Blue Water, White Death

I realize that on this one I'm probably really late to the party. Anyone who finds sharks fascinating, and probably spends their hours glued to the tv during shark week has probably seen this before, but I have to say almost 37 years after its release this documentary scared the bejeezus out of me.

The first movie I ever saw in my life was Jaws, but this documentary about an expedition of scientists and divers looking for the elusive great white came out four years BEFORE that quintissential blockbuster and its shark scenes are far scarier than anything on amity island.

It's also fun to tag along with the ships crew as they set sail from south africa and head out to the ocean searching for the maneater. There's near misses, anticipation, a smaller shark feeding frenzy, and plenty of disappointment. Oh and they've brought a folk singer on board the vessel to help pass the time away.

When they finally do find the shark off the coast of australia the footage is more terrifying and awe inspiring than any picture I've ever seen. Just try not to squirm in your seat as the great white bears its teeth and attempts to take a bite out of the camera. If you can sit still during a sequence like that, you've got stronger nerves than I.

So on the patented scale of Buy it, Rent it, Watch it on Cable, or skip it- This is an unequivocal BUY IT.

Filling In The Gaps Case File #7: The French Connection

It's guy movie week here on Filling in the Gaps, and I've followed up the prototype for buddy pictures "Butch Cassidy..." with the Gene Hackman crime thriller "The French Connection."

I have to admit I have seen this one before, but it too was a long time ago. I was struck immediately by how much energy there seemed to be bubbling behind the surface of the film. Even the main titles seem to be ready to race off the screen and get things moving.
The music, the direction, and the great performances all help obscure the fact that for the first half of the movie nothing much happens. Outside of Hackman's Popeye Doyle roughing up a few thugs, talking to his ghetto snitch and getting called on the carpet and thrown off the case by his superior, there's a lot of waiting and watching.

The chemistry between Hackman and Roy Scheider doesn't get enough credit either. They're quite a team and a joy to watch. Scheider is the level headed one with Hackman always seeming ready to blow at a moments notice. Hackman's character is a racist bully, but he helps win over the audience anyway with charm and dedication.

No discussion of the French Connection would be complete without mentioning its tremendous chase scene where Hackman is chasing a sniper- he's in a car, while the sniper's hijacked an elevated train. It's a testament to the film that even after seeing thousands of car chases, this one still has the power to thrill. I'm surprised a movie this purely entertaining actually won best picture in the 1970's since it doesn't seem to be the Academy's usual thing. But it's a true classic worth watching again and again.

Buy it, rent it, watch it on cable, or skip it: Buy it.

Filling In The Gaps Case File #6: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Hard to believe it's been this long and I've never seen this film. Wisecracking two bit outlaws never looked so good, or acted so charming than they do here. Blazing a trail for all the smart Alec buddy films that would come after it, Paul Newman and Robert Redford have enough charisma and charm to fill two movies.
Their other collaboration- "The Sting"- is one of my favorite films. It's one of those films that I didn't expect to like, but it won me over and taught me how to play cards too.

I fully expected to be won over here too, but instead the results were only so-so.
It's not a bad film by any means because Newman and Redford have an undeniable chemistry. I wanted to just gloss over the film's numerous shortcomings and watch them have fun.
But the movie as a whole is a little too forced, a little too full of smug satisfaction with its own jokes. It's more cute than anything else as Newman and Redford make wisecracks in the middle of bank robberies, shootouts, and getaways. And the film as a whole never really gelled for me.

I actually found my mind wandering and wondering why, aside from the presence of a llama, Bolivia looked exactly like the old west. And what's with the out of place musical interludes?
I know that's one of the most popular things from the film, but it just struck me as jarring. But then again this may be one of those movies I just don't get.

Buy it, Rent it, Watch it on cable, Skip it: Watch it on cable

Filing In The Gaps Case File #5: M

To a pop culture addled mind like mine the name "M" instantly brings back memories of watching the old James Bond movies on television with my grandfather (M was 007's boss, in case you've forgotten, and was always calling him just as he was about to remove the bra of some beautiful lady).

But this film "M" is about as far away from that as Fight Club is from Sesame Street.
It stars Peter Lorre in the enviable role as a serial killer. And not just any serial killer.
This one kills little girls.

Not the most audience friendly subject matter, oh and by the way, it's in German. So you really have to follow those subtitles. I've never had a problem with foreign films. Subtitles don't bother me. And after all these years, hearing dialog in Italian, Spanish, or French is pleasing to the ear even if I can't understand more than a word of it. German, however, always sounds like someone coughing up phlegm.

That said, this film is a must see if you have any interest in the great film noir movies of the 30's and 40's since "M" had an enormous influence on film making at that time.
It's a German film by Fritz Lang and it's full of haunting images like the balloon that is blown away after Peter Lorre murders a little girl.
In this film it's not about what you see, it's about what you don't see and what is suggested by the shadows.
There's some great performances that seem to creep into your subconscious and jump out at you when you don't expect it.
The film has enough connection to the world at that time that it feels real, but there's a nightmarish quality to it that makes you feel like the evil can come right up to your door and it won't stay in the safe world of the movies.

Peter Lorre will make your skin crawl with creepiness. The role fit him like a glove. Alas it was a glove that fit too well because he was never really able to shake the stain of this film for the rest of his career. Ever wonder why he only turns up playing lowlifes and creeps with a very dark side? This is it.

Alas, this isn't everyone's cup of tea.
So on my patented scale of buy it, rent it, watch it on tv, or skip it-
For film Buffs: Buy it.
Everyone Else: Rent it

Filling In The Gaps Case File #4: Cabaret

Sorry this post is a couple days later than usual. After I'd already committed myself to the song and dance of Liza, I found myself regretting my impulsiveness.
Liza is not for the faint of heart since her voice with all its cackles and over dramatic peaks and valleys can be a little grating. But commitment to my growing following of readers won out over my reluctance and I headed forth into the bizzaro world (the fact that there's 7 inches of snow on the ground and I'm pretty much stuck at home helped too).

Seeing the film now more than 35 years after it originally debuted I found it very hard to separate Liza the tabloid caricature from her Sally Bowles character. The seeds of her tempestuous personal life are all here. The outlandish sequins, the furs, the boozyness at all times of day, the always slightly drunk laughter, and the self centered attitude. Here is a character that can say things like "my baby may be the most important baby in the history of the world, next to Jesus" without the slightest hint of irony.

It's as though Liza, knowing she had a good singing voice, threw herself into the Sally Bowles character. Then she won an Oscar and decided that if she could be a winner on the silver screen acting like that, then dammit she was going to act like that all the time.
The fact that she falls in love with two gay men in the movie is eerily parallel to her real life "David Gest" existence.

Another thing that weighed on my mind as I watched this film, is that it came out the same year as the "Godfather," and Joel Grey actually beat Al Pacino for Best Supporting Actor. Hands down this has to be one of the academy's biggest boneheaded moves of all time. I'm not knocking Grey's performance. He's creepy, and has a good singing voice, and he sure knows how to apply lipstick. But he's little more than a sideshow in this film, thrown in whenever the director wanted to squeeze in some music, and at seemingly random times whenever the film wanted to heighten it's nightmarish qualities.

Now after all this it may sound like I'm about to give this film a sharp cane up the ass and ream it out for being a self important drugged out 70's crap fest.
But that is not the case. The songs are remarkably sturdy and catchy.
And the movie isn't just a stage musical put on film, it's nicely developed as a picture. And despite Liza's tendency to bug her eyes and make googly faces, her flightiness actually kind of works for the character. I don't know that it's best Actress Material, but its good work.

Director Bob Fosse does great choreography and great costumes and this film undoubtedly influenced many musicals that came after it. And seen on its own terms, the film is weightier than it has a right to be with such a feather-brained character at its center.

Buy it, Rent It, Watch it on Cable, or Skip It: Watch it on cable (unless you really love musicals, then stick it in the netflix queue)

Filling In The Gaps Case File #3: Blade Runner

Now I must admit I have seen Blade Runner before. But the last time I watched it I was a tiny child of 7 sitting in an audience with my parents watching Han solo battle more bad guys but with nary a storm trooper or death star in sight.

A new "Final Cut" of the movie was just released, So I welcomed this opportunity to re-asses the film as an adult.

The look of the film is the most striking part about it. Los Angeles of the future (circa 1982's vision of the future anyway) is dark, grimy, lonely, and perpetually in the midst of violent hard rain showers. The place to be is the street side sushi stands in what looks like Chinatown. Harrison Ford is so called "blade runner" tracking down human androids run amok called "replicants."

Everything about the look of this film is artsy and polished to a high sheen. His love interest (a sexy replicant played by Sean young) looks like one of the girls in Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" video, and the villains look like they stumbled out of a punk band at CBGB in 1979.

It can be a hard movie to cozy up to. The look of the film and the story seems to keep the audience at arms length.
But Harrison Ford's underrated performance grounds the whole endeavor in the dirt and soil of reality. I'm not likely to blow away a replicant wearing a clear plastic raincoat as she crashes through window after window until she dies a slow motion death, but dare I say it Ford's character is relatable.

There's also some tantalizing mind games as we learn that the next generation of replicants made by a corporate behemoth don't even know they're replicants. Their memories are just brain implants programmed in by the corporation. And Ford promptly falls in love with one of them. I wish this theme had been explored a little more, but as it is it provides a nice undercurrent to the action and it got me thinking about the nature of memory.

There's no question the film's reputation has only grown over the years, and it's had a tremendous influence on every futuristic film that came after it. I don't really remember much about the movie the first time I saw it. But I enjoyed it this time. I could even watch it again to find arguments to make on both sides of the debate whether Ford was a replicant or not. Other fanboys say this new version makes it clear, but I'm not convinced.

Buy it, Rent it, Watch it on cable, Skip it: Rent it.

Next Up is a real change of pace. Liza Minelli before she became a tabloid caricature in Cabaret.

Filling In The Gaps #2: Nashville

I have to say while I'm no Altman completest (if I were you'd think I would have seen "Nashville" before now) I've always had a soft spot in my heart for him.
I am one of the 20 people on the face of the planet who actually enjoyed and still enjoy his widely panned "Popeye." I remember reading the opening line of a review of that film in my big book of Leonard Maltin- "The beloved sailor man boards a sinking ship..."

So it was with a fair amount of optimism that I popped the film into my DVD player and embarked on a journey that would leave me haggard, weary, and watching the clock.
All the Altman signatures are here in possibly their purest form. A Gargantuan Cast? Check. Dialogue and conversations that seem to bump into and crowd out each other from scene to scene? Check. Story? Missing in Action.

Watching an Altman picture can be akin to standing in the middle of a crowded party and listening to the bits and pieces of the conversations around you. You only hear part of what was said, and there's always a lot of other noise and other conversations trying to drown it out.
Now this is a hallmark of his work, and I've enjoyed in other films such as "MASH" and "The Player." But here it's just distracting.

His penchant for large casts of characters works against him here too. We are introduced to so many people and we spend so little time with each of them, it's hard to care about anyone.
One of the first sights we see is the giggle inducing sight of former "Laugh In" cast member Henry Gibson in a sequined shirt, scarf, and obscenely large mutton chops singing some patriotic claptrap about the bicentennial. It's quickly explained that Gibson is an country western star, and a major league SOB, and then we're off to another studio and more characters.

Now none of this would matter much if there was an engaging story to keep me interested But I found all the story lines thin and incoherent.
There's a story about a country singer going through a nervous breakdown, a gospel singer, her put upon husband and their two deaf kids, Gibson's sob and his political aspirations, a British reporter doing a story on the Nashville scene, along with Jeff Goldblum, who wears glasses that wouldn't be out of place on Gloria Steinem and rides an easy rider chopper so large and cartoonish it looks like a giant big wheel.

There's also a political van touting a presidential campaign that seems to pop up every few minutes or so. I think it was supposed to help tie things together the way the announcements over the loudspeaker set the mood in "MASH." But I have to say I was left cold by its heavy handed political speechifying.

But the film only seemed to spring to life during the engaging musical sequences.
After an hour I was checking my watch, and by the time it mercifully came to an end two and a half hours later I was exhausted and weary and glad it was over.

Buy it, Rent it, Watch it on Cable, or Skip it: Skip It