The Frame » murder

The Shining

Jandy — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 06:55:35 +0000

One of my friends was totally flabbergasted when I told her I hadn’t seen The Shining. So she made me watch it, despite the fact that I a) don’t like horror movies and b) don’t like eighties movies. And you know, she was right. How Kubrick manages to take a movie with acting this bad (sorry Shelley Duvall) and so many cheesy moments and yet make it work really well. But he does. My friend suggested that it was because “he’s Kubrick,” which is circular reasoning, but she may be right. In any case, the pacing is perfect (slower than you’d expect at first, but it builds very nicely), the atmosphere is creepy, and Kubrick shows just the right amount of scary stuff. And I honestly don’t know how much of the laughing I was doing was because of the cheesy acting, or because I needed to break the tension.
Well Above Average

Zodiac

Jandy — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 18:04:01 +0000

Serial killer movies fascinate me, especially the ones where the killer leaves clues to his identity to taunt the police. So I was totally primed to love David Fincher’s Zodiac. I think without a rewatch, I’m going to say that I liked it a lot, and it was extremely well-done, but I’m not sure I loved it. Probably because I wasn’t quite expecting what I got–which is not a bad thing, and in fact, my guess is that when I rewatch it at some point, I will love it. Jake Gyllenhaal does realy well as the rookie journalist (cartoonist, really), who’s drawn to the puzzle and ends up devoting his life to obsessing over it. I can’t really discuss what threw me off without spoiling the ending, but the doubling and ambiguity that I usually love so much didn’t quite win me over this time, again, probably because I wasn’t expecting it. I was afraid at one point that it was going to devolve into survival horror–I’m very glad it didn’t, but that was also one of the more compelling, interesting scenes. I’m rambling now, because I’m trying to identify what didn’t completely work for me, and failing–which indicates that it was probably my failure and not the film’s, so the benefit of the doubt it gets.
Well Above Average

D.O.A.

Jandy — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:37:27 +0000

A man staggers into a police office to report a murder…his own. He’s been poisoned with an antidote-less poison, and he spends the rest of the film trying to convince the police what’s happened and trying to figure out who poisoned him and why. It’s all tied up with various crime rings and such, I forget the details. Overall, it’s a solid but not outstanding 1950s noirish crime film. Definitely skip its 1988 remake, though.
Average

The Letter

Jandy — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:01:31 +0000

Bette Davis shoots a man on her front porch, claiming self-defense–but as could be expected, there’s more to the story, bound up in the letter of the title. It’s a good Davis vehicle, but not great. She owns the screen, but I’m not sure it’s worth her. It’s a strange, strange day when I start wishing for Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce, that’s all I can say–generally I’m much more of a fan of Davis than Crawford.
Above Average

Green for Danger

Jandy — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:15:58 +0000

Rather slight but entertaining British WWII black comedy/suspenser. Alistair Sim, as perfect as ever, plays a detective brought in to solve a murder committed among a group of army doctors and nurses, a task made more difficult by the suspects’ complex romantic involvements and friendships; basically, all of them have motive and opportunity. This film has a healthy reputation among fans of post-war British cinema, and it’s well-done; there’s just not a whole lot to it beyond its quintessentially British charm. And I love black and white films, but this is a rare case in which color would’ve really helped. Or else, completely ruined it. Now that I think of it, color might actually have given the mystery away–I’m not sure if that’s a positive observation on the cinematic side of the equation, or a negative one on the script side.
Above Average

Hot Fuzz

Jandy — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:24:45 +0000

Simon Pegg is the best cop on the London force–so good, in fact, that he’s making the rest of his team look bad and he gets “promoted” to a small village in the middle of nowhere. He resists this, but is intent on being the best cop he can be wherever he is, and starts seeing all sorts of suspicious activity in the town, much to the amusement of his laid-back colleagues. But…what if he’s right? Thus is the premise of what will probably remain the funniest film of the year. From the same group that made the very funny zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz takes loving aim at the buddy cop film genre. It’s nonstop hilarity, with a British flavor, which is the best kind. I’ve seen it twice and I can’t wait until I can get the DVD and see it again. If you like either British comedy or buddy cop films, or both, you will LOVE Hot Fuzz. No question.
Superior

Mildred Pierce

Jandy — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:22:13 +0000

In the Bette Davis vs. Joan Crawford debate, I generally come down on the side of Bette Davis, because I simply find that Joan Crawford…how do I say…can’t act. At all. And she’s not attractive. Now, Bette Davis, also not that attractive, but she can act. However, Joan Crawford somehow manages to imbue Mildred Pierce with great vulnerability, strength, and sympathy. She deals with deadbeat husbands, hellion children, owning a business, and oh yeah, murder. The mixture of melodrama and film noir works extremely well, and the film as a whole is a perfect example of what the Golden Age Hollywood production machine could turn out on a good day.
Well Above Average

Divorce, Italian Style

Jandy — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:32:09 +0000

Now, I really think I missed something here. Divorce, Italian Style is usually right up there on critics lists and is considered one of the best Italian comedies ever. Perhaps Italians don’t make very many good comedies? No, but seriously. The premise is great – an Italian man stuck in an unhappy marriage hits on the idea that since he can’t divorce his wife, divorce laws in Italy being pretty strict, he will kill her instead. However, in order to take advantage of a leniency in Italian murder law concerning crimes of passion, he concocts a complicated plan that involves bringing in a former sweetheart of his wife’s, getting them into a compromising situation, and then killing her in a fit of passion. Add in the other man’s wife, who has similar designs, and you should have a zany good time. But…you don’t. The film is slow-moving, strangely lifeless, and focuses far more on the main character’s desire for his niece than seemed healthy or helpful. Yet, there must be something I missed, because really smart film people really like this film. For my part, I’m giving it an above average because there are moments that are perfect (thanks mostly to actor Marcello Mastroianni).
Above Average