090 - Dogs of War

Synopsis: Mercenaries overthrow West African dictator

Director: John Irvin

Actors: Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger, Jobeth Williams, Colin Blakely

Date: 1980

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 3/5

David Meyer says:
An intelligent, hard-boiled, unapologetic war movie, based on an unapologetic best-seller [by Frederick Forsyth]

I say:

Well, this is certainly better than I expected it to be. Despite an all-action first 5 minutes, with the gang of mercenaries forcing their way onto the last plane out of some war zone, the film follows Christopher Walken apparently settling back into life in San Fransisco. However, he's soon tracked down by a guy who wants to invest in some West African state, but needs the current dictator out of the way. Walker initially goes on a reconnaissance mission (the best bit of the film), and then is persuaded (for a bucket load of money) to reform his gang of mercenaries, go back, and take out the dictator - which they do, of course, in the final 15 minutes. So, there's actually not much violence, rather there a lot about getting the necessary weapons, getting them across borders, and planning the attack. Interestingly there's no subtitles - so when people speak French, or Italian or Fanti (??) there's a real sense of not quite knowing whats going on. What else to report?  Walken looks proper scary all the way through the film, but that's a given! Slightly bizarre to see Kenny Ireland and Jim Broadbent in very minor roles (as cameraman/soundman) trying to make a documentary about the goings on in the West African state! 

089 - Out of the Past

Synopsis: Classic 1940's film noir

Director: Jacques Tourneur

Actors: Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, Jane Greer, Rhonda Fleming

Date: 1947

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 4/5

David Meyer says: 
Director Tourneur's sense of hopelessness and existential dread find expression in a desolate compendium of noir characteristics: violence, sexual obsession, alienation, betrayal, and (justified) paranoia, all presented in eerie, shadow-laden lighting, and dreamlike camera work.

I say:

Blimey, this is such a convoluted story - it starts out OK (in flashback) private detective (Mitchum) hired (by Douglas) to track down missing girlfriend (Greer), finds her, falls for her, they run off together, but are found and she disappears. Years later the guy who hired him contacts him again. His girl has returned to him, and he wants Mitchum to retrieve some documents that show he (Douglas) has been avoiding tax. it's a set-up of course (to revenge the fact that Mitchum and Greer ran off together), but from then on everyone is betraying everyone and eventually everyone gets their comeuppance (i guess). Some of the reviews reckon that this is THE classic noir film with the classic femme fatale (Greer), and that the confused storyline doesn't matter (and is par for the course for noir), and maybe I just haven't seen enough of the genre to judge, but it certainly is enjoyable. Interesting to see a relatively early Robert Mitchum film - one sort of thinks of him as old and grizzled - but here he's younger (30) but you can already see the classic traits. Jane Greer is extraordinary as well - wildly switching from innocent girl to cold blooded killer. And there's some great dialogue - Mitchum saying 'If I'm going to die, I want to be the last'. A couple of points about the review in Robert Meyer's book (the first time I've noticed glitches) - he calls Mitchum's character a hoodlum (no, he's a private detective), and also lists Jack Elam as one of the starts (but he's not in the film at all), sadly, because Jack Elam is one of my all time favourite actors - and here's a photo, just to make up (or compound!) for the error.  

088 - Rockers

Synopsis: Rasta buys motor bike, has it stolen, gets it back.

Director: Theodoros Bafaloukos

Actors: Leroy Wallace, Richard Hall, Monica Craig, Gregory Isaacs

Date: 1979

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 2/5

David Meyer says:
For such a live-action cartoon, Bafaloukos provides a mature level of social realism. 

I say:

This comes across more as a series of reggae music videos than a joined up film, and apparently, for those who know about these things, most of the top reggae artists at the time crop up somewhere along the way. Anyway, the flimsy storyline is that the top reggae drummer (Horsemouth) decides to go into record distribution, borrows money, buys a motor bike, the bike gets stolen, but through a girlfriend, finds out that the local gangster has it with tons of other stolen loot in his warehouse. There then follows a nice twist where Horsemouth and his mates rob the gangster's house and the warehouse and leave everything out in the streets for the locals to help themselves. That's about it - the guys all strut about (they have a strange way of walking), dress in their finery, smoke tons of dope, everyone knows everyone, and half the film seems to be taken up with meeting friends and slapping hands, and it's just all taken at such a slow pace (maybe that's simply how it is in Kingston Jamaica!!) What else? I usually watch most films with the subtitles turned on, but was a little concerned that that wasn't an option - but it's because the film already has subtitles - the patois is so strong it's impossible to the untrained ear to pick it up - but sometimes even the subtitles need interpretation!  

087 - At close range

Synopsis: Adolescent gets drawn into crime, and even the love of a good woman can't save him

Director: James Foley

Actors: Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson

Date: 1985

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 2/5

David Meyer says:
He [Foley] shows the frustrations such a modern pastoral life produces and the violence that can provide the only relief

I say:

Another true story, of a dysfunctional family in rural Pennsylvania. Brad Jr (Penn) is drifting through his adolescence when his father (Walken) turns up, and Brad Jr is seduced by his money and fast cars. He joins his father's tractor stealing (that's what you do in rural Pennsylvania!!) gang, but after a while it goes pear-shaped and a lot of people end up dead. It's pretty predictable stuff (though somewhat scary given that it actually happened), and it's difficult to have much sympathy with Penn (perhaps there's not enough back-story). Walken, as always, even at this stage of his career, is charmingly terrifying (even with bizarre hair and a moustache!), and the cast includes Tracey Walter (about as different from his character in Repo Man (one of my favourite films) as is possible), and Keifer Sutherland (who I hadn't noticed until the last couple of minutes) who, when you see him, makes you suddenly think 'blimey what's Jack Bauer doing there???'

086 - Tom Horn

Synopsis: Old West legendary cowboy's struggles with the emerging New West

Director: William Wiard 

Actors: Steve McQueen, Linda Evans, Richard Farnsworth, Slim Pickens

Date: 1980

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 3/5

David Meyer says:

Tom Horn takes place during that narrow and neglected time-slice between the Old West and the new, where only the finest westerns dare tread.

  I say:

Tom Horn was a legendary tracker, marksman and gun-for-hire, and the film is based on his autobiography, written whilst awaiting execution for a murder he probably didn't commit. The story covers the last couple of years of his life (around 1901-3), when, after drifting into a small town, he is hired by the local Cattle Association members to put a stop to all the cattle rustling. He does this simply by shooting any rustlers. The Association realise this is bad publicity for them, and want out. Then a young kid is shot, and either Tom killed him, or he was set up - either way, he seems resigned that he will be hanged. I feel this could have a much better movie - McQueen seems somewhat distant (and his long hair looks strange), there's an annoying superfluous love interest, and some strange jump cuts in the film. On the positive side of course there's the wonderful Richard Farnsworth and Slim Pickens, and the depiction of the period (evolving from Old to New West) feel very authentic (for example, the Cattle Association eat lobster at their dinner).  There's one great quote (referring to Horn's lassoing skills): 'He sure don't rope like a Christian' - what??

085 - The Thief of Bagdad

Synopsis: Impressive telling of the Arabian Nights tale

Directors: Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, Tim Whelan, Zoltan Korda

Actors: Conrad Veidt, Sabu, John Justin, June Duprez

Date: 1940

How viewed: Bought on Amazon

Rating: 4/5

David Meyer says:

The story lags, the transitions are clumsy, and the dialogue is occasionally campy, but the intent - to combine available technology, unlimited imagination, and a substantial budget to create a captivating dream for adults and children - is fully realised.

I say:

This is the stuff of fairy tales, featuring, of course, the evil wizard (with the power to summon up storms, and turn a boy into a dog) and the young King, who are both in love with the beautiful princess (who falls into a Sleeping Beauty type coma).  It also comes with the obligatory sword fights (surprisingly gory in places), impressive beards, moustaches and indeed eyebrows (!!), a flying carpet, man-eating spider, killer robot, huge genie who is released from a bottle and grants 3 wishes, a rose (whose scent erases memory, what??) and of course, being saved from execution at the last moment (though does beheading really count as the threatened 'death by a thousand cuts'). I expected the film to be a bit clanky, and of course it is in some places, but, give over, it was released in 1940, and so the special effects aren't that special - but it's still a technicolour dream with plenty to enjoy. 

  

084 - The King of Comedy

Synopsis: Talentless comedian stalks his hero to try and kickstart his career

Director: Martin Scorsese

Actors: Jerry Lewis, Robert de Niro, Sandra Bernhard, Diahnne Abbott

Date: 1982

How viewed: Bought on Amazon

Rating: 3/5

David Meyer says:

By turns it's funny, unsettling, surreal, and unbearable. Consider it an exercise in truth through exaggeration. 

I say:

This feels like quite a disturbing films on a number of levels. Robert de Niro plays Rupert Pupkin a sad, lonely, budding comedian with enormous self-belief and no talent, who stalks and harasses his hero (Jerry Lewis playing a top talk-show host) for a slot on his show - and not taking 'no' for an answer, resorts ultimately to kidnap to achieve his dream (and he believes, his right). It feels like the precursor for all the current reality shows - people with no talent being able to achieve fame and fortune just by being pushy. So, this is one of those films that I'm sure some people find extremely funny, but others (including me) find just a little bit sad, and creepy, and irritating. I'm still not convinced de Niro does comedy (maybe in this film that's the point), but Jerry Lewis is sensational as the successful but world-weary talkshow host (such a contrast to his previous incarnation playing the stupid partner of Dean Martin) and Sandra Bernhard is manically brilliant in one scene. So, what else to report - the musical score is by Robbie Robertson (mainly music by Ray Charles which can't be bad), I liked the way the scenes switched between reality and Pupkin's daydreams, and there's plenty of cameos to look our for (including Martin Scorsese himself). The ending suggests that indeed infamy trumps real talent (but alternatively that may simply have been another of Pupkin's daydreams).