they always interview his friends and neighbors. Invariably, what do they say? "He was a quiet guy, kept to himself, didn't say much of anything..." In the event that I go off the rails someday, I've instructed all my friends and co-workers to say the exact opposite: "Yeah, that guy was wound way too tight! We all knew it was just a matter of time..." Just because you never seem to hear that.
RATING: 5 out of 10 snub-nosed pistols (the narrative was like a 4, but I'm adding 1 for the unintentional (?) comedic bits, like Scorcese himself as a talkative cab passenger.
DENIR-O-METER: A solid 10, for an actor's showcase from start to finish.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Cop Land
Day 182 - 7/1/09 - Movie #182
BEFORE: 6 months into this project, and for some reason I feel like I'm finally getting to some of the really meaty films - is it the presence of De Niro at work, or just that I'm crossing off some films that I've been meaning to watch for such a long time?
THE PLOT: The sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community populated by New York City policeman slowly discovers the town is a front for corruption.
AFTER: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Michael Rapaport, John Spencer, Janeane Garofalo, and about 6 cast members of the Sopranos (Edie Falco, Robert Patrick, Annabella Sciorra, Frank Vincent, John Ventimiglia, and Tony Sirico) - jeez, is there anyone who's NOT in this movie?
Stallone plays the sheriff of Garrison, NJ (ah, a garrison is an armed outpost of soldiers - I get it!) but an incident on the G.Washington Bridge sets off a chain of events that brings De Niro's internal affairs officer to come sniffing around. How deep do the town's secrets go? I've never been a big Stallone fan, but this film is a cut above his usual movies about arm-wrestling or such. Too many characters, though - I think the story could have been condensed a lot.
RATING: 6 out of 10 traffic tickets
DENIR-O-METER: 3, unfortunately. It's really Stallone and Keitel's movie, though De Niro manages to shine in a limited role - I'm surprised that his "You BLEW it!" line didn't catch on like "Are you talkin' to ME?" did...
BEFORE: 6 months into this project, and for some reason I feel like I'm finally getting to some of the really meaty films - is it the presence of De Niro at work, or just that I'm crossing off some films that I've been meaning to watch for such a long time?
THE PLOT: The sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community populated by New York City policeman slowly discovers the town is a front for corruption.
AFTER: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Michael Rapaport, John Spencer, Janeane Garofalo, and about 6 cast members of the Sopranos (Edie Falco, Robert Patrick, Annabella Sciorra, Frank Vincent, John Ventimiglia, and Tony Sirico) - jeez, is there anyone who's NOT in this movie?
Stallone plays the sheriff of Garrison, NJ (ah, a garrison is an armed outpost of soldiers - I get it!) but an incident on the G.Washington Bridge sets off a chain of events that brings De Niro's internal affairs officer to come sniffing around. How deep do the town's secrets go? I've never been a big Stallone fan, but this film is a cut above his usual movies about arm-wrestling or such. Too many characters, though - I think the story could have been condensed a lot.
RATING: 6 out of 10 traffic tickets
DENIR-O-METER: 3, unfortunately. It's really Stallone and Keitel's movie, though De Niro manages to shine in a limited role - I'm surprised that his "You BLEW it!" line didn't catch on like "Are you talkin' to ME?" did...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Righteous Kill
DAY 181 - 6/30/09 - Movie #181
BEFORE: I'm coming to the end of my cop films, and the end of my Pacino films (for now). I'll pick up "City Hall", "The Insider" and "Scent of a Woman" at a later date, because I'm anxious to start a 3-week tour through the career of Robert De Niro. Starz on Demand has been very helpful, running Pacino/De Niro films this month - so this De Niro-spective could take me right up to my San Diego trip, the last week in July. In addition to the movie rating, I'm adding a new feature for the duration: the DeNir-O-Meter. This will be a similar 1 to 10 scale, judging how prominent Bobby D. is in the film, how memorable his performance is, or how well the film showcases him.
THE PLOT: Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose?
AFTER: As Tom Stoppard wrote, "There is an art to the building up of suspense." And this film sort of deflates it, telling us in the first 5 minutes who's been killing off criminals that have been getting off on technicalities. It's a look at the frustrations involved in being a cop - to the point where a cop might take the law into his own hands, and go too far. Can a policeman dispense vigilante justice in his off-duty hours, and still be considered a good cop? Unfortunately, there's no solid answer provided, partially because this movie is so unfocused and all over the place.
There's a reason why the main characters are mostly called by their nicknames "Turk" and "Rooster" - it's funny how the movie would have been different if we had known the main characters' full names at the beginning. I was all set to rate this movie as a "4" but the long-awaited introduction of action and suspense near the end sort of demand that I upgrade it.
Supporting work here by Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Walhberg, and "Hey, it's THAT guy" veterans Brian Dennehy and Alan Rosenberg. Cameos by Curtis "50-cent" Jackson and Terry Serpico (no relation to Frank).
RATING: 6 out of 10 softball gloves
DENIR-O-METER: 5 for a relatively restrained performance, and getting out-acted by Pacino. He does get in a couple good soliloquys, though, including "Most people respect the badge. Everyone respects the gun."
BEFORE: I'm coming to the end of my cop films, and the end of my Pacino films (for now). I'll pick up "City Hall", "The Insider" and "Scent of a Woman" at a later date, because I'm anxious to start a 3-week tour through the career of Robert De Niro. Starz on Demand has been very helpful, running Pacino/De Niro films this month - so this De Niro-spective could take me right up to my San Diego trip, the last week in July. In addition to the movie rating, I'm adding a new feature for the duration: the DeNir-O-Meter. This will be a similar 1 to 10 scale, judging how prominent Bobby D. is in the film, how memorable his performance is, or how well the film showcases him.
THE PLOT: Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose?
AFTER: As Tom Stoppard wrote, "There is an art to the building up of suspense." And this film sort of deflates it, telling us in the first 5 minutes who's been killing off criminals that have been getting off on technicalities. It's a look at the frustrations involved in being a cop - to the point where a cop might take the law into his own hands, and go too far. Can a policeman dispense vigilante justice in his off-duty hours, and still be considered a good cop? Unfortunately, there's no solid answer provided, partially because this movie is so unfocused and all over the place.
There's a reason why the main characters are mostly called by their nicknames "Turk" and "Rooster" - it's funny how the movie would have been different if we had known the main characters' full names at the beginning. I was all set to rate this movie as a "4" but the long-awaited introduction of action and suspense near the end sort of demand that I upgrade it.
Supporting work here by Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Walhberg, and "Hey, it's THAT guy" veterans Brian Dennehy and Alan Rosenberg. Cameos by Curtis "50-cent" Jackson and Terry Serpico (no relation to Frank).
RATING: 6 out of 10 softball gloves
DENIR-O-METER: 5 for a relatively restrained performance, and getting out-acted by Pacino. He does get in a couple good soliloquys, though, including "Most people respect the badge. Everyone respects the gun."
Monday, June 29, 2009
88 Minutes
Day 180 - 6/29/09 - Movie #180
BEFORE: Al Pacino vs. a serial killer. My on-screen programming guide only gave this 2 out of 4 stars. Hmm....
THE PLOT: A thriller about a college professor who, while moonlighting as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI, receives a death threat telling him that he has only 88 minutes to live.
AFTER: Just a bit too twisty. Pacino's character, Dr. Jack Gramm, did himself no favors by surrounding himself with young, beautiful women who he might have one-night-stands with - plus there are students, colleagues, patients - which of them might be connected to the Seattle Slayer? And are the recent killings (timed to occur right before the convicted Slayer's execution, possibly in an attempt to exonerate him) the work of a copycat - or perhaps the real Slayer?
Everyone close to Gramm becomes a suspect - anyone with a cell phone and a voice-changing device, that is... Gramm is given 88 minutes to live, and the killer offers no details on how the death will occur - but they've obviously taken great pains to predict how Gramm will react over the next hour and a half. The movie itself is 107 minutes long, but when you add in the intro sequences, plus the wrap-up and closing credits, it's possible that the death threat plays out in something close to real time. Kudos to the filmmakers if that's the case, and shame on them for a missed opportunity if it's not.
And I'm reminded of the old saying - it's not paranoia if the people around you are, in fact, out to get you.
RATING: 4 out of 10 carrabiners
BEFORE: Al Pacino vs. a serial killer. My on-screen programming guide only gave this 2 out of 4 stars. Hmm....
THE PLOT: A thriller about a college professor who, while moonlighting as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI, receives a death threat telling him that he has only 88 minutes to live.
AFTER: Just a bit too twisty. Pacino's character, Dr. Jack Gramm, did himself no favors by surrounding himself with young, beautiful women who he might have one-night-stands with - plus there are students, colleagues, patients - which of them might be connected to the Seattle Slayer? And are the recent killings (timed to occur right before the convicted Slayer's execution, possibly in an attempt to exonerate him) the work of a copycat - or perhaps the real Slayer?
Everyone close to Gramm becomes a suspect - anyone with a cell phone and a voice-changing device, that is... Gramm is given 88 minutes to live, and the killer offers no details on how the death will occur - but they've obviously taken great pains to predict how Gramm will react over the next hour and a half. The movie itself is 107 minutes long, but when you add in the intro sequences, plus the wrap-up and closing credits, it's possible that the death threat plays out in something close to real time. Kudos to the filmmakers if that's the case, and shame on them for a missed opportunity if it's not.
And I'm reminded of the old saying - it's not paranoia if the people around you are, in fact, out to get you.
RATING: 4 out of 10 carrabiners
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Serpico
Day 179 - 6/28/09 - Movie #179
BEFORE: After about 6 weeks of rain in NYC, we finally got a sunny day - so as they say in baseball, let's play two... This is why I own 7 VCR's (4 of which also play DVDs, I'm not that far behind the times...) - if a tape won't play well in one deck, it might in another.
THE PLOT: The true story about an honest New York cop who blew the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.
AFTER: In the 1990's, to count as a hero cop, you had to be Bruce Willis or Wesley Snipes, and save a planeload of passengers or take out a building full of terrorists. But the 1970's were a simpler time - all a movie hero cop had to do was to NOT take bribe money. But a full movie about a guy not doing something doesn't really seem action-packed. The real Serpico's investigation into graft eventually let to the formation of the Internal Affairs Bureau - but you have to figure that if a guy's been working in 10 different precincts, and can't get along with anyone in any of them, maybe the guy's just not very likable. I admire a cop who won't take a bribe, but he's just so darn high-and-mighty about it...
I liked the (unintentional?) comedy of seeing a young Al Pacino working undercover - especially when dressed like a butcher, a hippie, a Hasidic Jew... Two uncredited cameos - Judd Hirsch as a cop in the hospital scenes, and F. Murray Abraham as a narcotics cop near the end.
RATING: 6 out of 10 get-well cards
BEFORE: After about 6 weeks of rain in NYC, we finally got a sunny day - so as they say in baseball, let's play two... This is why I own 7 VCR's (4 of which also play DVDs, I'm not that far behind the times...) - if a tape won't play well in one deck, it might in another.
THE PLOT: The true story about an honest New York cop who blew the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.
AFTER: In the 1990's, to count as a hero cop, you had to be Bruce Willis or Wesley Snipes, and save a planeload of passengers or take out a building full of terrorists. But the 1970's were a simpler time - all a movie hero cop had to do was to NOT take bribe money. But a full movie about a guy not doing something doesn't really seem action-packed. The real Serpico's investigation into graft eventually let to the formation of the Internal Affairs Bureau - but you have to figure that if a guy's been working in 10 different precincts, and can't get along with anyone in any of them, maybe the guy's just not very likable. I admire a cop who won't take a bribe, but he's just so darn high-and-mighty about it...
I liked the (unintentional?) comedy of seeing a young Al Pacino working undercover - especially when dressed like a butcher, a hippie, a Hasidic Jew... Two uncredited cameos - Judd Hirsch as a cop in the hospital scenes, and F. Murray Abraham as a narcotics cop near the end.
RATING: 6 out of 10 get-well cards
Donnie Brasco
Day 179 - 6/28/09 - Movie #178
BEFORE: I tried to watch "Serpico" before this, but the VHS tape (old, but still in the shrink-wrap) had tracking problems - so I'll try it later on another VCR, or else just put that film back on my want list. So, a few Pacino films before I start my DeNiro-spective. I thought I might have seen this film, but since I remember nothing about it, it at least merits a re-watch.
THE PLOT: An FBI undercover agent infilitrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the mafia life to the expense of his regular one.
AFTER: I guess maybe I hadn't seen this before, since nothing about the film seemed familiar at all. This movie is like a primer on the mob, or at least mob films. Pacino's character, "Lefty" Ruggiero, inadvertently gives Depp's Brasco (or is it Pistone?) tips on how to act like a mobster - and the film also explains the many subtle meanings of "Fuggedaboutit". There are also lots of "Hey, it's THAT guy" moments, with Bruno Kirby and Michael Madsen in the mob, and Paul Giamatti, Tim Blake Nelson, and Zeljko Ivanek working for the FBI. Pacino's Lefty is a great character - a made man who keeps getting passed over and can't seem to advance, so he's resigned himself to middle management.
The movie is tense, but other than a nightclub raid, there's not much action, so it felt a little flat to me. It's more of a character study of a guy who gets too involved in the mobster he's pretending to be.
RATING: 6 out of 10 boosted trucks
BEFORE: I tried to watch "Serpico" before this, but the VHS tape (old, but still in the shrink-wrap) had tracking problems - so I'll try it later on another VCR, or else just put that film back on my want list. So, a few Pacino films before I start my DeNiro-spective. I thought I might have seen this film, but since I remember nothing about it, it at least merits a re-watch.
THE PLOT: An FBI undercover agent infilitrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the mafia life to the expense of his regular one.
AFTER: I guess maybe I hadn't seen this before, since nothing about the film seemed familiar at all. This movie is like a primer on the mob, or at least mob films. Pacino's character, "Lefty" Ruggiero, inadvertently gives Depp's Brasco (or is it Pistone?) tips on how to act like a mobster - and the film also explains the many subtle meanings of "Fuggedaboutit". There are also lots of "Hey, it's THAT guy" moments, with Bruno Kirby and Michael Madsen in the mob, and Paul Giamatti, Tim Blake Nelson, and Zeljko Ivanek working for the FBI. Pacino's Lefty is a great character - a made man who keeps getting passed over and can't seem to advance, so he's resigned himself to middle management.
The movie is tense, but other than a nightclub raid, there's not much action, so it felt a little flat to me. It's more of a character study of a guy who gets too involved in the mobster he's pretending to be.
RATING: 6 out of 10 boosted trucks
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