Author: mfordfeeney

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Plot sounds stupid, but the novel is a favorite of mine; very true to spirit of Holmes. Makes for good little film. Duvall is ridiculous…

Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Seven-Per-Cent Solution:

If I describe it to you, you’ll tune out: “Sherlock Holmes goes to Vienna to beat his cocaine addiction with the help of Sigmund Freud”. Preposterous. But in the execution of Nicholas Meyer’s novel, it turns out to be a charming little story, very in keeping with the style and spirit of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories.

Would have been interesting to see Meyer direct this, his screenplay based on his own novel, much as Michael Crichton did with The Great Train Robbery two years later. After all, Meyer would get the chance to direct several years later, with the similarly spirited Time After Time, before becoming the greatest director that the Star Trek series would ever see.

But Herbert Ross is a much more accomplished director and does his usual great work here, even if the deliberately soft picture is more of a cute affectation than a welcome “dating” of the story.

In truth, after watching this for the first time in many years, there is a deep drop-off after the 1st hour. The fascinating part of the story is in the set-up; the mystery Holmes is tasked with later on is not as engaging.

Interesting casting; Robert Duvall as Dr. Watson? He’s absurd. I have no objection to Americans playing Brits, but taking on a stiff-upper-lip Victorian is way out of his depth. Fantastic actor, but this one is just a poor fit – a total caricature. Alan Arkin, on the other hand, struggles and succeeds at keeping Freud from being a similar archetype. To some degree this is simply not possible, as the Viennese doctor is sort of hard to underplay, but he does give the character a vitality and edge that is unexpected and welcome. Williamson does a good job with the most thankless role of Sherlock. He plays the character exactly according to Hoyle (or Doyle, I suppose), taking no risks, but he does it well and handles the addiction storyline well.

Lastly, enjoy the Sondheim composition “I Never Do Anything Twice” from the brothel scene – good stuff!

[schema type=”movie” name=”The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” description=”To treat his friend’s cocaine induced delusions, Watson lures Sherlock Holmes to Sigmund Freud.” director=”Herbert Ross” actor_1=”Nicol Williamson” ]

Poster:

Trailer:

http://youtu.be/CxzoWxT2E2Y

Bechdel Test:

FAIL

Main Cast	Alan Arkin Dr. Sigmund Freud, Vanessa Redgrave Lola Deveraux, Robert Duvall Dr. John H. Watson/Narrator, Nicol Williamson Sherlock Holmes
Rating	PG
Release Date	Thu 02 Jun 1977 UTC
Director	Herbert Ross
Genres	Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Plot	To treat his friend’s cocaine induced delusions, Watson lures Sherlock Holmes to Sigmund Freud.
Poster
Runtime	113
Tagline
Writers	Arthur Conan Doyle (characters), Nicholas Meyer (novel)
Year	1976

#140RVW

This is where it all started. Coen brothers announce their arrival with a classic neo-noir thriller that’s a game-changer. Sonnenfeld’s 1st.

What’s more:

Despite being a huge Coen brothers fan, I never quite got around to watching this, their first film. Not a lack of interest, it just never seemed to be on or crossing my path when I was looking for it. It was worth the wait.

It’s amazing how good they are right out of the gate. All of the classic Coen elements are already in place; gorgeous cinematography (by rookie Barry Sonnenfeld), atmospheric score (by Carter Burwell in his first Coen collaboration), complex characters, dark humor, dramatic pacing, plot twists and turns, sharp dialogue, all of it…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

FAIL

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Fast Times director Heckerling strikes gold again with another high school movie, another star-making classic, this one also written by her.

Spoiler-free Movie Review of Clueless:

I’ve never read Jane Austen’s Emma or seen any of the 3,000 or so film or TV adaptations, but I feel confident this is the funniest interpretation of the story. One of my wife’s favorite movies, and her good taste is evident here.

I’m sure the movie wasn’t meant to be a 1990’s time capsule, but it certainly is a good primer on the decade. Not just another teen movie, although all the hallmarks are there. The difference has to be in the writing. When Amy Heckerling struck gold with Fast Times at Ridgemont High, she was helped by Cameron Crowe’s script. But her screenplay here shows a real depth of talent.

The acting is quite solid. No standout performances, exactly (although Silverstone is wonderful), but fresh new faces helped out by career character actors like Dan Hedaya & Wallace Shawn. Baby-faced Paul Rudd is a startling sight, but not more so than Donald Faison in braces.

I do have to say that I really didn’t care for the last five minutes. Got tied up really neatly, more or less out of the blue. Wasn’t expecting Rosebud or anything, but the Hollywood ending just came outta nowhere.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass

The Representation Test Score: A (11 pts)

(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

[schema type=”movie” name=”Clueless” description=”Jane Austen might never have imagined that her 1816 novel Emma could be turned into a fresh and satirical look at ultra-rich teenagers in a Beverly Hills high school. Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and Dionne (Stacey Dash), both named after “great singers of the past that now do infomercials,” are pampered upper-class girls who care less about getting good grades than wearing the right clothes and being as popular as possible. But Cher, who lives with her tough yet warm-hearted lawyer dad (Dan Hedaya) and hunky, sensitive stepbrother (Paul Rudd), also has an innate urge to help those less fortunate, like the two introverted teachers she brings together (“negotiating” herself improved grades in the process) and new friend Tai (Brittany Murphy), who starts out a geek and ends up a Cher prodigy. Cher also possesses her own sensitive side, and she is looking for the perfect boyfriend, whom she ends up finding where she least expected.” director=”Amy Heckerling” actor_1=”Alicia Silverstone” ]

Main Cast	Alicia Silverstone Cher Stacey Dash Dionne Brittany Murphy Tai Paul Rudd Josh
Rating	PG-13
Release Date	Wed 19 Jul 1995 UTC
Director	Amy Heckerling
Genres	Comedy, Romance
Plot	A rich high school student tries to boost a new pupil’s popularity, but reckons without affairs of the heart getting in the way.
Poster
Runtime	97
Tagline	Sex. Clothes. Popularity. Is there a problem here?
Writers	Amy Heckerling (written by)
Year	1995

#140RVW

They don’t make ’em like this anymore – they should. Gorgeous epic of land & sea. Possibly greatest footage of sea battle committed to film.

What’s more:

Peter Weir doesn’t make a movie very often, but when he does it is something truly special. What a remarkable film.

Based on the novels of Patrick O’Brian, this may be the most accurate depiction of  this era of naval warfare. Richard King justifiably won an Oscar for Sound Editing, as sound is such a crucial element of making these ships come alive. (DP Russell Boyd also won an Oscar for the beautiful cinematography.)

Long, but this sort of film should be. Doesn’t flinch from showing the cruelty of war. Great action, but even greater explanation of the tactics and the thinking.

I would have loved to see a sequel, but it doesn’t appear to be in the works. Crowe & Bettany are so good together. There were 20 books about Captain Aubrey, so there’s no lack of source material. Pity, but at least we’ve got this one…

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Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

FAIL

#140RVW

Heavy-handed but very funny roasting of “Christian values”. Rookie feature filmmakers show inexperience; comes off as a bit mean-spirited…

What’s more:

First off, this is a very funny movie. You need to be willing to laugh, of course. The topic and comic treatment of Christian values will keep many potential viewers away and send a lot of those who stick around in a tizzy. I can certainly understand those who have no interest in seeing movies like this. If you think you’re going to be offended, you’re probably right and should just stay away.

It’s a message movie, clearly. And I think that’s the problem. The creators seem to have an axe to grind. It keeps it from being entirely great. It’s not the irreverence; the close-minded and judgmental views of those portrayed in the movie are ripe for satire. The issue is that because the creators appear to be so invested in their message that the whole thing comes off as a bit single-minded. It’s really a one note story; there’s no depth. The movie has one thing to say and does so – repeatedly. The characters are rather one-sided. It’s all send-up and no subtlety. Again, there’s nothing really wrong with this, it’s just a missed opportunity. This subject matter is such a great source of potential material, but it is handled much better in films like Easy A or Juno, where there is a much more full-featured story.

My exhaustive 10 minutes of internet searching indicates that this is the first feature film from director Brian Dannelly, who also wrote the film with partner Michael Urban (this is also their first feature film as writers). All of his previous experience was in short films, which I think may shed some light on the approach to story-telling. This highly focused story would probably have made a great short film.

I don’t want to be too hard on Saved!, though. I really did enjoy it. It’s simply that by the end I was really hoping for an opposing viewpoint or a devout Christian character that was a bit more textured and less of a caricature.

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Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

PASS