Cyrus

This is uncomfortable to watch, and I love that. Rare that a film is able to present a truly original premise. I don't think a story with the components of "Cyrus" - a particular love-triangle, if you will - has ever been delivered on screen before. The cast is stellar and the movie has a buoyancy that surprised me. Beyond the inevitable gags, there is a beating heart.

Restrepo

Harrowing and intense, "Restrepo" is a documentary filmed by two journalists who embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan. You will be left questioning the Afghani conflict but even more so than that, any conflict in which tribal peoples are involved. U.S. efforts to curry favor with Afghani locals are typically met with blank stares. They don't care about democracy. They don't care about bin Laden or Taliban. They just want people to stop shooting guns on their land. I think I would want that, too, but there is bigger picture at work here, and the locals are in denial. For how long?

Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid

This is a film that doesn't quite know what it wants to be. Instead of deciding, it floats by on the sheer charisma of the co-leads, Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Indeed, they are magnetic. At film's end you know little more about Cassidy & the Kid's motivations. Backstory is minimal. The default setting is "style over substance". Katharine Ross, who plays their special lady-friend, is given little to do. She should be regarded as a mere diversion, scene-dressing. So what it all hangs on, then, is Newman, Redford, and their banter. It doesn't help that the film's score is composed by Burt Bacharach. I adore Bacharach, but his lounge jazz tendencies do not jive with this project. The shoe-horning in of his hit song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" is a blatant cash grab and serves no purpose besides commerce. Perhaps the same ought to be said of the entire production - it was aimed at the audience's collective pocketbook. Well, they succeeded: this was the top box office movie of 1969. A fun romp, but no classic for all times.

Midnight Cowboy

Disturbing and depressing, yet there is some true artistry on display here. Voight and Hoffman are both excellent, each imbuing their oddball characters with genuineness and heart. If ever you wanted an argument against pursuing your dreams in the big city, "Midnight Cowboy" is the movie for you. It makes New York City look like hell on earth. The filmmaking veers toward experimentalism at many different interludes; I doubt there are many (or any) more oddball choices for Academy Award for Best Picture. Viewing "Midnight Cowboy" leaves one feeling hollow by the end. You are spending time with characters who want to be served and are not willing to commit to the real work required of anyone who wants to live "respectably". The homosexual element of the story is minimal, though I'm sure it played a part in the movie receiving an initial "X" rating. There's a lot to digest in "Midnight Cowboy", but I'm not altogether convinced the effort is worth my time.

Best Worst Movie

This is a fun documentary that reunites the cast members of one of the worst movies of all time: "Troll 2". We see the actor who played the father in said movie working as a dentist. He is thriving. The child lead from "Troll 2" is now a filmmaker. He is the director of this documentary feature. The woman who played his mother is now a cat lady. She is very disturbing to spend time with. The Italian director of "Troll 2" refuses to acknowledge the poorness of his work. And so it goes. Light and campy throughout. It seems that these days there is a cult audience for everything.

Episode 9 January 17th, 2010

Another week and another episode of Highbrow! Lowbrow? is ready for you to hear! With myself, Shaun, and my co-host, Jesse, we review the top box office earner and Best Picture Academy Award Winner of the same year. We've got a pretty interesting mix of films this week: from 1978, the much beloved smash hit Grease and the revolutionary and widely acclaimed The Deer Hunter.

The Deer Hunter, directed by Mike Cimino, is about a small town group of friends soon to head off to the Vietnam War, and the indelible mark that conflict has on their lives . Robert De Niro stars as Mike, the quiet, strong leader of the group, who guides his friends through the war albeit to tragic results. Christopher Walken is the charismatic Nico, a suave fellow with a sensitive side, a little too sensitive for the harsh realities of war. Meryl Streep plays Linda the lady love caught between them, trying to bring them home, trying to love them both. This film may have been revolutionary for its time, but both Jesse and I felt that other subsequent Vietnam films are stronger. The elements of Russian roulette and the cruelty of the Viet Cong were much too heavy-handed, lacking a certain finesse that gives those moments meaning. The sentiments and emotions feel too forced at times, as seen in the ending song where everyone gathers and sings together around a table. We did enjoy a number of the performances: Deniro and Streep bringing their A game as usual, and Walken's slick moves and suave attitude felt refreshing in his younger years. Overall though, The Deer Hunter left us wanting for better Vietnam films.

Grease, directed by Randal Kleiser, is a manic, crazy and fun musical featuring the feel good music of the 50's. Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton John) fall in love over the summer, sure to never see each other again. Until Sandy finds herself in Danny's school and Danny is acting like a jerk to save face with his macho friends. Is good girl Sandy too clean for the rough and tumble T-birds? Will Danny clean up his act to be worthy of Sandy? Eh, everyone reading this already knows how this plays out. Grease is such a widely enjoyed and popular movie that most people's opinions have already been made up on it. Jesse and I both found the songs and dances entertaining enough, but there were a couple of clunkers that people seem to have forgotten. It's also occasionally fun to watch and see what kind of interesting things happen in the background as the screen is filled with a ton of action. At this point, Grease is a cultural land mark that you'll probably end up seeing whether you like it or not.

These two films are pretty different stylistically so which one did we end up choosing? The Deer Hunter, the forerunner of Vietnam War films, or Grease, the song and dance musical loved by many? Listen and find out on the latest episode of Highbrow! Lowbrow?

We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen

There's no pretentiousness with these three... the Minutemen were straight from the heart. Mike Watt (bassist) is like the uncle we all wish we had. He is a king of storytelling, always taking his time. George Hurley (drummer) is humble beyond belief. And D Boon (guitarist) unfortunately is no longer around to speak for himself. You may not find melodies here that get stuck in your head for days, but you will be witness to an unforgettable portrait of true brotherhood. Highly recommended for fans of independent music.


Written 6/14/07

The Endless Summer

The Endless Summer must have blown midwesterners' minds at the time of its release. Exotic locales visited by lean white men riding ocean waves on boards. This is a travel film, and it's a lot of fun. The narrator is a magnet for goofs and bad puns; he can be off-putting. But don't let him distract from the scenery on display. The surfing rules, as does the 60's fashion and "period look" of the film. This movie seems like a time capsule to a simpler time.


Written 6/14/07

Hearts and Minds

As brutal as you would expect. All the famous footage is here. Confused American vets showcase their conflicted feelings of regret to the camera. Vietnamese people cry and cry and cry. I won't say the film is not biased; it is absolutely slanted in its anti-American stance. In that sense, it achieves its objective masterfully: to compel viewers to never let such a conflict occur again. Viewing this will at least temporarily leave a hole in your heart.


Written 6/4/07

Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?

I am a Christian and I am a musician. Thus this movie was extremely compelling viewing for me. Many of the profiled bands are awful. But seeing Christians in bands that play "heavy" or experimental music is intriguing. Rock n' roll is often labelled "devil's music", yet these musicians are performing and recording in that same genre and trying to put a new, positive face on a traditionally "evil/dark" form. The filming and editing are not extraordinary, but I found the content to be endlessly thought-provoking. You may even discover a decent band or two... Funny quote rom the leader of a Christian heavy metal band: "Not all darkness is evil".


Written 6/4/07

City of God

Harsh reality in full bloom. The violence can seem excessive, but watch the documentary feature in the included "extras", and you'll realize that what is portrayed here is true to life. One scene involving a child no older than 10 staring down the barrel of a gun wielded by one of his friends was so devastating I had to fast-forward past it. You won't forget the look on the boy's face. There is hope to be found within the film, but it must be emphasized that the hope is buried in the midst of a terrible darkness.


Written 6/4/07

The Wages of Fear

Extremely disappointing. The two main characters we're forced to follow are detestable. Watching them berate each other and one repeatedly brutalize his girlfriend was a miserable experience. Sure, the opening half-hour drips with tension, and the action sequences on the long and treacherous truck ride are compelling, but even at this late stage of the film not one character had earned my compassion (scratch that: one had, but he's snuffed out of the picture soon enough). The ending is excessive tragedy. The black and white print is lovely to look at, but it will be a challenge to fix your eyes on such loathsome creatures for over two hours.


Written 6/4/07

Grease

Nothing I say will change anyone's mind about "Grease". I'm sure you've made up your mind already. There are some undeniably fun moments in this top-grossing movie musical of all time. At least half the songs are excellent. Unfortunately, there are 3 or 4 ballads that do not merit inclusion. These inhibit the pacing of the film and watching the actors deliver them is a torturous ordeal. If you want to hang out with manic, horny teenagers for an hour and a half, then watch "Grease". 

The Deer Hunter

This is the first mainstream Hollywood picture to present a dissonant take on U.S. involvement in the Vietnam conflict. Robert De Niro is excellent in the lead role. Christopher Walken won the Best Supporting Actor award for his work here. He is worthy of it, too. Meryl Streep is luminous here, appearing in only her second film. Unfortunately, the story is lacking. The latter half of the film is overly reliant on Russian Roulette set pieces. This is unfortunate. The Vietnam War provides plenty drama - there is no need to add this artificial, heavy-handed element. People squaring off across a table from one another, revolvers in hand again and again, gets to be too much. The last half-hour of the film is particularly miserable. Things feels forced. The premise of "The Deer Hunter" is good - this is a film that needed to be made, with a point of view that needed to be heard - but the execution is unsatisfying.

Winnebago Man

Former pitchman Jack Rebney is a cult figure well known for his explicit tirades and seeming meltdown on a shoot for a Winnebago infomercial. Footage of him reaching his breaking point has been circulated for decades. In the Internet age of streaming video he is more viewed than ever. Who is Jack Rebney? What's the story behind that fateful infomercial shoot? Does he realize that he is "famous"? Does he care? This resulting documentary is solid, though unspectacular. We learn more of Rebney's back story and get to know him in older age. He's mellowed. Or has he? 

Casino Royale

Casino Royale is a brilliant action movie. Normally, I'm not a big fan of films of this genre, but this one kept me enthralled from start to finish. Daniel Craig imbues his "Bond" with a simmering, almost humorless, intensity. Craig commits himself to this character and should impress any Bond fan who doubted his casting.


Written 5/30/07

The Queen

This film is a compelling portrait of a period of crisis for the British monarchy. However, there are two elements of the film that compel me to rate it at 3, rather than 4 stars. The queen's up-close encounter with a buck is ridiculous. We viewers are to believe that encountering such a creature in the wild forces the queen to reconsider her view of Princess Diana. "You're beautiful", the queen murmurs to the buck, slowly understanding how unique, rare, and, yes - beautiful Diana was herself. This sequence struck me as silly and over-reaching. Second, Tony Blair's wife is portrayed as an exceedingly negative witch. Presenting a living public figure so one-dimensionally is careless filmmaking. Mrs. Blair could not have been pleased with her on-screen counterpart. Helen Mirren is, of course, excellent.


Written 5/26/07