The Movie Journal

Jeremiah Johnson (1972) Movies like 1972’s Jeremiah Johnson is why I love 70’s cinema….and cinema in general. The movie is a contemplative, visceral work of art. I noticed many films from the 70’s experimented with different ways of storytelling. Some movies, such as this particular film, does not focus too much on a strong narrative. This western relies upon imagery, music, and legendary mythos that defines the “Mountain Man” era. The movie requires patience because the story is told at a slow pace on purpose. I promise that you will be rewarded for your patience! The movie reunites director Sydney Pollack and star Robert Redford. In the span of their respective careers, they worked together nine times! This was their second feature after 1966’s This Property Is Condemned . This movie originally paired Clint Eastwood and Sam Peckinpah, but the duo did not get along so they pursued other projects. Warner Brothers casted Redford in the lead role without anyone in the dire...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 20 "Whistler's Mother"  April 11, 2014 “Whistler’s Mother” is a solid episode of Arrested Development , but it is certainly not the best episode of the series. I feel like the main plotline with Michael finding new capital and the Bluth family wanting to exploit the new capital is not quite inspirational and a tad rote. Plus, we meet Oscar (George Sr’s twin brother) for the first time, and he is my least favorite character of the show. That being said, there are some extremely wonderful and hilarious moments I need to discuss. Two things actually. Number one is the whole plot with the whistles. Michael wanted to extend some power to his company’s board, so he gives whistles to them which they are to use if they see wrongdoing. Of course, the board starts blowing the whistles nonstop. We cut away to 20 minutes later where we see Michael recollecting the whistles like a teacher. That was very funny. The other thing worthy of m...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 19 "Best Man for the Gob" April 04, 2004 We are now speeding towards the end of Arrested Development’s first season. It’s been a season full of weirdness and comedy and every episode is memorable…. even this episode. I say it like that because outside of one hilarious subplot, I was not able to recall much about this episode. What I do remember that we have a bunch of visual gags, the whole plotline where Tobias and family are in band designed to sell pharmaceuticals which had me rolling in stitches, and George Sr. entrusting GOB to set up a fake murder because he believes Michael is ‘no fun.” The episode also is noticeable for speeding up the wife of GOB’s (played by Amy Poehler) exit. I find it funny how much he enjoys Tobias’s band by saying, “It’s like you knew every side effect I went through.” In “Best Man for the GOB,” Michael decides to throw a post-wedding bachelor party for GOB and his still unnamed wife. The fam...

What's Up, Doc? (1972) I was very much looking forward to seeing what director Peter Bogdanovich had in store with his 1972 hit, What’s Up, Doc? I was absolutely floored with his previous picture, The Last Picture Show . That movie was one of the best films of 1971 and it was an effective drama about a dying town. Even though screwball comedies are what I least enjoy, I thought Bogdanovich, would at least, elevate this movie beyond standard fare. Boy, was I ever wrong. The movie was painfully unfunny and I thought Barbara Streisand was annoying and she basically fits the definition of an obsessive stalker. There were some redeeming moments saving this movie from utter failure, mainly Ryan O’Neal’s Cary Grant-esque character and the San Francisco chase scene towards the end of the film. History lesson time! Screwball comedies were very popular in the 1930’s. The genre essentially combined romance with over-the-top lunacy. 1938’s Bringing Up Baby is the perfect example...

Easy Rider (1969) To many film pundits, 1969’s Easy Rider is a groundbreaking avant garde (or experimental in layman terms) film. In a way, I agree with them. Motorcycle films were seen as cheap ho-hum exploitation films that no one cares about, but this film changed the way films were made. This film made it clear that films that were known in Old Hollywood was to be no more. The road was paved for New Hollywood and it shows that independent film can be successfully given to mainstream audiences. After all, this film was the third-highest grossing film of 1969 ($41 million dollars to a budget of a very small $400,000). I also found the movie to be a boring and frankly quite overrated. This film definitely appealed to the teens and college kids of the 1960’s counterculture era, but we live in a different world today. This movie felt equivalent of taking a boatload of LSD’s, and the effect quickly wore off for me. There are moments of greatness, but the overall film doesn’t liv...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 18 "Missing Kitty"  March 28, 2004 As George Sr. wisely quotes, “Never fire crazy!” The Bluth family and friends are no strangers to the term “crazy”, but craziness is certainly abound in this episode, “Missing Kitty.” Remember Kitty Sanchez (played by the awesome Judy Greer), the Bluth’s oversexed office assistant? She is back and comes off as the villain here albeit dim-witted villain. She knows all the secrets of the Bluth’s family thanks to her affair with George Sr, and of course Michael had the weird sense to fire her from the company thus making her disappear to become the antagonist here. Honestly, I did not care for this episode much at first, but I have grown to appreciate it based on my reflection here. Tis episode features two of the famed motifs of the series: Kitty flashing her breasts seemingly every second, and the Spring Break video series called, “Girls With Low Self-Esteem.” The performances are all great in t...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 17 "Justice Is Blind" March 21, 2004 “Justice Is Blind” is Arrested Development’s sister episode to the last episode, “Altar Egos.” These two episodes almost play together like a mini-movie, as the storylines presented in these episodes are wrapped up. The show best trait is the sharp verbal humor, but the show can surprise you from time to time with funny physical humor, as seen in this episode. Whether it is Tobias trying to avoid the touch Maggie Lizer, or Michael throwing a Bible at Maggie to test her blindness, or finding out that Maggie’s guide dog is actually blind, there is no shortage of physical humor. Even the use of a thick plea agreement that Barry refuses to read has some time to shine. Just like the last episode, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is incredibly funny as the lawyer, Maggie Lizer. In this episode, Michael receives a file of evidence in the case against George Sr. after sleeping with Maggie. However, he becom...