A Day at the Races (7/8/10) TV-TCM (1937 ***1/2) Directed by Sam Wood, starring the Marx Brothers, Maureen O’Sullivan and Margaret Dumont. A horse doctor named Hugo Z. Hackenbush helps a young lady save her sanitarium. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I never had much of a taste for the Marx Brothers, but watching this film gave me far more of an appreciation for them. Some of the scenes were laugh-out-loud funny. One thing I never realized before was how brilliant having three of them was. It let them mix-and-match the brothers in scenes, and they sometimes carried scenes solo, and this created a real sense of variety in a feature-length film. For example, the dynamic between Chico and Groucho was different than that between Harpo and Chico, which was different between Groucho and the ultimate straight woman, Dumont. My favorite scene in the film took place in an examination room with all three brothers playing doctor with Dumont. One final note: Throughout the film, it was very evident how Woody Allen — as he’s given credit through the years — took so much of his physical comedy mannerisms and timing directly from Groucho Marx.
The Good German (7/5/10) TV-IFC (2006 **1/2) Directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Tobey Maguire. Set after VJ Day, a journalist named Jake discovers that Berlin is as morally ambiguous as Chinatown. I had read that Soderbergh had used original 1940’s-era cameras and equipment to make this film, and that was my primary reason for wanting to see it. I must say, the results of that experiment were fascinating and I would recommend it to film students and lovers of old film for that reason. The story, unfortunately, didn’t do much for me, and it presented me with a world populated with unlikable characters I couldn’t relate to and never cared about.
The Fly (7/5/10) TV-FMC (1958 **1/2) Directed by Kurt Neumann, starring David Hedison, Patricia Owens, Herbert Marshall and Vincent Price. A scientist experiments with teleportation and makes a little boo-boo. After watching the 1986 version starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, I had a hankering to watch the original. While it’s watchable, it wasn’t particularly good, particularly in terms of its story structure, where much of the film was told in flashback. Was it shocking to its original 1950’s audience? That’s a good question. This film also demonstrated that as beloved and memorable as Vincent Price was, he was a lousy actor.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (6/29/10) Netflix (2008 ***1/2) Directed by Sacha Gervasi, starring Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner. Nearly 25 years after rubbing elbows with rock greats, Anvil — founded by two childhood friends — was a band willing to do anything to make a comeback. There is a definite self-conscious comparison with the fictional rock group Spinal Tap. Some of the similarities, which included a concert in Japan, a visit to Stonehenge and the drummer’s name being so similar to This is Spinal Tap’s director Rob Reiner, only reinforced that comparison. But that wasn’t enough to recommend the film, which succeeded on its own terms as a well-made documentary that was ultimately about one of the most universal themes of all: friendship.
Shazam!: The Greatest Stories Ever Told (6/27/10) Comics (2008 ***) Written and illustrated by various. Captain Marvel and family span the decades, mixing silliness with superheroics. It’s been a long time since I read any of the older Marvel Family stories, and this Whitman’s sampler of their adventures was a kick. Of special interest were a couple of stories circa 1974 when DC comics acquired the rights to the old Fawcett comics. It was interesting to see how the “big red cheese” and associates were integrated into the DC universe.
Serenity: Those Left Behind (6/26/10) Graphic Novel (2007 **1/2) Written by Joss Whedon, illustrated by Will Conrad. Set in-between the Firefly series and the Serenity movie, Mal Reynolds and his merry band take on a scavenger mission but fall into a trap. I appreciated the fact that this story, originally presented as a 3-issue miniseries, was written by series creator Whedon himself, but this quick read never really engaged me emotionally. I undoubtedly would have enjoyed it far more if I’d seen the Firefly TV series, which I assure you is somewhere on my Netflix queue.
Moon (6/24/10) Netflix (2009 ***1/4) Directed by Duncan Jones, based on his original story, starring Sam Rockwell and the disembodied voice of Kevin Spacey. When astronaut Sam Bell has an accident on the lunar surface, his 3-year mission comes to an unexpected conclusion. I had heard great things about this film, and it’s possible my expectations were higher than they should have been. It’s still a good film, with a solid performance by Sam Rockwell. It falls into the rare category of “Intelligent Sci Fi” films, and we could certainly use more of those. I don’t want to reveal too much, but I particularly appreciated that many of the film’s story elements weren’t stated overtly, yet they were still relatively easy to infer.
Power Girl (6/21/10) Comics (2006 ***) Written and illustrated by various. This is an odd volume, as it combines the… uh, titular character’s early appearances from 1976 and 1987 with more recent appearances, which all attempt to describe her contradictory origin as either the Earth-2 Superman’s cousin or as the granddaughter of an Atlantian Wizard. Cast as an “odd man out” as a result of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, Power Girl’s search for her true beginnings is much of what makes her an interesting character. However, it’s clear from this volume that it’s probably her revealing costume and… how shall I phrase this?.. ginormous boobies… that have made her a fan favorite. (”Hey, boys — My eyes are up here!”)
Mom’s Cancer (6/21/10) Graphic Novel (2005 ****) Written and illustrated by Brian Fies. This book collects Fies’ excellent webcomic which was written in “real time” and detailed his mother’s diagnosis with brain and lung cancer and her subsequent treatment. I had this book sitting on my Amazon wish list for a long time, but I was a little afraid to order and read it, honestly. As the son of a woman who went through a similar journey, the subject (and title) hit a little too close to home. I borrowed this book from a friend and read it over a lunch hour. After finishing it, I decided the book would be a very thoughful gift for anyone with a family member with cancer.
Father of the Bride (6/20/10) TV-TCM (1950 ***) Directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor and Don Taylor. Stanley T. Banks’ little girl has grown up and is intent on marrying a fellow with the unlikely name of Buckley Dunstan. Of course it falls to her parents to arrange for and pay for the whole costly affair. This story is told through the point of view of the father, and even though Steve Martin played the role admirably in the 1991 remake and its 1995 sequel, it’s hard to imagine anyone more perfect for the role than Spencer Tracy.
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