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#140RVW

The Joss Whedon players invade his house for a few days and come away with a wonderful, funny, beautifully acted & executed masterpiece…

What’s more:

Whedon makes it look so easy. Follows up blockbuster Avengers with a black & white modern adaptation of Shakespeare comedy. And comedy it is; this movie is a riot.

Helps to have such an amazing cast, but then that has always been his MO. He’s cultivated this amazing team of alumni, plus some notable Whedon newbies like Clark Gregg. It’s always such a blast in any of his movies looking to see who he’s brought along this time.

Too many great performances to single out, but can we all agree that Amy Acker is overdue for superstardom? She is so amazingly expressive, capable of drama, brainy comedy, physical comedy and anything else needed. Let’s get her some more work, huh? Her leading man, Alexis Denisof is also criminally underused in Hollywood…

With such great performances, it’s easy to overlook just how well the movie is constructed, but it’s important to note. The arrangement of scenes, the pacing, and the tone all combine to make for a highly enjoyable film, one that could have easily been dragged down by the challenging text. And it looks excellent, thanks to DP Jay Hunter.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Tough, I’m going to say it fails, but I could see it both ways. There are conversations that are not specifically about a man, but every conversation between women is about love; frankly every conversation in the movie is about love.

Main Cast	Alexis Denisof Benedick, Amy Acker Beatrice, Fran Kranz Claudio, Jillian Morgese Hero
Rating	PG-13
Release Date	Fri 14 Jun 2013 UTC
Director	Joss Whedon
Genres	Comedy, Drama, Romance
Plot	A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
Poster
Runtime	109
Tagline	Shakespeare knows how to throw a party.
Writers	Joss Whedon (written for the screen by), William Shakespeare (play)
Year	2012

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…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

FAIL