The Movie Journal

  Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) John Hughes, the man who changed how teen comedies were perceived in the 1980’s with films like The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink , returns with one of his best films- Planes, Trains , and Automobiles . This film proved how versatile the director is. While he previously worked in settings set in high school, he proved he could make films that touch the heart with middle-aged men. And did he ever touch the heart. The film is so full of deft and sweetness. Some people may find that Steve Martin’s character is mean-spirited, but that is not true. Steve Martin and John Candy have such natural chemistry with one another. Their characters, are thankfully, not caricatures but human beings with feelings. I believed in these characters. This movie has a lotta heart but is it ever uproariously funny. So yes, you will be moved by laughter tears and emotional tears. As a rule with John Hughes films, he creates relatable, natural characters. Charac...

  The Last Emperor (1987) The Last Emperor is one of the final epics of old. It is a tale about the final emperor of China, Pu-Yi, and his descent from emperor to ordinary man. Unlike older epics like Lawrence of Arabia , there are hardly any action scenes or moments of intrigue. Instead, it is a story that tells the life of a government puppet within some major historical events. To me, that is what makes this story worthy of telling. It’s not particularly about the life of an emperor, but about the transition of feudalism to the current state of communism of China’s society. The movie is very long and can be slow at times, but in the end, Bernardo Bertolucci created a worthy epic. Worthy of Best Picture? Who knows. I do know that this is a visually stunning film that takes advantage of the Forbidden Kingdom with dazzling shots. The story can be imperfect at times with its tonal shifts, but it is a good learning device. I learned more about Pu-Yi and his “worthiness” to the powers...

  Maniac: Episode 6, "Larger Structural Issues" September 21, 2018  “Larger Structural Issues” is the episode that pushes Maniac towards the finish line. Plenty happens here! The “C pill” begins to take effect. Dr. Mantleray’s mother, Greta appears in human flesh form, GRTA machine turns into a killer being (which may be going a little overboard, in my opinion). I mentioned last episode how Sally Field shines in her roles. Well, she is the winner of this episode. From her introduction by kissing her son intensely on the lips to her snipping about Azumi, everything she said or touches is gold. In fact, I love her pre-introduction. The way Mantelray clamors up and his facial expressions when mentioning his mother had me laughing hilariously. The titles of her published books? Yeah, that is some really cool stuff. As for the rest of the story, it is decent. This time around, Annie believes in the true connection between her and Owen. Owen wants to leave and have a normal life, s...

  Maniac: Episode 5, "Exactly Like You" September 21, 2018 “Exactly Like You” is a more complicated, darker episode of Maniac . While the last episode was a breezy caper, this episode is a brooding episode with an exceptional séance scene that takes place in the 1940’s. There is also the complication of betrayal. This episode is told from the POV of Annie, but Fukunaga makes it known that both Annie and Owen have the potential to betray each other. As this series move forward, so does the plot. The fate of Annie’s younger sister was left ambiguous, but now confirmation exists that she did indeed perish. Sally Field as GRTA was fully introduced for the first time. When the ominous music came on at her arrival, I was a bit surprised she will be used as the villain from here on out. But she is such a gifted actress and I already like what she is doing. The performances remain excellent. Emma Stone absolutely nails it yet again. Justin Theroux provides some necessary comedy and I...

  Le Duolos (1964) Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Duolos is the French auteur’s take on the noir genre. In a sense, he introduced neo-noir films to French audiences. It is very clear where Melville got his influences from (American cinema, hello!). But he combined the traditional noir filmmaking with the evolving and more modern French New Wave movement. The final result was a stylistic gangster picture with some excellent performances, rapid scene movement/editing, and interesting lighting/shadow techniques. That said, I could not help but have a cold feeling upon completion of the movie. Melville’s film comes across as a more modern or “cool” noir movie, but I did feel a little off about the story itself. Is it the talkative nature of the film? Is it just the story itself that is cold, as there is hardly any sequences of joy, laughter, or happiness? Is it the dark theme of betrayal? Regardless, I did find the French version of noir to be interesting. It is plainly obvious that Jean-...

  Cry Freedom (1987) Richard Attenborough, the director behind A Bridge Too Far and Gandhi returns with the fact-based story, Cry Freedom . I had initial reservations because it just seemed like it was one of those “white savior” movies that contemporary audiences came to detest. There are some elements of that here, mainly the story’s POV (from the eyes of white liberal publisher Donald Woods), but the film manages to arrive above that because it tells a simple yet powerful story about apartheid. This story tells how important Steve Biko was to the black folks of Africa struggling to find civil rights. In a way, this movie goes hand-in-hand with the events of today; police brutality or turning a blind eye to basic human rights and how white privilege dominates society. All Steve Biko wanted is for black people to have the same, equal rights as white people. He was seen as radical at the time, but he just wanted his people to be seen the same as everyone else. This is the kind o...

  Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) Someone to Watch Over Me is not the best movie from Ridley Scott’s extensive collection of directorial works. His prior film, the fantasy film Legend , was a box office failure. This too would turn into a box office disappointment. I consider this film a creative disappointment. It has some neat stylish flairs and the wealthy socialite versus middle-class argument is well-intentioned. Rather, the film is borderline aggravating because it is very slow and not enough tension builds to offset that slowness. While the individual performances are fine, I did not feel a sexual connection between man/wife nor man/socialite, although the scenes themselves were made with impeccable craft. Considering the talent behind and in front of the camera, I expected more with this movie. Ridley Scott came up with the idea for the film in 1982 when he discussed the story with screenwriter Howard Franklin. Scott became enamored with the idea because it told a very pe...

  Maniac: Episode 4 "Furs by Sebastian" September 21, 2018 “Furs by Sebastian” is a very odd trip inside the mind of Maniac . Odd, but delightfully odd. I thought we were finally moving upon a tangent line, but Fukunaga decided to take us on another line…inside the effects of the B pill. What this episode mainly focuses on is a Long Island caper with a lemur at its center. Yes, strangeness is abound here folks. Despite Jonah Hill and his questionable fashion choices (geez, that mullet. Seriously?), this is a truly fun and unique episode. I am not sure if it advances the plot much, but I did enjoy the weird energy this episode gives off. There also happens to be many amusing moments. My favorite is when that one dude was trying to sell Hill’s character a bulletproof fur jacket. So, the gist of the plot involves Hill’s Bruce and Stone’s Linda as a married couple that seems to be in the gutter. Bruce is more of a muted character, but Linda is a wacko with plenty of intelligenc...

  Maniac: Episode 3, "Having a Day"  September 21, 2018 “Having a Day” is a solid episode that shows the direction the show wants to go in. The first episode focused on a wide variety of “genres,” but this episode veers towards dark comedy. The episode has some dark themes, but some incredible laughs. We see Owen describe one of the worst days of his life, where his brother sings a cringy version of “Every Breath You Take” to his fiancé with some nose bops mixed in (ugh). He jumps out the window but manages to even get that wrong! I could not help but laugh. Also, this episode finally introduces us to Justin Theroux’s Dr. Mantleray. The introduction…is out of this world. I will not spoil but be prepared to be charmed by this pathetic man who used to be an item with Dr. Fujita. Theroux’s performance is top-notch. As always, the episode still manages to be weird. The production design still continues to be thoughtful. The script is not the most fresh, but Fukunaga continues to ...

  Enter the Dragon (1973) 1973’s Enter the Dragon was America’s…and my first foray into the kung-fu world of Bruce Lee. Prior to this film, Lee was an international superstar but has seen limited success in the States. This film changed everything. It became a very successful film, but sadly is the swansong for Lee due to his untimely death. I was incredibly surprised by how much I enjoyed this feature. The story is borderline silly at times, but I was taken aback how the story became a “low-rent” spy thriller a la James Bond…which I enjoyed. Lee has proven himself as a great actor and seeing his fighting moves impressed me. I try to avoid martial art films because they do not appeal to me, but I need to catch up on Bruce Lee’s work. Due to Lee’s global success, Warner Brothers joined forces with Lee to produce the movie and bring it to a wider American audience. The production received a very modest budget, but director Robert Crouse and his team made every penny count. The scre...